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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Getting close to the end of the first one.

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

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

So we'll pretend it never happened.

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

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

I think this one is my favorite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fall is definately here. Aren't they cute?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.