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....)

The You-Know-What

Bright and early (5:30am) Saturday morning, Paul and I were on our way to see Denny and Renee in ... Ohio.  To get this (the You-Know-What):

That's Renee's cool Jeep in the background.  I settled for
that since neither she nor Denny wanted to be
in a picture.

I'm sorry --- did you need a closer look at this 1970 Buick Skylark with no windshield, no hood and....

...no engine?!?!?!?!  Yes, that's right: we drove 7 1/2 hours to pick up this gem.  Apparently, it really is a car in pretty good shape.  It doesn't have much rust for it's age, the frame is in good shape and the body is in good shape; it's a "Missouri car" if that means anything to you - it doesn't to me.  The very best part of it, according to Paul, is that it is the same exact model as his first car in high school.  Supposedly it will give Paul a chance to get rid of A LOT of parts he has.  For example, he didn't mind that there was no hood because "I have one of those in the garage." Huh.  Also, there is a spare engine in the garage too.  If you remember, we made another trip recently for that.  While the front and back windows are not currently in the car, they came in a box with a lot of other spare parts. Oh and did I mention, it's "for me"?  He's fixing it up so I can cruise around in it.

So, we got there by 1:00pm, loaded up and visited with Denny and Renee for a while, then we were on our way again...

Of course, I had my knitting in the car with me....

Finished my Lucy Hat!  Just needs to be blocked (it's drying right now!) and the brim sewn up.  Also worked on my Harumi Cardi.  The only exciting thing to tell you is that I've knitted my 14" from the cast on and now I can start the lace pattern.  Couldn't do this in the car since it involved lots of marking of stitches and looking at the pattern and I would have gotten nauseous.

We made our way 2 1/2 hours back toward home and stopped to stay overnight in Jamestown, NY.... the hometown of Lucille Ball!  And let me tell you, she is EVERYWHERE.  In a good, tasteful way.

This was my favorite one:

I love, Love, LOVED that Vitameatavegamin episode!!!   We ate at the Taco Hut in this picture for dinner, which also had lots of her pictures inside.  YUMMY Mexican food.  We have yet to find a good Mexican restaurant where we live.  Anyone local want to recommend????

Jamestown was pretty at night too:

And here is a morning-after glimpse of the almost-disaster:

Looks pretty normal right?  I bet you're thinking, "What in the world could have almost-happened?"  We decided to unhook the trailer in order to be able to drive around town and find a place for dinner.  So, there was Paul doing the usual unhooking of all the wires and winding the trailer post down onto the wooden block to take it off the truck hitch.  It released from the truck hitch, like usual.  Then.... the car and trailer started to ever so slightly MOVE BACKWARD.  Then it was oh-my-gosh-what-should-I-do-how-can-I-help-are-you-holding-that-by-yourself-should-I-hold-it-with-you-is-it-going-to-fall???.....  Me getting in the truck to try to move the hitch back under the trailer.  Nope.  It had moved to far.  Me climbing up the side of truck to find the rubber tire stopper thing in the back.  Wrong side.  Run around to the other side of the truck to climb up the other side to grab the stopper.  Meanwhile, Paul desperately using all of his weight to hold the car and trailer to keep it from rolling backward.  Maybe three dessert traditions are not so bad in cases like this...  Luckily, I was able to get the stopper under the back wheel of the trailer and all was fine.  Holy smokes that was close!

Now, Paul has unhitched trailers many, many, many a-time.  The surface looked flat.  He knows how cars on trailers work and when/how they roll.  Usually.  It may have been the fact that the car HAS NO ENGINE and therefore was not heavy up front to keep the trailer in place.

The next morning, we were on our way to make the 5 hour trip home, stopping here along the way for lunch:

I haven't been to a Cracker Barrel      in some time.  I forgot what a old-time-candy-and-other-stuff-you-never-knew-you-always-wanted trap that place is!   Luckily we were in a hurry to get back on the road, so I only got a little package of some coconut/chocolate candy.  For my first (and only) lunch dessert.  I could have done some serious damage if I lingered.

While checking the tie-down straps before getting on our way after lunch, I asked what this was:

And apparently I had discovered a "bonus" feature for this car!  I forget what it is now - but Paul was pretty excited about it.  Some sort of heating element thingy for which there is a gauge inside the car.  I think.

It was a pretty ride back home through the southern tier of New York, passing through towns such as Friendship, Angelica, Cuba, Painted Post and Almond.

Gorgeous view passing through Almond, NY.  I would
love to live here simply for the name.

Also, passed through Corning and this is my attempt at a picture of the Corning Glass Factory:

The trip home was different knitting, since the Lucy Hat was done and I couldn't proceed with the cardi...

These are the Simple SKYP Socks, (click there for the FREE pattern!) made with Shibui Knits sock yarn.  They will look like this:

SKYP refers to the main stitch pattern:  Slip one stitch as if to purl, Knit the next stitch, Yarn over, Pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and the yarn over.  Making them for a Christmas present for I'm-not-telling-you-who.   When I was getting my project ready in the hotel room before heading out, I discovered I have this many size 2 Knitter's Pride Dreamz double points:

There are 13 there.  Which is weird since they come 5 to a pack, so I should have 15 if I'm going to have 13.  Not to mention the two other sets of 5 I have in other brands.  Anyway....

What I love about this SKYP pattern is that the top ribbing is only 10 rows, and it's in 2x2 rib (knit 2, purl 2).  Usually, I sort of dread starting a sock, because my basic pattern is supposed to entail two inches of 1x1 rib which is about 20 rows.  1x1 rib on small needles with skinny yarn is somewhat tedious and makes me want to poke my eye out with one of my 6 extra Knitter's Pride needles.  So, the beginnings of both socks went lickety split and now I will be on to the main stitch pattern on the leg.

Two more things and then I'm ending this marathon post...

I had heard about Siggi's yogurt some time ago, but hadn't been able to find it in my grocery store until today.  It. Is. Yummy.  Definitely pricier than other yogurt but I think it is worth it for a treat.  Thick like Greek yogurt but really it's thick like Icelandic yogurt - where the maker is from.  I tried the Orange & Ginger one today and loved it.  Definitely recommend it if you can find it - I hear they have it at Whole Foods, which we don't have.  I found it in the health food refrigerated section of Hannaford, which is nowhere near the regular yogurt refrigerated section.

And finally...  I washed the cat/dog bed cover today, and threw Mandy and Phoebe for a loop.  Mandy figured out how to lay on the bed anyway, despite it being folded up:

... and Phoebe went to her old standby:

No, her bed didn't shrink - she if fluffier now that the cold
weather is here.