Chronicles of yarnia..or I be knitting.

2012-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Ice,ice,baby. What a mess outside! We had freezing rain and sleet and ice starting last night through early this morning. My driveway (and everyone else's) and lots are beyond crazy. I needed a rope and crampons just to get to the mailbox. There was just a little piece of the front porch that didn't have ice on it that I used as a jumping off point into the grass to bypass the driveway. Which was completely covered at the bottom with more ice and piles of icy slush that refroze from the snow plows scraping the street. I was glad to be inside with my cuppa and knitting.

I spent the morning cooking so I have a full refrigerator now. Used the crockpots for some stuff. Made "Chick'n and dumplings" with chickpeas instead of tofu and used a gluten-free baking mix so mom can eat them also. Also made a "cheesy chorizo" black bean dip kind of thing and some portobello sandwich filling with peppers and onions. I got those recipes from " The Vegan Slow Cooker" http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Slow-Cooker-Intensely-Flavorful/dp/1592334644/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327185143&sr=1-1. Delicious. I am enjoying the slow cookers alot.

I also made some pecan pie bars that are very good.

The recipe that I've enjoyed most the past few days is "Hard Cider and Cabbage stew" with apple- sage "sausages" in it. So good.

Here are some socks that I've finished lately.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knitsensei/spanish-dancer-socks.

These are Spanish Dancer socks and they are a worsted weight. I love them. So comfortable and fast to knit. I may make this pattern again.

These are sparkly! http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knitsensei/st-andrews-cross-socks. I entered these in the Vanna White contest. It's hard to tell from the photos but the color is called "Moonstone" and it's a grey-brown with lots of sparkles.

Right now I'm working on some Cookie A. socks and a sweater.

A lovely chocolate truffle brownie with soy whipped cream. Mmmmmm. Great with a cuppa tea.

Off to make another pot of tea and knit. Stay warm and safe!

2012-01-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile but I've been busy knitting and cooking. I just got a slow cooker and some wonderful vegan slow cookers cookbooks. Needless to say I have lots of food. Which is too bad because it's a rainy,chilly day and perfect for cooking. Although tomorrow is supposed to be very cold and snowy so maybe I'll make a cake and something else.

This is the knitting going on right now.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knitsensei/st-andrews-cross-socks.

The yarn is "Vanna's Glamour" which is a sport weight, although it doesn't look like it to me. I'm knitting them for the Vanna's Contest and I'm almost finished with the first one. They are taking awhile although it's a fairly fast knit.

Okay. Off to make a pot of tea.

2012-01-06T12:39:00.001-08:00

Spanish Dancers are done! Very comfortable and I really like them.

2011-12-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for the January knitalong.

These are going to be....wait for it....wait....socks! Where you surprised? Nah, probably not. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spanish-dancer-socks.

The kal is for the solidsockknitters group on Ravelry...http://www.ravelry.com/groups/solidsocks. The theme in January is black/white/grey and this is what I had. A nice worsted weight that should knit up quickly. I don't have many solid colors in fingering weight that I can use for this group.

But I do like having the knitalongs because it gives me a deadline to work with.

Just staying home tonight (which is actually what I've always done on New Years' Eve because I don't really care to go out anyway) in my pink jimjams with polar bears and penguins (I'm quite the fashion-plate!) with a pot of Trader Joe's Candy Cane green tea ...peppermint with vanilla...so good and my knitting. Right now I'm working on this....http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/supernova-pullover. I am almost finished with the back so it's moving right along. I'm using Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool and I just love the color.

Well, I hope that everyone has a blessed and safe New Years and happy knitting!

2011-12-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

Been busy knitting socks. For the Vanna White contest.

2011-12-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hahahaha! See. It really exists!

The Celtic poncho in all it's "glory". I had to hide it because it was a gift.....

But she was totally surprised because I told her that I had torn it out and wasn't going to finish it. Teehee. Whew. Glad it's off the needles and I WILL never make it again.

2011-12-24T13:04:00.001-08:00

I hope that everyone has a blessed and wonderful Christmas!

(This isn't from here....nothing but sun for the next few days.)

2011-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here's my Christmas present to myself!

I "loves" me some Hello Kitty.

Been busy knitting and making food to freeze for Christmas. This year I'm making lots of appetizers and just pulling some out of the freezer and making them as wanted. I figured that it would be alot easier to have everything made ahead and reheat.

I made some things that I've wanted to try and thought this would be a good time to have some. Worked with puff pastry for the first time and can't wait until it's time to have some. I did make some lovely sugar/cinnamon nuts that I cannot stay out of at all! Actually, this is the second batch I've made since ....well, ate the first batch. Don't judge!....it's the holidays. Yeah, that's it.

This is what I just finished. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knitsensei/weaving-way-socks.

They are worsted weight and made them for the Solidsockknitters group on Ravelry for the December theme, which is "Blue".http://www.ravelry.com/groups/solidsocks

They were a really fast knit and other than changing the heel and toe (the directions were incorrect for the ones listed) they were fun to knit.

These are some "Sugar Plum" scones that were in the current issur of "VegNews" magazine. Also the recipe for those mean, awful nuts...teehee. And some peppermint bark that I made yesterday. The scones were really good. Rather soft and cakey, which is a nice change from some of those dry scones.

This was just a quick post since I've been knitting for a contest. I'll see you all soon and hope everyone has a blessed and happy Christmas.

2011-12-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Yes, I have been knitting and no, I haven't posted in awhile. No pictures really but I did finish these.

These are "Susie's Reading Mitts" http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/susies-reading-mitts and they were a fast and fun knit. The yarn is Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn" and I think it knit up nice. They are a good pair to wear over a pair of those cheap dollar gloves that you can find everywhere.

New mug photo.

Got it the other day when Starbucks had their Christmas sale....$4.95. A good deal and it was hard to decide which one to get. I finally decided on green since I broke my other green one some time ago. Right now it's full of Harney's Holiday Tea.

Haven't done any knitalongs in awhile but just started this one.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weaving-way-socks in this color.

It's called "Wedgewood" and it's for the Solidsockknitters group. I didn't have any blue yarn except for this so a nice worsted weight it is!

I have been trying to catch up on projects so I can start some more! but it's taking time. I'm almost finished with a hat for mom so that will done tonight. Good 'cause I'm tired of looking at it now.

Made some lovely treats for Christmas that are now in the freezer. Some cranberry struesel bars and mocha cappuccino cookies. Also some artichoke/mushroom packets (which are like spanikopita but with different fillings) and some taco-like fillings in wonton wrapper cups. I thought that it would be nice to have things already made to just heat up throughout the day. Makes it alot easier to have most things ready ahead.

Also made a wonderful skillet lasagna from "Quick-Fix Vegan"by Robin Robertson. Absolutely fabulous!

Okay, I'm off to finish the hat. I'm glad to be inside because it's cold outside!! Somehow it being sunny makes it seem even colder because when you look out it just looks lovely but when you open the door....bbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Hot cuppa and some wool socks and I'm good to go.

Stay warm and keep knitting.

2011-12-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

This is just so funny. I'll be back in a day or two. Enjoy!

Give a Moose a beer and you never know what will happen.

Must be Moosehead Beer !!!!!!

This actually happened with some guys from Maine.

They dressed the truck up with the guy dummy spread eagle on the roof of the truck.

The driver and passenger put on Moose Heads.

Down the Maine Toll interstate they went causing about 16 accidents.

They went to jail.

2011-11-21T18:07:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been so long between posts. I really have no excuse other than knitting. I have a project that seems to be taking forever. Sooner or later I will get it done. It's theAran knit wrap from www.redheart.com and I am over half done but some days it seems like I get nothing done.I did finish the felted bag...

But I finished these. They are fingerless gloves out of some Hobby Lobby acrylic yarn. I think the pattern is called "Suzie's reading gloves" but I can't find the pattern. I will have to look for it.

Here's a picture of the bag. The color is not great but it's called Garnet heather and it's Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks. The bag is http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/satchel and it's the smaller one. I've made the larger one several times and the one that I made for Amanda used Cascade 220. I like that better for felting. I knit them and Amanda felts them and she really had to work the wet bag to get it to the right measurements. The end product is nice though. But had to make the strap WAY longer than the pattern called for because it felted really short and fat. But it's done and now I just have to wait for KnitPicks to get more of that color 'cause I need at least 8 more skeins to finish Amanda's. And they aren't getting any until the middle of February....grrrrrrr.

The weather today is wretched!! Pouring rain and the gutters were supposed to be cleaned today but that's a bust. I rescheduled for Friday but they are now running over and I have to have big garbage cans under part of them 'cause they are running into the basement. I am tired of being wet and the bottoms of my jeans are soaked from emptying the cans. I have a lovely cup of Cranberry Autumn tea and I want to pour it on my legs......brrrrr.

Did some cooking today. For Thanksgiving I'm making a Chestnut-brussel sprout potpie, and "bacon" onion turnovers from "Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites", rum-kissed sweet potatoes with cranberries and walnuts from "Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes" , a cardamom cinnamon cake from "Have Your Cake and Vegan Too" (which also has a lovely maple cake that was fabulous!) and some greens. And maybe some stuffed mushrooms for a snack.

I just got "Upstairs, Downstairs" from the library and I've never seen it so I will have an English marathon this week while trying to finish the wrap.

Okay, off to empty the cans again. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember it's a great day to give thanks to the Lord for all He has given us!

2011-11-15T09:45:00.001-08:00

Bad blogger. I know, I know. It's been far too long. I've been busy knitting an order for a felted purse so I will post in a while.

In the meantime...the red cups are in!!

2011-10-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

So glad that it's ~~cooler~~ chilly now. I opened my sock drawer and was teary-eyed at the thought of all those lovely hand knits! So many to choose from. Ahhhhh.

Went running around today doing some errands and found one of the farmer's markets still open. A pleasant surprise since I thought they were all done for the season. Got some lovely chard and pattypan squash and one HUGE white radish that I have no idea what I'm going to do with it at this point.

Then went to Trader Joe's and ran into a fellow Raveler. She had a beautiful handknit sweater in a lovely shade of green. I was going to rip it off her and run but she looked like she could keep up with me...teehee! It was fun to actually run into someone from Ravelry like that. I knew they existed but never have seen anyone.

Last week went to Lambikins in Hamilton.

So many yarns....too many great things. ... head spinning....must grab yarn to counteract yarn fumes.

A few things came home with me.http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-key-to-warmth I got some lovely KnitPicks Wool of the Andes to make it.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spectra I don't know what yarn I'm going to use but I saw this knitted up and it's gorgeous!

I've always wanted some sparkly socks so this jumped in my hands.

And I've only read about this yarn so I had to splurge and get it. There was a free pattern to go with it to make a cool scarf/wrap so I'm going to make that.

I love the colors. You can't see it but there is blue and purple and all kinds of colors there.

I really enjoyed my trip there. They were really nice and the yarn selection was stunning. Things that I'd only read about and just loads to fondle and plunge your hands into and just have a great time. I will definately be going back and recommend it to people. Actually I already did recommend it the other day!

My fun purchase. It's a mini pie/tart maker. It's nice to have because the pies cook in less than 10 minutes and you can have mini ones instead of a big pie. Very good purchase. Target for under $20.00. These are cherry and apple are next!

2011-10-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

It really exists!! I am ~~absolutely sick~~ so close to having it finished that I can almost taste it! Off to work on the edges.

2011-10-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! There are not many pretty trees but the ones that are turning are gorgeous. Today the temperature was finally cool enough for jeans and some socks. Which was nice because I'm sick of wearing shorts.

It's always nice when the seasons change so I can wear different clothes.

Been cooking alot since it has cooled down. This is a "cheesy" chili bake and the chili is chocolate stout chili which I had made the other day.

Yum. It has a lovely crusty top so just delicious. Yes, I have been a bad, bad blogger but just didn't have anything to write. I've been working on putting the Celtic poncho together. Yes, you read that right. I have finally finished all the triangles and have sewn some of together. I had to go to a knitting group last night to beg some help. Everyone agreed that the directions and schematics for putting it together were the worst we'd ever seen. But, Praise Jesus, there was a lovely woman there that had been knitting and sewing for years that was gracious enough to help me tack it together in some sort of way that makes sense! Almost done now.

This is what I'm working on now. It's called In and Out and is from Cookie A.'s book "Knit.Sock.Love". It's tricky but I love the pattern. The yarn is Cascade Heritage in the color "Hyacinth".

The other thing I've been knitting is this Aran Wrap,which is a free pattern from Red Heart. I'm using Red Heart Super Saver in "Ecru".

It's hard to tell but it's a lovely pattern with several stitch patterns and will be nice if I can ever seem to get any progress on it. I have knit and knit and knit but it never seems to get any bigger. I hate when that happens.

Okay. I am off to have a cup of cherry pineapple green tea and work some more on the never-ending project! Happy "I love yarn" day tomorrow.

2011-10-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

The time just went so fast this week. I can't believe it's already Saturday and October!

Here's a peek at the next big knitting piece that I am going to be doing. (Yes...yes...I've been finishing up the Celtic poncho. Get over it already...teeeheee!)

http://www.gotyarn.com/detail.cfm?ID=7502

It's bee--u-ti-ful. It's the biggest piece I've attempted so far and I must admit some trepidation at the thought of starting it.

But the yarn is staring at me from the box (I shut the lid on it and told it that I'd get to it soon) and I've printed up the very scary looking charts. I will have to label and color code and really make some good notes to keep everything straight.

Yesterday was the first chilly day. Low 50*s, windy and rainy. Good knitting weather that's for sure. I am making a hat for mom to go with the cardigan I just finished. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/that-other-hat. She often likes hats until I make them and then they either don't fit or they eventually slide up and off her head. This one she should like as it's big enough to go over her ears.

I have a lovely pot of Cranberry Autumn tea from Harney and Sons and it is just fabulous. My favorite fall tea.

Okay. I am going to go and fill up my tea cup and finish mom's hat. Cold tonight. Supposed to be the lowest temperature here on this day in 200 years. Crazy. I have my lovely flannel jimjams on and I was glad to pull out the first socks of the season. The hardest part was deciding which of the hand knit pairs to wear first!

2011-09-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

I know. Bad blogger. I have neglected you so much lately. It's not that I don't like you anymore. It's just that I've been doing so much knitting that I haven't been sitting at the computer as much.

The upside is that I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done.http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knitsensei/sinuous-cabled-socks. These are the first socks I've ever designed and I'm pretty happy with them.

These are made with Paton's classic wool in the color Burgundy which is kind of hard to see with this photo. It's been rainy and grey here and not conducive to good picture taking.

Not that I take such great pictures anyway.

This is a sweater that I just finished for mom.

She never asks for anything knitted so when she said she wanted a sweater and picked out the pattern from Lion Brand's website, well, I just had to knit it up for her. It's hard to tell from the picture (gee, what a surprise!) but the yarn is a lovely sage green. It's Red Heart super saver and it knit up fairly fast. She has a couple of skeins left so she wants a scarf and hat to match. All I have to do is find a pattern she likes.

Went to the park the other day when we had a decent, sunny day and these are at the entrance to the harbor parking lot by the lake.

Mastadon! Rrrrrarrrrr.

I haven't been up to that part of the park in quite awhile so they were a surprise.

Dinner last night. Just delicious. "Crab" cakes from "Vegan Unplugged", steamed veggies and a vegan adaptation of Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits. Very good. I love the ''crabcakes". They are made with chickpeas and are so tasty. I've made them twice already and so easy too.

Alright. Well, I'm off to get a bit more knitting done and in a few days I have a knitting announcement about something I'm planning on knitting. Have a great week all!

2011-09-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Go here and enter this giveaway. And read the blog! Very good reading. http://www.singerskitchen.com/2011/09/second-blogiversary-and-giveaway.html

2011-09-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm. Lunch. Raw "dinosaur" kale with sliced peaches and strawberries. So good. We had been having much cooler weather but it warmed up into the 80*s again so salads are on the menu.

Finished these plain

socks for mom. Didn't really need any pattern since they are so colorful. I knit them when I'm riding in the car so it takes a little longer sometimes. But it's supposed to be cooler by the end of the week so she can wear them then. As well as the cardigan that I have been slogging along these past few weeks. I am thrilled that she wanted something handknit and happy to make it for her....but it seems like it's miles and miles of garter stitch. Yawn. Plus it's knit with the sleeves and back all in one piece so it seems to take foooorrrrevvverrrr to get across a line. But I've finished the back and halfway through one of the fronts so not long now! Woohoo.

My ~~new~~ new to me rocking chair. Isn't it lovely? I have wanted one for years but having dachshunds and cats really wasn't conducive to rockers. No more animals :( but a rocker to enjoy. Amanda was having a yard sale a few weeks ago with a few of her friends and this is one of the pieces of furniture that her friend brought. I got it for $10.00 and quite a deal. I think it's oak and it is very solid and comfortable. Amanda also got a lovely wing chair and table so I think she got stuff out and brought stuff in! But nice furniture. Just brought it home so rocking tonight...teehee. Praise Jesus for providing it for me.

Loot! I entered an anniversary contest on www.200shawlproject.blogspot.comand was one of the lucky winners. A fabulous shawl/scarf pattern and enough yarn (yummy,yummy,luscious yarn) to make it, plus lots of goodies. A beautiful handpainted canvas bag, some Chibi needles (sweet!) and a portable Ott light,which I can't wait to use. I can't wait to knit it up.

But I have to finish up some other projects first.

Okay. Off to have some coconut-lime tea (hot) and knit and rock.

2011-09-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Finally. A decently cool day. Rainy and grey but still. Had a lovely pot of tea...pineapple cherry green tea, so good. It's nice to be able to have a nice cuppa without sweating all over.

This is a sock that I'm knitting for http://www.ravelry.com/groups/solidsocks. The theme this month is Red and the picture doesn't look like it but they are burgundy. Patons Classic wool in worsted weight. This is a sock pattern that I designed; it's my first time designing, and I like it alot. Knits up pretty fast too.

Went to Fresh Market this morning to pick up some ciabatta rolls and their delicious onion pocket rolls (yum) and we had just gotten in and poured a sample of their Pumpkin spice coffee ...mmmmm, when the electric went out. We all stood around for a few minutes to see what was going on and all the electric was out on the whole block and maybe even a little farther. The manager said that it would probably be on in about 10 or 15 minutes and if we all wanted to shop the cashiers would round up the amounts and we could pay that. I got some tea for about $3.00 less than it should have been marked because it wasn't marked anywhere and they just randomly picked a number to charge. It was kind of fun to wander around the store once your eyes adjusted to the emergency lights. Everyone was really nice and chatty and the employees were walking around offering cookies. Very civilized...teehee.

Going to work on my other sock so hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday!

2011-08-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Knitting up a storm here. These are some bulky armwarmers from the new Rowan magazine (#50). I have several projects earmarked but the yarn will have to wait on the bigger ones. This one was easily knit from 144 yds of bulky yarn on size 11's. If only it were cool enough to wear them. But they will be nice once fall finally rolls around.

Another mystery kal done! I love this pattern and I will definately knit this again. I will make them longer though now that I know what they look like and how much yarn they take. But the pattern is fun and easy and I really enjoyed it.

This is a Trellis shawl that I finished and it's kind of crazy looking. But it will be nice to wear around the house.

Busy today so I will write more soon.

2011-08-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Gee, knitalong pictures....what a surprise! This is a kal from the Ravelry group KnittingLikeCrazy.It's a mystery kal and so far I love the pattern. I will probably make it again with another yarn also.http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knitting-like-crazy-fans. One more clue on next Friday and I can't wait to see the finished socks.

Finished this kal also. It's the Carefree Kal http://carefreeholiday-ornot-kal.blogspot.com/ and I think they came out quite nice. Although they are stretchier than I thought and do not fit me. But they will be a present for someone.

The yarn is Panda Cotton and I don't think I will use it again for anything. It feels nice and knits up well but it's very splitty and just kind of unravels as you pull it out of the skein.

I must recant something that I posted about earlier. (The June 14th post). I decided that I wasn't going to go back to that yarn store but I was down in that area today and mom said we should give it another chance so in we went. I must say, it was much better this time. They were quite friendly and chatty and lots of great yarn. I will definately go back now. Although they did raise some of their prices. I bought a skein of Cascade Heritage for $8.95 and now it's up to $14.95. Which is still not bad but more than I wanted to pay for it. Got a pair of HiyaHiya steel dpn's in size 0 6". I really want the 5" size but no one locally carries them and I don't want to order just one thing from Patternworks 'cause it doesn't justify the shipping.

Mmmmm.

Vegan coney. Well, 2 of them anyway. I made "Cincinnati (Skyline) Chili" from "The Happy Herbivore" which is good since I'm from Cincinnati. Also some veggie dogs, yellow mustard, steamed buns and Daiya cheddar cheese. Tasted just enough like Skyline that it totally fulfilled a craving.

Farmer's market goodies. The best squash and peppers from the market in Loveland and so cheap also. I will definately go there again.

2011-08-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Crazy looking scarf, no? This is the yarn "Sashay" from RedHeart. I thought it looked like a fun scarf to have and it was so easy to knit. It takes just one ball of yarn and very inexpensive as well. Just under $4.00 and you get a unique scarf. Didn't take very long either.

Bad, bad blogger.

I didn't realize that it had been so long since I'd written anything. It's just been so unbearably hot that I haven't had the energy to do anything much. However, I have been knitting. This is the Helleborus cardigan from Knitscene. The yarn is Lion Brand Pound o'Love and the color is denim. Although the picture doesn't really show the true color. It's a fairly fast knit and I think that I'll really like it.

The knitalongs are going along just fine. This is the "Niagra" sock for the Solidsockknitters group

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/solidsocks. I love the yarn ...Dirty Water Dye Works BFL.

These are the cabled socks from "50 Socks,50 States" cd and the pattern is "Muir woods (California)". The yarn is Panda Cotton and the socks will now be for mom because they are too big for me. Even though I knit them on a size 2 which is the normal size for me. Unless it's lace and then I use a 1 or 2. I thought that since it is cabled it would be the right size. Oh well, she will be happy with them.

2011-07-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Still so hot! Just don't want to do anything except sit and have lots of water and iced tea. I have been getting knitting done though.
Finished my "BFF" socks from Cookie A.'s book "Knit.Sock.Love." which is also the name of the Ravelry group that I participated in for July.

I really liked the yarn and the pattern was nice and easy. A good way to ease into the book because some of the charts look scary! Getting ready to do a few more knitalongs starting tomorrow.

This is a scarf I finished for a Crystal Palace kal using one skein of Sausalito. Very pretty yarn. It's hard to tell but the lace pattern really stands out on the yarn. I lightly blocked it so it didn't lose any definition.

This is the yarn for the Solidsockknitters group and the theme for August is water. I am using Dirty Water Dye Works "Paula" and the pattern I picked is "Niagra" from "The Eclectic Sole" by Janet Laidman. I thought this was a good representative of water.

This is for the Carefree kal from Crystal Palace. The yarn is Panda Cotton and I'm using a pattern from "50 states, 50 socks" and the pattern is California.

Mmmmmm. Cookies. This are fabulous. They are oatmeal raisin cookies with a drizzle of icing (I made them purple!) and they are from the cookbook "Vegan Bake Sale". So far everything has been outstanding.

This is the best summertime salad. Kale rubbed with a little grapefruit juice and olive oil to wilt it a little and fresh sliced peaches. Doesn't sound like much but it's delicious.

Okay. I am trying to finish a short sleeved cardigan ....Helleborus from Knitscene Winter/Spring 2010 and I want to get some more done on it before tomorrow when it's time to cast on for my kals.

I'll have some pictures of the cardigan next time!

Stay cool and I'll see you all soon.

2011-07-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

HOT!!!! It's about 90* right now at noon and going up to about 95* with the heat index of around 110*. Yuck. It's so humid and thick out that you can't even catch your breath when you go outside. Which I am not doing at all.
I have dvds and knitting to keep me quiet and cool-ish. Sometimes I think it would be cooler to go down into the basement and lie down on the concrete floor! Kals still going strong. This is BFF from Cookie A's book "Knit.Sock.Love." and I'm doing a knitalong with the Ravelry group of the same name. I love the yarn ...it's Done Roving Frolicking Feet in the colorway "Christmas Cactus". So pretty. And a very easy pattern.

Finished these socks. They are "Aphrodite" but I can't get the link to work. They are on Ravelry and a good knit. The yarn is Cascade Heritage Silk and it shows the stitches very well. I don't have much else to write because the weather is just so gross that you don't even want to move for fear of sticking to the floor 'cause it is melting! teehee.

Off to have some iced tea (a gallon or so) and knit some socks. Stay cool!!

2011-07-09T17:12:00.001-07:00

Bad blogger. But I have lots of pictures ahead. These two packages are yarn wins!! I won 3 balls of my choice yarn from a Coquille shawl knitalong from Crystal Palace on Ravelry. I picked 3 balls of Sausalito in the colorway "Fall Herbs". So soft and pretty. The other is 8 balls of Mini Mochi in the colorway "Brandied Apricots". I won that from the Carefree kal blog. I can't decide quite what to make with it but at least one shawl is in my Ravelry queue.

I've been feverishly knitting on this....

it's Aphrodite (I can't get my links to work) on Ravelry and I'm knitting it for the Solidsockknitters group. I started it on size one dpn's because it looked like a stretchy pattern.

I went up to a size 2 for the heel and foot but on the second sock I think I'll do the whole thing in a 2. Not quite as stretchy as I thought. Plus, it takes FOREVER to use those 1's! The yarn is lovely though (as is the pattern). It's Cascade Heritage silk, a merino/silk blend with over 440 yards. And surprisingly affordable at under $9.00 a skein.

Baking ahead. The cupcakes are coffee and caramel delicious-ness and the cake is a balsamic berry cake (with some lovely tofu "whipped cream" on top. Both recipes are from "Vegan Bake Sale" by Carla Kelly and just wonderful.

Whole wheat cinnamon rolls that are every bit as good as Cinnabon. And fairly healthy as there is no fat in them. It was all I could do not to gobble them all up right out of the oven. These are from " The Happy Herbivore" by Lindsay Nixon and if these are any indication of the caliber of the recipes in the cookbook I have made an excellent choice.

Took mom down the street to see the fireworks in the next "city" (community)next to ours. Our city didn't have the money to do their show for the past 2 years but the neighboring area is even better.

Mom had never seen fireworks up close and personal so she really enjoyed them. Very loud!

Cell phone pictures...not the best but you get the idea.

I "loves" this yarn. It's "Frolicking Feet" by Done Roving Yarns in the colorway Christmas Cactus. It's new at Main Street Yarns and the choice of colors was overwhelming. Too many to pick but I finally narrowed it down and this one came home with me.

It's destined to be a knitalong (gee, what a surprise) for the Knit.Sock.Love. group on Ravelry.
It's a kal from Cookie A.'s book Knit.Sock. Love. This month it is the BFF socks, which is a lovely cabled sock. I'm trying to be good and not cast on until I at least finish the first Aphrodite sock but the yarn is calling to me! I'm also doing another kal from the Crystal Palace group that is the Sausalito scarf. It's a one skein project as well.

Well, I'm going to try and get that first sock finished tonight. It's supposed to be in the mid-90*s the next few days and that's perfect staying indoors weather and watching ER dvds and knitting! Stay cool.

2011-07-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that it had been so long since my last post. As usual I have overwhelmed myself with knitalongs! Here is a quick one that I'm doing with the Crystal Palace group on Ravelry. It's the Sausalito scarf and the yarn is ...yes, Sausalito in the colorway "Fall Herbs." So pretty.

We have been having some crazy weather lately. This is how the sky looked the other morning. Wicked scary.

And then it cleared up without raining. Good.

I will post within the next day or two because it's taking wayyyyy too long for pictures to load.

2011-06-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

I meant to post sooner but has such problems with the computer...it was beyond ridiculous. I spent (and I am not exaggerating) 6 hours on the phone and online with 7 different Aol techs and finally just had to unistall and reinstall the software. The only problem was that one of the first two techs had remote access to my computer and while poking around in here managed to mess up my Panda virus and then my computer didn't recognize my printer so I went online to the Lexmark techs ('cause my installation cd didn't play) and they downloaded the software which then proceeded to make my computer crash everytime the techs ran it. AAArrrrgggghhhhhh! Praise Jesus now everything is fine. I did a system restore (scary!) and then the installation cd worked and now everything is great. *whew*

This is some wonderful yarn that I won from http://200shawlproject.blogspot.com

and it's lovely. I really enjoy her blog so go and read it. Plus she sent me a lovely set of stitch markers and a poprock ring! Excellent. Now I just have to find the perfect pattern for it.

These are socks for a kal on Thrifysockknitters on Ravelry. The pattern is http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTtwisted.php
and it's fast and fun. I love the colors. The yarn is Online Socke and just nice.

A close-up of the sweater that I'm knitting. It's Pasha from Berrocco and I just have to finish the front so almost done.

Had a 50% coupon from JoAnn's so I found this book that I have wanted for sometime. I love knee socks and every pattern is for knee socks. I can't wait to knit some.

I have to finish a few kal's first but I should have some knit by the time the cool weather arrives.

Okay,off to have some dinner! Enjoy the rest of the week and keep knitting!

2011-06-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Finished another kal. this one is the June color knitalong from the Ravelry group Solidsockknitters. The color this month was orange and I had no idea that I had an orange skein. This is Opal Uni and the pattern is "Inferno" from the IDP at KnitPicks. I really like the pattern. It's the first one that I've knitted where the pattern extends down to the heel so that was fun. I had to go down a needle size to a 1 since the pattern is rather stretchy. Now onto the next knitting.

Went to the Trillium Art show on Sunday at Glenwood Gardens.I would link it but none of the tools on my bar seem to be cooperating!

Such a gorgeous day to be outside and walking around. No humidity and in the low 70*s.

Just a small show...about 30 booths or so. Didn't see anything there that thrilled me enough to buy but some pretty things.

The setting is so pretty though.
Lots of space and places to sit.

They have a cafe outdoors called the Cotswold cafe that I read has sandwiches, gourmet coffee and various things. It was early and I think they were still setting it up.

This is necklace that I made with 2 pieces of stampboard that Amanda stamps and colors and scratches. I end up decorating and making into a necklace because they are just too beautiful not to wear and show off.

Mmmmmm. Some of the best bisuits yet. From a cookbook called "Vegan Diner" by Julie Hassan. They are fabulous. It's hard to find a good vegan biscuit recipe but this one is the best. I've made them twice already and can't stay away from them.

Went to a new yarn store today. It's called Hank in Hyde Park. I must say that I was less than impressed. I don't usually like to say anything about shops and stores but I left with a not great feeling. For the most part they were ...shall I say coldly polite. They would be standing right behind me as if they were expecting me to shoplift needles or something.

They had a decent selection of yarn but it was not comfortable to walk around picking skeins up and fondling because all the skeins were placed just so in the display cases which looked like very nice bookcases. Everything was nice and tidy and placed in proper order but I didn't want to pick out any yarn because it would mess up how they had them displayed.

I did get a skein of Cascade yarn that is wool and silk that was over 400 yards for $8.00, quite a good price. Their prices are competitive but I probably won't be going back again. Faithful to my lys I suppose.

2011-06-04T18:41:00.001-07:00

Whew. Got hot again today! 93* and felt like almost 100*. Good thing I have plenty of knitalongs to keep me inside and cool.

This is the kal from Thrifty knitters on Ravelry
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/thrifty-knitters-sock-club and it's a good one to use up some yarn in your stash. This month's patterns are both good ones and I'm going to knit both of them. This one is Twisted from www.Knitty.com and so far I'm really liking it. Plus the colors are so bright. A really good summer knit.

Finished both of my mystery shawl knitalongs. This is the shawl from
www.ravelry.com/groups/wendy-knits and I love it. It's my first proper lace shawl blocked and all. I would like it to be bigger but it is a shawlette so it's big enough.

The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill supersocke and I have a small ball left over to mix with some other yarn and make a pair of socks.

My second shawlette is the Medallion Mystery Shawl from Knitting Like Crazy http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knitting-like-crazy-fans
and it was also a fun knit. I really like the mystery aspect of a kal. Definately keeps you on your toes.

This yarn is also a Cherry Tree Hill and I will mix it with the other leftover yarn. Should make a luscious pair of socks.

Speaking of luscious...this is a arugula, roasted corn and cherry tomato salad that was just delicious. A great dish for hot weather.

2011-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

As last month I have overcommitted to knitalongs! This is the Mystery Medallion Shawl (clue 3) from Knitting Like Crazy. This is due to be finished by June 10th so I have some time.This is the Mystery Shawl from WendyKnits. I didn't realize that I had picked 2 colors that were rather close colorways. But I love them both. They are both Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke and very nice to knit with as well.

Luckily there is no time limit on this one.

Went to the garden center the other day (when it wasn't raining!) to see the animals.
This is Hotshot. So cute.

The goats cracked me up. They each definately had their own spots that they liked to lie on.

Nice rocks for all.

They are very well adapted to people feeding them. They have feeders where you can get the food for a quarter a turn and as soon as they see the coin going into the slot they all run to the feeder tubes. I think the people are better trained than the animals because we're all suckers for feeding the animals.

These are Charles and Camilla and they will come out and give you the evil eye big time!

This turkey was loose and was looking for food. He chased us around waiting for us to give him something. Stop chasing me!!

Went to Glenwood Gardens on Monday. It was a beautiful day until the tornado warnings came later. But the park is lovely and based on the Cotswolds.

I had a few pictures of the buildings but accidently erased them. But a very relaxing and beautiful place.

It has wetlands and prairies and walking paths of a mile to two and a half miles that loop through all the different areas.

I think the walkway is just beautiful with the trees.

A relaxing fountain area with stone benches to rest and enjoy the views.Dinner.....orange glazed tempeh and collard greens with cranberries and pine nuts. Just so good.

Alright. I have to go and finish my Trekking knitalong socks. They must be done by the 31st to send them in to be eligible for the prizes.
Have a great Memorial Day and enjoyable weekend!

2011-05-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

I have been busy with more knitalongs. This is the Mystery Medallion Shawl that is after the second clue. The next bit has hearts which look really nice when spread out.

And look! This is the Celtic poncho.

My neighbor who used to sew helped me figure out how to put it together. I still have to make a couple more squares but then I will have it finished.

I have been bad about blogging but will be back in a few days.

2011-05-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had some crazy rains last week. And lots of it. The cool thing that came out of it are these double rainbows.

How can anyone dispute the awesomeness of a G-d who is our creator? Who could make anything like this but G-d?

Busy knitting here. I signed up for 2 kals this month and I am enjoying them. This is the Trekking sock this month and I just printed up the second clue this morning.This is the "Mystery Medallion Shawl" kal from Knitting Like Crazy. I really like the yarn...Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke Select in the colorway Maple Sugar. This was just the first clue from Friday and I finished that part last night. Now I have to wait until next Friday.

I just love the color.

The pattern is fun also. I am definately a big fan of shawls!

This is the falls from down at the park after all the rain last week. Certainly is rushing around. And I notice that there have been no ducks on it lately.

2011-04-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is a coconut "custard" pie from www.veganplanet.blogspot.com. It's ridiculously easy to make and only has 4 ingredients. Go there and make it!

Baked chimichangas. MMmmmmmm. My favorite this week. I'd forgotten how much I like these and so easy to make.Finished all my knitalongs! These are the Trekking 20 year KAL from http://www.knitpurlhunter.com/. They are toe-up and I learned Judy's Magic-CastOn, a new simple heel and a sewn bind-off.

The pattern is called "Cranked" and was alot of fun to knit. I would have liked to have made them longer but didn't think I had enough yarn. Turned out that I did. I also don't think I care much for the sewn bind off although it is stretchy but maybe because I had to go down to a size 1 needle. I suppose that I will try to use a size 2 on the ribbing and bind off.

This is the yarn from the Carefree KAL that is from Crystal Palace. This month you can use whatever pattern you want as long as you use at least one skein of their yarn. This is the Mobius necklace from "Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders". I also made the earrings to match but the picture isn't great.

Mug today. Right now I'm having some Cinnamon Cardamom tea. Tasty.

2011-04-21T15:57:00.001-07:00

I thought that I'd let you all see the pretty tulips before they are washed away! This has been the 3rd wettest April on record here. And we are supposed to get a total of 4.83" more by Saturday night. We have water coming in the basement from places that it's never leaked before but what a surprise... where else is it supposed to go?

The river (Ohio and every other one) is at or above flood stage and we are supposed to have more thunderstorms everyday until next Thursday. It's almost like living in Seattle without all the cool coffee shops!

Can't even walk in the backyard. We used to have an above-ground pool and where it was located is a lovely pool-shaped depression which has a nice lake right now. That's not too unusual with alot of rain but it's spreading all over the yard. I actually lost my shoe in the mud when I went back to check for any damage from all the severe weather the other night. We lost a huge limb off of one of the trees but Praise Jesus! that was all. Here are the little falls at the park. This was before the 3" we got on Tuesday night.

No ducks swimming around in there!
I'm kind of surprised that there haven't been any ducks in the "lake" in the back yard. Sometimes they come for several days. But they have their choice of pretty much anywhere to swim right now.

Been busily knitting on all the kals I've joined. But I did finish one the other day (4/19). This is the Coquille shawl from Knitty (knitty.com). I am quite pleased with it and would like to make the large size sometime.I did the smaller one because it called for less than 3 balls of Mini Mochi, which is what I had in my stash. Still have almost a whole ball left. None of the colorways are the same but they had enough like colors in them to match. At least I think so.

I still need to lightly block it but I've worn it a few times because it's been chilly out...and let's face it...we all like to wear our newly off the needles knits!

Off to work on another kal. And tonight is "The Mentalist" so tv will be on.

2011-04-12T13:42:00.001-07:00

This is one of the KALs that I'm knitting on right now. It's the http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEff10/PATTcoquille.php Coquille shawl and I really like how it's turning out. The pattern is quite easy and it's fun to watch as the colors change.Here is the Belvedere cardigan that I finished. I ended up putting some snaps down the front and then 2 small knitted flowers at the top. I didn't want buttons on it because the yarn is soft and I figured that the buttons would be too heavy. But I think I like it.

Okay, off to do some more knitting.

2011-04-02T15:10:00.001-07:00

Look what was sitting out front of my house yesterday! Lots of fun. NOT! We called the water company 11 days ago about water leaking up into the road. It wasn't coming out of my yard and when the workers finally came they said it was a water main leak and they would be back in about 10 days to fix it. Well, it took 11 days which was fine but the road was starting to "bubble" up against my yard and it was leaking all the way across the lane. They told me they would take a look at it and decide what needed to be done.

So they covered the very large hole with a very large, very noisy metal plate and said they'd be back Monday after midnight. Um, thanks?

Well, we had to call to complain because everytime a car went over the plate the whole house would practically shake. The glass in the windows was shaking and that's not good. They sent someone out to secure the plate (ya think they should have done that first!) and later that evening the water worker was walking through the neighborhood hanging signs on the front door (luckily I happened to be looking out the peep hole at just the moment he hung the note on the door) and stated that they would be shutting off the water after midnight and the repairs would take 4-6 hours. After 7 hours they finally finished but the lovely plate is still out there getting thumped with the cars. And since I live on a 4-lane state highway, there is alot of traffic. And they have a fireplug up the street just streaming out water because they said they are flushing out the pipes so we don't have to boil the water. WHAT were we drinking before????? I use a water filter but still. Yuck.

So the street has sheets of water just rushing down and watering the grass. Fun. Dinner last night. Pasta con broccoli from "Appetite for Reduction". Fabulous.

I really enjoyed the kal last month so I joined another. This the Coquille shawl from Knitty and it's for the Crystal Palace Ravelry group. Should be fun. I also wanted to join the Knitpurlhunter Trekking 20 year kal but no yarn shop had this month's yarn and hadn't planned on ordering anymore. So I joined the Carefree kal (which is also part of Crystal Palace's blog).

Went up to Main Street Yarns today to pick up a skein of Mini Mochi for that and much to my surprise, they had one skein left of the Trekking for the April KAL. So I picked that up also and now am starting to feel just a bit overwhelmed........

But the shawl should be a very interesting knit.

We shall see.

2011-03-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Guess who got a doughnut maker? Why yes, that would be me. It's a cute little machine called "Babycakes" and bakes these mini doughnuts in about 4 minutes. And by the time you are finished salivating there are 8 little doughnuts just waiting to be devoured. These are maple doughnuts with a maple glaze and maple sprinkles. Very good.

Just finished my second pair of two-color cabled socks. Woohooo. Since it's so cold out I will be able to wear them tomorrow. I really like the pattern and will probably make a few more pairs for next winter.

Still slogging away on the Debbie Bliss cardigan. I am on the first sleeve but almost finished with it. I'm hoping to have it completed this week and it should be just the perfect weather to wear it.

The sad news is that I seem to have lost one of my fingerless gloves that I carry in my bag. :( So I am sad. I loved them. I used a very bright colorway of Mini Mochi and they were a lovely cabled pattern. *sigh* I suppose I will have to make another pair.

Off to eat dinner. Bahan macaroni pie (from Caribbean Vegan) and pineapple collard greens.

Stay warm.

2011-03-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Happy dancing all around! I finished my socks for the kal and I really like them.

I was going to participate in next month's kal also but both of the yarn stores that are participating in carrying the yarn have sold out and have no intention of getting anymore. I even drove up to Springboro to check out a store there.

Oh well. Maybe I'll be able to do May's kal. We shall see.Had a few lovely days of nice, warm weather but today it's 34* and FREEZING!! I hate when the weather switches like that because you just feel so much colder than before. I think for dinner I am going to make some "cheesy" potato soup and a black bean burger. Sounds like a good cold weather dinner.

My fingers are just too cold to type so I will be back soon.

2011-03-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

The water is still high at the park. Today was the first sunny,warm (and windy) day to go to the park so here is the first waterfall shot of the season.

It was nice to be able to go and sit with the windows open, just enjoying the sun on my face. Bring on those freckles!

Got some mulch today and put that around the house. We have had so much rain that the mulch is just washed away from the water coming off the gutters. We have been waiting for the gutter cleaners since late fall but since the weather turned so cruddy so early they fell really behind. And all this rain isn't helping any for our gutters. I sure hope they come soon.Here is a really cruddy photo of a new aquistion. Pretttttyyyyy.
It's a lace weight and I just have to find the perfect pattern for it.

Still slogging away on my KAL.

I will get some more done on it tonight after I go to an event on www.planetpurl.com. I have spent the last 2 nights there ...one for a class and last night for a social hour. Lots of fun and got to use the webcam finally. It was nice to see some faces to go with some names.

Well, the event starts in about 6 minutes so I will sign off for now. I am going to try and be better about blogging so I will see you all soon.

Happy St. Patricks' Day!!

2011-03-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here is my next spring cardigan. It's the Debbie Bliss cardigan and I really am moving right along.

But I did take a break for this...
The March KAL on www.knitpurlhunter.com using Trekking yarn.
Here's last week's clue.

I've got both tops knit now and just got this week's clue this morning. Since they are only the heels I don't think they will take very long.

Mmmm. White Russian cookies.

Spinach and mushroom lasagna with cauliflower-tofu "ricotta".

I am off to take part 2 of the Planet Purl class on toe-up socks. See you soon.

2011-03-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

Busy knitting and cooking but here's a yarn haiku to tide you over until tomorrow!

Yarn so soft and warm.

Want to roll around in it.

Take out needles first.

2011-02-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Sweater is finished! I really like it. I've never worn a short sweater like this but it's nice. A fast knit and I will definately be wearing it quite a bit.
This is the sweater I'm casting on now. It's the Debbie Bliss sweater from Knitscene wnter/spring 2011. I'm knitting it in a pale green and I think it will turn out to be a nice spring sweater.

Although the red is nice as well.

Dinner tonight is warm mushrooms and cranberry salad with horseradish dressing. mmmm. Lunch was a lovely creamy portobello soup and homemade cornbread. Perfect for a chilly,overcast day!

2011-02-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

Been busy knitting away. Finished mom's vest (whew!) and decided to make myself a short-sleeved cardigan for spring. I had some Lion Brand Pound of Love lying around and thought I might as well get some use out of it. The color is Bubblegum and the pattern is from Lion Brand's website...it's called the Weekend Retreat Cardi and is knit from the neck down. So far I think I will really like it. A fairly fast knit and pretty mindless so I can watch videos while knitting.

Just finished watching PBS's "1940's House" and I quite enjoyed it.
Had some lovely weather this week, which is unusual for this time of year. My birthday was the 17th and I actually wore a short-sleeved teeshirt. Last year we had over 10" of snow. Got some fun things for presents....some yarn (gasp-what a surprise!) A skein of Noro Silk Garden and a pattern from a local designer for a funky, spiral-y scarf that looked really cool on the sales clerk. Very intriguing looking pattern. I'll keep you posted.
Also bought some Mango Moon recycled sari silk. I've been looking at it for years and finally caved. I found some shawl patterns on Ravelry for it and I think that I will make one of those with it.
Went over to Borders this morning. The really depressing news is that they are closing that store and they are having their going out of business sale.
I would have thought that this was the store they would leave open, out of the 3 they have here. It's the largest, most centrally located one but, no. I shop there all the time but no more. There is a Barnes and Noble right around the corner but I always preferred Borders. The rewards were free and they always sent really good coupons. I was going to go over yesterday and use my 33% off coupons but when I got there they were already having the discounted sales. 20% off all books, which meant I couldn't use my coupons :( . Plus (and I am not exaggerating at all) there must have been at least 150 people in line. They lined all the way from the front registers around all the stacks and through to the back of the store. No thanks! So I ran over this morning to be there when they opened. They told me the wait yesterday was at least 45 minutes to an hour. Some people were in line with just a magazine! I understand that they were 40% off but I wouldn't stand that long for just one little thing!
Well, the weather today is freezing rain today and chilly so I am brewing a pot of Blackberry Sage tea and I am going to try and finish my sweater. Keep warm!

2011-02-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm. Potato skins. Amanda made a bunch for her friend's Super Bowl party and she saved me the outsides and a bag of "insides" and I went home and whipped up some vegan skins. Yum. Sauteed some mushrooms and onions and mashed it all up with some "sour cream" and Daiya cheddar cheese and chowed down. Thanks Amanda.

No knitting pictures right now. I am knitting but it's a long sampler vest for mom out of Peaches and Cream cotton. I'm trying to get it finished by this weekend since the weather is warming up slightly. Today it was 27*. I know that we will still have some cold weather...it alway is cruddy around my birthday but some warmer wouldn't be amiss. Supposed to be in the mid-40*'s by the beginning of the week so that will be a relief. Although, I have to say, I haven't really minded the freezing temps so much. I've just hunkered down with alot of hot tea, knitting, dvds and podcasts. Oh and some cooking as well. Yesterday I made some vegetable tomato rice soup and a grilled ''cheese" sandwich with some Daiya cheese and it was the perfect cold weather lunch. As a matter of fact, I may have some for dinner tonight since it's supposed to go down to 9*. Brrrrr.
Stay warm and get some knitting done.

2011-02-01T12:45:00.001-08:00

This is another pair of the two-color cabled socks with some more Cascade 220.

Ta-dah! Quant is done and I love it. I really like entrelac and can't wait to knit a pair of socks. I have the pattern and yarn ready to go but am going to finish what's on my needles right now before starting.
I am knitting another sampler vest for mom and finishing off the cabled socks so my socks will have to wait.

On the weather side.....gruesome. Ice all over and when it started to melt off the driveway we then started with the freezing rain. So now the trees and grass are covered. Let's hope we don't get much more.
But it's good knitting weather and definately baking weather.

These are crispy,chewy oatmeal cookies from "The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur" and sooooo good. I have been craving oatmeal cookies for a week now and what better time to make them when it's icy and a good day to be inside.
I also made mushroom fettucini and broccoli for lunch 'cause Amanda stopped by for lunch. Thanks sis!

Okay. Just made a fresh pot of tea-Blackberry Sage from The
Republic of Tea and I am going to pop in an audio book and knit.
Stay warm and safe and knit alot.

2011-01-27T12:51:00.001-08:00

Just learned to do entrelac! Love it and can't wait to knit a pair of socks.

This is Quant from www.knitty.com and it's a great beginner pattern. The yarn is Noro Kureyon and I really like the colors. These are argyle socks from "The Big Book of Socks" with Cascade 220. A fast knit and they are toasty warm.

2011-01-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have been hunkered down and staying warm because, baby it's COLD outside. This morning it was -8* when I woke up. It has warmed considerably ...now it's 12*. Woohoo. I don't need anything outside so I just brewed a fresh pot of tea and am starting a new knitting project. Because I just finished my last project and have none on the needles.

These are the Two-color cable socks from "The Big Book of Socks". I wanted to learn to do two-color cables and I love them. They are practically knee socks and so warm. Very easy and I am definately making another pair. The yarn is Cascade 220 and I have just a little ball of orange left and less than 1 yard of fushia.

I bought a bunch of Cascade on clearance when Yarns and Fabrications went out of business with this pattern in mind. I've always liked knee socks because my legs get cold. The only thing that I will change is I will cast on with a smaller size needle (4) and knit the ribbing and then go to the 5.
I am now going to try entrelac as I took a class from Planet Purl www.planetpurl.com last week. I really enjoy their classes and learned alot. Plus, they have great videos, which is always helpful. They also have a fun knit and chat once a month.
I've decided to knit "Quant" from www.knitty.com for my beginning project and then I have a neat pattern for a pair of socks. I'm also starting a pair of argyle socks from "The Big Book of Socks" with purple, green and orange Cascade 220. Those should be a fast,easy knit.
We had 5.8" of snow on Thursday and I was tired of shoveling. We shoveled twice and left about 1" on the drive because it was icy underneath. I also did not want to pay the snow guy to come and scrape the drive 'cause I didn't want to spend the money. He knows not to come unless it's over 4'' and I call him to go on the list. At 2:30 am. we were jolted out of bed by a big THUNK and ran to the window (no, it wasn't Santa) but the snow guy. Hello!?! I didn't call. Had to go to the front door and try and get his attention to yell that we had shoveled. He said that he was just cleaning it off. Yeah for $65.oo you are going to do more than clean it off. But since I didn't call him, and we stopped him, I don't think he should charge me. We shall see.
Okay, off to cast on for some new projects. Stay warm and safe.

2011-01-14T15:09:00.001-08:00

Here is my replacement (as much as it can replace my lovely mug) for the broken mug. One of my clients' gave me $50.00 in Caribou gift cards, which was super thoughtful but I was surprised because she was always such a big Starbucks fan. As am I. But a soy chai latte is fine as I don't really care for their coffee. But I was getting some drinks yesterday for myself and Amanda and I saw this on sale by the register and figured, why not?

I like to have a tangible reminder of the card so a new mug it is. Right now it's filled with Harney's Cranberry Autumn, which a lovely choice on a cold night.

It's warmer some today---30*- but when it warms up is when I seem to get really cold. Luckily a hand knit sweater or shawl is waiting right here to be thrown around my shoulders.

Here's what I made the other day. Puppy chow cookies. They were good but I think I prefer the puppy chow loose and not on a cookie. Eggnog cookies are next. I got some of the Silknog on sale and the cookies sound great. Plus, I get to drink whatever is leftover!

I've been busy trying to finish up all my projects on the needles so I can start some more! I finished my vest and a fun scalloped scarf/shawl (the pattern is on the Bernat site and is the scallop scarf)and a huge crocheted afghan that was a gift. I am not the best crocheter and can't really watch anything while I do it so I popped in an audiobook and hunkered down and finished it the other night. Now all I have to do is one half of a sock for mom, a pair of cabled socks that I am half done with the first one and the KAL that I am going to work on tomorrow. I WILL break the pattern. I just have to have quiet and concentrate but I'll get farther along on it.

Yes,yes, I know I still have the Celtic poncho but I thought that I could work on it in the spring because I probably won't get it done in time for this year. But I will get it finished this year. No more ufos.

Here's Rufus peeking out to say hello.

And Binkley and Rufus having a cleaning!

2011-01-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sad mug day....I broke one of my favorite mugs the other night. :(

I bumped it against the table at just the right angle and bang! broken. I had the matching green one several years ago but it got broken also. (Mom!) It seems that the handles were not as strong as the rest of the mug,which was odd because it was a fairly heavy mug. I didn't throw it away though as it was still pretty good for holding pens. I have been busy knitting. This is the vest that I just blocked last night. Still have to pick up stitches around the armholes and the front and bottom. I like the yarn...it's Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool and it's quite nice.
Lunchtime! I had lemony chard stuffed shells, mac 'n ''cheese", and steamed veggies. Delicious and very good on such a cold winter's day. Yesterday I made crumb topped apple pie muffins, and scones. Also tempeh simmered with tomatoes and sauerkraut, and rice and cabbage with apples and caraway seeds. Very good. I like casseroles and stews/soups in the winter with lots of bread.

Which is what came out of the bread machine! Onion soup caraway bread. Nothing smells as good as baking bread. Except maybe dessert...teehee.

This is the Rodekool kal that I have been slogging away on lately. It's one of those patterns that I keep knitting and frogging and knitting and frogging with lots of muttering and "stupid pattern"s going on at the same time.

As I was slogging through the pattern for the third time the light bulb went on...duh. Then the pattern made perfect sense. Obviously it was the pattern all along and not me.

But I was really glad to have figured it out because I did not want to give up but I was going to anyway because knitting shouldn't make you want to throw the project at the wall and then stomp on it.

I am going to finish the few projects I have on the needles and then put together my own sock club of the month for the year. I think the hardest part is choosing just the right pattern for the yarn. But I am going to buckle down and choose.

Okay, I am off to knit on the swirl shawl. I only have 6 more pieces to knit and then that is finished. So I will refill my tea and knit. Stay inside and keep warm and knit!

2011-01-04T16:07:00.001-08:00

Okay I am going to go now and cast on for the Rodekool kal. Wish me luck.

2010-12-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-12-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-24T16:24:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-12-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-10T17:43:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-12-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-01T19:26:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-11-24T16:48:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-11-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-06T13:29:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-10-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-10-26T17:28:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-10-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-10-12T19:44:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-10-06T16:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

I actually had to put on socks today! I'm sure only knitters get that excitement about footwear. The hardest thing was deciding which pair.

It's just such a relief to be cool. I have my steaming cuppa (Coconut Mango Wuyi Oolong from Stash Tea), my long pajama bottoms and got out my shawl to throw around my shoulders. I was glad to have that this morning I'll tell you.

Made some soup the other day (artichoke, leek and white bean from "The 4 Ingredient Vegan)..and a wonderful grilled "cheese" sandwich with tomato,onion and Daiya cheese. The BEST! I must say that it was the best fall lunch that I've had in some time. I definately will make it again. I'd forgotten how much I like grilled cheese sandwiches. Happy tummy. Went up to Yarns and Fabrications this morning because they are closing at the end of the month. All yarn was 60% off and it would have been rude not to go and grab some more.

The majority of the pile is Cascade 220, which is destined for cabled socks from "The Big Book of Socks". The Wisdom Poems will be a pair of fingerless gloves .
I'm not sure what this wants to be but all I know is it wanted to come home with me. It's so soft I just keep "petting" it.
I made a pair of flip-top fingerless gloves/mittens with my last Poems so maybe I'll make another pair. I like to have loads of fingerless mitts around so I can grab a pair practically in any room. My fingers and toes get cold so they are nice. And really work well. I also like cowls so maybe I'll make one of those.

Well, off for some stealth knitting. Enjoy your evening and see you all soon.

2010-09-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

I am sick of hot weather!! It's 90* here and that is just ridiculous for this time of year. I am ready for cool days and cold nights, steaming bowls of homemade soup, making some bread, a lovely cup of cranberry-orange tea or some hot apple cider and woolen knit projects. That being said, I am tired of everything that is on my needles. I can't work on the shawl because it's half wool and so hot piled up on my lap that I just sweat thinking about it.

I'm working on a sweater and have finished the back and am now on the sleeve but it seems to be going nowhere. *sigh*

In honor of the eventual cooler weather, here is my lovely yarn for some fingerless mitts. Now to find the perfect pattern.
Last week when it was actually cooler I did a little baking. This are individual ramekins of pear crisps from "Vegan Comfort Cooking" and they are very good.

And these are my first attempt at making my own pie crust. Eh. I think next time I'll use unbleached white flour instead of wheat but pretty good. They are shaped like pumpkins but are filled with apples. The mold I got last year at William-Sonoma and it's just cute.
I really want some Star Wars pancake molds but since I've been eyeing a tofu press more that will be my next cooking purchase.

The press( www.tofuxpress.com) is actually very useful since piling up pots and cast iron skillets ontop of tofu to press it can be a very precarious situation. I can't tell you how many times I've looked up to see my tower of pans sliding right off. So that will be useful.

Okay. Off to work on the sweater.

2010-09-15T15:21:00.001-07:00

I really like spinning! This is my best attempt to date. It's a worsted weight and I can't wait to make something from it.
I just bought a new,lighter spindle to make lace and fingering weight and have some beautiful Cherry Tree Hill roving to make some lovely yarn. I actually started spinning some today and it's fabulous. It's almost too nice to spin....so soft and silky. But the socks I will make from it will be lovely. Just finished these socks for mom. They are a sport weight yarn from Hobby Lobby and they will be nice and warm.

2010-09-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Actual knitting content! I haven't posted much about knitting because some of it is stealth knitting. The scarf I'm working on is in black and when it's photographed all you see is a lovely black blob. Which is fine but you can just close your eyes and voila, there is black. So you can imagine that.

These are felted bracelets that I made for mom out of Mags Kandis' new book...I think it's called Knitted Gifts but I'm not positive. These are extraordinarily simple to make and I just hand felted them because I don't think my front loader washer will do a good enough job. But they are fun and a good use of leftover yarn. Here are the final park pictures.

The "twig" rabbit sculpture was just so cute that I wanted to pick it up to take home.
You can't really see it in this photo but there looked like giant bean pods hanging off this tree. Cool but kinda creepy as well.

A pond full of lily pads with plenty of very large goldfish swimming around.

These were fun. All through the area were leaves imprinted into the concrete so they looked like fossils.

Nothing like walking along and tripping over things because you're so busy looking down!

This is a dinosaur of sorts and sort of tucked away so you stumble on it on your travels.

Went to the big farmers' market today since it was so lovely and cool this morning. The vegetables were just fabulous. The best they've been all season. I got quite a "haul". Some beautiful swiss chard and dinosaur kale, which I have not tried yet but have read that it's delicious, so I'm really looking forward to that. A few pattypan squash that I will stuff with grains and nuts and bake. A few serrano and ancho chilies for a couple of mexican-inspired dishes. Two small eggplants...I don't have any specific plans for those but they were cheap and so cute that I took them home. A pint of various heirloom tomatoes that we just wash and keep in a bowl on the table and snack on them as we are walking past them. (Those are already about half gone). I also bought some beets. Now I'm not fond of beets. Oh heck, I don't like them. But I'm going to be a big girl and attempt some kind of recipe with them and I will eat them. And probably only sneer alittle. I didn't really care for swiss chard at first either...to me it tasted like dirt. (Which is what beets taste like to me also). But I experimented and now I pretty much like it anyway. So we shall see.

I thought it was going to start cooling down this week but it turns out that it is still going to be in the 80*s. *sigh* I am ready for fall. I just bought some pumpkin spice coffee today and the other day I made my first pie crust from scratch and made mini apple pies that will be great with the coffee. I'm ready to curl up with some flannel jammies at night and a steaming cup of apple cider and some nice soup. Although I did make some tomato-rice soup the other day. Which was odd as I never liked tomato soup of any kind. I just kept craving it thinking that it sounded wonderful. And it's pretty good. Plus it was super easy as it came from a cookbook called "4-Ingredient Vegan" and you can't get much easier than that. Unless someone else makes it for you!

Alright...off to try and finish some knitting of some kind. I want to start something else but I am being firm and going to finish a few things first. :( See you soon.

2010-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

New mug! It's lovely and nice and thick. It was finally cool enough to want to have an entire pot of tea so I celebrated by getting a new mug. The only drawback is the copper panel in the front makes it non-microwavable. But I really don't reheat tea and NEVER coffee so it shouldn't be a problem.Here is the sock that I am working on in the car.
About 1/2 finished with the second one. But I'm busy with other projects so it is rather slow going on this one right now.
Some more park pictures.
This is the station for the toy train that ran around overhead and you could go into a "station house" and start the train going.

These are pictures of the tree house that all the kids were playing on and climbing around.

It's too bad I was too big 'cause it really looked like fun!!

This is a walkway that was continually spraying water as you walked through. I didn't go through as I was wearing Birkenstocks and I didn't want to get them wet.

More soon.

2010-09-02T18:34:00.001-07:00

Here's a few more shots of the garden from the other day. Cute bench. I'm not sure how comfortable it would be though. This was just outside the building.

Another shot of the walkway.

I will post some more pictures soon. I'm rather out of sorts so I think I'll go and knit for awhile.

2010-08-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Went somewhere different the other day. In the park district is a park called Glenwood Gardens and they were having a small quilt display.

I really enjoy seeing quilts (now, I can't learn to quilt because if I start one more hobby something else will have to leave my head..teehee) and it was such a nice day that it was the perfect thing to do.

The park is a lovely place and the buildings look like something you would find in the Cotswolds.

Here is walking up to the initial building.
Getting closer now.The covered walkway was lovely.

The quilts were in a small room and not very many but lovely all the same.

Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to show the photo that this quilt is based on. They are for a theme of nature.

And of course I really liked all the teacup blocks.

The lady bugs were in the style of Charlie Harper and had been made from a kit in a class that they had.

The rest of the trip was just as pleasant. The park there has a section called Highland Discovery Garden that is set up for children. I have read about it before and it has always gotten really good write-ups as a great place to go and explore. We were wandering around the gift shop when one of the park volunteers came up and asked us if we would enjoy seeing the children's garden and gave us free passes to go in. (It normally costs $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for the little rugrats.) Totally worth the money. We had the best time poking around and discovering all the little hidden items and places and beautiful plants. I have many more photos to share next time.

Right now I am knitting a scarf for a friend of sis's so I am off to try and get more done on it. Stay cool and see you soon.

2010-08-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

I do enjoy spinning. This is my latest attempt. Plying this time. It certainly does make a difference in how the yarn looks when plyed together. Much smoother. I'm pretty pleased with it if I do say so myself. Since one of the local yarn shops is closing here--Yarns and Fabrications--I went up the other day to look and see if there was anything that I couldn't live without. As you can see this lovely skein of Wisdom sock yarn followed me home. I have been looking at this for several trips now and decided that I'd better buy it since it was probably the last chance. It's a lovely metallic yarn and the hardest thing was deciding which color to pick. I'm happy with it though. Have to find just the right pattern for it.
I think for next year I shall do what I've seen others do this year. I am going to make my own sock of the month club. I seem to be almost paralyzed with indecision about which pattern for which sock...as if the "sock police" would come and with a loud speaker demand that I "put down the yarn and needles and step away from that pattern" and take me away because I used the absolutely wrong pattern for that yarn. See what I mean? So much to choose from. So I think putting each yarn in a ziplock with a pattern and throwing them in a box to choose makes infinitely more sense.
It cooled down just a bit these past few days so cooking recommenced here. Which was good because I was almost reduced to having a bowl of cereal for dinner. Not that I mind a good cereal for dinner but after awhile I begin to crave "real" food. This are "fish" tacos that are made by pressing tofu and then breading them.
The trick is using kelp granules which gives them the "fishy" taste. I got the recipe from "Vegan Comfort Food" by Alicia Simpson and they are WONDERFUL! I haven't made one thing yet from this book that I haven't loved.

Went to Jungle Jim's the other day and picked up some 10 oz. ramekins so I can make myself some individual baked desserts. It will be nice not to have a huge pan of dessert but something small and managable.
Just got back from running to Hobby Lobby to look for a specific yarn. Has anyone been there lately? I was pleasantly surprised at the nice selection that they have now and picked up 2 skeins of Patons Lace. Just lovely. Who knew they made a lace-weight? Not me. Now I will have to go to Ravelry and find a good pattern. And then I can cast on....hahahaha. Not until I finish the projects that I am knitting right now. And yes! I am still working on the Celtic poncho. I figure that I will REALLY appreciate it since it took so long to finish.
Sorry had to pick myself up off the floor since I fell off the chair laughing. But I will finish it!

2010-08-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

One sock finished!

I rather like them.
Of course it was much too hot to do much more than quickly try it on to make sure it fit!
More soon.

2010-08-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

At least with wool it can be a small project. 'Cause in the mid-90*s it's much too hot to work on anything larger than a sock. These are destined to become the Fall Blooms socks by Mags Kandis (Vogue Knitting Fall 2008). I'm using Deb Stoller's Stitch Nation Full 'o Sheep yarn and it's moving along.

Today it was 96* with the heat index of 100-105* so I spent the majority of the day indoors with knitting and dvds. And a splitting headache which I'm sure is a result of the heat and the smog alert that has been going on as well. Just yuck. We go out and run errands early in the morning and then hunker down and try and keep cool. Lots of salads and not too much cooking happening right now. This is dinner from the other night. Sauteed swiss chard with miso and sesame, the best mushrooms ever (from "Vegan Lunchbox from Around the World"), half a bagel and Gardein "chicken" breasts" made like a chicken piccata in a lovely breading and fried up crispy. So good.

Got a bunch of portobella mushrooms at Jungle Jim's last week on the discount rack and made stuffed mushrooms with tomatoes and some purslane from the farmers' market. Topped with some panko and Daiya cheese. It's nice to have a few things already cooked to just heat up and eat.

Although it's about too hot to want to eat much of anything. Except popsicles!

Stay cool and see you soon.

2010-08-01T16:06:00.001-07:00

Tofu stuffed fried squash blossoms anyone?Went to the farmers' market today and cleaned up! These are what are left of the heirloom tomatoes. They were sooooo good. Some of them weren't any bigger than the tip of my little finger. They were as sweet as candy.

I picked up lots of peppers and some pretty pimento peppers. A huge eggplant for $2.00, which was quite a deal. A few green tomatoes, because who doesn't like fried green tomatoes?

And this is the squash blossoms before the stuffing and frying. They were very interesting. Quite good though. I've always wanted to try them and was surprised to find them at the market.

The day started out not too hot but by about 10:00 am it was really warming up out there. Plus the market is on blacktop. Whew. I was glad to get in the car to go to Whole Foods. Got some lovely arborio rice in the bulk food section that is destined to become a risotto of some sort. Why yes, I did get a couple of new cookbooks.

Okay, back to knitting and I'll post a couple of pictures of that soon.

Stay cool and see you soon.

2010-07-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Happy dancing all around! The shawl is finished. Blocked and folded away,ready to be worn as soon as it gets cool out. Although I don't ever think that will happen. *sigh*More tomorrow.

2010-07-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Looks like some yarn to me! I think it looks pretty good for a first attempt with a drop spindle. It made about 44 yards of a worsted weight and I can use it when I make another one of Kristin Nicholas' pair of socks or gloves. Just enough to use as an accent color.I am working on some more in a blue-grey color that should make about twice as much. I do enjoy the spinning though. Once I get going it's very relaxing and mesmerizing to watch the spindle go 'round and 'round.

This isn't a very good picture (it's hard to get a decent picture when you are sitting in the passenger seat and driving by) but it's the loveliest field of sunflowers. And not the gigantic kind, which to me are rather creepy, but the medium,rather managable sized kind.
As we drove by, a family had stopped and was taking a photo of the wife and kids in front of them. Should be a good shot.

It's just been to hot to cook so don't have any photos of any food. Lots of watermelon. Yum. And loads and loads of iced tea. On the plus side I am almost finished with the shawl...wooohooooo! Oly 14 more hexagons and then I have to figure out where I can pin it down to block it.

I can hardly wait for the weather to change so I can wear it. But that's obviously not going to happen for awhile. Especially since they are saying it's going to be 95* here on Saturday. I am NOT going out! I'm sure that I'm not the only one either.

2010-07-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

Not the greatest pictures but you get the idea. This is my first spinning. I just used some roving that I got at my lys and so far it's going pretty well. I'm not convinced that it's right but it looks like yarn so I assume that it is correct.

Unfortunately I just found out that the Central Ohio Weaver's Guild was meeting down the street at the local park today. (www.cowg.org). Too bad I didn't know that before or I would've gone down. :(

Certainly easier than driving to Columbus.

Still so hot. I'm over the halfway mark on my swirl shawl so that's looking up. It's a good thing that I have some new dvd's to keep me occupied while knitting. Season 3 of Numbers and Newsradio. When they sell them in a package ...3 seasons for $14.99 it's hard to pass them up. So I have been enjoying those. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that show.
Bought some more roving today. One of the local farmers' markets had a woman there who made felted bowls, animals, etc... and was selling some lovely undyed wool roving for about 1 ounce for $5.00. Got about 2 oz. worth and she was pretty generous. Filled a gallon-size Ziploc bag to the top so that should keep me busy for awile. One of our Quaker parrots (Rufus) really loves the drop spindle. I say "it's time to spin" and he comes running down from the top of his cage and goes up and down with the spindle. When I am finished he is so tired. But he will bob up and down as long as I keep spinning. I'd hate to see what he'd do with a spinning wheel!

2010-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

The shawl is growing! It is almost addictive to watch it with each hexagon. Plus, it's just too freakin' hot to do anything else.

Be back soon.

2010-07-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's HOT. Like so many other places I'm sure. I have been "hiding'' out in the house the last few days and just haven't left for anything. Been busy watching season 3 of Numbers and Michael Palin (he was my favorite of the Monty Python-ers...so cute) Pole to Pole. It's always nice to armchair travel.

On the upside, I've gotten alot of knitting done. This is the swirl shawl but it has grown exponentially.

The colors aren't true but you can see the general idea.
It's actually much longer now. I'm just starting the third row. There are 5 rows so it will be a nice sized shawl. The hexagons are addictive and I keep knitting so I can see what it looks like.

It's been too hot to turn on the stove or the oven so these are a few things that I made the other day.

These are breakfast sandwiches. English muffins with tofu eggs, Teese brand cheddar cheese and the apple-sage sausage that I made. A little yellow mustard and they are great to heat up and grab to run out the door.

The plate is scrambled tofu with vegetables, hash browns and whole-grain toast with the best watermelon jam that I found at a farmers' market.Both the recipes are from a great cookbook by Alicia Simpson called "Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food" and I haven't made one thing from it that hasn't been fabulous. A good cookbook to own for a nice overview of vegan cooking. Nothing too hard to find, ingredient-wise and nice, concise instructions.
This is just a pizza that I threw together with some flatbread that I had. Marinated, roasted portobella mushrooms, onion, home-grown tomatoes (which I am sorry to say will probably be the last of those since my tomato plant has developed some kind of nasty blight :( ...so sad) and fresh basil and mozzarella Daiya "cheese".

I wasn't too sure about the Daiya cheese when I first bought it. I think it's because I haven't had cheese in so long that the "fat mouth feel " (thank you Chef Amanda!) kind of made me queasy. But if I am not heavy-handed with it I find it to be quite tasty sprinkled on things.

I have also been making my own frozen soy lattes lately with Starbucks Via coffee. I wasn't sure
if I would like it as much as my 'bucks but it is fabulous!! I also use coffee soymilk and wowza! I'm impressed. And saving money so that's a plus.

Well, off to refill my iced tea and knit a few more hexagons. Take care and stay cool.

2010-06-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Excitement for me!!! Vegan cake slices from Whole Foods. WOOHOO! I love bakery cake with the sugary sweet icing and frosting roses but needless to say, I haven't had any in years. I couldn't believe it when I saw it in the display case. Plus, it's sooooo sweet that I split it in two and got to enjoy it twice!! I definately will buy it again.

A little peek at what I've been doing. These are dyed using the same colors even though it doesn't look like it! The yarn is KnitPicks Bare merino fingering weight and is dyed with some neon food coloring that I found at the grocery. It is being knit up into the Swirl Shawl and now that I have the pattern down it's pretty easy and fun.

I have another skein that dyed up inbetween colors but didn't take a picture of that. I decided to have a gradation of colors to make it really interesting. I've wanted to knit the pattern for years but never got around to ordering it. The only place that I could find it was at the Yarn Barn and by the time I added shipping it was almost $10.00 for the pattern. Cheaper to order the kit but could not decide which colorway to choose. But last year I found it at a "local" (about an hour away) yarn market that I go to every year. That was the only good thing I found. Unfortunately the guild that hosts it picked an impossible to find (unless you were from around there I suppose) place and only a few shops showed up. Plus, you never hear about it until the last minute and it's hard to plan for it. So I'm glad that I found the pattern because I probably will not be going again.

Been so hot (90*s and above) that I haven't been doing much but sitting in the air conditioning and knitting. Mostly socks but some hexagons for the swirl shawl.

Just finished a pair of socks made with Noro sock yarn and I have to say....I am really disappointed. I was looking forward to knitting with it but won't use it again. Some of the yarn was thick (which is fine) but some of it was so thin that you couldn't even pull on the stitch without it breaking. And I don't think that it will hold up very well on the parts that it was knitted. We'll see how they do throughout the winter.

2010-06-20T18:18:00.001-07:00

I just love these patterns by Kristin Nicholas. This is the Autumn Leaves pattern from her book "Knit with Kristin". I'm about 1/2 way through the second one so should be finished by tomorrow if I don't spend alot of time online!

The yarn is mostly Deb Stoller's Stitch Nation Full 'o Sheep and the colors are just vibrant. My next big project is a large wrap (the kind you can throw over a jacket in the cold weather) and just got all the yarn for it. I like that JoAnn's takes competitor coupons and as many as you have as long as they aren't the same. I used a bunch of 50% off coupons to get all my yarn so ...yah...it only cost 1/2 as much. Good for me. Plus it will be my first steeked project so that should be a whole lotta angst. Teehee.
My first homegrown tomato!!! Looked a little raggedy but tasted great. I have about 7 more and 2 of them look like they are ripening up just fine.
My herbs are growing like gangbusters and I bought another basil plant at Trader Joe's the other day.

Couldn't beat the price. It was a good sized plant for $2.99. I like to make pesto and freeze it so the basil gets used up fast. I just bought some arugula today to make some more. Yum.
Here is my fabulous dinner from the other night. I used a Gardein "breast" (which is made of grains and veggies and all kinds of good things) and flattened it out and dredged it in some flour and fried it and topped it with a lovely caper/wine sauce. The greens are a collard green salad with a tamarind/miso dressing with sauteed pears on top.

Went to one of the farmer's markets today. One of the ones down in the city-Hyde Park. It's a more expensive area of town and the market was great! It was soooooo hot though and didn't help that it was set up on blacktop. Whew. Found some lovely garlic scapes (yah!). It's about the last of the season for those so I was happy to have found them. Got about 4 bunches. And some beautiful swiss chard that is destined for a millet, white bean and chard casserole. Some banana peppers and red onions (with the dirt still on them....now that's what I call fresh). I think I'm just going to saute up some of the scapes and toss them on top of some pasta with a little olive oil.

Amanda and I are always looking for a good veggie burger recipe and I have made several. This is the Better Black Bean burger from Robin Robertson's latest "Vegan on the Cheap" and I must say it is WONDERFUL! Fries up all crispy on the outside and not mushy at all. Put it on a good ciabatta bun with some mustard and soy mayo with leaf lettuce and a juicy tomato and a fabulous lunch.

I wish I could say that Amanda has some tomatoes on her plant. She did have about 11 or 12 but the deer that has been hanging around her yard obviously had a late night snack the other night. Man, is she mad. Of course I would be also.

And it was sleeping all curled up by the pot next to the patio.
I got fairly close to shoot this photo with my cell phone before it turned and sauntered off back into the woods.

She has entirely too much nature for living in a subdivision. A bunny nest in the front yard. A bird's nest in the rafter of the car port. Deer roaming through the yards and across the streets. And a whole bunch of coyotes in the woods. She and her neighbor watched one slink through the yard the other day. They are all over Cincinnati and quite the nuisance.

Alright. I am off to knit and stay cool. It's going to be in the 90*s the next few days. Just ridiculous for this time of year. Stay cool!

2010-06-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

Knitting has commenced. Although I did finish this the other day before the finger splint.

I don't know what I did to my finger but you should have seen the bruise!I think I must have had a nasty bone bruise because it was the loveliest bunch of colors you have ever seen. And swollen. I could knit a little but it was slow going. I was sorely disappointed because last week I ordered a drop spindle learn to spin kit from Etsy and it came the same day I had to splint the finger.

I know, I know. Like I need something else to do. I've seen Robin's ( www.fortheloveoffiber.typepad.com) yarn that she has spun and it made me envious! Just beautiful. I know that "this way madness lies" teehee, but I think it looks like fun. We shall see.

Okay. I think I shall put the splint on for one more night so I'll be back with more in a few days.

2010-06-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is why I am not knitting. :( Looks better in the photo.
And it makes typing 2 fingered so I'll see you in a day or two.

2010-06-02T17:55:00.001-07:00

Here is what I did over the holiday weekend. Well, the fun part anyway. This is my new dyed yarn. It's KnitPicks Bare merino in a fingering weight and dyed with Wilton food coloring. Just 3 colors ...Royal Blue, Egg yellow and Fuschia made all the wonderful colors.

Easy to do with the microwave and I get so carried away with the dye that it's hard to stop. Here it is after being tediously rolled into a ball.

The colors are very cool.

I'm knitting a pair of plain socks with purls every so often to highlight some of the colors.

I have 3 more skeins of the Peruvian wool fingering weight that I was going to dye for socks but have decided to use for my swirl shawl. I didn't really have enough yarn (1100 yards of fingering) so I was going to double some lace weight that I have stashed. But, lo and behold, I can make my own for it so that is what I will do! I bought some great neon food colors at Krogers the other day and I bet it will make great yarn.

The weekend was fine. I was mowing the lawn the other day and forgot to put the gas cap back on after I filled the tank (duh) and ran over it and it shot down the driveway into the street. I didn't see it at the time since I was in the side yard by that time and spent a good 15 minutes searching in the yard for it. When I stopped and traced my steps I realized that it had rolled all the way down the drive into the four-lane street....arrrggghhhhh! Needless to say, the mower chewed it up quite nicely. Good job for me as it's not even 2 months old. So off to the Home Depot to buy a universal cap. It didn't look like the one I had ( smart me, I took the cap with me) and the sales clerk opened the package and then we went to the display of mowers and made sure it fit. Certainly was a deal for a $5.00 cap. But now the mower has a lovely new "lid" and the gas stays in, so all's well that ends well.

Just had the most wicked thunderstorm rolling through earlier. The thunder was so loud and the lightening was right overhead and it seemed like it was practically in the house. The booming was so loud at times that the house shook and I jumped about 2 feet in the air everytime it thundered. And it poured. Looked like the heavens opened. Thank God that's over. And no harm but some water in the basement by the walls. It was rushing over the gutters in streams and just running down the front of the house down into the basement. When it rains like that I don't think there is anything you can do to stop it but start mopping and putting down rags. But it is much cooler out right now so that's always nice.

2010-05-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

As promised here is some knitting. I did write out this post the other night but then the computer froze and that was the end of that. I did have the foresight to save the post (or at least most of it).

These are the Atlantic/Pacific socks from "Kristin Knits". They certainly are bright, no? I like the bobbled edge.

I do like the vest now that I fiddled with it a little bit. I just picked up stitches at the bottom and continued the garter stitch border for a few more inches. Much better. It's made with Peaches and Creme yarn in the colorway "Juanita Rose". I think it will keep me warm this fall.

Right now it's been so hot that I am only working on socks.

I have a pile of "want to be started right now" projects but I want to get the ones on the needles finished first.

Just got finished mowing the lawn. Whew!! HOT! But at least that is done for a few days.

Really haven't done too much cooking these last few days since it's been so hot. But have made some ice (soy) cream. Blackberry and today I made cherry. Very tasty. And I also made a loaf of bread because the bread machine really does all the work.
Alright. I am going to go get something to eat since it's already 10:00 pm and I don't want to wait any later. Hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day.

2010-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Knitting has actually been occurring here. This is the start of the candle flame shawl (pattern is on Ravelry...but there are corrections) and I think it's going to be stunning. Not to mention warm. I put it away for awhile since the temperature has ratcheted up exceedingly fast for this time of year. Today was in the 80*s and rather humid from all the rain we've had the last few days. On Friday it was crazy!We had so much rain so fast that the wall in the basement had trickles of water running down them from the rain coming down the front of the house and just coming against the house. I suppose I need to put down some more mulch. That probably will help stop rain. Although when it's coming down in sheets and gushing down the street, it's hard to say if anything will stop it at that point.

We had gone to Trader Joe's earlier in the day...they FINALLY got in their gluten-free waffles (yah for mom!) and by the time we had checked out it was absolutely teaming down. Of course I was wearing a cotton shirt and capris and by the time I went out to get the car I was totally drenched. All the way to my underoos. A most miserable drive home. And the seats in the car are fabric so I didn't want to lean back and soak it. And then the inside of the car steamed up so much we couldn't even see out the windows. A most unfortunate trip. I was so glad to get home and change and dry my hair. Then, of course, it got much warmer out and I was dressed for cooler weather. By then I had just given up.
Found some lovely blackberries on sale yesterday and made the most delicious basil-blackberry crisp with balsamic vinegar and it so soooo good. Quite different with the basil. I probably should've gotten more basil plants since I practically stand over mine and wait for the leaves to grow! And I am proud to announce -I have 8 tomatoes on my plant!! I can't wait for them to be ready.
I'm also putting together some blackberry soy cream and a wonderful apple-arugula salad for tomorrow. When it starts warming up all I want is fruit and cold dishes and salads.
I am almost finished with the sampler vest. I tried it on the other day and it was a few inches shorter than I would've liked. Since the bottom is a garter stitch border I just seamed it up and picked up stitches and continued it on for another few inches. It looks much better. I am now on the border around the front edges and neck. Over 300 stitches so it takes awhile to get through a row. But I feel very satisfied when I get to the end.
Off to finish knitting (so I can start something else!). Stay cool.

2010-05-19T17:17:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is a knitting photo. It's the Textured Sampler vest from Lion Brand and it's knit in Peaches and Cream cotton. I made one for mom last year and decided to make the shorter version for myself. I'm not sure if I will like it or not. It seems like it might be too short. But I will measure it against some of my other vests and probably will be surprised.Here is an apple cake that I made today. Very tasty. It's made with shredded Granny Smiths, applesauce, dried apples and apple juice in the glaze.
Well, just a check-in today. I have "the sinus" and a splitting headache. See you in a day or two.

2010-05-14T13:57:00.001-07:00

Yarn stash. I bought this a month or so ago at Yarns and Fabrications. They had it listed as a fingering weight,which I thought was a little thin but what do I know? Turns out it's a lace weight so now I must find a pattern to knit. Anyone have a good pattern suggestion that takes less than 450 yards? Something like a shawl or wrap?

It's pretty though. It's Sekku and I really like the colors.This is what I made yesterday. Baked onion rings from my new cookbook "American Vegan Kitchen". OH MY! It's a good thing that I only made 1 onion worth because I totally could have made myself sick eating them. Soooooo good. And totally easy to prepare. So far everything that I've made from it has been a keeper.
And this is a collard green/red cabbage slaw-type salad that was the side dish.

No knitting pictures today but will post some in the next few days.

2010-05-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

I planned on posting sooner this week but everytime I got on I had to do something with the computer...from having it freeze to having to uninstall and then re-install the virus program and by the time I'm finished dealing with all these things that are really much beyond my "ken" I am overwhelmed and just want to shut the thing down and walk away. While I really like the computer sometimes I miss the times before everyone had one. I mean, what did we all do before we all had cell phones? I still remember when I was in high school and the radio in my car "died" and I had to use a tape player with cassette tapes for music. Yeah, yeah, I know, I just really dated myself. That was before the big "boom" boxes. And now I have mp3 players and computer programs. Waxing nostalgic here it seems. But I do miss my mix tapes. And if I do say so myself... I used to make pretty good mix tapes.

Here is what I have finished last week. The good news is that it was cold enough the last 2 days to get to wear them! I dyed the yarn myself with KoolAid and am pretty pleased with them. The pattern is Zephyr from Ravelry and it went fast and they are so comfortable.
The yarn is Knit Picks Bare and quite a bargain. Over 400 yards for under $5.00. And have a decent ball left over.

I will definately dye my own again. And use the powdered drink mix as they look good.

Here are a few more pictures from the nursery. Isn't this just the cutest pony?

Bought a tomato plant last week and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will make it through living with me. I don't have the greatest track record at keeping plants alive although I do have the best intentions. I over obsess about watering them and must "love" them to death. So far I have 2 tiny tomatoes! We are under a frost advisory for tonight and I brought in all the herbs but couldn't carry the tomato because it's in a huge pot with about 60 lbs. of dirt. I had no idea that it would take that much dirt to fill the thing!
Here is the donkey. He was mostly interested in eating. I know how he feels.

Went to Starbucks today (and yesterday....fine, I can't help it) because they now have make your own Frappucinos. And they can be vegan. Woot! And at half-price you can't beat getting a big drink for under $2.50. Had a coffee, extra coffee Frappucino with no whip cream and oh my!! So good. I can see how these are addictive.

Don't have any food pictures this time but made the best noodle "pie/frittata" type thing that was fabulous. It's from a new book called "American Vegan Kitchen" and it's full of recipes that are reminiscent of diner meals and recipes. All kinds of things that I want to make. Including fried avocado wedges. Yeah that doesn't sound awful or anything...teehee.

Also got the new "Vegan on the Cheap" by Robin Robertson and so far everything has been a winner. Just not enough hours in the day to make and eat everything.

Well, back to the knitting. I have just cast on for a sampler vest for myself (don't judge me! I know I still have the celtic poncho. I'll get to it. Don't laugh!) and a season of Numbers to watch. See you soon.

2010-04-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Picture-heavy post ahead.

Been to some of the garden centers to start getting some of my herbs to plant. I only use pots so I don't get too many...besides, I don't do "well" with plants. Not a green thumb at all. But the majority of the herbs that I got last year did okay so I am attempting to have more. I planted 3 basil plants (why yes, I do like basil, why do you ask?), sage, apple mint (smells divine),and curly leaf parsley. Some of the basil is ready to pick so dinner tonight is pasta with fresh 5 minute basil and tomato sauce from La Dolce Vegan. I got some lovely tomatoes on the vine and they are just ready to eat.

At one of the garden centers (Varnau) they have animals so here are some of the fun shots.

Chickens! They were busy studying the cell phone.

These are their 2 emus, Charles and Camilla. I don't know which is which and I thought it was rude to ask them...teehee.

The goat was quite cute...but wanted to eat the cell phone. Sure did like having his/her head scratched.

You can barely see the goat on the hut but he sure looked unpleasant.

Peacocks both male and female. The male was really trying to impress the lady who couldn't seem to care less.

I think he's attractive but since I'm not a bird, what do I know?

He was one proud rooster.

Another male trying his best.

Here are my toasted coconut cupcakes with coffee "buttercream" frosting. Sooooooo good. Unfortunately I only have one more. Guess I'll have to make some more.

This is a barley "risotto" with mushrooms and kale and beans. Just fabulous.

Been knitting up a storm and will have photos of that next time.

2010-04-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it's been since the 14th that I've posted. I don't know what I've been doing. Well, I haven't been online much so I suppose that will do it.

I did some lawn mowing this morning since we are supposed to have days of rain so time to get a jump on all the dandelions! Had to buy a new mower last week because the self-propelling part stopped propelling. It made more sense to buy a new mower for about $100.00 more than repairing a 5 year old one that was going to be at least $150.00. This one does a nice job so it can stay.

Did some baking today. These are Toasted Almond cupcakes with a coffee ''buttercream" frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and they are FANTASTIC!!! The frosting tastes like buttercream and just melts in your mouth. A definated make again!

Went down to Coffee Emporium to stock up on some tea and here is their patio. It's hard to see in this picture but the whole trellis top is covered with wisteria and it's just stunning. It was a great day for a drive and went "the long way" home. Which is just a fancy way of saying that we took all the back streets and didn't take a direct route home.

Here is a shot of one of the homes on the same street.

I don't have any knitting pictures to show but I have completed a pair of socks for Amanda and am working on a pair for mom right now. Also I did finish the sampler socks and they are very comfortable. I'm getting ready to knit a shawl and a vest for myself but am trying to get a few small things done first.

2010-04-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

Ahhhh. I love when the weather is just warm enough to have the windows and back door open. I just like to sit in the family room by the back door and just feel the sun warming my back and a little breeze whispering through every so often. If I just had the computer facing the door I'd be set. It's so lovely and green out and the lawn is freshly mown so that's out of the way for several days. Which is good since the mower just stopped self-propelling and had to go out and get a new one. *sigh* Well, you know what they say. "If it's not one thing, it's your mother." Hahahaha. Oops silly me.

Here's what I'm knitting right now. It's a sampler sock from "The Big Book of Socks" and I'm almost half finished with the second one. I thought the yarn would show the patterns better than they do but still it's a fun knit and it does look good. The yarn is "Walk Away" sock yarn by Yarn Bee from Hobby Lobby and was a good buy at $9.95 for over 400 yds. I know I probably should have used a solid yarn but until just recently I didn't have but one skein stashed away. I know....crazy, right? But I got some lovely Opal solids from www.littleknits.com and will pick out a good textured pattern to show off.
Here's my latest "try" in cooking. It's a ''quiche" from The Urban Vegan cookbook and definately a winner. I sauteed greens, mushrooms, and onions and topped with sliced tomatoes and panko. I love panko as topping on just about anything. It's a good cheese substitute sprinkled on pasta. And I really like the crunch.

I made some great "pesto" out of spinach with pecans and basil and some with arugula and walnuts. Yum. I keep it in the freezer and just made a great pasta dish with some yesterday. So good.

Since it's starting to warm up now I've been craving more salads and spreads for sandwiches. Yesterday I made a wonderful potato bread but gave the loaf to Amanda because I figured I would make another loaf today. I suppose I will have to make one tomorrow since today seemed full of trying to find a lawn mower that didn't cost more than the car...teehee.

Well, I'm off to get another cuppa and have some dinner before sitting down with my knitting and watching the final "Ugly Betty". I really like that show and hopefully I can find some of the seasons for less than $45.00!

Enjoy the lovely day all!

2010-04-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's spring looking up into my tree! Busy scraping and painting and generally cleaning around. Will be back in a day or two.

2010-04-04T17:00:00.001-07:00

Spring has sprung at Whole Foods! This is their display of heather and lavender. Not only beautiful to see but the smell is fabulous! I really like lavender. It makes a great tea if you have a headache. And such a pretty purple color. My favorite "perfume" that I wear (well, besides Obsession, when I can get a squirt of it!) is patchouli or a blend of patchouli and lavender...or as I call it--patchinder. Amanda likes to just call it smelling like dirt but at least she can tell when I'm around....teehee. Been busily knitting away. Finished my Cuffed socks from "Color by Kristin" book and LOVE them. Learned a few new things from them, including better colorwork handling. So thumbs up for me. I also really like the yarn. It's Full 'o Sheep Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. The colors are screamingly bright and really get a nice amount of wool for the money. The only drawback is that JoAnn's is the only distributer so far. But they take competitors' coupons so that's a plus.

Cooking has ensued here also. These are mac and "cheese" bites from a blog that I read. I have loved everything that I've made from it ...except for these. I wasn't thrilled with the "cheese" that I used, which could account for the lack of enthusiasum on my part. I can't find the Daiya cheese anywhere that everyone is raving about lately so I think that could definately make a difference. Would I make them again? Probably not.

But some of the other dishes are fabulous.

Wheatberry salad and seitan spread sandwich are a great hit!

This is a soy-mirin glazed tofu with a peanut sauce and snow peas over wild rice from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. An excellent dish and one that I will most definately make again.

2010-03-30T17:54:00.001-07:00

Busy knitting! Be here soon.