Finally! These handspun socks are done, done, done.
I spun this yarn in November out of some Crown Mountain farms roving, which was lovely to work with. I dug up the blog post documenting that process, and if you’re interested, it’s here.
The yarn marinated only a little over a month in stash, and I started knitting the socks in January. This yarn is somewhere around sport weight, so the knitting went quickly on these.
Except.
If you’ll remember, tragedy struck in early March when one of the almost-complete socks in progress disappeared along with half the yarn, a pretty project bag and a very nice Addi Turbo needle. D’oh! That really put a bad taste in my mouth, especially since there would have been enough for a second pair of socks and I’d really wanted to give the extra yarn to a special teacher as a gift.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and I eventually got over it and buckled down to knit a third sock.
They are very soft and comfy. I’m not super confident about how well these socks will wear. The yarn is sproingy, definitely not over-twisted in a case when slightly over-twisted would lend longer life. But I do think they’ll be nice and warm, and the colors will go with much of my wardrobe, so I’m calling the project a resounding success. Total comfort food knitting.
And speaking of comfort food (note that smooth transition there?) Remember a week or two ago when I was begging everyone for dinner ideas? Well, you got my creative juices flowing. Someone suggested chicken tettrazini, and that sounded pretty good.
It turned out that I roasted a chicken earlier in the week, and of course I’m not allowed to make roast chicken without a big bowl of gravy and some potatoes to go with it. There is always leftover gravy, and in the past I’ve ended up dumping the stuff out because cold gravy just looks disgusting. But lately I’ve realized that leftover gravy is quite similar to the base of canned soups. Only there are no weird ingredients in it, just drippings, flour, chicken broth and some salt and pepper.
So, using mostly stuff I had in my cabinets and fridge, I improvised my own little version. Don’t ask me for a recipe – I really just chopped stuff up and cooked it till it looked right. But the process went something like
1. Boil some noodles. I used angel hair pasta because that’s what was in the cabinet.
2. Chop up some onion and some mushrooms (left over from beef stroganoff a few days before. I’ve been shopping at Costco a lot lately, and hoooboy, a package of mushrooms from there goes a long way!) Sautee those with some garlic till they’re soft and the liquid has evaporated, set aside.
3. Melt a little butter, mix in an equal measure of flour and cook till brown, then add in that leftover gravy and a bit of chicken stock till it looks right. Don’t ask me what right is – something sort of like cream soup or gravy. Toss in some shredded parmesan (I had a nice chunk left over from the baked mac ‘n cheese I made a couple weeks ago) and pour in a little half and half, stir till melted and warm.
4. Dump in the chunks of chicken left over from the roast chicken, chopped up into small bitesize pieces, and also a bunch of frozen peas. In my case, I took a huge step and allowed Julie to help me in this part. She desperately wants to help in the kitchen, and it is so easy to say no because it is more work to let her help. Plus, having her near the stove is scary. But we kept it very short and very well-supervised, and I think having her feel like she contributed to the meal maybe, just maybe, makes her more likely to eat it.
5. Mix the sauce stuff with the drained noodles, dump it into a greased casserole dish, top with shredded cheddar and then some panko crumbs. Throw the whole thing in the 350 oven for 20 minutes or till the husband walks in the door.
Everybody ate it. Nobody complained. I thought it was amazingly good, if a little guilty for the creamy-cheesiness of it. Joe and I even ate it left over for lunch over the weekend. Thanks again for all of your suggestions!
I’d suggested the tetrazzini, and I’m so glad it was a hit for you! I’ve already made it a few times since finding the recipe, and we love it. I’m just not sure I can count it as a recipe for leftovers when I’ll make chicken specifically for it!
Jennifer
http://www.jeloca.com
Looks deee-licious!
Hello. Stumbled upon your site – and loved seeing the spun yarn and food. Leftover gravy – what a great idea! Great blog. Happy days – we will hit 70 soon here in the northland!
The socks look great, although it pains me to think of your lost handspun. Crown Mountain is the single thing that most makes me want to learn to spin, but instead I just pony up for the extra cost of their Sock Hop yarn as I simply can’t add another hobby.
MMmmm- it looks yummy! Great socks too.
Having kids in the kitchen can be both scary and it is a more work. But the benefits is that when they are 11-12-13, they can make dinner by themselves…mine makes pancakes, spaghettidishes,they peel potatoes when askeds, they make salads, my 13-yearold even cleans up! So please let Julie help, you will benefit from it;-)
(Forgot to say that there will surely be some mishaps with the knife, and the occasional burn, but they learn.)
Beautiful handspun socks! I may need to indulge in that colorway (if not discontinued) the next time I order from Crown Mountain…
Nice sox! You have really taken to spinning faster than anyone I know. Beautiful Yarns! Spinning and knitting are such a wonderful part of life. And just think we do it because we enjoy it, not because it’s just another task for a woman’s daily work. good times!!
Socks look great and the food looks wonderful! Can’t wait for my yarn to arrive!!!