2011 Year in Review

The best moments of 2011:

Being blessed by the Karmapa

Changing Jobs: having the confidence to step into the unknown

Knitting socks that fit

Realizing I have more bras than at any other time in my life

Realizing I have more shoes than at any other time in my life (Watch out Imelda)

Recognizing that by leaving friends, I’m not losing friends

When the neighbor who always slammed his front door…MOVED OUT

Worst Moments of 2011

My sister in the hospital

Changing Jobs: leaving the familiar for the unknown

Most Fun of 2011:

Being serenaded by my co-workers on my last day at work
Brandi’s Wedding and getting to spend the weekend with Tori

Most Embarrassing Moment of 2011:

Going splat on the sidewalk twice

Scariest Moment of 2011:

Realizing that it wasn’t just a large truck making the building shake, but an earthquake

Most useful purchase of 2011:

A little microwave steamer: prevents you from killing food

Slow cooker
 

Funniest Moment of 2011:

The shocked reactions to my wearing a skirt and heels to work

Seeing myself in group photos and realizing, I’m really short.

Best Yarn Moment of 2011:

Finally buying the Knit Picks City Tweed for a sweater

Finally buying the Cascade Eco+ for a vest

Worst Yarn Moment of 2011:

When the Knit Picks Shimmer yarn became so tangled, I had to scrap it and use another colour because, of course, the Cumulus colourway has been discontinued and it was such a dead gorgeous colourway that no one on Ravelry wants to sell or trade any. Don’t blame them.L

Resolution for 2012

Be open with confidence to whatever arises.

Tomorrow the Thumb Trick

Both mittens are now knit, ends woven and are awaiting the "thumb trick". I've read about it; seen it done, and tomorrow I'm going where I've never gone before.

What occurred to me as I was finishing the second mitten, is that I don't ever remember having mittens before. Gloves, yes; but never something so simple as mittens.

What came almost as instinct, since I didn't do a gauge swatch, was knitting them on size 5 needles when size 7 is recommended on the yarn label. I knew as the fabric grew on the first mitten that I'd made the right choice; the fabric is firm but not stiff and just wide enough for my fingers, without the thumb, to be comfortable.

Wednesday, I was naughty or What a difference three inches makes

Finished the first of the mitered gloves last night. Using 8" size 5 dpns was slowing down my knitting, so yesterday on my way to meet some peeps for lunch, I did two things:

1. Cashed in my change, which netted a cool 105.35
2. Went to Looped Yarn Works for 6" #5 dpns; 24" #9 and #10 circular needles and to hopefully find a mohair yarn for cowl.

Now this was easy because the bank is on one side of the street and Looped is on the other side. :)

I looked at the sale table (always my undoing at Looped) touched one yarn and walked away. Found one skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in a wheat yellow colour. Wandered to the front room, turned right and there was Rowan Creative Focus in Golden Heather. A little history, I've moved this particular yarn in and out of my Webs basket over the past two weeks. As of 11:15 yesterday, it was out of my basket; and I had dismissed it on the premise that I don't need more yarn. It's gorgeous. It's a soft wool and alpaca blend and the color is amazing next to my skin. I scooped up one skein and headed to get my needles. I also bought a copy of Interweave Crochet Winter 2011 which I am still digesting.

Went off to meet the peeps for lunch. It really is so nice to have friends that you can be completely yourself with, who are as interested in you and your life as you are in them and their lives. We can be bitchy, supportive, get angry for and with, laugh with and at each other never disturbing that deep current of love and respect that we have for each other. Because there was a bit of to and frowing about where we were going to eat--we almost always end up at the same place--we decided before leaving Nicola's to have our next lunch at Grillfish on January 26.

I have been eating at Nicola's for about seven years, mostly eating the buffet which at $11.00 including beverage and a pasta dish, is really one of the best bargains in town. But yesterday was cold and blustery and I wanted something warm. I tried the Fusili Luciana. OMG, what have I been missing for seven years. Al dente roti with sundried tomatoes, shrimp and a sprinkling of fresh arugula in a marscapone and white wine sauce.

What a difference three inches makes! I was easily able to whip through and finish the first mitered mitten last night. Have cast on for the second mitered mitten. Saturday morning will be devoted to doing EZ's thumb trick. Oh yeah and btw, after arriving home and petting Toupie, I logged on to Webs and bought 7 skeins of the Rowan Creative Focus in the Golden Heather colourway.

During my week of knitting, I've been tidying (in a rather uninspired way), cooking, playing with Toupie, and watching a few series on Netflix. I rewatched Ken Burns's Jazz series. It still hasn't infused me with an appreciation of jazz after circa 1940. It still seems to me that the conversation that is jazz started to speak a foreign language that I can't understand.

Bucketing

Talk about your grey, miserable rainy day which melts into night. That has been today. I was finally forced to put the heat on as the cold began to creep after sundown. Puss was distracted through the early morning as items from the fire were collected and covered by a tarpaulin. Thankfully the maintenance staff finished the task before the rain began.

Between tidying here, tidying there and a bit a handwash, I've been knitting Elizabeth Zimmerman's Mitered Mitts using Cascade Lana D'Oro (50% wool/50% alpaca) on size 5 dpns. The pattern is in Knitter's Almanac and in one of her newsletters. I've decided I'm going to do her thumb trick.

Boxing Day Knit Clogs

The photos aren't great. Puss kept nudging my hand as I was trying to snap the shots. Used Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky to make the Knitted Clogs from Knit One Knit All. Super simple, super fast, and super cushy to wear.

There was a fire in the building today. There have been several fires since I've lived here. All have been small containable affairs (grease fires in kitchens producing more smoke than fire). Today was the real thing. It was odd. The alarm went for bit and then went off. I was getting dressed to go to the store and continued doing so, as I smelled no smoke. Heard the fire engines arriving and then realized that they were continuing to arrive, but I still smelled no smoke. Went to the window, looked out,  and up on the fifth floor, glass had broken in a window and I was watching flames climb the center bar of the sash. After what seemed an eternity, sprays of water started coming through the broken window. But by then I could see flames rising in the adjacent window and also in the living room windows. Soon the firemen were in action in both rooms, breaking out the windows with their hatchets and dousing the fire with water that spewed out of the broken windows and ran down the blonde brick in sooty rivulets. Also by then the alarm sounded again and this time it kept ringing. Puss was in a small frenzy because of the alarm and the voices in the hall. I knew there was no point trying to get him in his carrier. Nothing to do but raise the blinds and head for the store.

The roads were blocked by police cars, so I ended up walking, but was able to get a bus back. No one, I found out on returning, was hurt, which is really all that matters.

Reversible Cabled Snood and a week of knitting

This is a easy pattern, knit to 47 inches before being joined. Using Valley Yarns Northampton from Webs. A soft, but not buttery soft, worsted weight yarn. It's firm enough that I've only dropped a few stiches that are easily recovered. Mostly if a stitch comes of the needle, it sits there erect, waiting to be picked up again. I'm using size 7 needles and creating a very firm fabric.

This week's batch of veggie soup is sitting on warm. I used a package of Trader Joe's veggies, 1/3 of Trader Joe's  stuffing starter, I added tomato paste, sauteed the stuffing starter with cardamon, fenugreek, tumeric, red, white and black pepper in olive oil. I also added black rice and yellow split peas. I now need to add a little salt.

Toupie is enjoying a batch of organic catnip.

I have the week off and plan to make serious headway on a series of projects as well as finishing a few on the needles. Watch this space for photos and progress reports.

Monday Blocking

Finally broke down and bought some Eucalan wool wash. Soaked, blocked, and dried the Ishbel tonight. I learned from blocking this the first time I used this yearn to block hard to make the lace stand out. I think this is the best blocking I've done to date. Still some mistakes in the pattern; but next time I make it, I'm using lace yarn not sock yarn.

Another Sunday and Project Finishing

Finished the first Guernsey Wrap in Knit Picks overspun sportweight wool in the colourway Ash; and it is now drying. Followed the instructions and did a sewn bind off. Loved, loved, loved knitting this pattern. Can't wait to make it again.

Next off the needles is Ishbel, which will be blocked tomorrow.

Sad News: 62 Degrees North has shut down. I managed to score a few skeins before they closed.

Watched The Tudors. The sex was tiring; the historical inaccuracies were jarring and the graphic, but often accurate, grusome executions gave me nightmares. Usually the character of Henry VIII dominates films where he is the subject. But the actors who played, Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More, Earl of Surrey, Cromwell totally overshadowed the actor who played Henry. Even though I knew the fate of the other characters as well as Henry's, they acted their characters so well I wasn't distracted wanting them to get on with what was suppose to happen next.

Randomness

Totally Cute and Clever: especially like the reindeer.

Spiders

I hit it out of the park with vegetable soup this weekend. My goal was a vegetarian, low sodium, low fat, low carb soup.

3 carrots

3 celery sticks

3 green onion stalks

Snow peas

2 leek stalks

8 asparagus stalks

½ large turnip

1 non-russet potato

2 tbs of Amore Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste (chosen for low-sodium content)

½ cube of Knoors vegetable stock

Pinch of whole coriander

1 tbs of basil

1 tbs Red pepper

1 tbs White pepper

1 teas of olive oil

1 teas of sesame oil

¼ cup mix of lentils and Bhutanese red rice

Soaked the lentil and red rice

Heated the oils in the wok added the red and white pepper

Chopped the celery, onion and leaks and sautéed until clear in the oil.

Chopped carrots, asparagus, turnip and potato

Added all the ingredients in the slower cooker with 2 cups of water.

Cooked on low for about 10 hours

Added ¼ teas of sea salt at about 8 hours.

I was afraid the onions and the leeks might over power, but they don’t. The tomato paste gives the soup just the right amount of tomato taste and the peppers add sufficient heat for a nice after burn. The whole fit in my 1 ½ quart slower cooker giving it a more stew like consistency.