Produce Stands

Hey my knitting readers, I've started another blog to host all of my knitting so that my non-knitting readers over here don't get bored with all the yarn talk - check it out!

We stopped at Produce Stand outside of Chama the other day on our way home from Pagosa Springs and were given slices of watermelon.  Yellow watermelon.  I didn't even know yellow watermelon existed?!  Did you?

After we had finished those wedges, we were given some of pink watermelon and both were delicious, flavorful and quickly gone.  I normally don't like watermelon because its too watery and doesn't have enough flavor, but these slices were amazing!

These Etsy finds remind me of summer, fresh produce and soaking up the sun :)

1) Picnics!  Eco Friendly Blanket from SewnNatural
2) Sunglasses! Vintage Red Sunglasses from EShipShop
3) Sundresses! Vintage Sundress from Homecoming
4) Tomatoes! Mister Tomato from YuliaKazansky
5) Green Leaves! Lush from mistflowerphoto
6) Sunburns (not so "!") Sunburn 1964 from ValerieGalloway

What's your favorite way to spend a summer day? 

**And please fill out my little survey :)  you can find it in the upper left hand corner, under my banner but above everything else!  Thank you so much! 

The Pagosa Slouch

Remember that collaboration I told you about?  The one that I'm working on with lylianmae? Who spun roving dyed by ArtemisArtemis? Well its almost here!  I wanted to give you all a sneak peak at the finished piece ;)

Its being knit up by some test knitters right now and I hope to have the pattern out to you soon, at the latest, the end of next week.  What do you think?  Are you excited for this hat?  I am!

Could You All Do Me A Quick Favor?

And take my short and sweet survey?  It will help me to see what my readers like and don't like :)

Click here to take survey

Some Lessons Can Only Be Learned The Hard Way

And the fact that puppies and inner tubing down a river is one of those lessons.

It started out a good idea, she likes water, we like tubing, we'll bring her along and she can swim alongside!

But uh....that's not quite the way it turned out, and here are my battle scars to prove it:

(Disclaimer: the following photos show a lot of leg, but nothing that would normally be covered by a bathing suit ;) )

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The scratches you can see up by my knee have bruised underneath so now it looks like I got in a fight with a bobcat or something.

We ended up flipping the little raft a few times and the final time it busted, along with my left hand, wrist and heels.  My flip flops did not make it to the end ('end' here was improvised, about half way through the original planned trip) with us and I had to get another cheapo pair to finish the trip with (the ones I'm wearing in the above photo).

Our adventure was well worth it although next time we'll leave the pup at home ;)

Flashback Friday - Kitties

Welcome to this week's installment of Flashback Friday!  Haven't heard of Flashback Friday?  Head on over to ChristopherandTia's blog to see what its all about and how you can participate :D

A few years ago, when I was a wee college Freshman, living in the dorms with my first ever roommate, we saw a sign in the campus post office for free kitties.  Now, living in the dorms you aren't allowed to have any kind of pet, not even a fish (which doesn't really make sense, no one is allergic to pet fish...) and of course we didn't agree with this rule and went ahead to just go look at the kitties. 

And we came home with two.  As a smaller person, I immediately bonded with the runt, a little girl (on the right), and my roommate brought back a rambunctious little boy (the bigger guy on the left).  They loved to sleep on our shoulders, laps, stomachs and chests as we procrastinated did homework.  We kept them for a few weeks then realized we couldn't afford them and the vet bills, so we gave them to some other students who would take good care of them.

This was not the best idea we ever had, but it also wasn't the worst ;)

Knitting News

Whats going on on the knitting front over here at SillyLittleLady?  Lots 'o' stuff!

I'm finished with the knitting part of the collaboration with lylianmae and am writing up the final draft of the pattern, although I still need a name for it...

I'm trucking away on the Max Suit (click here to see the process), finished one leg, now working on the other, the end is coming closer and closer with every stitch and I can't wait to see what it looks like finished!

I'm also designing and working up another pattern, this time a cute little cardigan but I don't want to give away too many details.  Let's just say, it uses these materials ;)

Oh, and of course there is always that secret knitting that I worked on in Paris that I can't tell you about yet, but someday my good readers! Someday!

What a Face to Wake Up To

Don't you think waking up to this face n the morning would put you in a good mood?

That is, until she terrorizing the house, the other dogs, your shoes, but before all hell breaks loose, she sure is a cute puppy isn't she?

Recipe: Curried Quinoa

As vegetarians, we have to find protein wherever we can and quinoa (pronouced Keen-Wah) is a great food to find it in.  It is (I think) the only complete protein found in nature that isn't an animal, you don't have to mix it with other foods to get all of the necessary proteins for your diet like you do with, say, black beans and whole wheat tortillas.

One of our favorite ways to cook up this delicious food is to put it in curry.  We made this recipe the other night and I thought maybe ya'll would like to make it for yourselves :)  You can use whatever vegetables please you, like most of my recipes, this one is very easily customizable.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dry quinoa
2 tbs olive oil (olive oil because I've heard that vegetable oil causes cellulite, does anyone know if this is true?) 
1 chopped onion
2 chopped bell peppers (we used green and red)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 stalk chopped broccoli
2 gloves diced garlic
1 cube of Curry
curry powder to taste
just a smidge of ground ginger

Rinse the quinoa in cold water and save any grains from going down the drain with a fine mesh or coffee filter. The quinoa must be rinsed because it is naturally covered with a substance called saponin that will repel birds and insects.  Rinsing this substance off (and soaking for twelve hours (this isn't necessary, but it does help)) allows for the quinoa to be digested more easily. Do you see the sudsy-lookin' stuff on the top of the water? That's how you know that you've rinsed off the saponin.

Moving on, when you are ready to cook, after the quinoa has been soaked or rinsed, saute the onion, bell pepper, carrots and other veggies in the oil until they are soft

At the same time, cook the quinoa, removing any sudsy saponin (we do this by simply spooning it out as it boils)

As the veggies are softening, add a bit of curry powder and ground ginger to them to let it seep in.

To make the sauce, we break off one of these curry cubes, mix it with some water, salt and flour to thicken it up. Feel free to make your own version of the curry sauce, when we don't have these blocks, we mix curry powder, a bit of milk, egg yolks, salt, sage and ginger together.

After the sauce is prepared, add it to the veggies and let them simmer for 5 or 10 minutes.

Serve the quinoa as a bed for the veggies and sauce and enjoy your nutritious, protein-filled meal!

Quinoa is a great rice substitute, it will mix in with stir fries, soups and salads as well as make a delicious dish by itself, if you haven't tried it, I encourage you to!

New Camera :)

My old (not really old, only a few months old) bit the dust and it would cost more to fix it than I paid for it and so I took this as a great excuse to buy a new camera!  Unable to afford a DSLR (which I really *really* wanted) I opted to get the most advanced digital that I could find, just a step down from the DSLRs.  I decided to get myself a Nikon CoolPix L110, and let me tell you, I love it!

Wanna see the first few pictures I took with it (of course I couldn't just let the camera sit in its pretty box, I tore through it the moment I sat down!)?  I really love the Macro setting on this camera, it is worlds better than the macro on my other camera and it makes my mom's car look sexy :) Or maybe a tad dusty hehe, it picks up on everything!

And look at how much better this yarn looks than when I first showed it to you (granted the first photos were with my mom's not-quite-as-good-as-my-old-camera camera).

I can tell I'm going to have fun with this guy.  Oh, and I named him Cliq.  He's substantial enough to need a name :)

Summer Laze

Matt and I took Lisa and a friend's foster dog on a hike last weekend up in the mountains near here and packed ourselves a little picnic.  It was gorgeous, beautiful weather, beautiful scenery and great company. Sometimes, especially after a long week at work, you just need to find a warm, sunny rock and enjoy the summer laze.

Light Brown Hare

Are you all familiar with the shop Light Brown Hare?  If you're not, you should be. 

She sells beautiful hand dyed yarns, stitch markers and spinning fibers.  The yarns are dyed in very small batches and no skein is ever exactly alike so you can always have one of a kind pieces to give to your friends, family or yourself :D

Visit her blog for giveaways, updates and chit chat with her on Twitter.

And, she sent me some wonderful, very unique stitch markers last week!  I cannot WAIT to use them!

Another Collaboration!

I am so excited to announce to you all that I am in the works of another collaboration with another Etsy seller!  This time, the wonderful yarnie is lylianmae, a yarn and fiber dyer, spinner and knitter.

(This picture sssoooo does not do the yarn justice)*

I will keep you all abreast of the collaboration and let you know how the pattern is coming, in the mean time, check out her shop and don't forget that you can request for fiber to be spun into yarn if you love the colorway but don't spin yourself ;)

 Evergreen - 400 yds

Gobstopper 4.1 oz SW Merino

*My camera has died and I'm in the process of upgrading, more on this to come!

The Green T Turned Orange

Hello readers!  Today I want to share with you the creation of puravidaknits (Ravelry link).

She made her own version of the Green T! (Ravelry deets  or  get the pattern yourself!)

I absolutely love the color, don't you?  She used Alora from Rozetti Yarns

Isn't Pam just adorable?

Have you made your own project from one of my patterns?  Please share!  I love to see others' renditions :D

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day is around the corner, have you got your Dad covered?  If you are still looking for that perfect gift, here are some great ideas.

1) 2 Mustache Rocks Glasses from BreadandBadger
2) Vintage Handcraft Watch German Airforce from revolt70
3) Solar Power Tshirt from ScreamPrinting (actually, they have a ton of perfect tshirts!)
4) Silk Wind Turbine Tie from toybreaker
5) Guinness Beer Bar from SoapDreams
6) Cobalt Blue Shaving Mug Set from sheilasthings

What are you getting for the Dad in your life this year?  Do you have any plans or traditions to celebrate?

Wanna See Something Cute?

My momma and I are walking this dog every week day.  We leash him up, hand him his frisbee and head off to the park!

He carries his own frisbee all the way to the park and catches it nearly every time we throw it!  It is the cutest little act ever, and walking to and from the park with the frisbee in his mouth always catches the smiles of passers by.

Yesterday while we were on the way to the park, he stopped in his tracks and stared into the trees and while Mom and I were trying to get him moving again we didn't see the small herd of deer he had spotted!

On the way back, the deer were still there, relaxing in the shade, staying hidden from much of the world around them.

Do you have wild animals in your area?

The Heat of Summer

Its been up in the 90s the past few days here in northern New Mexico and I wish I could be here instead:

I Think We Dreamed It by risamay

Wearing one of these:

Chloe by ladramaqueen

With a pair of these:

Heart Shaped Glasses from overthemoonpenny

For those of you near a beach, take a dip for me!

The Louvre

We returned to the Louvre on Wednesday after our fail on Tuesday (see yesterday's post) and it was well worth it!  We saw so many beautiful statues, sculptures, paintings and drawings.

(Click to make the image larger :))

 

Of course we made our way to the epic Mona Lisa,

No, no, I meant the painting, not my pup (hehe)

I highly recommend spending as much time as you can at the Louvre if you're ever in Paris, you won't be able to see everything in one day, your feet and back will probably be killing you, but it will all be worth it!

More Exploring: A Pretty Church, and the Arc

Tuesday, we went exploring, hoping to see the Louvre, but, sadly, its not open on Tuesdays.  It was still a good day though, we happened upon this absolutely beautiful church on our way and walked around, took some photos and a brochure.

It had paintings on almost every wall, gorgeous depictions of various biblical scenes.

There were statues,

And of course, there was an organ.

This church was different from Notre Dame, it had the tall ceilings, stained glass,

But it seemed a bit more eclectic, and I suppose seeing one of the nuns riding a scooter wasn't bad either ;)

Then we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe and although they were cleaning it and I didn't get to see it in all of its glory, it was still a pretty neat thing.

Flashback Friday - Cow Town

Welcome to this week's installment of Flashback Friday!  Don't know what Flashback Friday is?  Check out Christopher and Tia's blog to learn more and see how you can participate!

When I was younger, we lived in New Jersey and would, on occasion, on the weekends go to this flea market type place called Cow Town.  Once you saw this guy, you knew you had made it**:

Of course it was very crowded and filled to the brim with all sorts of interesting things.  I distinctly remember one sales man, in the corner of a building near an entrance or exit and his advertising was to loudly drawl out with his southern accent "A dollar or less, everything's a dollar or less!" Which sounded more like (read the caps with a loud, very slow tone): "a DOWL-er or less, EV-erythin's a DOWL-er or less!"  The Dowl-er or less part started out loud and ended in a lower pitched, softer mumble type thing. This is probably the thing I remember best about Cow Town.

**I did not take this picture, in fact, the picture isn't even an older one, I got it in my email recently from my Grandparents (Hi Grandma and Grandpa!) so I cropped it and lightened it to allow you to see the cowboy better, I hope this isn't cheating ;)

Yarn Shop

Now, of course I can't come to another country and not check out their fiber goods.  I looked online and found one fairly close to me, within walking distance, that had all kinds of good reviews, and that's where I went on Monday.

Its called La Droguerie and some of the highest quality yarns line the walls when you first walk in.  Alpaca, cashmere, wool, angora, kid mohair, baby alpaca, linen, bamboo, cotton, and blends of each in all sorts of colors, weights and textures!

 There were completed projects made out of the yarns lining the walls as well, and each section of yarn had at least one swatch that had been knitted up so that shoppers can see what the yarn looks like knit up.

Beyond the yarn, there is a plethora of buttons, toggles, patches and embellishments for knitwear or sewn goods, then around the corner lie shelves teeming with jars of beads.

Big beads, small beads, all different shapes, sizes, colors, materials, and purposes.

Not to mention the spools of ribbon!  Ribbons and trims of every color, width and design, what would you possibly do with them all!

And of course, a section for faux flowers, butterflies, birds, vines and the like.

La Droguerie really does have something for everyone, but each customer shares one thing in common: how to get the things they want.  It took me some time to figure this out, and I had to ask a few other customers to find one who spoke english well enough to explain it to me.

Basically, you look around, find exactly what you want, then you wait in a line (the line for yarn, buttons, beads, or ribbons and faux foliage).  The line takes up the most time, but once you reach the front of it, you get the sole attention of the salesperson there to help you.  You tell them what you want (or show them) and they get it for you.  In the case of my yarns, I told her which I wanted and she asked how much, they sell yarn by weight, not necessarily by yardage or straight skeins or balls.  I got 50g each of the two shown below.

(More to come on these goodies later)

After they get you your desired merchandise, they take the goods and the receipt to the checkout counter, you pay and you're on your way.

I've never been to a shop quite like that before, but it was a great first, lone adventure :)