I'm ready...

to be through with gift knitting, that is!

Unfortunately, that is not the case! Instead of ticking items off my list, it seems I have continually added on: the failed cowl that prompted a second, mitts that I should have added on earlier, mitts promised and not completed, socks so badly begged for and I know I can get away without doing for a while...but I have lingering guilt over...

But the do-over cowl is complete:Caera Cowl knit with Claudia Handpainted Worsted Merino
(look familiar IrishGirlie?
This is from one of the first destash skeins I ever purchased from you!)

Then this conversation:

Mom: "so...do you have that hat dad gave to LE to use for Halloween?"
Me: "Yeah, it's around here. I'll find it and give it back."
Mom: "...or you can maybe just knit him one!"
Me: "ok...lemme see what yarn he might like a hat from..."

later that same day after dad has looked through the yarn and made his hat yarn choice...

Mom: "And you can use THIS one for a scarf for ME."
Me: "No, I'm not making you a scarf with that yarn. That's one of my 'men's' colors and I don't have many 'men's colros'."
Mom: "...just a short scarf to go around my neck-but not like the ones that are a loop that you pull over your head..."
Me: "I'll show you what other yarns I have that will be better colors for you..."

And so, my mom who very well knows how to knit got me to commit to making her a neck muffler, too! The hat? Only about 1.5" into it. And another cowl I started for my bro's GF is almost completed. ACK! What am I thinking? Will I ever start on my Leyburn socks for the KAL?

And lookie at some of my Christmas goodies (knitting related ones!):

Shibui alpaca/merino and...my first STR spirit! Thanks Nartian! love (1000)!

And from Little Shit Disturber (LSD), my bud at work, I got this!


And thought I'd treat myself to this for the BMFA sale! I FINALLY have sock blockers!
And STR Jabberwocky lightweight!

And since I had most of my BMFA stash out, I decided to take a What Color is Your STR Stash palette:alot of the kit yarns were not included in this pic and I have a few other stray skeins around that didn't make it in, but it was interesting to see most of it. It would be more interesting to take individual pics and mosaic them for an overall look, but I just didn't have that kind of time tonight! I also left out the 2 Silkie STR and the two Merino/Tencel skeins...

BTW...cake is back! And my Completely Pointless and Arbitarary Group CAKE shirt is on its way!

Another project to add to the Christmas knitting!

Here's a cowl I made for my cousin's daughter:


Yeah, too big. Wide and squatty.

I mean, it wouldn't be bad if it were kinda folded in an elegant way and secured or otherwise clasped with a stick pin. But it's for an 18 yo. I really think she would not be into that look. I was really going for the snugger fitting cowl-look for her.

So I cast on a new one and hope I get it done on time. I have a boy's hat to knit, too, but somehow I think I can get away with the promise of one and knit it later.

And I did it again! I forgot that our WoolGirl sock club (final shipment-boo hoo!!!) was sent out! Oh...lemme do a spoiler warning, in case someone might care...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...

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SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



SPOILER ALERT!!!...



(I'm so proud I thought to do that! But then again, if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about spoilers...the more the merrier!)



Here it is-the final kit!

HazelKnits yarn in "Whispering Pine" colorway, "Pine Cone" pattern,
calendar, a case of awesome"Specially Made by" tags,
a cute, cute leaf stitch marker
...oh-and chocolate!

I love this leaf marker so much that I wanted to take a pic up-close...blurry and I was too lazy to back off for a clearer pic and crop. Oh well. Sue me!


So guess what I was compelled to make yesterday? Homemade eggnog!!! It came out a bit custardy taste-wise, but I think it just lacked that imitation rum flavor that is usually in the stuff I get. So later in the day, I added some rum to prove my theory. It was right.

I so heart eggnog! I forget that my bud, Purple Rain Knitter stalks my blog. And now that I'm on Facebook, she stalks me there! So she gives me an eggnog scone last week! DE-LISH! LOVE! I had forgotten that she actually does see some of the crazy things I 'say' out here in cyberland!

OH...And another item added to my 'to do' list? Knit or crochet a pink and white cake!

IrishGirlieKnits pointed me in the direction of the "Bring Back the Cake" group over at Ravelry. So I now have a Winter Break cause to work on, now that elections are over, there are no outstanding PTA or PPS (Parents for Public Schools)-though everyone's goal this year is 'Closing the Achievment Gap"..., etc...

So I had NO IDEA the cake was gone! How long had it gone missing, I don't know...Apparently a 'bug' in the system, but Casey is our Ravelry God, and all things point to Casey!

Background:

For those of you non-Ravers (or maybe those who just plain weren't aware!), programmer/owner Casey (over at Ravelry, the Knitting and Crochet On-line Mecca) had programmed in these wonderful little icons that would pop up whenever a specific order of letters were posted. The first one I became aware of, and certainly quite the icon of icons (well, except that Killer Rabbit had me going for a bit...) was the cake. "Cake" is quite a cool word since it can also apply to yarn, not just food!

I LOVED that cake! I went crazy over finding out about that cake! Then I learned there were many more icons that would magically appear when the correct letters were put together: wedding cake, pinot noir, tea, hot chocolate, gingerbread, candy cane, hot dog, hamburger... Well, apparently the cake is gone and we can no longer phathom up that piece of cake! I;m so sad and so are many others. Enough so, that the Rav group aforementioned was created.

Thank you, IrishGirlieKnits for knowing I needed this support group!

And here is my current Ravatar:
Let's all hope that the cake returns because..."It's no party...without CAKE!!!"

So what of this new project added on? Glad you asked! I will be participating in the cake KAL/CAL and make a piece of cake to send to Casey! There is a "Let them Knit Cake" pattern and a "Birthday Cake" crocheted pattern to use. Not sure which I'll do. But definitely not til after Christmas...

Try this recipe...

if you get it to work, it is WONDERFUL! I think my friends and I are failing in the carmel making portion!

BUTTER PECAN TURTLE BARS

CRUST
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups pecan halves, coarsely chopped

CARAMEL
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter

TOPPING
2 cups milk chocolate chips (approx. a 11.5 oz. bag)
(standard semi-sweet chips should work, too)

Combine flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar and ½ cup butter. Blend until crumbly. Pat firmly onto bottom of ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle pecan halves over unbaked crust. Set aside.

In small saucepan, combine caramel ingredients - brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Drizzle caramel over pecans and crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until caramel layer is bubbly and crust is light brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread chips evenly as they melt. Cool completely before cutting.

48 bars

NOTE: After sprinkling on the chocolate chips, I turned off the oven and put the pan back in for 1 minute to speed up melting.

And I neglected to mention...

I was just over at ChickenKnits and read about what she's been up to. Surprisingly, no yarn pr0n! What's up with that?!

But there were lots of cookies shown from her recent SnB Cookie Exchange. And her new haircut. And this meme that I thought I'd copy (yes, it had been a while since I'd had a chance to buzz by her blog...):

Things I've Done (In Bold)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (I even got to live there for a bit, since I attended summer school one session!)
5. Watched a meteor shower (I think...sad, I know..)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (not any kind of big one...)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (see 41)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (knocked on wood with that one!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables (Sadly, no. Even though my grandfather farmed fruit!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill ("I call them mental health days!"-I agree with ChickenKnits on this one; not physically ill, but needing to not be at work!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (in case you haven't figured this out, I am NOT athletic. At all.)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (many time over with direct-sales: "Creative Circle" stitchery kits, Mary Kay...-and failed! )
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (nope! but I used to deliver and help in the kitchen and Project Open Hands)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (maybe...)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Pat Morita-you know-"Arnold" from Happy Days-grew up in the area where my grandfather farmed; all Asians out there knew each other! He was "Nori" to them back in the day...)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (Does the PTA being sued count?-lol)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant
So it appears that ChickenKnits says she needs to 'travel more'. I need to hit the important landmarks of my own country, I'd say! And I'm very East Coast illiterate!

So I neglected to mention that my quilt group had our big holiday party last week. I'll have to share what I got from my Secret Santa later on. But I had shared with ChickenKnits that fact that there is this wonderful turtle bar recipe one of the ladies in my quilt group makes. Funny thing is: out of the six of us who have attempted making these marvelous bars, NONE of us has been able to succeed! And it's not like we just aren't used of baking! Come on-you guys oughta know that baking and hand crafts go hand in hand and I don't know a hand crafter who can't bake!

So I'm gonna try and dig out that recipe and post it here! And then we'll see how many of you take a poke at it and succeed! (Then maybe you can explain what I did wrong!)

And some other goodies to share...

What could I possibly have been working on at quilt group? Well, this is a quilt I made in my second quilt class (see 72 above...though this was my second...), "Beginning Machine Piecing" way back when ... Pre-Lil'Emp, maybe 10-12 years ago! (YIKES!) I machine pieced it; New Pieces in Berkeley machine quilted all but the large center house block. I left that area unquilted so that I could hand-quilt the remainder! HA! Years later, still unfinished! If I thought I was not so great at handquilting before, try doing it years later! And what I completed last week totalled maybe 12 inches?...

And I believe it is True Confessions time...
See the lovely bump of Grafton Fiber Arts fiber? Isn't it gorgeous?...yeah, I couldn't resist. So I had set out to purchase a couple of skeins of Merino 5 to finish Solly's hat and ensure I had enough of another colorway for another hat and ended up with this awesome fiber! And I caved and got AlleyOop afterall...and another Cookie Next Door...and a heavyweight Brick STR! (ps-a shout-out to Jasmin who I got to meet during my whirlwind drop-in to Purlescence! Isn't the Knitting World wonderful? And we just never know who's reading! I was glad to meet you and hope to see you there again! And BTW, the striped yarn was from the WoolGirl Peppermint Patty Kit: Miss Babs Sportweight! YUMMY!)

The plot thickens..

IrishGirlieKnits and I were discussing how I wanted to give the gift of STR to my cousin's GF who spins and now knits. I mean, doesn't it make sense to want to share STR with the uninitiated?

But what makes more sense when you are yarn-rich and cash-poor is to shop from the stash, right? WRONG! No way could I part with any of my stash!

So IGK and I discussed how Harlotty would be so perfect for the giftee, but how I didn't want to give it up. How I thought I MAY have a Harlotty mill end and how even a mill end would be ok to give, right? But if I gave the mill end, it may be more of a Rare Gem and I could never replicate it again! So I should just buy another Harlotty and give her mine for now, right?

Well, IGK says, "Open them up and compare them. If the Mill End is Harlotty, give her the mill end! A mill end is still a nice gift!"

"Yes!" I agreed.

So look at the two, side-by-side...





LOL! What the heck is wrong with me?! Clearly, I was not recalling my stash colors very well! Totally NOT Harlotty!-lol! (FYI, Harlotty is below; the mystery mill end is above it..)


So for kicks, what did I have in mill ends? Here are a few from the STR stash...

The second from the right is kind of a 'cousin' to the Rare Gem Iam knitting the Ampersands with.
..similar color patterning, I believe, though different colors used

Crazy, I know...and that other one wasn't even a Mill End! It IS a Rare Gem!

OK, so yet again, I got a bit carried away in my blogging! What else is new? So much to say! And I WILL post that turtle bar recipe (hopefully) next time!

Told ya I've been busy...

What started out as a hat for "Solly", became a hat for Benny...but it's done! "Design Element" and all! I decided this 'design element' was a bit too much to be smack-dab in the middle of the hat, but perhaps it will look kinda cute off to the side?

I hear Nartian's Monkey 1 insisting this is too girlie, but hey-it is, what it is! And I think this little rascal will look quite cute in it!

Benny holding still only for a short moment while his cousin holds him!

And I am pleased to say that the Mystery Sock Through the Loops KAL socks are completed! In time for Christmas, nonetheless! So hopefully they make it in the mail to my buddy in time for Christmas!

Mystery Socks for my bud, Dana--Koigu PPPM

I was taking a lot of time off to spend at Lil' Emp's school doing crafty things. No pics to share cuz I was too busy to get shots of any of it!

And immediately following the crafting extravaganza week, there was the field trip/craft FAIR week. Tuesday was the Symphony and to balance the craziness out, Muir Woods and the peacefulness of still, clear water...

Maybe not all that peaceful chaperoning 9 kids, but it wasn't all that bad, either...

And even a banana slug to look at...or kiss!
(NOT ME!!! NO WAY!...but some of the kids did!)

Oh, then on Sunday there was a shower...

complete with yummilicious cupcakes that Cupcakefaerie would appreciate! (Cara's Cupcakes-hadn't tried those before...)

After the shower, I was able to slip down to Purlescence Yarns to replenish my BMFA stash with a Cookie Next Door, Alley Ooops and a heavyweight Brick!

I made it home to retrieve Lil' Emp from his aunt and dragged him out for some late-evening shopping at the Sports Basement in the Presidio and look what we saw as we drove home...


...what appeared to be a full moon...


And did I mention another project is underway?

Another gift cowl, using the lace pattern featured in the Cafe Au Laite mitts! (Thanks, Nartian-I wouldn't have used this pattern had I not seen your mitts!)

And below, a potpourri of sharing...

Cowl in progress, the new Solly Hat-almost done!, my KP blocking wires arrived!!!,
and...well...I ended up with the opportunity to help take a Peppermint Patty kit
off a fellow knitters hands-so I did!

So now to catch up on everything-and finally maybe get that shawl blocked?

I'm a big-A-- Dork!

Nartian and I were discussing the new yarn colorway from BMFA Rockin' Sock Club: "Muddy Autumn Rainbow", and how much we LOVE it! We also were discussing the various comments we'd read about the new colorway and references to it looking just like our last colorway.

Well...she and I were going to take pics of our skeins together, only I forgot mine and she and I will be missing each other at work. She'll soon be casting-on, so a side-by-side won't be happening afterall...

But look what I found-and forgot I even placed in Flickr!...

It's my side-by-side pic of Muddy Autumn Rainbow AND Tidepooling! Sorry, Folks...I really cannot see how my newest addtion is the same as Tidepooling. Yes, both contain lovely Fall-ish colors that are much to my color tastes, but no, I do not see them to be the same! I only see two lovely skeins and were I to be faced with both at a BMFA sale, I would not have the ability to pass either up!

But here is my other lack of comprehension on the argument that our new colorway is very close to Tidepooling...Tina wrote in her Dyer's Notes that "no two will be the same" and that these are somewhat "Rare Gems" since her 'swooshing' of the red into the skein cannot be done the same on each skein. So...if no two skeins of this one colorway cannot be the same, how can this colorway even be the same as Tidepooling? And where is the red in Tidepooling? Tell me: who's on drugs?

Mi Capitan!

I had missed adding this to the previous post as finished. A gift knit for ME! This is the Capitan hat I had knit for me when I lost my little crocheted hat I loved so much! No, I hadn't crocheted it. Possibly, I could make a new one, but I don't have the time to look one up or figure it out; nor do I have time to dig up similar yarn.

Capitan hat knit with Malabrigo worsted, doubled. I used the colorway
Pagoda-a gorgeous red with pink highlights. I added an extra row
to give just a tad bit more depth to the hat.
This awesome free pattern is by Rosie Garmandia.
Quick and Easy-the way I like it!

I actually blocked this, so it took a few days to dry before I could photograph it and post.