Sorry for my absence of late. I haven't been doing nearly enough knitting or baking, but I have an excuse: after over 2 and a half years together, Brian & I broke up last week. Yeah. That's about enough to kill anyone's inspiration for a little while, don't you think? Well, perhaps you would actually think that knitting & baking would bring me lots of comfort during such a time but instead I've been going for the most mindless activities possible: reading guilty pleasure blogs, playing solitaire on my computer, whining endlessly to my friends on the phone, and taking as many hot baths as I can. I'm starting to feel a little better, but obviously it'll take me some time to get over this. Never doubt anyone who tells you long-distance relationships are insanely difficult! It was mainly the distance, I think, that did us in, and I'm hoping we might be able to give it another try in the future, some time when we're actually living in the same state, but...hey, this is already more than I wanted to say about it on a public blog, so I'll leave it at that.
If you do go through a break-up, I probably won't be the only one to recommend chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate as a coping strategy. In fact, if I really like you, I'll probably make you a bunch of these phenomenal cookies:
Recipe: Chewy Brownie Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Modifications: I think I halved it, but other than that I didn't change much.
Review: PERFECTION. Chocolatey, peanut buttery perfection. If the whole point of this project weren't to try lots of different recipes, and if I didn't have a desire to be at least slightly healthy, I would just make these every few weeks for the rest of my life.
Hopefully next time I'll have some knitting content. I am deeply ashamed that I've been staring at that gorgeous yarn for almost two weeks without knitting it, but as soon as I can get some teeny tiny sock needles I'll be all over it, I promise! I also ordered some stuff from HandPaintedYarn.com, so you know I'll be showing that off when it arrives. And I'm still working on the little iPod cozy, but it's my knitting-in-public project and I haven't done that for a while. The Cloud Bolero is still happening, too, it's just at a standstill for the moment.
At least Spring is almost here, right? I'm excited to see the snow melting, FINALLY. A belated Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Gorgeous Yarn!
So I finished my Montana Scarf over the weekend but I don't have any good pictures of it yet -- I never seem to think of it until it's dark, and the few I've tried in the sunlight are just unacceptably crappy. I also can't show you pictures of the hat I knit for a friend over the weekend (not until I send it to him, anyway), and the Felted iPod Cozy I started yesterday is too boring to warrant photographing at this point (picture a green stockinette tube & you've got it). But I can make up for this lack of FO/WIP photos with some seriously beautiful yarn:
Are you drooling yet? That's 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Watercolor.
And this is 2 skeins of Claudia Hand-Painted Fingering Merino Wool in Caribbean Blue.
So, reason #230483240238 why you should join a knitting group in your area? Because if you say on your blog that you want to get started on socks, incredibly beautiful sock yarn might just come your way! Seriously, how lucky am I? The wonderful S. of Short N Crafty Sista read about my interest in socks & gathered up a whole bag of sock yarn that had green in it, since she needed to destash & doesn't care for green. I got to pick the two delicious yarns pictured above (an excruciatingly tough choice, by the way, since there were several other beautiful options), and everyone else got to take the rest. There aren't even any words for how grateful I am for this, but it definitely made my week!
I was up wayyyy too late last night trying to find suitable patterns for these. My first socks should probably be pretty simple, I figure, but I also want patterns worthy of these incredible yarns. I've pretty much ignored sock patterns up until now, so "overwhelmed" doesn't begin to cover how I feel looking through them now! There are so many! I'm starting to narrow it down, though, and hopefully I can start soon. I still need to get some of those tiny little sock needles, though -- I was going to run out & buy some today, but I think I might try to be patient and order some KnitPicks needles soon instead, since there are a few sizes I need for upcoming projects.
I did go yarn shopping over the weekend, too! I picked up some Berocco Peruvia in Maroon. (I almost went for green but I'm trying to branch out colorwise.) I'm using it on my aran weight version of Ysolda Teague's Cloud Bolero (Ravelry link). I am insanely nervous about this pattern, since I've never really done lace before, and I fully expect to make 10,000 stupid mistakes and have to restart it more than once. So far, though, it's going decently (knock on wood). I started it last night and have only moved through 10 or so rows, but it looks impressively lacy & lovely and I'm very excited about it!
Are you drooling yet? That's 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Watercolor.
And this is 2 skeins of Claudia Hand-Painted Fingering Merino Wool in Caribbean Blue.
So, reason #230483240238 why you should join a knitting group in your area? Because if you say on your blog that you want to get started on socks, incredibly beautiful sock yarn might just come your way! Seriously, how lucky am I? The wonderful S. of Short N Crafty Sista read about my interest in socks & gathered up a whole bag of sock yarn that had green in it, since she needed to destash & doesn't care for green. I got to pick the two delicious yarns pictured above (an excruciatingly tough choice, by the way, since there were several other beautiful options), and everyone else got to take the rest. There aren't even any words for how grateful I am for this, but it definitely made my week!
I was up wayyyy too late last night trying to find suitable patterns for these. My first socks should probably be pretty simple, I figure, but I also want patterns worthy of these incredible yarns. I've pretty much ignored sock patterns up until now, so "overwhelmed" doesn't begin to cover how I feel looking through them now! There are so many! I'm starting to narrow it down, though, and hopefully I can start soon. I still need to get some of those tiny little sock needles, though -- I was going to run out & buy some today, but I think I might try to be patient and order some KnitPicks needles soon instead, since there are a few sizes I need for upcoming projects.
I did go yarn shopping over the weekend, too! I picked up some Berocco Peruvia in Maroon. (I almost went for green but I'm trying to branch out colorwise.) I'm using it on my aran weight version of Ysolda Teague's Cloud Bolero (Ravelry link). I am insanely nervous about this pattern, since I've never really done lace before, and I fully expect to make 10,000 stupid mistakes and have to restart it more than once. So far, though, it's going decently (knock on wood). I started it last night and have only moved through 10 or so rows, but it looks impressively lacy & lovely and I'm very excited about it!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Culinary Adventures.
Knitting has been going very sloooooowly lately, intentionally. I just don't want to finish my scarf so I'm dragging it out. You all did give me some good ideas on what to do next, though, so thank you! I'm starting to think that maybe I'm being a little silly to insist on something springy next, considering that there are still several inches of snow on the ground & we're supposed to get more today. So I might cast on for some mittens soon, because it looks like I'd certainly have time to use them.
While I haven't been knitting, I've been baking & cooking! That's something I really missed doing in Montana, so you bet I've been taking advantage of kitchen access since getting home. I've made two batches of cookies so far.
Cookie #6: Oatmeal Gingersnaps
Recipe: I found this on a friend's blog that isn't publicly accessible and then I modified it a bit, so here's my version:
Review: You need to make these NOW! Everyone who tasted one loved them. My mom even sent me a text message that said "Cookies stupendous! Magnificent! Freaking good!" They were soft and chewy and gingery and molasses-y and just perfect. They reminded me of the fantastic molasses cookies my friend's extremely talented grandpa makes, and that's saying a lot. The ginger flavor is very strong, by the way, so if you don't consider that a good thing you might want to reduce the amount of ground ginger. Also these keep really well and stay perfectly soft in an airtight container. So, yes, stop reading this and go make some! You won't regret it.
Cookie #7: Black Forest Cookies
Recipe: Black Forest Cookies
Modifications: None made intentionally, but I have a bad habit of skimping on add-ins, and also of not measuring them, so I think I didn't add quite enough walnuts or cranberries to these.
Review: This is a soft, fluffy chocolate cookie filled with walnuts, sweetened dried cranberries, and chocolate chips. The flavors work together beautifully, but the base chocolate cookie is just kinda "meh." Using dark instead of milk chocolate might've improved that, and perhaps I'll try that next time. Also, make sure to use lots of dried fruit & nuts in these, because the cookies that are heavy on those are the really tasty ones.
* * *
Of course I've been making some things aside from cookies, too! Last weekend I made scones for the first time. Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones, to be specific. I skipped the orange peel & almond extract and just used milk with a dash of vinegar for the buttermilk. Having never made scones before, I was nervous about how they'd come out, but they were absolutely delicious! I gave most of them to my mom to take to a potluck at her work, but I saved a bit of dough in the fridge and the next morning had fresh, hot scones for breakfast. Mmm!
I promise I haven't been entirely focused on unhealthy baked goods, though! I made homemade Lara-type bars just the other day and loved them. Have any of you had Lara bars? They're great! Despite my best attempts to eat homemade everything, I tend to make food that isn't really portable, and so before long days at school I usually find myself checking out nutrition bars and the like at the grocery store. Most of them are full of the kind of unpronounceable ingredients that scare me right off, but Lara bars are refreshing in that they only have a handful of ingredients, and all of them are things you've heard of and feel comfortable eating. For the most part, they're just pureed dates with some nuts, spices, or dried fruit mixed in. And did I mention that, on top of all of this, they actually taste really really good? So of course I had to try making a couple on my own! Mine were sloppier than the packaged ones, but otherwise good, and I'll definitely be trying to improvise some cool flavor combinations in the future.
Also, yesterday I made my first tofu scramble. Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com had intrigued me with the idea a couple weeks ago, and once I tried a bite of Brian's curry tofu scramble at the delicious Missoula breakfast joint Food For Thought, I was sold on the concept. Admittedly, I've never really eaten scrambled eggs (yes, seriously), so I don't know how/if a tofu scramble compares to that, I just know that I liked it! I kinda sorta followed the Heidi Swanson recipe but I wanted a spicier version, so I used lots of cayenne pepper, cumin, & turmeric. Then, because we had some, I topped it with crumbled vegetarian "bacon." It was really quick, tasty, satisfying meal, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the recipe some more. Unfortunately I can't give you anyone else's review of it, because as I was packaging up the leftovers for Mom to take to work, I spilled them all over the floor! Talk about disappointing.
Anyway, I'm sure you were all pretty thoroughly bored with this, so I promise the next post will have some more knitting content and, if we're lucky, maybe some pretty yarn pictures, since Knit A Round is having their winter sale this weekend!
While I haven't been knitting, I've been baking & cooking! That's something I really missed doing in Montana, so you bet I've been taking advantage of kitchen access since getting home. I've made two batches of cookies so far.
Cookie #6: Oatmeal Gingersnaps
Recipe: I found this on a friend's blog that isn't publicly accessible and then I modified it a bit, so here's my version:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch allspice
Additional sugar
Cream butter sugar together in large mixing bowl. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the dry ingredients and gradually add them to the creamed mixture. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll balls in additional sugar. Place about 2" apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until set.
* The original recipe called for ground cloves, which I didn't have, but I do think they'd be a nice addition.
Review: You need to make these NOW! Everyone who tasted one loved them. My mom even sent me a text message that said "Cookies stupendous! Magnificent! Freaking good!" They were soft and chewy and gingery and molasses-y and just perfect. They reminded me of the fantastic molasses cookies my friend's extremely talented grandpa makes, and that's saying a lot. The ginger flavor is very strong, by the way, so if you don't consider that a good thing you might want to reduce the amount of ground ginger. Also these keep really well and stay perfectly soft in an airtight container. So, yes, stop reading this and go make some! You won't regret it.
Cookie #7: Black Forest Cookies
Recipe: Black Forest Cookies
Modifications: None made intentionally, but I have a bad habit of skimping on add-ins, and also of not measuring them, so I think I didn't add quite enough walnuts or cranberries to these.
Review: This is a soft, fluffy chocolate cookie filled with walnuts, sweetened dried cranberries, and chocolate chips. The flavors work together beautifully, but the base chocolate cookie is just kinda "meh." Using dark instead of milk chocolate might've improved that, and perhaps I'll try that next time. Also, make sure to use lots of dried fruit & nuts in these, because the cookies that are heavy on those are the really tasty ones.
* * *
Of course I've been making some things aside from cookies, too! Last weekend I made scones for the first time. Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones, to be specific. I skipped the orange peel & almond extract and just used milk with a dash of vinegar for the buttermilk. Having never made scones before, I was nervous about how they'd come out, but they were absolutely delicious! I gave most of them to my mom to take to a potluck at her work, but I saved a bit of dough in the fridge and the next morning had fresh, hot scones for breakfast. Mmm!I promise I haven't been entirely focused on unhealthy baked goods, though! I made homemade Lara-type bars just the other day and loved them. Have any of you had Lara bars? They're great! Despite my best attempts to eat homemade everything, I tend to make food that isn't really portable, and so before long days at school I usually find myself checking out nutrition bars and the like at the grocery store. Most of them are full of the kind of unpronounceable ingredients that scare me right off, but Lara bars are refreshing in that they only have a handful of ingredients, and all of them are things you've heard of and feel comfortable eating. For the most part, they're just pureed dates with some nuts, spices, or dried fruit mixed in. And did I mention that, on top of all of this, they actually taste really really good? So of course I had to try making a couple on my own! Mine were sloppier than the packaged ones, but otherwise good, and I'll definitely be trying to improvise some cool flavor combinations in the future.
Also, yesterday I made my first tofu scramble. Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com had intrigued me with the idea a couple weeks ago, and once I tried a bite of Brian's curry tofu scramble at the delicious Missoula breakfast joint Food For Thought, I was sold on the concept. Admittedly, I've never really eaten scrambled eggs (yes, seriously), so I don't know how/if a tofu scramble compares to that, I just know that I liked it! I kinda sorta followed the Heidi Swanson recipe but I wanted a spicier version, so I used lots of cayenne pepper, cumin, & turmeric. Then, because we had some, I topped it with crumbled vegetarian "bacon." It was really quick, tasty, satisfying meal, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the recipe some more. Unfortunately I can't give you anyone else's review of it, because as I was packaging up the leftovers for Mom to take to work, I spilled them all over the floor! Talk about disappointing.
Anyway, I'm sure you were all pretty thoroughly bored with this, so I promise the next post will have some more knitting content and, if we're lucky, maybe some pretty yarn pictures, since Knit A Round is having their winter sale this weekend!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Give me ideas!
I have lots of baking goodness to share, but first let me just beg you guys to help me get inspired. I'm dangerously close to finishing my scarf and I have no idea what to knit next. What should I make for spring? I have some ideas so far but nothing that's really standing out and it's sort of depressing. Luckily I'll be yarn shopping this weekend, so I think that'll help.
Also, I've decided that I'm ready to come over to the Dark Side. That's right, guys -- I want to start knitting socks. I know that some of you bad influences have been waiting for this moment, so please recommend me some good beginner patterns and fill me in on where to find affordable sock yarn. (I just realized that this is a seasonally inappropriate urge on my part, since I never even wear socks when it's warm out, but...I guess I'll just be really prepared for next fall & winter!)
Also, I've decided that I'm ready to come over to the Dark Side. That's right, guys -- I want to start knitting socks. I know that some of you bad influences have been waiting for this moment, so please recommend me some good beginner patterns and fill me in on where to find affordable sock yarn. (I just realized that this is a seasonally inappropriate urge on my part, since I never even wear socks when it's warm out, but...I guess I'll just be really prepared for next fall & winter!)
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Vacation photos & FO's!
Hi everyone! Sorry for the long absence. I only just got back the other day from my lovely week in Montana and I have lots to share! It was an absolutely beautiful trip and you can see all my best pictures from it here. Here are previews of some of my very favorite ones:
In every picture of me in that album, I am wearing something I knit! That's partly because I stayed up very late the night before my flight seaming the right sleeve on my green cropped cardigan so I'd be able to wear it during my trip. Here I am wearing it (and my Calorimetry!) on the first evening:
And here are some closer views:
I didn't have time to make a button loop or sew a button on before my flight, but now I've gotten so used to wearing it open like a shrug that I'm not sure I'll bother. I did buy a beautiful bone button for it at a bead shop in Missoula, though:
The cardigan got a lot of wear & many compliments during my stay, but I definitely needed something to keep the chill off my neck, so I cast on for a little neck-warmer during my layover in Denver. A few days later I had this:
Here's a closer shot, enthusiastically modeled by my poor cat Bob:
And one last close-up with the button:
I love the way the stitch pattern works with the subtle variations in the yarn! The pattern is here but I skipped the buttonholes because I couldn't settle on where to place them. Instead, I've just been shoving the one button through one of the naturally occurring holes in the stitch pattern. It works well enough like that. The only thing I dislike at all about this is how horribly it rolls. I knew it would but I was definitely in denial -- if I make this again, you bet there'll be a garter stitch border. As for this one, I'm hoping blocking or maybe crocheting the edges will help.
Of course I also bought yarn & started a souvenir scarf in Missoula, but I'll tell you all about that once I've finished it &/or taken some good pictures. For now I'm trying to catch up on all the blog posts I missed and I'll definitely be making some cookies later in the day. Have a great weekend, everyone!
In every picture of me in that album, I am wearing something I knit! That's partly because I stayed up very late the night before my flight seaming the right sleeve on my green cropped cardigan so I'd be able to wear it during my trip. Here I am wearing it (and my Calorimetry!) on the first evening:
And here are some closer views:
I didn't have time to make a button loop or sew a button on before my flight, but now I've gotten so used to wearing it open like a shrug that I'm not sure I'll bother. I did buy a beautiful bone button for it at a bead shop in Missoula, though:
The cardigan got a lot of wear & many compliments during my stay, but I definitely needed something to keep the chill off my neck, so I cast on for a little neck-warmer during my layover in Denver. A few days later I had this:
Here's a closer shot, enthusiastically modeled by my poor cat Bob:
And one last close-up with the button:
I love the way the stitch pattern works with the subtle variations in the yarn! The pattern is here but I skipped the buttonholes because I couldn't settle on where to place them. Instead, I've just been shoving the one button through one of the naturally occurring holes in the stitch pattern. It works well enough like that. The only thing I dislike at all about this is how horribly it rolls. I knew it would but I was definitely in denial -- if I make this again, you bet there'll be a garter stitch border. As for this one, I'm hoping blocking or maybe crocheting the edges will help.
Of course I also bought yarn & started a souvenir scarf in Missoula, but I'll tell you all about that once I've finished it &/or taken some good pictures. For now I'm trying to catch up on all the blog posts I missed and I'll definitely be making some cookies later in the day. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Twin Calorimetries & Cookie #5.
Hi everyone! Sorry for being so quiet lately. It's been an insanely busy week. I was battling a sinus infection, helping out at my aunt's flower shop, and doing lots of school work. Now I'm feeling better, done with the flower shop until Mother's Day, and wishing I could spend the weekend kicking back & relaxing with some good knitting. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. I have midterms next week & therefore tons of reading/studying/writing/etc. to do, plus I'm leaving for Montana Thursday (yay!) so there are things I want to get out of the way before then. Blah.
I've barely knit at all since completing that hat, though I did take a trip to an LYS just the other day, in search of yarn for a nice neck-warmer. I left with a nice big skein of Araucania Nature Wool. It's very pretty but it's also much thinner than I'd realized at the time, almost more of a heavy DK than a light worsted, and I'd wanted a heavy worsted. Oops. So I don't know what I'm going to do about that. I did find a pattern I liked written for 2 strands of DK held together, so I might use that. I might also just go buy different yarn over the weekend, we'll see.
The cardigan is moving slowly. Well, really it's not moving at all, because I STILL haven't started the second sleeve. I don't know why, but I always convince myself that picking up stitches is some horrible ordeal that I just don't want to deal with yet. In reality it's an easy & quick thing to do, but I put it off anyway. I promise I'm starting that sleeve tonight, though!
I can finally show you the two Calorimetries I made last week, though, since my friend Kenna received hers the other day & seems to like it! :) Here's a picture of her wearing it:
I was so happy when she sent me that! It just feels really good to see something you made being used by the recipient. I'm sure you all know what I mean. Here are some other shots I took of it before sending it off:
The orange was my favorite color in there and I'm thrilled that I had a button that worked with it so well. Also this yarn makes me want to take back every mean thing I've ever said about multi-colored yarns because it's so damn beautiful, especially with this pattern!
As you know, as soon as I finished that one for Kenna I cast on this one for myself:
The lighting is all weird/cool because I took these as the evening sunlight was streaming in through my favorite window. I've been wearing it nearly every day & loving how warm it keeps my ears.
For both of these I cast on 96 stitches & only did 5 repeats of row 5. To get 2 out of just one skein, I had to cheat a little on mine & knit to 8 stitches past the marker on a couple of the last rows. I was nervous about that but it worked out fine.
***
I really need to finally blog Cookie #5, since it's been at least a week since I made it!
Recipe: Chai Snickerdoodles
Modifications: I don't think I made any other than halving the recipe because having that many cookies around didn't seem particularly wise.
Review: I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I love snickerdoodles & I love chai, so combining the two seemed brilliant. Basically it's a traditional snickerdoodle recipe, but instead of rolling the dough in a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture, you add cardamom, ginger, & allspice, too! I love those spices & had fun mixing them up & making the cookies, but the end result tasted almost exactly like a basic snickerdoodle to me. I'm not complaining, since there is nothing bad at all about a basic snickerdoodle, but I was mildly disappointed that the chai flavor wasn't very pronounced. There's a good chance I'll try these again & just use much more cardamom, ginger, & allspice -- if I do, I'll let you know how it goes!
Right now I've got a loaf of this in the oven and if it tastes half as good as it looks & smells right now I'll be in heaven. I keep making breads & not blogging them! Basically that oatmeal bread I gushed about a couple weeks ago is on its way to becoming a weekly staple. Everyone likes it and the few scraps that are left over at the end of the week become the most delicious croutons the world has ever known. I also tried making English muffins for the first time a while back, following this recipe. I was amazed by how good they were for a first attempt, but they still weren't perfect. They were bland and I also didn't roll the dough out thin enough at all. My family still liked them but I hope to do better next time. If nothing else it was satisfying to know that I made them out of a few simple ingredients while the ones from the store have an ingredient list that's about two inches long and filled with unpronounceable words.
Ok, that's all for now, have a great weekend everyone!
I've barely knit at all since completing that hat, though I did take a trip to an LYS just the other day, in search of yarn for a nice neck-warmer. I left with a nice big skein of Araucania Nature Wool. It's very pretty but it's also much thinner than I'd realized at the time, almost more of a heavy DK than a light worsted, and I'd wanted a heavy worsted. Oops. So I don't know what I'm going to do about that. I did find a pattern I liked written for 2 strands of DK held together, so I might use that. I might also just go buy different yarn over the weekend, we'll see.
The cardigan is moving slowly. Well, really it's not moving at all, because I STILL haven't started the second sleeve. I don't know why, but I always convince myself that picking up stitches is some horrible ordeal that I just don't want to deal with yet. In reality it's an easy & quick thing to do, but I put it off anyway. I promise I'm starting that sleeve tonight, though!
I can finally show you the two Calorimetries I made last week, though, since my friend Kenna received hers the other day & seems to like it! :) Here's a picture of her wearing it:
I was so happy when she sent me that! It just feels really good to see something you made being used by the recipient. I'm sure you all know what I mean. Here are some other shots I took of it before sending it off:
The orange was my favorite color in there and I'm thrilled that I had a button that worked with it so well. Also this yarn makes me want to take back every mean thing I've ever said about multi-colored yarns because it's so damn beautiful, especially with this pattern!
As you know, as soon as I finished that one for Kenna I cast on this one for myself:
The lighting is all weird/cool because I took these as the evening sunlight was streaming in through my favorite window. I've been wearing it nearly every day & loving how warm it keeps my ears.
For both of these I cast on 96 stitches & only did 5 repeats of row 5. To get 2 out of just one skein, I had to cheat a little on mine & knit to 8 stitches past the marker on a couple of the last rows. I was nervous about that but it worked out fine.
I really need to finally blog Cookie #5, since it's been at least a week since I made it!
Recipe: Chai Snickerdoodles
Modifications: I don't think I made any other than halving the recipe because having that many cookies around didn't seem particularly wise.
Review: I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I love snickerdoodles & I love chai, so combining the two seemed brilliant. Basically it's a traditional snickerdoodle recipe, but instead of rolling the dough in a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture, you add cardamom, ginger, & allspice, too! I love those spices & had fun mixing them up & making the cookies, but the end result tasted almost exactly like a basic snickerdoodle to me. I'm not complaining, since there is nothing bad at all about a basic snickerdoodle, but I was mildly disappointed that the chai flavor wasn't very pronounced. There's a good chance I'll try these again & just use much more cardamom, ginger, & allspice -- if I do, I'll let you know how it goes!
Right now I've got a loaf of this in the oven and if it tastes half as good as it looks & smells right now I'll be in heaven. I keep making breads & not blogging them! Basically that oatmeal bread I gushed about a couple weeks ago is on its way to becoming a weekly staple. Everyone likes it and the few scraps that are left over at the end of the week become the most delicious croutons the world has ever known. I also tried making English muffins for the first time a while back, following this recipe. I was amazed by how good they were for a first attempt, but they still weren't perfect. They were bland and I also didn't roll the dough out thin enough at all. My family still liked them but I hope to do better next time. If nothing else it was satisfying to know that I made them out of a few simple ingredients while the ones from the store have an ingredient list that's about two inches long and filled with unpronounceable words.
Ok, that's all for now, have a great weekend everyone!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
FO: Cabled Earflap Hat.
Hi all! I've gotten a lot of knitting done in the past week and I FINALLY finished this hat I'd been working on for ages:
(let's not talk about how badly I need to get my hair trimmed, k?)
I had actually finished the hat portion a little over a week ago but I didn't like the way it fit, so I ripped back & redid it. That also enabled me to be a perfectionist about the cables, since I'd accidentally done some of them pretty unevenly the first time.
All things considered, I'm not sure how much I like it. It was fun to knit and it's warm as can be, but it looks silly on me. I don't know why I jumped immediately from my recent & dubious conclusion that I can theoretically look halfway decent in some hats sometimes to the idea that I should wear a cabled hat with ear flaps. I think I skipped some steps in there. Also, much as I love Malabrigo, I wish I'd used a more solid yarn. When I used this for Brian's hat it was absolutely perfect, but somehow here it's too stripy and I think it distracts from the cables. But, hey, I'm off to Montana in 11 days, and I bet I'll be grateful for it there -- or here, for that matter, considering that our high temperature today is 15°F and with the wind chill I don't think it's getting above zero at all.
Also, the way the pattern is finished at the top is the usual (and, I think, fun!) step of cutting the yarn & pulling it through the live stitches, but in this case I think there were too many live stitches & the hole left by them is unacceptably big, in my opinion. So if I do it again I'll somehow work another decrease round in there before finishing.
Anyway, the pattern is here and the yarn is the incomparably soft & wonderful Malabrigo Chunky. Project details at Ravelry, of course.
I also made another Calorimetry for myself, out of the same beautiful yarn I used for my friend's. Still no pictures until she gets hers, since they look basically the same, but trust me, it's perfect!
Now I'm just dying to get to a yarn store. I do still need to do the second sleeve on my cropped cardi, make my friend Steve a hat, and maybe churn out a few more of those cute little hearts & things for Valentine's gifts. But what I really want to make is a neck-warmer for myself. I only became aware of the existence of the neck-warmer a few months ago, via this pattern, and my main thought was that it was super-cool but I couldn't picture anyone wearing it in real life ever. Now, though, I've seen the light, thanks to contemplating traveling to Montana in this weather. I only own 3 scarves (probably pretty strange for a knitter). One is the first thing I ever knit, of course, and it's lovely but acrylic and so not very warm at all. The other two were made by friends and are phenomenally warm, but one is so huge it's almost more like a shawl and the other is extremely delicate & full of sentimental value, so neither are really things I want to travel with. But a neck-warmer! It would be quick and cute and get the job of the scarf done without the bulk! I'm so sold on this idea. I have cute buttons ready & everything! I just need to get back to Knit A Round so I can use more of that wonderful gift card from Aunt Amy...
I have been baking quite a bit lately and Cookie #5 was delicious -- I'll post about that soon! I hope you're all having a great weekend.
(let's not talk about how badly I need to get my hair trimmed, k?)
I had actually finished the hat portion a little over a week ago but I didn't like the way it fit, so I ripped back & redid it. That also enabled me to be a perfectionist about the cables, since I'd accidentally done some of them pretty unevenly the first time.
All things considered, I'm not sure how much I like it. It was fun to knit and it's warm as can be, but it looks silly on me. I don't know why I jumped immediately from my recent & dubious conclusion that I can theoretically look halfway decent in some hats sometimes to the idea that I should wear a cabled hat with ear flaps. I think I skipped some steps in there. Also, much as I love Malabrigo, I wish I'd used a more solid yarn. When I used this for Brian's hat it was absolutely perfect, but somehow here it's too stripy and I think it distracts from the cables. But, hey, I'm off to Montana in 11 days, and I bet I'll be grateful for it there -- or here, for that matter, considering that our high temperature today is 15°F and with the wind chill I don't think it's getting above zero at all.
Also, the way the pattern is finished at the top is the usual (and, I think, fun!) step of cutting the yarn & pulling it through the live stitches, but in this case I think there were too many live stitches & the hole left by them is unacceptably big, in my opinion. So if I do it again I'll somehow work another decrease round in there before finishing.
Anyway, the pattern is here and the yarn is the incomparably soft & wonderful Malabrigo Chunky. Project details at Ravelry, of course.
I also made another Calorimetry for myself, out of the same beautiful yarn I used for my friend's. Still no pictures until she gets hers, since they look basically the same, but trust me, it's perfect!
Now I'm just dying to get to a yarn store. I do still need to do the second sleeve on my cropped cardi, make my friend Steve a hat, and maybe churn out a few more of those cute little hearts & things for Valentine's gifts. But what I really want to make is a neck-warmer for myself. I only became aware of the existence of the neck-warmer a few months ago, via this pattern, and my main thought was that it was super-cool but I couldn't picture anyone wearing it in real life ever. Now, though, I've seen the light, thanks to contemplating traveling to Montana in this weather. I only own 3 scarves (probably pretty strange for a knitter). One is the first thing I ever knit, of course, and it's lovely but acrylic and so not very warm at all. The other two were made by friends and are phenomenally warm, but one is so huge it's almost more like a shawl and the other is extremely delicate & full of sentimental value, so neither are really things I want to travel with. But a neck-warmer! It would be quick and cute and get the job of the scarf done without the bulk! I'm so sold on this idea. I have cute buttons ready & everything! I just need to get back to Knit A Round so I can use more of that wonderful gift card from Aunt Amy...
I have been baking quite a bit lately and Cookie #5 was delicious -- I'll post about that soon! I hope you're all having a great weekend.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A disappointing day with some good knitting.
I was so excited to go meet up with my fellow knitters at Caribou tonight but it did not work out. I had a paper I needed to finish first and I definitely thought it would be done by the early afternoon but every time I read back over it I noticed contradictions and flaws, and basically it's 11:30ish now and the thing is STILL not done. Ugh. I've never struggled so much with a paper. Pretty soon I'm going to just save what I have and resolve to turn it in whether I think it's perfect or not, but I thought I'd take a break & post before going over it for the gazillionth (and hopefully LAST) time.
I've been taking lots of breaks, really, to try to clear my head & be able to return to the paper with a fresh perspective. Usually that helps. Today it didn't but I still did some cool stuff with my breaks. For one thing, I finished a second Calorimetry as a gift for my wonderful friend Kenna. I can't show you a picture of it before I give it to her, but I can show you the yarn:
Filatura di Crosa 127 print in colorway 50, "Forest"
Isn't it gorgeous? It's the first variegated yarn I've really liked and I truly love the way it knit up! I'll show you guys when I can.
I also finished seaming the first sleeve on my cropped cardigan, so you finally get a picture:
Isn't it cute? Eventually it'll close with a cool button, and don't mind all that white yarn -- it's just a lifeline. I took much longer to knit the sleeve than to knit the body, and longer still to seam the damn sleeve. I think this just goes to show how much I hate doing boring things. :)
Ok, ok, back to work!
I've been taking lots of breaks, really, to try to clear my head & be able to return to the paper with a fresh perspective. Usually that helps. Today it didn't but I still did some cool stuff with my breaks. For one thing, I finished a second Calorimetry as a gift for my wonderful friend Kenna. I can't show you a picture of it before I give it to her, but I can show you the yarn:
Filatura di Crosa 127 print in colorway 50, "Forest"
Isn't it gorgeous? It's the first variegated yarn I've really liked and I truly love the way it knit up! I'll show you guys when I can.
I also finished seaming the first sleeve on my cropped cardigan, so you finally get a picture:
Isn't it cute? Eventually it'll close with a cool button, and don't mind all that white yarn -- it's just a lifeline. I took much longer to knit the sleeve than to knit the body, and longer still to seam the damn sleeve. I think this just goes to show how much I hate doing boring things. :)
Ok, ok, back to work!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Cookie #4 + a great package.
First of all, I made cookie #4 for the year a couple nights ago. I'm a big fan of anything that involves a combination of spiciness & chocolate, so as soon as I came across a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Butter Cookies, there was no turning back!
Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate Butter Cookies (last one on the page)
Modifications: Though there is no yield amount given in the recipe (one of the many flaws in its writing), it looked like it would be a lot so I cut just about everything in half. I skipped the espresso beans because (a) we didn't have any and (b) I'm not that big on coffee flavoring, though it can be nice. Instead of rolling the log of dough in crushed nuts, I sprinkled some on top just before baking. That was my step-dad's idea and I think they were more aesthetically appealing that way.
Finally, I used regular old sugar instead of Sucanat. I'm sure Sucanat is a little better for you, but it also comes from sugarcane. I'm 99% sure there are no sugarcane plantations in Michigan (or in the Midwest at all, for that matter), so that means sugarcane products aren't getting to me without lots & lots of fossil fuels. Add to that the fact that regular white sugar is one of the only local products I can buy in a huge supermarket and, well, I'm opting for the white sugar, at least for right now.
Review: The recipe itself is kinda terribly written, to the point where it doesn't even tell you how long you need to bake the cookies! Luckily that did not stop them from being delicious. My step-dad, who ordinarily does not eat much and definitely does not gush about what he does eat, wolfed down several of these and was singing their praises for the rest of the night! The cookies were crispier than I usually like, but the texture suited them well. Also, cinnamon and chocolate is the world's greatest combination and I hope there's a damn good reason it doesn't show up in baked goods more often. From here on out, I'll be mixing the two whenever I can. I have to admit, though, that the spiciness I was seeking wasn't really there at all -- next time, more cayenne!
***
The best part about yesterday was finding a huge envelope addressed to me. It was my first ever package from Finland! You may remember that I had the awesome luck of winning a Hasbu's birthday blog contest. Here are my great prizes:
There's yarn, of course! Two skeins of Sandnes Garn Fritidsgarn, dark green 100% wool. I'd never heard of it before getting this package but people on Ravelry have done beautiful work with it. I think I want to try a felted pattern, since it seems so well-suited to that. Right now I'm leaning toward mittens, since I've been wanting to make myself a pair...
In the package I also found some crushed caramel-coated almonds to bake with and 2 bars of unbelievably good Finnish chocolate. I'm so touched that Hasbu thought of my baking and I'm looking forward to using those almonds in something! And the chocolate, oh god! I'm usually a dark chocolate kind of girl, but apparently the Finns know what they're doing with milk chocolate, because it is flavorful & creamy & perfect. Kiittää te Hasbu!! (An internet translator told me that that's "thank you" in Finnish -- I hope it's right!)
Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate Butter Cookies (last one on the page)Modifications: Though there is no yield amount given in the recipe (one of the many flaws in its writing), it looked like it would be a lot so I cut just about everything in half. I skipped the espresso beans because (a) we didn't have any and (b) I'm not that big on coffee flavoring, though it can be nice. Instead of rolling the log of dough in crushed nuts, I sprinkled some on top just before baking. That was my step-dad's idea and I think they were more aesthetically appealing that way.
Finally, I used regular old sugar instead of Sucanat. I'm sure Sucanat is a little better for you, but it also comes from sugarcane. I'm 99% sure there are no sugarcane plantations in Michigan (or in the Midwest at all, for that matter), so that means sugarcane products aren't getting to me without lots & lots of fossil fuels. Add to that the fact that regular white sugar is one of the only local products I can buy in a huge supermarket and, well, I'm opting for the white sugar, at least for right now.
Review: The recipe itself is kinda terribly written, to the point where it doesn't even tell you how long you need to bake the cookies! Luckily that did not stop them from being delicious. My step-dad, who ordinarily does not eat much and definitely does not gush about what he does eat, wolfed down several of these and was singing their praises for the rest of the night! The cookies were crispier than I usually like, but the texture suited them well. Also, cinnamon and chocolate is the world's greatest combination and I hope there's a damn good reason it doesn't show up in baked goods more often. From here on out, I'll be mixing the two whenever I can. I have to admit, though, that the spiciness I was seeking wasn't really there at all -- next time, more cayenne!
***
The best part about yesterday was finding a huge envelope addressed to me. It was my first ever package from Finland! You may remember that I had the awesome luck of winning a Hasbu's birthday blog contest. Here are my great prizes:
There's yarn, of course! Two skeins of Sandnes Garn Fritidsgarn, dark green 100% wool. I'd never heard of it before getting this package but people on Ravelry have done beautiful work with it. I think I want to try a felted pattern, since it seems so well-suited to that. Right now I'm leaning toward mittens, since I've been wanting to make myself a pair...
In the package I also found some crushed caramel-coated almonds to bake with and 2 bars of unbelievably good Finnish chocolate. I'm so touched that Hasbu thought of my baking and I'm looking forward to using those almonds in something! And the chocolate, oh god! I'm usually a dark chocolate kind of girl, but apparently the Finns know what they're doing with milk chocolate, because it is flavorful & creamy & perfect. Kiittää te Hasbu!! (An internet translator told me that that's "thank you" in Finnish -- I hope it's right!)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Bloggers' Silent Poetry Reading.
So apparently today is the Bloggers' (Silent) Poetry Reading, though I didn't figure that out until after midnight...luckily I can just change the post options & you won't know that I'm actually posting this at 1 AM on the 3rd (except because I just told you). Also, oh god why am I still awake?
Anyway, this is apparently some kind of blogging tradition and involves bloggers sharing favorite poems. I'm notoriously awful at choosing favorites (or choosing much of anything, really) so I'm not going to try to define my all-time favorite poem here, but I will give you one of the many I love. For this year, we'll go with "From Blossoms," the poem behind my Ravelry user name:
Me & my best friend Sara on the shore of Lake Superior, October 2005.
Such good memories! I'm getting ridiculously nostalgic here, but I promise I'm going to bed now so I can get up nice & early tomorrow to continue ignoring my homework, knit, and finally start posting about all that good stuff that I need to post about!
Anyway, this is apparently some kind of blogging tradition and involves bloggers sharing favorite poems. I'm notoriously awful at choosing favorites (or choosing much of anything, really) so I'm not going to try to define my all-time favorite poem here, but I will give you one of the many I love. For this year, we'll go with "From Blossoms," the poem behind my Ravelry user name:
From BlossomsI first read that out loud to my best friend & my boyfriend in the back of an ancient van, on a day as completely perfect as the summer's juiciest peach. It was in an anthology of love poems we'd just bought at a tiny feminist bookstore in Marquette, Michigan. Here's one of the many pictures from that day that I absolutely treasure:
by Li-Young Lee
From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.
From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.
O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
Me & my best friend Sara on the shore of Lake Superior, October 2005.Such good memories! I'm getting ridiculously nostalgic here, but I promise I'm going to bed now so I can get up nice & early tomorrow to continue ignoring my homework, knit, and finally start posting about all that good stuff that I need to post about!
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