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I'm revising what I wrote earlier about the book report. I finished it and handed it in, and I'm not grumpy anymore about it....

On a less creative note (movie/TV vegetation) I broke down and got a membership to Blockbuster Video. And had a Sean Bean film fest--the ones I hadn't seen, and couldn't find a the Movie Gallery: Patriot Games (haven't finished it. High vegetation quotient), Essex Boys (nauseating, but entertaining), Anna Karenina (High swoon quotient. Wish I had time to read the book.), Bravo Two Zero (great for a war movie. Eerie given that we're on the brink of war with Iraq again. Totally grossed out when he's forced to clean shit with his hands and lick his fingers.) Which reminds me, I just got word that Frodo Has Failed!

Lucky Little Lamb is a prolific artist. She draws easily 30 pictures a week--and that's just at home. Her people are getting more sophisticated. Some of their faces show distinct emotions. She draws specific people with specific attributes. She draws Lucky Ram with a beard. She draws herself with swirls of curly hair. And she has stories about the things she draws. She drew a little girl with cat ears. She told me the girl was wearing a costume. She draws hermit crabs and turkeys and they look like hermit crabs and turkeys. We're running out of places to keep her work. All of it is so cute (and in our eyes, amazing for a 3 1/2 year old) it's hard to part with it.

During my recent meat craving I made this awesome stew. I think it freaked the Ram out how excited I was when I came home with bison. I chalk the craving up to Aunt Flo who came a few days later. Maybe I needed an iron boost. This time I had no cramps. I wonder if there's a correlation. Bison is awesome. It's much lower in fat than beef, fewer calories, and while my dark vegetarian side would disagree, it's good for ya.
White Buffalo Stew--for a big crock pot, 10-12 servings
1 c. or more carrots chopped
2 c vegetable broth or boullion
4 cans (drained) or 64 oz various white beans (white navy, cannellini, butter etc)
1/2 lb buffalo (bison), ground or stew cut, slightly browned in skillet
1 package (4) Hans All Natural chicken sausage (I used "sonoma"), browned and sliced into 1 in chunks
Broccoli, chopped, as much as you like--don't waste those stalks!
1 1/2-2 c. coarsely chopped onion, (browned, optional)
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
2 or 3 zucchini. thickly sliced
1-2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
2 t paprika

Cook in the crock pot 6 hours on high or 8 hours low. Serve with brown rice, corn bread, etc.
(If you're doing Weight Watchers, this has 3.5-4 points per 1 cup serving)

The bulls' horns arrived from Moscow Hide and Fur today. Jeremy and I split a pair of 12" polished and unfinished, and I got a little 6" one to make a gemshorn for Lucky Little Lamb. I'm going to make a bigger gemshorn out of the polished one. I might make a blast horn out of the unfinished one. The dog, if given a moment alone, would chew them to pulp. The natural one kinda smells like those hooves we used to give her.

Classes start a week Monday. I'm ready to start again, but I'll miss the downtime. I wish I had knit more these past few weeks, or at least made an attempt at the spinning wheel. And there's a bag of fabric and a pattern in my car. I'll be busy this summer!

I am a fantasy knitter. I knit (and felt) things like wizard hats for everyday wear, gauntlet mittens. My hats would look good on faeries and gnomes. I interpret literature with my knitting. Sometimes I take it a little too seriously. Sometimes I don't take it seriously enough. If I wear my hat, scarf, mitten ensemble, I look like an elf--a really tall elf. When I add the green cloak, I just look ridiculous to everyone except maybe elves--elves who live where it's cold. But I'm warm, so who cares? It's 0 degrees F tonight. The elves have the right idea...Last night I finished Lucky Little Lamb's "Ollie's Ski Hat". It looks exactly like the one that Ollie wears in Elsa Beskow'sOllie's Ski Trip . All the lamb's in the flock want one. Lucky Ram even stopped gloating about his new snowboarding helmet and boots to admire the hat.
OLLIE'S SKI HAT
Ingredients: a little more or less than a skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky in Raspberry.
Needles: 10 1/5 US circular 16" and dpn's. I probably could've used 10's, and it would've been tighter but I didn't have any.
Gauge: Sorry, kids, no gauge this go'round.
Fits: Well, made to fit a preschooler who's the size of your average 5 year old, but it's supposed to be big (look at the picture of Ollie) It fits the Shepherdess with my big head o' dreads, fits the Lucky Ram with his big long haired head. One size really does fit all sometimes, I guess.

Cast on 72 sts on circs (In retrospect I could've cast on fewer sts and the hat would've been snugger. Hindsight is 20/20). Join and place marker at beg of row. Knit in 3/3 rib pattern (K3, P3) for 10-11". Decrease as follows: *K3, P3, K1, K2tog, P3, K3, P1, P2tog* rpt from * to the end.
Next round: follow new pattern (*K3, P3, K2, P3, K3, P2*)
Next round: *K3, P3, K2tog, P3, K3, P2tog*.
Next: follow new pattern (*K3, P3, K1, P3, K3, P1*)
Next: *K3, P2, K2tog, P3, K2, P2tog*. Eventually you'll have change to dpns.
For each round keep decreasing in the same manner. Just follow the pattern you're making, till you're K2tog all around. Break yarn, pull tail thru all rem sts. Make and then attach a tassel or a pom. I think Ollie's got a tassel.
Ollie's Ski Pattern copyright Parthenia. Reproduce, share, and enjoy, but please don't sell.