Archive for October, 2008

Yarn Therapy

October 26, 2008 · Filed under Books, Food, Ideas, Knitting · Tagged , , , , ,

After a difficult week, I couldn’t bring myself to update last weekend, so I have lots to share with you today. This past week was much better- better patience, better focus, better breathing.

Yesterday was my last knitting class and I’ve become completely obsessed.  All other crafts have been put on hiatus while I’m working on a myriad of knitting projects. I finished my sampler scarf. It turned out beautiful and so soft once I washed it (Reality yarns).  Last week in class we started hats.  I finished mine yesterday. It’s a self-patterning yarn.  I chose the colors because they look cozy and wintry (I’m longing for fall in the 95 degree heat).

My knitting WIPs are the windy city scarf, which I’m making some progress on.  I’ve switched the new color, and have about 90 rows to go.  I began a new hat with beautiful Tonalita sunrise yarn.  This beanie will be ribbed all the way up. And yesterday in class we began a shawl.  It starts at the point and increases each row.  I’m not very far into it, but it goes pretty quickly. It’s a deep gray color from Comfort yarns.

My next two projects are a skinny scarf (white with silver sparkles), and leg warmers (pink, green, gray). I’ve also been working on two crochet projects, but not as often as I’d like. Crochet goes much fast than knitting so I’ve got to get working on those projects, they should be done soon.  You’ll see them after the holidays.

I’m about 3/4 of the way done listening to the Hound of the Baskervilles on librivox. I think I’ll listen to Little Women next. I finished Native Son and Devil Bones.  Now I’m reading Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates.  Its not great, but it’s an easy read.  It’s about a woman in her thirties, named Nikki, whose mother was murdered.  Nikki fancies herself a rebel with a short, punky hair cut.  It’s actually pretty obnoxious how often the author mentions the short, spiky, purple hair.  Anyway, the mother was a wonderful, giving, loving woman who was always helping people in the community and ends up being killed by someone she offered a ride to.  It seems that story is going in the direction of explaining how Nikki thought her mother was foolish and naive and through the grieving process learns that she wants to live like her mother (but I could be wrong). I’m about half done. I’ll probably finish it, though I don’t love it, just because when I commit to a book, I like to follow through.

I also began reading the Tao of teaching.  It takes Taoist principles and shows how they are applied by teachers.  It’s really inspiring and helps remind me of what kind of teacher I want to be.

I haven’t been to my book club in months, but now that I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with this year’s routine I’m planning on going to the November meeting.  I don’t know what the book is yet, but I’ll probably try to get back into it regardless of the book. 

I’ll leave you with my favorite new Japanese snack:

They’re little cookies with a chocolate “burger” and vanilla fudge “cheese” feeling The cookies are even coated in teeny sesame seeds.  So cute!

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It’s Elementary

October 12, 2008 · Filed under Books, Food, Knitting · Tagged , , , , , , ,

With the weather in LA on the chilly side (by that, I mean in the 70s), my crafting and cooking yearnings are at an all time high. I’ve also started getting into football in preparation for our impending move to a place where football rocks. If you had told me even a few years ago that I would be spending my fall weekends knitting, crocheting, embroidering, and cross stitching while watching football I would have laughed in your face.  And now I think back and wonder what I was doing over the weekends.  My first three years of teaching I taught Saturday school for the extra money. Sundays I must have just watched movies, read, and done my work for my Master’s program. These last two years I’m not sure what I did.  I’m guessing reading and movie watching are about right.

So this week my beloved made dinner every night. As much as I love cooking and baking, I will NEVER complain about coming home to a cooked meal! So last night I made a version of the Quick Pierogi Bake from Vegetarian Times. I changed it up and it ended up as sauteed onions and veggie sausage over potato and cheese pierogis, covered in soy bacon and cheese.  I know I know.. how many breakfast (fake) meats can one meal include? I had mine with pureed squash.  It turned out really delicious, though the house still smells like onion and bacon. Here’s a picture. Why is it that the ugliest looking foods are the most scrumptious?

This week for lunches I made tofu, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese sandwiches, veggie crackers, mini pickles (they’re so sweet, like a dessert!) and sweet green grapes. Mmmmm.

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday is wander around the Japanese market and find fun new Japanese snacks.  Last week is was Crunky brand candy.  I found a Crunky bar and Crunky Balls.  Really, life is good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I worked on my cross-stitch project a little this week, but didn’t make too much progress.  It’s slow going. I know I need to set a little time aside for it each day, and that I’ll see progress soon, but I’m so caught up with my yarn crafts, especially those projects that are for others (those that you won’t get to see for a few months because some of those others read this blog), that I keep choosing knitting and crochet over cross-stitch. On Thursday I went craft book shopping and picked up a bunch of knitting and crocheting books.  As you know from previous entries, I love the Stitch and Bitch Happy Hooker book.  So my first purchase when I learned to knit was the original Stitch and Bitch book.  I started the Windy City Scarf yesterday.  

The scarf has a little keyhole in it to wrap the other end through so it doesn’t blow away in the windy Chicago weather.  To see a finished example here’s one on a blog I like.

One thing I’ve discovered this week that doubles my crafting pleasure is Librivox.  It’s an archive of audio books of public domain material.  I’m able to catch up on my classic literature while I’m knitting. Some of the readers are awful and some are great, so it’s hit or miss.  I’m currently listening to the Hounds of Baskerville by Sir Author Conan Doyle.  I’ve actually never read any Sherlock Holmes mysteries, so I’m thrilled to be able to listen to them while I’m working on other things! I highly recommend checking this site out.  You can get the files as mp3s or it links you to subscribe in iTunes to a chapter a day.  If you’re interested, you can also volunteer to be a reader.

Oh, and go Dodgers!

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Dem Bones

October 4, 2008 · Filed under Books, Crochet, Food, Knitting · Tagged , , , ,

Oh my aching fingers.  I got back from my first knitting class about 3 hours ago.  I kept on working on the project I started in class (a scarf- shocking, I know.).  Then I realized I had picked up an extra stitch somewhere along the way, so I attempted to pull out the rows up to the mistake.  Then I looked at it, and thought, I have no idea what to do with this now that I’ve found the mistake.  So, I kept unraveling and eventually just decided to start over.

So here’s the beginning of my first knitting project ever!

I’m practicing different kinds of stitches- so it’s a few rows of garter, a few of stockinette, a few ribbed rows, and back to garter. The yarn is gorgeous merino wool, and the needles are bamboo #13. I picked up knitting a lot more quickly than I though I would.  Even this morning, I tried a little from a book I have, and nothing.  But after just seeing it and doing it a few times I felt relatively comfortable with it. Except that I’m gripping the needles SO hard my fingers are aching.

Nice picture, though, huh? It’s my new camera. A teeny tiny Sony Cyber-shot. My mom sent it to me as a belated X-Mas gift. It only holds 8 pictures, so I have to go get a memory card for it tomorrow.  You’ll be seeing plenty more pictures now!

Along with the camera my mom sent me the new Kathy Reichs books, Devil Bones. Kathy Reichs was trained as a forensic anthropologist and I believe continues to consult in the field, when not busy writing books and overseeing the TV show Bones (based on her books).  I was first introduced to her books in college.  My degree is in anthropology and for my forensic class, we had to read books that incorporated the science and review them for accuracy. I chose a Kathy Reichs book and have since read all her books.  They’re spot on scientifically, which makes her already more likable than Patricia Cornwell, though the narrative often leaves something to be desired.  Anyway, I love her books, and they’re easy to fly through.  I’m alreadya quarter done with this one, and I got it yesterday.  There’s a dead body found in a basement, along with artifacts from a Santeria ritual.  The investigation is ongoing. I’d recommend it so far, as I would any of her books (and yes, Candace, I will pass it along when I’m done!)

I’m about halfway through Native Son. It’s getting better and better.  It’s amazing how likable and unlikable at the same time characters can be when the author is good.

We’ve actually made a few yummy meals this week.  Monday was baked potatoes with veggie bacon, sour cream, and cheese. We were going to make asparagus with them, but forgot (no   Then Thursday the hubby made Mamwich meatloaf- Gimme Lean Sausage mixed with textured soy protein, mixed with mamwich sauce and baked like meatloaf, with twice baked potatoes and corn.

I finished my friend’s baby blanket. I just have to wash it and then it’s off to see her beautiful baby girl!

I liked this pattern a lot.  It worked up quickly and was repetitive enough that I could keep one eyeball on the Amazing Race or the Cowboys, and one eye on the blanket.  I have more yarn like this in blue, so my next donated blanket might be blue and white.  Maybe I’ll use that star motif from this summer as the middle…

We have Thursday off this week, so I’ve got a date with the hubby to stock up on knitting books at the book store.  I’m also looking forward to getting to the craft store to pick up some holiday-y paper to start making our holiday cards.  I figure if I start now, I should finish by the new year!

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