Curious yet?

Hmmmmmm, interesting, but nothing concrete or obvious……..maybe if I add in this

OK–it’s getting clearer. Maybe a group shot will help (yet not reveal too much)

Yup–I mixed up some stock dyes, soaked some four-ounce hanks and mini hanks, both in fingering/sock-weight superwash merino. The four-ounce hanks have 450 yards in them, and the minis are over 5g and 25+ yards each. They’re drying right now at the shop and I look forward to the finished product. Check out this four-ounce hank

that I’ve tentatively named “Summer Fruit” because it’s the colors of various ripe, lush berries. There’s a really hot brown mix (and I don’t like brown!) and a fun blue/green that’s probably to be called “Beach Glass”, and then there’s the greens with shots of blues and reds (the comment was floated that I must have been in a murderous mood when I made it, given the red splotches all over it—could be………but since I don’t look good in an orange jumpsuit, we’ll have to make do with the media at hand, no?).

There’s lots of these little lovelies completed, and time allowing on Wednesday, I’ll make additional ones (there’s lots soaking in preparation, as well as four more big hanks). We’ll see if I can turn out some good stuff tomorrow!

There’s been plenty of knitting of late, but not on my blankie!

I’ve had self-imposed deadlines to meet! I mentioned working with the aqua Minnow Merino in my previous post. Cast on for that version of “Kyler’s Kardigan” was Sunday evening, and on Monday afternoon it looked like this

and on Sunday afternoon, we had this

So that’s a finished item, save the installation of the zipper (I’ll try to find one this week and either con someone into doing it or take it to Nu The Tailor down the street from the shop). Sunday outside wasn’t much fun

but it was pretty from inside,

especially with this cracked open

ah, the joys of old vine zinfandel. Especially in combination with a great recipe from this jewel

One of my favorites, I believe it’s out of print (sadly). Inside are several of my “go to” Italian recipes, from main dishes to a killer tiramisu to orange cookies to die for (they made my parish priest moan a few years ago, when I made them for the tree-trimming party, and he KNOWS his good food!) and so many others (my foccacia recipe is in there, too!). But Sunday night was all about

a good home-cooked meal. YUM. I’d not tried this recipe yet, but it seemed easy to prepare

and definitely looked good on the plate

yup—some tasty Chicken Cacciatore, with a little more zin (ok, maybe I had half of the bottle). But I did get some super serious sock knitting done (finished the sock I started on Saturday….pictures here on Thursday…..for a good reason).

So I’m back to the Eyelet Cardi (the cute mango-colored garment from below) and I’m about to start a new sock using the Zauberball in white-to-grey-to-black that I got a month or so ago. I’m envisioning toe-up socks for me (but sometimes my vision is WAY off). Details soon…I’m off to go knit!

The pattern is out now, called “Kyler’s Kardigan” and it’s in stock at ThreadBear, of course, for the low low price of just $7. Sizing runs from a child’s 2 up through XXL (58″ finished bust) and uses worsted-weight yarn knitted at 4.5 sts/inch (just like the regular Wallaby) and is knitted from the top down in garter stitch. Ravelry members may take a peek at a finished version here (sorry, couldn’t find one out “in the wild” yet). I decided that I **MUST** make one right now, so I started hunting for yarns. First, I thought I wanted to do it in Donegal Tweed (as a shop model), but I’m already knitting my own winter jacket (KPS 264) out of Maggi’s Tweed Fleck Aran, which is just a little thicker than Donegal, but VERY similar. So the hunt contined.

I then got the idea to make one (possibly as a Christmas gift) for a certain someone, and I thought this would be the perfect yarn

That’s Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in the awesome Black Purl colourway. YUM! So I cast on and started it last night (Saturday night) and stayed up late to get through a chunk of the increasing after the neck.

but I just wasn’t feeling the garter stitch mixed with the handpaint color. So I stopped, knew I would tear it out, and then knitted a swatch in stockinette

and promptly fell in love–so that means a different project will have to be found (I’m thinking a KPS design for a cardigan….you’ll see it here, in a few months). So, that left me with the task of sourcing a new yarn for the project. Qualifications were soft, superwash, and SOLID (no more multis, thank you very much). So, I played with a few ideas (Matt even suggested using two strands of Gems Fingering in two different shades, making a fun marled fabric) and thought about a wide range of yarns. I didn’t want something purple again, as I’ll use the Black Purl later on. Then I thought of something untested…

That’s the final two shades that were under consideration in Elegant Yarns Heavenly, a 100% merino superwash that’s $5 for 97 yards. WHAT A BARGAIN! It comes in these shades

plus black and one other, and it’s sooooo stinkin’ soft! The label gauge is 22 over 4″, but we’ve swatched at that gauge and it’s darned firm. I think I like it better between 18 and 20 over 4″. So, the blue won out

and that’s where it was as of this afternoon. I’ve knitted quite a bit more since then, and it’s really, really nice! And I mean s-o-f-t! I look forward to watching this sweater develop over the coming days.

Something that cut into my knitting time tonight was making a treat for tomorrow (Monday) night’s “Santa’s Workshop” at the shop–where folks can come and work on holiday gifts (or anything they want!), snack a little bit, and socialize with other fun fiber folks. As of 6:30 p.m., these will be available

That’s a pan of Cinnamon Bars, one of my favorite messy treats! And for a change, the recipe is here

Crust:

2 C flour

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), softened

Mix to crumbs and pat into cookie sheet (I use a 9 x 13 pan). Bake 20 minutes at 325F.

Filling:

2 C sugar

4 tbsp flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten
6 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter, melted

Mix all ingredients and pour over baked crust. Bake 25 minutes at 325F. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top while still warm.

Good luck not eating every single crumb in this pan once they’re out of the oven. They’re that good! (how could they not be…there’s 3/4 pound of butter in the recipe!). ENJOY!

No, seriously…….go make it. You can thank me later……and think about the good Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. It’s really their recipe.

Amish Chicken and Noodles, made with authentic Amish noodles, chicken I cooked this afternoon, broth, and seasonings (a little heavy-handed with the black pepper, but I liked it that way). Matt was doubly-happy, as he also got one of his favorites

fresh brussel sprouts, cooked my special way (braised in butter and a touch of olive oil, with kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper, not ever boiled and limp!). That, plus a fresh salad and hot biscuits from the oven made for a great dinner tonight. And not a lick of it had to come from the store today–we had it all right in the house, which makes me VERY happy. And we ate and ate and are enjoying the evening at home, relaxing.

Earlier in the day, I was productive, but I can’t show exactly what I’ve been working on. Here’s a couple fabric shots

That’s the two yarns I showed in my last “real” post, worked up into the intended project, which turned out FAB. And there’s a second one already completed, too

I like it just fine, but not as well as the first one, which I LOVE and which seems to be quite well received so far. HOORAY for good projects (which will be revealed in the fullest this weekend (trust me, you’ll see).

Thanks to everyone who posted comments about the Fresh Apple Bread recipe. This week’s goodie was equally as tasty, if not moreso, and the recipe has been part of my card file since 1985. I can tag it to ‘85 because that was my first year out of college and I taught at Bishop Hogan High School in Kansas City (MO), for the Sisters of Charity–Leavenworth. These ladies are a fantastic group of religious women, as their main emphases are education (high schools and four-year colleges) and hospitals and have a strong bent for social justice. Teaching at Hogan was a special experience, as the school was about 75-80% non-majority (read: non-white), far from all Catholic (our discipline coordinator and fellow assistant football coach was an AME minister), and the administration was amazing. Best of all, the kids were bright, motivated, and hard working, which meant they were going places (and buckin’ to make a difference in their lives and exact some change). About 3/4 of the graduating class went on to college on full-ride scholarships, many to amazing schools and over 90% of graduates moved on to post-secondary education of some sort.

Enough waxing poetic about a great place….and time to introduce you to “Colonial Pumpkin Bars”

a recipe from the kitchen at the mother house for Bishop Hogan (and Tate circling under the table, ever hopeful). They may have taken a vow of poverty, chastity, and obiedence, but they sure knew how to enjoy life and good food. And this recipe is no different…and I make it EVERY year, typically right around Thanksgiving (plus it’s a neat way of remembering these great ladies with whom I had the pleasure of working). It’s supposed to be baked on a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan so it’s more of a bar-sized treat, but all I had this time around was a 13 x 9 pan, so it came out more cake-like. And check out that cream cheese icing

YUM YUM YUM YUM. And yes, I have the recipe and it’s yet another I’m willing to share (and yet again, it’s in a file at the shop that I can post tomorrow). And Bonney (and others), if you think that bread recipe is a holiday winner, you best go shopping for some canned pumpkin, get a nutmeg and a grater, and stock up on cream cheese and butter. Trust me on this one, folks. OINK OINK material!

Click here to open a file for your own copy of the recipe (it’s in RTF format and should open easily on a number of computers; if you have issues, e-mail me)

Oh, and I’m not going to take responsibility for any additional poundage gained by anyone out there who makes and consumes said food products (this or any other recipe I share).