Grape Vine

When I attended the NY Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) three years ago, it was my second time attending but my first time as a spinner. I bought a lovely braid of BFL fibre at Gale's Art in the Grape Vine colourway. Something like this (I didn't get a photo of my actual braid):

I've been spinning it on Monday nights over the past month. Without realizing it, I did fractal spinning. I decided I would chain ply it (Navajo ply) to keep the colours discrete and minimize barberpole-ing. I and finished spinning and plying it last night.

Behold, 114g and 304 yards of light fingering weight yarn.

And only a teeny-weeny bit of barberpole-ing. I may do another Holden Shawlette with this or the Honey Cowl for myself.

A couple of weeks ago my BFF, Mo, went to the Purple Purl for their monthly Knitty Yarn Round Table. I had planned to go earlier in the month but Amy had to reschedule it and I had something else on that night.

While there, Mo spotted some Turtlepurl Striped Turtle Toes sock yarn dyed to be Burberry-ish.

Now, I've never been fond of the Burberry plaid. I always thought it was ugly and that it was ostentatious for a company to have a plaid as its logo. I have the same derision for the Canadian yoga-wear company that has a stylized omega as its logo and doesn't post the company's name outside its stores. I don't have a problem with other people enjoying the plaid or the yoga-wear, they're just not for me - mostly because I believe there are comparable good quality products that cost far less.

All that being said, I did weave a Fauxberry scarf a while back which received lots of praise and I plan to weave at least one more for a Christmas gift. Just for fun I ordered the sock yarn last week and it arrived today.

It has been carefully died to simulate the plaid pattern

and on the band, is a little photo of what it will look like knit up.

On the enclosed invoice was a hand-written thank you for my order

and a little turtle stitch marker was attached.

I love good customer service.

Smart Yarn and Continuing Education

With the winter coming on with a vengeance (my definition of when temperatures hover and dip below freezing), I felt the need to knit a little lap blanket for myself for when I'm working at my computer into the night. The thermostat is set to go down after 11pm but I'm often up past midnight and it gets cold.

I also had a hankering to knit some lace using DK yarn. A few years ago when I was on an Estonian lace jag, I knit a couple of Lehe shawls:

this one using Zealana Kia Ora Kiwi Laceweight

and this one using Jamieson and Smith 2ply jumper weight wool.

At the time, I thought they'd be great little blankets if knit with thicker yarn. I loved the math of the design with the outer diamond pattern meeting up nicely around the inner diamonds.

This time I thought a DK superwash would fit the bill and found what I hope will be enough balls of natural coloured Smart Superwash yarn at my LYS.

After a provisional cast-on (the yellow cotton yarn), the entire square is knit.

Then the provisional yarn is 'unzipped', freeing up the stitches that will be picked up, as well as those on the two sides and along the top, and the border knit from the edges outwards totalling almost 800 sts per round. 

Surprisingly, it is a pretty quick knit but I don't expect to have it finished before Christmas because I have 4 knitting projects I would like to complete before then.

One of the projects is a commissioned work - a long cowl scarf for my neighbour, Joseph's, girlfriend. He asked me to knit her a "red and grey 'circle' scarf". I thought to myself, what a great excuse to knit the popular madelintosh "Honey Cowl".  Again a superwash DK yarn seemed to be in order so back I went yesterday to my LYS and picked up some red Smart Superwash and a ball of grey for the accent.

I started it as soon as I got home and was very impressed as to how easy the pattern is to knit. Basically after 4 rows of stocking stitch that I knit with the grey yarn (to create a rolled edge),  a knit row alternates with a 'P1, sl1wyif' or 'sl1wyif, P1' row. It is an excellent project for mindless or social knitting. I took it along to my cooking class last night where I was only going to be observing the meal being prepared (more about that later) and eating it.

As of this morning, I'm about half finished:

I like the grey accent and the look of the stranding on the outside of the cowl.

After blocking, I think it will be about 48" - 50" in circumference. Plenty long to wrap around one's neck twice.

This Smart Superwash is very nice to work with and at less than $6 per ball, very affordable for these projects. Here it is pictured in with both the old and updated labels.

Last night at the cooking class, we watched Chef John MacKinnon prepare a three-course meal of Coconut Shrimp with Plum Hoisin Sauce (surprising easy to make), Stuffed Sirloin steak (with roasted peppers and portobello mushrooms) with Blue Cheese Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Dessert consisted of Molten Cakes with Crème Anglaise. The cakes were individually baked in ramekins. In the centre of the cake was a truffle that melted during the cake baking process (ergo 'molten').

We left the Cooking School very full and eager to recreate some of the items ourselves at home.

Here's what we're watching being made next Tuesday night at Cooking School:

"Savour the flavours this holiday season with Chef Sarah Hall's selection of timeless classics. Your festive feast features luscious Coquilles St Jacques (scallops in white wine & cream sauce, topped with gruyere cheese breadcrumbs); succulent Pork Tenderloin with Stilton & Port Sauce, with Baby Potatoes & Roasted Vegetables; and for dessert, a decadent Mille-Feuille (a layered pastry also known as a Napoleon, filled with raspberries, strawberries and a crème patisserie)."

This will certainly have been my month of Continuing Education with the two DIY classes in crown moulding/baseboard installation and hardwood floor installation and now with the three cooking classes. Being a lifelong learner is a lot of fun, very interesting and at times, really yummy!

Cookie Class

Suzanne and I have signed up for a few cooking classes at the Real Canadian Superstore. This evening, we made Christmas cookies.

Our instructor, Paula Bambrick, is a pastry chef with 30 years of experience including several years at Dufflet in Toronto. She had our work area completely prepped and ready for us when we entered the cooking lab. The recipes were ready at each table and all the ingredients were measured out. The baking tins were all ready with parchment paper. There were two helpers who did all washing and cleanup.

There were 17 in our 'interactive' class at 3 tables. Two tables with 6 people and our table with 5. Each table made 4 cookie recipes.

Tiffany made Almond Raspberry Mini Cakes. Heidi and Suzanne liked her technique for getting the batter into the mini muffin pans. Tiffany is Suzanne's scrapping buddy and Heidi is a friend she knows from high school.

Karen's recipe was Snowballs - a no-bake recipe of Rice Krispies, peanut butter, butter, icing sugar, dried cranberries. They're chilled...

Then dipped in melted white chocolate. Ooo-eee! That white chocolate is hot!

Heidi is dipping her Chocolate Mint Wafers in dark chocolate.

I thought I'd help out.

Suzanne, Tiffany and I hammed it up for the camera. "When will we three meet again...?"

Once my Melting Moments were baked, we rolled them in icing sugar.

These gals at the next table looked like they were having fun.

Mmmmm... Toffee Butter Cookies....

Coffee Hazelnut Toffee before it was broken into pieces and Tiffany's finished Almond Raspberry Mini Cakes.

We each got to take home a sampling of each recipe. They went right into the freezer for our Christmas entertaining.

This Friday, Suzanne and I will be taking another cooking class. This time, it's a dinner party menu. We don't have to do anything but sit and watch the meal being made and then get to eat it at the end.

One Row Scarf

I finished Robbie's One Row Scarf about a half hour before I met him for lunch today.

Because it isn't really a gathered rib, I did a regular bind-off (lower edge). It was stretchy enough yet didn't flare out the bottom edge.

Although it is a relatively mindless knit (k2, k1tbl, p1), I like the look of it.

I nabbed my resident model for a couple pictures.

This Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend makes a soft, snuggly scarf.

A Finishing Technique

This evening at my embroidery guild meeting, Carol Arsenault did a little workshop with us on one technique for finishing an ornament. It was based on a beautiful Christmas decoration that Jennifer had made a couple of years ago and had put into the ornament exchange at our December meeting that year.

We were asked to bring in something we had finished stitching that was between 2" and 2 1/2" wide. Carol then distributed 3" x 3" squares of 1" thick styrofoam.

We centred our design on the styrofoam square and pinned the edges to the sides of it, then did the same for the backing. We then wrapped 1" grosgrain ribbon all the way around and created a bow at the top. Easy peasy!

 

 This is what the back can look like.

And this is mine. The notes are black seed beads.

On display for 'Show and Share' were these two pieces.

Once again, a delightful 'make and take' meeting.

ACRONYMS

I was just reading a stitching blog and came across this post on acronyms. There were a few I knew and a few that could easily be applied to knitting. Some of my faves:

BAP = Big Ass Project: a huge undertaking requiring lots of yarn or intricate stitches.

UFO = UnFinished Object: a work still in progress, possibly languishing in a project bag or closet somewhere.

PFH = Project From Hell aka BAP or UFO.

PITA = Pain In The Ass/Arse

SABLE = Stash Enhancement Beyond Life Expectancy

S.E.X. = Stash Enhancement eXpedition: Road trip!!! Yarn crawl!!!

WISP = Work In Slow Progress: a WIP (see below) that is taking forever to complete.


WIP = Work in Progress

I have also been working on several projects.

I finished knitting another Shaun the Sheep bag, monogrammed with the intended recipient's initials. I will be lining it with funky fabric and adding a zipper.

I continue to putter away on Robbie's scarf. I'm on the last ball of yarn and with a good effort could have it ready to give him with the ribbed hat in a couple of days.


While visiting one of my favourite yarn shops, Myrtle Station Wool, I saw the new Regia Merino Angora yarn in all its squishy wonderfulness. It is 65% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon and 10% angora.

There are patterns to support this new yarn in a nifty new, little book.

My next cast-on will be these socks using the above yarn. 

And finally, I finished sewing the Provence Baby Cardigan last night, picked up and knit the button bands. I just need to do the collar and get the buttons bought and sewn on.

I'm using Scheepjes Softfun yarn, a 60/40 cotton/acrylic blend which can be machine washed.

I decided to design a matching hat using the lace detail. I cast on 77 sts and knit 1" of moss stitch as per cuffs and borders on the sweater. I then knit the 10 stitch pattern in the round separating each by one stitch. I'll do some simple decreasing for the crown and then will have this set ready.