Candace Eisner-Strick is coming to Rochester, NY, the second weekend in November, the 9th through the 12th, to teach 4 days of workshops for Rochester Knitting Guild. There are openings still in all of the workshops except for the Traditional Shetland Scarf on Saturday morning, the 10th.
Candace will also be presenting a program at the Guild's regular meeting held the evening of the 12th.
For more information, go to the Guild's website at www.rochesterknitting.org.
I am posting this information on my blog because I think perhaps it will not be permitted to post on KnitU. I sent a message on the 5th, and the last digest with postings from the 5th and 6th did not have it. While I can understand that XRX, the sponsor of KnitU, would prefer that people go to Stitches East in Baltimore to take classes from Candace, all of her classes are sold out at Stitches.
It would be a shame for someone within a reasonable driving distance to Rochester to miss out on the opportunity, so I am posting here in the hopes that a few more people will see it.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
To celebrate the lovely cool, fallish weather yesterday, I made soup for dinner. Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup is hearty enough by itself for a meal with some grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and some fresh, crusty bread served on the side.
The soup takes about 2 hours to make, and serves at least 4 people, but my husband and I usually get 3 dinners out of one batch of soup: so 6 servings. If you are more generous with the ingredients, you may want to add another can of beef broth, which will enable it to feed more people.
Locally I can get poultry (chicken and turkey) Italian sausage in mild or hot, in link or patty. Since I do not have a particularly hot tooth, the mild version is fine for me, and I get links. The sausage needs to be parboiled first, so put the links in a Pyrex bowl or casserole, prick them with a fork, cover them with water, and cook them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes. My microwave is old, so if you have a newer one, it may take less. You don't want to overcook the sausage because it will get dried-up looking even in water. You could boil the sausage in a pan on the stove, if you prefer.
When the sausage is cooked, pour out the hot water, and put in cold to cool off the sausage enough for you to handle it. Cut the links in half lengthwise, then slice across to make bite-size pieces.
Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 pound Italian sausage (3 or 4 links), parboiled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Italian pepper (a mild, sweet pepper), deveined and seeded, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 (16-oz) can of diced tomatoes, with juice
2 (14.5-oz) cans of beef broth
1 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of diced fresh red and green bell peppers
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
Directions:
1. Put a 4-quart pot on the stove, pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set the heat to medium-high. When the oil shimmers, pour in the sausage and brown it.
2. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, Italian pepper and celery, and saute' until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, broth, and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
5. Keeping the soup simmering in the pot, in another pot cook the tortellini according to package directions.
6. Stir the cooked tortellini into the soup.
7. Ladle the soup into soup plates or bowls to serve. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Buon appetito!
Adapted from a recipe in Peppers Hot & Sweet by Beth Dooley
A note about leftovers: the flavors are better-blended and more mellow after cooling and reheating, but the tortellini, or any pasta for that matter, tends to fall apart a bit, absorbing some liquid.
The soup takes about 2 hours to make, and serves at least 4 people, but my husband and I usually get 3 dinners out of one batch of soup: so 6 servings. If you are more generous with the ingredients, you may want to add another can of beef broth, which will enable it to feed more people.
Locally I can get poultry (chicken and turkey) Italian sausage in mild or hot, in link or patty. Since I do not have a particularly hot tooth, the mild version is fine for me, and I get links. The sausage needs to be parboiled first, so put the links in a Pyrex bowl or casserole, prick them with a fork, cover them with water, and cook them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes. My microwave is old, so if you have a newer one, it may take less. You don't want to overcook the sausage because it will get dried-up looking even in water. You could boil the sausage in a pan on the stove, if you prefer.
When the sausage is cooked, pour out the hot water, and put in cold to cool off the sausage enough for you to handle it. Cut the links in half lengthwise, then slice across to make bite-size pieces.
Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 pound Italian sausage (3 or 4 links), parboiled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Italian pepper (a mild, sweet pepper), deveined and seeded, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 (16-oz) can of diced tomatoes, with juice
2 (14.5-oz) cans of beef broth
1 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of diced fresh red and green bell peppers
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
Directions:
1. Put a 4-quart pot on the stove, pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set the heat to medium-high. When the oil shimmers, pour in the sausage and brown it.
2. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, Italian pepper and celery, and saute' until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, broth, and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
5. Keeping the soup simmering in the pot, in another pot cook the tortellini according to package directions.
6. Stir the cooked tortellini into the soup.
7. Ladle the soup into soup plates or bowls to serve. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Buon appetito!
Adapted from a recipe in Peppers Hot & Sweet by Beth Dooley
A note about leftovers: the flavors are better-blended and more mellow after cooling and reheating, but the tortellini, or any pasta for that matter, tends to fall apart a bit, absorbing some liquid.
Some people are crazier than others
Yesterday I went to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, NY. It was a breath of Fall, my favorite season. The air was cool and windy, the sky was sunny and cloudy, and at times, drizzly.
The Rochester Knitting Guild had a booth in a building with other fiber arts guilds on the Hemlock Fairgrounds. The focus of the RKG booth was the Biggest Sock in the World, to be entered into the Guinness Book World Records. Definitely some people are crazier than others.
The sock is being knit in the round with circular knitting needles used end-to-end to go all the way around the sock, which is about 12 feet around. (This is a guess - it may be bigger.) The sock was on two 8-foot long banquet tables pushed together, and knitters sat and knitted where the ends of the circular needles met. Passersby were encouraged to sit down and knit, then sign the log. Which a lot did; it wasn't just guild members who were doing it.
The sock's next port of call I hear is Toronto, you lucky Torontonians. Have a blast!
The Rochester Knitting Guild had a booth in a building with other fiber arts guilds on the Hemlock Fairgrounds. The focus of the RKG booth was the Biggest Sock in the World, to be entered into the Guinness Book World Records. Definitely some people are crazier than others.
The sock is being knit in the round with circular knitting needles used end-to-end to go all the way around the sock, which is about 12 feet around. (This is a guess - it may be bigger.) The sock was on two 8-foot long banquet tables pushed together, and knitters sat and knitted where the ends of the circular needles met. Passersby were encouraged to sit down and knit, then sign the log. Which a lot did; it wasn't just guild members who were doing it.
The sock's next port of call I hear is Toronto, you lucky Torontonians. Have a blast!
Knitting as a Metaphor for Life
It's been six years since planes flew into the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon. For most of four days I sat with my attention glued to the TV, knitting and thinking, wondering what would happen. We were reminded of how precious life is, and how harmful is hatred.
It is important to remember that one cannot know what is in another's heart by the color of their skin, the way they choose to dress, their religious beliefs, or their accent when they speak.
For months afterward, the events of September 11, 2001 were always at the back of my mind, while trying to get back to my normal routine. Much of daily life can seem trivial during a crisis, but that routine is also comforting, and imparts a sense of normalcy and control.
The knitting guild to which I belong had been gradually growing in membership, but after September 11th, that growth seemed to boom. Americans were reminded of the value of home, family, and friends, and wanted to do things more close to home. Increased interest in handwork was a natural outgrowth of these feelings.
If you work with your hands, then you know how keeping your hands busy can calm the mind. Knitting simple things lends itself well to being in company. You can knit and carry on a conversation at the same time, and if the company is made up of other knitters, it is even better.
The interconnected loops of yarn that are knitting, are also a metaphor for life. It stretches and eases back. It may wear thin, but it can be mended. It may be cut, but it can be sewn together. It may unravel, but it can be knitted up again. Knitting is a product of creative energy, and the act of creating expresses faith that life will continue, that life is good, that there is hope. While knitting, our hands can express our feelings. Express love.
Parts of the above appeared in an essay I wrote for the Rochester Knitting Guild's newsletter of October 2001. (C) 2001, 2007 by Jeanne Eaton Hoffman
It is important to remember that one cannot know what is in another's heart by the color of their skin, the way they choose to dress, their religious beliefs, or their accent when they speak.
For months afterward, the events of September 11, 2001 were always at the back of my mind, while trying to get back to my normal routine. Much of daily life can seem trivial during a crisis, but that routine is also comforting, and imparts a sense of normalcy and control.
The knitting guild to which I belong had been gradually growing in membership, but after September 11th, that growth seemed to boom. Americans were reminded of the value of home, family, and friends, and wanted to do things more close to home. Increased interest in handwork was a natural outgrowth of these feelings.
If you work with your hands, then you know how keeping your hands busy can calm the mind. Knitting simple things lends itself well to being in company. You can knit and carry on a conversation at the same time, and if the company is made up of other knitters, it is even better.
The interconnected loops of yarn that are knitting, are also a metaphor for life. It stretches and eases back. It may wear thin, but it can be mended. It may be cut, but it can be sewn together. It may unravel, but it can be knitted up again. Knitting is a product of creative energy, and the act of creating expresses faith that life will continue, that life is good, that there is hope. While knitting, our hands can express our feelings. Express love.
Parts of the above appeared in an essay I wrote for the Rochester Knitting Guild's newsletter of October 2001. (C) 2001, 2007 by Jeanne Eaton Hoffman
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Oven "Fried" Chicken
The other evening I decided it was cool enough to risk having the oven on to cook dinner, so we had Oven "Fried" Chicken.
Except for grilling in the summertime, this is my most frequently used method of cooking chicken. If you want baked potatoes also, then start baking them 15 to 30 minutes before the chicken.
Ingredients:
Skinless bone-in or boneless chicken pieces, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
Olive oil
Fine dry breadcrumbs, seasoned or not
Italian seasoning (a prepared blend of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil; McCormick is available locally for me) or other herb seasoning of your choice
Equipment:
Glass baking dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer
Tongs or a fork
Plastic bag for breadcrumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour enough olive oil into the baking dish to coat the bottom and leave a shallow puddle.
3. Pour about ½ cup (or more) breadcrumbs into a gallon-size plastic bag, then put in a chicken piece and shake to coat it in breadcrumbs. Put the coated piece in the baking dish, underside up. When all of the chicken pieces are coated and arranged in the dish, sprinkle Italian seasoning over them all.
4. Put the dish into the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. At the end of 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven, and turn the chicken pieces. Sprinkle more Italian seasoning over the chicken.
6. Put the dish back into the oven and bake for 15 more minutes, or until done.
Lucky Puppy
We feed our dog at the same time we have dinner ourselves. He loves chicken, so we give him a little of it cut up into tiny pieces. If there are any juices left in the baking dish, we pour it over his dry food, put on the chicken pieces and mix it all up. Guaranteed clean bowl, and a happy dog.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Waiting Impatiently for Fall
Now that we are well into August, periodically we've been getting a day or two of cooler weather in western New York, and I'm loving it. Fall is my favorite time of year, although it wasn't until I was out of school and working that I truly realized it.
As a child I always looked forward to school starting up again, but part of that anticipation was just looking for something new after the activities of summer had palled. Where I grew up in southeastern Michigan, the first day of school was the Thursday following Labor Day. I always wanted to wear a new outfit the first day, but I was lucky if I got to wear my new school shoes because the beginning of September was still summery warm weather, and I'd have roasted in cool weather clothes in a non-air-conditioned school.
Fall is a transitional time, clearing away the remains of summer and preparing for winter. Nowadays for my husband Conrad and me, it means getting the chimney of the woodstove cleaned and ordering firewood; it means doing all the cleaning and tidying up that did not get done in spring; it means that I will be able to wear my handknit wool sweaters and socks again; and that I will feel much more inclined to cook and bake!
For knitters Fall also means getting ready for cold weather and the holiday gift-giving season. Soon the knitters who have been on hiatus over the summer, will notice cooler weather and be ready to get back into knitting again. Small projects such as hats, mittens, scarves and their variations will be started, perhaps as gifts for family and friends. The more ambitious will work on sweaters, shawls or throws.
Truly dedicated knitters - such as myself ;) - knit year-round, and have been making small or lightweight projects during hot weather. I'm always partial to socks - I will devote a future post entirely to socks - but I like to make them out of fine sock yarn on size 0 (2.5 mm) double-pointed needles.
Currently I am still working on the Zaza cardigan. Both fronts and the back are done, and I'm working on the first sleeve. Shortly I will have to get to work on samples for my knitting classes at New York Knits, but I'd like to have most of Zaza done.
I know from past experience that if I set a project aside to work on one that seems a higher priority, then it may be a long while before I get back to the first, and something may be lost while that projects sits and waits. Even though I try to be conscientious about making notes about my knitting, too often I will forget to jot down ideas I have while working on it, thinking well, of course, I'm going to remember that. ha.
As a child I always looked forward to school starting up again, but part of that anticipation was just looking for something new after the activities of summer had palled. Where I grew up in southeastern Michigan, the first day of school was the Thursday following Labor Day. I always wanted to wear a new outfit the first day, but I was lucky if I got to wear my new school shoes because the beginning of September was still summery warm weather, and I'd have roasted in cool weather clothes in a non-air-conditioned school.
Fall is a transitional time, clearing away the remains of summer and preparing for winter. Nowadays for my husband Conrad and me, it means getting the chimney of the woodstove cleaned and ordering firewood; it means doing all the cleaning and tidying up that did not get done in spring; it means that I will be able to wear my handknit wool sweaters and socks again; and that I will feel much more inclined to cook and bake!
For knitters Fall also means getting ready for cold weather and the holiday gift-giving season. Soon the knitters who have been on hiatus over the summer, will notice cooler weather and be ready to get back into knitting again. Small projects such as hats, mittens, scarves and their variations will be started, perhaps as gifts for family and friends. The more ambitious will work on sweaters, shawls or throws.
Truly dedicated knitters - such as myself ;) - knit year-round, and have been making small or lightweight projects during hot weather. I'm always partial to socks - I will devote a future post entirely to socks - but I like to make them out of fine sock yarn on size 0 (2.5 mm) double-pointed needles.
Currently I am still working on the Zaza cardigan. Both fronts and the back are done, and I'm working on the first sleeve. Shortly I will have to get to work on samples for my knitting classes at New York Knits, but I'd like to have most of Zaza done.
I know from past experience that if I set a project aside to work on one that seems a higher priority, then it may be a long while before I get back to the first, and something may be lost while that projects sits and waits. Even though I try to be conscientious about making notes about my knitting, too often I will forget to jot down ideas I have while working on it, thinking well, of course, I'm going to remember that. ha.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Quick Carrot Cake
Here is the recipe for carrot cake that I gave to Bonnie W. I first made it when my husband and I had a friend from college visit, and he would still be with us for his birthday. I offered to bake a cake for him and asked what kind he'd like, expecting and hoping that he'd say chocolate, since I had a recipe I liked for chocolate cake. Tim surprised me and said he'd really like a carrot cake. Oh. OK. I searched through all of my cookbooks for the simplest and smallest one because 1) I'm lazy and, 2) three people don't need a big cake hanging around begging to be eaten. As it was, the cake disappeared within 24 hours.
I found this recipe in One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman. This is a great book for me because all of the cakes can be made with a pot, a spoon and a pan. “Pot” because if using butter in the recipe, the butter is half-melted in a pot on the stove, then removed from the heat. Everything is mixed with a spoon, which is doable because the fat is liquid. Less heat-sensitive ingredients are added next (sugar, vanilla, spices) then eggs, then dry ingredients. Baking soda and baking powder are added in pinches so you can use your fingers to break them up. A lot of the recipes make single-layer cakes, which I like because I don’t want a huge cake tempting us. All of the frosting recipes make just enough for a single layer. Both kinds of recipes can be doubled, of course, for a bigger cake.
Quick Carrot Cake
It's simple and makes a single layer, but it can be doubled. The cake is dense and flavorful, but not oily. With cream cheese frosting you might want to keep the cake in the fridge.
Ingredients
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups shredded carrots (or 4 carrots, peeled and shredded)
1 cup nut pieces (walnuts or pecans)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until well blended.
3. Mix in the sugar.
4. Add the oil in a steady stream, mixing all the while, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
5. Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the baking soda in pinches, breaking up any lumps with your fingers. Stir in thoroughly.
6. Stir in the flour, shredded carrots, and nut pieces, just until blended.
7. Pour and scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack for about 15 minutes more.
Makes 8 servings.
Source: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman
I found this recipe in One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman. This is a great book for me because all of the cakes can be made with a pot, a spoon and a pan. “Pot” because if using butter in the recipe, the butter is half-melted in a pot on the stove, then removed from the heat. Everything is mixed with a spoon, which is doable because the fat is liquid. Less heat-sensitive ingredients are added next (sugar, vanilla, spices) then eggs, then dry ingredients. Baking soda and baking powder are added in pinches so you can use your fingers to break them up. A lot of the recipes make single-layer cakes, which I like because I don’t want a huge cake tempting us. All of the frosting recipes make just enough for a single layer. Both kinds of recipes can be doubled, of course, for a bigger cake.
Quick Carrot Cake
It's simple and makes a single layer, but it can be doubled. The cake is dense and flavorful, but not oily. With cream cheese frosting you might want to keep the cake in the fridge.
Ingredients
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups shredded carrots (or 4 carrots, peeled and shredded)
1 cup nut pieces (walnuts or pecans)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until well blended.
3. Mix in the sugar.
4. Add the oil in a steady stream, mixing all the while, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
5. Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the baking soda in pinches, breaking up any lumps with your fingers. Stir in thoroughly.
6. Stir in the flour, shredded carrots, and nut pieces, just until blended.
7. Pour and scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack for about 15 minutes more.
Makes 8 servings.
Source: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese or light cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons milk to thin frosting, if needed
Directions
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a fork or whisk until smooth. (Could also use an electric mixer.)
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese or light cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons milk to thin frosting, if needed
Directions
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a fork or whisk until smooth. (Could also use an electric mixer.)
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy.
3. Beat in the vanilla. If the frosting is too thin, refrigerate to thicken.
Makes about 1 ½ cups, or enough to generously frost a single cake layer.
adapted from: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman
Makes about 1 ½ cups, or enough to generously frost a single cake layer.
adapted from: One-Pot Cakes by Andrew Schloss and Ken Bookman
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Knitting Group
Depending on everyone's schedule, at least once a month, but preferably once a week , my knitting group gets together for the day. We meet in a commons area at a senior living center where one of the group lives. This is actually a good set-up because:
1. No one has to clean her house.
2. We eat lunch in the dining room so no one has to prepare a meal.
3. It is air-conditioned, which my home is not. It's a treat for me to be cool indoors all day in summer.
There are now 5 of us in the group: Bonnie V, Janet, Nancy, and Sarah M. Sarah is refreshing her knitting skills, and gets more than enough advice from the rest of us. Ever notice how one person can have several opinions, some of them contradictory, on any given subject?
Just in case one project is not what we want to work on, each of us usually brings another that doesn't require too much concentration. It's essential to be able to converse and work at the same time when one is in a group, because one of its functions is to be consulted.
Since I design my sweaters from scratch, I tend to second and third guess myself, so having a sounding board of more objective observers helps me figure out what to do: is this close enough? Can I live with this one little thing that may not be ultimately what I had in mind? That question contained the answer, didn't it? Rats! More ripping!
Sometimes I have to leave the group early because I have to get to work. I work part-time at a yarn shop in Victor, NY, called New York Knits. Currently the shop (separate from the website) is having its 5th anniversary sale, which has been extended through the end of the month. If you are in the area, please stop by. Some yarns are as low as 60% off.
There are five employees plus the owner, Tracey. Besides me there are Bonnie W, Martha, Wendy, and Sarah K, who has just been hired full-time at Paychex after being graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology. It's been interesting having a college student working in the shop and getting her slant on styles and colors and so on.
All of us knit, of course, and have varying preferences in what we like to make. Each of us (except Tracey) has knit a bag, and customers are being asked to vote for their favorite. The same voting slip enters them in a drawing for a gift certificate at the shop. The winning employee gets a gift certificate too! Pick mine! Pick mine!
Yes, that was a blatant ad, which I won't do very often.
In the kitchen:
Nothing much has been happening in the kitchen Chez Jeanne. (Chez, pronouced "shay", is French and means "at the place of.") It's been too warm, and I've been too busy this week. I look forward to cooler weather and fall, when I will be much more inclined to cooking and baking.
The word 'baking' reminds me that I was going to give Bonnie W at work a copy of a carrot cake recipe I have. Will post that later, I promise. It is very good: flavorful and dense with goodies without being oily. It disappears fast.
1. No one has to clean her house.
2. We eat lunch in the dining room so no one has to prepare a meal.
3. It is air-conditioned, which my home is not. It's a treat for me to be cool indoors all day in summer.
There are now 5 of us in the group: Bonnie V, Janet, Nancy, and Sarah M. Sarah is refreshing her knitting skills, and gets more than enough advice from the rest of us. Ever notice how one person can have several opinions, some of them contradictory, on any given subject?
Just in case one project is not what we want to work on, each of us usually brings another that doesn't require too much concentration. It's essential to be able to converse and work at the same time when one is in a group, because one of its functions is to be consulted.
Since I design my sweaters from scratch, I tend to second and third guess myself, so having a sounding board of more objective observers helps me figure out what to do: is this close enough? Can I live with this one little thing that may not be ultimately what I had in mind? That question contained the answer, didn't it? Rats! More ripping!
Sometimes I have to leave the group early because I have to get to work. I work part-time at a yarn shop in Victor, NY, called New York Knits. Currently the shop (separate from the website) is having its 5th anniversary sale, which has been extended through the end of the month. If you are in the area, please stop by. Some yarns are as low as 60% off.
There are five employees plus the owner, Tracey. Besides me there are Bonnie W, Martha, Wendy, and Sarah K, who has just been hired full-time at Paychex after being graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology. It's been interesting having a college student working in the shop and getting her slant on styles and colors and so on.
All of us knit, of course, and have varying preferences in what we like to make. Each of us (except Tracey) has knit a bag, and customers are being asked to vote for their favorite. The same voting slip enters them in a drawing for a gift certificate at the shop. The winning employee gets a gift certificate too! Pick mine! Pick mine!
Yes, that was a blatant ad, which I won't do very often.
In the kitchen:
Nothing much has been happening in the kitchen Chez Jeanne. (Chez, pronouced "shay", is French and means "at the place of.") It's been too warm, and I've been too busy this week. I look forward to cooler weather and fall, when I will be much more inclined to cooking and baking.
The word 'baking' reminds me that I was going to give Bonnie W at work a copy of a carrot cake recipe I have. Will post that later, I promise. It is very good: flavorful and dense with goodies without being oily. It disappears fast.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Welcome
Welcome - today is opening day. I will blog about handknitting and about food, sharing some simple knitting patterns and easy recipes. Since I occasonally search for these things myself, it is only fair to share! :)
On the needles:
Currently I'm working on the left front for a lightweight cardigan out of Discontinued Name Brand Yarn Supersock. Yes, it's a sock yarn, but it should make a lovely sweater too. The colorway is called Wild West, and is kind of a reddish-pink with some mauvy-taupe. At any rate, it is knitting up beautifully in an eyelet pattern on a size US 4 (3.5 mm) bamboo needle. The eyelet pattern was inspired by an old issue of ZAZA, a Japanese machine knitting magazine borrowed from a knitting friend. When there is more of the sweater done, I will post a photo.
Designing sweaters:
A while ago when my personal size exceeded the usual knitting pattern size range, I taught myself how to adjust existing patterns. Since then I've taken up designing my own sweaters. That means I do a lot of knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping, and knitting as my ideas evolve. Frequent ripping is the reason why I start with a front when making a cardigan - less to rip.
The above cardigan, let us call it Zaza in honor of its stitch inspiration, has had a few false starts to get just what I want. First it started with a K 1, P 1 rib at the bottom edge, then a few inches into the body I decided that a turned hem with a picot edge would be more interesting, and started over again. (I can hear my friend Janet chortling. I'm afraid I have something of a reputation for ripping things out to get them right. Sometimes "close enough" just will not do.) Of course, it took a few tries for the bottom edge to behave in the desired manner, that is to say not curl up, wretched thing. The part that would be turned under to the back was cast on using the crocheted provisional cast-on and knit on a smaller needle so it would fit better when the edge was turned, but I finally realized that when knitting the live cast-on stitches together with the body, I should do fewer rows above the picot row (the turn row for the hem) than before it. Also a garter ridge is needed above the hem to help it lie flat. Fortunately this is also more aesthetically pleasing.
In the kitchen:
During the summer I prefer to avoid heating up the house by turning on the stove, so we usually cook dinner on the grill. Tonight we are going to have leg of lamb steaks. These are just slices of bone-in leg of lamb ready-to-cook from the supermarket. Since lamb has sufficient fat on its own, there is no need to brush the steaks with oil first. Just sprinkle them with plenty of garlic salt, and close enough. Grill them to desired doneness. We like ours about medium, maybe medium-well if the grillmaster got distracted.
Afterwards, our lucky puppy gets to gnaw on the bones for a while till all the remains of meat are gone. We have to push the marrow out for him with a finger. It's a gooey mess, but he likes it. Yes, our dog is spoiled.
On the needles:
Currently I'm working on the left front for a lightweight cardigan out of Discontinued Name Brand Yarn Supersock. Yes, it's a sock yarn, but it should make a lovely sweater too. The colorway is called Wild West, and is kind of a reddish-pink with some mauvy-taupe. At any rate, it is knitting up beautifully in an eyelet pattern on a size US 4 (3.5 mm) bamboo needle. The eyelet pattern was inspired by an old issue of ZAZA, a Japanese machine knitting magazine borrowed from a knitting friend. When there is more of the sweater done, I will post a photo.
Designing sweaters:
A while ago when my personal size exceeded the usual knitting pattern size range, I taught myself how to adjust existing patterns. Since then I've taken up designing my own sweaters. That means I do a lot of knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping, and knitting as my ideas evolve. Frequent ripping is the reason why I start with a front when making a cardigan - less to rip.
The above cardigan, let us call it Zaza in honor of its stitch inspiration, has had a few false starts to get just what I want. First it started with a K 1, P 1 rib at the bottom edge, then a few inches into the body I decided that a turned hem with a picot edge would be more interesting, and started over again. (I can hear my friend Janet chortling. I'm afraid I have something of a reputation for ripping things out to get them right. Sometimes "close enough" just will not do.) Of course, it took a few tries for the bottom edge to behave in the desired manner, that is to say not curl up, wretched thing. The part that would be turned under to the back was cast on using the crocheted provisional cast-on and knit on a smaller needle so it would fit better when the edge was turned, but I finally realized that when knitting the live cast-on stitches together with the body, I should do fewer rows above the picot row (the turn row for the hem) than before it. Also a garter ridge is needed above the hem to help it lie flat. Fortunately this is also more aesthetically pleasing.
In the kitchen:
During the summer I prefer to avoid heating up the house by turning on the stove, so we usually cook dinner on the grill. Tonight we are going to have leg of lamb steaks. These are just slices of bone-in leg of lamb ready-to-cook from the supermarket. Since lamb has sufficient fat on its own, there is no need to brush the steaks with oil first. Just sprinkle them with plenty of garlic salt, and close enough. Grill them to desired doneness. We like ours about medium, maybe medium-well if the grillmaster got distracted.
Afterwards, our lucky puppy gets to gnaw on the bones for a while till all the remains of meat are gone. We have to push the marrow out for him with a finger. It's a gooey mess, but he likes it. Yes, our dog is spoiled.
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