Chocolate is awesome. The end.

Saturday was the Great American Afghan square knit-a-long day at The Spinning Room yarn shop, so I thought I'd make a treat to bring with me.
Dark chocolate cupcakes with a raspberry glaze.... Mmmmmm

My sister-in-law Anita gave me this gourmet cupcake mix for Christmas (thanks again, Anita!), along with some fancy cupcake paper cups and signs....

I made the mini cupcakes since I was sharing with so many, so didn't use the cups this time.  The cake mix indicated that it made 12 regular cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.  I filled my mini cupcake pans right up to the rim.......

.....and still had some batter leftover.  Maybe for one or two more.  So, I ate that while I waited for the oven to heat up.   What?  That's not bad.  Those calories don't count if it's not cooked yet and especially if there are raw eggs in it.  At any rate, I baked them and then I glazed them and then I brought them and then we ate them.  Chocolate is awesome.  The end.

Just kidding. I wanted to show you a picture or two of my shawl once it was off the blocking wires...

My Saturday Night Fever Stayin' Alive pose...

....and my creative attach-it-to-the-window shot.

I also finished my Downton Abbey Knit-a-Long mitts!

love, Love, LOVE them!  In case I haven't said it enough --- I love the yarn I used.  Cascade 220 Sport Superwash.  While a tad bit splitty, it is just so nice to work with and I love how it feels knit up and I love these mitts so much I want to sleep in them.

And finally, here is the last tiny project I was making as a sample for an upcoming class:

A Bunny Nugget! (click there for the FREE pattern) Cute, no?  Here's the back:

I made that pom pom with a fork.  Yes, a FORK!  I love learning new things.  

Stay tuned for more knitting progress and some pics from our one day vacation...

Back in the Saddle

I procrastinated all week.  I just didn't want to re-knit that whole mitt that I had knit wrongly.  I knitted ANYTHING else I could find.  Including the rest of my sock knit-a-long clue:

Coming along nicely, don't you think?

But finally, on Saturday night, I sat down to re-knit and get back in the saddle and in the knit-a-long race (which it isn't, really).  The next clue was coming out Sunday morning after all. So, by Sunday afternoon, I was back to where I should be.  Then, luckily, the next clue was short, so that got finished today!:

Front and back.  The left one is the one I re-knit --- with the eyelet pattern now in the right (and also correct) spot.  The mitts are almost finished!  The most recent clue had us finishing the top of the hands and thumbs.  Next clue will apparently be to address the provisional cast on. I. LOVE. THEM.  I wasn't too sure how they'd be -- I thought they might be too lacey-froofy --- but they aren't.  They are nice and fashionable and somewhat casual and I can't wait to wear them.  AND, i love the yarn I used -- Cascade 220 Sport Superwash -- so nice and soft and just wonderful to knit with (although a tad bit splitty).

In the meantime, while I was procrastinating getting the left one re-knit....  Paul's friend came to pick up his car - the one Paul was painting.

It matches his truck!

Know what's great about this?
Bye-bye Rob's car....

Hello GARAGE SPACE!!! I missed you so.....

In other fascinating news around here.... I got Phoebe a new bed. One that is deeper and sooooooo much cozier:

Right?????

Apparently not.

And we are enjoying our winter view:

Next post:  A book review!  It's a good one too.....

...the behinder I get

Here is my progress on my Downton Abbey knit-a-long:

I made some great progress during naptime yesterday (my neice and nephew's, not mine). I'm not sure if I told you, but the knit-a-long clues have been for the right mitt.  Since I, and many others, like to do the other one at the same time, I started the left mitt too.  There is a "right" and "left", so there are some modifications to be made, for example where the thumb goes.  That there mitt on the right (the "right" mitt) is now knit with the thumb gusset complete!

I went to the left mitt to figure out what modification would need to me made to get the thumb in the correct place and when I turned the mitts over, this is what I saw:

These should be mirror images of each other.  They aren't! That there mitt on the right is the "right" mitt and is right (as in correct).  The "left" mitt is so terribly wrong.  The little patterned section is supposed to be way over on the right side of that left mitt, not in the middle.   Apparently, when I made that modification - the one where you place the little eyelet holes lengthwise along the underside of the mitt, where we will place some yarn/ribbon to cinch them up - I did it wrong.   BECAUSE.... when I read the knit-a-long discussion on Ravelry, the instructions said that for the left mitt, instead of doing the lacey bit at the end of needle 1, I should do it at the beginning of needle 3.  So, I went ahead and did at at the beginning of needle 1.  I'm so great at following instructions.

There is no fudging this one.  No way to hide it somehow or just keep going.   No saying, "No one will notice."  And so:

I'm behind again.  This project is currently in time out, thinking about what it's done.  I'm currently working on the sock knit-a-long and when I'm done with that clue - as long as I'm doing it correctly - I will pick it up again.  Hopefully to get it done in time for clue #3!

The BEST cookie ever made

You HAVE to make these.  I think they are the best cookie I have ever made.

They are called Caramelitas from the Cookies and Cups blog. (click back there for the link to the recipe)  Basically, they are an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a Rolo inside.  You would not believe how well the oats, chocolate and buttery caramel go together.  LOVE. IT.

While they are a tiny bit time consuming - you need to chill the dough and freeze the Rolos, then completely wrap the Rolo with the dough, so things won't get messy - it is well worth it.

Example of things getting a little messy --
oozing Rolo.

I brought them to the knit-a-long at The Spinning Room today and they were a big hit with lots of requests for the recipe. (So, here's the recipe ladies! Click up there on Caramelitas...)

Speaking of knitting... it's been knit-a-palooza around here.  I told you about Knit-a-long the First in the last post.  Soon I will be starting the second mitt to catch up to where I am on the first, before the next clue comes out tomorrow.  I hope. (read on...)

Knit-a-long the Second - the Mystery Sock V "April Showers" with The Knitter's Brewing Company - started yesterday.

And now I have both toes started.....

It's hard to see but those are the beginning of little flowers that will be on on the top of the foot.  I used Judy's Magic Cast On for the toes, which is quite fiddley especially when trying it for the first time (and sometimes the twenty first time in my case) but an excellent cast on since it makes for a seamless toe! Still a ways to go for this clue, and I need to be done with it by next Friday.  Seems do-able.  For now. (read on...)

Knit-a-long the Third - The Great American Afghan started today at The Spinning Room, hence my bringing the awesomely delicious goodies  to share -- that's another link to the recipe in case you missed the other one.  We are starting with square three and despite everyone having some trouble on row 5 of the chart - cables, a bobble and more cables - it seems to be fairly easy and those troubles will work themselves out quickly as we get used to the pattern.  Here's mine so far:

Just finished row 5 - bobble smack dab in
the middle of the row up there on top.

This knit-a-long is a little less rigid, so I can take my time with it.  Which is good since I've got deadlines for the other two!  That's a crazypants lot of knitting and I still want to get back to my unfinished Harumi Cardigan since I'm supposed to be working on those unfinished ones.

Ok, but here are some finished things to show you.  Here is a picture of the finished Gelsomina wrist warmers being worn:

This is still a terrible picture.  But I do like how they came out - very pretty cables and a nice accessory.

I also finished the Ravine hat!

(Caramelitas cooling in the background... that's
another link to the recipe)

I don't think it's really my style - not even sure I have it on the right way - but I brought it to the shop and it looked great on the owner of the shop, Deirdre.  (der.  should have gotten a picture of her...)

While I was frolicking at the yarn shop today, Paul was making this mess:

Then when I got home I had to help him clean it up by getting the white car ("my" car, with no motor and a stuck brake) back into the garage.  This involved using the ATV because of the aforementioned no motor and stuck brake.  I was in charge of driving the ATV to push/pull the car so Paul could "steer" (using that term loosely because of the aforementioned no motor and stuck brake). And, as usual, my use of the mechanical devices usually ends up with some sort of destruction:

Didn't quite clear the doorway...

But, on the bright side, Paul showed me the veritable treasure trove of parts he located in the garage attic that happen to be perfect for "my" car....

I know - I was speechless too.

Next post:  a book review! (finally.... and I think I'm already behind on my 2013 reading goal....)

Knitting Coordination

Check out this picture:

Notice anything?  The other day, after I had lined up my knit-a-long projects, Paul asked if I was trying to match my yarn to our plates.  I had no idea what he was talking about and then he pointed to the dining room.  Ha.  Guess I like those colors.

Have I ever told you about this most incredibly awesome kitchen gadget ever made?:

My pineapple corer-slicer

I. Love. This.  LOVE!  It's the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer (click there to get it on Amazon)  It makes the totally annoying task of preparing a pineapple so fast and easy.  Here's a closeup of the end that goes on the top of the pineapple:

Then you just twist it until it comes out the other end.

Then, while it's still on the thingamagig, I slice it from top to bottom all the way around, then dump it into a bowl and wa-la, perfect bite sized pieces.  Did I say... LOVE?!

In Knitting News:
So, I did get to finish one unfinished project.

Full disclosure: I had already counted it as done - back in April -when it wasn't quite done.  Why? Because of the "finishing" bit of sewing that needed to be done of course.  Took me 15 minutes to sew up the spiral.  Seems I'll never learn that some finishing just isn't that bad.  But buttons always will be.

I finished my Gelsomina wrist warmers:

Currently drying next to the fire.  Once it's done, I'll take a picture of it on my wrist.  They are very pretty and I like them.  However, they are slightly snug for my wrists.  I have stretched blocked them as much as I could and they are still snug on me.  They could be made a little bigger, but then the pattern wouldn't match up at the seam.  Some people would be bothered by that.  I wouldn't.  But I'm not making them again.

Knit-a-Long the first - the Downton Abbey one - started this past Sunday.  The first episode of season three was excellent.  love, Love, LOVE Violet the Dowager Countess.  She's got some real zingers.   We now know the project will be some fingerless gloves, based on the ones Violet wears to dinner parties.  Here is my first glove so far:

Provisional cast on and a rosebud lace pattern.  They apparently will go halfway to the elbow.  They also have an eyelet section on the backside the will have yarn run through so you can cinch them up and make ruching (gathers).  Not sure if they will be my style but it's fun anyway!  Each clue will come out on Sundays before the next episode.

In Book News:
Upped my 2013 Reading Challenge goal to 45 books.  At lunch with Paul I was telling him that I was shocked that I had read 13 in 4 months and he looked at me like I was nuts.  He said, "You are ALWAYS reading."  But all of a sudden I feel like the book I'm reading is taking me forever to get through!  Hopefully by my next post, I'll have a review of it for you....