Stafforshire Hoard

Have you all heard about the Staffordshire Hoard?? Not textile, of course, since it’s been buried for 1200 years or so, but the craftsmanship is absolutely incredible!
Discovered in a field near Lichfield in Staffordshire, England on 5 July 2009 this is the largest hoard to ever be found. In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by metal-detectorists, members of the public and archaeologists much later. Archaeologists are dating this hoard to the 500-600s AD.This hoard is perhaps the most important collection of Anglo-Saxon objects found in England. It compares and perhaps exceeds those objects found at Sutton Hoo.











































The quantity of gold is amazing but, more importantly, the craftsmanship show the highest achievement, this was the very best that the Anglo-Saxon metalworkers could do, and they were very good. Tiny garnets were cut to shape and set in a mass of cells to give a rich, glowing effect, it is stunning. Its origins are clearly the very highest-levels of Saxon aristocracy or royalty. It belonged to the elite!
Despite their war-like nature the decoration on these objects is delightful; Some are decorated in what is known as 'Anglo-Saxon Style II' which consist of strange animals, interlaced around each other, their long jaws intertwined, there is a joy to it. Many objects are inlaid with garnets and even covered in earth the colour is still breath-taking.



















Oh on another completely different note- I am truly my father's child! I officially played my first Christmas carol on Monday November 2! My dad listened to Christmas music in July sometimes! Sting just released an album of old English Carols and some other things as well and I went and bought it!
And yes it is lovely-I think-very restrained and bears listening repeatedly.


Talk to you later,
Lynda
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)

Christmas Knitting

I thought that Christmas stockings might be something that people would buy at the Avenue of Angels Christmas sale the beginning of December so I decided to try one-preferably Fair Isle not Intarsia! I happened to run onto this pattern in the most recent Cast-On magazine and thought I'd give it a try.
















The design is called Henry's Stocking and while I can't sell the sock in the original form it will give me a jumping off point to plug all kinds of patterns into a large format. I will change colors too and use what I have and what I think looks right. The heel looks like a pain in the neck too. Well, as I say it is a start.




















I am also working on lots of little pumpkins and gourds. Very adaptable idea too!













Almost finished with the Ufserud Hat by Bea Ellis, and I just loving it! Just got the yarn to make another one!

Talk to you later,
Lynda

About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.
- Josh Billings

Knitting Baby Hats

I've knit up some really cute baby hats lately and thought I'd share them here. The model is Natalie-really darling and quite willing to wear funny hats! The first is a pumpkin hat that I just made up:
























Then the stylish red beret for the bohemian baby:



























Cute pink hat with a pom pom:
























And finally a blueberry hat:

























Thanks Natalie for posing!

My husband and I and our friends Rick and Laurie went to the Food and Wine Show in Madison yesterday after church. They gave us a wine glass and a cute little plate that holds the glass as we walked in and then we proceeded to eat and drink our way through the Alliant Center!
We watched the Dueling Chefs Competition and the mystery ingredient was Live Lobsters! Reigning Champion Justin Carlisle from Muramoto lost to Chef Daniel Smith from lilliana's.
We sat pretty high up on the bleachers but it seemed clear to me that the fellow from Lilliana's deserved to win. We had a great time and it is amazing how stuffed you can get from eating little bite sized pieces of this and that!

Talk to you later,
Lynda
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755 - 1826), The Physiology of Taste, 1825

What's in Your Bag?

Here's a little exercise...what's in your bag/basket/tote? I of course have two projects- My Batcus Scarf which is basically a triangle knit with two different colors of Noro Sock yarn, alternating colors every two rows.















A baby blanket for my nephew's boy to be born in Late November! A simple broken rib pattern in a nice cushy acrylic wool blend.















But then the weird stuff starts to show up:

One of my hand made wool pin cushion!














You'll notice three, no, four types of hand cream; three different measuring devices,
a key to I don't know where, Rescue remedy, crystals and semi-precious stones (including a rose quartz for it promotes forgiveness), Oh and I bet you'll never guess what the cork is for?? (I'll tell you if you ask!)
















And a ball of this wonderful cashmere and silk yarn from a company called Great Northern Yarns. No animals were harmed in the making of this yarn!




















Oh and by the way, I got a new camera! Yay!
Talk to you soon-gotta go watch Jeopardy...
Lynda

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)

German Apple Pancake

I used to make this years ago and it always went over VERY big. I bought apples at the farmer's market last Saturday and have already made a nice apple betty but, felt inspired to make something a little more involved. The cool thing about this is you can the batter the night before and just do the apples in the morning. Think I will make brunch tomorrow morning and serve a cocktail and all!

Here's the recipe as I remember it:

4 eggs
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large tart apple - peeled, cored and sliced


1. In a large bowl, blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Gradually mix in milk, stirring constantly. Add vanilla, melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Let batter stand for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Melt butter in a 10 inch oven proof skillet, brushing butter up on the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over the butter. Line the pan with apple slices. Sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Place pan over medium-high heat until the mixture bubbles, then gently pour the batter mixture over the apples.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 10 minutes. Slide pancake onto serving platter and cut into wedges.


I gotta go-Joe can't figure out how to turn the TV on!

Talk to you later,
Lynda

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

Adelle Davis (1904 - 1974)

Chicken Soup with Rice

• 8 cups water
• olive oil
  
• whole chicken; skin and fat removed, cut into pieces
  
• 4 carrots, peeled, halved crosswise
• 1 celery stalks, quartered crosswise
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 generous teaspoon sea salt
  

• 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Combine enough olive oil in large pot to coat the bottom (2 T.) and the chicken. Brown chicken and remove from the pan. Add onion and garlic to the oil and stir until the onion is soft. Put chicken back in pan with water and vegetables and herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to platter; cool slightly. Pull chicken meat off bones in bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bones. Strain broth; discard solids in strainer. Pour broth into heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add rice. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until broth is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Add more water if necessary and chicken pieces to same large pot. Bring to simmer. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Nice with home baked bread.

Each month is gay,
each season nice,
when eating chicken soup with rice.

Maurice Sendak is probably getting the most talk right now for Where the Wild Things Are, a wonderful book and now movie about a wild, naughty boy. But I think I love best the yummy Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months.I think it was a popular book with my older son, Patrick because it was one of the few foods he would eat! Plus it is just so absurd...

In September
for a while
I will ride
A crocodile
down the
Chicken Soupy Nile.
Paddle once
Paddle twice
Paddle Chicken Soup
with rice.

Really I think we all find that "all seasons of the year are nice for eating chicken soup with rice."

I knit one of these and will make more:














It is a free pattern called Luscious Little Pumpkin Pattern. Really easy and very cute!

Some Thoughts

I had a dream last night that I was talking with my friend Shannon (B, not K) about being a Christian and she said there was no reason to believe that there is anything after this life. Just face it, she said, this is all there is and there is no heaven to go to after you die. And I said, Well there is no reason not to believe in heaven.
That made me think this morning as I was going over the dream in my mind, that that is a kind of faulty reasoning. A kind of reasoning from an absence of fact or information. Now I suppose that is what dogmatists might call faith...Hmmm, what do you think?
One of the reasons that I am talking with Shannon in my dream is that I respect her intelligence. So she would be a logical person for me to discuss faith with and I would be interested in what she thinks! And I guess I have been thinking about what is Christianity.

I have also been thinking about the desire to learn. Why do some of us search out new ideas and try to understand old ideas better? Is there some germ of desire in some people to live the examined life? This is some writing on this issue from a discussion group I read-Joseph Campbell Mythology Group on Yahoo:
The metaphor of participating in learning is as if it were a feast to be enjoyed (rather than a task to be endured)...this applies to school as well as to therapy...or just life in general.

Learning is difficult in any situation unless you are "hungry" for it.

Buddhism and Psychology:
The Necessary First Steps in Therapy

According to a early Buddhist text, the Samyutta Nikaya "the factors needed to attain one's first taste of the goal of the Buddhist path … are four: associating with people of integrity, listening to their teachings, using appropriate attention to inquire into the way those teachings apply to one's life, and practicing in line with the teachings in a way that does them justice."

"The words of a teaching must be spoken by a person of integrity who embodies their message in his/her actions if their savor is to be sweet. The listener must reflect on them appropriately and then put them into practice if they are to have more than a passing, superficial taste. Thus both the speaker and listener must act in line with the words of a teaching if it is to bear fruit."

"Appropriate reflection, the first step a listener should follow in carrying out the well-spoken word, means contemplating one's own life to see the dangers of following the path of foolishness and the need to follow the path of wisdom. The Buddhist tradition recognizes two emotions as playing a role in this reflection. The first is samvega, a strong sense of dismay that comes with realizing the futility and meaningless of life as it is normally lived, together with a feeling of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle. The second emotion is pasada, the clarity and serenity that come when one recognizes a teaching that presents the truth of the dilemma of existence and at the same time points the way out."

"However, the process does not stop with these preliminary feelings of peace and serenity. The listener must carry through with the path of practice that the verses recommend. Although much of the impetus for doing so comes from the emotions of samvega and pasada sparked by the content of the verses, the heroic and marvelous savor of the verses plays a role as well, by inspiring the listener to rouse within him or herself the energy and strength that the path will require."


















Dhammapada 76-77
Regard him as one who
points out
treasure,
the wise one who
seeing your faults
rebukes you.
Stay with this sort of sage.
For the one who stays
with a sage of this sort,
things get better,
not worse.
Let him admonish, instruct,
deflect you
away from poor manners.
To the good, he's endearing;
to the bad, he's not.

Now my only hope reading this, is that one would find the teacher! or is that Teacher with a capital T?

Well, folks, I hope this isn't too self-indulgent, going on like this. And I hope it is fuel for thought. Tell me what you think-have you found the teacher?
Talk to you later,
Lynda

Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?
- Francois de La Rochefoucauld