Tag: Baking

Knitting

The one where the Brittany

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Jumper is cast on ONE LAST TIME.  I mean it.  This is the absolute last time.  If I’m unsuccessful,  I’m going to chalk it up to the knitting gods, who obviously don’t want me to knit this and move on.  I mean, there are countless yarns and projects that I could be knitting, why do I keep beating my head against this particular wall?

The wireless is working again.  Poor Mr. Iknead worked so hard yesterday to get it back up and running; his patience outshines mine pretty much all the time, but I could tell yesterday evening that even his patience was wearing thin.  Hats off to you sweetie.

Here’s the obligatory photo, but the subject is anything but.

On Friday, we’re heading north to Fayetteville for Miss Susannah’s first Easter.  I need me some Susannah love and chocolate bunnies.  Mmmmmm..

I baked a new cake recipe yesterday, devil’s food with a macaroon filling and coconut frosting.  Tastes just like an Almond Joy.  Ugly as homemade sin, but really good.

Luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth.  Japanese proverb

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Knitting

The one where she wants to

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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

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Knitting

The one where she knows why

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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)

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Knitting

The one where Coupling is

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is my featured WIPW offering.  Cast on at lunch today and got a few rounds in before I had to go back to the salt mines.  Here they are so far

 

 

DD, Lindsey, and Susannah AKA Papoose, are coming to Little Rock for the weekend Friday.  DSIL, Clefton, has a busy weekend with work, so she decided to come visit.  Can’t wait.  I’m so hungry to see them both.  I’m going to really hunker down with the Brittany Jumper, I’m hopeful that it can be done by the time they’re ready to go back to Fayetteville. 

I’ve had a request that I bake some plain whole wheat yeast bread this weekend instead of sourdough, so I’ll probably end up baking both kinds and then have bread coming out of our ears.  I usually give most of it away anyhow, always have takers.  It’s been a week or so since I’ve baked and my flour jones is starting to wake up.  Will try to resist until Friday.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.  Carl Jung (1875-1961)

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Knitting

The one where she thinks

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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

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Knitting

The one where she returns

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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)

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Knitting

The one where the frustration

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of last night has faded and I’m able to post the Papoose in the Pinafore Dress.  So sweet!

How cute is that?

I can’t stand it!!!!  She and the Pinafore Dress were made for each other.  OMG!  It turned out so well I ordered two more Minnowknits patterns, the Brittany Jumper and Cotton Candy.  These will necessitate several visits to Yarn Mart.  No firm color decisions yet, but I’m leaning toward pinkish.

I’m baking this weekend, no matter what.  It’s been a couple of weeks and I’m starting to have flour withdrawal.  Maybe brownies, sourdough bread for sure.

Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts.  Jim Morrison (1943-1971)

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Uncategorized

The one where Ooh Babies

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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)

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Knitting

The one where she’s aggravated

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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)

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Knitting

The one where the Celebration

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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

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Knitting

The one where she shows

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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)

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Knitting

The one where she’s seriously in lust with

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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 –

En Pointe Pullover - Knitting Pattern

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

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