The best way to unwind after a stressful day at work?  Sing-along to a fun poppy band on the drive home… and trying to get you husband to participate in the sing-along…

“A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend

…my original plan was my favorite song on the album, “Walcott”, but the camera wouldn’t really stay still (and Kris takes sharp turns!)  Lots of giggles and whistles!

…all for fun!

Knitting progress real soon!

SMILE

I am in a mad dash to finish my sister’s cardigan by the time I leave for California next week… not too much more to do before I finish – a quarter of a sleeve, the collar, and the belt (plus seaming).  I can’t wait to hand it over to her when we get to her house!

There is this little voice I hear in my head: “Lolly, it’s Socktoberfest, and you haven’t even cast on for a single pair of socks!”  *sigh*  Yeah.  It’s true.  Not even a single pair.  Hopefully I won’t get kicked out of my own project! 

The plate was already quite full with sweaters when Socktoberfest rolled around this year, and I just couldn’t abandon the projects on the needles in good conscience…

2009 has truly been the year of the sweater, and I am not sure I will be able to fulfill my early hopes of doing a sweater-a-month, but I got over half way there, and that seems pretty darn good in itself.

Sweaters really are my favorite items to knit, but I am looking forward to a little change of pace in 2010 – hats and shawls, perhaps? 

In the meantime, I have three lovely sweaters in progress – all with (self-imposed) deadlines… 

Knit knit knit

The foods of fall and winter are full of aromatic spices – warming the belly and warming the heart!

Here’s some of the recent recipes from my kitchen:

Fig-Smushed Anise Almond Cookies

1/4 c soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/4 c demerara sugar (or turbinado)
2/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t anise extract
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
12 dried figs (stems removed and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place ground flaxseed and milk in a bowl and blend until frothy.

Add the sugar and oil to the mixing bowl and beat until emulsified.  Mix in the vanilla and anise extract.

Add about 1 cup of the flour along with the baking powder and salt.  Mix well, Add the remaining flour.  Fold in chopped almonds.  Use a wooden spoon or your hands, as the mixture will be harder to blend.

Roll the dough into golf ball-sized balls, then flatten them on the cookie sheet to about 2-inch diameter.  Smush the fig gently by firmly into the center, cut side down.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  The fig should be soft and the cookies should be golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven and let sit on the sheets for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to cooking rack to cool completely.

Adapted from the amazing Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook~

I used Sucanat in place of demerara sugar, and it was perfect.  I also quartered the figs, as half of the fig seemed too big for the cookie. The anise was so aromatic – like cloves and licorice – and also quite photogenic, aren’t they?

…and they pair so perfectly with…

Homemade Apple Cider

6 cups fresh apple cider
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (more or less, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
6 strips orange peel
6 strips lemon peel

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving, if you like.

Adapted from this online recipe – with some changes.  I used my juicer to make the apple juice directly from the apples, instead of using store bought apple cider.

My dad was in West Virginia for work conference and stopped by an orchard on the way home. He called and asked if I wanted any, and I said sure, and just picked two bushels out of the air. Of course, that was without realizing how many TWO bushels actually is – 4 large brown paper bags filled to the brim – between 150-200 apples, I estimate. So, I had to get creative! The apple cider was just one of the recipes I am trying…

…also pulled down the dehydrator for apple rings - just core and peel,  dip the slices in some lemon juice and cinnamon, and set them out to dry over night.  Great for granola, trail mix, and oatmeal fixings!

Last but not least, I made this delicious apple butter – already preserved and canned for enjoyment later on! I was inspired by the recipe in this great book, Preserving the Harvest.   I used my crockpot – and it made the house smell so good   I am planning to try a few other recipes from the book with the remaining bushel.

Last month, I shared some of my photos from my “Year in Photos” (YIP) project.  Today is Day 44 of the year, and I am still on track!  I am happy that I have been able to stick with it this long – more than 12% of the way through!

This week, I decided to do something new and fun – I declared it my “Week of Old Knits” and dug around for knits that were at least 1.5 years old.  Re-photograph and review how they are wearing and what the yarn looks like after the time has passed.  It’s been a fun project so far, and something I think that more people should do.  What happens a few years later?  How are they holding up?  Are they ever worn?

I would love to see and hear more about your own knits – we spend time on them when we knit and purl – so tell the rest of their story too!  It’s only fair, right?

Street Smart Hoodie

Finished: December 2007
Yarn Review: Doesn’t look a day older. This yarn, Cottage Craft wool, is one of those lovely rustic wools that will just keep ticking.  It was a joy to work with back then, and I would use it again in a minute.  Perfect for cables, textured pieces, and for colorwork.  I bought it at Stitches East in 2006 from the producers, and since then, they have made a nice website where you can see and shop for their wools and patterns online.
Wear Review: Until last winter, this knit didn’t get much wear… it was so pretty, but just sat in the closet. Last December, I pulled it down and wore it a lot over the winter. With the cold temperatures right back in Maryland now, I have already worn it several times this fall. No pilling, no stretching – it looks brand new.
Verdict: Love love. Would knit it all over again. This garment makes me want more hoodies in my wardrobe!

Twiggy Bobble Hat

Finished: January 2008
Yarn Review: Lovely natural alpaca from Kraemer Yarns; however, like most alpacas I have worked with, this yarn stretches.  It lacks the elasticity factor of wool, but it is almost forgivable because of the lovely halo!  It’s a tad scratchy right against the skin of my forehead.  It is very warm and toasty though, so perfect for the cold days of winter.
Wear Review: For a hat this lack of elasticity is fine, but a sweater in this yarn would be an issue… it would sag too much and just not fit.  The hat just gets some more slouch.  The pattern’s bobbles have not worn as well over time, and many of them get inverted and look more like dimples.  It’s not unattractive, it’s just the way it is.  If I had the real inclination, I would go back and stitch up the back of the bobbles… or if I ever made this again, I would do so after knitting each one – one or two stitches would do the trick.
Verdict: It gets a lot of wear because of the warmth. Plus, I love the chocolate brown and the general fit of it. A few things I would do differently next time, but still a nice knit.

Koigu Indigo Anklets

Finished: January 2006
Yarn Review: Koigu is still a hot topic and a well-loved yarn. The colors and the saturation was what drew me to this yarn in the first place, and they haven’t faded a bit since I made them. They have pilled with wear, and the bottom sole is kind of “felted”, but there are no thin spots or areas where a hole might form. The yarn has eased quite a bit, and they are a little baggy on the top of the foot.
Wear Review: These get a lot of wear – as around the house socks or slip on with tennis shoes socks. Considering this, they have held up well.
Verdict: Great color saturation and color fastness, decent socks. I don’t think I would make any more Koigu socks, but I would be happy to use the yarn for something like a shawl or scarf – something that wouldn’t be so likely to pill and lose shape.

I have completed 5 Days in the *Week of Old Knits* series along with reviews (although the ones written here are much more comprehensive than what is on Flickr) and I am planning another sweater and another pair of socks to finish out the week.  Stay tuned…

I’m going to need some new phrases for my titles relating to my Olympic sweater knitting… I have lots more knitting to do, and presumably a few more posts up my sleeve!

As you know, I am wading through the deep water of the sleeves of Kris’s Olympic pullover, working towards that fateful day when I can join the body and the sleeves and yoke it all up together.  A few rows here and there…

With any hope to have my Olympic sweater done for the Games in February, I had to cast on for my very own sweater… luckily, I had some support in the form of a class at my yarn shop.

I haven’t taken a formal knitting class since I learned to knit nearly six years ago, but I figured that a big project like this would be a nice camaraderie knit – and honestly, I wanted some “hand holding” during the steeking process!

Here I am at last week’s class choosing my third colorway – my first choice, the turquoise at the end of the third row, was discontinued unfortunately – but I decided to go with the close match, the robin’s egg blue at the beginning of the fourth row.  Not quite the same “POP”, but pretty close!  We have met twice now, and my classmates and I are all cast on and ready to knit a few miles of stockinette for the body before we reach the colorwork sections in the chest.

The part I am pretty “chuffed” about is the OFFICIAL Olympic patch and zipper:

The knitting is a bit slow on the small needles – size 3 and 3.25mm – but every little bit counts.  With some roadtrips coming up in the next month, I trust I can make some significant progress.  The first inch of the knitting – in the rib pattern – is actually a hem facing that gets tucked under later.  There is an elastic cord that came with the zipper kit to run through the bottom of the sweater.  It will make it look like a real ski fleece!

These Olympic sweaters are probably the biggest thing I have ever taken on – and I am excited about them!  Kris’s is much closer to the finish line than mine is, but I feel good that at least mine is on the needles and ready.

And with all of this work still ahead of me, I am also thinking of how great the new official Canadian Olympic gear is – the designs were released last week, and my mind is already buzzing about how quickly I could knit up something similar to the lovely Cowichan-inspired design… it is a large gauge… so, it may be possible to knit *after* I finish these, right? (it appears that the designs have set off a controversy with the “Cowichan” word choice… but I figured that “Cowichan-inspired” was safe enough, right?)

A quick search of Cowichan-inspired sweaters turned up this number by Rebecca… I think I could cardiganize it pretty easily, and maybe add some colorwork motifs…

…Okay, I am getting ahead of myself… let me finish my Dale sweaters first