Can't find the SD card (that happen to anyone else?), so: here's some pictures of little things I made for my cardinal-loving grandmother last Christmas. I love kits!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Christmas birds
Can't find the SD card (that happen to anyone else?), so: here's some pictures of little things I made for my cardinal-loving grandmother last Christmas. I love kits!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Top-down short-row socks
(Pictures forthcoming!)
Back from New York (with the bride cross-stitch not yet finished...), and we went to a yarn shop in Tarrytown: Flying Fingers
Got some nifty sock yarn and a teensy 8" Addi Turbo needle (I've been converted... there's a real reason they're more expensive; unlike Lantern Moon where I feel you're just paying for pretty, Addi's quality is worth it), and, as I have what I've recently seen described as "startitis," I just had to start my socks right away.
Problem is, I didn't have a pattern. I looked in one of the books they had for sale to get a concept of gauge (I don't know off-hand the circumference of your average sock), and I cast on 64 sts on my little size 1 needles, ribbed 1x1 for a while, then realized I didn't want to do any of the patterns I had in my own sock book (using to make something fancy for the kid brother) when I got back to the hotel. I'm not a huge fan of heel-flap socks, and I agree with Himself that short-row socks "look like real socks," so I had to use my memory for a short-row pattern. I really do prefer toe-up (use 2 balls, stop when you're finished, and you don't have to worry about running out of yarn -- if you've got too little yarn, you've got short socks! Rather than having to have a different-colored toe...), but I'd already started, so had to go on from there (hate frogging unless something's become unusable).
So, here is a very generic short-row sock pattern, designed for the experienced knitter who understands the concepts of sock knitting:
co 64, join.
Ribbing: rib 1x1 for as long as you like ribbing.
Top of sock: stocking stitch for as long as you want the top of the sock.
Short-row heel: k 1/2 a round (32 sts), turn; sl 1, p to 1 stitch short of the beginning of the round, turn; sl 1, k to 1 stitch short of the previous last knit stitch, turn; sl 1, p to 1 stitch short of the previous last purl stitch, turn; continue until there's 16 sts left on what you're working through. Now do it in reverse: k to the first slipped stitch, k it, sl 1, turn, p through what you just did to the next slipped stitch, p it, sl 1, turn; repeat until you've worked across all 32 sts.
Body of sock: k around until your foot starts to taper. (I never do the "2 inches before desired end of sock" thing -- it never works for me.)
Toe: k until 3 sts before halfway around (29 sts at first), k2 tog, k 2, ssk, k until 3 sts before you reach the beginning of round, k2 tog, k1 (end of round), k1, ssk; continue, either alternating with k-all rounds or just repeating this decrease-four round (depending on how quickly your foot tapers!) until 6 sts remain.
Cast off with kitchener stitch.
Wear your sock!
(Or, if you're not me, weave in ends and make the sock look pretty first, then wear it!)
One nice thing about top-down socks: they're easier to try on mid-sock than toe-up socks!
Back from New York (with the bride cross-stitch not yet finished...), and we went to a yarn shop in Tarrytown: Flying Fingers
Got some nifty sock yarn and a teensy 8" Addi Turbo needle (I've been converted... there's a real reason they're more expensive; unlike Lantern Moon where I feel you're just paying for pretty, Addi's quality is worth it), and, as I have what I've recently seen described as "startitis," I just had to start my socks right away.
Problem is, I didn't have a pattern. I looked in one of the books they had for sale to get a concept of gauge (I don't know off-hand the circumference of your average sock), and I cast on 64 sts on my little size 1 needles, ribbed 1x1 for a while, then realized I didn't want to do any of the patterns I had in my own sock book (using to make something fancy for the kid brother) when I got back to the hotel. I'm not a huge fan of heel-flap socks, and I agree with Himself that short-row socks "look like real socks," so I had to use my memory for a short-row pattern. I really do prefer toe-up (use 2 balls, stop when you're finished, and you don't have to worry about running out of yarn -- if you've got too little yarn, you've got short socks! Rather than having to have a different-colored toe...), but I'd already started, so had to go on from there (hate frogging unless something's become unusable).
So, here is a very generic short-row sock pattern, designed for the experienced knitter who understands the concepts of sock knitting:
co 64, join.
Ribbing: rib 1x1 for as long as you like ribbing.
Top of sock: stocking stitch for as long as you want the top of the sock.
Short-row heel: k 1/2 a round (32 sts), turn; sl 1, p to 1 stitch short of the beginning of the round, turn; sl 1, k to 1 stitch short of the previous last knit stitch, turn; sl 1, p to 1 stitch short of the previous last purl stitch, turn; continue until there's 16 sts left on what you're working through. Now do it in reverse: k to the first slipped stitch, k it, sl 1, turn, p through what you just did to the next slipped stitch, p it, sl 1, turn; repeat until you've worked across all 32 sts.
Body of sock: k around until your foot starts to taper. (I never do the "2 inches before desired end of sock" thing -- it never works for me.)
Toe: k until 3 sts before halfway around (29 sts at first), k2 tog, k 2, ssk, k until 3 sts before you reach the beginning of round, k2 tog, k1 (end of round), k1, ssk; continue, either alternating with k-all rounds or just repeating this decrease-four round (depending on how quickly your foot tapers!) until 6 sts remain.
Cast off with kitchener stitch.
Wear your sock!
(Or, if you're not me, weave in ends and make the sock look pretty first, then wear it!)
One nice thing about top-down socks: they're easier to try on mid-sock than toe-up socks!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Bride
Going to a dear friend's wedding in New York. I don't think this'll be finished by the wedding on Sunday, but it's a ton of fun! She's done some massive cross-stitch pieces in the past, so I think she'll appreciate it.
Bless you both, Kate and Dave!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Spoonbread
Here, so I'll be able to find it (and you will too!), is my great-grandmother's spoonbread recipe, altered to include whole corn:
2 c. milk
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 T butter
1 small can corn
In a double boiler, scald milk, add cornmeal and salt, and cook 20 min. or more until it's pretty firm.
While it's cooking, beat egg whites until stiff.
Remove pan from heat, stir in egg yolks. Add drained corn.
In a well-greased souffle pan, fold in the egg whites and the corn mixture.
Bake at 350 for thirty minutes or so.
It's good!
2 c. milk
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 T butter
1 small can corn
In a double boiler, scald milk, add cornmeal and salt, and cook 20 min. or more until it's pretty firm.
While it's cooking, beat egg whites until stiff.
Remove pan from heat, stir in egg yolks. Add drained corn.
In a well-greased souffle pan, fold in the egg whites and the corn mixture.
Bake at 350 for thirty minutes or so.
It's good!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
What's your dream car?
If it's just expensive fancy cars, my dream car is..
(And that's actually not so expensive anymore, now that they're all 12 years old.)
But the car that would just tickle me so greatly to have is a Trabant.
I lived in Germany for a year, and spent two weeks with a family in former East Germany. They spoke fondly of their Trabi, and I ended up writing a school paper from their stories -- taking the engine out and into the house with them in the evenings in winter, carrying around a set of strong rubber bands and electrical tape for repairs, actually speeding once when the spring holding up the gas pedal broke (brilliant engineering, there)... But really, I do love them. Their style's so much like my second favorite car, the HM Ambassador in India.
Best thing? You can get them quite cheaply these days.
Here's an ebay listing.
From the description (translation): "both autos are more or less driveable."
And (at least right now) for 10 Euro the pair!
Do you have a silly dream car?
(And that's actually not so expensive anymore, now that they're all 12 years old.)
But the car that would just tickle me so greatly to have is a Trabant.
I lived in Germany for a year, and spent two weeks with a family in former East Germany. They spoke fondly of their Trabi, and I ended up writing a school paper from their stories -- taking the engine out and into the house with them in the evenings in winter, carrying around a set of strong rubber bands and electrical tape for repairs, actually speeding once when the spring holding up the gas pedal broke (brilliant engineering, there)... But really, I do love them. Their style's so much like my second favorite car, the HM Ambassador in India.
Best thing? You can get them quite cheaply these days.
Here's an ebay listing.
From the description (translation): "both autos are more or less driveable."
And (at least right now) for 10 Euro the pair!
Do you have a silly dream car?
Giveaways
So I meant to come back and post again, but for the past three days I've been surfing all of Sew Mama Sew's giveaways! I've subscribed to many new blogs (note: if your blog only puts the title or a line or two in the feed, you have to be exceptionally fabulous for me to keep you. I like full posts!), and I've entered many giveaways -- only for things I'll actually use, so if you're coming back to see me from your giveaway post, it's because I liked your stuff, not just because it was free!
The only one I'm actually mentioning is a giveaway by Sweet Tea Mom, because they're the cutest potholders ever. I've made some cute ones myself, and bought some cute ones, and skipped over many giveaways of ones that weren't cuter than what I've already got... but hers win! Go see them :)
(Not that all the fabric giveaways aren't awesome. Just these really are great potholders!)
The only one I'm actually mentioning is a giveaway by Sweet Tea Mom, because they're the cutest potholders ever. I've made some cute ones myself, and bought some cute ones, and skipped over many giveaways of ones that weren't cuter than what I've already got... but hers win! Go see them :)
(Not that all the fabric giveaways aren't awesome. Just these really are great potholders!)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Back and Berries!
I know, I've been gone a very long time! I oversaw a massive move at work and was so exhausted every night that I didn't make anything at all for four months... going a bit crazy by then... and I've only just now begun picking things back up. Made two inkle belts for the boss and a coworker, since part of the move involved a spreadsheet, the use of which threw out my wrist, leaving me with only weaving or stitching as craft opportunities.
We spent this past weekend at my grandparents' place in the country.
We spent this past weekend at my grandparents' place in the country.
Picking dewberries.
They tend to make your hands red. (That's Himself's hand over by mine.) They have nasty prickly thorns -- my right arm still looks like I've got measles, with little red welts all over it -- but they're worth it.
They lead to great preserves.
Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1 cup berries
put them in a pot over medium heat and stir until it starts to look like syrup
put them in a jar and process as normal.
No pectin, no added water, no anything else. Just goodness!
(Other options: jelly, jam, cobbler, pie, or straight up and fresh off the bush.)
Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1 cup berries
put them in a pot over medium heat and stir until it starts to look like syrup
put them in a jar and process as normal.
No pectin, no added water, no anything else. Just goodness!
(Other options: jelly, jam, cobbler, pie, or straight up and fresh off the bush.)
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