@Char Are you feeling better this week?
1 Like
@hereami I am definitely feeling better, but not as good as I could be.
I forgot to post yesterday, but I am still making my trip around the world.
Kelley and I are playing with layouts.
5 Likes
I don’t have anything finished for Finished Friday.
Here is a picture of my attempt at fingerless gloves. I am trying to make a thumb gusset for the first time ever. @Majormomma do you recognize this yarn? I doubt it…but it’s the yarn I bought when you were over here in California.
What are you guys working on?
3 Likes
@hereami I like it!
On the 10th day of March I finished the blocks for the scrappy trip around the world. Straightened up the edges and now I’m going to piece it together.
6 Likes
Does anyone have any plans for St Patrick’s Day next week? I’ve done corned beef and cabbage almost every year since 1999 (pics are from last year when I really went all out, it is usually a much more low-key celebration!). Last year, we paid almost $30 for a 5-pound brisket, and as it is even more expensive (well over $5 a pound most places!) I think I may have to make Irish stew and soda bread instead because I can’t afford to pay $40 just for the meat! 
My mom used to make great soda bread, but I can’t find her recipe, so I’ve been scouring the internet today looking for a recipe that looks similar. I just don’t want one that has raisins or currants or anything like that in it as I plan on serving it with stew. We usually watch either Darby O’Gill and the Little People or The Quiet Man (or maybe both!) and just hang out and enjoy each other’s company. What are all of you planning to do? And if anyone has any good stew or soda bread recipes, I’m open to suggestions!
2 Likes
@Nyssareen have you ever cured your own corned beef? If you can find a regular brisket at a decent price it might be worth a shot. Here is the recipe we use, and love it!
We prefer this over the store bought
3 Likes
The main grocery store in my town and Aldi’s are advertising corned beef flats for $3.99 lb. The grocery store has cabbage for $.17 lb! I’ll be putting the corned beef, carrots and red potatoes in the crockpot. About an hour before dinner, I’ll take juice from the crockpot and cook the cabbage in a pot on the cooktop. I’ll also make soda bread. I’ll look for my recipe and share it for you,
3 Likes
It’s Mothers’ Day in the UK on the 19th, so we’re celebrating then - my kids are taking me to a cafe called the Quarter which is based in the former Spode pottery factory at Stoke, where they do afternoon teas and wonderful Staffordshire oatcakes. They are giving all mums a pottery keepsake made by a ceramics artist with a studio in the Spode works. It’s really encouraging to see that our ancient tradition of pottery making is still going on.
3 Likes
That sounds like a really nice outing.
1 Like
@Lemming13 I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Sounds like it is going to be a fantastic day. Pls, share pictures. I have only seen ‘teas’ in the movies. I am sure we all will be envious of not only your tasty treats, but that wonderful pottery.
@Char Thank you for sending that link. I am interested. Btw…Your quilt is wonderful.
@Nyssareen What kind of cake did you make? Everything looks yummy.
I haven’t decided what to do. I get to turn another year older this week so I may have a very quiet St. Patrick’s Day.
I love the movie The Quiet Man. Excellent choice!
2 Likes
@Char When you follow that recipe for homemade corned beef. Do you let it sit in the brine for 10days before you cook it?
1 Like
@Char I think I remember seeing a recipe for making your own corned beef a few years ago, but since it was usually about $3 a pound to buy pre-made, I never thought much about it. I will definitely save this recipe even if I don’t use it this year. Thanks!
@lovestostitch That’s how I usually do my St Patrick’s dinner, but last year I found a recipe that added bacon to the cabbage. It was SO good! I look forward to the soda bread recipe.
@hereami It was a pistachio cake and it was REALLY good, but now I can’t remember where I got the recipe!
@Lemming13 That sounds wonderful! I love when people try to find ways to keep traditions going. I looked up Staffordshire oatcakes and they look really yummy, I’m going to have to add that to my list of recipes to try! I hope you have a lovely Mother’s Day and a wonderful tea with your kids. 
2 Likes
I got the steroid injection in my knee on Tuesday and they said it could take up to 4 days for it to start working. Today is day 5 and I still can’t walk without the walker. It doesn’t hurt as badly, so that is a good thing, but I can’t walk on my own still. As if that wasn’t enough to be dealing with right now, my son who still lives with me never complains and takes care of himself and all his stuff. He even takes care of me in many ways like doing my laundry because I can’t get up and down the stairs WITHOUT a laundry basked in my hands, there is no way I’m getting up and down WITH one! (well, I could get down but I would need the ambulance to get back up!) Sometimes, having such an “easy care” young man around isn’t completely a good thing. Apparently, the blanket on his bed developed a hole “a while ago” and he didn’t say anything to me about it until today when he put it in the washing machine and it came out in 3 pieces. I gave him a fleece throw I keep on the back of my knitting chair for when I’m chilly, but it isn’t really big enough and he’s not super thrilled about the pink and grey plaid. I’d say “it never rains but it pours” but since it’s actually been hailing here all day, that would be a bit of an understatement! 
1 Like
I like an electric blanket but my husband likes a regular blanket. I made him a blanket with two layers of anti-pill fleece. I used a skip stitch blade in a rotary cutter to poke evenly spaced holes in the fleece. Then I crocheted both layers together, rolling both edges into the middle as I crocheted around. He absolutely loves that blanket. The key to success with this technique is to put the two layers down and make the skip stitch holes through both layers at the same time so the holes line up and your edges and corners line up nicely.
2 Likes
On the 11th day of March I started a Hunter’s star quilt. It was a rough start, but I finally got my 1/4” to cooperate. The first block is a little rough, but finished is better than perfect.
Oh - and robotics has started up again. Yesterday was the first day of competition, so I spent the day watching that while I sewed. 
5 Likes
I was just thinking about that competition the other day and wondering if your boys were going to participate this year. I hope they do well and really enjoy themselves 
Let us know how they do 
1 Like
I haven’t been really involved here for a while…my life has become extremely busy in the last couple of months. In the first place, neither of my kids can drive yet (my daughter is learning and my son will start this summer), so I have limo duty multiple times a day now. Then, every time I turn around, I have another big project I need to take on, so I have got my nose to the grindstone, as they say, most of the time. I am making progress, but I just found out that I need to manage applications for government assistance for my daughter, so that she’ll have a safety net after she turns 22 (when she ages out of the school district services). This is a surprise, as she is really doing well, but I trust her counselor, who told me that, “the support she has the day after her birthday has to be the same as what she has on her birthday”. Which does make sense.
It is all okay, although I have had to put things like cleaning the house and other projects on the back burner!
I do have at least one finished object, and I’ll take a picture as soon as I can. I am so bad at taking pictures – something I’d like to get better at, but will wait a little while.
On the good side, a couple of months should get me through this stuff. Also, I am looking forward to traveling to colleges with my son. It should be kind of fun, I think!
I had been thinking of getting a dog…but I guess that will have to wait!! 
In the meantime, I’ve been lurking and enjoying hearing what’s been going on and seeing all the wonderful pictures.
4 Likes
Have fun! I wish our US Mother’s Day was in March. I think March might be the worst weather and most dull month of the year. It could use some special events.
I am going shopping with my sister in law and nieces this weekend ahead of my birthday. Might be visiting a new yarn shop!
2 Likes
@MBearMakes Wow. You are busy. I agree about getting a dog. Mine is great company and keeps me motivated to take a walk.
@Nyssareen and @lovestostitch Wait…you guys live in cold climates and your people are just using a layer or two of fleece as their sleeping blanket? Wow…I would freeze. I use 5 layers of blankets , plus the warmest pj’s I own.
1 Like