Episode 21 The Room of the Child!
"Inside every person is the room of the child." --German proverb
We had many (ok, one) requests for our cornbread recipe that goes with the Portuguese Bean Soup from Episode 20. So, we have TWO recipes in this episode for cornbread! As children, we were content with the Jiffy cornbread mix from a box (or two). Fun fact about cake mixes: apparently they didn't catch on until the instruction to add an egg was added. That way, women felt like it wasn't too easy. And in the category of lies, lies and more lies, the egg isn't even necessary! Bossy learned to make cornbread (and fend off rats) at The White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia. In the rats' and White Dog Cafe's defense, there was construction at the time, and this was in 1983 or thereabouts. Bossy still recommends the restaurant. The secret ingredient in this recipe is a cup of creamed corn which gives it a rich texture. The recipe from the Kokee lodge is more cake-like but also delicious and super easy. It includes Bisquick. Fun fact about Bisquick: it was invented when Carl Smith, a sales executive for General Mills, was on a train in 1930. The dining car was closed but he was craving, that's right, a biscuit. When it came out really fast, he inquired how the chef did it and the chef explained that he premixed the flour, and several other ingredients. Try both recipes and tell us which one you prefer!
Bossy's still waiting for Jamie to come out of the woods and mistake her for Claire. She "unvented" (a term coined by Elizabeth Zimmerman) this shawl basing the pattern on Louise Bollano's Claire's Carolina Shawl available from Ravelry. There's also a pattern in the Outlander pattern book. She used double strands of Cloudborn Fibers Superwash Highland Worsted in Espresso Heather and Berroco 100% Superwash Ultra Wool for the black. The shawl pin was purchased at Northampton Wools.
Bossy finished her Super Swirl Shawl by Trudy Fedorko of Ewe 2 Yarn and even blocked it! Bootie and Bossy spent a lot of time at Webs pondering yarn choices for the next one which will hopefully be bigger. She settled on some Tahki yarn which is remarkably similar to the first one she made :-)
Bootie's second poncho composion. The yarn is Sew Happy Jane April 2023 subscription and Corvid from Grey Drizzle Fiber (first photo), La Bien Aimee mohair silk in Isle of Aran held together with Apple Fiber Studio’s Empire (70%merino/30% silk) in color Paradise (second photo).
You can solve your shawl problems with a good shawl pin and Bootie loves the ones her friend Knitting Sleuth on Etsy gave her! The Knitting Sleuth uses vintage mardi gras beads. They used to use glass beads instead of the plastic ones they pass out today. She also has gorgeous stitch markers and hand painted project bags!
A couple of great shawl books: to drool over. Bossy said a good knitting book is like a visit to Rhinebeck and these do not disappoint!
Can't decide between a poncho or a shawl? You can have both! Andrea Mowry has you covered with the Everyway Shawl. Here's her adorable video on the many different ways you can wear it. Marie also has a poncho with buttons down the side in her book.
Finally, if you want to know why knitting and other similar hobbies make you happy, Bossy recommends the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
And whatever you do, don’t knit like my sister!
