Knitting

FO Friday 12/7/12

December 7, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

OFF THE NEEDLES

Adamas shawl, as modeled by Babymama aka Katie

Babymama was such a good sport, standing in the rain and chilly temp to model for me. Is she a great DIL or what? BTW, This is a Knitty pattern. Love Knitty, my go to when I need inspiration.

THE GRANDS

Bigmommy called last evening to give us a heads up that the Papoose is going to be in the church’s Christmas Pageant on December 19. No surprise, she’s going to be an angel. Can’t wait to see her with her wings. All this with proper documentation (read pictures and videos ad nauseam to anyone but family), of course. NOTE: Wiki defines ad nauseam as “A Latin term for something that has continued to the point of nausea”.

IN THE OVEN

Today’s the day that I get serious about Christmas baking. It’s been a tradition for years that I start my holiday baking with pumpkin bread with cream cheese spread for friends, with the recipient list growing longer and longer. I think I ended up baking about 30 loaves last year. It goes without saying that that’s a LOT of pumpkin and pecans/walnuts. Lucky for me, I have a hook up for pecans for about half of what they go for in the grocery store, shelled and ready to use. If you haven’t bought pecans recently, they cost about $8.00 a pound in the store. I scored ten pounds for $38.00 and can’t help gloating a little. Pecan pie, anyone?

For more FO Friday offerings, check out Tami Ami’s blog, it’s loaded with FO goodness.

At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year. Thomas Tusser

Knitting

As promised

October 22, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

THE GRANDS

As promised, here are some pics of Babydiva’s baptism.

Babydiva with her fav cousin, the Papoose.

IN THE OVEN

I finally was able to do a little baking yesterday, something new I lifted from Pinterest – a cream cheese pound cake that was out of this world, really. Although, with three sticks of butter, cream cheese and six eggs, it would be hard for it to be anything but delicious. I took the time to cut a slice to bring to work this morning as a treat with my coffee. Yum.

Amazing cake!

Here’s the original Pinterest post:

Source: elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com via Ali on Pinterest

Technically this is not baking, but I got a sourdough starter going this weekend and I was right about the weather being good starter weather. I think this one is the fastest I’ve had one develop ever. Friday I started with the usual half cup flour and half cup warm water and by yesterday afternoon (Sunday) it was bubbly and had the typical sour smell. It should move into its beery, yeasty smell in the next day or so. Much as I love sourdough, this is my least liked stage. Until it matures, it smells like feet. I have to keep reminding myself that this part doesn’t last long. : )

48 hours old

See how nice and bubbly it is?

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. Benjamin Franklin

Knitting

Guilty as Charged

August 6, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

RECENT OBSESSIONS

I’m coming clean – I’ve been way wwwaaayyy too involved with the Olympics, to the point of letting a few things slide, always thinking “as soon as the next commercial, I’m getting started on ________________.” One of the things that I’ve gotten behind on is this blog. So, I’ve admitted that I have a problem and that’s the first step to fixing something, right?

ON THE NEEDLES

I finished that 9 to 5 socks last week without a clear cut next up in the queue project and was doing that thing that I do when I’m at loose ends (is this a pun?) and just don’t know what to pick up next – the rummaging around in my stash, lots of heavy sighs and picking up years abandoned WIPs and tossing them aside, spending more time that I should cruising Ravelry looking at patterns and making promises to yarn and old projects that I have no intention of keeping. That being said, I found some really nice yarn in my stash and found a random shawlette pattern, got it going and thanks to my Olympic obsession, started the bind off last night.

Summer Flies

Holly and Ella Knits

Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette Briar

When I manage to get this project (along with Wingspan) blocked, I’ll make sure to get some close ups, Summer Flies has the sweetest picot bindoff ever.

THE GRANDS

No new pics of the Papoose, Bigmommy is too busy gestating and staying out of the over the top summer heat and Bigdaddy way busy with his new congregation, I think. Here’s one of Babydiva that is so sweet! Look how she has her head propped up on her little hand!!! OMG, can’t stand it!

IN THE OVEN

Nothing, nyet, nada. Too hot. I miss baking, might have to cave, turn the AC down to polar bear and fire up the stove, summer heat be damned!

He who hurries cannot walk with dignity. Chinese proverb

Knitting

Monday

July 2, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I finished the seventh of eight triangles on Wingspan and got started on the eighth. I’m having a little anxiety about running out of yarn but this is normal for me at this point in WIPs. I’ve promised my languishing sock project that it’s next in line, but I also have a baby hat that’s halfway to the finish line that I’ve made promises to, is it odd that I talk to my projects? It’s not like I expect them to answer or anything…..

BY THE BOOK

Will finish Song of Susannah, Book VI of the Dark Tower series, with a Lawrence Sanders novel, The First Deadly Sin, next in line. Mr. Iknead’s father got me hooked on Lawrence Sanders years ago, he passed 20 years ago, but when I go back and revisit books that he and I shared with each other, he feels very close.

IN THE OVEN

Nothing, of course, at this very moment. I don’t cook really during the week, by the time I get off work, exercise and stop on the way home to visit my mother, it’s close to 7 p.m. and I don’t have the energy. I make up for it though by cruising recipe websites and checking out cookbooks, with a little bit of Food Network for good measure. I made a Lemon Blueberry Cake on Saturday. It tastes good, but has an odd texture. I’m suspicious that my oven thermostat is off, it’s been taking 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook than the recipes say. That may be the cause of the texture issue, maybe not quite done in the middle, but nice and brown on the outside. I think I’ll get a oven thermometer and check it out further in the next few days, now I’m curious.

I ran across this on Pinterest. I’ve been a little obsessed lately with pot and pan storage – I’m rapidly running out of it and short of buying a new home and designing a house around a kitchen, it’s going to continue to be a challenge. Here’s what I dream of –

Nice, huh? OK, I’m officially weird, I fantasize about kitchen storage.

You ain’t gonna learn what you don’t wanna know. Jerry Garcia

Knitting

Frogged

June 9, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

I did it. I frogged the Maidenhair Fern socks, it took me until yesterday to it, but I got it done. I’m thinking Fa Fa Fa socks, a free Ravelry pattern that I saw on someone’s blog last week, I need to go back and look and I will, just not today.

THE GRANDS

I spent most of the day babysitting Babydiva and loving every second. Really, there wasn’t much to do, feed her, play with her, nap with her and it was glorious! She takes a long afternoon nap, so after lunch, she took a nap and so did Bela (Divadog) and I. Don’t know how long it’s been since I took an afternoon nap, I’m usually at work and they generally frown on that sort of thing and on my days off, I’m playing catchup with the things I put off during the work week. I could get used to naps. Here’s a new picture of Babydiva, big smile –

See why yesterday was so fun??

IN THE OVEN

It’s official – I love the silicone pans. Love them an unhealthy amount, I think. I (finally) got around to making the little Apple Cakes I’ve been talking about for at least a week and they turned out amazing. When they were finished baking and cooled a little, I literally just popped them out of the pan. Nothing stuck, they baked evenly and I’m so proud! Here’s one for show.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain

Knitting

WIP Wednesday

May 30, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Here is my WIP for this week. I know it doesn’t really look like anything yet but you’ll just have to take my word for it, it’s a Cat Hat for a baby, with little ears. This is in anticipation of the Papoose’s new baby brother or sister, estimated arrival first week on October.

Thanks to Adel’s Knit and Craft 2011 and Ravelry for the free pattern.

IN THE OVEN

Yesterday I got my first issue of The Baking Sheet, a King Arthur Flour publication, of recipes, both sweet and savory. One that particularly piques my interest is Coconut Coffeecake. Oops, I forgot about the apple cakes I never got around to doing over the holiday, with the eggs that were in and out of the revolving door (seemingly) of my fridge. Maybe by Saturday, my new silicone pans will be here. I hope so. I’m excited to try them out.

Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent of no birds sang there except those that sang best. Henry Van Dyke

Knitting

The one where my cold

February 13, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

has finally starting packing up and leaving. The weekend was rough, but I did go to the doctor on Friday and got antibiotics and cough medicine, I feel much, much better.

I did manage to make a big pot of from scratch spaghetti sauce so even though I was puny, neither Mr. Iknead or I went hungry. Honestly, I think we could eat just out of our pantry for a few weeks if we ever needed to. Chances are we wouldn’t always be eating what we wanted to eat, but going hungry is not something we need to be concerned about. Every week I tell myself that I’m going get the pantry back in order, but every week, something much more fun comes along and that project is abandoned without a backward glance.

I found a picture today of what Mr. Iknead swears is the best pecan pie ever, so I decided to share it

Mr. Iknead’s Best Pecan Pie

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecan halves

1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs slightly in mixing bowl. Blend in sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter and vanilla.
Add pecans. Pour into pastry shell. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in the filling comes out clean. Makes one 9 inch pie. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Live a life as a monument to your soul. Ayn Rand

Knitting

The one where my cold

February 13, 2012February 13, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

has finally starting packing up and leaving. The weekend was rough, but I did go to the doctor on Friday and got antibiotics and cough medicine, I feel much, much better.

I found a picture today of what Mr. Iknead swears is the best pecan pie ever, so I decided to share it

Mr. Iknead’s Best Pecan Pie

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecan halves

1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Live a life as a monument to your soul. Ayn Rand

Knitting

The one where I baked

January 29, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

and baked and baked this weekend, a total of two pies (one raisin and one pecan) and something new, Cinnamon and Sugar Pull-Apart Bread, which is to die for. I found the Pull-Apart Bread on the blog iheartfoodandsocanyou.blogspot.com via Pinterest. This is going to be a repeater, I can tell.

I’ve just been able to get started with Pinterest the past couple of days. I like the idea of having a virtual bulletin board for things that resonate with me and I really enjoy seeing what others have going on. I hope to be able to get more into it as time goes by.

I want to become more savvy with my blog so I bought a couple of books today Teach Yourself WordPress 3 in 10 minutes and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to WordPress. I can only get better, I think.

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. John R. Wooden

Knitting

The one about my FO

January 13, 2012 mud&stringLeave a comment

Friday project. Yes, I’m back and here it is:

These are the HelloYarns Cable Twist Socks, done up in Shibui Sock, colorway Finch. Thanks to Mr. Iknead for nice pictures with his fancy new camera. I’ve never had yellow socks before. Turned out nicely, I think.

Just cast on a pair for Mr. Iknead today, Nicole Okun’s Farrow Rib Socks, in Patons Kroy Sock FX, in Cadet colors. I’ll try to prevail upon Mr. Iknead again to get pictures, shouldn’t been difficult, he loves his new camera.

Good, productive day today. Cast on new sock project, made a meeting, visited my mom and tried my hand at making scones – cinnamon raisin to be exact. I’ve wanted to try my hand at scones for a while and today, I found a recipe, printed it and made them. They smell heavenly. I really want to sample, but I’m trying to wait until I get a picture first. I love it when a plan comes together!

No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time. It is just that the others are behind the time. Martha Graham