SAILaway Shawl,Yarn Along and Summer Survival Makeup

This past weekend we headed down to San Clemente, California to spend the July 4th holiday at the beach. It's my favorite place to celebrate the 4th as the city of San Clemente really goes all out to celebrate.  Maybe because it's so close to the Marine Core Base Camp Pendelton and you often see service members around town (they also thrill the beach goers with their dramatic F/A-18 fighter jets fly over to kick off the evening festivities) but whatever the reason there is a strong patriotic spirit in the city with lots of flag waving and the whole community turns out for the celebration.  It also has a friendly beach culture and an awe inspiring fireworks display (free) off the pier that rounds out the day.  I wouldn't be anywhere else on the 4th!  

And what other accessory could I possibly bring to San Clemente other than my new SAILaway Shawl. This is a gorgeous design and paired with a soft sock yarn makes a wonderful beach wrap for the summer. To be honest I never would have knit this project if I can't seen the sample shawl in Cardigan's Knit Shop in Santa Barbara, California.  Cardigans is a small yarn shop within walking distance to my parent's home and whenever I visit my parents I try and stop in and visit because they always have a ton of finished projects that are inspiring and suitable to wear in the ever more warming California climate. Even though I am what is called "an independent knitter" (i.e. I don't need the help and advice that yarn shops typically provide to new knitters) I find the experience of visiting a yarn shop invaluable for finding patterns, exploring new yarns, and having fun mingling with fellow yarn lovers.  While I love any and all yarn shops I really wish that you could all have the chance to visit Cardigans as it epitomizes for me the very best in little yarn shops with a friendly owner, a helpful but no pressure atmosphere and a great community knitting round table where regular customers sit and knit together.  But wherever you live I hope you will support your local yarn shop before it disappears as so many have in the past few years.

Particulars:  SAILaway (Ravelry Link) designed by Susan Venable (VenablesStudio); US 4 circular needles 2 skeins Hedgehog Fibers sock (club colorways) 10g and 19g remaining of light and dark blue, respectively.  Blocked dimensions 23" x 73."  Other projects I've knit using Hedgehog Fiber yarn include Starshower Cowl; Carson shawl, Rib Socks; Summer Scarf; Asking for Roses Wrap; and Ripple Effect Socks.  

Yarn Along  ~

For those not familiar with "Yarn Along" it was started in 2010 by Ginny (who writes the popular blog Small Things) as a way for knitters to share (typically on a weekly basis) both what they are currently knitting and reading.  A clever pun on the word yarn, no? However, as I only blog once a month (apparently I'm a slacker) I am going to add my own "twist" to the Yarn Along and instead periodically share a peak at what I'm looking forward to knitting and what book I anticipate reading. In the picture above is my recently acquired kit of mini skeins inspired by the movie Amelie dyed by Phydeaux Designs and is approximately 400 yrds of beautifully saturated fingerling yarn. The designer cleverly used a bedroom scene (G rated - stop looking disappointed) for her inspiration and from that scene created this kit of corail, le cafe, brasserie, absinthe, and metropolitain (she provided a picture of the bedroom scene used for her inspiration - and I was very impressed with her translation from film to yarn). As part of the back story to this kit the designer shared that she is a huge fan of films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and highly recommends his other films: Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, and A Very Long Engagement.  I'm definitely going to be adding those to my Amazon watch list.  As for my book, I am looking forward to reading Envy a tale of betrayal and intrigue by the prolific writer Sandra Brown.  This will be my first story by Sandra Brown but it sounds like a classic beach read and I will be tucking it into my beach bag.  Oh, and before I forget you might recognize the name of the yarn designer from the last project I blogged Longshadows.


Summer Survival Makeup

Lastly, just for fun, here's a list of my favorite products for surviving the summer sun, staying moisturized, and adding a natural glow to skin and cheeks.  You may want to experiment with a different colors but I think these products are pretty universally flattering.

Most of the following links are to Amazon which may not have the best prices but is however convenient. Sephora and Nordstrom carry these brands as well except for Lush which is a stand alone shop.

LIPS:  SUGAR Tinted Lip Treatment (Berry) keeps lips moist with long lasting color
CHEEKS: JOSIE MARAN Cheek Gelee (Poppy Paradise)  natural long lasting color
EYES:  MAC Cream Color Base (Hush) great eye shadow that can also be use to highlight
BRONZE:  LAURA MERCIER Matte Radiance Baked Powder (Bronze -03) my fav bronzer
SKINCARE: JOSE MARAN Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47 sunscreen you will enjoy using
NAILS: DEBORAH LIPMANN (Harlem Nocturne) metallic color that gets noticed (in a good way)
BATH: LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner indulgent moisturizer to pamper your skin

Until next time be well, love well and enjoy the simple pleasures of summer whether it's lying on the beach or just painting your toes ~ but whatever you do or wherever you go don't forget to bring your yarn along  ~

Knitting the Blues and California Oranges

Miles and miles of gorgeous silky blue.  That's the best way to describe my new Caer Idris  scarf which is the second installment of the Ysolda 2015 shawl club.  This time it's all about the color and silky yarn that was specially dyed for Ysolda and it couldn't have been a more perfect choice for an early spring accessory.

The fiber artist Caerthan (of Triskelion Yarn and Fiber) who dyed the yarn for Ysolda has this to say about the color:

The late dusk sky was the inspiration for the colorway.  Idris was a legendary Welsh astronomer and giant, famous for watching the stars from his "chair" at Cader Idris.  The idea of a Welsh Kenning for the dusk sky caught my mutt (Welsh/Anglo/Saxon) imagination, hence "caer Idris" which means the fortress of Idris in Welsh.

I have no idea who or what he's talking about but I can tell you that this is one of the most beautiful yarns I've ever had the pleasure to knit with.

While I knit this scarf exactly as written I deviated dramatically is one small but important way. Instead of giving the finished knit a heavy block to create a superlatively long "wrap" I chose instead to not block it at all.  This created a scarf which I felt would be a more wearable accessory for me than the 120 inch wrap with large triangular shapes that a heavy blocking would create.  It's still voluptuously long at 81 inches but has what I would describe as a serpentine shape with soft curves undulating along one edge.  It's decidedly a scarf and not a wrap and the texture is amazing, so soft and warm and silky. And so while it makes a beautiful spring accessory I'm really looking forward to wearing this next winter wrapped around my neck multiple times for a cozy pop of color and warmth.

It's hard to see in these pictures because I did not give it a heavy block, but in person this pattern has a wonderful texture and design and *bonus* it's reversible which is a huge plus with any scarf.

Particulars:  Caer Idris, designed by Ysolda as part of her 2015 Shawl Club (this pattern - as all the club patterns - will be available for general purchase one year from date of club release); Triskelion Yarns and Fiber, Branwen 4-ply yarn (50% silk / 50% extra find Falklands Merino) exclusive dyed colorway Caer Idris; US 4 and US 5 needles.  I used the US 4 needles just for the first couple of inches at each end to provide a little more density but otherwise used US 5 needles.  I washed but did not block this scarf, i.e,. I laid it flat to dry.  Finished dimensions 81" in length.  This pattern is much easier and enjoyable to knit if you are comfortable "reading" your stitches and if you are unfamiliar with "reading" your stitches I provide some tips on my Ravelry project page.   If you want to see the first installment of Ysolda's 2015 shawl club it's blogged as Stac Shoaigh.

My Dad and his Oranges

My dad is a wonderful role model for his character and discipline but also for his healthy lifestyle. At age 86 he is a picture of health and he's pretty sure it has to do, in part, with his daily intake of the orange juice and since that's an easy healthy habit to incorporate I thought I would share it.  My dad uses his own homegrown oranges that produce the sweetest and juiciest oranges on this planet but if you are like me and don't have your own tree then you must make do with buying oranges.  Although, as his daughter, I am often shipped boxes of his oranges or given bags to take home with me when I visit. Thank you Dad!  Incidentally I used his oranges in the pictures below.

But do you squeeze or juice, that is the question.  My dad is a squeezer but I believe juicing is a better method because when you peel an orange for juicing you can leave on the white pith and that gives the juice a nice creamy flavor. Whereas my dad prefers to squeeze because he loves all the pulp that you get from squeezing.  Or there is always the option of simply standing over the sink and eating it by the slice as juice runs down your face and hands which is probably my favorite way of eating an orange.  

As I mentioned above my dad's oranges are the sweetest, juiciest and most delicious oranges you will ever eat which is the result of his loving attention and the perfect orange growing conditions of Southern California.  The only problem is that his oranges have begun disappearing.  It began gradually years ago and at first he suspected raccoons, which made my mother and I roar with laughter.  We asked each other if we had ever seen a racoon carrying an orange? Or could it be they brought a basket with them for transport?  Or maybe they rolled them down the road like bowling balls?  No, we laughed, we were sure it wasn't raccoons, but then again we didn't have an explanation for it either.  As it turns out the neighborhood children and hikers walking up the street have discovered his delicious oranges and collectively they are picking his tree bare.  An unfortunate dilemma.  I rather wish it had been raccoons.

Until next time be well and love well and make healthy choices!  Next time you are asked to bring something to a picnic consider bringing a healthy choice such as a platter of sliced oranges instead of a bag of chips.

Stac Shoaigh Shawl and the Perfect Brew

The British are coming!!!  The British are coming!!!  British yarns that is.  For Americans that statement has a slightly different connotation having to do with Paul Revere and the revolution, but that was then and this is now and what I'm talking about are beautiful British yarns.

After seeing Ysolda's Tweet in January describing her 2015 Shawl Club and how it was going to feature exclusive yarns from some of her favorite British mills and dyers with patterns designed specifically for that yarn, I threw caution to the wind and used my Christmas splurge money to join. After what seemed like forever my first shipment arrived in February with a yarn spun from soay sheep a rare breed roaming on the St. Kilda Archipelga in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. After ripping off the wrapping paper and giving the beautiful sheepy yarn a few sniffs and a squeeze I wasted no time casting on to knit this fabulous shawl that Ysolda calls Stac Shoaigh.

But I am calling mine my Outlander Shawl.  It was entirely serendipitous that this yarn arrived just as I began watching Outlander, a romantic epic series set in the highlands and based on the novels written by Diana Gabaldon.  I can't believe that any of you aren't familiar with Outlander, but if you aren't, buy it and read it (you can thank me later).  I also highly recommend the Starz TV production as it's exceptionally well done and you will see lots of beautiful rustic knits worn by the characters.  As I knitted away on my Stac Shoaigh Shawl watching Outlander the two became interwoven as one as the memory, tactile experience and fabric became entwined.  Now wearing this shawl I feel ready to be transported back in time to an adventure in the highlands, minus the violence, lack of modern bathroom facilities, and discriminatory attitude toward women.  But other than that I'm ready!

Ysolda describes her inspiration for this shawl as follows:

The large holes, organic curves and sharp points were inspired by the tunneled rock formations of the sea stack Stac Shoaigh while the garter stitch and feather and fan is reminiscent of everyday "Hap" shawls from the Shetland isles.  Perfect for a Shetland, Soay fibre blend.

It's easy to see these design elements and inspiration in the shawl.  I would also point out that the leaf motif (both at the top and along the garterstitch edge) gives a nice feminine touch that softens the otherwise strong elements in the shawl.  No matter how you describe it, this is a rustic and beautiful shawl that could easily have been worn by a Scottish lass living in the bronze age.  And yet.  The yarn came into my hands whereupon I knit this shawl that will be worn in present day Los Angeles, California.  Isn't modern transportation and web interconnectedness a marvelous thing!  Thank you Twitter and thank you to Ysolda too!

Particulars:  Stac Shoaigh designed by Ysolda as part of her 2015 Shawl Club; 1 skein Soay Bronze spun by Blacker Yarns; US 7 circular needles.  Blocked dimensions 60" x  23"  Truly one of my favorite knits because the yarn is so special and the pattern was a perfect match for the yarn.  Incidentally I've also knit a traditional "hap" shetland shawl that Ysolda makes reference to above, as well as a number of Ysolda's patterns including her elephant toy, Mousie, Ishbel Shawl and Hipster Style Hat.  

A Perfect Brew

I recently read that tea is the number one beverage in the world (excluding water).  And why not?  It's full of health benefits and is delicious too.   Although I suspect the large Chinese population may skew the world numbers because in the United States coffee seems much more popular.  I have never heard anyone say "let's go out for a cup of tea" it's always coffee.  The reason is, and it may be just be me, but it seems that for some reason drinking tea in the united states has been unfairly associated with sick days, little old ladies, and yoga devotees.  And if that's what you think then it's time to update your perspective and join the rest of the world in enjoying this delicious and healthy beverage.

Because I think poor brewing technique can share the blame for tea's lackluster reputation in the united states, I'm going to share an important tip to enjoying a good cup of tea, namely, you must use a teapot to brew your tea. While simply dunking a teabag into a cup of hot water will indeed impart "flavor" it will not produce anything near the complex and rich flavor possible when brewed in a teapot for the right length of time (generally speaking blacks 3 minutes, greens 2 minutes, and oolongs 3 to 5 minutes but the tea package should give a suggested time).

I don't think it matters too much the style of teapot, although certain teapots work better for certain teas.  Pictured below is my Chinese teapot that I use to brew green teas and oolongs but I've also happily enjoyed a cup of green tea from a classic English style teapot too.  What is more critical is to "decant" your tea after the right length of brewing.  If you leave your tea to sit brewing too long it will turn rancid and bitter so you need to pour your tea into a mug or a small pitcher so you can enjoy it at peak flavor.

Now my secret for making tea even more healthy and beneficial.  While it's brewing toss in a few dried goji berries (the red berries pictured above) to release their powerful anti-oxidants into your brew. This is a trick I picked up while in China a few years back and is an easy way to incorporate these ultra healthy berries into your diet.

So pick up a teapot if you haven't one already and start enjoying tea as the rich satisfying brew it should be.

Until next time, be well and love well and may you enjoy the unfolding of Spring whilst sipping a cup of delicious perfectly brewed green tea (I recommend trying an oolong but any green tea will do) and if you don't know where to start Teavana, Harney and Sons, and Mighty Leaf, have a nice selection to tempt you.

Weekend Sweater and How to Enjoy a Better Night's Sleep

My definition of a great weekend sweater is one that fits right, feels cozy and looks great on.  It's that sweater you pull on when you are going to a movie, a casual dinner out, or running errands on a cold day and you can wear it over and over again and never get tired of it.  It goes with jeans or can be dressed up with a skirt and boots and always makes you look perfectly put together. And, unlike with shawls, you won't finish knitting it only to discover that it's impossible to find an outfit that it looks good with.  Which is a big plus for someone like me who has drawers full of shawls (that I love) but never seem to look quite right with anything.

But knitting a sweater that fits well and looks good can be a challenge for knitters of all levels. Fortunately there are some easy steps you can follow that will help you knit a sweater that fits every time and I've previously blogged some of my tips in the post Knitting a Sweater and Tips to Achieving a Custom Fit.  Continuing with sweater tips in this post I'm going to focus on a finishing tip that will help elevate your sweaters from something that looks homemade into something that looks handmade and there is a world of difference between the two.  The culprit that can cause a sweater to look "homemade" instead of a swanky and sophisticated handmade sweater are bulky seams and here is my tip for eliminating bulky uneven seams.

Sweater Finishing Tip:  How to Avoid Bulky Seams:

After you have knit the main pieces of your sweater (front, back, and sleeves) but before you begin any finishing work, i.e. adding a collar, neckline, or button band, etc. (unless your pattern or yarn ball band directs you to do otherwise) the main pieces of your sweater should be washed and blocked to desired measurements.  When these pieces have dried completely use a hand held steamer and press along the very edges (approximately 1/4 inch).  Flatten all edges by pressing and steaming with your hand steamer.  I recommend a hand held steamer because irons and other steaming devices generally have a large surface area from which the steam is emitted that can make it difficult to press just along the edges.  You want to avoid steaming beyond the very edge because that will flatten and ruin the loft and texture of your overall fabric.  What you do want to do is flatten the edge (and reduce bulk) which also makes it easier to sew the edges together neatly.    The second part to avoiding bulky seams it to sew the edges together with a thread in a matching color instead of using the yarn used to knit the sweater.  By using thread instead of yarn to sew the edges together you can reduce a significant amount of  bulk from your seams.  

Particulars:  Not a Jersey Girl Sweater designed by Stephanie Steinhaus (Unwind Yarn in Burbank); US 8 circular needles; Ewe Ewe Yarns, LLC (9.5 skeins MC - Indigo no 64 / 1 skein CC - brushed silver no 97);  I have to admit this sweater required a significant amount of modifications by me to fit me the way I wanted the sweater to fit and for that reason I would describe this pattern as "advanced." Briefly, some of my modifications were to change the sleeves from drop to inset and downsized the body to be fitted (versus 4-6 inches positive ease); I knit both the body and the sleeves in the round and eliminated 1 row of cabling in the front.  With the neck I switched to CC and continued the ribbing (instead of knitting a "knit" round) and then I BO in pattern and on the BO row decreased 8 stitches (4 on each side) evenly over the shoulders to bring in the neckline a bit more over the shoulders. I love the yarn as it is very comfortable to wear next to the skin with a wonderful loft and knits into a beautiful garment but because it is great for showing stitch definition it also does show where decreases/increases were made so I suggest that you be extra careful with your shaping to use even and discrete stitches.

Incidentally I knit the scarf that I'm wearing in these pictures and subsequently gave it to Steve who kindly loaned it back to me to wear in these pictures!  It's one of my first blog posts from way back in 2007....A Scarf by Any Other Name.  In the second picture the cowl that I'm wearing was blogged more recently (2013) as Crazy Cowl and Urban Legend.  Both are great accessories that I highly recommend.


How to Enjoy a Better Night's Sleep ~

Who doesn't want to get a better night's sleep? For women as you age it's more important than ever to get your beauty rest.  But aside from that incentive (which is plenty motivating for me all on it's own) sleep is also important to mental alertness and general good health. Those are definitely secondary considerations, although admittedly important. I don't think there is anyone who doesn't already know that consuming certain foods in the evening like caffeine and sugar can keep you awake but there is actually something that you may unwittingly be doing that is even worse and is the cause of you losing both quantity and quality of sleep.

I'm talking about using ebooks with screens that light up to enable reading in the dark. It seems like such a great idea to be able to read in bed without having a light on.  Doesn't it?  And yet.  I've finally recognized that using my kindle was the cause of me losing sleep.  It turns out that when a light shines directly into your eyes it impacts you differently than a light reflected off a paper page. And that's only one of the problems.  The other problem is the temptation to read at all hours of the night. If I wake up in the middle of the night and my kindle is laying next to me I will succumb to the temptation to read instead of patiently waiting to fall back to sleep. And that's how my kindle was causing me to lose hours of sleep each night without me understanding why. It wasn't until I read an article that discussed the negative impact on sleep of a light shining into your eyes that I understood the problem.

Since turning off my kindle and reverting to reading traditional books both my quantity and quality of sleep has dramatically improved.  So if you are an ebook reader who is sleep deprived you might want to try shutting of your electronic devices and see if your beauty rest doesn't improve too.

If you are curious what I am reading these days, the book shown above (Serpent's Kiss by Melissa De La Cruz) is a fun and easy read if you enjoy paranormal and contemporary romance! It is the second book in a series and should be read in order.

Until next time be well, love well and may you have sweet dreams ~ perhaps of knitting your own weekend sweater!

Raisin Bran Muffin Recipe ~

I had intended this post to feature a Fall knit.  However a severe case of poison oak makes me cringe at the very thought of touching wool.  Instead, at the request of my sister, I'm going to share my tasty and nutritious raisin bran muffin recipe.  She recently visited and sampled these muffins and pronounced them delicious and insisted I share the recipe!

Mr. Puffy's Raisin Bran Muffin Recipe

I've been making these muffins since my college undergrad days when a friend shared her recipe.  But I've recently modified the recipe to substitute raisin bran flakes for the plain bran in the original and now they remind me of memorable muffins that I once enjoyed at a bed & breakfast in Hawaii.  If you search on-line you can find a raisin bran muffin recipe that is typical of those served at bed & breakfast inns, but it makes an enormous quantity and lacks the rich flavor that comes from the molasses and honey in my recipe and, I believe, those ingredients were also probably in the muffins I had in Hawaii.

Ingredients

Dry:
1 1/4 cups raisin bran cereal (the thick flakes are best with lots of raisins) 
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 dashes salt

Wet:
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbs. honey
1/4 cup molasses

Steps:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 8 small muffin tins (cupcake size).
2.  Measure out the raisin bran flakes and set aside (these are folded in last).
3.  Toss together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, sugar, soda, salt).
4.  In separate bowl mix the wet ingredients.
5.  Quickly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and lastly fold in the raisin bran cereal.
6.  Spoon into small muffin tins (2/3rds full) and bake for 20 minutes.

These muffins freeze very well.  The recipe makes 8 small, old school style, muffins.  For a light breakfast they are wonderful warm from the oven with sweet butter, a bowl of fresh fruit, and a cup of coffee or drizzled in honey like in the first below. I usually have two.

The MisAdventures of Simcha

Lastly, I'm not going to name names or place blame on any individual for the discomfort I'm presently experiencing due to my severe case of poison oak (did I mention that already?) the severe part I mean.  But I can say that the party responsible for transmitting the poison oak oil can be touched by using a very short stick. 

 Until next time, be well and love well and not to alarm anyone but it's time you were planning your Fall knitting!