Here are some of the highlights from 2008:

• Finished (sort of) my Autumn Rose
• Switched from Typepad to Wordpress
• Got my MVFF shareholder certificate
• Acquired a Talisman
• Celebrated THREE big milemarkers
• Went spinning with Kim
• Mom got HER box from MVFF
• Wrote some tips for self-portaits
• Chappy ate part of a latex glove
• Finished my pretty Phildar cardigan
• Bloggers Silent Poetry Reading, anyone?
• Chappy saw his best friend
• Zephyr really does hate me
• Chappy got to see his best friend again
• Finished my Japanese lace shawl in curry Zephyr (come to think of it, that’s the last time I made lace)
• Chappy finally got to play in the snow
• Saw some serious woodpeckers
• Went spinning with friends at Jessica’s
• Discussed how to clean dirty socks
• Mmm…oatmeal cookie/brownie double-decker…
• Showed off grandmother photos
• Played with Risa and the twins
• Would you believe how much fur comes off Chappy when he gets a haircut?
• Easter … and pretty, pretty blue spinning
• Tried to choose buttons for my Flutter-Sleeve Cardigan…
• …Which I finished, kind of.
• I finished my gorgeous blue yarn
• Walked around town with Kim and her new dog
• Chappy demonstrated his recycling skills
• Showed off Dad’s new website
• Put up the pattern of my House Calls bag
• We went to Martha’s Vineyard!
• And to the very first ever Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Shearing Festival!
• And got an even closer look at the kids the next day!
• Showed off my MV swag
• Played with Photoshop
• Played even more with Photoshop
• Bought my Nikon with my tax incentive
• Played with it some more, and fought with customer service
• Chappy showed how patient he is
• Great family day to surprise my brother-in-law
• My nephew turned 15
• My niece turned 19
• And then we celebrated my sister’s birthday which was lovely
• Finished my blue cardigan which is so, so pretty.
• Chappy worked on a new trick
• Baked some bread
• Found an old friend on Ravelry
• Made a string bag
• Mom’s computer died
• Went to a birthday party for a friend’s Dad
• Chappy invited everyone to his  birthday party
• Got a new computer
• One of my favorite bookstores burned down
• Celebrated Chappy’s birthday
  
• And reminisced about it
• Took lots and lots of pictures of Chappy and my nephew playing
• More spinning at Jessica’s
• Baby Chappy photos!
• Announced a product that can really help your health
• More handsome Chappy pictures (just because)
• A family day with cousins
• Launched my Knitting Scholar website!
• Designed a lovely, warm hood
• Chappy’s anniversary (more baby Chappy pictures)
• Kind of, um, redecorated the dining room … with tomato sauce
• Got business cards!
• Katy and Jilly pictures
• Took photos of yarn and knitwear for my Cafe Press calendars
• Got my Farm Fresh MVFF cormo (yum!)
• Finished my Ingenue sweater
• Went to the Garden State sheep and wool festival
• Went to Liberty State Park and waved to the Statue of Liberty
• Took Chappy to the farm … and school
• Rhinebeck!
• Ghosts…
• Yet MORE spinning at Jessica’s!
• Voted
• Got older
• And celebrated
• Oh, pretty, pretty cormo…
• Mom started a new blog
• Showed what a MEAN mother I am
• Cormo dyed by Jessica to match the MVFF logo
• Made some new knitting friends
• Fell in love with Sylvi
• Thankful…
• More new business cards–to go with my Freelance Business–and some Christmas spirit
• Baked. And baked. And baked. And baked. And baked!
• Went to the MVFF Bonfire party!

• Tags: General • Permalink:2008 in Review // 5 Comments »

Okay, so the little … mishap … the other day was my fault. I entirely admit it. I made a wrong turn with the scissors as I rounded the shoulder, and the resulting damage was my own fault.

But.

So, with that rather ominous foreshadowing….

See this rather pretty sweater that is now looking, you know, LIKE a sweater and not just a heap of yarn?

Something scary cropped up as I sewed in one of the sleeves.

That doubly reinforced steek? The one that I not only machine stitched but also ran a line of crochet reinforcing by hand to be sure it would hold?

Apparently, it wasn’t enough.

What you see there in the picture is the nicely reinforced steeked edge … and a bunch of loose stitches that unravelled just on the other side.

Sigh.

So … what am I doing about it?

Well, I finished sewing in the sleeves because, well, why not? Although it was with a rather defeatist attitude, I’ll admit. I added a couple lines of stitching around the hole and then actually moved the seam so that the hole is now in the seam allowance (which, yes, alters the set of the line, but, hey, whatever).

My current plan? I’m going to finish the knitting. I just picked up the stitches for the neckband and will go ahead and do the button bands.

But, I’m then going to go back to the seams and stitch, carefully, around the seams one more time and hope that nothing else … nothing that looks solid right now … is going to come undone and ruin this otherwise lovely sweater.

Sigh.

Sigh.

Sigh.

Anyone else have any better suggestions?

And, why does my knitting hate me?

Maybe I SHOULD turn Sylvi into an afghan rather than knitting it as a coat … at least then I wouldn’t have to worry about how it fits. (Although, finding a yarn that’s not acrylic, not cotton, and machine washable suitable for an afghan is harder than you’d expect.)

Which, at this moment, is more of a consideration than you would think!

My knitting hates me. So discouraging. I’m really such a nice person.

Oh, and I got tagged over at Punctuality Rules for the “6 things about me” meme … you folks might know most of these already, but please come and take a look.

• Tags: General • Permalink:My Knitting Hates Me // 10 Comments »

Turkey on homemade Pumpernickel Bread, anyone?

The color of this pumpernickel is just right … deep and chocolately brown. The texture is moist and firm. It doesn’t have enough of that pumpernickel/rye flavor, though … but it’s a start. Maybe some extra rye flavor would help?

And you’ll be pleased (I’m sure) to know that Dad and Chappy are thoroughly enjoying their Stollen. Chappy has NOT been interesting in lounging in bed with me the last few mornings–he’s been far too anxious to get downstairs and help clean Grandpa’s dish!

Oh yeah, and I did this today. Cut all my steeks in my Harvest Cardigan. In fact, it feels like this is the only thing I really accomplished today!

I had machine-stitched my steeks yesterday. Yes, I know it’s not always necessary, and a more elastic edge is better for knitwear, but this is Silky Wool, and the steek was only 3 stitches wide … I didn’t want to take any chances.

I not only used the machine-stitching, but I actually went along and reinforced all three steeks even further by running a line of crochet down both sides of each steek. THIS is what took me all day. (Seriously!)

Here’s a look at the inside of the sweater, just because. Some of the floats are neater than others, but, no complaints.

Next? Sew in the sleeves and sew the shoulder seams, and then knit the collar and knit the button band, and it will be done.

Which means, of course, that it’s about time to start thinking about what to do NEXT. I’d really like to do something with that Briar Rose Charity I got at Rhinebeck. That’s 900 yards of Aran-weight Corriedale. Or maybe something with the Cascade 220 I bought last month.

Suggestions?

This is what Autumn Rose’s injured shoulder looks like right now. I ran a line of stitches above and below the cut to prevent further damage, and then kind of messily did some duplicate stitch over the top to tack things down a bit. I had asked for help in the “Stranded” group in Ravelry and got this reply back:

“Since the yarn is feltable, it should not unravel too easily (if at all) after it has been knitted / worn. If all else fails miserably, you could try getting some indistinct shade of felt, needle felting tool and place the felt patch on the wrong side of the sweater. Back it up with something semi-solid (cork or whatnot) and punch through the knitting and the felt patch - hopefully you will end up with with a still wearable vest!”

I thought that was pretty interesting … especially when you consider that I’ve got the sleeve tops with the exact, charted portion of the sweater that I accidentally cut … If I had a felting needle, I could just FELT the cut ends together. I rather like that idea. (Well, you know, if I had a needle-felting needle.)

If this were in a more obvious place, I’d be freaking out more, but since it’s right at the shoulder, in the back, it’s mostly going to be hidden by my hair. As long as it doesn’t actually *unravel*, I almost don’t care what it looks like. (Almost!)

And, really … my darning skills on Fair Isle color work? There’s just no way (grin). I’ve tried the knitted patch thing, remember? I WISH I were better at mending, but it never seems to come out right, no matter how hard I try. Sewing a hem, replacing a button … those I can do … but patching and darning? Not even a little.

My grandmother would be so ashamed of me….

Oh, and … after a day that was mostly gray clouds (though unseasonably warm at almost 60 degrees), we had a smashing sunset. So pretty!

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Bread // 7 Comments »

So, remember how I’ve never been satisfied with my Autumn Rose sweater and decided I needed to do something drastic if it was ever going to have a chance of being worn?

Well, surprise! It’s now a vest.

There’s just one problem…

I kind of (don’t ask me how) took a wrong turn while cutting the sleeve out. This was a one-piece sweater, remember, so cutting was the only way to get them out. I stitched around the armhole first and then pulled out the scissors.

How I cut OUT of the armhole and into the back of the sweater, under the neckband, I have no idea.

But … if I’m not mistaken, this pretty much kills this sweater, doesn’t it?

Or … do you have suggestions? Is this remotely fixable??

Anyone? Please??

I mean, sure, this is Shetland wool, so it’s not going to immediately go running off into Unravel World, but … a horizontal cut straight through the armhole and into the back of the sweater, right at the shoulder?

The only think I can THINK to do would be to kind of darn it together, which would probably hold, even if it might not look perfect. I can’t  think of anything I could use to patch it. I certainly can’t reknit it …

Help!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Um … Help! // 8 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Yarn Decorations // 3 Comments »

Waiting for presents on Christmas morning is so hard!

But opening presents is fun!

And, we hadn’t even gotten to the really good one yet…

Maybe if we stare at it …

The stollen! (Look at that smile.)

Yep. Christmas is nice! Chappy, in particular had a practically perfect day. Presents. Everybody home. Turkey for dinner. A walk … holidays are definitely nice.

Yesterday at my sister’s was nice, too!

Hope all of you had a good day, too–whether it was “Christmas” or just a Thursday.

• Tags: Chappy, Family • Permalink:Ho Ho Ho // 5 Comments »

Here it is, Christmas Eve, and it is a gray, wet day out there. We’re heading up to my sister’s house shortly, with the hope that the roads have passed from Icy to just Messy … wish us luck!

Have a happy holiday, everyone!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Joy // 7 Comments »

Chappy’s had a quiet, quiet day today. I’m not sure, but I think his back is bothering him. Or something. He’s having a little trouble jumping up on the furniture, or running up the stairs … as in, not that he can’t do it, but that he’s reluctant to. I pulled out the heating pad for him this afternoon … figure, it can’t hurt, right?

Surprise, surprise, I did some baking. I made a lemon pound cake with just a hint of ginger. (Really, I should have added more ginger, you can barely taste it.) We made beef brisket for supper, too, with baked potatoes. Wrote envelopes for Christmas cards which are WAY late for me this year. Printing them on Dad’s printer didn’t work, though, because the color was off, so my plan is to borrow the office printer tomorrow. Hey, 20 sheets worth of toner, that’s not that much, right? And I’m bringing my own paper…

So, other than the baking and writing envelopes, it’s been a fairly quiet day. Which makes, of course, for a boring blog entry.

Oh yeah, and still watching Chuck episodes. I really love this show.

Speaking of viewing, I need to tell you that the movie “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming” is up and available on Hulu.com. This is one of my family’s favorite movies EVER. It’s hilarious. 1966 movie with Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Brian Keith. At the peak of the cold war, what would happen if a Russian submarine grounded itself on the coast of Nantucket (or, “Gloucester” island)? It’s funny; it’s sweet; it’s clever. Alan Arkin’s accent is darn good, Carl Reiner panics beautifully, and the culminating scene at the church tower that ends the tension is one of the best ever. If you’ve  never seen it, here’s your chance! (And, if you’re interested in the DVD instead? Here’s a link to that. It’s a GREAT movie.)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Emergency! Everybody to Get from Street! // 4 Comments »

Start with a gray, wintry day.

Add some flame. (Lots of flame.)

Gather some friends (well bundled from the cold).

Make new friends.

(Hopefully without feeling cornered. Which, at that moment, Chappy WAS.)

Maybe give some gifts. (This Martha’s Vineyard map was made by Mom, for Susan and Patrick, with a sheep made out of MVFF Cormo that I spun right about where the actual farm is … though we got lucky with that part.) And this is the only picture we got of Susan all day. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Oh, right. I was distracted by these charming faces.

This little cutie wanted nothing so much as to get a really good look at Chappy.

The little shelters looked very cozy. Which is good, because it was cold!

These sheep and goats, though, were just the youngsters of the flock–the rest of the herd were up the street on the actual farm, but we didn’t get to see them. We COULD have, but Patrick and Erin were heading up that way about 4:00, which was just about the time we were leaving … I mean, we would have loved to have stayed longer, but it was getting dark, and we didn’t know how much new snow might have been on the roads … Not much, as it turned out, but it was still an hour and a half to get back home, and headlights at night often give me a headache, and it IS the shortest day of the year!

We had a really good time, though. There were, I don’t know … 20-30 people there, and Susan had decided that having it indoors actually was a good idea after all. (Which it WAS. Because, even though that one fire gave off a lot of heat, um, you can only crowd so many people around it for so long, you know? And the house might have been small, but it was cozy!

It WAS cold. About 20 degrees, gray skies, and flurries of snow throughout the day, with another storm due tomorrow … It was unfortunate that we had that big storm yesterday, and all, but at least the storms were on the day before and the day after the party … not the day OF the party. (Because, there really is no way we would have gone in the middle of a storm … and after turning down that hill off the Taconic Parkway, I don’t think I would have liked to have tried that in a driving snow storm!)

Chappy was sweet and charming and well behaved all day. No temper tantrums. No misbehaving at all. He just wagged his tail and smiled at everyone and looked happy. (And, well, okay, he almost pulled me over into a snowbank at one point, but he was excited–snow manners are apparently different than indoor-manners, and he says I should just have let go of the leash.) He seemed to make a good impression on everyone–especially while I was sitting on the floor, eating, and he just sat in front of me, being good and patient … even if he WAS drooling on the floor. But he wasn’t begging, he wasn’t stealing, he was being good!

The only drawback to the day, so far as he’s concerned? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the 3 hours in the car. No, the only real downside was that he got a bath when we got home because he kind of smelled like a small, chocolate sheep. (Take a closer look at that picture–see all those sheep droppings he was playing in? Because, um, he does NOT get to track that onto my bed tonight!)

Anyway, it was fun, and so worth going, even if we wish we could have stayed longer … if only because there was still so much food … (grin)

Thank you for having us, Susan, Patrick, and Erin (and Harry and Logan)!

Oh, that reminds me. If you really had any doubts? Here’s proof that I DO have a father–standing with Mom and her (cough) latte (cough) from Espresso Love by our Christmas tree after we got home.

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Bonfire and Fleece // 11 Comments »

They look like they’re going to become cookies, don’t they?

Don’t feel badly–that’s what Chappy thought, too.

They are, however, savory rather than sweet. These are Leslie’s Cheese Drops. I got the recipe in 2004 off the AOL book forum I still visit. Obviously, they’re from a woman named Leslie … I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have a blog, or I’d link for you.

They’re one of those perfect kinds of foods to bring to a gathering–simple to make and really tasty. They store well, freeze well, and pretty much everybody likes them. They make the house smell like pizza, too.

I baked these, of course, on the assumption that we WILL make it to the party tomorrow afternoon. That’s still questionable, but I’m assuming that it will all somehow work out and we will be able to get there … and, how awful would it be if we were able to, but weren’t prepared? I mean, I’d certainly hate to go empty handed. If we make it up there, though, we’d still need to leave early enough to be home (or mostly home) before dark–wet, unfamiliar, wintery roads the day after a big storm are not fun to drive on, you know?

Meanwhile–it started snowing here about 9:45 and I got two of my three errands done. (Though, unfortunately, errand #3 was for paper for my Christmas cards, so, um … those didn’t get done today.) We were home by 11:15 and the roads were already starting to get bad. I took Chappy out to romp in the yard around 1:30 and he looked so cute and happy, all covered with snow. Even his face and eyebrows, because it was WET by then. We’ve gotten about 5″ of snow and about an hour ago, it switched over to sleet … ick! Because I don’t mind snow, but I seriously do NOT like ice.

What’s that? You want the recipe? Sure, I don’t think Leslie would mind. It’s coming up, after the fold.
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• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Cheese Drops // 8 Comments »

So, here’s another one of our Christmas tree ornaments–a pretty little gift box tied with a bow. Very appropriate for a gift-giving holiday, wouldn’t you agree?

Except–that’s not why I have it.

Once upon a time, Mom used to give all of us a new ornament every year. Often they were Hallmark ornaments, but not always–but there was always one for each of us, including the dog.

Then, one year … around 1987 or 1988 … Dad opened his Hallmark box to get his ornament (aww), Patty opened hers (awww!), Mike–my (new?) brother-in-law–opened his (awww!) But, when I opened mine … no ornament!

Apparently my box was from the sample ornament they had hanging at the store, and Mom bought the empty box by mistake.

So, naturally, we put the box on the tree. And we have every year since, too.

But, that first box ornament? The NEXT year, Mom saw this pretty ornament and chuckled to herself, thinking how funny it would be to give me a box on purpose this time. That Christmas morning, we had opened all the presents and were happily sitting around the tree when Mom and Patty looked at each other in horror … they’d misplaced the box and it hadn’t made it down to the tree at all. I was ornament-less again!

Except, of course, that Mom was able to find it upstairs–it was small and had slid behind a pillow or something.

Obviously, it’s trickier giving me boxes for Christmas than you would think.

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Boxes // 4 Comments »

Well, I’ve been a terrible knit-blogger lately, haven’t I?

Baking? Sure. I’ve done lots of that lately. and I’ve done a nice variety of list-type posts, pointing out some nice book reviews … but, the knitting? Not so much. (Well, some, I guess.)

But, I HAVE been knitting. In fact, I’ve got the color portion of my sweater done. It’s got an interesting construction, this sweater. Now, there’s the steek up the center front, which is pretty standard. But the armholes? Interesting! They’ve got steeks, too … up to a point. As in, exactly the point at which I’m in right now.

At that point? The sweater is split between front and back and knit back and forth and rows for the neck and shoulder shaping.

Cool, huh?

Do you realize what this means? Yep. I’m getting pretty close to the end of this sweater. Well, you know what I mean. Finish the top, of course, sew and cut the steeks, Do the neckband and button bands … but the sleeves are already done, so … we’re getting close.

Hopefully it will fit. Better than the Autumn Rose sweater, which is still dogging me. I was looking at it the other day (again), and think that the next … and just about only … thing I can think to do to try to salvage this lovely but completely ill-fitting sweater is to get rid of the sleeves altogether. Here, they’re simply folded inside, but honestly, I think this would translate really nicely into a vest. At that point, the odd fit at the underarm wouldn’t really matter, and the funky raglan shaping will be more or less irrelevant.

I just kind of need to get around to DOING something about it, so I can get it off my “to do” pile.

Maybe tomorrow would be a good day. I took the day off from work anyway–I have a few errands to run, and some baking to do. But, and it’s a big “but,” because there’s a big storm headed our way, which could more or less require me to stay in the house instead of going out to get the things I need to get. But, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to get out for an hour or so in the morning, before it gets really bad. Here’s what the National Weather Service is forecasting:

Friday: Snow before 9am, then snow, possibly mixed with sleet between 9am and noon, then snow and freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet after noon.  Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.

Friday Night: Snow likely before midnight, then areas of snow and freezing drizzle. Cloudy, with a low around 24.  New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Saturday: A chance of snow showers and freezing drizzle before noon, then a slight chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 26. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

And it’s timing couldn’t be worse. We’ve got a party to go to this weekend! It’s not looking great, either, and we are NOT happy about that. Because the weather forecast for Hopewell Junction? 8-14″ of snow forecast, including snow showers on Saturday morning. It doesn’t really sound like the kind of day to drive an hour and a half to play around a bonfire for a while, and then drive half an hour back. And yet, really WANT to go! But, um, it’s the week before Christmas and we’d really rather stay in one piece (grin).

I’m on a “Chuck” kick right now. You know, the show on NBC? I’ve actually watched the Christmas episode from Monday three times, and right now am working my way through the Season 1 DVD. Mom called me a “Chuckaholic,” which, I have to say, would make an excellent name for a fan group. It’s just such a FUN show. It’s funny, it’s got drama, it’s got spies, adventure, and the cast is fabulous. This is my absolute favorite show on television right now. The one I look forward to every week. The one that I keep replaying in my head, chuckling, over the next few days. It’s just great fun. If you haven’t seen it, you SHOULD. Season 2 is even better than Season 1, too…

• Tags: General • Permalink:Actual Knitting // 7 Comments »

I’ve got a couple new reviews up at Knitting Scholar.

Elements of Style by Rosemary Hill–beautiful handknitted (and crocheted) jewelry. Fabulous.

Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski–also beautiful patterns, great socks, but the chapter at the beginning about how to deal with different kinds of handpainted yarn to avoid pooling? Worth it.

Sweater 101 by Cheryl Brunette–Do you want to make your own sweaters but don’t know how to do the math?

Not to mention a list of New and Upcoming Books.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Reviews, Reviews, Reviews // 1 Comment »

Sigh.

I just can’t win.

So, you already know that I constantly have trouble with my gauge, that it’s always loose, always different from the pattern, and constantly forcing me to use needles 3 or 4 sizes smaller than the pattern calls for, or thinner yarn, or using the counts for smaller sizes … or all of the above, all at once?

And that, even with all these precautions, and with my carefully measuring gauge swatches, washing them, remeasuring them, I still have problems?

Like, for example, the body of my sweater, now that I’ve reached the underarm, when it should be 14.75″ long is, in fact, closer to 17″?

And that, further, even when I’m smart and start knitting a sweater with something smaller like, say, a sleeve, I still have issues?

Because, um, yeah … do you see the problem here? The row gauge–helpfully compared using the color-pattern–is completely different from the sleeve to the body of the sweater. Even though I’m using exactly the same needles.

I mean EXACTLY the same needles–I used the Magic Loop method on the sleeves, and am literally using the same needle, same length, for the body as I used for the sleeves.

The only thing I can figure is that the weight of the sweater pulled the body’s row gauge out of whack. My stitch gauge is (miraculously) the same on both the sleeve and the sweater–22 stitches over 4″, and width-wise, the sweater still seems like it will fit.

I suppose it’s not a terrible thing if it turns out to be longer … but it WOULD be nice if the armholes and such fit properly. I mean, it would be such a refreshing change.

Maybe I should just give up knitting altogether?

Yes, that was a joke. Well, 98% of it, anyway. It’s frustrating, though. I am a reasonably smart person. I don’t blindly follow patterns, but prefer to actually think about what’s going on. I can do “gauge-math” as well as the next person and can modify things to suit my own, quirky gauge … or, at least, I can to a point. Obviously there’s a certain point where it doesn’t matter what I do, things are going to come out squirrely.

WHY is my row gauge different on the sweater than on the sleeve? Other than the possible weight issue, I have no idea. Which means I don’t know what I could do to fix it (if I could fix it). I’m certainly not going to tear out this sweater. Not only do I hate frogging, but I REALLY hate frogging Fair Isle. I had to pull out two rows last week and it took me a full hour just to get everything correctly on the needles again.

This completely frustrates me, though. I mean, really, really frustrates me. HOW can I make sure my gauge doesn’t change mid-project? WHAT can I do to make this problem stop? I’ve even tried switching my knitting style to the Combined Knitting technique because that’s supposed to be more consistent between knits and purls. And yet, still, I end up with screwy gauge that isn’t consistent. It’s not that I’m not an experienced knitter, after all. It’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing. And sometimes my gauge is actually correct … and other times it’s so far off it’s not ony not in the same ballpark, it’s practically a completely different sport. And yet the way I hold the yarn and the needles is the same. So … what makes the difference?

So, right now, I’m disgusted at this sweater for daring to be so far off from the measurements it should have. (It’s easier to blame the sweater, right?)

And I’m discouraged because I don’t know how to fix this, or how to prevent it. I don’t mean for this specific sweater, but for ALL of them. It’s just frustrating and discouraging, and really, nothing more to say.

Here’s a contest for you to go enter, though–my friend Julie is giving away a slew of things, all for a rhyme and a song…. At least that’s SOME good news today…

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:I Hate Gauge // 12 Comments »

Well, they’re done. Sort of.

I swear, this is the strangest bread recipe ever.

I baked all FIVE batches with an instant-read thermometer stuck into the loaves. Normal breads are usually baked when they hit 190 degrees, but since this is Stollen, I went higher. Like, 212 degrees internally.

That’s the boiling point for water. Theoretically, if the inside of a loaf of bread hits that temperature, it’s pretty much going to be fully cooked, right?

Yeah, that’s what I would think, too.

The thing is, when I took batch number 3 out of the oven, one of the loaves broke in half, still clearly wet and oozy. I even stuck in another thermometer, in case my digital one was off. But, nope, the needle on the old analog one–whose markings only go up to 190–still went well past that last mark.

I got on the internet to double check other, possibly more “sane” stollen recipes. King Arthur Flour says, “The finished loaves should be golden brown, and their internal temperature should register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.”  Ditto for the Fresh Loaf, the Chowhound forum,  the Big Oven,  the Food Network, even this recipe at North Jersey.com.

So, how is it possible that MY loaf, baked to 212 degrees, is still unbaked in the middle.

(There’s a reason I hate doing this every year.)

And then, of course, I immediately started doubting the doneness of the loaves from batches one and two. And, in fact, have my doubts about batch #2 … though, since those loaves are completely cook by now, isn’t it too late to put them back in the oven?

(Seriously. NOT a rhetorical question. Tell me!)

Sigh. I’ll just keep reminding myself. I love my father. I love my father. I love my father.

Are you interested in the recipe? (Heaven help you … although, the people I know who love stollen say it’s wonderful, even if I would be happy to never look at another loaf.)

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• Tags: General • Permalink:Stollen, Part 2 // 6 Comments »

Well, the first batch (two loaves) is out of the oven. It actually looks pretty pale to me, and still feels pretty soft, but I baked it to an internal temperature of 200 degrees (Farhenheit, of course), so it SHOULD be done and, darn it, I’ve got four more batches to go, so … it’s done!

I’m a little worried about my KitchenAid, though … suddenly, just since mixing this dough last night, my beloved 10-speed mixer doesn’t go above speed number 4. Uh-oh!

• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Stollen, Part 1 // 4 Comments »

Just a few of some of my other favorite Christmas tree ornaments. I’ve always loved the mice making tea. And that handknit sweater? Made by a craft collective on Martha’s Vineyard. And, of course, how can you not love the handmade clay Chappy ornament?? (Not to mention Mom and Dad’s “matching” ornaments.)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Ornaments // 5 Comments »

You knew it was only a matter of time, right?

And, naturally, I would choose to do even more baking on the day before the busiest, longest, toughest baking day of the year.

Because, otherwise, where’s the fun?

And at least these are something that *I* want to eat!

My one, big miscalculation? I cut them too narrow (like, 1/2″ wide rather than the .75 through 1-inch range), so they didn’t fit into the three pans I had prepared. So I put the extras into the pans I bake cakes in … not thinking it through and considering that they aren’t always, um, watertight. So … sugary juice escaped and made clouds and clouds of smoke. Oops! Luckily, the smoke detector didn’t go off, and as long as they don’t TASTE smoky, the worst damage is that my hair kind of reeks of burnt sugar. I can deal with that, I guess.

And no, I haven’t tried one yet. I hope you’re impressed with my self-restraint!

The recipe, if you’ve missed the last several mentions, is here.

What IS the deal with spices in the grocery store, though? Last weekend it was the Ginger, now it’s the cinnamon. I wanted to pick up an extra bottle, to be sure that I had enough, and I literally got the LAST jar in the store. I even looked to see if they had some, special “baking’ display for all the jars, but no. There were two containers of cinnamon sticks and this one, remaining container of ground cinnamon. Even though it’s a brand I’ve never tried before, I snapped it up, just to be safe.

Look at what I got–a copy of my very own Direct Mail piece. I sent out postcards to about 100 local businesses (names gleaned from the Chamber of Commerce site). I really, really need to do another one to, say, more names?

The worrying part? I made a point of showing the card to Mom and Dad and both of them just barely glanced at it. That’s not a good sign! I mean, if my parents can’t be bothered to read it…

• Tags: Baking, General • Permalink:Cinnamon // 4 Comments »

One of my very favorite Christmas tree ornaments. Ever.

I’m sure you can guess why.

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Christmas Love // 4 Comments »

Well, we’re guessing that this is some kind of marketing scheme…

But we could be wrong, I suppose. All we really know is that this box of fudge from Mrs. Fields arrived today with a note: “Hey– just wanted to wish you a Happy Holiday season, and to tell you this: YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET. Many surprises on the way.”

What do you think? A marketing ploy? Or some, nice friend trying to give my Dad a smile?

I get to work on my sweater again tomorrow because–yay!–I finished the hat I was working on. This is for a gift for our mail carrier–the one who stops her truck so she can say hello to Chappy whenever she sees us out walking. The one who always stops to chat when she can. The one who went out of her way to make sure I got my Little Gem on my birthday two years ago. I made her a pair of “Fetching” mitts last year, and a couple of weeks ago, she stopped to say to Chappy on our walk on a cold day, and commented on Dad’s hat, saying she wanted one. Well, I didn’t think that she would have looked right in a “Tychus,” so I made her this instead. Cute, huh?

Okay, a couple more links.

You remember those cinnamon buns that I mentioned on Tuesday? Apparently I’m not the only one to think so! Not only  have I  been having email conversations about them, I’m seeing links for them all over the place.

Not only that, Susan also linked to these–Ice Wreaths. How beautiful is that! And so simple, too … as long as you live somewhere cold.

Have you heard about Trikkes? Both parents were talking about these … not a cycle that you pedal, not a scooter that you push, not a Segue that does everything for you … but kind of a combination of all three–environmentally friendly AND good exercise. And portable. Who knew? (Though, since I don’t see how you could walk your dog while using one, well…)

And … mmm. This sounds like the tastiest Vanilla ever. Have I ever told you how much I like vanilla? I read about it in this post about some really delicious-sounding cookies. It’s making me hungry.

It is nasty weather out there tonight. We’re getting some serious rain and the temperature is hovering around freezing and it’s expected to be icy in the morning. I don’t mind snow, but ice is awful. But … so strange! We’ve got rain here in New Jersey while Houston, Galveston, New Orlenas … places that are serious Deep South territory … got inches of SNOW today. That’s just backwards!

Oh, and I hope you’re proud of me. I only finally got all three of my blogs updated to the current (and same) version of Wordpress a couple weeks ago, and now version 2.7 is out. So … I updated all three of them again tonight, so we are current … again! Phew.

• Tags: Baking, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning, Weather • Permalink:Fields // 2 Comments »

Did you know the new Knitty is up?

But, before you head over, check out this story about a woman who wore her dog as a stole to get around “No Dogs Allowed” restrictions. I wonder if I could get Chappy to do that?

(Although, of course, in this day and age, I’d risk having some PETA person through pigs blood in his face … though, imagine their surprise when they did!)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Notes2 // 6 Comments »

Not much to say, really. Knitting-wise, I’ve been working on a gift for my mail carrier. I’m gearing up for Stollen Weekend. Chappy is being adorable–and getting way too attached to gingersnaps.

Sad, sad news at the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. Chappy and I are both sending hugs.

Ruth finally has the pattern up for the Leafy Mitts … and I recommend them. (Be sure to watch the video, too.)

And, honestly, these really DO sound like the best cinnamon rolls ever.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Notes // 5 Comments »

Okay, if you like cookies, get out your drool bibs…

Yum. Soft and chewy on the inside, crisp and crunchy on the outside. Nice, fresh, gingery taste … Mmmmm.

Naturally, Chappy helped.

And, cookies aren’t all I baked, either.

Although, of course, this tower is looming….

(Do you think it’s possible I like taking pictures of food too much?)

If you’re interested, the recipe comes up below the fold…

[Read more →]

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, General • Permalink:Snap! // 12 Comments »

All it needs is a heroic, flying cape…

Because, yes, I ran out this morning and bought some. The cookie dough is chilling in the fridge, and all’s right with the world.

Well, at least, in my kitchen, anyway.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Hero // 4 Comments »

I’ve been hankering after gingersnaps lately. Not any old gingersnaps, but the ones that come from my favorite recipe. You make the dough and refrigerate it, then, when ready to bake, you roll nickel-sized pieces in your hands, roll in some sugar and bake. What you get are soft, chewy cookies that are crisp around the edges from the sugar and just so, so good.

I’m not normally a cookie baker. I tend to like things that you mix, you put in a pan, and you bake. Rest periods for dough rising are fine. Complicated assemblies are fine. Adding frosting later is fine. But the reason I don’t like baking cookies is that every 8 or so minutes, you have to switch cookie sheets. That’s not enough time to do anything else–you’re tied to the oven until all the batches have been baked and are on cooling racks. And, who has time to stand there for an hour, doing nothing but swapping cookie sheets back and forth?

Yes, in theory, you can bake more than one sheet at a time, but in my experience, that always means that some of the cookies burn. And besides, we only have so many cookie sheets. What I normally do is put the first dozen in the oven, and then get the second batch ready to go. When batch number one is finished, I pop the second sheet into the oven and then remove the cookies from the first sheet, and get it ready to go back in again. Meanwhile, the cookies cool on their wire racks and, usually, by the time the third batch is ready to come out of the oven, the first batch is cool enough to touch and to move to a plate or tin without collapsing, so that there’s room for the next dozen to cool.

It’s a reasonably efficient system, but even with all this preparing, swapping, and moving baked (and unbaked) cookies about, there’s still at least four minutes per dozen where I’m just standing there, waiting. Once we’re past the first dozen, that usually means munching on the fresh cookies–usually way too many of them–and mostly just standing there. Possibly reading a book (since it’s, you know, me.)

So … baking cookies is a relatively rare thing for me. Probably about once a year. Almost never more than twice. And today was going to be the day. I pulled out my favorite gingersnap recipe to check the ingredients, and we had everything but the ginger. (Which, you’ll agree, is fairly important for gingersnaps.)

Mom and I were going to stop on the way home from the craft show, but we were there for so long, by the time we were driving home, it was about 1:30 and we were both hungry and more focused on stopping someplace for coffee than on detouring to a grocery store. (Yes, I am aware that grocery stores often sell coffee, but it’s not the same.) So, we didn’t stop, but she said she and Dad would go to one when they went out to supper.

Which was the plan. It threw my planned schedule off, but hey, if I’d mixed the dough tonight, I could still have baked them tomorrow, and all would have been good.

(Note the ominous verb tense.)

Because, while I was cleaning up from my supper, the phone rang. No ginger at the grocery store. None. At all. There was crystalized ginger, which sure, can be a nice addition, but is not a substitute to the powdered stuff for cookies. (And, no, the knobby fresh stuff from the produce department was not an option, either.)

So … no gingersnaps for me.

You’re thinking, so, Deb, you make them next weekend. What’s the big deal? Except, next weekend is the dreaded Stollen weekend. (You remember this, don’t you? No? Well, here’s my explanation from 2005, from 2006, and from last year.) There’s simply no way I’m doing any more baking next weekend than I have to!

The weekend after that is the MVFF Solstice Bonfire Party, so I’ll be a little too busy to bake that weekend, too. And then, of course, it’s Christmas, and too late to do cookie baking.

And all because our local grocery store doesn’t have ginger.

I suppose I could go out to a different store in the morning to try to find some, but by the time I got it and had the dough made and chilled, it would probably be too late in the afternoon for baking. I’ve got a very small window for baking, really. Sundays are the best day. Weekdays, I’m too tired when I get home from work and, anyway, just don’t have time to bake anything from scratch. Saturdays are my days for running errands and (preferably) doing fun things with Chappy. But Sundays? That’s the day I do things around the house. Cleaning, laundry … and baking. But there’s only a window for taking over the kitchen from about 10:00 - 3:00. If it’s outside that time frame, I start running into dinner preparations, or Mom’s tea time, or Dad’s snack time.

(Hey, I’m sorry, we’re a very structured family!) So–since I don’t have the ginger in the house, that pretty much means that these cookies just aren’t going to happen this year.

And, on the one weekend that I really wanted to bake cookies!

And, honestly, any gingersnaps you could buy at a store or a bakery simply do NOT compare. They have to be from this, favorite recipe, or it doesn’t count.

Drat.

Otherwise? Mom and I went to the local craft show like we do almost every year, but it was kind of sad. There were just as many vendors selling just as many beautiful things, but … nowhere near the number of people buying. Including us. I did get some compliments on my Christmas Tree Hat, though, which is always fun. I bought a lovely wooden spatula to replace the one that came with my beloved Edge Pan that broke a couple months ago. (You’d be surprised at how hard it is to find a sturdy spatula for cutting and lifting that’s no more than 2″ wide.)

Oh, and I bought Chappy some french fry-shaped dog biscuits. He was running low on biscuits anyway, and the packaging was so clever … besides, I was feeling guilty about being away for so long. (Hey, I couldn’t help it! You didn’t see the disappointed face he had when we went out without him this morning.)

I hope you all have a good night!

I’ll end with a cute link–a funny cartoon about the creative process.

And, how about this optimist’s view of the lousy economy?

• Tags: Baking, General • Permalink:Well, Drat // 8 Comments »

A quick post tonight because I’m chasing off a headache. (Honestly, I was perfectly fine half an hour ago, and then, boom. Headache!) So, mostly links tonight:

• Did you see the nifty Christma… er… Holiday card I designed for my office? Here at Punctuality Rules.

• Speaking of which, what IS the problem with using the word “Christmas?” When did it become politically incorrect to wish someone a “Merry Christmas?” I’m well aware that lots of people don’t celebrate Christmas, but are they really so thin-skinned as to be offended if I wish them a happy one anyway? Because, whether they’ve got a Tree or not, I still want them to have a good DAY. And if somebody wishes me a Happy Hannukah, I’m not going to get offended and huff, “I’m not Jewish!” That’s like getting upset when a bank teller wishes you a good weekend when you have to work. Or someone says “Have a nice day” when your dog just died–”How could I possibly have a good day?” They’re just on a different wavelength; they’re not TRYING to be offensive. It’s just what you SAY. My feeling is that, if the federal government is closing for the day and there’s no mail delivery and most businesses are closed … it’s within my rights to acknowledge the holiday. Even if you’re just enjoying it as a day you don’t have to go to work, or a day you can go to the movies without crowds.

• Check out the fun Solstice/Holiday party the folks at the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm are planning. I’ve never been to a bonfire! And think how much fun Chappy will have! (Once he gets out of the car.)

• Watch this sweet and meaningful short film (5:55). Talk about the importance of getting words just right.

• Remember these gents, with the best rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas ever? They have an album!

• It’s possible that this dog likes snow even more than Chappy does … he has the same “broaching whale” technque that my boy’s got.

You tell me–if I got an email that said this:

We are Hong Kong Network Service Company Limited which is the domain name register center in Asia. We received a formal application from a company who is applying to register “punctualityrules” as their domain name and Internet keyword on Dec 3, 2008. Because this involves your company name or trade mark so we inform you in no time. If you consider these domain names and internet keyword are important to you and it is necessary to protect them by registering them first, contact us soon.

Is that something I should worry about?

And–again with the good customer service–I got this email about my business cards:

I’ve heard back from graphics and they say it was a press issue and that the
file you sent looks fine. I have released the reprint’s hold and marked it
urgent to print. You may track it at My Account> order status. I apologize for
your inconvenience and value your business. Have a good evening.

Isn’t that refreshing? Especially after some of the other, many customer service problems I’ve had (elsewhere) this year. So, kudos to PrintsMadeEasy for backing up their work.