A Quiet Walk in the Woods

 

 

 

Sweater Update -- K-Dee's Sweater

 

Well this isn't much of an update as I hit a wall of knitting math!  My sweater is the Breakwater by Cecily Glowik MacDonald from Winged Knits.  She has some pretty good instructions in the pattern if only I can remember if I'm on an increase row or knit row.  I was working away at a good clip when I realized I had not counted stitches for awhile.  When I counted I realized that I was terribly off. 



Arm increases

So instead of ripping out I just fixed the amount of stitches on the next row.  After knitting a bit more I realized that I had not actually counted all the stitches.... so I sat it to the side for time when I had a whole brain and a calculator.  This combination did not come together until the Sat after Thanksgiving.  :)  I think everything is now even and correct.  I did not rip back just evened things up and am praying that it will all turn out alright.  Maybe by the next update I will have a body done!




Why isn't a Christmas Catus Called a Thanksgiving Catus?

 

Why are they called Christmas Cactus when they bloom at Thanksgiving??  I don't know but they are very pretty and I love them! I had two of them but one died on me.  But they are a nice bit of color in the winter. I love the red flowers and their shape. Don't you? 

Did you know that when the buds start forming you should not move it untill after it has bloomed, or else the buds will drop off and it won't bloom! It's a bit fussy that way! 

 

They love the east facing window in our house!

  

Sweater Update - Mandy's Sweater

 This is the first time I have knit a Top-Down sweater and I love it!! For this pattern, you knit back and forth for a few rows after you cast on then join and knit in the round.

I also love my cables!

My sweater is coming along pretty nicely, but I am getting distracted my other projects. So it is not going quite as quickly as it could.....



T-minus 6 days and counting!!

As turkey day quickly comes bounding around the weekend's corner it is time to dig through the recipe books and boxes to find yummy favorites! 

Here are a few favorites and finds!

Corn Bread Stuffing

This is one recipe that mom makes every year.  I don't actually eat it but there usually is not any left!
This recipe is tweaked from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book from about the 70's.

1/2 lb bacon (8 to 10 slices)
1/4 cup of drippings kept in reserve
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 chopped onion
1/2 cup water
3 cups coarse corn bread crumbs
3 cups fine toast crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
2 cups chicken or turkey broth

Make before hand your cornbread according to the mix instructions. We use Jiffy and add about 1 tablespoon sugar to the mix. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In skillet cook the bacon until crisp; drain, reserving the drippings.  Crumble bacon and set aside.  To skillet, add celery, onion, and water.  Cover and cook until barely tender, about 7 minutes. 

Combine bacon, reserved drippings, vegetable mixture, corn bread crumbs, toast crumbs, sage, broth and toss well.  Bake covered in a casserole pan for 30 minutes.  Makes 8 servings or enough stuffing for a 8 lb turkey. 

A recipe find!

One of my favorite things is looking though my mom's recipe box.  It is so much fun to see who recipes came from and their handwriting.  So I was excited to find this recipe from our grandmother!

I love her stationary! 

Oh My Darlings...

 Clementines are such a perfect size for making clove balls as you can fill the whole fruit with the cloves and it doesn't take forever...But it does require some patience. Don't place the cloves too near each other as the clementine will shrink as it dries. Clove is a natural preservative so this will last for several years.

 The above picture is freshly stuck clementines, I let them dry on a plate for several weeks to a month. They will shrink and turn brown and become very fragrant. Once they are dried you can tie a ribbon around them and hang them up. If you do hang them before they are dried, the ribbon will get too loose and fall off.

Clove balls are also known as Pomanders, the term goes way back to the middle ages when people carried around balls of just about anything that smelled good to ward off sickness or maybe because they really missed deodorant. You can get very fancy with decorating your clove ball if you like, but I say the more cloves the better!

Sweater Update- Heide's Sweater

 It is looking pretty good, isn't it? I love knitting sweaters seamlessly, it always goes faster. Instead of knitting two fronts and a back and getting tired of the plain knitting, you get it all in one lump!

So, as you can see, I have been speeding right along! I just finished knitting the left sleeve and yes, it is longer then the right one.

 Here is the story. When I knit the right sleeve I was worried about having to use more then one ball of yarn on each sleeve and was so excited when I got to the end of the yarn and it was also the right length! For the second sleeve, I didn't worry. I cast on, knit the cuff detail and settled down to watch Downton Abby. I blame this all on Downton Abby. Last night I decided to measure it as the sleeve was starting to look rather long.... It was 2" too long!! What happened?! As you can see I didn't run out of yarn yet! Yet on the first sleeve I did. Apparently there is more yardage in the second ball then the first. It couldn't have been my gauge. And I put the two sleeves together to make sure I hadn't accidentally made one skinner then the other, but they are the same. Anyway, now I have to rip back 2" on the right sleeve and I can attach the body and sleeves and start on the yoke!! Hopefully it won't take more then one ball, as that is all I have left!

 

Does everyone have their knitting needles out? This is perfect knitting weather!!

Sweater Update #2 Looking Back

 I am always amazed when I can create something wearable from a ball of yarn and needles. I am also amazed that I already finished the back of my sweater! I have a few secrets to share: 1. I completely disregard knitting a swatch and checking for gauge. To me its always a waste of time as I never have the same gauge as when I cast on and knit in the round. I also just get impatient to get the real project so I risk it and just knit! This has led to quite a few disasters but I like knitting on the edge. In these pictures you will also get a good view of the quilt I made with primary colors. My sister calls it my kindergarten room quilt.

In this last, very badly taken picture I was trying to see if my guesses at gauging were successful. I can't tell, can you? I really have to knit the front, stitch them together and put it on to see. What suspense!! I really hope its not going to be too small. The real suspense is that I have several Christmas projects to work on before I can start on the front of this sweater. I love watching old musicals when I am knitting and I thought this was a fun link from youtube.