Stuck on silk, literally

Last night's spinning class was all about silk. Lesson learned: spinning silk is tricky. Silk sticks to everything! Dry skin on your hands, your pants, shirt, air . . . We played with several types of silk, some I was more successful with than others.

Here is a bit of yarn I made from a silk hankie:



Hankies are square layers of silk made by stretching out the silk worm cocoon. Pulling apart the layers is about as easy as separating layers of wet toilet paper. Oh, and did I mention it sticks to everything? But the yarn turns out so lovely - smooth with such a sheen.

This next one is recycled sari silk:



Basically a sari is ripped up and the silk strands reused. They tangle up into a rat's nest that needs to be pulled apart while you're spinning. Although, once again, the struggle is worth it.

We also tried tussah silk, which is from wild silk worms and a brilliant white. It's tough to spin without practice because it just slips through your hands.

We had a temporary distraction from the frustration when a girl in the class brought in one of her angora rabbits. They are beyond belief - a giant fluff ball with a twitching nose. And the softest thing I've ever touched. Luckily I turned out to be much less allergic to the rabbit, than spinning with its fur. We all couldn't stop petting the little guy - well, little under the ridiculously immense mound of fur!

Curly locks

Here's a sampling from my spinning class this week. We played with a bunch more fibres, including these super lovely mohair locks. They spin up so wonderfully and have a beautiful shine. I have a whole box of teal locks that I can't wait to spin. But first, more practice.

My poor little digital camera was making some weird noises when I was taking pictures of the fibre. I guess that's not suprising after dropping it on my vacation - in the bathroom of a Communist statue park, of all places.

So lazy and surly

I'm not quite sure where last week went, but I am going to blame a post-holiday stupor for forgetting about my little blog. I even made something last week! Thursday was the first night in my Spinning 2 class. We played with several different fibres to get a feel for them, and try different techniques. I discovered I am very rusty. And I know so very little about spinning. (How is it that the less you know, the more confident you feel?) Tonight I must get back behind the wheel and do my homework.

Gone fishin'

I'm off tomorrow for two glorious weeks in Hungary and Austria - including a night at the Vienna opera! So what I'll be making for the next couple weeks are lots of great memories, and of course loads of photos to chronicle the adventure. I'll post my favourites when I get home.

Welcome home

This is a welcome gift for my dear friend Darci. At last she is back on Canadian soil!

The little elephant I bought at a Guelph street craft festival a couple years ago. I've always loved its rustic finish that looks like rough skin covered with dried mud dried - perfect for an elephant. I didn't realize what wonderful colours it had until I took him outside into the sun for this photograph. I remember what a grey, rainy day it was when a friend and I went to that fair. Although the bad weather didn't stop me from buying a few unnecessary, but must-have items.

Today's secret word: salad

Today I had my family over to celebrate my birthday. I planned to take a photo of the dinner spread, but forgot until after the dishes were ravaged.

On the menu: curry couscous salad, Thai noodle salad, broccoli salad and marshmallow salad. Mmm . . . creamy marshmallow fruity goodness. My parents brought the roast 'cuz they've got a handy dandy contraption to slice it nice and thin.

For dessert: freshly baked chocolate cupcakes with ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery. Oh, and earlier in the day another favourite, nanaimo bars.

I tried a few new recipes (I know, a risky move for a dinner party), and the Thai noodle salad is definitely a keeper. I found it on www.recipezaar.com. Here it is:


Spicy Thai Noodle Salad

1 1/2 lbs uncooked thin spaghetti
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 sweet onion, chopped (either red or Walla Walla)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon sesame seed

Sauce

4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
4-6 drops fire oil or chili oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cook spaghetti 8-9 minutes in salted, boiling water, drain and have sitting in ice water until ready to use.
Mix sauce ingredients in small bowl and microwave for 1 minute to thin honey and fuse flavors.
Drain noodles and place in large bowl, add veggies, sesame seeds and cilantro. Whisk sauce well and drizzle over. Add peanuts and mix until the coating on the peanuts dissolves.
Additional vegetables can be added such as peas, zucchini, and snow pea pods. The longer this sits the better it tastes. Keep covered in the fridge.

Calling it quits with stretchy cord

That's it for me and stretchy cord. I love the springy bracelets, but I've discovered through bitter experience that it definitely has a limited lifespan. OK, I take some of the blame because of my compulsive tugging. But this is the second time a stretchy bracelet let loose in a most dramatic, and aggravating fashion. Luckily the beads were big, and contained to the small space of a car.

So now this bracelet is on wire with a magnetic clasp. I just love these milky beads - and I don't want to risk losing them in another stretchy cord catastrophe.

This bracelet is sitting on lovely cloth napkins given to me by my wonderful friend Carissa. They will make their debut at the birthday dinner I'm hosting this weekend. They'll be the perfect accent for the table - alongside the dishes my grandparents got for their wedding and brought with them all the way to Canada from Holland by boat.