I made this for Christmas. It's called puppy chow and it's the BEST vegan snack I've had in quite some time. I think it's called muddy buddy mix but all I know is I had to send it home with Amanda because I couldn't stay out of it. I just may have to make a small batch for later. ...It is New Year's after all.
Bad puppy chow!

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTrodekool.php I have joined a kal on Ravelry through thehttp://www.ravelry.com/groups/crystal-palace-yarns-kals-and-other-things Crystal Palace group that starts tomorrow and I now am thinking that maybe I'm not quite up to the challenge. I did the last kal, which was a cowl and easy and fun. Plus, I won a lovely skein of Mini Mochi yarn that I was going to do this Brioche Rodekool scarf. I am going to look at the video tutorial again and see what I can make of it.

Now that Christmas is over I can show you my big stealth knitting project. This is the Clasica sweater from Interweave Knits Fall 2009. I like to knit one big sweater for Amanda for Christmas and this one was a hit! Thankfully there was a KAL group on Ravelry so I got some help because I sure did need it at a few times.
The yarn is Red Heart Super Saver Burgundy Fleck and should hold up pretty well.

I think she likes it!

I spent some time this week finishing up a ufo that's been hanging around for quite some time. This is a (cover your eyes knitters!) store bought sweater that I got several years ago. It's a man's sweater so plain and a lovely dark gray but it needed some jazzing up. So I pulled out my cross stitching supplies and some duplicate stitch patterns and voila! a sparkly butterfly. I was going to put 3 on it because the pattern was really nice but the count on the sweater is sooooo small I just quit after doing one. So I knuckled down and finished it the other day. Happy dancing all around.

It's always gratifying to finish a project that has dragged on and on.
Went to Main Street Yarns yesterday to get a ball of Mini Mochi -color "Rainbows" for a kal that Crystal Palace Yarns is holding.
We are going to be knitting the Rodekool Brioche scarf from

Knitty Deep Fall issue.www.knitty.com.

Looks like it will be an interesting knit and I will learn a few new techniques.

Made some veggie fried rice the other day from "1000 Vegan Recipes" by Robin Robertson and it is delicious!

I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas! Happy knitting.

The weather has been gruesome (ice and freezing rain today) so stayed in and did some baking/cooking. This is a East Coast coffee cake with strawberry jam from "Vegan Brunch". Yummy. I also made some Christmas Tamales from Alicia Simpson's "Vegan Celebration". I thought that it was going to be difficult but turned out to be quite easy. And tasty. Going to have lots of appetizer-y type things for Christmas plus a stuffed hazelnut cranberry roast from www.fieldroast.com. I made one for Thanksgiving and it was sooooo good. Plus, it made the best sandwiches on ciabatta rolls with Daiya "cheddar" cheese. Yum.Not a great picture but here's one of the things that I'm working on right now. It's a cabled sock from "The Big Book of Socks". I'm using Cascade 220 in orange and fuschia. I learned how to do a two-color cable which is kind of fun.
Okay. Off to have a cup of Trader Joe's Candy Cane green tea and put on my jimjams and knit. Stay warm all!

An actual knitted project finished. I love them. They are made with Patons Classic wool and nice and warm. Plus, they were an easy knit. I really like the color too.

I used this yarn to make myself a balaclava to wear when I had to shovel snow and my face gets so cold. I got almost all the way finished with it when ....duh...it dawned on me that it wasn't going to work because I wear glasses. What a doof! I finished it anyway since it was a pretty cabled pattern and someone will get to wear it.

Bought myself some yarn for Christmas. This is a lovely lace weight that I bought at Fiberge. It was so hard to decide which color. They were so great. Now the hardest part is going to be picking which pattern to knit.This is a wonderful yarn from Cherry Tree Hill called "Bing Cherry" that's a sock yarn. I got it from www.discontinuedbrandnameyarn.com. I really like this site and they have great sales. It was hard to hold myself to just a few. I also got a skein of purple lace weight for some kind of shawl.

Freezing cold again. Although the sun was out today and it felt a little warmer. Tonight it will be 6*. Time for jimjams and a nice warm robe! I have a hot pot of Berryblossom white tea and a new dvd to watch. Plus, a new knitting project. I decided to use my Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool to make a nice vest and I will get a few more skeins to make the cabled cardigan later. I buy them at Joann's with 50% off coupons, which is always nice. Good to save if you can.

It's good to have some projects planned out because it sounds like the weather this coming week is not going to be the best. Ice and snow and freezing rain,oh my! I have several series on dvd that I haven't watched and a few audio books to fill in the blanks.

Off to refill my tea so have a great night all and stay warm!

Mug o' the day shot. It's my new Christmas mug (and I got it for $3.95 at Starbucks the other day....sweet!). Tonight it's filled with Caribe from Harney tea ...www.harney.com.

So good. I ordered my winter's tea and it just arrived yesterday. The hardest part is deciding which one to have first. The Hot Cinnamon Spice is fabulous and very warming, which will definately be nice on Sunday since we are supposed to be having some wicked weather. Snow and wind and maybe 2-4". Sounds like a day to sit inside and knit with a hot cuppa. I made some Cranberry Autumn and .....sooooo good.

Stealth knitting is all finished now and I'm trying to finish a pair of socks for mom and then I'm going to make a few things for me! I got some lovely Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand to make a cabled cardigan that should be nice and warm.

I also bought a bunch of Cascade 220 for quite cheap when Yarns and Fabrications went out of business. I am starting a pair of cabled socks from The Big Book of Socks and they look like a fun knit.

Had to buy a new washing machine the other day :(. Poor front loader finally gave up the ghost. They delivered the new one today and it has been merrily washing since. Luckily the laundry didn't pile up too much!
This is a pizza I made the other day for dinner. Yum. All kinds of veggies and Daiya cheese. Definately tastes like a cheesy pizza. That's the best cheese substitute that I've had yet. It melts great and tastes even better. It even makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches. Cheese was the food that I missed most when I became vegan so I was used to not having it at all. A very nice surprise when it came out on the market.

Okay. The laundry is done so I am off. Have a great weekend and stay warm and dry.

Brrrrr. Cold today. I suppose that it's just the start of it though. We had snow yesterday....well, just a dusting but still. The roads froze and there were some nasty accidents all over. Praise Jesus that it didn't start freezing until we got home from running errands. I didn't mind looking out the window at it but had no desire to be out in in!

These are the gloves that I've been working on. Nice and toasty warm, made with Deb Stoller wool yarn. Her colors are so bright and I really like knitting with it as well. The tea today is Comfort and Joy from Republic of Tea and it's lovely and "holiday-ish". Very tasty and warming. We are in for a cold snap this week and it's not supposed to get out of the 20*s. Sounds like good knitting weather to me! I have some audio books ( I am looking forward to listening to the best of Garrison Keillor) and a few projects to finish... it will be nice to get those done.

Okay. Off to refill my mug and sit down to knit. Stay warm and get some knitting done for yourself!

Actual knitting content ahead....cover your eyes if you don't believe me! Teehee.

This is the scallop shawl pattern from Bernat. Very fun and cool to knit. I definately recommend going to their website and download it. It isn't quite as big as the picture but it came out a decent size. I am happy with it. These are a pair of gloves from Kristin Nichols' book. I can't remember which one but they are wild looking.

The fair-isle slows me down a little but they are a pretty fast knit. I like to make them longer so my hands stay warm. Plus you can't go wrong with longer gloves!

We will definately need them this week. Today was in the 20*s and snow flurries. I guess December arrived with a bang. At least we didn't get inches of snow. Of course, we had over 2" of rain on Tuesday so we really didn't need any more precipitation. I am glad that the drought is over but did it really have to catch up all in one day?

Okay, off to finish my glove. Stay warm!

Some knitting is going on but I've been busy cooking for Turkey Day. These are peppermint chocolate chip cookies from "The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur" and they are just great! So rich that you can only eat one.

Had one earlier with a cup of french vanilla coffee and it was gooood. Here is the best soup ever. The recipe is Brussel sprout and mushroom soup from www.fatfreevegan.com and you should definately make it.
You can't even tell that there are brussel sprouts in it and it was the best soup for a cold, rainy day.
Speaking of cold, rainy days....it is just wretched out. Pouring rain and windy and in the low 30*s. I'm glad to be inside.
I'm going to finish a swirl shawl that I downloaded from Bernat. A fun and easy knit that looks great. I like the scarves that are different shapes.
Had my first attempt at working with filo dough. I made a roasted vegetable strudel and found it to be fairly easy. I most definately will be making something with filo again. And it was pretty tasty also.

I am going to go and finish the scarf now. Have a wonderful Turkey day and see you soon.

Finally, all the stealth knitting is finished. To celebrate, here is the mug I'm using shot with my new webcam. Yes, I have been dragged, kicking and screaming (not really...teehee) into the 21st century. Still playing with it but I will definately have to post a video on here. Here is my intarsia sock that I have been knitting. These are for me! I'm about 1/2 way through the second one so I should be able to wear them soon. Of course, next week it is supposed to be in the 60*'s so it may have to wait.
Since it's been cooler these last few days I 've been cooking.

This is the coffee cake that I made. Sooooo good. And the mug of the day that had some lovely cinnamon hazelnut coffee. A perfect combination.

These are the tempeh tacos with lime crema from Alicia Simpson's newest book "Vegan Celebrations". Fabulous. I enjoyed them all kinds of ways. Including on a pizza crust. Yum.

I even made my own baked taco shell for a salad. Fancy.

The sweet ending....chocolate doughnuts with a vanilla/pumpkin spice glaze. Mmmmm. Can you say food coma? I don't have a mini-doughnut pan so I used a mini-bundt pan. Just more to love.

Getting ready to go to a chat tonight on the Planet Purl website. Last week I went to an intarsia class and it was great. Learned a super tip for knitting instarsia in the round which I will definately be trying in the future.

The tea tonight is Berry Blossom white by Tazo and I need a refill. Now that the stealth knitting is finished I will be back sooner. Have a great night and go knit!

As you can see, there has been actual knitting going on here. This is the candleflame shawl (from Ravelry) done is WoolEase Thick and Quick in the color Willow. It's so lovely and warm. But got quite heavy while knitting. Cold here today. Got to wear my new Crocs. Can't really tell from the picture but they are pink and fur-lined. I got them at the Croc outlet so they were good and inexpensive. About $14.00, which is much less than half the price. I don't wear them when the weather gets really crummy because then it's time for hiking boots that go over my ankles. But for the in between times they sure are nice. Keep my feet nice and toasty. Of course the handknit socks don't hurt either!

These are some calzones I made not too long ago. They were sooooo good that they didn't last more than 2 days. I cheated and used a Trader Joe's pizza crust for the outside but it certainly made it much easier.

And here are the pumpkin waffles that I made the other morning. So good. Topped them with some cranberry-maple syrup and just delicious.

Went up to the new yarn shop that just opened today. Main Street Yarn in Mason. It's owned by one of the women that used to work at Yarns and Fabrications. She has some lovely yarns and some that I'd only heard about so it was nice to get to "fondle" them. I'm sure that she is going to have more stock but it seems like a very nice shop.

Okay. I'm off to finish up some stealth knitting. See you soon.

Brrr! It got chilly today. 48* and breezy. I got to wear my lovely wool socks that I knitted from Kristin Nicholas' book. I'll tell you...my feet have been toasty warm all day.Not much going on today. Went to Jungle Jim's to pick up some vegetables and got some fabulous coffee. Higland Grogg, which I absolutely love and can never find anymore. I know what I'm making for breakfast tomorrow! I will probably make some pumpkin waffles as well. Time for pumpkin spice soy milk as well. And as it just so happens I have a carton in the fridge. Sounds like a good fall meal.

Actual knitting content ahead. Teehee. This is a sock that I'm making for mom. It's Deborah Norville's Serenity Garden. Nice colors but it's a little soft so I cast on fewer stitches because the first one I made was HUGE. I suppose she could have worn it if she put both feet in them at the same time! I could've had them finished by now but I usually knit on them in the car. They are on size 3's on the Hiya Hiya 9" needles. I do like those alot mostly because there are no "ladders" when worked on them.

Getting close to the end of the first one.

I am almost finished with the Clasica sweater that I've been working on...and on and on. I just want to be done with it so I can start something else! But I've been good (well, except the socks and since they're small they don't really count...right?) and I should be able to finish and seam the whole thing up by this weekend.

I shouldn't write that. You know, "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglay".

So we'll pretend it never happened.

Awful weather today. How weird to have tornado watches/warnings at the end of October. Unfortunately not much rain though. Poured like crazy for about 10 minutes and then sort of dribbled for a few hours. I am sure that it really didn't make much difference here since we are over 8" short of rain. It was nice to see rain.
Here is the picture of the finished pasta dish from the last post. Sure was good.
Alright. Off to work on the sweater. See you soon.

Fall is here finally. I must say that I am somewhat surprised to see so many lovely colors since it's been so dry but it's nice to see them. Went down to the park to enjoy a nice fall day and knit a little while there.Just so pretty.

I think this one is my favorite.

Since it has cooled down considerably I have been doing some cooking. This is a pecan fudge pie from "La Dolce Vegan" which is actually the first cookbook that I bought (many moons ago...teehee). Also made a nice cauliflower-lentil soup.

This is a great pasta dish that is radiatore pasta with chickpeas, spinach and sundried tomatoes. It's from Robin Robertson's "Quick-Fix Vegetarian" which is kind of a misnomer as it's vegan. But this was a fast and tasty dish and I will definately make it again.

Well I had the picture with the pasta but must have erased it. I 'll definately put it in the next post.

Yes, that is actual knitting that you see here. I have been working on several things but whipped out this cute cowl the other day. It's called the Topsy Turvy cowl and the pattern is free from Crystal Palace. I joined the Ravelry group for the kal and I really like the cowl. I used Mochi Plus and bigger needles since I wanted it to be looser than the pattern. I don't think that it will be cool enough to wear it anytime soon. Supposed to be in the 70*s for the next week. At least I've gotten to wear socks a few times!Okay, off to make a cuppa. Have a great night all and see you soon.

This is my last purchase from Yarns and Fabrications before they shut for good. It's some lovely fingering weight yarn from Farmhouse Yarns and I got it for 60% off. Quite the bargain.
The OscarMeyer weiner mobile was in town today!!
I didn't get in to sit down but Amanda did.

And she got me a weinermobile whistle! Just like when we were little. Woohoo.

http://vegga.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/a-very-autumnal-giveaway/ Go here for a cool giveaway!!

Fall is definately here. Aren't they cute?

And to be in the fall mood, I am having a cup of Pumpkin Spice red tea from The Tea of Republic. Very good but I should have made some apple cider muffins to eat also. At least there are a few pretty trees around. Since we are in a drought now I am surprised to see any color at all.
Not much going on right now. Still doing some stealth knitting as well as trying to get my intarsia socks done. I will definately have some pictures soon.
It's been chilly enough the past few days to wear my swirl shawl and I love it! So warm and light. Plus, it just looks cool.
Went online to Planet Purl the other day for a class and it was alot of fun. Anyone go to those? It's nice to be able to learn and wear your jimjams!!
Okay, going to knit for awhile but I'll be back with more soon.