Final FO of 2008

I don't use it too often, but my dryer has a rack for items that need to dry flat. Pretty sweet.



I knit this hat, the Jacques Cousteau hat, in one day as a late Christmas present for my brother-in-law.





It's actually quite dark, a charcoal gray.


I think I messed something up in one of the four sets of decreases, but he'll never know. And it's a bit big. Eight inches of ribbing is perhaps too much.

Yarn: Cascade 220, one skein
Needles: Size 8
Size: 120 stitches

RIP

I wrote this a while ago but am just now posting it. I may replace the images with links in a few days because they don't exactly belong to me or even to the site I got them from (pushingdaisies-tv.com)—Knitopia

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I went out and missed that night's Pushing Daisies. I just got around to watching that episode and wanted to share some screencaps from the series.

We've long known that PI Emerson Cod knits:

Various items on his desk have knitted cozies. He has knit socks, in which he once stored (and still does?) some reward money:
He even knit holsters for his guns (and a sweater vest)!
And on this pre-Thanksgiving episode, there was a swift—with an automatic ball winder!—
invented by this guy for his grandmother, whose yarn was oh-so-tangled:
(I love how the diamonds in the wallpaper match the criss-crossing wood in the swift.) I doubt we'll ever see a swift and ball winder on prime-time network television again.

And if that's not enough to interest you in the show, there's piemaking, pie eating, fantastic sets,
(look at the colorful spools of thread and the vintage sewing machine!)
the adorable Digby, neat (or at least interesting) clothes (pants with peacock feathers!), and They Might Be Giants references!





There's also dangerous amounts of cleavage (if that's what you're into).

Here, Olive shows us the lack of support her cleavage-bearing bras give her. I was interested in Pushing Daisies before it premiered, but I was worried about Kristin Chenoweth. I thought I wouldn't like her, but I was wrong. Olive and Emerson are my favorite characters.

I'm going to miss this show.

Leftovers

It's that time of year when there's knitting going on but you don't know if you should share it. So I'll post about food.

I don't like leftover mashed potatoes, but after seeing the recipes in this NY Times article, I decided to deliberately make too much to eat in one night. I already had a can of wild Alaskan salmon from Trader Joe's (more on that later), so I chose to make the potato, salmon, and spinach patties (I skipped the garlicky dill cream because I'm lazy, but you shouldn't; I think they need it).

I think I am the one who suggested we buy the can of salmon because it was wild and so cheap, and I like canned tuna just fine, so why not? But then it sat in the cupboard forever because I eventually read the label, which says the ("edible") bones and skin are included. Ew. And the can was huge. I might have given it to the Boy Scouts if I had remembered to put anything out on my porch for their recent canned food drive. Anyway, I don't think I am going to buy canned salmon again. The bones and skin may be edible, but I don't really want to eat them. It took quite a while to separate what I was willing to eat from what I was not (skin, larger pin bones that did not fall apart when touched with a fork, and, worst of all, bits of backbone I really didn't think were edible).

I got so tired of dealing with the salmon that I didn't include enough in the mixture. We couldn't taste it in the final product.

They were a little bland, which is why you shouldn't skip the sauce. I'd make them again if I had leftover potatoes, but I usually don't.

Dinner tonight: beef carbonnade from Art of the Slow Cooker.

I think this is appropriate for Thanskgiving

I am a big fan of apes, especially those left in peace in the wild. Park rangers have recently returned to Virunga National Park after an absence of 14 months because of war in DR Congo. The rangers are now taking a census of the mountain gorillas, which are critically endangered. Here is video of one group, which seems to be doing well. There are 3 new babies!

How did that get here?

I have been sick for a while now with some cold or flu thing and somehow have knit the leg of one sock (again photographed for texture and not color). I don't like to knit when I'm sick and yet I decided to start a new project. I'm currently undoing about an inch and a half to fix the fact that I had lazily knit through a knot. I have done this before with no ill effects, and I had tugged the knot and it seemed plenty secure, but I felt like I was a bad knitter, so I will cut it out.

Heelless baby socks

I'd like my friend's baby to be able to wear handknit socks he won't immediately grow out of, so I made these baby-sized heelless (tube) socks (from "Knitting Vintage Socks"). Apologies for the crappy photo, but this is the only one I could get that showed the spiral ribbing.

Me at the Oregon Coast Aquarium saying "huh?" to this flag:

A crab "knitting" socks with sewing needles. I would have preferred an octopus and actual knitting needles.

Song of the day: The Smiths - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

Go green!

This post took me a little longer to get on the blog than I had intended.

Tomatillos from the local organic farm recently showed up, so I've been making lots of salsa verde. There's no shortage of recipes out there. Basically, you can leave raw or cook (broil, bake, or boil) any of the ingredients, then blend them together. Or you can blend the raw ingredients and then cook the sauce on the stovetop. Here's what I've been doing.



yield: about 1.25 cups*
0.66 lb tomatillos, husks removed
2 serrano peppers
one quarter of a large white onion
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
0.25 cup cilantro leaves
fresh lime juice
salt
pepper

Place tomatillos and peppers on foil on a rimmed baking sheet under the broiler. You can cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut sides down, but I keep them whole and turn them over as needed. Keep an eye on them and remove them when they are soft and no longer bright green. They should have some spots of charred skin. The peppers will probably need to come out before the tomatillos.

Turn the oven to 425 degrees F, and bake the onion (separated into layers) and garlic cloves for 10-15 minutes.

Cut the stems off the peppers and throw the tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic into a blender, adding lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

I've always liked the sauce's consistency as is, but if you don't, you can add water or vegetable or chicken broth to make it more fluid. To thicken it up, simmer the sauce, uncovered, on the stovetop until it's to your liking.

Tomatillos can vary dramatically in weight. My last two purchases were 10 tomatillos and 12 tomatillos, and they weighed 0.66 lb and 1.25 lb, respectively.

*I start eating it as soon as the motor stops, and I'm not sure how accurate the measurement lines on my blender are, so this is a guess.

Links to other (untested) recipes follow. Don't add sugar or liquid until you've determined the sauce actually needs it.

• Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with serrano chiles, roasted onions and cilantro by Rick Bayless - This recipe is closest to my own.
• Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe from Simply Recipes
• Tomatillo Salsa from Homesick Texan
• Chipotle-Tomatillo Salsa from Vanilla Garlic
• Green Chile Sauce from Robb Walsh in Cooking Light
  
• Salsa Verde by Robb Walsh in The Tex-Mex Cookbook
• Green chile sauce from the Seattle Times and Robb Walsh

Old photo of baby feet

This picture is rather old now but still cute! I need to make more (and bigger) socks for him. His mom says they fit better than any others, but I know he'll grow out of them soon.

Visiting the baby

Last night I delivered the baby gifts in person and spent some time chatting with the mom and holding the 12-day-old boy. He spent time sleeping and sucking my pinky.

I had wanted to make a frog but couldn't find one I liked, so I went with a ladybug instead because I had the colors. I did the red first and then the black and was surprised that the freezer paper did not stick very well to the already-painted section. I could have sworn people said it worked. I guess I won't be getting too ambitious with any multi-color designs in the future.

The mom had knit one baby booty but didn't see herself making the second one, so I offered to knit it for her. It will be interesting to see if I can get mine to match hers. The yarn is identical to the unexpected sock yarn that arrived earlier in the month courtesy of my mom, except the color is different.

"So cute": the only thought in my brain

For a long time I've been thinking of stenciling some onesies for my friend who is pregnant (and due any day now). And, like making ice cream, it seemed like fun summer entertainment. I got a little discouraged by all the stuff I had to buy and the fact that the new Michaels did not have non-puffy fabric paint, and I contemplated not doing it at all. But I couldn't get the itch out of my system and finally bought everything I needed yesterday.

The basic procedure: cut a stencil out of freezer paper, iron it onto the prewashed fabric (shiny side down), paint (I did more than one coat), wait for it to dry (this is the most difficult step), peel off the stencil, and set the design by applying heat (if the paint says you should). I also ironed a square of paper onto the underside of the fabric before painting to provide stability and to ensure the paint wouldn't seep through to the other layer of fabric. Links to more-detailed instructions will be at the end of this post.

I've made two so far and they're just so cute!


(That's Oregon if you're not sure.) The puppy is from Anna Maria Horner. Any spots in the photo above are because the light was coming through a dirty window. And I need sunglasses just to look at that picture. Too bright! I messed up the Gerber baby's face on the puppy onesie with some careless ironing, and a few flecks of the logo are now staining the neck, but it's not too noticeable. And now I know not to iron there.

I'll be making more (I have three onesies left), but I think these two will be my favorites. I plan on washing them before giving them to my friend, and I'm nervous that they'll fade. Paint is Jacquard Textile.

For more on freezer paper stenciling:
neitherhipnorfunky.com
artfulparent.wordpress.com
unwindknitting.net
kneek.wordpress.com
grumperina.com
bittycakes.wordpress.com

Cookie Monster on The Colbert Report

Unexpected yarn! Ice cream!

Two balls of yarn arrived as a surprise the other day. Of course, one of them is supposed to go back to my mother in the form of socks. A fair trade-off, I'd say.

I have so many DVDs and books that I need to get back to the library. I have one episode of North and South left, and then I need to watch Mrs Henderson Presents. Two more BBC series await me this week, and then I have some modern stuff due next week. I did not manage to crack open Moonlight Twilight (see, don't even remember the name of it) and will have to return it, unread, and put my name on the waiting list again. Another book is already overdue. Good thing the fees aren't bad at all.

I made another batch of ice cream. I had to fancy this one up because otherwise it would look just like the vanilla, of which there is still a very small amount left in the freezer. Behold the white chocolate ginger ice cream! It's tasty.

Melty

I felt like I had left the ice cream in the freezer long enough, but it was still very soft. I couldn't wait and ate some anyway. I hope it will be harder tomorrow because I had to eat it really fast tonight.

I used David Lebovitz's recipe here but left out an egg. The ice cream did taste rather custardy, so I'll probably leave out two eggs if I make it again. I used local (within 30 miles) cream and eggs. It tasted good, and I got a bit of a workout by turning the crank.

Scream

I've had a few ideas on things I could do for fun this summer, and one of them is making ice cream. I do own an ice cream maker but have not used it in quite a while. The last time we used it was several years ago; we made frozen yogurt that did not taste good, and I think that put us off making our own for a while. Because it's supposed to hit 97 degrees tomorrow, I have bought the necessary ingredients for ice cream. But there is no room in my freezer. So I think I'll be making chicken stock tonight. I really hope that frees up enough room. I'll try to take pictures of the ice cream, but the only camera I have on hand at the moment is acting up.

Happy Mother's Day!

After your last comment, mom, I pulled out some Greenwood Fiberworks cotton sock yarn for you. Problem #1: I can only find one ball, and I think there are supposed to be two. Problem #2: I've started the socks with the same stitch count I used before with success, and they were too big. I don't know if the yarn was wound into a ball too tightly, for too long, or if it's because my tension is way different from before or because I started at the toe instead of the leg. Last night I ripped it out and tried again with four fewer stitches. I messed up (I think it was the newscaster's fault; she was reading off lottery numbers while I was counting), so I ripped it out again. I have nothing to show you. But I think you'll like "Fireflies" here. (Ignore the subject (suicide). It's just nice sounding.)

P.S. I graduated from college on Mother's day 10 years ago. Weird to think about.

Not so fast, April

Don't want to let the month end without a blog post.

It's hailing (pea-sized) right now. I love it! And it does make me want to knit, but I haven't been doing much lately. I've made some baby burp cloths. The blue and white one is finished now. I'm a little unsure about some of the colors, but I think they'll go over fine.
Last weekend I went to two great yarn stores with a couple of other knitters, and all I bought was a $3 package of two cable needles. I tried my hand at drop spinning. Not for more than a minute, though. I held a package of bronze knitting needles. Ridiculously heavy things. I may be interested in trying a lace project, but I really should try to make it through some more of my yarn first.

I'm giving the adult socks away tonight but had to complete at least one matching baby sock so I could get a photo with both sizes. I used this pattern for the baby sock. I'll give her the matching baby socks later.

Trial run

My husband's in charge of the food for a meeting this Friday, and I knew what I wanted to make: Nutella-filled challah. But because I'd never made it before (and because I don't have to go to the meeting and thus cannot eat that particular loaf of bread), I baked some last night.

I was surprised at how much it split in the middle and saddened to see so much Nutella had oozed out the bottom.

It's good, but it could definitely use more Nutella. I am considering making the next loaf with four strands. (Here is a neat video showing 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-strand bread braiding.) And it should probably be bigger than this one, because the two of us have already made quite a dent in it.

I saw an interesting bird in my backyard and took several lousy photos from my living room so my husband could see it too. We later decided it was a sharp-shinned hawk.


I cast on a Monkey in the Sweet Georgia yarn I have, but I don't like the pooling too much.


A long time ago I finished this sock, but it's too tight in the toes, so I need to do something about that. I'm considering ripping the whole thing out to make the leg not be ribbed, but I don't know.

New things

I knit this swatch using the continental method (holding the yarn in the left hand instead of the right). I'm not yet sold on it and need to try it some more. The reason I'd like to learn is so I can knit with two colors at once. Also, to be able to switch things up if I ever need to (because of injury) and to see if I enjoy it more. Sometimes I get annoyed with the continental proselytizers, and I'd like to be able to say I've tried it.

It's been a little while since I knit the swatch, so I can't quite remember my sources, but I think I used videos at knittinghelp.com, and I'm just not thrilled with that method. I also watched this video. I think I need to try the way this person does it next.

At first, it was so frustrating to have needles and yarn in my hands and not be able to knit easily. I imagine it's similar to trying to drive a stick when you've only ever driven automatic. I taught my husband how to drive a stick and remember his frustration well.

Here's my Koolhaas in the afternoon sun:



And here it is on my head. I can't believe I took such a great shot of my own head on the first try. Sure, I used the bathroom mirror and a hand-held mirror to line things up, but still.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash. I can get the color number if anyone wants it. I'm too lazy to go get the ballband now. I think I used 145 yards.
Dates: Started Feb.4, finished Feb. 9.
Notes: I made the larger size, and the ribbing is 1.5 inches instead of 1.25 because I can't read good.

I really need to buy a cable needle. I did all the cabling with a DPN. Yes, I've tried cabling without a cable needle. I've knit several socks with that method, but it just didn't work for me here.

When I had decreased to the point I could no longer use the 16-inch needle, I finally tried circular knitting on two circulars and on one long circular. I don't see myself doing either method for socks, mostly because I'd have to buy new needles. But, once again, it's good to know alternate ways of doing something.

Well hello there

Eats

Recently made

• Pumpkin chocolate-chip muffins and bread
• No-knead bread
  
• We've had the five-minute tomato sauce for dinner probably four times in the past two weeks. I love it. I threw some spinach into it a couple of times.
• I made martini-style chicken breasts again and enjoyed the fact that one breast, pounded and covered in cheese, easily feeds two.
• I made the Spanish bean soup after overhearing two unrelated people asking at the store for "smoked paprika" so they could try a recipe in the Oregonian. I didn't find the smoked paprika either, and the soup probably would have benefited from it. It was kind of bland. It has potential, but I'm not sure I'm the person to take it there.
• Turkish red lentil soup. Add more tomato paste and paprika and a couple cloves of garlic.

Thinking of trying

• Jamie Oliver's roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes and perfect braised spinach, both here. Jamie thinks 4½ pounds of potatoes serves four?
  
• Curry cauliflower soup
• Vanilla Meyer Lemonade
• Cannellini bean & garlic sausage cassouolet--Maybe, without the crumb topping?
• Spanish rice

And lots of other things starred in Google Reader.

I kind of wish I could easily put together a list of knits completed or attempted in 2007, but it would take a lot of work and there wouldn't be much of a payoff, I don't think. But I'll try to be better this year.

The last FO of 2007 was my first pair of Monkey socks, gifted to my mother. They were Knit Picks Essential in gray. I forgot to take a picture.

Last week at knitting group I cast on for a pair of socks and at the end of the night realized I'd messed up the 2x2 ribbing. D'oh. I haven't knit since and tonight is another knitting night. I guess I'll rip it out and try again.