Sweet Memories shawl:

Like all chronic sentimentals I cherish all things and objects which remind me of special moments of the past, my childhood and adolescence in particular.
A few years ago I noticed that a crochet sweater made by my mother in the early
70's for me had been ruined by moths. I won't talk about the disappointment, but after a few days past regretting not having taken better precautions against the nasty horrible insects I decided I could give new life to that lovely creamy white lace weight wool by recycling it, so I ripped the sweater but not before making a swatch of that pretty stitch my mother used for it.
The wool is still in my stash waiting to be turned into some pretty top or something else, but I was eager to use the stitch and so I thought.....why not a shawl? This is what I came up with and I'm quite happy with the result.




Changing the subject, today is my dad's 79th birthday.
Auguri papa'! Ti voglio tanto bene.

Recipe: Orecchiette Primavera.

Just as I promised here's the recipe for Orecchiette Primavera.
For 4-5 servings you will need:

400gr. pasta (orecchiette or some other type)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion (possibly spring onion)
3/4 cup frozen baby peas
3/4 cup potatoes in small dices
1/4 cup chopped Parma ham ( bacon or plain ham will do)
1 tblsp butter
2 tbsps olive oil
200 ml cream
2-3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese ( or any tasty mature cheese)
parsley
salt
pepper

Melt butter in a casserole, add oil, peas, potatoes and saute' gently adding a little water when needed
add salt ( use little salt because the ham and the parmesan cheese will add a lot of sapidity to the sauce) and pepper and continue cooking till the vegetables are just tender.
Add the parsley and the ham.
Cook for further 2 minutes, add the cream ( here in Italy we use a very thick cream for this type of recipe which has the consistency of cream cheese)
fold the cream with the rest of the ingredients and turn off the flame.
Cook the pasta in penty of water and a little salt " al dente" and drain well. I have used orecchiette but other types are just as good , such as pennette.
Put the casserole back on the stove on a low flame, add the pasta and the parmesan cheese
mix everything
serve hot.
This dish is delicious and it can be made in less than 30 minutes! Try it and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Too many holidays?

Why haven't I blogged much lately? Good question. I guess it happens even to the most addicted blogger to have a moment of "defiance", a time when the events of everyday life seem too banal to share with anyone else except the people who are closer to us.
I have mentioned before that here in Italy spring gives the start to a sequence of local festivities which punctually close with fireworks. Yesterday it was St. George's day here. Although I didn't go out to see the celebrations I did enjoy the fireworks since they were clearly visible from here.



My dogs were simply terrified by the noise, poor babies!
Not much to report on the knitting front. I've been mainly swatching for a couple of projects I have in mind with some success but being the usual perfectionist, I am obviously not satisfied and I plan to swatch, swatch, swatch till I find what I'm looking for. Assuming that what I'm looking for exists!
So how have I been filling the long and warm spring days we are experiencing then? Well, cooking!
Take a look:


these are called "arancine", which means small oranges, because those are what they resemble. They are made with rice and the mouth watering filling is meat, cheese, peas, and tomato sauce.


I have called this dish "Orecchiette primavera". Orecchiette is a type of pasta which can be found dry or fresh and is typical of a region called Puglia. They can be cooked in many ways and I made up a delicious sauce which I will post soon for everyone to enjoy!
And finally I have been trying my new bread machine:
sultana bread....

and...


pizza bread! (my recipe).

And last but not least....cannoli!!



well, I didn't make these actually although the ones I occasionally make myself are just as good.
Imagine a crisp but tender pastry with a light aroma of cinnamon....a melt-in- the-mouth filling made with the freshest ricotta cheese with a hint of lemon and tiny bits of rich dark chocolate...and finally a sprinkle of icing sugar....heaven!!!!!
If anyone is interested in trying out my "orecchiette primavera", stay tuned as I will be posting a recipe in the next few days.

The perfect day.

This is how it started...



....ever seen anything more beautiful?
It happened a couple of days ago. My son decided to take a day off work to get some things he needed and he asked me to join him, and I gladly said yes. On the way back from Barcellona, 30 minutes away from here, we decided to stop at Portorosa to take some photos and visit the new Hilton hotel.




We took a long walk through the canals....


it was such a warm day



and finally a refreshing ice cream in one of the many restaurants of the locality.


Here in Sicily Easter officially gives the start to a long season of local festivities, usually religious, which last two or three days and end with fireworks. So from now on almost every weekend at around midnight the sky will become alive with coloured sparks above at least one of the towns which are visible from up here.


The Easter weekend passed very quickly. After a sizzling bbq....


and the sweets of the tradition...


it's time for spring cleaning, put away the winter clothes and reorganize the wardrobes. This is going to be my mission for this coming week and I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but if I don't do it who will??

Hallo!

And happy Easter everyone!
Have a great weekend with your loved ones.

Hailstorm.

I certainly didn't expect to find this when I looked out my window the other morning:


...around the trees...


...on my favourite cicas.
Unusual for this time of year, but life goes on.
And my brain is working overtime again. What I have been thinking about is another blog or, better still, a site where I can make a proper gallery of my works, including my paintings, a recipe section, my ideas on recycling, etc..

Knitting news:
1) the beige shawl is currently resting inside the knitting basket. Why? Well I seem to have lost interest in that project but I am not planning to frog it (yet).
2) the crochet stole is almost finished. Which means I have about 10cm to go before working out some kind of edging. I had decided to leave it without but it turned out slightly narrower than I though.
3) I am trying to figure out a way of knitting a rectangular shawl on the bias. Now, what I want is not a diagonal shape (as in Clapotis, for instance), but a 90° angle on each corner of the shawl. In other words a perfect rectangle. I have an idea which to me seems right and it should work, at least in theory. Any suggestions?

Coffe anyone?

I need a break.

And what is a break without a hot and strong cup of coffee?
Yes, caffeine is my drug and I can't live without it.


Progress on the beige shawl


and on the crochet stole I have decided to make with the blue laceweight wool I bought recently


I have estimated I will need approximately 5 balls (250gr.) of yarn for this project. There's an amazing difference between the amount of yarn it takes to make a crochet garment and the amount it takes to knit one. I wouldn't need more than 2- 2 1/2 balls to knit a stole of the same measure, but crocheting gives me the advantage of not having to follow a written pattern. I might have said this before, but it's impossible for me to knit anything other than simple ribbing at night when I'm relaxing in front of my favourite tv program.
Therefore I have been working on the beige shawl in the afternoon. No. I have been trying to work on my beige shawl in the afternoon. Which means knitting a row or two in between chores and at the same time planning my next project.
Oh yes. If you came close enough to my head you would hear a low buzzing sound coming out of my ears. No, I'm not an alien....it's simply my brain working overtime. PLEASE give me a 26 hour day! Is it too much to ask for? Just two extra hours would make me a happy woman. I need time for myself, to make my ideas and projects become reality....and I don't mean just for knitting! I have other passions, painting, writing (in italian of course), and I would like to experience some kind of lace making technique. Not to mention joining a gym.
Dreams, dreams.....

Spring flowers.

Almond...


Acacia......

Moonlight on the gulf...


So romantic!!

This is not so romantic...


It's my favourite lace weight wool and I have just discovered it's out of production!
I was so disappointed when the lady at the yarn store told me that I grabbed as much of it as I could...18 balls. I know there's other brands, but I have worked with this one and I find it perfect for lacy shawls. It's the one I used for the Kiri and the Fircone shawls (which btw is still a ufo!)


I have plans for these 18 balls.
I am already working on a project using the blue wool but I won't say what it is just in case I change my mind. You know the saying "it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind"? It fits me perfectly. So it will be a surprise.
This is on the needles at the moment


obviously another shawl (what, another one??)
What can I do, I just can't stop making them.

Recipe: Orecchiette Primavera.

Just as I promised here's the recipe for Orecchiette Primavera.
For 4-5 servings you will need:

400gr. pasta (orecchiette or some other type)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion (possibly spring onion)
3/4 cup frozen baby peas
3/4 cup potatoes in small dices
1/4 cup chopped Parma ham ( bacon or plain ham will do)
1 tblsp butter
2 tbsps olive oil
200 ml cream
2-3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese ( or any tasty mature cheese)
parsley
salt
pepper

Melt butter in a casserole, add oil, peas, potatoes and saute' gently adding a little water when needed
add salt ( use little salt because the ham and the parmesan cheese will add a lot of sapidity to the sauce) and pepper and continue cooking till the vegetables are just tender.
Add the parsley and the ham.
Cook for further 2 minutes, add the cream ( here in Italy we use a very thick cream for this type of recipe which has the consistency of cream cheese)
fold the cream with the rest of the ingredients and turn off the flame.
Cook the pasta in penty of water and a little salt " al dente" and drain well. I have used orecchiette but other types are just as good , such as pennette.
Put the casserole back on the stove on a low flame, add the pasta and the parmesan cheese
mix everything
serve hot.
This dish is delicious and it can be made in less than 30 minutes! Try it and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Back with a FO.

Just under 1000 meters of a lovely wool/alpaca blend ( m. 150 x 50 gr.) for this crocheted shawl:



I love this stitch and I didn't follow a pattern for the shawl, I just started and kept crocheting until I was happy with the size. I wasn't too sure about the edging but at the end I decided that the lace was rich enough and a round of chain would have been enough. Yes, I'm quite happy with the result.
As far as the knitted shawl is concerned there's been little progress. I'm not giving myself a deadline but I hope to finish it by the middle of March, but then again what's the hurry?