A Fifth of What?

Yes, our house has been visited by Fifth Disease. Isobel had a fever Sunday; Nick received a call Monday that his son had the tell-tale "slap" rash on his cheeks; and then Monday night Nick started to feel ill. In the usual progression of things, I should have started to feel crummy yesterday but seem to be resistant (or am going to be beaten with a pile driver tonight - who can say).

It's a funny virus. By the time you get the rash, you're no longer contagious, and the fever is low-grade and other symptoms seem like the symptom for almost anything. The only thing is that it's usually a kids thing - the fifth of the classic five diseases that the little guys (usually ages 5-10) used to get (measles, scarlet fever, rubella, the brilliantly named fourth disease, and fifth disease) - and when adults get it, they say it's worse, which is the case chez Purly this week.

So, I haven't gotten much knitting accomplished in the last few days, but I do have a snap of the Swallowtail Shawl:

I'm a little further along now, but it's more of the same. I love this yarn, and the body pattern is pretty easy (though I still consult my chart now and then). My only problem with the yarn is my own problem - my right index finger is a little rough, probably from cooking, cleaning, etc., and it snags the yarn a little sometimes. Not enough to really be a problem, but I need to exfoliate!

Speaking of cooking (and baking), I've been doing a lot of it lately: shortbread from Cook's Illustrated for Valentine's Day, chocolate loaf cake from How to be a Domestic Goddess (along with a recipe for fudge that was not to my taste), mussels from the Sunday Farmer's Market a la Aquitaine, apple crisp with Farmer's Market creme fraiche, white chocolate brioche bread pudding (my own adaptation of a Joy of Cooking recipe), couscous salad with butternut squash (also from the Farmer's Market), lemon-thyme-garlic roast chicken (bird from the Farmer's Market - sensing a theme yet?), stock from the chicken carcass, and pan-fried squid (from the FM) with lazy aïoli (mix minced garlic into good mayo) from Nigella Express. Sadly the kids won't eat any of it, aside from the chocolate cake, but Isobel likes to "help" me in the kitchen and has an adorable apron to wear.

We'll probably have squid again tonight or leftover chicken, depending on the health of the patient.