What have I been doing for all this time? Well, I've been working on the classes that I'll be teaching at Spirit Work for the coming fall and winter. Classes are posted on the shop's website, and as far as I know there are still openings in all of them.
This season there are two sweater classes - a Traditional Gansey pullover which I should clarify as being traditionally constructed out of a specified worsted weight yarn, rather than the fine 5-ply British gansey yarn, in the interest of students being able to finish the sweater or close to it by the end of class!
The other sweater class is in collaboration with my fellow knitting teacher, Jeannine, and is an Aran made from the bottom up with the student's choice of raglan or modified drop-shoulders, cardigan or pullover in a specified worsted-weight yarn. While Jeannine and I both love making top-down saddle-shoulder Arans, we also like to mix things up! ;)
It's been a couple of years since I last taught a vest class and have a beauty planned for this year. The Classic Vest is the basic V-neck, cardigan-style, stockinette stitch vest in a specified tweed yarn. Depending on their skill level and what they want to do, students have the choice of adding a cable panel going up and down at the shoulder, and if needed for the fuller-figured, short-row bust darts.
Colorwork mittens are always popular. Simple Two Color Mittens are again being offered, and there is a new one, the Tofta Gauntlet Mitten, also offered.
A completely new project for me is the Half-Glove. These are not fingerless mitt(en)s, but are actual gloves with the fingers ending just below the first joint, so they will be warm and should stay put. If they so choose, students could make them as regular gloves too. I'm rather pleased with them myself, and have been thinking that they'd be nice for gift-giving.
Photos have been taken of most of these items and should be up on the shop website soon.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
About Cottage Craft
About Cottage Craft yarns which I used for the Blue Spruce Aran, caveat emptor or buyer beware. There have been problems with people placing orders and not getting them or having to wait for MONTHS. This is not an acceptable situation for most of us knitters because when we order something, we usually have a particular project in mind and want to get started on it.
So instead of ordering yarn from Cottage Craft, I highly recommend ordering from Briggs & Little. The Regal line of yarn is the EXACT same yarn as CC's 2-ply, and I'm as certain as I can be that Briggs & Little is the manufacturer of the yarn. If you go to Briggs & Little's website, you can request color cards for all of their lines of yarn via email. The price may be a bit higher than CC, but what good does it do to save money on something that never comes?
So instead of ordering yarn from Cottage Craft, I highly recommend ordering from Briggs & Little. The Regal line of yarn is the EXACT same yarn as CC's 2-ply, and I'm as certain as I can be that Briggs & Little is the manufacturer of the yarn. If you go to Briggs & Little's website, you can request color cards for all of their lines of yarn via email. The price may be a bit higher than CC, but what good does it do to save money on something that never comes?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Blue Spruce Aran
The Grape Trellis cardigan isn’t quite done, but it was getting to the point where I needed a rest from it, so I started another Top-Down Saddle Shoulder Aran – yes, I know I’m crazy. What can I say, sometimes I just need to start something new while I’m inspired. The new one will be a pullover out of Cottage Craft 2-ply in Blue Spruce.
The saddle cable is a 3-rib lattice, which I think you can see has been mirror-imaged for symmetry. The two major cable patterns in the body are out of Annie Maloney’s book, The Cable Knitter’s Guide. The center cable is #66, and the cables going down from the shoulder are #22. These are a bit more complicated, so I do have to pay attention to what I’m doing, but I love how they look.
The cable layout from left to right is:
Wave of Honey (or Little Chain)
Eccentric cable
#22
Eccentric
Wave of Honey
Little Twist Cable (Barbara Walker’s first treasury)
#66
Little Twist
Wave of Honey
Eccentric
#22
Eccentric
Wave of Honey
When designing with cables, I like to make them so that the ones on the right, lean to the right, and the ones on the left, lean to the left when seen on the body. This creates a V-effect which I think is flattering to the figure by emphasizing the shoulders and de-emphasizing the waist. This photo shows them as they were knit. The sweater is knit from the top down so the photo is upside down from the way the finished garment will be worn.
The saddle cable is a 3-rib lattice, which I think you can see has been mirror-imaged for symmetry. The two major cable patterns in the body are out of Annie Maloney’s book, The Cable Knitter’s Guide. The center cable is #66, and the cables going down from the shoulder are #22. These are a bit more complicated, so I do have to pay attention to what I’m doing, but I love how they look.
The cable layout from left to right is:
Wave of Honey (or Little Chain)
Eccentric cable
#22
Eccentric
Wave of Honey
Little Twist Cable (Barbara Walker’s first treasury)
#66
Little Twist
Wave of Honey
Eccentric
#22
Eccentric
Wave of Honey
When designing with cables, I like to make them so that the ones on the right, lean to the right, and the ones on the left, lean to the left when seen on the body. This creates a V-effect which I think is flattering to the figure by emphasizing the shoulders and de-emphasizing the waist. This photo shows them as they were knit. The sweater is knit from the top down so the photo is upside down from the way the finished garment will be worn.
I've also started swatching for a cabled vest, which I hope to start shortly. Obviously I don't worry about having more than one project going, because sometimes I feel like working on one thing, and other times like working on something else. I don't want to confine myself to just one project, losing whatever inspiration or idea I might have for another when it strikes! ;)
Monday, January 4, 2010
Snowstar Gauntlet Mitten
The Snowstar Mitten is now done, and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out. I tried a new yarn, Lanaloft from Brown Sheep. It's a variegated wool and is the background or main color in the mitten. The contrast color is a variegated monotone of Lamb's Pride.
When using two variegated yarns for colorwork, one must be very careful to NOT match a color common to both colors being used or you can lose the patterning.
As I mentioned before, this mitten evolved rather quickly, and I really enjoyed doing it. It starts out with a few rounds of the contrast color in purl at the edge, then goes into the colorwork. The gauntlet on this mitten is a bit longer than on the first gauntleted mitten I did, and I was concerned about getting low on the Lanaloft since the skein is only 100 grams and therefore has less yardage than 4 oz of Lamb's Pride, but I weighed the skein both before and after making the first mitten, and I didn't use more than half of it. The only problem might be if someone wanted to make a larger size, then they might need another skein of Lanaloft in the main color just in case.
This time I tried shaping the mitten tip differently, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Anna Zilboorg's book, Magnificent Mittens & Socks, has a couple of mittens where the mitten tip shaping occurs along the sides of a central band on the back and palm of the hand. The end result is a nicely rounded mitten tip. Since I make mittens from the cuff up rather than from the tip down like Anna, my mitten is finished with kitchener stitch to keep the tip smooth.
Due to the colorwork pattern, the handout directions will be sized for adults only, which is the case for the Ram's Horn mitten as well.
There are two sessions of the Snowstar Gauntlet Mitten class. One is on Wednesdays, starting 1/13, and the other is on Sundays, starting 1/24. There is only one session of the Ram's Horn Mitten class, starting on 1/24 also. The Ram's Horn class precedes the Snowstar, so folks can have a whole afternoon of mittens if they want! ;) Class information is at the Spirit Work website.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ram's Horn Mitten
Here it is at last - the Ram's Horn Mitten. When I first started designing it, I had all kinds of wonderful ideas for having a different colorwork pattern on the palm than on the back of the hand, and playing around with having the background color on one side become the foreground color on the other. Unfortunately when working on it, I decided that it looked unbalanced, so will have to save that idea for another mitten. Although the final design is more simple than I had originally envisioned, I am pleased with it, and it should be interesting for students.
The cuff is just knit 2/purl 2 rib. As with the Scandinavian Gauntlet Mitten, the thumb is a different pattern than the hand, and the thumb tip decreases are done to maintain the colorwork pattern. Both the thumb tip and the fingertip are finished by having the stitches drawn up tight, which looks neat when seen from the top of the tips.
This mitten is a good example of experimenting with Color Dominance. Whichever yarn is carried below the other, is pushed out while the other recedes. You can see what I mean where the cream color stitch line recedes between the thumb and hand.
This class is now open for enrollment at Spirit Work. Click on "Classes & Events", then click on my classes.
I'm also teaching an easier mitten class, Two Color Mittens. Students will have their choice of either Salt & Pepper or One on One Stripes. Both of these colorwork patterns are made of 1 stitch light and 1 stitch dark repeated around. Whether done in an even or an uneven number, determines which pattern is produced. The class handout includes directions for both mittens in a full range of sizes from small child to extra-large adult.
Currently I am finishing up the Snowstar Gauntlet Mitten, and will be posting about it with a photo. The mitten shaping is like the Scandinavian Gauntlet Mitten, but the Snowstar gauntlet is longer and has colorwork. Amazingly I thought the Snowstar would go slower and the Ram's Horn faster during the design process, but the opposite has turned out to be the case!
The cuff is just knit 2/purl 2 rib. As with the Scandinavian Gauntlet Mitten, the thumb is a different pattern than the hand, and the thumb tip decreases are done to maintain the colorwork pattern. Both the thumb tip and the fingertip are finished by having the stitches drawn up tight, which looks neat when seen from the top of the tips.
This mitten is a good example of experimenting with Color Dominance. Whichever yarn is carried below the other, is pushed out while the other recedes. You can see what I mean where the cream color stitch line recedes between the thumb and hand.
This class is now open for enrollment at Spirit Work. Click on "Classes & Events", then click on my classes.
I'm also teaching an easier mitten class, Two Color Mittens. Students will have their choice of either Salt & Pepper or One on One Stripes. Both of these colorwork patterns are made of 1 stitch light and 1 stitch dark repeated around. Whether done in an even or an uneven number, determines which pattern is produced. The class handout includes directions for both mittens in a full range of sizes from small child to extra-large adult.
Currently I am finishing up the Snowstar Gauntlet Mitten, and will be posting about it with a photo. The mitten shaping is like the Scandinavian Gauntlet Mitten, but the Snowstar gauntlet is longer and has colorwork. Amazingly I thought the Snowstar would go slower and the Ram's Horn faster during the design process, but the opposite has turned out to be the case!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Scandinavian Gauntlet Mittens
For winter I have a red and black reversible down jacket that I haven't gotten as much use out of as I might wish, because of a problem I didn't foresee when I bought it. The sleeves don't have any inner cuffs to keep cold air out!
Obviously this situation called for some corrective action, so I've just designed a mitten with a flaring cuff or a gauntlet. Now I when I wear the jacket, I can put the mitten cuffs over my sweater sleeves inside the jacket sleeves, and they should do the job.
The mitten starts out with a 2-color cast-on, then has 2 rounds of a 2-color twined purl edging. The rest of the gauntlet is in one color.
When I was looking for mitten ideas, I found a mitten shape in Knitting in the Nordic Tradition by Vibeke Lind, where supposedly the gauntlet had been done in one color on the same size needle as used for the colorwork in the hand and it pulled in sufficiently to work. That was the theory at least.
When I was looking for mitten ideas, I found a mitten shape in Knitting in the Nordic Tradition by Vibeke Lind, where supposedly the gauntlet had been done in one color on the same size needle as used for the colorwork in the hand and it pulled in sufficiently to work. That was the theory at least.
In practice however, I found that I had to decrease about 1/8 of the stitches, and go down to a smaller needle to make K1, K1tbl/P2 ribbing for 1” at the wrist. Then I went back to the original needle size for the colorwork starting with the fewer stitches.
Whenever I design something, it seems I have to try making at least some part of it in a couple different ways, which was the case for the thumb gore. I finally settled on having a “seamline” in the main color along the sides of the gore because it looked so much better than trying to do a gore in the same pattern as the hand. I also decided that doing the thumb in just Salt & Pepper looked better.
Usually when I finish off the mitten tip, I like to decrease equally all the way around, staggering the decreases, but decided that this one looked neater if the decreases were paired along the sides and the tip was kitchenered. I liked the colorwork and wanted to maintain the pattern as much as possible.
I'm rather happy with how the mitten turned out! So happy in fact that it's going to be class at Spirit Work Knitting & Designs. For information go to the Spirit Work website, click on "Classes & Events", then click on my classes. The information should be up shortly. The class will run on alternate Wednesday evenings, from October 14 through November 18, 2009, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
TDSS Aran: Cables flowing into ribbing
I've been working on my Top-Down Saddle-Shoulder Aran cardigan. As I was heading my way on down the sleeve towards the cuff, I was wondering what I was going to do when I got there. I've always admired sweaters where the cable patterns flow into the ribbing, and I wanted to somehow make it happen. Would I have to put the stitches on hold and come back to it later when I had figured it out?
Fortunately I was inspired just when I needed to be while spending an afternoon in the fresh air and sun a week ago with a pair of knitting friends, and all of the sleeve tapering decreases were done.
The 14-stitch wide Aran Braid going down the center of the sleeve didn't have enough elasticity widthwise to continue downwards in to ribbing, but if I made it narrower - only 6 stitches wide - it should be stretchier than the 14-st braid. So I tried that, changing the 4 sts on either side of it to 2 purls and a 2-st cable crossing every 4 rows. Normally I'd expect to have to decrease stitches below a cable, but it seems to work OK without doing so since I went down 1.0 mm in needle size and have the purl sts in there. The 2-st Snakey or Wavy cables continue down as do the 4-st Rope cables, and the Rice Stitch filler becomes knit 2/purl 2 rib. I'm rather happy with how it turned out.
Currently I'm working on the other sleeve, and am planning an evening of DVD watching and knitting. I want to hurry up and get it done so I can move on to my next project which is the Aran Diamond Vest.
This too is another class sample, but I'm eager to work on it now that I have the yarn for it. For years I have wanted wheat/light tan heather vest because it would go with so many fall clothes. Twice I've had problems with the yarn I've used for just plain stockinette vests.
One time I used some single-ply 100% wool wheat tweed on a cone that still had the spinning oil in it. The yarn bloomed when the vest was washed and blocked but unexpectedly lost some length. From that experience I learned that I should have skeined the yarn off the cone and washed it first.
Another time I used some wool that smelled and felt oily in the balls. After washing and blocking it still felt funny unfortunately. Since I had had a successful attempt at removing the oiliness from another yarn, this was a big disappointment. But, hey live and learn, right?
Monday, July 27, 2009
TDSS Aran Cardigan in Progress
Here is a photo of the Top-Down Saddle-Shoulder Aran in progress. As you can see I am knitting the sleeve flat rather than in the round. The orange markers on the back show the correct depth of the armhole. Instead of measuring from the center of the saddle, I had measured from the picked-up edge for the armhole depth so the back ended up being 1 1/2” too long! When I return to working the back, I will have to rip back to those markers because I have to pick up along the edge of the body part of the sleeve to make the back the desired width. Live and learn, right? :)
The other orange markers on the sleeve are where the body part of it ends, then where the first decreases are. (I like to count rows so that I can make corresponding parts match.) The green marker in the center of the sleeve is for the measuring the sleeve length.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Preparing for Fall Classes
Currently I am working on samples for fall and winter classes at Spirit Work. The big one is a Top-Down Saddle-Shoulder Aran cardigan. Jeannine and I are again team-teaching an Aran sweater class. While I am making a cardigan for myself, she is making a pullover for her brother. We are also going to put them together differently. Mine will have sewn side seams, and hers will be done seamlessly in the round. Students will choose from two different styles and assembly methods, and make their choices of stitch patterns from menus for the different categories of cables and allover patterns. Jeannine and I will have swatched all of the patterns on the menus, and we are being careful to choose ones that have the same stitch count in every row/round and are rhythmic enough so that they are easy to learn after one repeat or so. The intent is that the knitter shouldn't need to keep checking a chart or written directions all the time so that a conversation can be carried on or TV can be watched! (Let's face it, if something is too involved, how much time can you spend on it?) And oh yes, the patterns will be both charted and written. Students will be getting enough information that they will need looseleafs for the handouts! :)
Other classes that I will be teaching are the Earflap Cap, which is a solid-color version of the colorwork Snowflake Helmet (the sample on the website needs to be updated, but the actual class sample is on display in the shop); the Chipman's Block Mitten; Boot Socks out of Cascade 220 Superwash, which works up beautifully for socks; Introduction to Designing: The Classic Vest (I do tend to make a lot of them!); and an Aran Diamond Vest, for those who might like to make an Aran but don't want to pick out patterns or commit to a sweater with sleeves.
All of my classes use my own designs and include complete handouts. The garment classes start with measuring the figure so that students can knit to fit. (While I may have gotten bigger around over the years, my shoulders have not grown broader, nor my arms longer, so knitting to fit is important to me.)
I will also be teaching a class on Heirloom Christmas Stockings, with 2 different colorwork designs. The stockings are made in Lamb's Pride Bulky so they knit up quickly. Students may make either design or may combine colorwork patterns from both into one stocking. At present only the Stars and Trees design is on display in the shop and on the shop's website, while the North Woods one with a pair of moose is being modified.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Snowflake Helmet
With August winding down, I'm ready to start thinking about what's coming up for Fall. After having the summer off, my knitting classes will be starting up again in September at Spirit Work on Titus Ave, where I teach.
Just recently I finished making the samples for the Snowflake Helmet class. The helmet coordinates with the Snowflake Mitten, a class I taught this past winter. I'm rather pleased with how the helmet turned out. Inspired by Elizabeth Zimmermann's Maltese Fisherman's Hat in Knitter's Almanac, I used similar shaping for the back and sides of the helmet to cover the neck and ears. The front of the helmet comes down to just above the eyebrows, and the upper part is shaped smoothly to the head - no silly nobs or tassles or pompons!
You will notice that there are two different versions of the colorwork pattern. When I made the black and red one, I decided that I preferred fewer panels (and "seamlines") because they seemed too busy for such dramatic colors, but the less contrasty one of 2 softer shades of grey-blue need the busy-ness of the 6 panels. Students may choose to make their helmets either way.
In addition to the Snowflake Helmet, I'm also teaching classes on Two-Color Mittens, Heirloom Christmas Stockings, Quick-Knit Christmas Stocking, Glad Hands Gloves using the pattern I sold to iKnitiative - style A07, and an Aran Vest.
A fellow teacher, Jeannine S, and I are jointly teaching a Design Your Own Cabled or Aran Sweater, which will run from September through May - plenty of time to make at least one sweater!
And now back to the needles!
Just recently I finished making the samples for the Snowflake Helmet class. The helmet coordinates with the Snowflake Mitten, a class I taught this past winter. I'm rather pleased with how the helmet turned out. Inspired by Elizabeth Zimmermann's Maltese Fisherman's Hat in Knitter's Almanac, I used similar shaping for the back and sides of the helmet to cover the neck and ears. The front of the helmet comes down to just above the eyebrows, and the upper part is shaped smoothly to the head - no silly nobs or tassles or pompons!
You will notice that there are two different versions of the colorwork pattern. When I made the black and red one, I decided that I preferred fewer panels (and "seamlines") because they seemed too busy for such dramatic colors, but the less contrasty one of 2 softer shades of grey-blue need the busy-ness of the 6 panels. Students may choose to make their helmets either way.
In addition to the Snowflake Helmet, I'm also teaching classes on Two-Color Mittens, Heirloom Christmas Stockings, Quick-Knit Christmas Stocking, Glad Hands Gloves using the pattern I sold to iKnitiative - style A07, and an Aran Vest.
A fellow teacher, Jeannine S, and I are jointly teaching a Design Your Own Cabled or Aran Sweater, which will run from September through May - plenty of time to make at least one sweater!
And now back to the needles!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Judging County Fair Entries
Sorry that it's been so long since I've blogged anything. It's very easy (for me) to procrastinate, thinking I'll have more time to do it or will have something more interesting to say later. Months go by, and nothing gets blogged! Shame on me!
This afternoon Jeannine S and I went to the Wayne County (NY)Fairgrounds to judge entries in Crochet, Knitting, and Handspinning. Sadly there were no Handspinning entries, but there were entries in Crochet and Knitting. There were quite a few Crochet doilies, so we spent a great deal of time on them. I have nothing but respect for anyone willing to work with thread! There were some lovely handknit lace shawls - I coveted all of them!
Deciding factors in which items got prizes were the workmanship, finishing and using all the same dyelot for the project. Tragically there was a vest which was knit out of 2 obviously different dyelots.
If you are considering entering one of your handknits in a competition, be careful of how you finish it. Careless finishing can make or break its presentation. Things to watch out for are:
1. Avoid slipping the edge stitch on sweater pieces which will be sewn together, unless it will be part of the design to have a row of faggoting (alternating holes!) going up the seamline. You had better have rows of faggoting in the main part of the project. Otherwise, the seams will detract from the overall effect.
2. When sewing a bound-off edge or knitting up along an edge (sometimes also called picking up and knitting), be sure to go through a whole stitch.
3. Be careful of entering a project that is incomplete. If you planned to make a sweater, but didn't get the sleeves done, some kind of an edging needs to be done around the armholes for it to transition successfully into a vest.
4. An unfelted stuffed toy, either knit or crochet, needs to have the stuffing in a case OR the toy should be lined with a coordinating fabric before being stuffed. Otherwise, polyester fiberfill will "beard," or work its way through the crochet or knit fabric.
5. Bags should be lined. Just a simple fabric pocket tacked down with needle and thread on the inside will do the trick.
6. Sewing embellishments onto a project is far superior to gluing them! What a thing to do to some little bit of crochet or tatting! You spent the time to make that little bit - have respect for it!
7. Be careful of how you block a finished project. For a doily do not iron the life out of it. You may press, but do not iron. By pressing I mean setting the iron down, then lifting it up and setting it down in another place. Do not drag the iron across the doily, nor use so much starch that the doily is as stiff as a board. Let people see those stitch patterns so that they can admire them!
Good luck!
This afternoon Jeannine S and I went to the Wayne County (NY)Fairgrounds to judge entries in Crochet, Knitting, and Handspinning. Sadly there were no Handspinning entries, but there were entries in Crochet and Knitting. There were quite a few Crochet doilies, so we spent a great deal of time on them. I have nothing but respect for anyone willing to work with thread! There were some lovely handknit lace shawls - I coveted all of them!
Deciding factors in which items got prizes were the workmanship, finishing and using all the same dyelot for the project. Tragically there was a vest which was knit out of 2 obviously different dyelots.
If you are considering entering one of your handknits in a competition, be careful of how you finish it. Careless finishing can make or break its presentation. Things to watch out for are:
1. Avoid slipping the edge stitch on sweater pieces which will be sewn together, unless it will be part of the design to have a row of faggoting (alternating holes!) going up the seamline. You had better have rows of faggoting in the main part of the project. Otherwise, the seams will detract from the overall effect.
2. When sewing a bound-off edge or knitting up along an edge (sometimes also called picking up and knitting), be sure to go through a whole stitch.
3. Be careful of entering a project that is incomplete. If you planned to make a sweater, but didn't get the sleeves done, some kind of an edging needs to be done around the armholes for it to transition successfully into a vest.
4. An unfelted stuffed toy, either knit or crochet, needs to have the stuffing in a case OR the toy should be lined with a coordinating fabric before being stuffed. Otherwise, polyester fiberfill will "beard," or work its way through the crochet or knit fabric.
5. Bags should be lined. Just a simple fabric pocket tacked down with needle and thread on the inside will do the trick.
6. Sewing embellishments onto a project is far superior to gluing them! What a thing to do to some little bit of crochet or tatting! You spent the time to make that little bit - have respect for it!
7. Be careful of how you block a finished project. For a doily do not iron the life out of it. You may press, but do not iron. By pressing I mean setting the iron down, then lifting it up and setting it down in another place. Do not drag the iron across the doily, nor use so much starch that the doily is as stiff as a board. Let people see those stitch patterns so that they can admire them!
Good luck!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Candace Eisner-Strick in Rochester, NY
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.
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, 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.
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