Those Who Cannot Remember the Past..
.. are condemned to repeat it.
Or, in other words, try reading this news article about Switzerland banning minarets, replace the words "minaret" with "synagogue" and "Muslim" with "Jewish" and then ask yourself what it reminds you of? A simple semantic trick, but a very useful one.
Meanwhile, I have become slightly addicted to Galaxy Zoo. When Earth becomes a bit too much, it's nice to disappear into space. Literally.
Sunday Round-Up
Borders has gone into administration here in the UK. Its Glasgow flagship store is covered in huge EVERYTHING MUST GO!!! STOCK LIQUIDATION!!! posters. It makes me very sad. I am an independent retailer sort of consumer, but Borders holds a special place in my heart. For years it was the only place I could find in Glasgow and I bought most of my Christmas presents there back when I lived in Stirling. In later years I have come to appreciate its friendly and knowledgeable staff, the excellent craft books section and the well laid-out fiction section. I hope the asset stripped and the liquidation means that select stores will survive - and by that I hope that the Glasgow store will keep going. It is difficult for me to imagine Buchanan Street - Glasgow's main shopping street - without it.
Kirsten S. mailed me the other day to let me know that she has listed my Laminaria shawl as one of her ten favourite shawl projects on Ravelry. Thank you so much, Kirsten! The timing was great as I have been glum these past few days for various personal reasons and it is always lovely to connect with similarly minded people (and I really enjoyed reading why she had selected particular shawls). I'd be interested in reading more posts on people's favourites if anybody has links?
Finally, congratulations to long-time blog friend, Emme, who has just had a baby boy. I love how she tweeted the news before anything else. That's how a social network expert handles big news.
What A Difference A Dyejob Does
Meet Percy post-dyejob. That safety vest orange shawl turned into deep, vibrant Wollmeise-esque red shawl. I am very, very, very happy with it.
Some of you have asked how I dyed the shawl. I had a big ovenproof dish into which I poured half my dye solution. I put my shawl (which had been soaking in lukewarm water for 30 minutes) into the dish and poured the rest of the dye solution over it. I squished the shawl gently to ensure that the dye was seeping into all parts of it, and then I put the whole thing into the oven at Gas Mark 1/140C for 45 minutes. Then I took it out and let it all cool before rinsing the shawl thoroughly. It was very easy. I think that I'll use a similar method on all those overtly variegated lace yarns I have lying about.
Speaking of ovens, I baked David's birthday cake last night so we could have some just post-midnight (we are both children at heart). The cake is one of my all-time favourites and it's so easy to make.
Meringue Cake (serves four or five)
Sponge:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla essence
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Meringue:
2 egg whites
2/3 cups sugar
Filling:
Raspberry jam.
Mix butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and egg for about 4 minutes. Add flour and baking powder and fold in gently. Pour the batter into a small, greased oven-proof dish. Put the filling on top (if using jam, try heating it a bit before as to making it more runny/easier to spread - see notes). Whip the egg whites until stiff, then folding in half the sugar. Whip the egg whites again and gently fold in the rest of the sugar. Pour on top of the cake and bake for 1 hour at 150C/Gas Mark 2/300F.
Notes on filling: you can basically use whichever filling you want. I'd recommend using something sharp or tart as the rest of the cake is very sweet. Instead of raspberry jam, you could use tart apples (peel and slice them before adding them) or maybe even gooseberries? One of my friends tried adding banana and loved it, but I found it way too sweet.
(I would have shared a picture of the cake but funnily enough it has all disappeared. So, instead, you get a photo of me freezing.)
A Few New Projects
As I'm typing this, my Percy shawl is in the oven covered in four satchels worth of Kool Aid Black Cherry and added food colouring from the local supermarket. Wish Percy good luck. You may also be amused to know that I'm typing this with very pink hands. Clearly my latex gloves are not dye-proof.
On the left you see my step-dad's Christmas present in the making (hi Step-dad, I hope you are not a keen follower of my blog). Yesterday the sun was out and I decided to go to Hamilton, just east of Glasgow, on a whim. Hamilton is home to Stitching Time, one of my favourite local yarn shops. Initially I only went in to buy some 4ply cotton for these hilarious Christmas potholders, but I came out with .. er .. a bit more than just 4ply cotton.
I'm knitting the Multidirectional Scarf by Karen Baumer (nice picture here) out of King Cole Mirage, a surprisingly lovely woolblend. Usually I would have done the scarf in some Noro Kureyon, but I have no illusions about which of the two yarns feels softer against the skin and is easier to care for. I'm actually so pleased by Mirage that my brain has quietly been plotting what else I could make from it. It knits up very well and its colour transitions are beautiful. It's like a budget-friendly Rowan Tapestry, of sorts.
Due to Christmas knitting, I have decided to just focus on finishing David's sweater (half a sleeve done! just need 1½ sleeves!) and my step-dad's scarf. This means that my shiny new shawl project has been hidden away.
I'm knitting the Echo Flowers shawl (rav link) out of some handdyed Fyberspates merino cobweb which I picked up at a trunk show last year. The shawl pattern is fairly straightforward, particularly if you have knitted Laminaria as its blossom section is identical to that of Echo Flowers' main chart, and I do love me some Estonian lace stitches. The edge charts have nupps! The yarn is a disappointment, though. As I'm knitting with it, it is pilling noticeably which I think unacceptable for a fairly pricey lace yarn. I'm also not that keen on how much the colours are pooling and generating stripes. I have been spoiled by knitting with Old Maiden Aunt yarns, I guess.
And tomorrow's young David's birthday. I hope for more sun.
Work As If You Live in the Early Days of a Better Nation
I do not know how many of you have read Alasdair Gray's excellent dystopian novel, Lanark: a Life in Four Books? It takes place partly in Glasgow and partly in an imaginary Glasgow, known as Unthank. In Unthank the characters are forever chasing sunlight whilst seemingly dying of a symbolic disease known as 'dragonhide' (Yes, well, Lanark isn't your average book). Right now I am feeling like I'm living in Unthank-Glasgow and not Glasgow-Glasgow because sunlight seems just out of reach and like something I vaguely remember from a dream.
I have a lot of time for Alasdair Gray. He is one of those novelists I am never sure whether people will like or not. I tend to recommend Poor Things as the gateway to Gray's oeuvre: it reads like a postmodern feminist Frankenstein; it is exuberant and giddy; and it is wildly entertaining. Unlikely Stories, Mostly is a rare beast: a short story collection which feels like a cohesive book and which is also a compulsive read. The stories ranges from short childhood snippets to the fantastic typographic fantasy of "Sir Thomas' Logopandocy" about Sir Thomas Urquhart (it remains my favourite piece by Gray). Lanark tends to divide people - my boyfriend still cannot believe that I like a book that nasty and unpleasant, but then again he has not read Gray's 1982, Janine which is Gray's tour-de-force in sheer unpleasantness and utter despair (and I really like that one too).
I once spent a lot of time looking at how Alasdair Gray imagines the Book as an object. 1982, Janine is not only a typographical wonder (at one point the protagonist attempts suicide which is portrayed in visual poetry) but its hardcover is beautifully decorated by Gray himself. I always try to get hold of Gray's books in hardcover whenever I can because underneath the dust jackets, you get elaborate beautiful books. Gray also writes his own blurbs, controls the typesetting and draws his own illustrations. The Book of Prefaces is as close as Gray has come to a postmodern Gesamtkunstwerk. The book is beautiful, of course, but Gray adds an extra layer by writing prefaces to the selected prefaces and writing prefaces to those prefaces. It is all rather dazzling.
And as fate would have it, I have ended up in Glasgow. Alasdair Gray lives just a few streets down from me (I may have said "Good afternoon, sir" once or twice), my local pub features his artwork and my boyfriend has drawn him at art class. Strange how these things work out.
Read more about dear Ally Gray and his artwork or his writing and remember that Poor Things is the best place to start. Meanwhile I shall continue to chase sunlight.
Best Item Description Ever
I was looking for some gift ideas when I found the Adopt A Polar Bear Gift Pack:
The Adopt A Polar Bear is the perfect gift for those who have always wanted a pet polar bear, but are scared of getting mauled to death
(..)
What a fantastic feeling to know that you have done a little bit toward making our world a better place and making sure the Polar Bears get there cappucino and Jaffa Cake rations (or whatever it is they spend the money on).
Monday Mood
We have a pile of wrapped presents in our living room. David is celebrating his birthday this week and I finished wrapping his presents yesterday whilst he was out looking at naked ladies at his art class. I also made a head start on wrapping the Christmas presents. Now I'm all antsy because we have a pile of wrapped presents in our living room and I really want to open them all. I have never been the most patient person in the world.
David's birthday means that I will not be able to go to Gourock on Saturday. Scotland's newest yarn shop, Once A Sheep, is hosting an Ysolda Teague event and I would actually like to meet some of the Edinburgh knitters I only know online. I'm also one of the few knitters who do not own a copy of Ysolda's new book and the event at Once A Sheep would have been a perfect time to buy it. Oh well. Maybe I should just go to Edinburgh soon?
(Speaking of crafty things .. if you fancy some Malabrigo, Madelinetosh or some luscious Debbie Bliss Tweed, head over to Make Do & Mend. Mooncalf is doing a blog giveaway. She is a lovely woman.)
Finally, I have begun yet another lace project. I'm convinced it is because I'm stuck doing the sleeves for David's sweater. I really should focus on the sweater, shouldn't I? After all, it is the boy's birthday later this week..
FO: That Percy Shawl
The Percy Shawl,or as I prefer to call it: The "Mad, Bad and Orange To Know" Shawl (apologies to Lady Caroline Lamb). Colour is most accurate in the first photo.
I tried knitting this earlier this year but Chart B left me a broken woman. This time I was stuck in bed with bad cold/mild flu and could concentrate fully on the complicated Chart B. I will not lie and say it was a breeze, because it was not, but it was not horrifyingly difficult. Once I worked out the logic of Chart B and its Frost Flowers pattern, I could relax a bit more although I kept needing to consult the chart.
After I finished Chart B, my brain went into holiday mode and I messed up the relatively easy Chart C. I ripped back a few rows - something which is no mean feat in fuzzy baby alpaca - and eventually Chart C needed up being my favourite part of the shawl. In fact, I love the edging so much that I am going to knit a huge shawl in stocking stitch with Chart C as the only lace element. The edging is geometric, elegant, understated and just.. perfection.
I used around 400 yrds of light fingering weight yarn. In other words, the Percy Shawl would work with one skein of fine sock wool. It is not an easy or quick knit - I think it is the most complicated shawl I have knitted so far - but it looks really pretty. It should be relatively easy to upsize as well, if you have the yardage.
(Also, a lot of people on Ravelry have skipped Chart B entirely but I think skipping the Frost Flowers would be a shame. They form the focal point)
A quick note on the yarn. I used coned baby alpaca from a Danish yarn company. It was very splitty and I had to weave in the ends very quickly before the yarn fuzzed into nothing. I am not sure how the shawl will stand up to continuous wear, in other words. However, the alpaca is almost angora-like in its softness and I had no issues with how it blocked out (unlike Drops Alpaca which does not like blocking). I would use the yarn again (and will have to as I have 700+ yrds left) but only for projects which will not get a great deal of continuous wear.
More photos available at the Rav project page.
A Strong Brown God (And Soup)
I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river
Is a strong brown god—sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a frontier;
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities—ever, however, implacable.
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting.- TS Eliot; from "Dry Salvages"; Four Quartets.*
The flood season has begun, in other words. Just south of the Scottish border, a policeman is currently missing as a bridge collapses in the floods. Early this morning I went for a walk along our nearby river, The Kelvin. I have never never seen it this high, although I know one of its bridges was swept away in a flood years back.
On the second photo you can see a bench where I sometimes sit knitting on sunny weekend afternoons. Not much chance of that happening right now! If we get any more rain, I think the pathways around the Kelvin are likely to be closed off. Luckily the river runs in a gorge, so there are no immediate threats to buildings in this area.
As you can imagine it has really been dreich lately so last night I made a warm, delicious soup:
Sweet Potato & Chilli Soup (serves an army of six)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, de-seeded and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
2 big sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into walnut-sized chunks
2 cups of veg stock (or more, see instructions)
½ tin of coconut milk
½ tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of ground cumin
salt to taste (amount really depends upon the type of stock you use)
1 tbsp of olive oil
optional extras: handful of shredded cheese and dash of paprika
1. Heat the oil and add onion, garlic, chilli, cayenne pepper and cumin. Cook for about 5 min. at medium heat. Add carrots and cook until onion softened. Add sweet potato chunks. Add as much stock as will cover the veg. Put lid and cook until all veg have softened. This will take about 25-30 minutes.
2. Blend the soup - try to aim for a consistency between super-smooth and chunky. Take care you do not splash any of the hot soup on yourself (she says looking at her left hand). Add coconut milk and stir until well-mixed. Serve in bowls with some good rustic bread on the side. I put some shredded (lacto-free) cheese on top and dressed it with a dash of paprika, but I can be a bit poncy at times.
Substitutions etc: I used coconut milk because I'm lactose intolerant. You could easily use double cream, natural yoghurt or regular milk instead. If using milk/cream, you could also add a tin of chopped tomatoes and use basil and marjoram instead for a slightly more Mediterranean taste. Instead of sweet potato you could use butternut squash or even pumpkin. The sky's the limit.
(*Or, as someone said earlier this week: "water is patient".)
The First Of Many: The Times’ Books of the Decade
Oh dear, we are going to be inundated with "The Best XYZ of This Decade!" lists, aren't we? One of the first Best Books of the Decade list comes from the Times (thank you, kimfobo) and is an eclectic mix of high- and low-culture, fiction and non-fiction, and Anglophone and translated works. I am not quite sure what the editorial guidelines were - maybe "try to include stuff people have heard of"?
Anyway, allow me a moment of indulgence as I track the ones I have read:
- 97: The Brief, Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I posted about this book earlier this year. Generally favourable towards it, still.
- 66: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It is not my favourite Mitchell novel (which is either yet to be written or Ghostwritten, depending upon my mood) but CA is great. Still cannot believe anything this clever ended up as a serious contender for the Booker Prize (miaow).
- 62: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I still have not made up my mind regarding Sarah Waters as a serious novelist, but her Victorian novels are very entertaining.
- 61: The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst. Or, That Gay Novel Wot Won The Booker. I said it then and I'll say it now: Hollinghurst writes exquisite English and his sentences are ever so beautiful, but he still needs to find the right plot for his style. I will read Hollinghurst just for the way he uses the language.
- 46: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Maybe I should try this one again because I didn't get the hype surrounding it.
- 30: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Okay, I read this one for work, mkay? Sentimental drivel of the worst order with incredibly implausible plot points. Mawkish and horrid. No, I didn't like it and I don't care if this book changed your life, omg.
- 29: The Accidental by Ali Smith. This one really got book people talking but I left my copy at Aberdeen Bus Station on purpose as it left me absolutely cold.
- 25: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. For some people this book was a revelation (you know who you are). I couldn't connect with it (which is rather apt for a book about autism, I guess).
- 22: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. This is a bit like Marmite, I suppose. Some people love this book; others could not get into it all. For the record, this is one of the few books that reduce me to tears every time I read it. Go on and mock me.
- 19: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Or, Yet Another MAJOR North-American Novel That Karie Just Couldn't Get Into At All.
- 17: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. My favourite is still the Prisoner of Azkaban, but Deathly Hallows did make a Saturday at work pass that much more quickly. I actually cannot recall the plot.
- 12: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Dear The Times, Eggers has become an incredibly influential publisher and he does very wonderful things with the-book-as-object, but we can surely agree that he should never ever be allowed to write another book. AHWOSG is one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life - and I have read quite a few.
- 10: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. When compared to Eggers' novel, The Da Vinci Code comes across as an astounding piece of literature with a keen eye for detail, a witty turn of phrase and an intricate plot. When compared to standard literature, Brown's novel is an overblown piece of ludicrous prose, flat characterisation, ridiculous plotlines and simplistic thinking. I read it for work and got exactly what I thought I'd get: an airport novel which earns brownie points for not having a picture of Tom Hanks in an awful wig on the cover.
- 9: Atonement by Ian McEwan. I get the feeling that I would not get on with whoever edited this list because this book is yet another one of my literary pet hates.
- 2: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Is this chosen for its literary qualities or because of its cultural significance (i.e. "omg, the Iranians are people too!"). I enjoyed reading this but I wouldn't put it second on such a list.
- 1: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I described this novel as "superb" and it continues to nudge me ever so often. Exquisite sparse prose and incredibly moving, I have no qualms about this being called "the book of a decade".