Cats CAN do tricks!

...just not on command. Below, the bookends I ordered : )

I finished one section of the border on the christening shawl yesterday, and got halfway through the second. It's much quicker than I thought it would be. Partly, this is because I wasn't paying attention when doing math. The body of the shawl is 28" square. The finished object is 34" square. That means the border must be 6", which is true, but I had 6" on each border stuck in my head, when of course, it's 3". I hope to finish the shawl this weekend. I washed and blocked the main section yesterday, and the wadded-up looking shawl that came off the needles is now a lovely 28" square, pressed and with a visible lace pattern.

Writing: Draft one of chapter one is finished. I think I'll do a bit of revision before going on to chapter two.

Reading: Yesterday, while knitting, I listened to one of my favorite books, The Eyre Affair. The audiobook is fantastic. You miss some of the visual gags Fforde does, like when the bookworms make people speak all capitalized and hyphenated, but since I've read the series three times before, I remember them. I have to decide between going on to the next book in the series, or starting the Harry Potter audiobooks I got for Christmas...

Cooking: Currying was nice. Here's what I did:

Curry Couscous (Version 17 of 23):

1 TBL canola oil

1-2 TBL curry powder (your own or commercial)

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp salt

1 head cauliflower, separated into florets and steamed 10 minutes

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

1 box couscous (10 oz.)

1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add curry powder and cook 30 seconds, stirring well. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Add vegetables, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.