Late Christmas

I walked down to the post office to have a package weighted and ended up walking home with 2 boxes. One of the boxes was the one I walked down with but the other box was none other than Ms. Kitty Kitty her self. And what was in the box, well, let’s just say that she and I are not known for mailing presents out on time.

The box contained the second half off my Christmas present. And what exactly was in the box? Why yarn of course and something spun and knitted by her little hands just for me!!!!!

First up the yarn. She had ordered both of us yarn from Canada but it took forever to arrive. The yarn that she ordered was from Butternut Woolens and it says it is a homegrown sock yarn. The color is Steelhead. And like she said, we both now have scratchy sock yarn.

The second yarn is from the wonderful Yarn Pirate in a color called Plum Gorgeous. But I have not seen anything from Georgia that isn’t gorgeous.

And the last item was a scarf that she had knit herself. But knitting was only part of it, Pris has spun the yarn herself. So that make it extra special.

And for those of you who are fans of The Loopy Ewe, I have created a Flickr group for Loopy Fans called Loopy Ewe Groupies. It is a place where you can post photos of yarns that you acquire from Sheri and works in progress from yarns that you ordered from her as well. Please feel free to join.

And Yet Socks Again

I have also been working on my “Martha” socks as I mentioned in yesterday’s post. I finally was able to get a decent photo of these socks. Fore some reason, this yarn does not like to be photographed. The yarn is Sweet Georgia in Still Water and the pattern is the Baby Cable pattern from Sensational Socks. What did we do before this book was published? For some reason, this sock feels like it is taking longer to knit up than my normal patterns but I am liking it. And it isn’t as if I don’t have other socks on the needles…..

I am taking part in Bloomin’ Feet sock swap that is hosted by the wonderful Amanda of clothesknit. We received our matches last week and I already have my yarn in hand and my pattern. Or at least I am pretty sure that I have my yarn in hand. I need to look at two suggestions on the Blue Moon website. I had emailed the wonderful ladies at Blue Moon about their suggestions for a color based on the information that I had on the person I am making socks for and they sent me back two suggestions. I may have to order them if I do not already have these colors in my stash. Purely for research reasons…..

The yarn that I have in my hot little hands right now is from All Things Heather in the Tiger Lily color way. I emailed my favorite supplier of sock yarns and this was her suggestion. Knitting will have to wait until I finish one of the pairs of socks currently on the needles. I need to free up the needles. There is no better incentive for hurrying up to finish something than having another project waiting for those needles. And no, I do not need to buy any more size 0 circulars. I already own at least 12 size 0s in a 24 inch length.

I need to spend tonight and tomorrow finishing off my take home exam that is due on Saturday. There are a total of 15 questions that have to be answered from a total of 58 questions. (One question per section.) The hardest thing is picking the question. Once I start writing the answer, things just flow. But I also have to make sure that I check the word count and run everything through the grammar check. The instructors are looking for at least 150 words per question, correct spelling, and proper grammar. I know of at least 2 people who failed the final on the last test due to grammar and spelling mistakes, even after being given a second shot at the writing assignment. Failing writing assignments has never been a problem for me. I will misspell a few words on handwritten assignments because I am too lazy to pick up the dictionary. This test is typed into a word processor so I am lucky.

Knitty Surprise Up

Did you notice that the Knitty Winter surprise was up? Go and check it out…..

All Socks

Okay, as promised there is actually knitting going on but i has all been sock knitting. But socks are addictive. And with a good drug dealer, who can resist knitting socks…….

This past Saturday, I spent the whole day in class. I behaved quite well by not knitting for the first 2 hours, but I started to get antsy. I think you all know what I mean. So I pulled out my socks. I ended up working on two different socks while everyone was giving their speeches. Knitting helps me focus and retain more of what is said in class. It is just my learning style. And I have 2 socks that I will be taking with me to Wednesday night’s class which will be a 4 hour class for me since I am doing a make-up class. (New class which I had to miss last week because my instructor class was on the same night. But I am lucky in that the new class is being taught by one of the 2 instructors for my instructor class.) And there is a back-up sock that will be ready for Saturday’s all day class when we give our final presentations. (And by all day, I mean all day with no breaks. You can get up and walk out for short breaks as you need them.)

And I would like to say that again as the only female in the class, I was asked by our instructor if I would mind picking up a couple of dozen donuts on my way to class Saturday morning. But our instructor, Leon, knows that while the guys will say they will pick up donuts, they always forget. But if I pick up the donuts, I will remember. I shuld add that Leon is really good about getting the guys to pay for the donuts. And I have to say a huge thanks to my friend Shellie at my favorite Starbucks store. She is helping me out by donating the coffee and pastries. And Shellie, I will hold onto your new yarn until you finish moving. (Shellie is a new knitter!!!!)

Now on to photos of socks and more socks. I finished up a pair of socks Friday night that I am giving to a friend. I started working on these socks back in late October and finished the first one in no time. But the second sock seemed to take forever. But I finished it up and I know that she loves them since I had her try on the first sock. I almost had a problem getting the first sock back from her. She didn’t want to take it off. I am hoping to deliver the finished pair to her tonight or tomorrow night. The yarn is Austerman Step but I lost the label but I think it is 02. It is blues with some gray. The pattern is one I found in Sensational Socks but off the top of my head, I can’t remember the name. I will look it up and add it later. (And I might add that this was a Project Spectrum sock just finished a few days early.)

I also have on the needles, for my feet, a pair of 2-by2 ribbed socks in Claudia’s Hand Paint in Plumicious. I also have a plain pair of socks on the needles in Fleece Artist Sock in Pale Pinks that I have had in my stash for quite awhile. I am working both of these socks at the same time. But I will say that I am not attempting them on the same needle. I am just working from both ends of the ball. I want to try and make the legs on this pair as long as I can.

I also have my “Martha” socks on the needles. The yarn is Sweet Georgia in Still Water which is not a color that I would normally pick up as a yarn to knit with. But I decided to take Sheri’s challenge and I am actually liking these colors. The pattern again is one from Sensational Socks. That book is worth it’s weight in gold. I can’t wait for the next one.

There is more sock news but I will save it for tomorrow. And I did add the onion tart recipe to recipe page from my class last week. And I do have more to add but I am waiting to see which recipes Madam clothesknit decides to use in the Knit & Dish swap. I sent her several and told her to use whichever ones she wants. (I will also try and take a decent photo of my “Martha” sock and post it along with the pink sock. And even though, I have linked some of today’s socks and their yarns over to my favorite dealer, I did not necessarily buy them from her. But I would recommend her. 😉

Brr!!!!

This is what was falling from the sky yesterday all day but none stuck. It was just a day of snow flurries. And it is really hard to photograph snow showers.

And this was the temperature at 8 am this morning. It is hard to read but it read 9 degrees F.

I am staying inside today and working on my take home final and finishing the presentation that I have to give this weekend. See you on Monday with actually knitting photos and maybe a finished project or two.

Cooking the Color Spectrum

Lolly had suggested cooking as part of Project Spectrum and kindly posted a recipe for her version of PB Granola. I happen to like granolas and generally make my own so that I can customize them.

I went over to the local co-op Sunday to pick up more oatmeal and while I was browsing the bulk food section, I decided to add a few more items. I happen to be a huge fan of dried Bing cherries so you can guess what went into the basket. I also spied some dried sweetened banana chips. And personally, I think that there is nothing that goes with peanut butter better than bananas so they also were tossed into the basket.

I made the granola Sunday evening following Lolly’s recipe except for the new additions. I liked it but I found it to be too sweet for my tastes. But everyone else who has tasted it liked it.

But I am never content to let a recipe be until I am happy with it. So I decided to tinker with the recipe and come up with a new version of the PB Granola.

So I started going through my cookbooks. I found a recipe that I liked in Molly Katzen‘s Sunlight Cafe. She added barley flakes to a granola recipe that I liked. Of course, I did not have any barley flakes at home. And since I was at the co-op Tuesday night, I went shopping. I love the bulk food section of my co-op because I can buy just what I need. And that has translated to me trying things that I would never have tried before. But into my cart went some barley flakes, more dried Bing cherries, some raw sugar for my tea, some organic walnuts, and more honey.

I went home and started my new version of the PB granola. I had decided to decrease the honey in the syrup and increase the oats. I decided to add more oats and add fresh grated nutmeg to the mix. I decided to leave out the raisins and peanuts since I really don’t like them that much.

So in the end, here is what I changed from Lolly’s version. I decreased the amount of oatmeal from 3 cups to 2 cups. I added 1 cup of barley flakes. I increased the wheat germ to a full 1/2 cup. I added steel cut oats to the mixture. I decreased the honey by 1/4 cup. I also switched out the peanuts for walnuts but that is because I prefer walnuts. I cut out the raisins and switched them out for dried banana chips and dried Bing cherries. I also increased the amount of the dried fruit. I am probably not done tinkering with this recipe but that is the beauty of recipes in that you can constantly adjust them to whatever you have on hand. (I also used some vegan chocolate chips which I find to be less sweet. You should be able to find them easily at a co-op. They are worth a try.)

And by decreasing the honey, I did not have any problems with the granola becoming overly toasted. My taste taster is my mother and she preferred this version. I am taking both versions to my taste tasters at my local Starbucks tonight and I will be curious as to their preference.

I hope you enjoy this version of the recipe. And if you make any changes, please let me.

Lolly’s PB Granola – Revised

Sure, there is a some fat and sugar in it – but there is also loads of fiber and protein!
2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 cup steel cut oats (also known as Irish oatmeal)
1 cup barley flakes
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 to 1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (more or less)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add-Ins:
3/4 cup dried Bing cherries, cut up
3/4 cup dried sweetened banana chips, broken up
1/2 to 3/4 cup carbo chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking pan with butter, cooking spray, or vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients.

In a small saucepan on low heat, combine oil, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Stir the mixture thoroughly until it cooks down. Do not let it simmer or boil. Pour the sauce mix into the dry oats and mix well until completely incorporated. Using a spatula, spread the granola on the prepared pan, lying it flat onto the surface. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow the granola to cool on the pan. Break into chunks after dry, and transfer to an air-tight container. Add the add-ins to the container (adding the chocolate while it is still warm was perfect – it melted the chocolate slightly, allowing the crumbles to stick together better)

Cooking with Veggie Annie

Last night, I had the opportunity to take a class by a local chef known as Veggie Annie at my local co-op. Veggie Annie is a vegetarian chef as her name suggests. And having just finished the Toronto Vegetarian Association‘s Veg Challenge week, this class came at an opportune time.

The recipes that were being demonstrated last night were Veggie Annie’s Texas Black Bean Hummus, Pissaladiere, and Green Goddess Dressing.

I enjoyed myself and learned a few new recipes. Plus I am also willing to now try making a pie crust thanks to Veggie Annie.

To simplify things, I have created a new page where I will be posting recipes from time to time. I have already posted two of the recipes from last night up there already along with the corresponding pictures. Anything in italics are my changes. And yes,t here is knitting going on but I just need to take some decent daylight photos of the WIPS.

Straight Hair (or the Banquet Post)

For those of you who wondered about the photos of me with straight hair, let me just explain one little thing, my hair is naturally curly. And it does not do straight without help. A lot of help since I can not do it myself. My fire company banquet was Saturday night and for something different, I decided that morning to get my hair flat ironed that afternoon. I was able to get an appointment that afternoon to have my hair flat ironed. The funny thing about having my hair straightened is that only the a few of the teen aged girls noticed that it was straight. Everyone else couldn’t figure it out. They realized that there was something different but they couldn’t put their finger on it. Everyone commented about how red my hair was though. They all figured that I had dyed my hair red that day. But the truth is that my hair has be this red for quite awhile. My natural hair color is very dark and the only color that I can add without really damaging my hair is red. And that is fine with me. But when my hair is curly, you don’t really notice the red as much.

Now to the banquet. I almost did not attend due to some issues resulting from fire house politics. But in the end, I decided to go to show support for my chief and my friends there. Fire company banquets are like pretty much any other banquet except that you get the politicians there. Basically, every politician in the area is invited and sometimes they are allowed to speak. This year we allowed the new sheriff to speak but he is also a volunteer fire fighter so he know to keep it short. Plus he started out by saying that his wife warned him to keep it short.

I was still on the last day of the Veg Challenge and trying to eat veg at the banquet was extremely hard to say the least. But having an idea that the menu would be heavy on the meat, I eat something before I left home. And yes, the menu was heavy on the meat. There was salmon, chicken and prime rib on the menu. Luckily, there was a carrot vegetable medley and mashed potatoes that I could eat. Although, I was bad and had a small amount of the Maryland crab soup. But to not eat a little of this soup would be a sin. It is really good.

I ended up sitting with a guy I went out with over the summer. We are friends and that is all it will ever be. The awards portion of the banquet was where things would be interesting. The President’s awards are where things tend to get interesting and they were. There were people left out in his awards for having worked fund raisers but all of his buddies were given awards. Oh well, such is life.

But I was more interested in the fire fighter awards. The chief had initially asked me if I would be there because there were some issues surrounding our election that directly affected me. And he assured me that I didn’t need to worry if I chose to not go. But I assured him that I would be there to support him and a few others.

So when the chief’s awards began, I was one of the 15 responders who went up to receive a little something for this honor. Every year, he tries to give us something that we will be able to use as part of our personal gear. This year, all of us received a rescue knife, a window punch, and a baseball hat. My nephew will probably take the hat again this year since I do not wear baseball hats. But the tools are mine. All mine!!!! (Although, my training officer and I suggested to the chief alter that next year, the two of us get something different like maybe a day at the spa. Our reason is that we are females and we need something a little extra for putting up with them. 🙂

I did win the fire prevention award for the year but that was a given since I am basically the only person who handles fire prevention at the station. I have also been nominated at the state and county levels for fire prevention awards as well. My goal for fire prevention this year is to do more and expose more people to what they can do to prevent fire and injuries in the home.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap

I had signed up for the Knit Mitt Kit Swap which was hosted by Scout And Bev. I went to the post office Saturday morning to see if I had that nice little yellow slip saying I had a package. And yes, there was one in my box. But I was very good and did not open it for several hours. It did help that I had errands to run so there was no way that I could open it.

And when I opened the box, there was a nice little note from Guinifer of Half-Way Down the Stairs. I had found her blog by accident but in her note, she thought that I might have sleuthed her out. But the honest truth is that I found her blog by accident.

In the box were several wonderful goodies. The first thing I noticed was a skien of Malabrigo Yarn. I have been wanting to try Malabrigo but neither of the yarn shops in my town carry it. All I can say about Malabrigo is that it is super soft and I will definitely be getting more of this yarn. (And she attached a wonderful little stitch marker to the yarn as well!!!!)

I also immediately noticed the big bag of Swedish Fish. I love this candy!!!! And yes, there is still most of the bag left. I have been very good at pacing myself. And this candy is also a vegan candy. (BTW, did you know that you could go fishing for Swedish Fish ?) There was also a nice little Burt’s Bees sampler pack. I will definitely by using the cutuicle creme. This dry weather is murder on my hands!!!

She also sent me the Magic Loop Mittens pattern by Knit Wits. There is a size 6 Addi turbo to use with the yarn and the pattern. I love my Addis. What can I say?

She made me a Booja bag in a wonderful striping yarn to carry my knitting in as well. I am guessing that it is Noro but I am not sure. There is a nice bag of Candy Cane coffee that will be enjoyed.

There was a nice little red pop up bag that I can to store my yarns as I sit on my couch as I knit. And she also sent me some wonderful very fine sock yarn that is almost a lace weight yarn in a color way that runs from a pale blue to the lighter shades of purple. The little card attached to the skien reads that the colors are the colors of pale lilac and plum. It is a hand dyed skien but I do not have the name of the dyer.

I will not be knitting up my mittens right away because I want to pet my Malabrigo for a bit. I think that all of the knitters out there can understand this……

Finally Winter

Winter has finally arrived in north central/western Maryland. We are finally getting some snow. Okay, not much snow by the standards of what has been falling out west but still it is our first snow fall of the season. The weather guessers are calling for up to 2 inches but I will believe it when I see it. But here are some photos of the early snow fall.

And here is a shot of my hair straight for a change showing off the current color. The story behind why it is straight for a change will be up in the next day or so. It is time to go out and play in the snow.