Well, here we are at the beginning of another week and we’ll be entering a new month before the week is out.  September comes and brings with it the promise of autumn and cooler weather - at least as a general trend. 

This morning, Myria opined that I would leave the windows open at temperatures as low as 20°F if I could find a way to do so and still be comfortable.  I’m not so sure she’s wrong :)  I love fresh air.  I appreciate the comfort an air conditioner can impart - especially in the dehumidifying area - but I hate closing the windows.  It feels as though I have shut out the world.  True, the sounds of traffic and construction (and there seems always to be some kind of construction going on within a block or so) are shut out, but so are the bird songs and the evening symphony of peepers and crickets.  So I’m looking forward to being able to open the windows again :)

This is the first half of my new hat in the luscious pink Waterspun I was fortunate enough to find a few weeks ago.  The cables look a lot better in the solid color, don’t they?  As always, Waterspun works up beautifully (this is being worked on size 7 US needles) and is a pleasure to knit with.  The temptation to hoard this (because Classic Elite has discontinued it - though some colors are still available at Elann for a while) is tremendous - but what would be the point?  I could stash it and periodically haul it out to admire or I could use it and enjoy both the working with and the wearing of it.  Seems like a better deal all around :)

The second HP scarf is just about done - one final burgundy band plus fringe and we’re there.  I must admit it’s been fun - but I probably won’t be making another one - at least not any time soon.  On the other hand, I had never considered the possibility of making a tubular - or two-sided - scarf and the HP project ably demonstrates how simple that really is. 

I have enough of the above mentioned Waterspun to seriously consider the possibility of such a thing - perhaps with an adaptation of the cable from the hat?  Definitely worth thinking about!  I have size 8 wooden double points which would probably work fine, though I think size 8s are generally a bit big for this yarn.  Oh boy - now that the idea has occurred to me, I can’t wait to work it out!  Heheh…yes I am a nerd, why do you ask?

Scream training has begun.  The goal is to get Jade to understand that she will get her breakfast promptly even if she doesn’t wail to the high heavens about how hungry she is.  We began on Sunday morning.  I got up, she started yelling, she got squirted.  I got her dish and the can of cat food and she started yelling again.  I showed her the water bottle and she shut up.  She remained quiet while I got her food ready.  We went through the same thing this morning.  She is learning and, thank goodness, she doesn’t seem to hold a grudge - very un-catlike, that.  I have faith that we can work this out.  She just needs to realize that I’m not going to let her starve and that she can stay completely dry and comfortable as long as she doesn’t sing.

Simple, eh?

Bron assures me that cables can be done with Homespun and I believe her, really I do.  She’s a smart girl so I know she’s not wrong and she’s a good person so I know she’s not fibbing to me.

But…

I worked this swatch on size 10 1/2 needles.  There’s a 10 stitch cable down the center but even at that size, it’s really not clear.  And you can really only find the bobbles by running your hands over the fabric.  Afghan material?  I didn’t think so either…

I did try that complex cable pattern in the “girly” yarns, but they really didn’t go together.  The cable patterns and the bobbles were clearly visible, but it does seem a rather heavy-duty design for such delicately colored yarn, so I scrapped it.  Simple cables seem to be the best idea and it seems I am determined to have cables so - simple it is!

Due to an extraordinarily high pollen count and a correspondingly annoying sinus response, that’s about all the knitting I got done yesterday.  Mostly I napped and waited for it to be time to take my next dose of sinus medication.

The cats are getting on reasonably well these days, avoiding each other for the most part.  There isn’t any fur flying and there’s been no bloodshed so we’re fine with this.  Jade is most importunate in the morning, wailing her hunger pains all over the apartment till someone gets up and feeds her.  No, she’s not melting away to nothing; there’s dry food available 24/7 for the felines.  She just wants her canned food - NOW!  She’s going to have to stop that or I’m going to start gagging her before I go to bed :)

Have a nice weekend folks :)

I finished the second bathmat last night.

It fits well - or will when it’s been edged.  Now I’ll get started on the duplicate pieces for the thickness.  I did notice, last night when I was checking this for size, that it really does need something in the way of non-skid help.  I have to think about what to do about that.  Otherwise I’m pretty happy with things :)  Barb, it’s all your fault - thanks again!

I love cables - short ones, long ones, fat, skinny, twisted and braided - cables are hot stuff in my knitting book.  And since I’ve been mulling over ideas for an afghan, I’ve been thinking about incorporating cables!

This swatch was done with two strands of sport weight “baby” yarns, a pink boucle and a plain white - both acrylic, on size 10 1/2 needles.  I was surprised at how pretty they looked together and that the cable showed nicely despite the boucle.  The cables would be easy enough to work while still giving me enough variety to be interesting.  These yarns would make a very light colored, but very pretty and feminine afghan (which is odd for me as I am not and have never been a “girl girl”).  For some reason, that seems appealing at the moment.

Then there’s this:

I had been admiring it in one of my books for a while but doubted that I could actually work it myself.  But I decided to give it a try and once I got past the first row (it took three tries) the rest was reasonably clear sailing.  Oh there were some minor squalls while I figured out exactly what the pattern was asking for with the odd-stitch number cables (and you can probably see - about 2/3s of the way up where I finally got it) but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had feared.  It did take about 6 hours to do though, and is a bit cluttered looking.  I’m thinking if I were to go with this design, I’d lose some of the bobbles - not all, but some.  And it was all charted!  If I can read this from a chart, I think I’m doing okay :)

The only problem with either of the above ideas is that they won’t work with the Homespun that I have in plentitude.  The bulky boucle texture of the yarn would muddle any kind of cable pattern to the point of invisibility.  I’m not against making afghans out of something else, but what do I do with the Homespun, then?  I’m probably going to have to resign myself to doing something dumb and boring with it.

HUGE cables - would that work, do you think?  8 x 8 cables and bobbles the size of muffins…heheh…I need to think about this :)

Myria had talked about there being a pancake in her then-new cookbook that she wanted to try.  I like pancakes, though I’m not crazy about them but sure, I thought, why not?  Imagine my surprise when she placed in front of me a golden, puffed pastry that had more in common with a cream puff than with what I usually thought of as pancakes.  And there was something familiar about it too…

She served it with butter and syrup, the way a regular pancake is served, and I realized it was similar to something a local restaurant chain serves.  The restaurant refers to this as a German pancake and it is served with powdered sugar and lemon juice.  It also does a version that is filled with hot apple/cinnamon compote.  The minute I tasted it, I recognized another association.  My mother used to make this - only she served it with roast beef and called it “Yorkshire Pudding”.  On further reflection, I remembered that she also used to cook it in muffin tins once in a while, and serve the resulting popovers with butter and jam.  They were heavenly! 

But while my mother’s efforts were pretty good, Myria’s are perfection.

The recipe is simple:

German Pancake/Yorkshire Pudding

2 tbls butter or stick margarine*
1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 c milk

Set your oven to 400ºF and place the butter or margarine in a 9” pie pan (we have had super results with the disposable aluminum pie tins - which can be used two or three times if they’re handled carefully and cleaned well - but any non-teflon pie pan will do).

Place flour, salt, eggs and milk in a bowl and mix casually.  I can’t stress this enough - if you over-mix this it will turn in to a sullen, leaden lump in your pie pan.  Stir only enough to acquaint all the ingredients with each other.

That last picture above is what the batter should look like after you’ve mixed things together.  It should be lumpy with bits of egg still discernible.  You don’t want a smooth batter - trust me on this :).

Put your pie pan (the one with the butter in it :) into the oven.  You want to melt the butter and pre-heat the pan.  When the butter is melted, remove the pie pan and swirl it gently so the sides get buttered too.  Then pour your batter in and put it back in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pancake is puffed (and it’s going to puff a lot) and golden brown.

*Don’t use the tub stuff here; there’s too much water in it.  Your pancake will wind up soggy and will stick to the pan.

Remove to a plate (it should just slide out of the pan) and serve immediately.

The secret to its success is three-fold - but they’re all simple things.

1.  Don’t overmix.  Leave it lumpy and ugly - remember how the ugly duckling turned out!
2.  Insure that the pan and the fat are good and hot when you pour in the batter - keep your oven mitts handy :)
3.  No Peeking!  Don’t open the oven door while this is baking or the cool air that rushes in will completely flatten your creation.

The beauty of this lovely, rich shell, is that it is neither sweet nor savory.  So it can be filled with anything your heart desires and is infinitely adaptable for almost any meal.  Myria takes a traditional approach, most often using powdered sugar and lemon juice on hers - sometimes with a little syrup.  I, on the other hand, tend to go all over the board.  Corned beef hash and a little cheese is excellent.  Just plain butter and jam is also wonderful.  Bacon and Welsh Rarebit is nearly orgasmic as are fresh strawberries and just a skosh of real maple syrup.

Oh, and while it won’t keep well for long, if you can’t finish your delectable repast, cover the plate with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.  Re-heat gently in the microwave and it won’t be too bad.

Bon Appetit!

You probably remember the poncho project I started last year with the Lion Homespun.  I’ve pretty much abandoned that for a number of reasons.  The biggest consideration was that I needed the needles for something else and when I asked myself if this poncho was really going anywhere, I honestly had to answer that it was not.  So it’s getting frogged and all those lovely blues…

...will probably go for an afghan.  I’ve been planning afghans in the back of my head for ages and it’s probably time I got to work on at least one.

Of course, part of this decision was based on the ordering of the White Buffalo yarn which, it seems to me, would make a super poncho - density and warmth without the restriction and discomfort of a coat. (Note: I’ve never liked coats and will do almost anything to avoid wearing them.  I am famous for going without - even in the dead of winter).  And realizing the Waterspun deep pink would go well with the White Buffalo stuff really kind of solidified the idea in my noggin.

Of course I’m frothing at the mouth (practically) for the White Buffalo to get here so I can see what it’s like and start playing with it.

What I’m thinking about is a kind of Ruana-type thing - about hip length.  You know, a rectangle, folded in half with a split for the neck.  Traditionally, these are open down the front, I think, but I could add a placket and ties, or loops and buttons - and maybe a collar of some sort?  I’m debating about also using the Waterspun as accent color on the garment itself - as trim or even in some kind of stranded design?  I figure a double strand of it would approximate the White Buffalo.  I already know I have a lot more Waterspun than I’m going to need for hat, mittens and scarf.

And I did cast on for the hat last night but only have a few rows done so far :)  It’s the Pinwheel cap again (see sidebar under “Patterns”) just because I like it.  I think I’m going to try the mittens in the round this time and I believe I’m going to try making a scarf with the cable used on the cap - just to kind of tie things together a bit.

I worked on the bathmats and the HP scarf this weekend, but I was so tired from running around all last week that I mostly rested and read.

We did go to see Spiderman II.  I know the reviews were glowing and that most people think this was an even better film that the first one - but I’m afraid I don’t get it.  It was way too over the top and way too whiny.  Aunt May whines, Mary Jane whines, Harry whines, Doc Ock whines and Peter whines - incessantly.  The only character that I really enjoyed was J. Jonah Jameson; J. K. Simmons does him to a perfect turn and, for my money, he is the brightest and most enjoyable character in the whole piece.

Maybe we should have gone to see “I, Robot” instead - heheh…

Welcome to Monday :)

Busy, busy, busy….

Bron advised me to make sure I left some time for craftwork.  Unfortunately, that’s not happening.  Hopefully I will be able to spend some time this weekend working on a few things.

First, sice you all accompanied me through the making of these things, I think it’s only fair to let you how it all worked out.  My friend’s birthday was yesterday and she loved the “White Sapphire” doily.  At the last minute, I kind of didn’t feel it was enough, so I packed up the Waterspun hat, mittens and scarf as well.  When she saw the mittens, she practically got up and danced and then she put everything on (did I mention that we were sitting in a restaurant?) and went around to show everyone in the dining room.  I’m still blushing I think, but it was very nice to know she was pleased.

I will be making another set for myself out of this:

As much as I loved the variegated yarn, I like this color a lot better and I’m tickled to have an excuse to make another Pinwheel hat which is a fun project.

Speaking of that, you’ll find the pattern for the Pinwheel hat on the sidebar under patterns.  I have not been able to find out where it came from, so I’ve posted it - for now.  If this is your pattern, or you know of its origins, please let me know?  Thanks :)

I also ordered this from Elann:

While I haven’t ordered from Elann before, I have been lusting after many of their yarns for a while now.  And I know enough people who have ordered from them to feel comfortable doing so myself :)  I think the White Buffalo and the Waterspun will go nicely together :)

And that’s about it.  Hope you all have wonderfully fun and pleasant weekends :)

A short one this morning, folks.

I finally decided that I couldn’t reasonably complete a scarf that I’d be comfortable giving in the brief amount of time I had.  So I decided on a bookmark.

I think it looks nice and it should be useful.  The book, by the way, is Elspeth Lavold’s first, splendid compendium.

I have run-around days for the rest of the week.  I’ll try to get in here to post but I really don’t know how things are going to go - except busily :)

Hope all your weeks are somewhat mellower!