Can’t Stop Starting

Help!  I can’t stop starting new knitting projects.

All of these have been started in the past week and a half.  Warning:  the pictures I took for this post are terrible.  Just letting you know.

The Ecuador, which you’ve seen already, but I made a little more progress:

I know this gives you no better idea of the construction.  I think it will be more clear when I turn the corner.  I’ll pin it out so you can see it better then.

The Windward scarf:

And I realize that this picture is also terrible.  If you tilt your computer screen just so, you may be able to get an idea of the colors.  Click on the link up there to see the pattern pics and the interesting construction, which this picture does give you a good idea of.  This is the yarn that I was winding, getting ready for my vacation.  I love the colors.

Aaron’s Aran sweater, which I’m knitting for a doodlebug and to teach a class:

So incredibly adorable for a toddler, don’t you think?  I’m making this with Malabrigo worsted.  NOT a kid-friendly yarn I know, since it has to be hand-washed, but I love this yarn. It is so soft and will be nice and warm for a doodlebug.  And it will come with the following washing instructions: “Give back to Aunt Liz and she will wash it.” 

The Glitz at the Ritz beaded shawl:

I finally got the beads and so far (fingers crossed) all is going well.

Started and finished my next travelling socks:

Ok, so this is all great.  I’m loving everything I started.  And there is more I want to start.  BUT, I really need to start finishing projects that were started a long time ago.  Like my Bloody Mary Cardigan.  Remember that?  As a refresher, here are the pieces:

Hmmmm.  There is a sleeve missing in this picture.  I think I did both.  But I don’t remember.  And therein lies the problem with these unfinished things! To make things worse, and more urgent, it is now September, which in my mind means it is Fall (even though I know it’s not officially), and that means I’ll want that long sleeve cardigan soon because soon (not really) it is going to be freezing.  I need more hours in the day.

P.S.  I’m going to be moving my blog to an actual, official real life website of my own soon.  Just letting you know.  More to come.

Knitting Update

How about a knitting update?
I finished front #1 of my Bloody Mary Cardigan:

It looks impossibly skinny, I know.  But the left edge is rolling under.  And it will stretch when I block it.  Fingers crossed.  That one went fast and now I'm on to front #2.

I told you in a previous post that I have a new shawl obsession.  Here it is:

It is the Calico Shawl and is in the KnitScene Summer 2013 magazine.  That picture is blurry so you can go to that link to see a better picture.  I don't love the points being so pointy (my mom said it looked like bat wings with the points), so I would block mine to be not-as-pointy.  My yarn shop friend Janell showed this to me and I loved the lace pattern in it.  Then she asked if I would teach it as a class.  Sooooo, I have to knit it to see if I can teach it.  Here is the yarn I picked out:

Those are different shades of denim blue in case you can't see it (shocker - my picture taking skills....).  I was all proud of myself to be using some of my stash until I realized I didn't have enough of any one color so I had to go buy another skein.  Whatever.  But here's the other thing:  Now I really really really want to knit it in a pinky/peachy color like the pattern picture because it looks so springy/summery and pretty.  The blue is nice, but no springy/summery pretty.  I have no pinky peachy yarn.  Yet.

I'll tell you in another post  about my NEXT yarny obsession.... (this has GOT to stop. or slow down.)

Easter Roundup

Welcome to NaBloPoMo!  A month of blog posts from your favorite blogger.....

So, it's April 1st.  What a nice, pretty morning....

Buds on the tree!

Now?  !#$%-ing snow!

In case you can't see the snow in the
above picture, here is a snowflake.

I'm just really, really ready for no. more. snow.

 

What a fun Easter weekend we had!

I made lots of bread....Two big loaves to make my Overnight French Toast Bake:

 Apparently I only needed about 3/4 of one loaf, so there is a lot left over! The recipe calls for a berry sauce/topping which I didn't make since we were going to have fruit salad anyway.  The recipe was very easy and making it the night before is very handy.

Then I made a bunch of iced/decorated breads like this:

I gave these away to family members, who thought it was yummy.

We had a nice brunch at my sister's house, inluding my very yummy french toast:

I only got a picture of the leftovers - I forgot to take a nice just-from-the-oven picture!

And my sister made Banana Pudding (among other things!):

 She and my three nephews also made some very cool decorated eggs:

 If you look carefully, you can see the one with the face that Matthew made and my sister was trying to hide!
The trip to Connecticut included some knitting of my Bloody Mary Cardigan in the car:

And I got this far on the right front:

More on that yellow background tomorrow!

Spring is Here! (even though it doesn't really seem like it)

Despite the still-frozen pond....

I can feel it.  Spring is in the air.   This week, the days were a little warmer and I got outside with the doodlebugs for some great walks.  Busses!  Cars!  More Cars!  Planes!  and, wait for it....Even. More. Cars!  The gasps of delight at everything that passed by was hilarious.  And who knew watching furniture guys unload a chair at some random house could be so riveting?  Even though we've still got snow on the ground up here on the hill, and we're still waiting to see buds on the trees, the warm air is encouraging and we just know more is coming.

And Spring also means Easter.  Today and tomorrow are bread-baking marathon days.  Some for the baked french toast I'll be making for Easter brunch, and some for giving away.  My sample loaf last week went over well with my taste testers, so I'm using the same recipe.  Stay tuned for an update on all this yummy goodness!

Spring, however, does not mean I stop knitting with wool!....

In Knitting News:
My Meadowlark is done!

Picture with me in it to come when I have a photographer...

I re-read the directions, which said that the i-cord down the front edges was optional (yay!) so, of course, I opted out.  I actually really didn't think the i-cord would look as good on the fronts since it is supposed to be drapey/wavey.  Like this:

The i-cord would make it sturdy and not-as-drapey.  But it's great to give the arm holes some shape:

Before i-cord

After i-cord.  See?  Neater.

Also, lots of progress on my Bloody Mary Cardigan... the back is done:

I'm excited, although I'm slighty concerned about my yarn amounts.  I should have 100 extra yards.  However, I've used almost a whole skein (of my three skeins) on the back.  I still have the two fronts, two sleeves, button bands and collar to do.  I think I'm worrying too early.

I also finished Square #10 from the Great American Afghan book:

This makes 5 sqaures completed, one in each color. This gives you an idea of my color scheme:

I'm a little not sure about it now.  I don't know why.  I'm trying to imagine it done, and I feel like it will be really busy.  I'm thinking that I will use the darker color for the border to reign in the other lighter colors.  Ha!  Can you see how I'm already thinking about the border when I still have 20 (twenty) more squares to knit and that could take ages?

I also became obsessed with the Lightspeed shawl/scarf-y thing:

Sample picture from Ravelry.com

So here are my colors:

(That's navy blue on the right.)

I'm starting it today when I run out of my Bloody Mary yarn -- I have to go to The Spinning Room yarn shop to wind the next skein on their ball winder since it is a jumbo skein!

In Book News:
The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve:  I suffered through this one. 
The Amazon description is:
"From the last time Linda and Thomas meet, at a charmless hotel in a distant city, to the moment, thirty-five years earlier, when a chance encounter on a rocky beach binds them fatefully together, this hypnotically compelling novel unfolds a tale of intense passion, drama, and suspense. "  My take on it:  It was non-hypnotic, depressing and blah.  I just didn't enjoy the story line. 

I have had mixed personal reviews of Anita Shreve's books.  Some I have liked, some I have not.  I loved Light on Snow (see my blog review here).

In Other News:
I am going to participate in the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) in April, which means I will be posting every day for the whole month.  That's the goal anyway! The idea of this is to get writing and re-juvenate my ideas for the blog. The theme for April is "Fresh" since spring gives us a fresh start etc.  My posts may or may not have to do with the theme (they don't have to), and I'll just see where it takes me.  So, just warning you (or delightfully informing you, if that's the case) that there will be a lot of posting going on.  After that, I'll go back to my regular programming.  If you are not signed up to receive email notifications when there is a new post, you can do so by going to the sidebar on the right! 

Garage/Car Wars

This weekend started with some errands Friday night (that's called "Date Night" around here), including getting my car washed.  The weekend continued on Saturday, when I went to teach a very rowdy bunch of knitters how to knit the Trousseau at The Spinning Room (what a fun class!) --- but not before Paul said I should take his car since it had snowed one half inch and we had just washed my car and it shouldn't get dirty.  So, instead of taking my nice, clean car out of the nice, dry garage, I had to walk through the snow in the driveway (the whole half inch of it), clean off his car and drive that.  Ok, I certainly could have just taken my car anyway, but I know how much pride and care Paul takes with the cars so.... 

But I just have to say, there are always so many reasons I don't get to enjoy my garage spot.  Most of them involve Paul working on his other cars, or painting his friends' cars, and needing the space, so mine sits outside.  Note to self:  Thank Paul's friend Rob for letting me have my car sit outside for a good portion of this winter.  Whining over. For now.

In Knitting News:
I am almost done with my Meadowlark ! (I had to look up the name of this AGAIN.  For the life of me, I can't remember the name of it and keep wanting to call it Watershed.)

Unblocked - back view.



Blocking - front view. See how much
bigger/stretched it got?

I've finished the main knitting and blocked it and it is drying as we speak.  Now, I have to put on applied i-cord around the arm holes and along the front edges.  You can just go ahead and stick a knitting needle in my eye right now.  Applied i-cord is the most tedious thing in the world.  Cast on 3 little stitches, then knit 2 stitches and then the third stitch together with an edge stitch, slide stitches to the other end of needle and repeat ad nauseaum for 8 billion stitches (in this case).  I am determined not to put this off, though, so once it is dry, I am going to do it.  Then reward myself with knitting my Bloody Mary cardigan. And maybe a Peep.

In Cooking News:
We are on a health kick here at chez Cassidy.  So, I made this really yummy Lentil Salad:

Looks not terribly pretty, especially in a plastic container, but it was great.  Then last night I made a farro salad (farro is a grain with lots of protein and fiber and is kind of like chewy barley) which was also great.  In between there I made a beef stew in the crock pot, so we aren't going terribly nutso with the healthy stuff.  That would drive us both crazy.

And ALSO, I decided to try to make some Easter bread. I did a test-loaf yesterday to see if it would work, so I can make more at the end of this week. 

Easter bread minus the colored eggs.

It has yeast in it.  AND IT ACTUALLY CAME OUT GREAT!  I surprised myself and was skeptical all along the way, since I wasn't sure if it looked right.  Too soft?  Too sticky? Not risen enough?  Risen too much?  Too brown?  NOPE to all of that.  Just yummy.  And then I blinged it up:

Icing and sprinkles!

 A Book Review!
Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick:  This was a recommended book on the Books on the Nightstand podcast and I really liked it.  I've read several of their recommendations recently and I haven't been disappointed.  I did have a little trouble getting used to the author's writing style which included some run-on sentences/paragraphs and some parts that I wasn't sure where it fit into the story, but eventually stopped trying to re-read things and just went with it.  Here is the Amazon ditty: 
"It is the summer of 1948 when a handsome, charismatic stranger, Charlie Beale, recently back from the war in Europe, shows up in the town of Brownsburg, a sleepy village nestled in the Valley of Virginia. All he has with him are two suitcases: one contains his few possessions, including a fine set of butcher knives; the other is full of money. A lot of money. Heading Out to Wonderful is a haunting, heart-stopping novel of love gone terribly wrong in a place where once upon a time such things could happen."
Charlie is a mysterious man.  The story runs along with all kinds of suggestions as to what type of man he might be or might have been before we meet him and constantly makes you wonder where the story is going to end up, hoping for the best, but not really sure it will work out.  Very engaging.

In Other News That May Or May Not Interest You:
Crooked icicle out the back door:


Turn your head sideways....

Eerie day last week:

 Pretty view of Bar Harbor from Paul's trip to Maine for work last week:

Can't wait to go back there for vacation this summer!

No words

The other day I had to take a 19 month old's word for it.....without any words.  It is a daily struggle to prevent one toddler from taking the other's toy.  I'm usually on top of it, intervening to teach them that they can't do this and how to wait their turn.  Or decide when it's time to share and play with it together.  Even when I'm giving them some independent play time and I'm knitting or checking email, I usually see what's happening out of the corner of my eye.  The other day, though, I dropped the ball.

Benjamin and Michaela were playing while I sat on the couch and checked my email.  Suddenly, it got very quiet.  I looked up and both Benjamin and Michaela were looking at me: Benjamin holding a toy; Michaela frozen, reaching for it.  This was clearly an Auntie-Liz-will-be-the-one-to-say-who-gets-it situation.  Since they are not talking yet, aside from a few words here and there, no one could rationally explain to me who was playing with it and who took it or, more likely, who wanted it but couldn't have it.  But I wasn't looking when it happened!  So I said, "Who had it first?"  Michaela put both hands on her chest indicating herself and looking very hopeful.  I said, "Benjamin, give it back." And he did.  Hopefully, Michaela really did have it first (she is usually the taking culprit).  But, I took her "word" for it this time.  The days of words are coming fast, though, and I hope I'm ready!

In St. Patrick's Day News:
We went out to breakfast and this is what I got:

This was called Lazy Leprechan's Benedict.  White toast, bacon, over-medium eggs and green hollandaise.  It. Was. Yummy.

Then, since St. Patrick's Day is alot about eating, I put corned beef in the crock pot with onion, red pepper flakes, beef broth and worcestershire sauce:

Ugh.  That's a pretty unappetizing picture.  My food stying could certainly use some help.  But it was also yummy, with roasted potatoes.

On to Knitting News:
Lots of progress on my Bloody Mary Cardigan!

 

Isn't it pretty? That is 15", on my way to 22" before I need to do something at the armholes.  I love it. 

 

I also worked on my afghan square:

....also coming along nicely.

I'll be back to working on my Meadowlark vest today - I got carried away with excitement about finally finding a cardigan pattern. 

And, finally, in the aftermath of all my recent knitting stumbling blocks, an appropriate quote:
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
-Japanese Proverb

 



Seriously?????

Ok.  Deep breath.  Remember that last post where things were going along swimmingly after not doing so for a few days?  Remember how I was going to start my Flyingdales that night? Well......

I got out my yarn and my pattern and grudgingly happily like no other knitters every knitter I know, did a guage swatch.  And it was too small.  So I went up a needle size.  And it was still to small.  So I went up another needle size.  And it was still to small. (Doesn't this sound like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and how he was still hungry???)  Then I didn't like that the fabric was getting so loose, and resigned myself to the fact that my yarn was in fact worsted weight and not heavy worsted as the pattern called for.  My yarn label did not specify this, by the way.  It simply had the yardage and the ounces, which I figured out to be about worsted weight but thought it would still work for this pattern.  It didn't.  So, I looked though my new A Fine Fleece book and found some other patterns that I liked.  And did some guage swatches.  They just didn't work.  Seriously????  After all my searching and planning and waiting????  Here is my 10 mile long gauge swatch:

 So I was back to the drawing board and searched Ravelry again.  Through 30 pages of potential worsted weight cardigan patterns.  I found the Bloody Mary cardigan and swatched for that. The swatches for that are actually at the top of the picture above, since I didn't keep track of the sections I knitted below it with the same size needles and had to re-knit them.  Another winner move.  But, things were looking up and I almost had guage with a size 7 needle and did have gauge with a size 8 needle.  Hooray! 

I was getting ready to go ahead and cast on with the size 8 needle, and that little annoying voice in the back of my head said, "You better wash that swatch.  If you are getting guage with a size 8, it's going to get bigger after you wash it. Remember that huge sweater you made that you love but is really way too big for you?  It's because you didn't do a swatch, started knitting the sweater, measured the guage a few inches in, and it was already too big, and you kept knitting anyway, then when you washed it, it became ginormous. So, really, you better wash it."
So......

....I washed it. And the voice was right.  Once I washed it, the guage with the size 7 needle was now perfect and the size 8 was too big.  Now that I have all this definitive proof about the merits of swatching, I'm still probably not going to swatch often going to swatch all the time.

And now, I'm almost done with the 5 1/2 inches of 2 X 2 ribbing at the bottom on the back:

Here are some pictures from the Ravelry page:

In case you were wondering, the name is based on a cocktail.  The designer named a lot of her patterns after cocktails.  There is a cute one called Vodka Lemonade.  She is also the same designer of my Cranberry Capelet.  I like her stuff.

So, I promised you two easy as pie recipes.  By the way, I have no idea why they say "easy as pie".  I do not think  pie is easy to make.  Probably because I don't like it.

Recipe #1:
My mom passed along this one through the Facebook.
A 45 Second Oatmeal Cookie!  It is from The Wellness Maven blog, who go it from the Carrots 'N Cake blog who created it and calls it the 3 Minute Oatmeal Cookie.
It's a little tiny recipe that makes a healthy cookiesand is really quick to put together and cook in the microwave.

1/4 cup oats

1/8 cup liquid egg whites

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp raisins

Cinnamon to taste

Mix everything together, put in a microwave safe bowl, flatten the mixture to the bottom of the bowl and microwave for 45 seconds.  I used chocolate chips instead of raisins.  Mmmmmm.

Before cooking

After cooking

Since these are healthy, they are not the most amazing cookie you've ever had.   A little tough/chewy.  BUT, it's a darn good alternative to a whole package of oreos.  Or jelly beans.  Or peeps.  The few chocolate chips are just the thing it needs.

Recipe #2:
Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 6 oz box of Stove Top Stuffing
• 1 10oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Put chicken in the crock pot.  Put dry stuffing mix on top. Mix soup and sour cream (I used half and half since I didn't have sour cream) and pour over the stuffing.  Cook on low for 4 hours.

I know, doesn't look like much.  But it's yummy!

So easy and really yummy.  I love my crock pot.

I also promised you a book review!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: This was the 850 page book I started a couple of weeks ago.  I think it took me about a week and a half to read. It was good!  Not over-the-top good, but very entertaining and it kept me engaged.  I had seen some conflicting reviews on Goodreads but overall the reviews were positive.  I had been under the impression that this was an historical fiction book and quickly realized that it's a romance as well.  The story takes place in post WWII Scotland.  Claire, a former army nurse, is on a second honeymoon with her husband, when she visits a Stonehenge-type ruin and falls through a crack in one of the stones.... into the year 1743.  So now, she has a life and a husband in one century and a romance with a clansman in another century.  The storyline was engaging, with clan border wars, Claire needing to adapt to a much more primitive way of life, and her struggle to come to terms with this new romance.  In a way, it reminded me of a soap opera.... can't stop watching, wanting to know what happens next, and romance.  In case you need to be warned, there are some pretty graphic love scenes.  But they don't take over the whole book.  And also some graphic descriptions of torture and injuries -- I had to cover my eyes for some of those. 

This is the first in a series of several books and I will likely read the next one some day.  It would be a good beach read.

Whew.  That's it.  I'm off to work on Bloody Mary.  (Ugh- doesn't that sound awful?)