it's that time

Just wanted to let you know that Sarah is hosting her winter olympics again. I'm not sure if I will be participating, as I have a bunch of little projects I want to finish this month... my own personal challenge... but I do love a personal challenge. (2 more inches before midnight?) The challenge: start a new project during opening ceremonies on the 12th and have it finished by closing ceremonies on the 28th. And, if you are already participating in the ravelympics, you can easily join in with Sarah. Plus, Sarah is offering a chance to win a gift card to be used in her shop. Bonus.

21.1

21.1" is fun outside...
and inside.

I used the recipe out of this book.

farmers market cardi

I received a comment this week that said, "Interesting blog. I'll come back whenever I am in the mood for headless portraits and cookie pics". I laughed out loud!
I am SO happy this sweater is finished. I mentioned the finishing being a major problem for me with this project. I actually think that I would have mentally preferred if the shawl collar would have been in a category all to itself. You know what I mean? Because, by the time I make it to the FINISHING section of a pattern, I feel as if I am nearly finished. Not that I have another week (at least) to invest in a project. I know you know what I mean.

Other than that, this project was a dream. A lot of stockinette. Perfect.
Of course, my favorite feature is the pocket. Keys, lens cap, phone. The yarn is seriously delicious and makes it super warm. I will get a lot of use out of it as a "coat".

And, oh! The silly putty came out with goo gone! (Thanks to all who suggested that.) My friend, Jan, recommended that I knit a swatch, stick silly putty to it, spray with goo gone, and wash. PERFECT idea. It worked, so I never had to give it another thought while knitting. Thank you, Jan.

Pattern: Farmers Market Cardigan, Interweave Knits, Fall '09

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Green Line Worsted, 7 skeins

Needle: Size 8

Size: 36 1/2

Mods: none

more

So, that little guy saw his shadow, forecasting six more weeks of winter weather.
As a knitter, you've got to admit, that isn't so bad.

Happy days.

weekends

This weekend I:
::watched the sun set::slept in, twice::had friends for dinner::ran into a dear friend::skipped yoga

::cast on for another pair of TOAST (love my pin, thank you, courtney!)::ate cookies for breakfast::did a big closet cleanup with michelle::went to piratefest::ordered pizza
::accomplished the dreaded task of sorting socks (with helper)::watched UP::tried a new granola recipe, yumm::watched charlie try to ski in the yard, hilarious::finished my sweater, which is now blocking and free of silly putty!

Photos soon.

Happy February!

dozens

Good morning last Saturday in January. Nice to see you.
I spotted these cookies over here and they have been calling my name ever since. Again, in an attempt to satisfy all cookie lovers in my family, I doubled the recipe and divided it in half. Half the dough got regular semi-sweet chips and a roll in raw sugar. The other half got mint chocolate chips and a roll in confectioners sugar. I feel like I say this a lot, however, these were AMAZING! And the dough? Well, let me just say that this dough is some of the best dough I have ever tasted. Which is huge because if given the choice I always choose vanilla over chocolate. The melted butter, along with the other ingredients, results in warm, melt in your mouth, absolutely can't stop eating, cookie dough.
I pulled out the sewing machine on Thursday and it felt really great. My sister asked if I would make her bible study girls tissue cozies. (Thanks, Julie! :) ) I make a small change to the tutorial...I like to overlap the top piece.... so I cut two 6x4 pieces and two 6x4 1/2 pieces. I sort of drug my heals at this request but after I got started, loved it. It was the perfect little project to bring back my sewing mojo. Although, I will not let myself sew another thing until I finish this sweater.

Have a wonderful weekend.

note to self

Dear Self,
It is no secret that you love to knit sweaters. In fact, it is your most favorite thing to knit. You love to knit a front, a back, and two sleeves, sew the sweater together and wear the sweater. However, in the future, I would like for you to pay special attention to the FINISHING section of your pattern before starting a project. You like patterns that give a few directions, like: block, sew seams, weave in ends. You actually don't mind if it says to sew on a few buttons. So, please pay close attention to the "size" of the FINISHING directions. If the directions to FINISHING take up an entire page (almost) then chances are you will probably loose some sort of steam and it will seem like a "chore" to finish that project. Even if you remember trying on the sweater and LOVING it and spending the next few weeks thinking of nothing but that sweater. And even if the yarn you are using is some of the most delicious yarn you have used.

Deal? Deal.

Love,

Leslie

multi

I don't have one of those fancy ball winders. I love them, but have always thought, hey, my mom has wound countless balls of yarn for years, why can't I? So, I wind. And multi-tasking becomes a little more creative. I answer the phone. I cook dinner. I write e-mails. I bake cookies. I wear my yarn as a necklace and throw my ball into my pocket. Sometimes I walk around like this for hours. It works.
And speaking of cookies. I saw Rosemary made these, and Melana made these, and then I had to make these. I doubled the recipe, and then divided the dough into fours. One plain, one with raisins and walnuts, one with raisins, and one with chocolate chips. A cookie that fits all tastes in my family.
My favorite? (ABSOLUTE new favorite, as in can't WAIT to have for breakfast favorite?) Hands down, raisins and walnuts.

Have a wonderful weekend!

hope

I'm sure you have been talking about it. And I am sure, like me, looking at those faces makes you feel helpless. I am also sure you have heard of Craft Hope for Haiti, but just in case you haven't, take a look here. 100% of the proceeds from the shop go to Doctors without Borders. I donated that pair of toast mitts. They may not show up in the shop for a while as the list of donations is quite large. How awesome is that!

persimmon

A great friend of mine e-mailed me a recipe for persimmon cookies. The next thing I knew I was on a hunt for persimmons. To tell you the truth, I had no idea what a persimmon even looked like. Honestly.
The recipe calls for a cup of persimmon pulp. Three persimmons ($1.50 each!) yielded a little less than a cup. It took them about a week to ripen, although I did read that if you want them to ripen quickly you can pop them into the freezer for about 24 hours.
Persimmon Cookies:

1/2 cup butter::1 cup sugar::1 egg::1 tsp baking soda::1 cup persimmon pulp::2 cups flour::1/2 tsp each cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cream butter, sugar, egg. Add baking soda and pulp. Stir in flour and spices. Add 1 cup nuts and raisins (optional) Bake 350˚ for 15-20 minutes.
Half of us thought they were great. More of a spice cookie, if you know what I mean, with a cake like consistency. I think the best thing is that I found out what a persimmon was!

Enjoy your day!