March 30, 2011

Happy Birthday Apolline



 For Baby Apolline On The Occasion Of Her First Birthday

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be rightgeous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay forever young

(These are Bob Dylan's words - I'm sure he wouldn't mind.)

March 27, 2011

Lucy Dog

The Good Lord has seen fit to allow a sweet dog with a grim diagnosis to experience yet another spring...

Buttoned Up

There are people who long for a cleaning service or a gardener to help with the landscaping. I'd love to have a seamer - someone with great sewing skills to seam my knitted garments together and sew on the buttons. The better I get, with experience, the less I mind the process but knitting is, for me, definitely the more enjoyable part of the project. It took me half the morning today to weave in the ends on this little cardigan (of course, being multi-colored, there were lots of ends!) and sew on the buttons.

Garter Yoke Baby Cardi

March 26, 2011

The Beaucoups Go Roving

We had a few things to do in the Annapolis Valley today. After taking care of business, we drove around a bit, exploring the area to the north of Kentville and Wolfville. We were struck this time with the number of new housing developments throughout the area. It seemed as though every glance out the car window to the right or to the left revealed a new street winding off a main road and leading to a further maze of beautiful new homes. And as attractive as many are, I can understand why the local farmers are concerned about the disappearance of agricultural land.
After running our errands, and having a lunch of lobster linguine at the Blomidon Inn, we went to Gaspereau Valley Fibres.

It was such a cold, blustery, early spring day that we were more than happy to step into the shop with a wood fire burning in the stove.



Since I am in a State of Virtue and still knitting from my yarn drawer instead of buying new wool, I left the store with only roving for Movita, who purchased mostly neutral tones for her needle felting when she was there last. Everyone at the shop is always so helpful. Today, I learned how to take two shades of roving and comb or brush them together to make a new, solid shade. Thus the orchid pink and soft, pale melon can be combined to make just about the perfect color for a pig!


I've said it before and I'll say it again: We are so fortunate in this small province of Nova Scotia to have so many great yarn shops with a truly impressive inventory of  good quality yarns, fibres, books, tools and accessories.

March 24, 2011

Baby Boy Brown and Blue


Pattern: Garter Yoke Baby Cardi
Designer: Jennifer Hoel
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Needles: Circular - 3.25 mm and 3.5 mm

My virtuous streak continues with this baby cardigan being made with leftover Debbie Bliss yarn from another project. The pattern calls for a double knitting but I've used the sport weight and sized it for 3-6 months.
The Baby Cashmerino yarn feels very soft to the touch and the colors are lovely but I think the yarn needs to be knit at a tighter than recommended gauge to get a garment that holds its shape well without excessive drape.
If there had been more ivory color in the yarn drawer, I would have done it up for Baby Oliver but that not-so-wee bairn is always going to need clothes a size or two or three above the norm for his age! It will just have to wait in tissue paper for a smaller baby boy to come along.

March 18, 2011

Waste Not, Want Not


Pattern: Waffle Rib
Pattern Source: Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Seacoast Handpainted Superwash Sock
Color: Sahara
Size: Preschooler - 48 stitch cast on
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

I am feeling virtuous as I have spent the winter resisting the urge to buy new and delicious yarns and making good use of what's already in the yarn drawer.
I had a healthy 50 grams of this sock yarn leftover from a pair of adult socks I knit a couple of years ago - more than enough to make a pair of socks for a preschooler.

March 16, 2011

A Hat With Details





Pattern: Ann Budd's Basic Hat Pattern with ribbing based on spinnyknitter's Sweet Detailed Cardigan
Yarn: Extra Big Merino
Color: Magenta
Needles: Circular - 5.0 mm




March 14, 2011

Sweet Details

The Sweet Details Cardigan is 99% complete. Left to be done: sewing on buttons, weaving in ends, and blocking.
This pattern is aptly named and so very well written and presented. This designer makes every part of the project seem like a cakewalk - from picking up the underarm stitches to using Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off to setting up the buttonhole and bands.
And it deserves to be knit again in a less bulky yarn with a better drape. I had this superwash wool in the yarn drawer and wanted to make good use of it. The resulting sweater would make a great walking sweater. It is highly washable, pretty and practical. But I would love to see it done again  in a slightly lighter weight ivory or soft  robin's egg blue.



Since I only have three of these buttons in my button jar, I will have to wait until my next "trip to town" to finally finish it off.

March 12, 2011

Mary Margaret McBride and I



Mary Margaret McBride and I have been together (in spirit, at least) since I was a child. Her encyclopedia series of cookbooks was printed in 1958 and they were used as incentives in one of the local supermarkets to buy more groceries. When the total spent on groceries reached a certain amount, the shopper was entitled to the latest volume. This has to be one of the best promotions in the history of store promotions.
The twelve volumes cover every aspect of cooking and baking, from appetizers and canapes to omelets and eggs benedict, to soups and chowders, sandwiches, fish, meat and poultry, all forms of desserts, drinks, candy making, sauces and gravies, etc. etc. The books are superb.
As well, there are chapters on everything from carving and table setting, to menu planning, feeding the sick, barbecuing, freezing and storing food, teaching children to cook, feeding babies, cooking with wine, and more. Every recipe you could ever desire is found in these volumes. They are well written, timeless, and a preface to each section explains the difference between the types of food in the category (chiffon cakes, for example, versus one bowl butter cakes, versus sponge cakes, etc.) and outlines the techniques that contribute to the success of each type of dish.
You can tell the books have been very well used over the years.

Movita was here for supper this evening and the dessert came from Cakes (Volume 5) and Frostings and Fillings (Volume 3):

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

March 11, 2011

Little Stripes


Pattern: K2P2 Ribbing with a Partridge Eye Heel
Size: Preschooler - 48 stitch cast on
Yarn: Opal Uni 4 ply Solid (turquoise) and SandnesGarn Lanett (yellow)
Needles: Circular, 2.25 mm

March 09, 2011

Ash Wednesday Madras Curry

Oxymoron: Too Much Cilantro


Curry Cooking
The Dakota Ottolite

I've been looking for ages for just the right floor lamp to put beside the loveseat where I usually knit and read. I wanted something that would be adjustable in height and direction and cast a clean, white light on my book or needlework at night. Although the rest of the room has great halogen lighting, the loveseat is at right angles to the window and, at night, is in the dimmest part of the room. This floor lamp uses a special ottolite bulb  - horribly expensive but guaranteed to last four or five years (hmm...do they know how much knitters knit??). It will be so nice now to work on black dress socks or other dark colors on winter evenings and see every stitch quite clearly.
The Duchess of Windsor said once that you can never be too thin or too rich. I would like to add that you can never have too much light.

Sweet Details Cardigan progressing...

March 07, 2011

The Monday Morning Cast On


Pattern: Sweet Details Cardigan
Designer: spinnyknitter
Yarn: Extra Merino Big - Schachenmayr Nomotta
Needles: Circular, 5.5 mm and 4.5 mm

March 03, 2011

From The Yarn Drawer


Preschooler's Hat

Pattern: Slip-cable Hat
Designer: Katya Frankel
Yarn: Spud and Chloe Sweater
Color: Watermelon
Needles: Circular and dpn's - 5.0 mm

Preschooler's Jeans Socks 


Pattern: K3P1
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Solid (Cranberry)
          Shibui Knits Sock (Man Blue_
          Tanis Fiber Arts (Sand)
Needles: Circular 2.25 mm



March 01, 2011

The First Day Of March


It is the 60th day of the year.
I really don't have a great deal to show for it.
Memo To Self: Smarten Up