Knitting

The one where she decides that

April 28, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

Thursday is the new Friday. Hey, I figure if 50 is the new thirty and 40 is the new 20, then why can’t Thursday be the new Friday and don’t forget that navy is the new black.

I’m off tomorrow and I’m knitting and baking, I’ve worked for it all week and I deserve it. Am I the only person that gets a happy, contented rush from those? Something about working with my hands, following familiar routines is very soothing for me. OK, does this mean that knitting is the new yoga?

You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows. Bob Dylan

Knitting

The one where she wants to

April 9, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

self-destruct because six inches into a six and a half inch skirt she’s sees that she’s off two stitches in the eyelet pattern on the Brittany Jumper for Susannah. I kept checking it and checking it but I guess I didn’t do as good a job as I thought. I’m just not believing this and I know that in the grand scheme, this isn’t even on the radar, I mean, it’s no quake, tornado or tsunami, but still…..

I had all my chicks in the nest this weekend and it’s been wonderful. We cooked out and I made two loaves of bread and an apple pie. Now, the main kitchen sink drain is backed up and it’s spewing into the other sink, but we’re all here and healthy and again, it’s not a quake, tornado or tsunami.

Susannah and her Pawpaw –

You know, it’s all good.

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. Rita Mae Brown

Knitting

The one where she knows why

April 8, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

it’s (usually) the young people who have small children. DD and the Papoose have been here about eight hours now and I’m really, really tired. Totally worth it, but it feels like I’ve run a marathon today. Now, I’ve never run a marathon but I’m pretty sure it feels like this when you get done.

Between playing with Susannah and taking her to Yarn Mart to show her off, as she just happened to be wearing her Pinafore dress, I ran to the grocery store and bought the makings for an apple pie tomorrow. Special order for DD, you see. Don’t get to baby my baby too often anymore.

This is the Papoose aka Susannah and her friend, June, on a playdate last week. (Susannah is in the purple). Precious, precious.

To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship, Thomas Moore (1779-1852)

Knitting

The one where she thinks

March 27, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

she may have had as close to a perfect few days as she’s ever had. I did most of the things I love to do – I baked bread, went yarn shopping, worked on my Catnip Socks and made a pot of soup (shrimp bisque if you must know). On the sock front, I have only an inch or so left before I start the final ribbing on the cuff. I could probably finish them tonight, but tomorrow is a work day and I know myself, if I stay up later that I know I should, I’ll pay for it tomorrow night and Tuesday, so, I’m putting the brakes on tonight with the intention of finishing them tomorrow. I do have my next project picked out – another Minnowknits dress, this one called Brittany Jumper – here’s a pic

I may use this yarn –

It’s Fibranatura Cottonwood, 100% organic cotton, the color is called Cindy, #41109. It’s more of a coral color than it’s pictured.

National Knitting Blog Week kicks off tomorrow, I’m going to give it a try; I enjoy blogging and reading other’s blogs. Should be really cool. I’m always interested in seeing other’s blogs. I can always learn something.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Dr. Robert Schuller

Knitting

The one where she returns

March 26, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

to Yarn Mart for the sale and buys more (!) yarn. I also bought some nifty stuff called Lavishea Lotion Bar. It’s a solid cake of soy wax and unrefined shea butter and is the best stuff I’ve found for my dry as a bone hands and doesn’t leave them greasy. I can pick up my knitting again without worrying about transferring gunk to my precious yarn. Speaking of yarn, here are my newest additions:

The first is Kollage Yarns Sock-A-Licious, color #7801, which happens to be a pretty shade of what I would call Terra Cotta, 70% superwash merino, 10% mulberry silk, 20% nylon.

The second is Fibranatura Cottonwood, 100 %organic cotton, color #41109, Cindy, lot #8/1115.

This yarn is more of a coral color in real life. It photographed pinker than it really is. I think it wants to be a Minnowknits dress for the Papoose.

I made a pan of Lemon Bars last night, just had a taste for them. Mr. Iknead likes them with his coffee in the morning. He’s alway appreciative and only complains about his waistline. : )

Always be a little kinder than necessary. James M. Barrie (1860-1937)

Uncategorized

The one where Ooh Babies

March 7, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

gets posted. As promised yesterday, here’s the tweaked Hello Dollies recipe that I’m calling …

Ooh Babies

2 cups crushed vanilla wafers

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup Heath Toffee and Milk Chocolate Bits

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. In small bowl, combine melted butter and crushed vanilla wafers and press into baking pan. Layer Toffee Bits, coconut and crushed pecans. Pour condensed milk over everything.

3. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the coconut is browned. Cool before cutting into bars.

Josie, doing what she does best, making me smile –

Laughter is inner jogging. Norman Cousins (1915-1990)

Knitting

The one where she’s aggravated

March 6, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

a little because she was too lazy to blog yesterday. I know that if that’s the worst thing that’s happened in the last 48 hours, then I’ve got nothing really to bellyache about. Nothing, zero perspiration, no sweat, zip. I’m just way too compulsive about meeting arbitrary goals I set for myself. Sigh.

On the flip side, I did a ton (or maybe a few pounds) of baking today and so for your viewing pleasure, here they are:

German Chocolate Cake

Pecan Pies

and what I’m calling Ooh Babies, a tweaked Hello Dollies

with recipe to follow tomorrow. These received a two thumbs up from Mr. Iknead, by the way.

Minnowknit’s dress is blocking and I’m finally ready to cast on En Pointe sweater, but first, I’m taking a bath.

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety. Aesop (620 BC-560BC)

Knitting

The one where the Celebration

March 3, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

socks are hanging in there. I pulled a few moves that Harry Houdini would have been proud of, got them back on the needles and in the right position. So, as of this moment, they’re moving forward again.

The Minnowknits Pinafore Dress is finished and is cute as cute can be. Photo will be posted tomorrow for FO Friday. So sweet and I can see Susannah wearing it already!

I have to work tomorrow and so the baking I’m usually doing on Friday has to be postponed a day, but I also have a committment to bake something for the Sunday meeting. It’s really a birthday meeting since yesterday was D’s birthday, my birthday is tomorrow and R’s birthday is Saturday. I’m thinking some sort of pie and some sort of cake.

Another Papoose picture –

Her face is saying “Who, me?”.

The idle mind knows not what it wants. Ennius

Knitting

The one where she shows

February 27, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

off The Perfect Yarn for the En Pointe Pullover. Tomorrow I swatch!

Class Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca Lace, color #2405.

While I’m on the subject, here are two more views of En Pointe

I baked two loaves of sourdough today like I’d planned but since the past couple of loaves using my recipe seemed too salty, I cut the salt (actually I’d planned to cut it in half but forget to add it altogether) and evidently the salt cuts some of the sour out of the sourdough. Way, way sour, edible, but sour. Bet I don’t forget it next time.

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. George Washington Carver (1864-1943)

Knitting

The one where she’s seriously in lust with

February 25, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

this sweater, En Pointe Pullover, Interweave Knits Spring 2011. It’s got a moebius thing going on and I love it. I’m going to look for the perfect yarn tomorrow, it’s done up in Louet Kidlin, which may or may not work for me since I’m not familiar with that particular fiber and it has to pass the “fondle test”, of course. Here’s a pic –

Nothing like a new project to get the juices flowing!

I think I’ll bake another batch of Hello Dollies tomorrow, but tweak the recipe a bit with toffee bits instead of chocolate chips. If it passes Mr. Iknead’s taste test, I’ll post the recipe. Yes, I’m aware that I have seven boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the pantry and the last thing we need is more sweets, but when has that ever had any bearing on anything?

I was going to have cosmetic surgery until I noticed that the doctor’s office was full of portraits by Picasso. Rita Rudner

Knitting

The one where she now has an

February 19, 2011 mud&stringLeave a comment

abundance of projects on the needles. The Omega Sinfonia has been reborn as Elisa’s Nest Tote. It’s a free pattern from purlsoho.com that I found on Ravelry. Nice, open lace pattern. See –

I started Wilma Becker’s Celebration Toe Up Socks last night with some ancient sock yarn I ran across when cruising my stash. I’ll post a picture tomorrow while it’s sunny, artificial light really doesn’t do it justice. Dark blue, purple and orchid (I guess that’s what you’d call it). Putting it on the to do list right now.

I baked a pan of Hello Dollies on a whim this afternoon. I had high hopes that I might get a pic before Mr. Iknead helped himself. Fail. It happened while I was fetching the camera. Sigh. Here’s the not so perfect product