Fiber Fool

Before I get to the food, thank you to everyone for such wonderful comments on the knitting lately. Between all of your wonderful comments on the berets and the great introduction I was given at Saturday’s sock class I’m not sure my beautiful berets will fit my big head any longer!

I’m terribly behind on e-mailing and commenting and even to a certain extent reading blogs. Please know that I’m very appreciative of your comments and am reading the blogs in spits and spurts when I find myself needing a short break but am not taking the time to comment too often. I’m a bit overwhelmed with the fact that in two weeks I will have celebrated Christmas already with my family and I haven’t yet purchased a gift and there certainly is no time for making any (I actually leave 10 days from today). Add on top of it, I get back to CO exactly two weeks before Christmas. No one on DH’s side has come forward with Christmas plans and his parents keep asking us what the plans are. I have this awful feeling that we’re going to be assigned to host it this year since we haven’t done so in several. Then there is gift shopping for them, three of which are especially difficult to shop for. Then I have the darn Norwegian Boatneck which has given me nothing but problems and some other design commitments on the list that need working on and I have about 1000 more ideas floating through my head keeping me awake at night. *sigh*

Okay, onto better things! You were all so excited to have the pumpkin muffin recipe (has anyone made them yet? what did you think?) that I decided to share another pumpkin recipe. Just ask DH — I’m about anything pumpkin and just *love* this time of year because of the pumpkin bagels, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin donuts and anything else that comes in pumpkin and is only available now.

Pumpkin Scones

• 1 C All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 t Salt
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 t Ground Ginger
• Dash Freshingly Grated Nutmeg
• 1 t Sugar
• 1 C Pumpkin Puree
• 2 T Melted Butter
• 1-2 T Cream (or Milk Can Be Subbed)

Directions: Place all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together brisking to sift and mix evenly. In a small bowl combine the pumpkin and melted butter until well mixed. Add the pumpkin to the dry ingredients and mix gently, adding the cream as needed. Mix only until the dough holds together, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead slightly just until a smooth ball is formed. Split dough into two balls and flatten/roll each to about 1/2-in thickness and cut each into 6 wedges. Place on a pizza stone in a 375 degree F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until just lightly golden and slightly split. Makes a dozen.

The outside has a hint of crispiness with a tender, yet structured crumb that stays moist on the interior. These are not the hockey pucks that can be too often found at coffeeshops! I like to serve them warm with a composite butter of honey and cinnamon (see below). You could also give them an egg wash before baking and sprinkle with pearl sugar or large sugar crystals, or give a light icing to them once they have started to cool off.

Honey Cinnamon Composite Butter

• 1 Stick Butter, softened
• 1/4 C Honey
• 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon

Directions: Beat ingredients together until light and fluffy and mixed thoroughly. Keep refrigerated when not being served.

Hi! My name is Kristi. I am addicted to berets. I blame it on my mother. Oh wait, we’re supposed to own our problem, aren’t we? Ooops! Well, I still blame it on my mom. She put me in berets very early and very often, LOL!

Pattern: My Own Pattern (In Process)
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, 901 Baltic Sea, Doubled
Needles: US 5s and US3s (I think)

Notes: A month ago or so I whipped this one up in a couple of days. My original intention was to make it for a local breast cancer charity via an organized drive through My Sister Knits. I didn’t get it done in time and I ended up falling in love with it myself (so I’m knitting others and will find my own way to donate them somewhere). I used Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (901 Baltic Sea) double stranded to speed along the knitting and break up the pooling (and yes, it was still pooling and flashing when knit single stranded, I had started an Archimedes in it at one point).

I just flew by the seat of my pants on it and the band ended up being a tad too big after blocking over a plate (it was perfect before washing and blocking - go figure). In my recent practice of evasion techniques I declared Monday and Tuesday fix-it days. One of the items on the list was to open the picot band back up and insert some elastic. Then I finally added the buttons I had picked up to dress it up a bit.

This is hat number one towards a no-swatch beret pattern that may evolve into a class at MSK. The other gauge hats will likely go to charity after being used for store display for a while. Speaking of teaching knitting classes, I’m taking on teaching the first class of a top-down 2-circ sock knitting class on Saturday at My Sister Knits. I’ll be in MN for the second class, but I think the first class is a trial for my teaching some other classes I’ve proposed. Wish me luck!

Speaking of My Sister Knits… You can now get printed versions of Archimedes and Siren Socks there. Other patterns may become available depending upon how these go over. So, if you are local and were interested in these patterns, please support My Sister Knits and buy them there, especially if you prefer print patterns rather than downloadable ones.

At right and below is the very first Archimedes, modeled this time. I got a lot of flack from some for not showing that one modeled. I told a few that I was worried the colors weren’t quite right for me and I didn’t want to ruin my joy of wearing it. I was then told to suck it up and take photos because it looked good. After being stopped several times while wearing it I decided it must look okay and I finally took photos. So, there you go! You know who you are!

Nothing seems to spark startitis other than a large project with a deadline that is impossible to meet. I came to the conclusion last Tuesday that to stand the chance of having my Norwegian Boatneck (BTW, it needs a new name any suggestions) completed before the trip was pretty much nil. That chance solidified itself on Saturday night when my sleeve gauge differed from my swatch, thus requiring the ripping of the sleeve almost to the picot edge. *sigh*

Startitis set in before I got Saturday’s bad news though. I just couldn’t look at the fluffy autumnal yarn and not cast-on any longer. So, while knitting at My Sister Knits last week I cast on for Urchin. You saw a little sliver of it last week. I had it done by Friday afternoon and was in love with both the yarn and the pattern. I think spinning more bulky yarn may be in my future from time to time.

I loved the 2-ply knit up so much I’m now leaning in that direction for my coordinating thummed mitts I’m virtually knitting in my head. I haven’t started the spinning yet. I think I may swatch the left-over singles just to see what I think of that knit up and perhaps swatch some of the left-over two ply in stockinette stitch as well.

Pattern: Urchin
Designer: Ysolda Teague
Source: Knitty, Fall 2007
Yarn: Color Me Earthy 2-ply Bulky Handspun, I used 2.5 oz of the hand spun
Needles: Addi Turbo 16″ US 11
Modifications: My gauge was a little tighter than called for. My handspun was a little on the thin side, but I liked the fabric I was getting on the US11a so I cast-on 26 sts and increased the other numbers in the same proportion. I also preferred how my short rows looked on what was indicated as the wrong side while knitting the pattern. So, when I was done knitting I switched the right and wrong sides. After wearing it for a bit the band had grown, so I ran two rows of clear jelly cord for beading through it to snug it up just a tad so it stays on my head and doesn’t slip down over my ears unless I want it over my ears.

Favorite it on Ravelry!

I have been super lax in keeping you up to date on my reading. Seeing as I’ve hit a bit of stumbling block in the knitting department at the moment it seemed a great time to catch up on that topic. It has been much of the same around here - cozies. I figure it better to be reading than to not be reading and for whatever reason, anything other than cozies or the occasional romance seems to equate to slogging through. There is also a book meme at the bottom of the post.

• Aunt Dimity and The Duke (Book 2), Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed (Book 3), and Aunt Dimity Digs In (Book 4) by Nancy Atherton - I love this series and it is taking most everything in me to hold back so I don’t run out of these books too soon. Next up is a Christmas one so I think I’ll try hold out on that until I get back from my MN trip. I think I’d like to own these books - these are the first cozies I’ve felt that way about. But, I see myself pulling them from the shelf to read when stuck at home sick or snowed in. Book two is a little disconnected from book one, but was as enjoyable and serves as set-up for the books that follow.
• Candy Apple Red by Nancy Bush - This was recommended to me by Wanda I believe. It was a fun read. I just started the next book in this series, Electric Blue.
• Dark Tort and Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson - These are the two most recent in the Goldy Bear series. Much of the same, but still enjoyable.
• Crime Brulee by Nancy Fairbanks - This book as a new to me foodie cozie I stumbled upon at the library. It has a nice twist in that the female sleuth is a middle-aged woman whose children have moved into adulthood and she has stumbled upon a career as a food critic/writer. I enjoyed this book and will definitely be checking out the other books in the series, though at this point it isn’t one of my top picks. But, my favs so far I’m rapidly catching up on.
• The Case of the Roasted Onion by Claudia Bishop - This is the first in a new series from the author of the Hemlock Falls Mysteries (many of which I cannot get through my library). I was expecting a foodie mystery but it was a veterinary mystery centered on racing horses. While it wasn’t what I expected it was quite enjoyable. I did have a few nit picks on details that I’m curious to see if they get addressed or fixed in the books that follow.
• Blood Country by Mary Logue - This was an impulse purchase from Anthology back in June. It appears as though it was part of a mail-order book club. It was set mostly in a small Wisconsin town on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, with some action also taking place in the Twin Cities. A former Minneapolis detective finds herself widowed and moves her and her young daughter to a small, rural town to hide from the dangers of her former job, only she finds out one can only hide for so long. This was a much better read than I had been expecting. There were also some other authors and titles listed in the back of this book that I’m going to seek out.
• Witches’ Bane by Susan Wittig Albert - The second installment of the sleuthing adventures of semi-retired lawyer, current herb shop owner, China Bayles. I not only enjoyed the mystery element of this book, but China also went through some great character growth as well, an element you don’t often see in cozies. I’m looking forward to continue with this series, though my library and it’s partners seem to be a bit spotty in what is on the shelves so that may slow me down even further.
• How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - This one took me forever to read. I think it’s been on my ipod all summer long and I only just finished it. Part of that was due to the narrator of the Audible.com version not making it through my pillow speaker in a clear fashion. Though if the book had been terribly compelling I’m sure I would have found excuses to listen on my laptop, the stereo, or with headphones. That said, last few hours just flew. I think it was just a real slow starter.

Continuing along the theme of books, I was tagged by Athena Dreams a while back. But it always takes me a while to get around to responding to these things.

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?
I’m not opposed to paperbacks and prefer them for travel reading, though if it is a book I think I’ll re-read over the years I would usually prefer hardcover. Though real long books I don’t care for in hardcover as I don’t find them comfortable to read if they get too heavy.

2. If I were to own a book shop, I would call it…
Literature and Libations ??? No idea, I’ve never really given it a thought. Though I do love coffee/tea shops combined with the books. It just seems such a natural combination.

3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is…
I’m not one to recall quotes from books or movies, sadly.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be…
I haven’t thought about this in a long time. Certainly not since I started to meet some published authors and have had the honor of coffee or dinner with some of them. I know at various points in my life I have wished to meet LM Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Toni Morrison, or Jane Austen. I’m not sure who I’d choose today.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…
If I could bring unlimited yarn/fiber/needles/spindle/wheel it would have to be The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns. If that were not the case (which I suspect quite likely for a deserted island trip) I’d have to say one of the collections of Willa Cather books probably.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…
Would allow a book to be open at the perfect angle for me to read and knit at the same time. It would also be able to turn the pages by a voice command so I wouldn’t have to pause in my knitting. Or, one that could hold the book above my head at the right angle so that I could read while lying on my therapy balls or the heating pad. Again, it being able to turn the page on a voice command would be highly desirable.

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…
Wonderful times pouring through the shelves of some of my favorite used bookstores.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be…
As a child I always wanted to be Mary in The Secret Garden. There is just something I love about the idea of having my own secret place like that. Currently I’d love to be Lori Shepherd in the Aunt Dimity series. She gets to spend a lot of time in a small cottage in England, she gets to communicate with ghost and solve mysteries, all while learning to be a good cook and having a quite lovely (yet realistic) relationship with her family. Keep in mind I’ve only read the first three books of the series so far. I reserve the right to change my mind :-)

9. The most overestimated book of all times is…
I think I’d have to go along with the many who had named DaVinci Code. It was an interesting concept, but not very skillfully executed.

10. I hate it when a book…
Either leaves you hanging with way too many questions unanswered, or they tie up it up way too neatly and leave no questions for you to answer yourself. Yes, I’m a demanding reader (sometimes anyway)!

Since I think most everyone has probably already participated in this meme, I will just leave it with those that want to participate, tell us about the books in your lives!

Remember Where’s Waldo? Well, this is Where’s the Handspun? Do you see it? How about a better look…

Fiber: Color Me 100% Wool Top, Earthy from Creative Fibers Summer 2005
Drafting Method: Supported Long Draw (Woolen), Subtly Thick/Thin
Wheel: Majacraft Suzie Pro
Ratio Singles/Plying: 4:1 (both)
Yardage: ~150
Ply: Traditional 2-ply
WPI/Yarn Classification: ~6 WPI/Bulky
TPI: ~2-3 TPI

Notes: I bought this fiber at Creative Fibers (sadly closing, or closed) in the Twin Cities on my first trip home after buying my wheel in 2005. It is “100% Wool Top” from Color Me in the Earthy colorway. It was nice and soft, but very compacted and I feel somewhat felted as it did not draft well or very evenly, nor was it easy to figure staple length. I actually questioned whether it was really top, hence my choice to spin it woolen despite the fact that top would normally dictate worsted spinning. The fiber was quite crimped so the yarn would have bounce and loft if not spun too tight and I loved the colors so it was just a matter of finding the right kind of yarn to spin with it. It seemed the perfect choice for trying my hand at spinning a 2-ply at a bulky weight after progressively getting my spinning finer and finer.

A while back at SnB I said I was going to try spinning some bulky yarn. I was wished good luck and there was some joking about my lack of any bulky yarn or needles for knitting bulky yarn residing in my house. I have to admit, using needles over US7s is very unusual for me unless I’m felting something. But I am so excited and thrilled with this yarn.

You always hear how hard it is to get back to a thicker yarn once you’ve been spinning fine, but I let the wheel do most of the work for me and it went quite well with little concentration or work to maintain the thickness. Despite some issues with the fiber, putting my wheel down to the slowest ratio and doing supported long draw quite quickly I ended up with a wonderfully lofty 2-ply yarn with a subtle thick-thin nature. The loftiness helped to maintain the softness and should provide some very nice insulation.

The fiber was in an 8 ounce package so I have another 4 ounces left. I am knitting Urchin from this 2-ply. In the skein format I preferred the singles over the 2-ply and was thinking I would spin the rest into singles and knit thrummed mittens. However, now that I’ve knit two of the eight wedges for Urchin in the 2-ply I am really liking it. I’m not sure whether to stick with the most recent plan to knit the thrummed mittens from the singles or revert back to my original plan and spin a finer 2-ply yarn to knit the mittens. But I am really excited about this yarn and these projects. Who would have thought I would be excited about bulky yarn? Me? Queen of sock knitting? The woman who feels knitting with US8’s or larger is like knitting with tree limbs? I can’t help it. In some ways I think I may almost be prouder of this yarn than my fine 3-plies just because it is such a change from my normal fine and dense yarns.