Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Monday, June 28, 2010

Vine Ripe


At last, my first summer tomato is just ripe for picking.  I could hardly wait to taste this glorious gift of nature.



A simple preparation was called for, so I grabbed some extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and a sprinkling of course salt. Husband said, "yum" and daughter agreed.  Simple and sweet.  Now, I only wish I had planted more. 

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A project bag ...eventually



So I've been working - on and off - on this project bag for a while now.  Yes, it should have been finished sooner, but crocheting isn't my bag, hah!  The problem is, crocheting is fun, but my right thumb gets sore very quickly, and I have to keep putting it down...(um, the project, not my thumb!)  I crack myself up.  This doesn't amount to very productive work.

The bag is an idea I borrowed from Pink Lemon Twist.  Her bag is oval and I am making mine circular.  I finished the handles, and have decided to line the bag with fabric from my stash.  My stash of fabric has been in hiding for a very long time, and I wasn't sure if I had anything appropriate.


This is just a portion of my collection that survived our big move last year.  I tried sorting through the jumble of prints and solids, and was delighted when I came upon this little beauty:



Strawberries!  How delightfully sweet. 
 

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Good Morning!



Last night, I made coffee cake.  This was no ordinary coffee cake, the recipe promised, but 'the best coffee cake in the whole wide world', so I thought I'd give it a try.  The results:  Very good, very, very good, but is it the best?  It's very moist, which is sometimes a big miss when it comes to homemade coffee cake.  They tend to crumble, and are very dry, even right out of the oven.  This one is sweet, with a kind of creamy cake-like texture.  I like that a lot.  Another big plus, in my book, is that it has lots and lots of cinnamon crumble throughout.  Coffee in the morning might never be the same without this cake sitting in front of me.  That is a good coffee cake!


This little sweetie pie is almost ready, almost.  Two more days should do it.  I don't think road-side farmers need to worry about the competition, but it is so darn satisfying knowing that I've actually grown something this delicious looking.  I suppose I'll have to share with hubby.  After all, he likes tomatoes too.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Remembering Dad




I miss my dad more than I can say.  It is so strange that missing him hasn't ebbed even a little, though it's been years since his passing.  Love doesn't end that way, does it? 
My father was a World War II Vet, and a proud American.  He put his family first and loved to cook breakfast on Sunday mornings.

When I think of my dad, I smile. 
Happy Father's Day, dad.


On Saturday, I went to a wedding shower.  The beverages, food, and decorations were so yummy and well thought out.  The theme of the party was "A Perfect Pair".  Sweet, decorated shoe boxes and darling high heels were used throughout the house, which added to the "pair" atmosphere.  Luncheon was served, as well as "pair" type party games.  It was a lot of fun.




Tables were set with shoe boxes at each place setting, and lunch was inside!  How cute is that?



Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday Quickie

This is my Lacy Baktus Scarf, which is just the thing to wear on a chilly evening.  It was a quick and easy knit that can be found  (on Ravelry)  in so many pretty colors and in so many yarn weights and textures.
Even though the warmer weather is upon us, I'll keep this sweet little number close by.  I'm loving the color blast, and it looks good with purple, don't you think?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy Monday

This is Charade, a nice little pattern download from Ravelry.  The good news is:  It's free. So far, so good.  I'm hoping the multi-colored yarn won't take away from the pattern, since the pattern itself is a little difficult to detect, even with solid colored yarn.  Time will tell, as well as, hundreds more stitches. 

This timid Jacaranda was caught in partial bloom.  Another month and parts around here will be decorated with an abundance of these blooms, as far as the eye can see.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Puzzle Lover



Always a lover of jigsaw puzzles, I just couldn't help myself.  Taking time out from knitting, I really enjoyed this puzzle of postcards representing all 50 states.  Each 'postcard had the name of the State, of course, with background pictures of various state landmarks, as well as representations of sports, flowers, and gorgeous, colorful landscapes. 



California, for example, had the Golden Gate Bridge, the California Poppy, and some palm trees in the distance. It was so much fun to do.  My daughter and I were amazed that we didn't lose a single puzzle piece in the process.
The hardest part ... taking it apart :(
 

Thursday, June 10, 2010

On the Needles


I've been waiting to stitch up some new socks with this lovely yarn from Plymouth Yarn Company called Happy Feet. With 90% wool and 10% nylon, it works up with just the right amount of stretch for a really great fit.  The colorway is a combination of many jewel tones, and those are some of my favorite hues.  Now, to find just the right pattern.  I'll go on a pattern hunt today!  Ravelry might give me some ideas.

In the meantime, I've been working on a new cardigan.  The yarn is Knitpicks Stroll, in Burgundy.  It's fingering weight yarn on #2 US needles, so this might take a while to complete.  The pattern is Castlegar Cardigan by Laura Chau.  Here's a little preview of what's to come:

The twisted rib edge is very interesting, and not at all difficult.  The color is a little deeper than the photograph depicts and the yarn is very soft and draping very nicely.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Monday, June 7, 2010

New Socks


This is the beautiful yarn, Lorna's Laces,  in a very nice sock weight.  The colors reminded me so much of Spring, in a 'pinkish' sort of way. 

The socks are  very generic, with no special design, since I wanted to focus on the colorway.  The colors distributed themselves nicely, but did tend to pool a bit in the heel area.  I don't think this distracted from how nice they turned out. I hope they fit my niece!




 I made crepes on Saturday.  Lingonberry crepes!  I had some really luscious Lingonberry jam in the fridge, and wanted to do something special, so I made some lingonberry butter.  My patience paid off, since I didn't eat the butter outright, but waited until lunch when the crepes were ready.....delicious.


Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Knitting right along




Yarn:  Malibringo, fingering weight, size 5 circular needle

The completion of the Swallowtail shawlette (see Ravelry) came with a few surprises. Since I'm not very familiar with lace knitting, the errors were much more evident after blocking. At first glance, it's a rather pretty pattern, and I might just make another one. The pattern was a fun knit, and not too complicated, especially since I resigned myself to the fact that "nupps" were not something I wanted to tackle. I left them out, substituting with plain 'knit' stitches. It still looks pretty, from far away - heh heh




On another note, my tomatoes are starting to blossom, or should I say, my blossoms are starting to tomato? Anyway, they're so darn cute. I hope they keep doing what they're supposed to do.  I planted, added plant mix, and I water.  Tomato on grilled cheese sandwiches...can't wait!  They're in pots, so I hope those pesky little bugs stay the heck away.