2007
DECEMBER 31 - 2007 I HARDLY KNEW YE
This year went by in such a flash - it's pretty sad, but I really don't remember much about what went on this year.. Hmm...
-Last February I had to go into the city to do a presentation for a client with my boss...it was terrifying and I hope I never have to do THAT again
-I had to fire an employee for the first time...and I am sure THAT I will have to do again
-I got to go to Atlantic City!
-I lost and gained the same 5 pounds ( this has happened for the past 3 years, I think my body is trying to tell me something
-I ate vegetarian for a year and learned a lot about cooking with new and exciting ingredients
I knit the following items:
Not pictured are 2 ponchos (1 for a dog, and one for a child) and a pair of fingerless mitts for Mawga. Last but certainly not least is the final finished knit of 2007 - I finished it tonight as the hour grew closer to midnight...I bound off and had it blocked and pinned with just minutes to spare!
THE HIGHLAND TRIANGLE SHAWL!
lLook at her - what an enormous flapping bat-lady of a thing! When I first started her back in December, I was re-reading a lot of HP Lovecraft, and in particular one of my favourites - The Shadow over Innsmouth; the brownish-greenish yarn reminded me of kelp and seaweed, and thus, hideous fish people...so this became known to me as the "Innsmouth Shawl".
It's not exactly pinned straight, but I was full of wine and fondue when I attempted it, so I am not going to be too hard on myself.
I think there was an entire log of swiss cheese in that fondue...you can bet when the clock chimed the new year, the first order of business was to hop on the treadmill!
Fondue:
small brick of swiss cheese
2/3 cup wine ( I had a white shiraz on hand)
1 clove garlic, smashed
dijon mustard
flour
Heat the wine up in a saucepan, whisk in the flour and once incorporated, add the mustard and the garlic as well, bring to a boil and lower heat, let cook on low a few minutes. At this point I removed the garlic, I just wanted to infuse the mixture with it, I didn't want any huge hunks of garlic in the finished product.
Add cheese a little at a time, stir until melted. Serve with toasted bread cubed and apples.
I don't think I am going to have any "serious" resolutions this year, but we shall see what I come up with!
DECEMBER 23 LOVE AND PEACE AND CHA CHA CHA
This is the first year that I have not taken copius amounts of pictures of the cookies that I baked and sent out; I guess it is just as well...I really didn't make anything new, so it's all been seen before. When The Man arrives home this evening though, we may attempt some rugelaugh...if the endeavor is a success, well then maybe - pictures.
I have been watching Pushing Daisies and I am sure the whole world knows about the show so I will not go into the details. but man! The leading ladie's wardrobe -GORGEOUS!
Now I am not sure exactly how or why the character even owns such wardrobe pieces...
according to the story she is a pie-maker and a bee-keeper and those aren't
exactly glamorous occupations (though don't get me wrong, they are quite enviable!) I think it just adds to the character's eccentricity. Come to think about it, I really don't do anything all that glamorous either, but I would wear any one of those outfits at any given time!
Last night I watched the silent film Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks; I suppose it goes without saying that to be a silent film actress you would have to have a very expressive face, but she really just blew me away. And not with anything immediately apparent, not great outbursts or tantrums or sorrow...but it was her expression of quiet bemusement that really knocked me off my feet.
What an interesting film - and character to play. You really can't feel any empathy for LuLu - she's a really wretched, manipulative human being, but Brooks plays her with such lighthearted indifference, like "what? that fellow accidentally shot himself because I drove him nuts? How silly! "...part of you almost forgets how depraved and awful she really is. It's almost like she is the only person in the world who exists for her, so she doesn't realize how her actions can affect those around her, those her love her.
I am talking about tv and movies because I don't have much to report on the creative front; hopefully that will change with these next few days off! I expect to have a finished poncho (for a co-worker), a finished shawl, and a finished hoodie within the next 2 weeks. Maybe even a pair of socks, we'll see!
DECEMBER 8 HOLIDAZE
Not having much family up here, it's tough to get into the holiday spirit. No one to really egg you on or buddy up with for decorating, baking, shopping, etc.
And let's face it - most of what I have listed above is a lot of work and we know how I feel about THAT!
Last year I put my tree up around Christmas eve and it stayed up until the Spring Equinox, which I believe is right about March 21-23rd? Sad, very sad.
But taking down a tree is so much work! Plus, a lighted tree is just so pretty and I want to leave it up all year round! Which is weird. So I am not even going to tempt myself this year.
I have, however seen a few things around the internet that makes me re-think my passive stance on holiday chores...these little crafts are just so cute!
Felted Stars:
Button Wreaths:
Fabric Trees:
From last year's Interweave:
And of course I will be doing cookies, even if it is a lot of work. Of course I will have the old standbys -ginger snaps, shortbread, & cowboy/oatmeal raisin cookies - but I am thinking of giving these recipes a try :
Rugelach Pinwheels
Butterscotch Cookies
White chocolate Gingerbread Blondies
Swedish Christmas Cookies
and these sound to die for, but I do not think they will travel well:
Chambord Bonbons (scroll to middle of page...but actually everything on the page sounds delicious!)
DECEMBER 7 HERE I AM, HERE I AM
My computer crapped out on me about 5 weeks ago...can you believe it's taken me this long to do something about it?? Right now I am typing on the bed with a quilt wrapped around my shoulders and a cat snuggled up in my lap ...and it iis so, so awesome. Christmas came early this year and The Man bought me a brand-new laptop and I couldn't be more thrilled with it.
Lots to report -spent Thanksgiving in FL with The Family and with my BGF, and I have been cooking and baking and knitting, so I have lots of pictures...just not much to say or time to say it. I am really only writing this to test my new settings and make sure that everything is working ok. More to come soon!
(most of these were taking early fall, when I was going through the annual autumn baking craze)
Spinach and butternut squash risotto:
Spinach and sundried tomato fritatta:
Pain d'Epices and Homemade pumpkin butter w/ homemade granola and Greek yogurt:
Scones:
Dog poncho for a co-worker (modeled by 25 year old Bunny)
OCTOBER 20 AUTUMN ETA: NOW
I have been sitting on these mostly-but-not-quite finished items
for about 4 months now...I told myself that on the first cool, dreary day
of Autumn I would take the time to weave in ends, sew on buttons and declare
them "FINIS".
Well, today was that day, and so here are the fruits of my labours:
(this was mostly-mostly finished, so much so that I have been wearing it around
the office to stave off frostbite from the arctic temperatures. Now that I
actually think about it, I finished the Clapotis here last February. Good
grief.
I devoted an hour an a half hemming down the waist of the Hourglass Sweater;
despite the fact that this picture makes me look a bit thick through the middle,
it's actually quite a flattering knit...I am just not a great photographer.
Also you can't see the gorgeous belled sleeves because I did not step far
enough away from the camera. And because the lighting is poor, you can't really
get an idea of how beautiful the colour is, a deep, rich teal. Sheesh.
Pattern: Hourglass
Sweater, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha, Teal, 10 skeins (smallest size)
Dates: May 2007 - October 2007
Lastly, the Forecast sweater, which I painstakingly spent half a day sewing
the buttons onto. I started this sweater in November two years ago, and put
it down after awhile because the making of the bobbles really hurt my hands,
for some reason. I picked it back up this summer, ripped it out and started
over, sans bobbles...and what do you know - done in a month! I think the collar
is supposed to go up, but I didn't want to fight with it. Also, I think I
did the cables wrong and the yarn doesn't really show them very well. Despite
all that, I really love it and think it turned out well. Fits perfectly. Looks
nothing like the original, not really.
Pattern: Forecast,
Knitty Winter 2005
Yarn: Queensland Kathmandu, 6 skeins (smallest size)
Dates: November 2005 - October 2007
And lastly, the Fitted V-neck:
Pattern: Cozy
Fitted V Neck, from Fitted Knits
Yarn: Reynold's Rapture, ? skeins (smallest size)
Dates: September 2007- October 2007
The drop in temperatures spurred me to go on a baking binge, pictured below
is pumpkin bread , or rather, the bottoms of the loaves...I had to slice them
off so that they would fit in the adorable little loaf pans (with lids!!)
that I found.
Bread bottoms are just as tasty as the tops and middles, rest assured that
they did not go uneaten:
And these. AND THESE. These are hands down, the worlds best cookies. So simple,
so delicious, so addictive. I found the recipe on another knitting blog, was
intrigued and experiemented one night, making one dozen. Between The Man and
I, I think we gobbled them up in about 15 minutes. SO I found a bunch of fall-themed
mini cookie cutters and make another batch to give away with the pumpkin bread:
1 part butter
1 part brown sugar
2 parts flour
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla bean seeds, stir in flour til mixture
forms "pea sized blobs". Roll between 2 sheets of parchment, cut
out shapes and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. These cookies baked for less
time because they were so tiny. Tiny and delicious!
I spoke with my grandmother today and she was in an usually talkative mood.
She was chatting about all the things she would like to cook, and what she's
been eating lately and it just made me so happy to stop and listen to someone
who is so enthusiastic about something they love. Of course it helps it you
share that same enthusiasm...which I certainly do. She was talking about home-made
noodles and short ribs and some sort of jello salad and I just couldn't help
but to smile...she was so excited.
Speaking of excited, I ordered a little treat for myself the other day. I
have been on a bit of a Lovecraft
kick lately, and so these
earrings really just seemed to call out to me. I have really been obsessed
with "tales of the weird" type literature lately, in additon to
the requisite gothic victorian ghost stories.
I think I am collecting it faster than I can read it!
However, do not let that deter you if you need ideas for holiday gifts...
OCTOBER 7 INDIAN SUMMER
I feel as though I always start these entries out with commentary on the
weather, sort of like one would do with a neighbor with whom one is trying
to warm up to, but never quite gets there because they don't talk enough to
have anything substantial to say to each other. So - the weather, the kids,
the strange sounds from the new neighbor's house, and whoops, my oven timer
is dinging, gotta go!
Having said that...the weather is slightly awful lately.
Here it is, one week into October and it is hot and muggy and sticky and generally
gross.
My roses are still blooming, though:
And I still have a hearty appetite:
Pictured are collards, black eyed peas, and cornbread...I never ate this food
growing up, but for some reason I have been craving it lately! And if I do
say so, the black eyed peas were one of the most amazing things I have ever
tasted! (saute onions, garlic and celery til fragrant, add some vegetable
stock and carrots and 2 bayleaves, cook a few minutes more, then throw in
a can of black eyed peas, and a dash or two of hot sauce, cover and cook for
about 20 minutes. I braised the collards in a base of carmelized onions, vegetable
stock and white wine, and then finished it off with a plash of apple cider
vinegar. The cornbread recipe was from the back of a package of cornmeal,
the only thing I did differently was add some sliced jalapenos)
I am still knitting:
And reading:
And generally preparing myself for the IDEA of Autumn, even if it is not quite
here yet.
A Target trip yielded some new autumnal bedsheets; The Man thinks they're
"busy", but I think that The Cat approves:
So - whereever you are, Autumn, I am ready for you!
PS
GOT MY PLANE TICKETS! I AM READY FOR THE ANNUAL THANKSGIVING VISIT!
SEPTEMBER 16 BROKEBACK EMPIRE
It is very hard not to turn on the heat this morning; it's only the middle
of September and already I am too cold even though I've got pants, a thermal
top and a fleece hoodie on. I must have sluggish blood or maybe just ice water
in my veins.
I got a surprise day off yesterday and woke up to the sound of pouring rain
and a pitch black sky at 7 o'clock in the morning. It was one of the gloomiest
mornings I had seen in a long time - and I loved it. The day grew progressively
cooler and sunnier, but it was a perfect day to be at home, regardless.
I had a few movies laying around that I hadn't yet had a chance to watch:
Brokeback Mountain
(am I the last person in the world to see this?), and David Lynch's Inland
Empire. There's not much I can say about either one of them - Brokeback
Mountain had been languishing on my list for two years now and it always got
passed by by something more exciting, more thrilling, or more horrific, I
had plum forgotten about it until it showed up a few days ago, and I thought
"aw nuts, why do I want to watch this?" But it was good. Really
good.
Not even just the performances and the hot cowboy man love - the scenery,
the mountains, the skies - everything was so so breathtakingly gorgeous. It
made me want to cry before anything in the movie even happened. That's
how I knew it would be good.
The rough and tumble mountain fare the boys dined on while herding combined
with the cool fall day outside started a craving for something hearty and
substantial, so I ran out to the store and picked up a few things to make
some soup and bread,
I ended up adapting the no-knead bread recipe I made earlier this year to
fit the cooler weather...I used olive oil instead of plain old vegetable oil
and thew in a handful of fresh, chopped rosemary from the garden. Then I started
roasting vegetables to make this
autumn flavored stew. It called for roasting the vegetables, then throwing
them in a pot with some beans and tomatoes (I used the wild tomatoes growing
in my yard; I had some feelings of trepidation at first but after a little
research, I just went for it. I am still breathing, so I guess they were ok!)
It called for you to toast some cumin and mustard seeds first:
And then drizzle quartered potatoes, carrots, onions & a head of garlic
with olive oil, salt, pepper and the toasted seeds on one cookie sheet, and
red peppers and tomatoes on an another:
Roast at 400 until peppers are blackened:
Remove skins from peppers, coarsely chop and throw the vegetables in a pot
with a can of diced tomatoes and a can of garbanzo beans, the juice of a lemon,
then cover and bake for 30 minutes.
When it's done, you have this:
The recipe suggests serving it with cooked rice, but I had some lovely earthy
bread to dunk in it instead:
Later in the evening I watched Inland Empire; wow. I am not really a David
Lynch fan - I don't want to have to think too hard about my entertainment
and that's usually required for him. I guess you could take the attitude that
"well there was probably no script and no plot and he just shot it day
by day as he went along and there's really no WHY behind it all", but
when you inviest three hours of your life in a movie I kinda of think that
is an important question to ask. Not just "why is all of this happening?",
but also "WHY AM I WATCHING THIS?"
I had eaten an early supper and since I didn't get to Inland EMpire til late
I fixed what I thought was an appropriate snack for an absurd film:
Toast
with Chocolate and Fleur de Sel (from Amanda Hesser's book)
No pictures, but it tasted pretty much like you would expect - bread and chocolate
sprinkled with salt.. I came to much the same conclusion about the recipe
as I did the movie :"Why??" I must not be much of a gourmande, I
suppose.
However in the three hours of Laura Dern running around confused and crazy
I DID make quite a bit of progress on the Cozy Ribbed sweater, almost 2 whole
sleeves worth! I tried to take some pictures but they are awful and all I
have is a spotty bathroom mirror for my purposes. I think instead of using
these I will clean the mirror and wait for The Man tp get some good ones.
I am so excited! From some eBay earnings I bought the yarn to make these two
sweaters:
And I also bought a first edition Bram Stoker from another eBay seller,
The Mystery of the Sea.
It is supposedly one of his most successful novels - I am no expert but I
had never even heard of it. But $27 for a first edition? That's pretty good,
right?
I just checked ABEbooks and there are first editions of this book ranging
from about $75 to $3200!
SEPTEMBER 9 33rd TIME'S A CHARM!
So I have been knitting this top since before the Atlantic City trip,
and every conceivable thing that could go wrong with it - HAS. Too big, twisted
stitches, lace screw-ups, you name it - I mucked it up.
So it was inevitable that I would hit another snag on this, my 4th or 5th
time in.
I cast on 30 stitches less than the smallest size called for; not that I am
an extra-extra small of course, but because I am such a loosey-goosey knitter
that I have to make the smallest size on smaller needles or else it will look
like everything I make comes from the Big & Tall store.
This was all well and good until I reached the part of the pattern there was
MATH involved. I should have called Mary, she just passed an important math
exam! Actually if I hadn't deviated from the pattern I wouldn't have had to
fuss with any numbers because it was all done for you, but of course I had
to make it much, much harder and come up with these mysterious short row numbers
on my own. ( I knew I should have paid attention to those Z-scores! Damn you,
college algebra!)
Anyway, don't ask me how but I plowed through it, and miraculously it worked!
I wish I had taken notes because I think this is the best fitting thing I
have ever made! I am not sure that the pattern is particularly flattering
to me, but it fits.
I had done a lot of research on this particular knit and so I knew that the
edges were going to roll and that most people were unhappy with that. I added
a crocheted shell stitch border- or at least my clumsy version of it, since
I really don't crochet. I added an extra inch after the lace pattern because
I didn't want that garter stitch border hitting me mid-bosom, and the reason
I knit it smaller than the smallest size is because so many finished projects
on the web looked so big and shapeless - I wanted mine to be more fitted,
not so much like a potato sack. However, it is cotton so it is bound to stretch
and lose it's shape.
SO! Here we go! Pardon the crappy photos, my usual fashion photographer has
been slacking lately.
This consisted of some very interesting construction. I couldn't really see
what it was going until I finished it up:
Flip those back pointy things over to the front and you get this:
(pretty clever, huh??)
To that I added the crochet border...I wanted the edges to look more "scalloped",
but that might have been too fussy. Oh well, I couldn't figure it out anyway:
And the back (click the image to get a close up of the short rows...I am still
not sure what the heck they were even for, but I suspect it was supposed to
be some sort of gentle, very subtle shaping):
And here is some of the border detail:
And a very dim and fuzzy "blog girl in the mirror" photo. That's
what The Man calls them, anyway. He thinks it's a crazy epidemic.
I've actually got a backlog of finished knits that need action shots. QUIT
YER SLACKING, THE MAN!
Ok, ok...it's actually my fault. I am just very, very lazy. And most of them
are wool...and it's still like 90 degrees outside!
So, to sum up...
Pattern: Lotus
Blossom Tank by Sharon Shoji, for Interweave Knits
Yarn: Recycled
Knitpicks Shine sport, periwinkle, indeterminant amount
Needles: size 4, circs
Dates: started August 9, finished September 9 (would have been a quick knit
save for all my mistakes...)