Mystery Socks ~ and Autumn Apple Turnovers

Some of the ways that Knitters alleviate the boredom of the long Summer months is to join a Swap, a Mystery KAL, or a Yarn Club.  This Summer I did all three.  What can I say?  I'm a joiner.  While it can be risky to commit to anything sight unseen such as a yarn club or mystery KAL, I lucked out and really love the yarn and my mystery socks (and the Swap too, which I'll tell you about another time).

The "clues" in a mystery KAL are released weekly and in this case there were a total of 4 clues.  I confess that the final clue I knit and then ripped back and modified by adding an additional spiral all the way to the toe shaping cuz, like, there wasn't enough already going on with these socks. It's not everyone that will want a highly variegated sock yarn paired with a busy (made busier) pattern.  But that's the beauty of knitting it your own way.

These socks look terrific both in a solid color and, I think, a variegated color but it was seeing Andi's Clue No. 1 (who blogs as My Sister's Knitter) in a beautiful solid red that sold me on joining the KAL.

Particulars:  Mystery Sock KAL August 2011 by Jen Hansen (blogs as Knitting like Crazy) (pattern subsequently named Ripple Effect available as a free Ravelry download); Sock Yarn by Hedgehog Fibers (Phoenix colorway - July 2011 club colorway); US 1 needles.  Modified the last chart (Clue No. 4) by adding an additional band of patterning which spiraled all the way to the toe.  I added the additional spiral as I felt otherwise the pattern stopped rather abruptly. 


Autumn Apple Turnovers

Whenever I visit my parents in Santa Barbara my Mom and I always take off together for an enjoyable morning walking downtown visiting the shops and having a coffee out.  Several years ago we discovered a small but wonderful rustic bakery where they served incredible warm apple tarts that came with whipped cream and a caramel sauce.   We would love to sit in this bakery with our packages and lovely coffees and chat while we enjoyed their wonderful treats. This little bakery has since closed but I'll always remember how much my mother and I enjoyed those times and, hopefully, on my next visit we'll discover a new special place for our coffee.

Apple turnovers are particularly enjoyable on a chilly Autumn day and, if you aren't going out for coffee, then the next best thing is to make your own.  These turnovers I made using King Arthur Flour's recipe Autumn Apple Turnovers.  I tossed in a few dark raisins to the filling and substituted 1 tablespoon Tapioca for the Pie Filling Enhancer and used Bourbon instead of boiled cider but other than that followed the recipe exactly and enjoyed them very much (even without the whipped cream and caramel sauce which, no doubt, would have made them even better).

Until next time, be well and love well and do take time to savor the flavors of the season ~ whether it's something you treat yourself to while out, or you make it yourself!