Taking My Me Back, Stage 1

  The other day I closed my Face Book account. I closed my Twitter, as well. I was really nervous as I went through the steps to doing it. I very nearly vomited, no joking. I was extremely fearful that I would be hated and vilified and generally ... well, I'm not sure precisely what. But it scared the hell out of me.
  But as I was going through the process and experiencing so much emotional trouble I realized why I was doing it. I originally thought that it was because I was overwhelmed, and that was true to a point. The real issue was it had a genuine hold on my life and my psyche. I honestly felt that if I didn't go to that site every single day and do all those social media-ish things that there would be huge repercussions! I honestly thought I would have resultant troubles of some substantial and lasting kind. And this mind set had been insidiously growing so slowly and so quietly that I hadn't even noticed.
  And that was my light-bulb moment!
  How many things had I stopped doing because I absolutely had to go online and tend to my social media accounts? What real personal relationships were suffering due to them, as well? The answer; lots. Almost all, in fact.
  Is that Face Book and Twitters fault?
  No.
  And yes.
  Nobody forced me to fire up the machine every morning and click on either site, both of which were on the favorites bar, and spend 4 hours there. None of their employees were here at any point holding a gun to my head. I let myself get sucked in to it nearly all by myself.
  This being said, Social media is like any other business. There is money for them in it. Thus  it is designed to be as irresistible as possible, while disguising itself as "fun" and "interactive" and "communicative". But then again let's remember, it's a business and move on.
  My responsibility is that I knew how addictive it could turn out to be and I didn't see it. No that's not quite true ... I ignored it. Maybe I just found it easier to turn on a piece of technology rather than...rather than...I'm not sure what. I literally do not remember.
  But I am going to find out!

Teddy Bears Fight for Rights

Stuffed animals from across Canada met today on the lawns in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa to give the clear message that their numbers would no longer go uncounted. A spokes-bear for the group said that they have “been stuck on the shelf for too long! Now it is time for their stuffed feelings to be heard.”
“There are approximately 2.2 stuffed animals per person in this country,” said foreign supporter Paddington, a native of England. “This makes a total of over 600,000,000 stuffed animals who are never given one stitch of thought.”
The new Equal Rights organization for the group, FCOC, Fuzzy Citizens of Canada, has been labouring for recognition and equality for all stuffy’s since the Grund fiasco of 1997. They expect to be heard in parliament some time this week, followed by milk and cookies with the Prime Minister, provided he has not been grounded by his Mommy.
Persons interested in supporting the FCOC can send donations or cozy bwankies to 22 Twain, Toyland B.C. 0O0 B0Y.
Yes, this is a joke. Please DO NOT send blankets or money. DO enjoy :)

A Crochet Cowl in Autumn tones.

This is a nice easy cowl that can be worked up in as little as 3 hours if you're experienced. There are two stitches in this, the chain stitch (Ch/ch) and the treble crochet (TC/tc). The slip stitch (SL/sl) may also be used. Here's the list of equipment I used.

• Berroco Circus Bulky Weight yarn 350 oz / 136 yds 
• A J or 6.0 mm hook
• A tapestry needle,
• A pair of snips or small scissors.

Foundation Chain: Ch 35 [take care that your tension is neither too tight nor too loose].
Row 1) TR in 5th ch from hook Skip 1 ch and TR in next ch across. CH 4 & turn.
All other rows) *Skip ch, TR in next TR across, Ch 4 & turn.*
Repeat from * to * for as long as you want your cowl to be and/or your yarn will allow. To finish off you can either,
Slip stitch every stitch of the end and beginning together, tie off and weave the ends in, or
Leave a very long tail and sew the beginning row to the end row. And, of course, weave the end in.
which ever you prefer and is most comfortable for you. Mine (pictured above) is roughly 38 inches long which makes it loose enough to use for a hood if you need to.I think that I'll make my next one not quite twice as long so that I can double wrap it if it's really chilly.
This is a good project for beginners to treble crochet, as the main stitch is TC so you get really used to them. It's also just an easy pattern for when you don't want to have to think too hard.  I had a bit of trouble with increasing stitches about half way through and had to carefully reduce byt the same amount of stitches to make it look even ... and that's what happens when you crochet and don't think at all. That I do not recommend.

The Legacy of WONDER WOMAN

I originally wrote this in response to a friends blog, Confessions of a Geek Queen, available HERE. This of course, got my brain going, and now I have to follow/finish it up with a blog of my own. Thanks, Diane, for the idea.

I love Wonder Woman! I've always loved her and admired her to no end. I'm not terribly thrilled with her current incarnation as a war goddess and Superman's bit-o-fluff. I just can't see her as being that way. I think DC is doing her an enormous disservice in portraying her as a Barbie/Red Sonja cross. I think they're doing womankind a disservice, but that's been gone over and over. I still love Wonder Woman herself as a strong, capable, skilled woman who is respected by almost everyone who has ever been part of Geekdom. There are the few haters, but as the saying goes, there's one in every family.
 I also have never liked how all that so many guys can see is that she is scantily clad and has a good figure. But that, too, has been gone over ad nauseum and I guess guys just aren't going to change any time soon; soon being within the next billion centuries or so.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

I really would love to see Wonder Woman in a major motion picture. There have been a couple made for TV, and of course there was the series starring Lynda Carter (Say what you will, I think she was great!) But I think the Great Amazonian deserves to have the same treatment that Thor, Ironman,  Bat Man and her boyfriend do. I would like to see it done with lots of action and a great deal of that Amazonian wisdom. 
And here's the splice to my friends blog...
Okay, ranting about a Wonder Woman movie aside, the thing I always loved about her is that she never compromised being a woman to be strong. What I mean by that is that she is as capable in the kitchen as she is on the battlefield. I realize that many, MANY people will take umbrage at that. One does not have to cook to be a woman. Yes, I know that. Nor does one have to sew, wear makeup or any number of other things to be a woman. I know that, too. I am, in fact, a woman so I do know these things. None the less I stand by that statement.
I, sadly, cannot quote you year and issue number, but I have seen her go from destroying enemy spies to making dinner for her boyfriend, Steve Trevor. Even if, as a friend of mine once insisted, she actually picked up the food from a restaurant and presented it as her own, that is still a valid point. Catering is a valid method for women to provide foodstuffs, just ask ask any executive, nurse, teacher or (ahem) binge-blog-poster.
Nor did she ever make any bones about not being able to do something. I have also seen her sweat over trying to sew a button back on to the same fellows jacket, then using her powers to zip out, get it done and zip back before he noticed her absence. And that was another fantastic lesson for us girls; Nobody Can Do Everything!
But we can do a lot!

This is Wonder Woman's true legacy in my eyes. We are women, and we can do a lot! If there ever is a Wonder Woman movie I hope they include THAT in the story, along with the bracelets, the lasso and the ever-adorable knee-high boots!

There Be Dragons!

There is a stitch that has become really popular in the crochet community lately. It has a few names; alligator stitch, crocodile stitch, dragon stitch ... I happen to like Dragon Scales, so that's what I call it. It looks like rows of scales kind of like reptile skin. There are a number of tutorials and video's out there on how to do them. I like this one on YouTube from The Crochet Crowd best. And since there are SO many tutorials, I'm not going to bother with a pattern; I'm just going to show off.
I got some really pretty cotton yarn shot through with a silver thread (not sure if it's the real deal or not) from my most awesome sister, Margaret Sutherland. And I just knew I wanted to use it for something wonderful; something ... different.
But of course this is me and we know how much I love bags, purses and kits.
So what did I make?
You guessed it; a purse.
And here you're going to get a glimpse in to how my excuse for a brain works. I saw - actually SAW - as I was considering the yarn one afternoon. And I thought to myself "Self, you can't do that! It's not possible!" But I knew that the bottom section was possible, so I began with a pretty simple SC bottom.
When I got the bottom/sides as deep as I wanted them I spent days literally sweating over what to do next with this pretty, sparkly albeit shallow-ish basic sack.
And then I thought "Oh, what the hell! Try the dragon stitch thingies. If you have to you can fiddle with a stitch or two, or rip it back and start over. So I forged ahead with a timorous heart and more than a little trepidation.

SC bottom and sides with Dragon Scale rows.

And this is how it came out. You could have knocked me over with a feather. It's nice. I mean really nice! The photos really don't do it justice, because you can't quite see the glittering from the silver thread. I just sat there for the best part of a day admiring it. I'm pretty sure Steve thought I'd lost my mind.
Then the question came up, "What do I do the strap in?" If you could see my Google+ it would look as if I decided on it pretty quickly. In fact I didn't even post my conundrum for a couple of days. That may not seem like much to you, but it's a huge span of time for a bi-polar Gemini; trust me, it is so. But post it I finally did, and my go-to-girl Angela Gallant gave me the inspiration to do it in more Dragon Scale, like this! I chose to work it in two parts, up from both sides, and then carefully join them in the middle. This has turned out really well! And, when I get the chance, I'll add the phenomenally-simple pattern for doing it. Seriously, you'll be gobsmacked.
And this is how it turned out.

 I'll grant you it needs to be lined and have some nature of closure added, Perhaps a bit of rigid something could be secured at the bottom to give it more defined form ... or not. I'm not really so good with bits' of sewing like this, mind you. I can sew an entire medieval gown and accoutrements, but I have problems lining a bag...typical. Maybe if I am very lucky I can find a friend to do it for me...Any takers?

Chicken (or almost anything else) Paprikash on the cheap

You'll notice that there are no photos with this recipe. Well that's because it's so damn good that I don't think of taking a picture before I dig in. I'll try to remember to do so next time. Or the time after. Or maybe the time after that...
This is really yummy, and yes, it is done on a shoestring or less budget. It uses things that are in my cupboards because I've gotten them, most of the time, from the food bank (with the exception of the meat and sour cream). A lot of my recipes are like that if you haven't noticed. And that is because some of the time we have to use the food bank.

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken thighs, skinned
• 1 can concentrated tomato soup
• 3-4 generous tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 of an onion chopped to taste
• 3+ cloves of minced garlic (or put it through a press)
• about a tablespoon of paprika
• a scant teaspoon of chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive (or other) oil, or butter, if available

Equipment

• a large, deep cast-iron skillet
• skillet lid or something to act as one
• a medium bowl
• a good sharp knife
• a garlic press
• a mixing spoon (I actually use a serving spoon most of the time)
• a frying spatula (such as used to flip eggs & etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven on to 350ºF.
2. Warm skillet to medium on stovetop and add oil, spreading thoroughly.
3. Place chicken pieces in to skillet and brown gently. Add onions and garlic and cook until they are softened and translucent.
4. Remove skillet to the oven. Bake chicken for approximately 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, combine soup, sour cream and spices in the bowl and stir well. Set aside in fridge.
6. When 20 minutes is up, pour the soup/sour cream mixture over meat & onions. Be sure all the meat pieces are coated. Put the lid on the skillet and return to oven.
7. Bake a further 40 minutes at least. Prepare side dish while waiting.
8. Check largest piece of meat for doneness. (Continue cooking for 10 minutes if necessary.)
9. Remove from oven. Serve hot.

In truth you can serve this hot or cold. It's just really dang good! As to the side dish, the traditional thing to have is egg noodles and a very onion-y salad. I've served it over rice, mashed potatoes, even rotini. I have yet to find something it isn't good on. Also, I've used ground beef for this, and even porkchops, though I like to slice them thinly before I cook them. If you use one of these remember that your meat will be completely cooked before you put it in the oven, so you'll skip the initial twenty minute cooking time, put the sauce straight on and bake as usual.

Now remember this is the cheap recipe. The good recipe is actually not that different. You simply replace the soup with 2 cups of tomato juice. I imagine that a large can of tomato sauce would be fine, as well.

I served this for my sister recently. She loved it! I'm not sure it did much for her blood pressure though. I imagine with all that sour cream it probably wouldn't be. I'm hoping she'll comment on this so that I have a glowing testimonial. :D

Happy eating!