Knitspot 2018 Pairing Club and Bake Sale Cookies

I really love this cowl and Simcha does too!  It's the first of four projects in Anne Hanson's (Knitspot) 2018 Pairings Club. This club pairs food with knitting so how could I resist?  And I have always loved Anne's designs so it was an easy decision to join.  This first installment was inspired by Anne's love of sweet corn and her childhood memories of growing up on a working 10-acre farm upstate New York.  The Entrope yarn (spun to resemble handspun) beautifully captures the colors and texture of fresh sweet corn and was the perfect choice for this project.

The recipe that came paired with this project was a delicious corn chowder dish that was contributed by former chef, Katharine, who knows corn well as one should living in Ohio or really any part of rural America.  I'm looking forward to corn being back in season so that I can experience it at it's best.  I really didn't expect a vegetable to be the inspiration for this round but I'm glad that sweet corn was the featured food ingredient.  It brought back sweet memories of the summer that my family drove across country from California to Minnesota and we passed acre after acre of farmland.  The small family farms were the best.  They often had signs out front selling their produce to passers by and you could get out and wander through the fields.  Some of the best sweet corn that I've ever eaten was from those roadside farms.  When I look at this cowl I'll always think of corn and remember that wonderful summer vacation.

Although it's late Spring and starting to warm up I've had a few chances to wear this cowl on our morning hikes (I'm hard hearted and I've not given this cowl to Simcha). It's a bright and fun addition to my wardrobe. Worn with a long sleeve blouse and a vest it provides just enough warmth to my neck and chest to protect me from our chilly winds.  It's a DK weight yarn and the colorwork adds some heft too so it definitely keeps you warm, as you would expect from a rustic woolly accessory.  The gradient yarn has three main colors (light yellow, bright green, and a marled yellow and grey.  While some might not have been pleased that the marled color did not contrast well with the grey design I think that just added to the unique beauty of this piece.  I don't want something that looks "off the rack" that's why I knit.  It really is striking in person and I couldn't be happier with it.  I also have enough of both yarns left to make myself matching mitts which I will get around to at some point.  There was a coordinating hat design included but I thought this cowl with a matchy-matchy hat was not a look that would suit me.  If you look at Simcha and visualize him wearing a matching hat I think you'll see what I mean.

Particulars: Hectare Cowl, Anne Hanson's Pairings Club 2018 (Knitspot); US 5 & 7 needles; DK weight yarn, Feederbrook Farm (100% bluefaced Leicester wool; 260 yrds./100gms) and 1 skein Bare Naked Wools Kent DK colorway Tide Pool (60% merino wool/40% romney wool; 300 yrds/116 gms).  This is a fun and easy pattern to knit and I made no modifications whatsoever, except for the cast on.  For my cast on I used the Twisted German Cast On which is my favorite for stretchy edges.  My finished lightly blocked dimensions: 10" x 28."

Previous Anne Hanson patterns I've knit include Greenshadows Lace Scarf (blogged) and Pine and Ivy Lacy Shawl (Ravelry only).  For additional colorwork projects (include my tips) see Sunset Highway (sweater), Stranded in Toronto (hat), Osebury Rock (scarf) and Hebe (hat).


Bake Sale Cookies

After a long winter of baking breads and seasonal treats to share with friends and family I'm ready for Spring.  Spring is a time when I bake for myself and there's nothing I enjoy as much as a good crisp chocolate chip cookie.  I have a variety of recipes that I like but this is a favorite and I've made it many times over the years (case in point you can probably tell the pictures are from different batches!).  I hope you will enjoy these cookie as much as I do.

These are called Bake Sale Cookies because they make a large quantity and everyone loves them so it's a good and reliable recipe to turn to when you need to bake and share cookies.

Yield ~ 4 dozen good sized cookies ~

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups (12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark or golden raisins
1/2 cup shredded (sweetened) coconut

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and cover baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
2.  In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
3.  In mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time and mix just until incorporated.
4.  Remove bowl from mixer.  Using a wooden spoon stir in flour mixture.  Add chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, and coconut and stir until incorporated.
5.  Drop dough onto baking sheet by rounded tablespoonsful.  Baking 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cookies rest for 2 minutes before removing with spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

Adapted from cookie recipe in Parade magazine May 11, 2003.

Until next time be well and love well and be sure to sweeten your Spring with a gradient cowl and cookies! 

Fall Cowl and Matching Fingerless Mitts

Last year I didn't knit any fingerless mitts and so I really needed a new pair this year.  Over the years I've knit many pairs of fingerless mitts but I tend to give them away or Steve commandeers them. Which is a really nice thing about them.  They are fast to make and everyone wants a pair so they make great gifts.  And at least here in SoCal the stores don't carry them which makes them a unique gift as well.

But this pair is definitely for me.  After all I have the matching cowl so I can't give them away!  They are knit in the same yarn but the patterns are actually by different designers although they do interestingly enough share common design elements.  I knit the cowl first. I loved the pattern and the backstory that came with it.  The designer was inspired by the Siskiyou mountain range which is one of the highest ranges between Oregon and California. Apparently after being caught on the wrong side of the mountain pass she was inspired to design this cowl decorated with diamond shaped edging reminiscent of the mountains; tire tracks plowing through the snow; and forked tree branches lining the way.

It was pure serendipity that the mitt pattern shared the same cabled edging running along the inner seam (the tire tracks if you will).  I purchased this mitt pattern last year intending to use a different yarn but after I finishing the cowl Steve suggested that I should use my leftover yarn for a pair of mitts. Which I thought was a very insightful suggestion for a non-knitter.  It's times like these that I realize he's paying more attention to what I'm doing or saying than I realize.  Note to self: you don't have as much privacy as you think when you live with someone.

Work has been particularly beastly but I still made time to decorate my house for Halloween. I do have my priorities! From now until New Years our house will be decorated for the various holidays and I'm always sad when the last ornament is put away.  It creates such a fun and festive feel in the house when it's decorated and many of the decorations I've made myself over the years.  For example the cat I'm holding in the first picture is a "prim" a form of American folk art that I made a few years ago (blogged as An Accessory Shawl and Halloween Prims).  I love these little cats and they have held up really well.  If you are looking for a quick and fun Halloween projects I recommend exploring prims! There are lots of kits and project ideas on Etsy. And many of my past October posts have Halloween project and recipes ideas as well.

Cowl Particulars:  Siskiyou Cowl, designed by Kelli Slack aka: Knitter Bunny (Kelli Slack Designs); US 4 needles; 1.1 skein of Swans Island superwash sport yarn (colorway Pesto);  My only modification was to knit only 18 pattern repeats rather than 21 as I wanted a shorter cowl for this set. I love this cowl, yarn and colorway!  I purchased this is a kit from Black Sheep at Orenco a sweet LYS in Oregon with lots of kits and project ideas.

Mitt Particulars: Qwist Mitts, designed by Melanie Berg (a designer better known for her shawls); US 4 needles; less than 1 skein of Swans Island superwash sport yarn (colorway Pesto); I knit the small size and my only modification was to BO in pattern rather than follow the pattern instructions for BO (which resulted in a floppy edge). Wonderful pattern.

A Haunted House

It's actually not a haunted house.  It's our house but I think it looks sufficiently creepy on a stormy night to be haunted!  Haunted or not with Autumn comes shorter days as darkness settles early and this makes it a wonderful time to be at home ensconced somewhere with a good book.  And a cup of tea.  And a freshly baked treat.  If that doesn't move you I recently read that good literature will actually increase your life span.  Whether or not that's true reading books will indubitably enhance your quality of life.  But the word "literature" packs a wallop as classic literature can be heavy reading.  By contrast trashy novels make such enticingly easy reads and can be consumed as quickly as a bowl of popcorn but never leave you satisfied.  Somewhere inbetween heavy literature and trashy novels is generally what I read. Right now I'm enjoying the Inspector Ian Rutledge series.  These are wonderfully crafted "who done it" mysteries.  I grew up reading Nancy Drew Mysteries and still remember the thrill of reading these stories late at night snuggled in my warm safe bed.  So it's not surprising that I still enjoy a good mystery.  The Inspector Ian Rutledge stores always begin with a leisurely unfolding of small details that finally add up to an exciting unveiling of the guilty party. Albeit sometimes the conclusion is a bit of a stretch.  But I can put that aside as I enjoy the process of reading the stories so much.  And I find the main character, Inspector Rutledge, very sympathetic. He's a shell shocked WWI vet who returns to England and attempts to resume his career as an Inspector at Scotland Yard while battling his own demons  He's a very real character and the stories give a personalized insight into the stress that good men and women are put under in the impossible circumstances of fighting a war.  My father fought in the Korean war in the trenches with great courage under sniper fire with his unit assigned the risky and hazardous task of advancing communication wire.  He was awarded the Bronze Medal for bravery in combat.  Remarkably he came home from the war and simply got on with college and rebuilding his life and starting a family.  And a kinder person you'll never meet.  Maybe it's that family history but for whatever reason I find war stories fascinating and this series provides an exceptional insight into the emotional price of war.

Until next time be well and love well and watch out for all things that creep, crawl and go bump in the night!

Wisp of Smoke Cowl and Nantucket Cranberry Tart

I always like a little bling at the holidays.  It's the one time of year when it's actually okay to over dress and pull out the black strappy shoes, flashy jewelry, and dark red lipstick topped off with sparkly lip gloss. What's not to like about that!  Each year I knit something special for the holidays and this year it's an opulent silk cowl with pre-strung glass beads that positively oozes sparkly bling. It's a piece that really has to be seen and touched to be appreciated though, otherwise it may appear more low key than my past Christmas projects.  Of course you haven't seen me wearing it with my fishnet stockings either.  That gives it a whole different vibe.

I really love the added dimension that beads add to a project and if you haven't added beads yet you should give it a try.  I've knit projects both with using yarn pre-strung with beads and projects where I've added the beads as I knit along.  Each method gives a very different effect.  I would say the pre-strung beads have a more random effect and depending on the number of beads can almost result in a sequin effect.  Whereas adding beads as you knit has a more structured appearance because the beads are generally placed at regular intervals in the pattern. Unfortunately these days it's harder to find pre-strung beaded yarn but Artyarns (founded and manufactured in the US by Iris Schreier in 2002) is one of the remaining companies that sells pre-strung beaded yarn and even has some yarns with sequins.  Their website has some gorgeous designs and I just might have to knit the Glitter Wave Top.  On the other hand there are tons of bead stores everywhere and they are very easy and inexpensive to add to a project.  In January I'll be joining the Donna Druchunas KAL to knit a small Estonian shawl that has beads added along the edging (Sunshine and Tea Shawlette with kits available on Etsy) and I think this would be a fun introduction to adding beads for those interested.

Particulars: Wisps of Smoke Ring designed by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (Heartstrings Fiber Arts); US 7 needles (knit in the round); 2 skeins Tilli Tomas Plie natural plied silk (50g/140yds per skein) and 1 skein Tilli Tomas Rock Star (natural spun silk) with glass beads 100g/150 yrds.  Unfortunately Tilli Tomas is no longer in business.  Finished blocked dimensions: 17 inches in length with a width of 12" across the top and 16" across the bottom.  Projects I've knit with beads (individually added) include: Soul hat; Triesete Shawl; and Netsuke Wrap projects using pre-strung beads include: La Dolce Vita gloves; Handspun Scarf; and Romantic Beaded Scarf.
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Nantucket Cranberry Tart Recipe ~

My sister Lynne has a very busy social life and is always taking desserts to gatherings at her church, school (she's a teacher) or other get togethers with girlfriends and, as a result, has a number fail safe recipes and this Nantucket Tart is one of those recipes.   If you have ever been asked to bring a dessert you know how nerve racking it can be to come up with a recipe that you think will appeal to people and yet is simple enough to execute without mishap.  But stress no more.  This is the recipe for you and perfect for this time of year when fresh cranberries are available and there are lots of family and social gatherings. You'll also want to freeze some cranberries so you'll have this as an option any time of year.   It's very easy to make, delicious, a little different and almost impossible to ruin (she's actually taken it under-cooked and had the entire tart eaten and complimented).  So without further ado here's my sister's Nantucket Tart Recipe ~

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup (scant) sugar (you can use just regular white granular sugar or mix in a bit of white sparkling (course) sugar which adds a nice crunch)
1/2 cup (generous) finely chopped pecans (or walnuts which is what my sister uses)
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup heaping white granular sugar (you can use up to 1 cup which is what my sister uses)
1 cup all purpose flour

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a  pie or cake pan that is preferably 10" but even a smaller 9" size will work.  I used a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom for my tart pictured above.

2.  Evenly sprinkle cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar and chopped nuts into the base of your pie or pan.  Set aside.

3.  Prepare dough as follows:  whisk eggs, 3/4 cup (heaping) white granular sugar, and flour in a medium sized bowl. Using a dough whisk or wooden spoon incorporate the melted butter until a smooth and fairly thick batter forms.

4.  Pour batter evenly over the cranberries/sugar/nuts.  If you use a smaller (9") pan you should use less of each the cranberries and batter.  I like the look of the cranberries showing through on top so I only add enough batter to just cover them.  There is no rising agent in the batter so you can easily gauge the depth of the tart and how much you wish to fill your pan.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes if using fresh cranberries and up to 60+ minutes if using frozen.

6.  Serve directly from the pie or cake pan or cut into slices and remove onto a serving tray as I did. You can also (while the tart is still warm) turn out onto a plate for an upside down cranberry cake which is very festive with the cranberries on top.  Optional is to add powdered sugar on top with a scoop of ice cream for a fancy dessert.

Enjoy!

Until next time be well, love well, and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Steve, Simcha and Claudia.

Our tired little Santa.  Too much eggnog and dancing to Baby It's Cold Outside.

Simcha's Simple Cowl ~ and an Orange County "Moment"

If you are like me you have either received as a gift (or made a spontaneous purchase) of a single skein of gorgeous hand painted yarn.  And it's beautiful!  You love it! You can't wait to make it into something - anything!  But a quick search of online patterns leads to the disappointing realization that due to the limited yardage and strongly variegated colorway, finding a pattern is not as easy as you had expected.

At least that was my experience when my neighbor returned from a trip to Oregon and generously brought back for me a skein of gorgeous baby alpaca yarn from Foothills Yarn and Fiber shop in Oregon.  I knew due to the color and softness of the yarn that I wanted to make it into a cowl, but when I searched for cowl patterns I found that they all either required more yarn, or a solid color, or yarn with more twist, or more this, that and the other.  So I eventually threw up my hands and came up with a pattern for a super easy cowl that works beautifully with hand painted yarn in a limited quantity and named it Simcha's Simple Cowl.

As a brief segue, I have become a huge fan of cowls because I find that I wear them more than any other accessory.  I love them because they are easy to wear and can either be simple and practical (wonderful for hikes) or stylishly and elegant to wear just about anywhere.  For those who are not as familiar with cowls they come in two styles, namely, those that fit snugly around the neck and are called "neck warmers" (these I wear on my hikes) and those that drape loosely around the neck and are called "infinity scarves." Simcha's Simple Cowl is an "infinity scarf" and is designed to maximize the beauty of a limited quantity of yarn in a hand painted colorway.

It is my hope that you will find this pattern to be an easy and enjoyable way to showcase a single skein of special yarn in limited quantity that you may have.

Particulars:  Simcha's Simple Cowl (free pattern download);US 7 circular needles; 1 skein worsted yarn in Baby Alpaca (or similar soft yarn); 220 yards; finished dimensions 16" x 6.5" (i.e. 32" circumference). Due to the rolled edge of the cowl the width measure is slightly less than the actual total "knit" width of 7.5."

An Orange County Moment

Orange County, California is comprised of mostly coastal communities along the southern California coastline.  It is perhaps best known for the television show The Real Housewives of Orange County (a show that I have personally never seen) and, barring that, think of Orange County as California at it's most stereotypical i.e., surfing, vegan food, luxury cars, breast implants and movie star beautiful people.

While I don't spend a lot of time in Orange County we do have a beach house in San Clemente that is technically part of Orange County, although I like to think of it as an anti-orange county crowd where folks come to enjoy the quiet amd beauty of the beach. But I recently found even in San Clemente it is possible to have an Orange County "moment" as the following anecdote shows.

On a lazy afternoon whilst sitting outside soaking up the sun reading a book my attention was caught by the drama of watching two girls struggle with their jet skies that had washed up on the shoreline. Other neighbors had similarly been watching and apparently one had called for coastguard assistance because it wasn't long before an absolutely gorgeous lifeguard came sauntering down the beach looking like he stepped off the movie set for Baywatch.

He spent a few moments talking to the girls and then he turned around and looked at the neighbors on the beach and appeared to be motioning with his hand for me to come over.  I touched my hand lightly to my chest and looked around.  Could I, of all people on the beach, be the most qualified to assist in this rescue?  He looked straight at me and nodded yes.  I tried to exude confidence and competence as I gingerly stepped over the sand to meet him halfway.  When I reached him he favored me with a stunning smile and asked if I would assist him by holding onto his sunglasses and flip flops.  I had to laugh.  Only in Orange County does the lifeguard require an assistant to hold their sunglasses during a rescue and that is what I call an orange county "moment."

The above pictures are taken in San Clemente,California at sunset.

Until next time be well and love well and may your needles fly as you finish the last of your winter knits as soon spring will be here.

Starshower Cowl and Dark Chocolate Cherry Chews

It's amazing what you can make with a single skein of sock yarn! And the Starshower Cowl has to be one of my top picks for a single skein project.  Who among us doesn't have a stash full of single skeins that were spontaneous purchases?  I, like most knitters, find sock yarn irresistible because it's not that expensive for a single skein of yarn and the variety of colors and textures are amazing and beautiful so it's hard to resist.  Especially when the yarn whispers *love me* *knit me* *give me a home* and so forth. No one can resist that kind of sales pressure.  But even if you have to go out and buy a skein of sock yarn I would for this project because it's easy to knit and very wearable.

The pattern is called Starshower Cowl but I call mine Stardust Cowl because it reminds me of the cool fantasy story written by Neil Gaiman.  I won't tell you the plot of Stardust but it involves (obviously) stars and falling stars and that's enough for you to see why I connect that story with this cowl.  I read this book a few years ago when I found it on the self of a tiny bookstore while on vacation in Northern California and every book on their shelves was a treasure.  There's just nothing like an independent bookstore for a discerning selection and I always love the staff picks too.  It's sad to see these independent bookstores disappear as more people read ebooks or for that matter don't read at all. So go out and support your local bookstore and buy a copy of Stardust you'll be happy you did (and it would make a great stocking stuffer too especially if you knit this cowl to go with it!).

Particulars:  Starshower cowl designed by Hilary Smith Callis (TheYarniad); US 6 needles; 1 skein Hedgehog Fibers Sock Yarn (colorway Bonbon).  This is a wonderful pattern and I didn't make a single modification.  Well except that I used a variegated yarn instead of a solid color as used by the designer. I think it looks wonderful in both a solid or variegated yarn and the size can easily be adjusted to changing your needle size, how firmly your block it and/or the number of repeats you knit (but keep in mind changing the needle size or the repeats will effect your yarn usage).

Thanksgiving and Native American Culture

In the picture above I painted the plaque with the phrase "moon of falling leaves" as a whimsical way to welcome fall and also acknowledge our native american culture.  The moon was an important part of native american culture as it provided light to see at night around their villages and in addition it was used to track the seasons, i.e, "moon of the falling leaves; green grasses," etc.  At that time in history the night skies (both the moon and stars) were the sole means to track seasons and direction (for example you can find due north by finding the big dipper). In any event when I think of the harvest and thanksgiving and the bounty of this land I also think of the native americans and how they lived here for centuries in harmony with nature without destroying it and how in such a short time we have done so much damage to the wildlife and waterways and how that broke their hearts. I find the following Cree Prophecy relevant and poignant:

When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

A sobering view of  our convenience, cost, and consumerism "values" and hopefully not a true prophecy but merely a warning of what could happen if changes are not made.

Lastly Dark Chocolate Cherry Chews

Because I wanted to end on a sweet note......

These chocolate cherry chews are amazing but very very rich so don't eat then all at once.  Steve (always full of great food ideas) suggested eating these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream kinda like an ice-cream sandwich.  I'm definitely going to give that a try.   Here's a link to the  recipe found online at MarthaStewart.com.

Until next time be well, love well, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

Mystery Cowl ~ And Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe

I recently joined a mystery knit-along hosted by Craftsy.  And although there wasn't much mystery or too much camaraderie in this knit-along I am really pleased that I joined and love my Acacia Cowl!  

I say there wasn't much mystery because the entire pattern was disclosed on the first day and there wasn't much camaraderie because I completed the project in a single day.  To be fair this was a foregone conclusion given the bulky weight yarn.  And yet.  I had expected some mystery.  Call me naive. Incidentally because this is a bulky weight yarn and knits up super fast it is the perfect holiday speed project!  But, since I was looking for some mystery in my life that's not necessarily what I was looking for.  So undaunted I've joined a new mystery knit-along entitled Divergence starting January 1, 2014.  In preparation I have purchased the book entitled Divergent (I have no idea if this is the inspiration or not but it is a similar sounding name and sounds interesting and I wanted something fun to read anyway) and based on this mystery project description I am optimistic this time there will be moar mystery.

When I first completed this cowl I loved the dramatic impact but wasn't sure how much I would wear it.  But what I have found is this is an extremely practical wardrobe piece and I wear it almost everyday when I go hiking.  I love how it fits perfectly with my down vest and keeps my neck area warm.  It's also pretty versatile since I opted to make it longer and didn't add buttons.  This way I can simply wrap it around my neck and fasten with a shawl pin or a safety pin.  It really has become a favorite accessory for cold weather hikes along with a hat.  I also like the fact that I can wear it more dressy with a shawl pin closure draped loosely over an evening coat for an added pop of color and warmth.  

  

Particulars:  Craftsy Mystery Kint-Along November 2013; Acacia Cowl; US 13 needles; 1 skein SweetGerogia Yarns Superwash Chunky (colorway Terra Firma).  My modifications were:  1) I used a chain selvedge stitch for edging (slip first stitch of every row purlwise with yarn in front); 2) I added an extra repeat of pattern; and I decided not to add buttons as I will wear it with a shawl pin closure or a safety pin.  I made these modifications because I have found that wearing a cowl that fits like a smoke stack around my neck is not my best look.  

Homemade Apple Sauce ~

A new favorite autumn treat of mine is apple sauce.  Before last year I was never too crazy about apple sauce but last year around this time I purchased some at our local farmer's market and I realized how amazing homemade apple sauce tastes.  I absolutely love it and I eat by the spoonful.  One of the ways I like it is spread over toast in the morning similar to apple butter and I must credit this ingenious idea to Steve. He's forever coming up with creative food ideas and when I'm eating something he'll say to me "do you know how that would be really wonderful?" And I'll say "no" "how?"  And true to form I would never have thought of putting apple sauce on toast but for Steve's suggestion and it's really a terrific way to enjoy it.

Apple Sauce Recipe ~

Ingredients:

4 medium tart apples (granny smith are best but I also like honey crisp)
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar (scant)
1 1/2 tablespoon organic dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (scant)
fresh pomegranate seeds

Steps:

1.  Peel, core and dice apples and squeeze orange juice.  Set apples aside.
2.  Heat orange juice in a medium sauce pan and add sugars and cinnamon.  Once incorporated add apples - stir - cover - and simmer stirring occasionally for approximately 30 minutes.  Apples should be soft at this point.
3.  Remove from heat and either using an immersion mixer or a kitchen aid mixer (paddle attachment) and pulse until apple is partly pureed but still leaving some chucks of apple.  Since I like mine chunky I hardly mix it at all.
4.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and then add fresh pomegranate seeds to taste and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Apple sauce is also wonderfully with latkes for those who celebrate Chanukah.  If I'm going to use it on toast I leave out the pomegranate seeds.

Until next time be well and love well and take time to play this holiday season and maybe add a little mystery to your life. Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving from Steve, Simcha and myself.

A Cabled Scarf and Photography 101 ~

I am so happy to finally have this scarf off the needles!!!  While it's been a labor of love, and the yarn sinfully seductive to knit, the cabling did take forever.  We're talking years here.  Not full time, obviously.  Think more short but regular forced marches.  Ah, but what a scarf it is and well worth the effort!

Since this is a very straight forward cabling pattern I thought instead of discussing the pattern I would talk about another hobby related to blogging namely, photography.  When I began blogging back in 2007 I had no particular interest in photography and I took pictures solely for the purpose of documenting my knitting.  But over the years taking pictures has slowly evolved into more than just a means to an end.  While it is certainly related and complimentary to knitting, I am finding it enjoyable to take pictures of everything from landscapes to Simcha (my dog and favorite subject!).

I also believe that the ability to communicate through pictures is increasingly becoming a necessary skill in today's world.  Above and beyond documenting knitting (important as that is) everything from your profile picture to the images you upload are your "voice" in an Age of Photomedium.  Don't worry if you've not heard that term before.  I just made it up.  But don't miss my point.  It is important for everyone to become fluent and comfortable in expressing themselves with and through images just to keep up with the times.

If you are like me, you have probably come to the realization that taking a nice picture whether of your knitting or otherwise is more difficult than you expect.  But there are some basic rules and helpful tips that can greatly improve your pictures.  Recently I have come across several professional photographers who share helpful tips for amateurs and I recommend visiting Jeff Sullivan Photography and Rick Sammon Photography.  Not only are they amazing photographers they also really seem to care about helping others improve their photography.  I've added these links to my sidebar and as I come across others I will be adding them to a growing list of helpful photography sites.

As a first step to improving your photography skills I recommend that you try an exercise that I do myself and I think is an excellent way to understand the importance of lighting to pictures.  Choose a subject and photograph it several times throughout the day and/or in different locations but do not download any of the pictures until the end of the day.  When you download your pictures all together you can more easily compare the images and see how the different lighting effected the picture.  Understanding the importance of lighting is the first step to improving your photography skills.

It also helps to consider the composition of your picture and whenever possible avoid taking a picture on a wrinkled surface such as I have done in the picture below.  Whoops!  Alas, life and photographs are rarely perfect.   And that's my final point - don't be too hard on yourself - it's all in fun.

Particulars:  Cabled Cowl designed by Olga Buraya-Kefelian (blogs as Olga Jazzzy); 3 skeins Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino; US 7 needles.  My only modification was to knit this with the goal of wearing it as a scarf rather than a cowl.  It was too bulky to be comfortably worn as a cowl for our temperate Southern California winters. Block dimensions 56" x 8." 

N.B.   There are two distinct styles of photographs on this blog.  Steve takes all the pictures of me wearing my knitting and any picture without me in it is taken by me.  I am also proud to point out that the floral painting in the top picture is an original art work of Steve's and it makes me smile to see it every day bringing color and beauty into our home.

Summer DIY Crafting ~

Painting a bird feeder is a fun and quick craft project and a perfect way to welcome Spring and migratory birds.  For this project I simply bought an unfinished bird feeder at a craft store (Michael's) and after sealing it with Gesso I decorated it with acrylic paints and filled it with wild bird feed.

And look!  There's already an interested bird!!!  You might recognize this feathered friend from my post Blue Bird in Wool Felt.  Despite a near death experience in the jaws of Simcha this little bird hopped out just as chirpy as ever.

Until next time, be well and love well and embrace all changes that time brings from the changing seasons to the ways we interact with each other.

Crazy Cowl and Urban Legend ~

It's been a particularly hard stretch of work lately and so a little down time in San Clemente has been welcome.  I'm never as relaxed as I am in San Clemente, maybe because we don't take Simcha with us.  As adorable as he is, he has a lot of energy and likes to run our household rather like a military compound.  For example, if we aren't up by 7 am he will bark until he hears us moving about and he keeps us on a schedule all day long.  Personally I prefer a more flexible lifestyle, but I lost that vote.  Sometimes I think Simcha would be happy if our day began with a bugle roll call.  But I'm not buying him a bugle.  He's bossy enough as it is.

These pictures are of my new cowl taken at sunset along the San Clemente Coastal Trail that connects North Beach with the Pier and beyond.  This trail is a great asset to the community and everyone uses it to walk their dog, ride bikes or jog while enjoying beautiful views of the coastline.

Particulars:  September Circle by Melissa LaBarre (Knitting School Dropout); 1 skein Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Yarn; US 7 circular Needles; modified as follows:  CO 180 stitches; only knit 3 repeats.  I also spliced the colors so that the center had a stripe of light blue yarn just because I thought that would look nicer.  This cowl was a fun and easy knit with fingerling weight yarn so it gives a nice pop of color without a lot of weight which works perfectly with our climate and a sunset walk at the beach.




Simcha and an Urban legend


I was touched that some of the comments on the last post mentioned missing hearing about Simcha. That makes me happy as I love sharing our adventures together.  So I'll share what is probably my favorite picture of him taken at a special place where we often hike. There's a local urban legend that when Jimi Hendrix (guitar player blues/rock style, e.g. Hey Joe) lived in Topanga Canyon he would come to this place to compose and play his music. I have no idea if this is true or not but I do know it has mind blowing views and it is a popular place to party and play music.

Until next time, be well and love well and be sure to take breaks from your regular routine as everyone needs to be flexible.

My Little Chickadee Cowl

I really love the big cozy oversized cowls so popular this winter. And I was all set to make myself one....until this winter turned into the "winter that wasn't." A big nonevent. No rain, no damp cold, no clouds and nothing drizzly or gloomy on the horizon. How disappointing.

It's one of those warm winters that Southern California is well known for.  Since I couldn't see myself wearing a big bulky cowl anytime soon I chose to knit a soft drapy cowl instead.  But then I'm not a "process" knitter so it's all about the bottom line for me - will I wear it?
 

And this is a cowl that I'll wear.  It's simple but has flash and for indoor events is a great alternative to a scarf or cardigan.    Not that I'm going much of anywhere these days as work is very busy.  But, it's nice to know I'll have something to wear if I need something!  And besides it looks nice just hanging about the house.

Particulars: Chickadee Cowl (free pattern) by Kirsten Kapur (Through the Loops); 1 skein Lornas Laces Pearl (51% silk / 49% bamboo); US 10 circular needles.  This is a simple design using the linen stitch and I think it is most effective using hand painted and/or handspun yarns.  My only modification was to to CO 149 stitches and use a larger needle size.  I used almost the whole skein before I decided it was wide enough which is purely a personal choice.  For a traditional scarf using the linen stitch I love the Cerus Scarf (free pattern) by The Yarniad or her newest free pattern, the Peppermint Candy Cowl. Another example of a scarf using the linen stitch is my Heavenly Handspun Scarf.   And for those interested in knitting one of the big fabulous cowls then you should check out the very popular Honey Cowl (free pattern by Madelinetosh).

Sunsets and Shameless Self Promotion

The above picture is of the sunset along the coastline of San Clemente, California and I was going to write something deep and profound about how I felt as I stood barefoot at the water's edge watching the sun set with the tide pulling at me as the last of the sun's warm glow faded from me.  But then something more important came up.  I have been interviewed.  In my capacity as a knitting blogger.  Never mind that it's on a website you have never heard of.  That's a minor point, and such a buzz kill.  Besides, they may be famous someday!!!  The interview is entitled Caught Between the Warp and the Woof - an Interview with Knitting Blogger Claudia Bugh.    Kidding aside, this website has great articles, interesting interviews, fun KALs, and is a wonderful addition to the online knitting community and a resource you should know about.  So go send KnittingYarn some internet love KK.

Until next time, be well and love well and pay attention to both the sun rises and sun sets and appreciate the gift that they are.