Bosco our beautiful blue-eyed flame-point Himalayan cat died this afternoon while we were out. We got him 13 years ago when he was just a kitten. The vets sent him home to die with us in January so we feel fortunate we got a few more months with him, spoiling him and taking very good care of him. He was the gentlest animal - he would never hurt another animal and he adored rabbits of course. I don't think he suffered although he lost so much weight it was heartbreaking to pick him up. I did make sure to hand feed him canned cat food with a spoon several times a day and I took him outside on the back patio every afternoon to get some sun and fresh air.
I still haven't decided on my next knitting project but I need to choose something soon. The first Red Sox/Yankees series starts Monday so I need something that is not too complicated.
I'm currently leaning toward the scarf in the Japanese book. With any luck I'll have the colors in my stash to coordinate it with the Dale of Norway Sirdal cardigan I made a few years ago.
Not much else is going on here. I have some purple cotton fabric I'm going to use to start sewing some summer pjs today.
I'm currently leaning toward the scarf in the Japanese book. With any luck I'll have the colors in my stash to coordinate it with the Dale of Norway Sirdal cardigan I made a few years ago.
Not much else is going on here. I have some purple cotton fabric I'm going to use to start sewing some summer pjs today.
I've been meaning to show you my three favorite pairs of gloves modeled instead of squished in the scanner.
Landra's Gloves from Folk Knitting in Estonia in Stahl baby merino with her fancy-schmantzy cast on.
One of the Holy Grails of knitting - the Sanquhar gloves done with size 00 dpns in Shetland laceweight. The pattern is from a Japanese web site which you'll find if you google "Sanquhar." I love wearing these outside at night because they kind of glow in the dark.
Probably my favorite gloves - the photo doesn't do them justice. These are the Vanalinn gloves from A Gathering of Lace done in some old stash Nylamb. The pattern is easy and I plan to also make these in black with a longer cuff.
Landra's Gloves from Folk Knitting in Estonia in Stahl baby merino with her fancy-schmantzy cast on.
One of the Holy Grails of knitting - the Sanquhar gloves done with size 00 dpns in Shetland laceweight. The pattern is from a Japanese web site which you'll find if you google "Sanquhar." I love wearing these outside at night because they kind of glow in the dark.
Probably my favorite gloves - the photo doesn't do them justice. These are the Vanalinn gloves from A Gathering of Lace done in some old stash Nylamb. The pattern is easy and I plan to also make these in black with a longer cuff.
I just checked out a new knitting book from the library - The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe. So far I've just read the section on stranded knitting but I was happy to see that she specifies that Fair Isle knitting is only one type of stranded color knitting. If I could just stop sewing and cooking I'd actually finish my gloves to show you.
To celebrate Earth Day we decided it was wise to use up all our organic produce from Los Poblanos Farm before the next box arrives. Together we made Rick Bayless' Spicy Mushroom Tamales along with some stuffed zucchini and a salad.
BEFORE
AFTER
The tomatoes and poblano chiles aren't organic but I believe everything else is. I rarely see tamales served with sauce here but DH likes them with his red chile sauce. Today is the first time I used frozen masa dough (the only time it is available fresh in abundance is near the holidays) and it turned out really well. Too bad the smallest size is 5 lbs. The recipe was more labor-intensive as usual but they were the tenderest tamales I've ever had.
To celebrate Earth Day we decided it was wise to use up all our organic produce from Los Poblanos Farm before the next box arrives. Together we made Rick Bayless' Spicy Mushroom Tamales along with some stuffed zucchini and a salad.
BEFORE
AFTER
The tomatoes and poblano chiles aren't organic but I believe everything else is. I rarely see tamales served with sauce here but DH likes them with his red chile sauce. Today is the first time I used frozen masa dough (the only time it is available fresh in abundance is near the holidays) and it turned out really well. Too bad the smallest size is 5 lbs. The recipe was more labor-intensive as usual but they were the tenderest tamales I've ever had.
I still have to do the fingers on the second Japanese/Scandinavian glove. Part of the reason I'm such a slowpoke is because I stupidly started the second glove the same as the first, thus making two right hand gloves. DUH I then just worked the chart backwards which worked just fine. I should get some good knitting done tonight while watching the Red Sox with DH.
The second reason I'm so slow on the gloves (which really are a fast glove project I promise!) is that I've been making pajamas. Last weekend I made DH a plain boring navy pair and here is the pair I'm working on now. You can't really see from the pattern but the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem have a ruffle which I'm going to do this afternoon. I love the flannel I chose but after prewashing it shrunk in width several inches making laying out the pattern challenging. Fortunately I bought extra fabric. I need to find different buttons.
The second reason I'm so slow on the gloves (which really are a fast glove project I promise!) is that I've been making pajamas. Last weekend I made DH a plain boring navy pair and here is the pair I'm working on now. You can't really see from the pattern but the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem have a ruffle which I'm going to do this afternoon. I love the flannel I chose but after prewashing it shrunk in width several inches making laying out the pattern challenging. Fortunately I bought extra fabric. I need to find different buttons.
Anne sent me this photo of a beautiful child's hat and mitten set she's making out of Cascade 220 and 3.75 needles. She's unsure of the source of the mitten pattern but she used Charlene Schurch's Norwegian braid for the cuffs. Aren't they lovely?
Anne says the mitten pattern came from a book now lost after a move that I mentioned on my blog. Anyone have any ideas? I looked in two Nordic books and Folk Mittens to no avail.
Lisa is now also doing the Japanese/Scandinavian glove-along. She's doing them in a lovely variegated yarn.
Anne says the mitten pattern came from a book now lost after a move that I mentioned on my blog. Anyone have any ideas? I looked in two Nordic books and Folk Mittens to no avail.
Lisa is now also doing the Japanese/Scandinavian glove-along. She's doing them in a lovely variegated yarn.
Saartje finished her Japanese/Norwegian gloves first - go check her lovely version out. I probably won't be finished until Wednesday as I have a sewing project to finish today.
While I had the flu I did work on a simple pair of worsted weight socks for DH. I think I'll start doing some striped versions for him next to use up some oddballs in my stash.
While I had the flu I did work on a simple pair of worsted weight socks for DH. I think I'll start doing some striped versions for him next to use up some oddballs in my stash.
I live in a divided household. DH likes red chile and I like green chile. I will, however, happily eat red chile only if it is Rick Bayless' labor-intensive red chile. For dinner we made his Guajillo Chilequiles (recipe is HERE) which is tortilla chips in a wonderful red chile sauce topped with fried eggs. Here's a photo of our dinner. I surrounded the plate with dried guajillo chiles which are very inexpensive and plentiful here.
The eggs came from Farmer Monte, our CSA host at Los Poblanos Organics. I am very grateful he's starting to offer eggs so we can get them from happy hens who frolic outdoors. Plus the various colors and sizes make them as pretty as dyed Easter eggs.
Most importantly, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! The Easter bunny arrived early here - just try and guess which one is the real bunny.
The eggs came from Farmer Monte, our CSA host at Los Poblanos Organics. I am very grateful he's starting to offer eggs so we can get them from happy hens who frolic outdoors. Plus the various colors and sizes make them as pretty as dyed Easter eggs.
Most importantly, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! The Easter bunny arrived early here - just try and guess which one is the real bunny.
Today I am spending the day cooking and baking. (Photo above - whole wheat vegan choc. chip/craisin cookies for DH's lunches next week. Recipe is a variation of the choc. chip cookies from Sweet and Natural.)
Yesterday I organized my cookbook collection and HERE is the LibraryThing list. There are about 30 unloved books on my list that I plan to trade in. I couldn't resist when they were $1 used but they aren't that great. I tend not to keep a cookbook if I try a recipe I dislike or if the recipes are too time-consuming or expensive (Yes, I'm talking to you Deborah Madison).
We eat lots of fruits and veggies from the CSA and I also like to bake whole grain goodies. My all-time favorite cookbooks that are dog-eared and used on a regular basis in order of importance:
Verdura, Viana La Place (Best cookbook ever!)
Vegetarian Family Cookbook, Nava Atlas
Asian Vegetarian Feast, Ken Hom
The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook, Beth Hensperger
Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book
Sweet and Natural, Meredith McCarty
Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, Nava Atlas
Victory Garden Cookbook, Marian Morash
20 Minutes to Dinner, Bryanna Clark Grogan
The Saucy Vegetarian, Joanne Stepaniak
Speaking of cookbook author Bryanna Clark Grogan, she has a cool new blog HERE with lots of appetizing photos of her culinary creations. She's currently working on baking lots of Easter breads.Also, if you haven't been to the Vegan Lunch Box blog - go now. I am always getting great ideas for healthy lunches for DH.
Sandy in the comments says the proper title for the Japanese book is Scandinavian Knitted Accessories. Sherry asked how I'm knitting from the book. Fortunately the color charts are the same.
For the gloves I cast on 54 stitches on size 3 (US) dpns in a sport weight yarn which is working well sizewise. I didn't do the braiding but if you wanted to you could use the 2 color vikkel braid from Folk Knitting in Estonia which looks the same. I'm not so sure about the dark green color I chose in the cuff but I'll wait and see until they're done. I'm ready for the fingers and I looked at the individual finger charts to see the numbers. They'll be something like (1) (7)(3)(7)(2) with additional Japanese characters. I took that to mean cast on 1 stitch, knit 7 sts off the needle, pick up 3 sts from the previous finger, knit 7 more sts from the next dpn, and cast on 2 more sts. I did the math for each finger and it works out to the 64 sts on the needles at the end of the glove body.
Today's post contains the good, bad, and ugly of old knitting patterns. Anne from California was given tons of old knitting patterns and kindly sent me some for my enduring enjoyment.
The first photo is from an early issue of Rowan magazine. I really like this Kim Hargreaves intarsia sweater Indian Summer but it would probably take me 20 years to collect all the yarn colors.
Here's an adorable kid's cap from an old issue of Fashion Knitting.
I begged DH to let me make him this sweater but the ingrate flatly refused!
He did, however, insist I knit myself these split capri cable two-color after ski pants.
The first photo is from an early issue of Rowan magazine. I really like this Kim Hargreaves intarsia sweater Indian Summer but it would probably take me 20 years to collect all the yarn colors.
Here's an adorable kid's cap from an old issue of Fashion Knitting.
I begged DH to let me make him this sweater but the ingrate flatly refused!
He did, however, insist I knit myself these split capri cable two-color after ski pants.
It has been YEARS since I've purchased a knitting book that had so many projects I want to make.
Yes, it is in Japanese and I have no clue what the title is but it is a little treasure of a book. First there are several entrelac accessories then a few projects in twined/two-end/tvaandstickning. Then there is a good selection of stranded colorwork which appear to have a Scandinavian theme. Saartje showed this pair of gloves on her blog and I immediately ordered the book. I plan to make this pair in black and white and I believe Saartje is going to make these gloves as well. Anyone else interested in a glove knit-along? I believe they're knit in a sport weight yarn but I'll swatch later this week.
This little book ends up with a few accessories that appear to be Bohus knitting. I purchased mine from Yesasia for (the title appears on the invoice as hokuou no nitsuto komonotachi) $16.75 plus $3.99 shipping to the US.
Yes, it is in Japanese and I have no clue what the title is but it is a little treasure of a book. First there are several entrelac accessories then a few projects in twined/two-end/tvaandstickning. Then there is a good selection of stranded colorwork which appear to have a Scandinavian theme. Saartje showed this pair of gloves on her blog and I immediately ordered the book. I plan to make this pair in black and white and I believe Saartje is going to make these gloves as well. Anyone else interested in a glove knit-along? I believe they're knit in a sport weight yarn but I'll swatch later this week.
Isn't this Nordic scarf lovely? I just adore how the designer uses Norwegian braided trim on the ends of the scarf.
And here is a beautiful Dubbelmossa.
This little book ends up with a few accessories that appear to be Bohus knitting. I purchased mine from Yesasia for (the title appears on the invoice as hokuou no nitsuto komonotachi) $16.75 plus $3.99 shipping to the US.
No actual crocodiles were harmed in the making of these socks.
Once again, these are the Moc Croc socks (free pattern). I made the smaller size because the pattern is quite stretchy. I made them short because they're socks for summer. The yarn is Knitpicks Essential and the color in the second photo is closer to the actual color. I used heel stitch on the heel flap to compensate for my skinny feet. Ignore how white my legs are please.
Thanks Susan for such a fun pattern!
Once again, these are the Moc Croc socks (free pattern). I made the smaller size because the pattern is quite stretchy. I made them short because they're socks for summer. The yarn is Knitpicks Essential and the color in the second photo is closer to the actual color. I used heel stitch on the heel flap to compensate for my skinny feet. Ignore how white my legs are please.
Thanks Susan for such a fun pattern!
I've been trying to decide what to knit for Peaches' former mom. I've already knit her some rabbit socks and she has a bunnies and carrots hat so I'll have to come up with something else. Debby is the blonde woman holding various rabbits in all the photos of Best Friend's Great Bunny Rescue. Peaches lived with her about a year and a half and she named her Breezy before I got around to adopting her. I've sent her tons of photos of Miss Peaches and a Peaches mug but knowing how tirelessly she's been working lately in Nevada I want to send her something beautiful as a thank you. Maybe I'll make her some gloves.
The rescue is going well - they've adopted out their first rabbit and have 20 more applications for adoptions. Also, a rescue group wants to take 300 of the rabbits. Current estimates put the total number of rescued rabbits up to 1500.
The rescue is going well - they've adopted out their first rabbit and have 20 more applications for adoptions. Also, a rescue group wants to take 300 of the rabbits. Current estimates put the total number of rescued rabbits up to 1500.
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