Autumn Wings Shawl Finished
I’m calling this Autumn Wings because the shape and the trim make me think of wings and the colors, well, you get the point.
Pattern: Lonnie’s Ruffled Malabrigo Shawl of Many Colors
Needles: Size 13
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Cinnabar, Applewood and one color I can’t remember, and of course, lost the tag for it!
Modifications: Instead of picking up stitches around the edge for a ruffle, I picked up stitches for a picot hem. I tried doing a picot bind off, but it wanted to curl and was very pointy. Anyone who wants to knit this pattern should know that it’s a very odd six-sided shape and that you should follow the instructions exactly for the increases. I thought when it said to only increase one stitch on the right side rows that it was a typo and it was supposed to say increase ever other stitch across the row. That misunderstanding resulted in my knitting to the other end of the shawl where the decreases began, noticing my mistake, frogging and re-knitting. I would also have used a smaller needle size, as between the size and the unevenness of the yarn, it caused a lot of uneven stitches.
Any how, it’s done, I love the colors, and I’m happy with it!
Blue Camo Hat Finished
Pattern: 76-Stitches Hat by Wren Ross
Yarn: Scraps of Lion Brand Wool and Paton’s Classic
Needle: Size 7
This was fun, easy and fast. Also a great way to use up orphan bits of yarn! One caution though, this is a really long hat! You knit a total of 9 inches in length before starting the decreases. I would go with 7 inches instead. 
Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband to Release a New Album
One of my favorite groups, Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, will be releasing their new album on June sixth. Even better, they’re doing it at a concert in an amphitheatre near me!
If you’ve never heard of these guys, you can see one of their videos, here.
How to Make the DH Eat Tofu
I have made several attempts to find recipes in which to hide tofu. Since the DH doesn’t like it, I have to disguise it. I’ve tried it in dips, I’ve tried soups, but I think last night’s meal might have been the best. I made Tofu Burritos. Before you say “EWWWW!”, you mix soft tofu with a mixture of refried beans, salsa and sour cream. I even put it in my food processor. Blending tofu with something else has become a favorite of mine when it comes to sneaking it past the DH’s lips.
The disappointment was… he figured it out! Usually, that’s because he can taste it. Not this time! He said he mostly tasted the green onions. After pressing him for details he said it was because it seemed just like the sort of thing I would do…
I give this recipe a thumbs up with a couple of changes. First, a whole pint of sour cream is too much. I found it kind of stole the flavor. It should be decreased by at least half. I would also put in a whole can of refried beans instead of half and add some chili powder or cumin to it. I loved baking these in foil on my grill. It only takes about 5 minutes and they come out all crisp and warm.
And now I’m off to find new ways to disguise tofu lest I get caught red-handed again. (Of course all of the smirking and giggling done by the DD’s had nothing to do with tipping him off! )
Happy Mother’s Day
I had a great Mother’s Day and hope all of you did, too.
I gave my mom some yarn that was too pretty to not take pictures of it.
It’s such a pretty colourway. It reminds me of apples. And with the silk….so soft!
I also got a copy of Sense and Sensibility on DVD. Woot!
Bella’s Fingerless Gloves
They’re done! And I’m so happy with how they turned out.
Pattern: Bella’s Fingerless Gloves by Stitch-n-Snitch
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare DK Weight in Cranky Cranberry (my own hand-dyed)
Needles: Size 3 dpns, size 6 for bind off
Modifications: None other then adjusting needle size for my own guage.
A Flurry of Field Trips
With the end of the school year coming, its’ field trip time. DD#2’s field trip to the aquarium was yesterday.
The touch-tank with the rays in it was a huge hit. This was the one attraction that the kids returned to after seeing the rest of the aquarium. I suspect some of the kids would have gotten in the pool with them! As it was, some managed to soak whole sleeves and one even soaked the entire side of his shirt!
The Moon Jellies were really cool! I wouldn’t mind having a tank like this in my bedroom. They’re so restful to watch!
I probably wouldn’t want to do the work, though.
“Take a picture of the sea horse!”, they said
“Can you take one of the octopus, too?”
“Ohhhh! And one of the eel, the zebra-striped one!”
No More Mittens for Now
This is a great mitten pattern, but I think I need a break from it. Here’s my last pair for a little while.
Pattern: Child’s Simple Striped Mittens by Sivia Harding
Yarn: Wool-Ease in Blue Heather and White dyed with Easter egg dye
Needles: Size 3
My new portable knitting for the time being will be a pair of Bella’s Fingerless Gloves in my Cranky Cranberry yarn. I think red is perfect for a pattern that was inspired by a book about vampires.
Not a Bloodbath
This has been an interesting week. I dyed my yarn for the Austentatious Fiber Artists Group Knit Along/Read Along project on Monday. We’re reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and the theme is gothic for our projects.
Monday was a very long and frustrating day that involved me having to pick up DD#2 with a stomachache 1 hour before and ultrasound appointment. Then I had to track down a phone number for where my ultrasound was, since my Dr’s office didn’t give me that info when they made the appointment for me and since it was between the hours of 12-1, everyone was out to lunch. I spent my afternoon trying to reschedule my appointment and find a hospital where my health insurance would cover. So I was just a wee bit cranky. The dyeing process was cathartic for me. I was trying for some deep reds and purples, and got mostly deep reds. I looked at that very read dyebath and thought “bloodbath” several times. That same night my poor mother had an incident that left her with blood spurting out of a wound on her knee (she’s okay). We were both having our own respective bloodbaths!
Which, leads me to Wednesday, the new day for my ultrasound after the dust settled from all the phone-calling on Monday, in which the ultrasound technician informed me that what my doctor thought might be a mass in my abdomen was…. a blood vessel.
Anyway, here’s a couple of pics of my bloodbath yarn that turned out to not really look like a bloodbath at all.
I made the coolest discovery when dyeing this yarn. See that really deep red? That’s what you get when you sprinkle grape Kool Aid over a deep red dyebath. Very cool!
Not sure at this point what to call this yarn. Here are a few suggestions from others, what do you think?
- Wine and Roses
- Red Tulips
- Cranapple
- Crimson Cranberry
I know one thing. I like my results from dyeing while cranky! Maybe I should call it Cranky Cranberry!
