Summer in a Jar

I have my eyes on some classes... not knitting this time. I have yet to do any canning in a wet bath. I have all the tools. I have had them forever. I figured I would get around to it sometime. Well here is my chance...

We Can Pickle That

August 6th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek
135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Relish Your Garden

August 27th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek

135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Tomatoes Redux

September 24th, 2013 5:30 PM   through   8:30 PM

Harmons City Creek
135 E 100 S
Cafe Level Cooking School
Salt Lake City, UT -UT

Growth

Summer check-in. We have worked, planted, traveled, knit, baked, read, laughed, cried, and more. Doodle is saying so many words now I can't possibly list them all. His favorite word is blue.

I have 4 projects that are in my knitting bag. My main priority is a gift so no details. It is a big project and I have a fast approaching deadline. Second up is Insouciant. I still have a bit to do and the short sleeves. Then a shawl called Rushing Tide. It was a project from a class that had the best information about fixing mistakes in lace! And the fourth item is also a gift. It is sad how long it has taken me. Summer time is not a productive knitting time for me. I spend 99% of my time outside. This picture is from a bit ago, I am almost half way through the next lace section. Just trucking along slowly...

So that 99% outside has all been for good. The garden is not looking too shabby. Some of the raspberries, strawberries, snap peas, and lettuce that I have already harvested. Carrots, potatoes, collard, blueberries, aparagus, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pumpkins, and watermelons are all going strong. I cannot wait until we have everything ripe at the same time.

We have traveled north to my stomping grounds twice now. I love getting to visit with my gram and mom. Doodle does pretty good in the car even though it is a long drive. We have enjoyed pork chops, butterscotch malts, huckleberry smoothies, the best chai in the world at the Leaf & Bean, time for all of us at a really fun Children's Museum, and a much needed couple weekends of fun. And nothing beats the view of the Big Sky Mountains as you drive east on I-90 to Bozeman.

The 'hood is having a party this weekend. We decided that a ice cream social was in order. I am hoping to make maple ginger (the best recipe from Kate Zuckerman's The Sweet Life) and a double batch of milk chocolate (from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home) with mini marshmallows. We asked everyone to bring a pint and then we will have everything else. Candy, cookies, sprinkles, caramel, chocolate, everything! I am so excited!

Alan even made me these sweet acrylic cone stands for displaying treats. Totally DIY. $1.56 for a piece of acrylic and just drill holes to fit the cones. Then a heat gun to warm up and bend the edges. Sweet!

Not so secret garden...

This is the year. I am starting asparagus crowns that I will harvest in a year. I am starting raspberry canes and wisteria. I am growing lettuce, beans, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, and Alan is building me up some fancy boxes to do it. We finished one today when it was freezing out.

That and I finished my first pair of socks. Hear that? Two items that match, done.

Cross that of the to do before 33 list (ha, need to finish that list)! I gifted them to Alan so I could make myself some that are longer in the leg and now I just need to decide... Tosh Vintage in Cove or Water Lily? Pictures of the yarn yum are from google images and I am not sure who to credit...

I am in the middle of another fantastic class at the local shop, Insouciant. I went with a double strand of the Habu Tsumugi Silk in charcoal and light grey. I am slow to knit it up but it should be a good summer top.

I have another knitting project that is quite an undertaking. The recipient could be a silent lurker so no details will be revealed until gifted. I know, such a tease!

I have also fallen behind in my book challenge. 50 for this year. I need suggestions so shout some out. And I am not counting cookbooks in the count. :)

On top of life and knitting, I am hindering helping Shirley help a new neighbor. He needed some suggestions for his house (yep, from paint to lights, tile, etc.) so Pinterest to the rescue. I will have to post some before pics, mood boards, and after pics. Have I told you how much I love painting? I do!

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Wow, where does the time go?! I keep thinking I will get to 'that' tomorrow and well, weeks go by...

I have been up to just about everything. Knitting, baking, cooking, parties, visiting, road trippin', and loads of eating!

I started a sock class on Tuesday. It is an easy sock pattern and I decided on Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the William Morris colorway. As Morris is my last name it only seemed appropriate! This picture does not do the colorway justice, it is a lovely red-brown with notes of lavender and teal. I realized I have been knitting for 10 years and not once have I made socks. Yep, in 2003 I met a nice lady at my first job out of college and she sort of taught me to knit. Knit badly and she didn't know how to 'stop' or bind off as I later learned. I ended up righting myself with books, other classes, and many scarves later. :)

I also took a class on magic loop and it really is magic! I am working on these socks two at a time!!! When I finish one, I will finish the other!!! Sorry, the magics have overwhelmed me.

So the majority of my time as of late has been taken up by my wittle baby sissy coming to visit. She is not like me. She hunts with bow and arrow (not for sport but for actual food), she fishes, and has gun(s). I asked her what she wanted for her birthday one year and she said "a new pistol." I sent her flowers. She is the mother of my wonderful nephews and married to the coolest guy (EB).

They came to Salt Lake all the way from Ranchester, Wyoming and then we all went in one car to St. George. It was a hoot! Hikes, ribs, ice cream, and sun. Then we came back to SL for some more food and fun. Corned beef and cabbage, the zoo, and yogurt. The food was tasty and tiny guy had all his cousins in one place.

Picture bomb now and more on Mardi Gras in March later...

Row, row, row your... sweater

The second class for the sweater I'm working on is Sunday. I've 25 more rows and my home work is finished. I think we will be learning to graph the armholes or something on Sunday. The picture is of the back piece and the two front pieces.

It has been hard knitting because everyone in the house is under the weather. Coughing, sore throats, runny noses... Blah. Just when we were over the awful colds we had in December. Thank goodness for the weekend.

Finally

I'm working hard on my sweater. The class first met last Sunday and we have two weeks to knit the back and two front pieces to the armholes. I've 10" of the back done and I think the measurement to the armholes will be 16.5". The pattern is Cinnamon but with some edits to make it more man-like for Alan. No waist shaping, larger collar, cool buttons, etc. I'm using Cascade Eco + in Summer Sky Heather, Alan liked the color and I'm happy it is light so I can see what I'm doing!

We've decorated for Valentine's Day AND knit night is tonight. Sweet. Before I go though, I have a few things to make for our neighborhood pizza party tomorrow. Should be a hoot!

Meanwhile, we managed to get up our posts on our big Northwest driving trip, start reading here. I think we should do it again this spring!

33 by 33

Well, another couple additions to my list...

1. Hike to Delicate Arch (May 5, 2012)
   
2. Run/walk a 10k
3. Dancing lessons
4. Make a croquembouche
5. Travel internationally while little man is still 'babe in arms'
6. Knit more. Knit a sweater. The first one I finish will be for Alan. :)
7. Music or singing lessons
8. Cook from 1 cookbook, all the recipes OR make 1 recipe from every cookbook. Document it and photograph it. Then post about it!
9. Swim. I've never taken lessons and I dislike water. I just need to do it. Get it over with. Swim like a fish.
10. Learn to knit two things at a time. Useful for gloves and socks... 
11. Take a Fair Isle/Intarsia class
12. Visit Bryce Canyon 
13. Visit the Grand Canyon
14. Visit Glacier National Park
15. Take tiny guy camping.
16. Read 50 books in 2013. No, not kid's books... although "I'm Not Scared!" by Jonathan Allen is Frankie's current favorite.
17. Listen to more music, take in a play, go see an opera, basically go enjoy what culture has to offer! I'll cross this off if I see at least 3 of the above...
18. ?

2013 and Off the Needles

I forgot to wish ya'll a happy new year! We managed to stay up and ring in the new year with hats, noise makers, and neighborhood fireworks. Frankie liked the fireworks but hated the noise makers.

Off the needles... I've finished a couple of fun projects. First is from a class I took at Blazing Needles, the City Creek Cowl. It was fun to work cables, I haven't in a while. I even tried cabling without a cable needle.
The yarn, Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Worsted, is organic, naturally dyed, and super squishy soft.The purple is my attempt to expand my wardrobe colors. It is the perfect accessory for the snow and cold weather we are experiencing.

The second project was just a quick knit to escape from the never ending baby sweater that I've been working on for Frankie. Alan got a new jacket for Christmas so I thought I would knit him a new hat. The Hive Hat looks fun, is quick, and I had yarn that would work in my stash. Plus, who doesn't love a free pattern! I love, love, love this hat and I plan on making one for myself and one for anyone who wants one!

Off the needles

I finished this a while ago but still don't have very good pictures. I took a class at Blazing Needles for this and it was really fun. The sweater turned out really great. I'm sad that little man won't be able to wear it long because he is growing so fast.

This picture was taken at Brighton. We wandered around and even got to see a baby porcupine wander around too. It was super cute. 

The sweater pattern is Baby Sophisticate. The yarn is superb and I'd knit everything with it if I could, Tosh Vintage by madelinetosh in the colorway Cove. This took a skein and another quarter of one and it is the large size.

We are here just trying to get over a rash of colds. And we are also packing. Little man is about to fly for the first time. Alan and I are excited and nervous. We are packing for warmer weather. Scotty watch out, here we come!

Sweet Swirls

Decided to try the Meringue Swirls from the May 2012 Martha Stewart magazine. They looked pretty but didn't taste so good. I tried the recipe TWICE and wasted all that vanilla bean.

:(

I will try again but with a different recipe.

The little man is keeping us on our toes. Not sleeping through the night anymore so now we look like the exhausted parents of a (almost) 10 month old. He is crawling all over, standing up and sitting down and standing again, and he did take one and a half steps. Not really 'walking' but dang close! He enjoys brushing his one tooth and at his last appointment the doctor told us to 'lay on the butter.' He gets ice cream after every meal now. YAY!

as if one ball isn't complicated enough

Laurel and I decided to jump in feet first and try to learn Fair Isle Knitting and Intarsia (colorway) from the nice folks at Soft Horizons Fibre. Phew. I definitely learned some stuff. For one, two colors is hard but I can almost pick while purling. I like stranding and now I can knit backwards! This was only the first day so can't wait to practice more and go back for the second day. Mona rocks.
And in other news... my second design submission is off. A big thanks to Carey B for modeling my creation and Sylvia for assisting.