Sunset Highway Sweater and Baking Sweet Breads

This is my Sunset Highway Sweater.  It's a soft watercolor interpretation of the original design which in contrast has striking details and a palpable Viking Goddess vibe.  Not that I wouldn't have liked to have been a viking goddess or indeed that it wasn't my intention to have a viking goddess sweater.  But sometimes fates conspire and what comes to pass is not what you intend at all.  And yet.  This softer watercolor version of the Sunset Highway Sweater is more reflective of my personality and one that I'll actually wear more frequently.  I also haven't ruled out revisiting this pattern someday and knitting one more true to the design.  Then again I probably won't because there are so many beautiful sweater patterns that I want to knit and I rarely knit the same pattern twice.

I knew from the start this sweater probably would not come out the way I had expected.  As soon as the yarn arrived (it was sold as a kit) I could see that it was beautifully dyed but I had a suspicion that it wouldn't have the distinct color definition needed to make the yoke design pop.  And once I began knitting I knew that I wasn't going to get a distinct pattern definition using these colors.  So I considered frogging what I had knit and substituting in solid colors. And yet.  When Steve looked at what I had knit he was in love with the beautiful colors and how they intermingled.  And so I decided to throw the dice and let the colors unfold as they may.  And I'm really happy that I did because this is a very unique and beautiful sweater.  I suspect that those who are unfamiliar with the Sunset Highway Sweater design will love this sweater and those who are a fan of the design will not even recognize it as a Sunset Highway Sweater!  Who do you think I am most likely to encounter in the real world?

You can probably tell that while I love the sweater I am a bit ambivalent about it; because it didn't come out as I had hoped and planned. Which could be a metaphor for life. Sometimes our plans don't work out but over time we look back and realize it was actually better the way that it did.  I'm not at that stage yet.

This is obviously a stranded colorwork design and there is a lot of tacking down yarn floats.  I have seen some very complicated methods to do this on Youtube videos that left me discouraged.  But there is no need for this to be super complicated so I'm going to share with you a very simple method for tacking down yarn floats.  This method works works even if you carry both strands of yarn in your right hand, as I do.  I always carry the background color over my index finger and the pattern color over my third finger.  When I want to tack down the background color I use my left hand to lift the background yarn up and over the working needle; I then knit the stitch using the pattern color; and then lift the background color off the needle and drop the strand which I then pick up again with my right hand.  That probably sounds terribly confusing but it's not really.  Play around with it and I think you'll find this is a very easy method for tacking down floats.  I'm sorry I don't know what this method is called.  I'll call it ~ the lefty lifting method ~

If you are thinking about knitting a colorwork design there are now many beautiful and unique colorwork sweater patterns out there (particularly if you are willing to knit with a heavier than fingering weight yarn).  I am currently mulling over the following choices (these are all fingering weight) Threipmuir; Arrows Down; Alyeska; and Silver Frost.

Particulars:  Sunset Highway Sweater, designed by Caitlin Hunter (Boyland Knitworks); US 2 (ribbing) and 4 (body) needles; 5 skeins Ritual Dyes, Maiden (fingering 2 ply twist) 80/20 SW Merino/Nylon, 400 yrds/100 grams (colorways: Iron (main body color), Lady Lucky, Pyrite, and malachite;  I adore this dyer's work and the yarn base is a dream to work with and I have since ordered more of her yarn for other projects.  As far as the pattern itself I knit the extra small size and my only modifications were that I knit the yoke a little longer than the pattern called for (about an extra inch and a half) and I skipped the short rows at the bottom.  But I have a small build and I've heard some say the extra small runs tight on them so you probably need to check your gauge and pick your size carefully.

Incidentally my Kobuk hat in the previous post is also by this designer ~ when you're hot you're hot ~

The last couple of years I've knit primarily cardigans but these days I'm more in the mood to knit pullovers.  If you would like to see a other pullover sweaters here are a few that I've previously blogged: Not a Jersey Girl; Calm; Emily; Sideways Knitted Top; and Lily.  With my climate I don't have a lot of sweater wearing weather but there are days when they come in handy!

Baking Sweet Breads ~

Work has been demanding lately and I'm fighting a cold.  But I always make it a priority to have homemade baked goods in the house.  It's a quality of life issue and simple pleasure that I try hard not to forego. And I think during stressful periods all the more important.  I like variety so I'm always playing with new recipes.  Recently I discovered the very delicious Babka bread!  This is a versatile sweet bread (similar to a brioche loaf) that you can use with a million different fillings.  For your babka dough I recommend trying the one I use from Bake From Scratch Magazine they share the dough recipe online (albeit with a Pistachio filling).  I use Kerry Gold butter and only 9 gms of salt (1/2 tbs. versus 1 tbs) but other than that I follow this basis dough recipe (sans orange zest).  As I mentioned the choice of fillings are endless.  The loaf pictured below I made with a strawberry and coconut filling (found in Bake From Scratch's March/April issue)but a classic filling would be a chocolate filling.  I hope you have fun finding wonderful fillings for this delicious bread treat!

Until next time be well and love well.  Enjoy Spring and don't forget this is a great time to start planning sweaters to knit over the summer so you are ready for next Fall!

Crazy and Colorful Colorblock Socks

Of late I've been obsessed with knitting socks.  And I can't knit them fast enough.  I've also been knitting almost exclusively my own version of a plain vanilla sock that I'm sharing as a free pattern called Colorblock Socks (pattern link below).  It has all my favorite techniques.  Naturally.  But the the main unique feature is a helpful (hopefully) way to join new yarn seamlessly.  Because it is soooo much more fun to change colors and go crazy adding different yarns when you don't have a million pesky yarn ends to weave in.

With all the beautiful handpainted yarns there really is no need to do anything fancy when knitting socks.  Still.  It's nice to be able to personalize your socks so that they truly are one of a kind. You can achieve that unique twist by simply adding contrasting colored heels and toes.  Or you can go crazy and add all sorts of colors and stripes.  Socks are kinda like lingerie that way.  You can go crazy and nobody needs to be any the wiser.  Unless you want to show your wild side.

Speaking of going crazy with color I really loved knitting these Colorblock Socks. The yarn I used was purchased from Kate Selene a very talented dyer who creates beautiful and unique colorways.  I purchased one of her kits that included 20 small skeins of 10 yards each and every last one of the colors made my heart sing.  How can you not love that! And the socks are, in my ever so humble opinion, the perfect summertime sock both because of the sunny bright colors and also the light fingering yarn.  Last night was a cold and foggy spring evening here in Southern California and these socks kept my feet nice and cozy propped up watching TV.  And yet not too hot. Like Goldilocks I found these to be just right.

While my socks may look completely haphazard in color I actually did employ a color strategy. I spent a significant amount of time lining up the colors in two columns to see how the colors stacked up and how they looked lined up next to each other, making minor adjustments over the span of several days.  I ended up using 18 of the 20 colors in the kit and for the toes I went for a matchy matchy look in cherry red that I think helped tie them together as a pair. The cherry red yarn incidentally was a mini-skein from the same dyer but is not part of the kit.

I know a lot of knitters have been hesitant to dive into the colorful world of speckles and bright colored yarns. So don't dive in.  Dip your toes in with socks instead! You don't have to go crazy with mixing up colors all you need to do is pick a single amazing speckled color.  And if you really just don't like speckles and brights then don't worry my pattern will work just as well with any ho hum solid colored yarn as well.  Not that there is anything wrong with solid colored yarn.  And I'm sorry if I implied otherwise. No matter what yarn you choose I hope you will like and have fun with my Colorblock Socks Pattern!

Particulars:  Colorblock Socks, free pattern download, US 1 DPNs and 64 stitches; Scrappy Yarn Kit (Etsy seller Kate Selene) or small amounts of left over sock yarn.  This pattern is knit top (cuff) down and has instructions for two sizes, ie. 60 and 64 stitches.  If you prefer knitting socks "toe up" vs. "top down" then I suggest you consider Anna Johanna's Surprise Stripes Socks (free pattern on Ravelry). Anna is a very talented designer and writes the blog Where We Once Knitted.

Just to give you an idea of how this pattern looks knit up with different yarns, pictured below are socks that I knit using a self-striping yarn (Nomadic Yarns - colorway Banana Boat).  I also used this pattern to knit my Jolly Christmas Socks.  Both of these socks were knit on US 1 needles on 60 stitches using the shaping and construction of my Colorblock Sock Pattern and its yarn joining method (used to customize the heels and toes).  Incidentally I gifted the Nomadic socks to a dear friend who has had terrible health problems this past year.  She likes to wear them for her dialysis treatments because the hospital is so cold.  I had previously given her a pair of socks so I already knew that they meant a lot to her and that she liked to wear them to her treatments.  Socks are such a small thing but can mean a great deal to someone needing comfort in this world.

Joining New Yarn ~

This method is extracted from my Colorblock Sock Pattern and if you print the pattern it will include this method for joining new yarn.  But should you not need or wish to to see the pattern I have provided it here for your convenience.

Caveat.  This joining method is not intended for superwash yarns or yarns blended with nylon which inhibit felting. That being said with sufficient agitation it can be used with superwash and nylon blends ergo both my Nomadic socks and Jolly Christmas Socks are superwash blended yarns and yet I used this joining method.  It may not work perfectly with these types of yarns but it's still far better than the alternative, i.e. weaving in millions of pesky yarn ends.

This is a multi step process that takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it it will become second nature:

1.  Tie a knot joining the two ends of yarn that you want to join leaving approximately a 2 inch yarn tail on both sides. The knot I tie is a square knot, which is very easy to do and if you aren’t familiar with it here’s a video demonstration. Do not tighten your knot too much as you want the fibers loose enough to enable felting which requires friction and movement of the fibers against each other.  A properly felted "knot" should feel thicker than your regular yarn but not like a hard knot.

2.  Working each end separately, carefully untwist the 2 inch yarn tail into individual plies to open up and loosens the fibers.  Cut off roughly half of the loosened yarn plies roughly 1/2 to 1/4 inch from the knot, as shown in the picture above.

3.  You must now make one of two choices.  Choice No. 1: This choice creates a crisp color change, as shown in the picture above.  You lay the purple yarn ends back against itself and vice versa with the green ends.  With this method you will knit up to the point you want your color to transition, then tink (see footnote below) back 6 or 7 stitches and join your new color. Now when you knit with the joined yarn the yarn change should fall at the point you began tinking back. Choice No. 2: With this choice you create a marled yarn effect for a blurry yarn color transition.  I used this choice for my Colorblock Socks. You will lay the green plies/ends over the purple yarn and the purple plies/ends over the green yarn without any need for tinking or exact color positioning before adding your new yarn, although I prefer to do so on the bottom half of my socks.

4.  After both sides of the yarn plies have been prepared and positioned for either Choice No. 1 or 2, carefully lay the yarn in your left palm with the knot positioned in the center.  Now spit into your palm covering all areas of yarn that you want to felt.  Proceed to vigorously roll (i.e. twist) the yarn back and forth in your palm until the fibers felt together forming a seamless join.  Periodically open your palm and check to see if you need to add more moisture or if you need to adjust your yarn plies. I find it helps to twirl the yarn plies around the strand of yarn it needs to felt with.  You don't want it all bunched up near the knot.  The goal is to have the felted yarn to be only minimally more bulky at the join than otherwise.

As I said at the start this method can take a bit of practice but once you get the hang of it you will find it very easy and secure join.  I've used this method for many years and it's the only way I would consider joining new yarn with socks.

Footnote:  "Tink" is slang for undoing your knitting one stitch at a time. It is the word "knit" spelled backward - hence you "tink" instead of knit!

Until next time be well, love well and this summer why not knit some crazy and colorful Colorblock Socks for yourself!

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!

Knitting a Sweater and Tips to Achieve a Custom Fit

I love my new Spring Lily sweater!  It has wonderful texture with bobbles on top of bobbles and more bobbles and when you look at it you know immediately that it was hand knit which makes it a perfect knitting project.

If you are like most knitters you probably have had the experience of knitting a sweater only to find that it doesn't fit whether it's too long, too wide, too short, or too tall.  So how can you knit a sweater and be sure that it will fit you?  The answer to that question entirely depends upon whether or not you are willing to take a few extra steps before you cast-on.  I'm going to share with you the steps that I take in advance of casting on to achieve a custom fit with any sweater pattern.   

Knitting Tips To Achieve a Custom Fit:

Step 1.  Always knit a gauge swatch and wash and block it.  You will need an accurate gauge swatch to know how many stitches per inch you are knitting in order to calculate (using basic math) a custom fit.

Step 2.  Find a garment in your closet or your friends closet that fits you the way that you want your new sweater to fit.  You are then going to use this garment as a "template" which means that you will sketch the garment on a piece of paper along with all critical measurements (i.e. the length, width, shoulders, neckline, sleeves, etc.).

Step 3.  Ignore the pattern instructions for size.  For example, if the pattern instructions tell you to cast-on 150 stitches for a size 38" sweater you will ignore that instruction.  Instead, you will look at your sketch and using basic math and your gauge swatch you will calculate the number of stitches to cast-on. So if your template indicates that you want the bottom of your sweater to be 18 inches across you will calculate how many stitches it will take to knit 18 inches based on your gauge swatch (i.e, multiply the number of stitches per inch by the number of inches you want) to determine the number of stitches to cast-on.  You will mainly use the "pattern instructions" for overall guidance as to the style of stitches used and for how long, the techniques used for shaping, and finishing instructions, etc.  But for any increases, decreases, or number of stitches to cast-on you will ignore the pattern instructions and instead use your template calculations.  It is always helpful to read over the entire pattern instructions before you begin so you have an idea of the sweater construction.

Step 4.  Periodically take your project off the needles using waste yarn and do a "fitting."  The fitting process will help you make any adjusts to your increases and/or decreases based on how the garment actually fits.

Step 5.  Always wash and block your knitting before doing any finishing work (i.e. before seaming together pieces, etc.).  After pressing out as much water as you can, use your template measurements to gently ease the individual wet pieces into the desired size/shape and leave until completely dry.  Seam together as per pattern instructions.

I know this seems like a lot of things to do but for the amount of work and money that goes into knitting a sweater you want it to fit well and by following these steps you are more likely to have a sweater that will indeed fit!

Particulars:  Lily designed by Marnie MacLean (Twist Collective); US 6 needles (circular and straight); 6 skeins Amy Butler Belle Organic dk by Rowan (50% wool / 50% cotton).  I more or less knit the 2XS size up to the point where the yoke and sleeves are joined.  However, after joining the yoke rather than follow the pattern decreases I adjusted my decreases based on "fitting" which means I took the garment off the needles and adjusted the decreases as needed.  See above tips for more guidance on how I achieved a custom fit.

And Now a Mishmash of Things that I am Enjoying this Spring ~

Spring Lollipops!  I love these seasonal treats that I find at William and Sonoma.  They are a wonderful combination of sweet and acidic and I wish they were available all year round.

Homemade bagels with wild Maine Blueberry jam and freshly brewed Stumptown Coffee yum yum yum. For the bagels I used King Arthur Flour's free on-line Baby Bagel recipe and because I did not have "high Gluten" flour I simply added a tablespoon of Gluten for each cup of All Purpose Flour that I used.  You can find Gluten in most health food stores.

And lastly my morning hikes with Simcha watching the clouds roll in from the Malibu coastline.

Until next time be well and love well and I hope that your Spring will be filled with beautiful color, a sense of renewal, and lots of seasonal treats.

Kicking off Fall with Socks and Granola

If you've never worn a pair of hand knit socks then you just don't know what you are missing.  In fact there are some knitters who only knits socks and, while I'm not one of them, I totally get it. The appeal is partly due to the beautiful sock yarns to suit everyone's taste from classic solids to wild space dyed variegations but that alone wouldn't be enough.  It's the amazing comfort that a custom knit pair of socks provides.  I'll also let you in on a little secret.  Wearing hand knit socks at night during the Winter means you can get up in the night and have toasty toes if you need to use the "facilities."  Just saying in case some of you get up in the night.

If you have never knit socks it can be confusing trying to figure out how many stitches to cast-on and the needle size and the last thing you want to do is invest the time into knitting socks only to have them not fit. But the nice thing is that once you figure out your "formula" (i.e. number of stitches to cast-on and the needle size) it works every time and with most patterns.  For example, I wear a women's US size 7 shoe and my "formula" is to cast-on 64 stitches using size US 1 double pointed needles and begin the toe decreases at 7 inches.  But with socks there is a certain amount of "give" and my Mom comfortably wears socks that I've knit using this formula and she wears a women's US size 8 shoe.  You also want to have a certain amount of "stretch" in the cuff and this is the cast-on method I use:

How to Cast On for Socks (cuff down):

Using the long-tail method cast on stitches over two double pointed needles held together.  Carefully remove one needle and then divide your stitches onto remaining needles and join for knitting in the round being careful not to twist cast-on stitches.  By casting on your stitches over 2 needles you create extra "give" in the cast on edge that will help make the cuff more stretchy and easier to fit over your heel. 

Particulars: Embossed Leaves Socks designed by Mona Schmidt; US 1 needles; 1 skein Sundara Sock yarn.  This is a wonderful pattern and I've actually knit it three times!  The first pair I have no pictures as I gave them to a good friend before taking pictures of and the second pair I gave to my mother (blogged as Because You Can Never Have Too Many) but this pair I think I'll hang on to for myself.  I love Sundara yarns and have used it to make a number of projects including my Milkweed Shawl; Bird of Paradise Socks; and Sockamania Socks).

Basic Granola Recipe

I eat granola all year but it's particularly nice in the Fall and Winter.  I've shared recipes in the past but I particularly like this one because it's a great basic recipe that works well for a topping or snack and it has a nice wholesome crunch and nutty flavor.  It was shared with me by Kate a fellow knitter who is also a German Shepherd lover and so it's no coincidence that we met on the Ravelry forum for German Shepherd Lovers which is my absolute favorite place to hang out on Ravelry as it's a fun group of women. Kate graciously gave me permission to share her wonderful granola recipe and I know you will like it as much as I do.  For those of you who don't know Kate, she recently lost her father and wrote a wonderful tribute to his memory and if you have a chance I highly recommend you take a minute to read what she wrote as it's a beautiful testament to a wonderful man's life.  Have a hankie handy.

Basic Granola Recipe (crunchy):

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup wheat germ (or whole wheat flour in a pinch)
2 tablespoons packed dark brown organic sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (kosher - large grain)
1/2 cup raw whole almonds (I do not chop them up)
1/2 cup large flake coconut - unsweetened (found in the organic section of grocery stores or in health food stores)
1/4 cup agave nectar (Kate uses maple syrup but I like using agave nectar but either is fine)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 (or more) whole dried cranberries or whole dried tart cherries (I prefer using whole cranberries/cherries as they give a nice pop of flavor and don't seem as dried out. They carry them at Trader Joe's here in Southern California and probably most health food stores)

Steps:

1.  Line a roasting pan with silpat or parchment paper and preheat oven to 275 degrees;
2.  In large bowl combine oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, almonds and coconut;
3.  In a small sauce pan bring agave nectar, oil, and water to simmer over low heat.  Pour over oat mixture and stir to combine and then  using hands squeeze mixture to form loose clumps;
4.  Spread mixture onto prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
5.  Remove from oven and stir in dried cranberries (or cherries), cinnamon, and sea salt and baking until golden about 20 minute more.
6.  Remove from oven and cool completely and store in airtight container.

To make a raspberry topping (compote) simply combine fresh raspberries, sugar to taste, and enough water to cover berries by approximately 3/4 inch.  Stir constantly on rapid boil until sauce thickens.  This can take a few minutes and it is tedious and boring so I generally stand reading a book as I stir away but find a fresh raspberry topping is worth the effort!  This topping is wonderful over Greek yogurt with the above basic granola in the morning which is how I generally enjoy it.  It's also terrific on ice cream, waffles, swirled into oatmeal or by the spoonful!

Until next time be well and love well and may you have fun this Fall decorating your home, baking wonderful treats, and knitting socks to keep you, your toes, and your loved ones warm.

Hitchhiking and Bike Riding in Sonoma County

This summer I highly recommend that you hitch a ride with the rest of us hitchhikers and knit this super simple and fabulous scarf pattern designed by Martina Behm.  If you are not familiar with Martina she has designed some of the very best patterns for summer scarfs that show off variegated and self striping sock yarns to their best advantage.    

I like her designs because they are modern and also simple to knit which makes for perfect summer knitting.  The equivalent of an easy summer beach read.  But even so there is always the chance of making a mindless mistake and that's exactly what I did with this pattern.  It is designed to be knit in garter stitch but due to carelessness on my part I accidentally purled across a row creating a stockinette pattern.  Rather than rip back my "mistake" I decided to incorporate it as a design element and call it a "signature mistake." I made that decision because I liked the visual interest the different texture created and so I intentionally purled a row at equal distances through the rest of the pattern.

If you haven't heard the expression "signature mistake" before it is what a knitter will tongue-in-cheek call a mistake they make and decide not to correct.  Some mistakes absolutely have to be corrected and others are more a personal judgement call.  A good rule of thumb is to objectively view the mistake and decide if a non-knitter would recognize the mistake. If not, then it generally isn't worth the time and trouble to correct it.  When you think about it the line between a mistake and a modification is really very fine and  depends upon how you view things.  Are you an optimist or a pessimist?  An optimist sees it as a possibility to personalize a pattern.  A pessimist sees it as a mistake. I'll let you guess which I am.

Particulars: Hitchhiker by Martina Behm (website: Strickmich); 1 skein Ricin Yarn (Merino, bamboo, nylon 440 yds)(colorway Clockwork (March 2013 Gothsock Club); US 5 needles; 36 pattern repeats (sharp points); and blocked dimensions: 76" x 10" (deepest point).  No modifications other than my "signature mistake" described above.  If you are looking for a similar free scarf pattern you might like the Baktus scarf I knit several years ago and blogged as Add Color to Your Summer - Knit a Baktus Scarf.  I really like Goth Sock yarns (Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs) and previously used her yarn to knit socks blogged as Halloween Socks.

A Bike Adventure in Sonoma County ~

I was delighted when Steve suggested while visiting family in Northern California that we take a bike tour of wineries in Healdsburg, California (Sonoma County).   I told him "yes, yes, yes book us!"   Two days before our trip it occurred to me to inquire exactly how long a bike ride would it be?  He paused while he looked up the information on the internet before announcing "25 miles." Now I don't know about you, but to me that sounded like a long bike ride for two people who haven't been on bikes since we were kids.

And frankly, we were incredibly lucky because we had the nicest biking tour company and the best tour guide ever who quickly surmised the situation and adjusted our bike trip to a mere 15 mile trip encompassing several wineries, a scrumptious lunch, and lolling hills at a leisurely pace that we had no trouble with at all.

And we had a blast!  There is nothing like being on a bike to relax and experience the scenery and fresh air as you peddle through gentling rolling hills with shady lanes with plenty of stops to enjoy organic gardens and, of course, the wine and olive oil tastings.  As you can see from these pictures we saw some beautiful country and gardens including the above artichoke bloom; steel bridges, and peaceful creekbeds.

Don't look too closely at us, as cycling while wearing helmets is not exactly conducive to good hair photos.

But hopefully you can tell we were having a super time because we really were.  Surprisingly we were not in the least sore from our excursion and felt great the next day.  We are definitely coming back and will shoot for the full 25 mile tour next time but on a cool Fall day.  We used Wine County Bikes tours and definitely ask for Taylor as your tour guide.

Until next time be well and love well and if you haven't ridden a bike in years (like us) this summer is the perfect time to find out where they rent bikes in your town and play tourist.  I always think a bike ride is most enjoyable if you have a destination in mind and preferably one that involves ice cream!

Summer Socks ~ and Simcha and the Old West

It's almost May 1st, which is May Day (as opposed to "MAYDAY" which is a distress call) and it has me thinking about Spring flowers, Summer festivals and all things Summery and whimsical including my new summer Love Socks!

The above picture of my legs reminds me of a cute story involving my mom.  She was a teenager in England during WWII when there were many American servicemen stationed in her home town, a small fishing village called Teignmouth.   She, of course, enjoyed the attention that these men gave the local girls including the wolf whistles when they walked by.  One day while she was out walking she was feeling very pretty when a group of men began whistling at her.... until she heard one call out "I bet she can sing" quickly followed by "because she has legs like a canary."  They all hooted in laughter and my mother wished she could simply melt away instead of having to continue to walk past them mortified and ungainly from embarrassment.  To this day she will dissolve into laughter when she tells this story.  And yet since she married an American there apparently were no hard feelings.  So no unkind comments on my legs please!

But I digress from knitting.  It occurs to me that it's been a while since I've shared a knitting tip on the blog so without further ado:

Mr. Puffy's Sock Knitting Tip:  When knitting socks from the cuff down you can create a stretchy "cast on" edge by casting on over two needles held together.  You simply remove the additional needle when you begin knitting and it helps create extra room to stretch over your heel.     

Lastly a sweet noesgay inspired picture in honor of May Day! 

Particulars:  Love Socks by Devon Clement (free Ravelry download); 1 skein Canon Hand Dyed yarn (Charles Self Striping Sock Yarn - black unicorn colorway); US 1 DPNs.  This is a gem of a free pattern ~ fun to knit and an easy introduction to intarsia knitting which is much easier than you would think.  For more self striping socks see Halloween Socks and Ghosts and Ghouls. 

Simcha and the Old West 

At times I can envision Simcha as a wolf standing guard over the vast territories of the American West.  I think it might be because at times his behavior can resemble that of a wild animal.  Which is why we have had to create some house rules.  House Rule No. 1:  Never turn your back on food when Simcha is loose.  House Rule No. 2:  If you are ever tempted to trust Simcha around food - refer to rule No. 1.  There have been some unfortunate incidents necessitating strict rules.

Until next time, be well and love well and make sure to discover what fun Spring festivals take place in your area and whatever you do don't forget to buy some flowers to celebrate May Day!

Halloween Socks and Ghosts and Ghouls ~

Who knew knitting with self-striping sock yarn was so much fun!  I'm just sorry I waited so long to give it a try.  Albeit mayhaps my yarn color choice might be questioned but I am not deterred.

Wouldn't these socks look great worn with a long black dress, pointed black shoes, and a tall pointed black hat!  Oh dear, do you suppose I might then look like a witch?  All I would need to complete the look is a broomstick, a cauldron and a toad.  I'd better rethink wearing these with black.  In any event I'm sure I'll have plenty of outfits that go well with bright green and dark purple stripes.  In fact I'll probably end up wearing them more than you can imagine.  Maybe.

This is a fun pattern, but to knit it with ease you will need to know how to do a seamless yarn join if you want to knit it with a solid color heel and toe.  When you knit the solid areas you need to cut out the contrasting colors and rejoin the yarn as often as necessary to knit a solid color block.  This can be a hassle if you do not know how to do a seamless yarn join and so I'm going to share with you how I do a "spit and twist" seamless yarn join.  If you are squeamish about germs or have "issues" with spitting into you hand then this is not the yarn join method for you.  Otherwise read on.

Mr. Puffy's knitting tip for a seamlessly yarn join ~ Spit and Twist Method

Caveat.  The spit and twist yarn join method will only work with yarns that will "felt."  In other words it will not work with superwash yarn or cotton blends, etc.  If you are in doubt, simply test your yarn to see if it will felt by rolling a small amount in your palm with moisture and see if the fibers felt together.

Steps:

1.  Tie a knot in the two ends of yarn that you want to join seamlessly leaving approximately a 2 inch yarn tail on both sides.  Tug on the knot to make sure it is snug.

2.  Working each side separately, carefully untwist the 2 inch yarn tail into individual plies which opens up and loosens the fibers.  Cut off roughly half of the yarn plies roughly 1/2 to 1/4 inch from the knot.  Wrap the remaining yarn plies around the new yarn strand.

3.  After both sides of the yarn tails have been prepared, lay the yarn in your palm with the knot in the center.  Now spit into your palm covering all areas of yarn that you want to felt.  Now vigorously roll (i.e. twist) the yarn in your palm until the fibers felt together forming a seamless join.  Periodically open your palm and check to see if you need to add more moisture and that your yarn plies lay flat.  You want the felted yarn to be only minimally more bulky at the join than otherwise.

4.  Do not knit with your yarn until it has dried completely.  I also like to test the join by giving it a slight tug.  If it has fully felted it should feel as solid at the join as the rest of your yarn.

If you would like a visual demonstration I found this video showing the "spit and splice" method which is very similar, but does not begin with Step 1 (i.e. tying a knot).  I like to begin by tying a knot because that helps stabilize the yarn which is particularly helpful if you want a precise color change at the join.

Particulars: Down the Rabbit-Hole (ravelry link) a free pattern by designer Kimberly Pieper; 1 skein Laudanum Lache in the Witchy Bitchy colorway (380 yards self striping yarn) by Rainy Days & Wooly Dogs aka: gothsocksyarn; US1 needles medium size (64 CO).   This is a gem of a free pattern and I highly recommend it for self-striping yarn.My only modification was to stop the spiral at the start of the toe rather than knitting the spiral to the end.  My only caution is that the spiral pattern causes the leg to be tight without much "give" (as opposed to a rib pattern which has lots of "give") and so you want to make sure you have enough give to slide over your heel.  My standard sock formula is US 1 needles with 64 stitches which is the medium size for this pattern.

To see more Halloween inspired socks, self striping socks, or virtually any type of sock pattern you can imagine visit my favorite sock yarn muse, Andi, who writes the very entertaining knitting blog my mysistersknitter.

 ~ Halloween Ghost Story ~

This Pumpkin Girl was sewn from scraps of wool felt and embellished with odds and ends from around my house (twigs and various sewing notions).  She is a type of American primitive folk and  I bought the pattern from The Cheswick Company which sells a number of fun Halloween and primitive craft patterns.

And now, in honor of Halloween, I'm going to share with you a true ghost story based on events that happened to me many years ago.

It was well past midnight on a dark and lonely night.  The wind was howling outside and I lay alone beneath my bed covers shivering in anxiety and anguish as a worry took hold of my mind and would not let go.  I was in a state of despair and there was nothing I could do except pray. Unworthy as I am I tremulously offered a prayer seeking solace and wisdom.  And it wasn't long after that I heard a scratching noise at the front door as if something or someone was trying to enter the house.  I leaped up in fright and crept over to see who or what was at the door.  Standing there was a black dog that I recognized as belonging to a neighbor.  I opened the door and in she walked as if she belonged.  I crouched down and hugged her and was overcome with relief that in my hour of darkness I was not alone.  After a time I opened the door and into the night the dog disappeared and I returned to bed and fell asleep.  Never before or since that night has this dog ever come to our home in the night, let alone a house dark with no light on.  Why would this dog appear then and there?  Some might say that dogs have senses that humans don't and maybe she was able to sense my distress.  But where we live the houses are not close together and I wasn't making a sound.  I just do not find that explanation plausible.  What I believe is that this dog came to me as an answer to my prayer for solace that night.

Until next time be well and love well and may you have a frightfully fun Halloween filled with spooky decorations, yummy pumpkin goodies, and only friendly ghosts.