Fuerig’s Offering ~ Update

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Deborah

Remember Fuerig? The black baby alpaca fibre I received back in the early Spring? Well after a couple weeks of washing, carding and spinning 2 ounces of his lusciously soft and silky fibre, it turned into a gorgeous jet black skein of yarn just begging to be petted and smooshed. Trust me, ask anyone who knits or crochets what they do when they pick up a pretty skein of soft yarn and you will understand our crazy ways.

Smooshing aside, in my minds eye, I envisioned knitting a soft and drapey shawl that would wrap around me like a warm … Read more...

Turkey Vegetable Soup

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Deborah

Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, and as is the norm after cooking a 10lb bird for 3 people (actually I cooked for 4, but my daughter is a vegetarian), there are oodles of leftovers…..leftover. This soup is hearty and has a good zip to it with the addition of the canned tomatoes with chiles (ie. Rotel).

First order after removing the remaining meat from the bird was to put the carcass in a large stock pot and add about 12 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for several hours. Remove from heat and let … Read more...

Dyeing with Onion Skins

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Deborah

I have done this dye job once before, but didn’t document it very well so figured I would have a virtual record of it this go round.

Dyeing fibres with onion skins is amazingly simple. You don’t need any mordants (Che icals that affix the dye particles to the fibres) and you can use your regular kitchen utensils (but, if you are going to use other plant based dyes or chemical dyes, you must have a separate set of utensils so as not to contaminate and possibly make yourself very ill!) and it’s one of the few plant based dyes … Read more...

September KAL (Knit Along)

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Deborah

For those knitters and fibre enthusiasts out there, you know the feeling of completing a KAL with a great bunch of like minded folk. For those that aren’t into fibre-arts, you are missing out!

For the month of September, I signed up to knit a shawl for a KAL group on Ravelry, which by the way, if you are not a part of and you are a fibre geek, then I suggest you head over pronto to sign up (its free) and you will then have access to oodles of patterns from mitts to socks to hats to sweaters … Read more...

Welcome back!

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Deborah

Not just to me, but to my loyal readers and I hope some new ones as well. After fighting with an apparent “push” by Facebook that has derailed my newsfeed (and with no fix, reason, explanation, or CARE from FB), I will no longer be using that site.

Instead, I have invited new and old friends to receiving updates either via subscribing to the email list (select “Subscribe” from the main page, or by selecting the RSS feed option at the bottom-right hand side of the main page labeled “Entries RSS”.

I have a load of new ideas for the … Read more...

Lightened Up Egg Salad

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Deborah

I love eggs. One of Nature’s wonders of the food world. I would love to eat them everyday, but my family history is peppered with heart health issues so I only indulge when I really, really, really have a craving for them.

Yesterday was one of those days. I came back from a bike ride and while cooling down from the physical exertion, I started having a hankering for egg salad for lunch. Not keeping any mayo in the house (high in fat and calories) I Googled whether or not I could sub fat free Greek yogurt for the mayo … Read more...

CopyCat Deep Dish Shroom Pizza

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Deborah

This is 2 years in the making. Well, technically dreaming of making it over the last 2 years, but the other day I finally had an epiphany about the mushrooms in this pizza.

Hubs is back working in NY state temporarily on a special project and pretty much the first thing I asked was if Uno’s Shroom Pizza is still on the menu. Sadly no, they pulled it off again. I can see why because of the amount of cheese used as well as the time it takes to make this pizza, or more importantly, the time necessary for marinating … Read more...

Fuerig The Baby Alpaca

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Deborah

I really wish I could have met Fuerig in person. With his glossy black locks and cool demeanor, I could envision him strutting around the paddock like a camelid version of Fabio, beckoning to the ladies housed in the next pasture over with a “hello gorgeous, come here often?” line.

Since the owner sold him for breeding stock before I arrived at the ranch, the next best thing was to acquire 2 of his fleeces. The first fleece being his “cria” fleece (cria is what a baby alpaca is called) with a 4 1/2″ long staple length and slight crimp, … Read more...

Squash & Black Bean Quesadilla

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Deborah

Tonight’s dinner was a snap, especially when you already have 2 of the star ingredients cooked and on hand. In this case, it was the squash and beans. I am a bean snob, I prefer to rehydrate and cook my own vs canned beans, something about starting out from scratch that has always appealed to me, in whatever I do.

Anyway, back to quesadillas! and yes, another (say it with emphasis now)… a-nother!Mexican flavor inspired recipe. I had already made the beans for another batch of my black bean and wild/brown rice enchiladas and the squash was leftover … Read more...

Duvet Cover Wrestling

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Deborah

I am sure I am not the only one that hates wrestling a duvet into its over-sized pillow case periodically. Been doing it for years and always procrastinate about washing the cover just to avoid the impending wrestling match.

As I was mentally getting psyched up for the task I had a brain wave, a storm surge, an epiphany….whatever you call it, this GREAT idea popped into my head.

CLOTHESPINS!

Why don’t I insert the duvet up to the top corners of the cover and using clothespins, pin them together to hold, then travel along the length of the top … Read more...