novamade

have gnome, will travel; and, eat pie

So it's Halloween.  Boo.  Special K and I aren't usually celebrators of said day of ghoulish extravagance; but, when you have a kid who actually "gets" it, you really don't have much of a choice, do you?

My kid wanted to be the Travelocity Roaming Gnome for Halloween (thank you Travelocity and your incessant advertising during the Amazing Race--what, you don't consider The Amazing Race "educational TV?!"  Hello?  Travel and culture!  And the snarky banter of dysfuntional couples, I mean there is so much to learn!).  So because I decided to be Supermom this week, that's what he dressed up has for Halloween.  Sort of, he had no interest in wearing the belt (the belt that took an hour of my precious crafting time, but there you are).  I will put the details for the costumery in the gallery, but most of my trials and tribulations are going to be covered in this post, for those who are interested in such things.

The gnome hat was the easiest thing.  1) Measure head circumference (in this case, 21 inches--yes, he's got a big noggin).  Take red (or any color you like, but I needed to use red) felt sew a 2 inch hem for the base of the hat (it gives it that "finished" look), 3) measure off the head circumference at that base and add whatever you like for a seam allowance (I did an inch extra for a half inch seam allowance, do whatever makes you happy). 4) Decide how tall you want the hat (I opted to use the head circumference as my guide, it came out pretty tall, again do what makes you happy).  5) Center your height measurement from the base and draw a triangle.  6) Cut and sew, 7)  turn hat inside out. 8) Smile, with tons of self-satisfaction because you just made an uber cute gnome hat.

The jacket, was not as easy.  Granted, this jacket was the first article of clothing I have ever sewn.  Clearly, I was not thinking rationally when I decided that this would be a good project to cut my teeth on garment sewing.  I mean really, collars, facings, buttonholes?  Oh, and pattern modification because the pattern was for a short-sleeved shirt and not a jacket...right.

I modified a child's camouflage shirt pattern for the jacket because it had the length and basic look (style, not the fabric itself) that I was going for (I liked the collars...before I started sewing the jacket).  I figured the sleeves could just be lengthened.  And really a jacket is just a collared shirt made of heavier fabric with a lot more ease.....right?  It seemed to work out okay, but don't look to closely at the collar, it is, as the kids like to say these days, jacked up.  I had no idea what I was doing, the step-by-step directions may have skipped a few steps so I just sort of made things up as I went along.  And seriously, I need a foot attachment to make buttonholes, because the three buttonholes in this jacket almost made me gouge my own eyes out (thank you Christina for helping me decipher the directions in the big book of sewing).

The boots were some funny green rain boots purchased at the local target that I covered with black electrical tape.  Little Sir thought the eyes were weird, so he wouldn't wear them before.

There was a belt too.  A cardboard buckle painted metallic silver with black felt cut to size.  Little Sir had very strong feelings about the belt.  Namely, he wasn't having it.  Take a look for yourself.  This look of mortification is the same look I sometimes get when asking for a hug now (usually accompanying the statment, "no mommy, you are too big."  Lovely).

 

In the midst of the Halloween madness I made a pie, because, you know, Pushing Daisies was on on Wednesday night...and that is what I do...make pie while watching said show.  Chocolate Mousse Pie. 

 

This chocolate awesomeness was a really easy recipe (a lot of dirty dishes though).  I didn't feel like messing about with a spring foam pan (who is lazy and pregnant?!) and just used a large tart pan with a removable bottom (a method I would recommend to you, should you decide to make this easy and tasty pie/tart treat).  The side benefit is a few ramekins of chocolate mousse to enjoy later.

And then I made festive cupcakes. I guess my anti-Halloween days are over.  Maybe next year I will make myself a costume.  Because, you know, I am all about the garment sewing now.

nutty, of the macadamia variety

Hi.  So it's been a long week, here's a quick run-down:

 

I went to a seminar on photographic copyright (for archives) in Albany last Friday.  Look at me, being all studious.

Albany is only an hour away from Rhinebck, NY, so obviously I had to go.

So yes, I went to Rhinebeck on Saturday.  I met a blog reader named Victoria (thank you for saying hi!), Little Sir tried fried dough for the first time and now refers to it as "dough with snow." 

It was fun, but when you are almost 8 months pregnant, nothing that involves much walking  (or any physical activity, really) is going to be all that exciting.  We got there late and left early, but I managed to purchase exactly what I was hoping to.  I sweater's worth of grey aran weight yarn (for a sweater for Special K) and 3 silk caps because I have no idea what to do with them, but I thought it would be fun to try and figure out (this is the way most disasters start, of course).

Modest; but, sufficient, all the same.

I started working on a plethora of wip's I'd left sitting in various project bags.  They were all brown or predominantly brown and sort of sad and depressing, I didn't even bother taking photos because it would have been a parade of brown--not so visually appealing when viewed en masse.  In need of color, I started (or rather, restarted) a baby garment with jubilant blasts of color.  It should be finished soon, so that's something.

And last night, while watching Pushing Daisies, I made pie (of course).

 

Chocolate - Macadamia Nut Tart courtesy of Martha.  I thought it was just okay, but the pie was gone within 15 minutes of my setting it out at work and the dishes washed and dried, so I guess others thought it pretty tasty. 

 

That or they found that splash of bourbon in the pie appealing, I have no idea.  I think my taste buds are all wonky right now, what with the hormones (or whatever), so my taste assessments probably shouldn't be trusted at this time.

I didn't have unsalted butter, so I substituted regular butter (salted) and eliminated the salt prescribed by the recipe.  Also, there was no way 2.5 cups of macadamia nuts was going to fit in my tart pan.  Martha called for an 11 inch tart pan, mine was ten.  I only used a cup of nuts, so I have enough to make another tart...which I might do since I have more patee sucree dough in my fridge (the dough recipe was pulled from Joy of Cooking, 1972 reprint,  natch).

Aside from all that, work is crazy right now (I am moving into a new space after a major renovation) with it being a celebratory weekend of sorts, fall reuninon, homecoming, etcetera.  Oh, and yes, I am 33 weeks pregnant.  So, you know, I'm not tired at all.

If you are into picture peeping, there is a smallish (so you won't be overwhelmed and because I am lazy) Rhinebeck set of pictures over in my flickr world, knock yourselves out.  Otherwise, see you soon with a cute and colorful FO!

goodness

So bloglines and I are still on the outs.  It's too bad really, because I have a great FO to share today...mitteny goodness! 

Over the weekend I went to Boston and hung out with some really great knit bloggers, friends all (I know that I am leaving a few people out, there were a lot of people!).  In addition to eating, camera-talk, yarn-shopping and sight-seeing, there was some mitten trading.  I made some mittens for the Philistine.

I think she likes them, she seems suitably whelmed with the finished product.

These mittens are from the same pattern as my frogged white mitten disaster.  There were some interesting design features in the pattern.  The tree of paradise design for the palm was pretty interesting in the finished product (although a pain to keep track of while knitting). 

The cables kept the pattern really interesting and the bobbles were fun.  It helped that there were not too many bobbles (I do think there is such a thing).  The rustic aran weight yarn that I used gave me a way different gauge than the reccommended worsted that the pattern suggests and that I was originally using, so I had to modify the pattern slightly.  I was afraid that the mittens would be too big, but I think it worked out in the end.  I mean, if the Philistine herself gives the finished product two thumbs up, who am I to argue?  Details in the gallery and on the rav.

And since it is Wednesday and the Pushing Daisies episode tonight sounds cute, I am going to post a pie.  I am cheating, but whatever.  I made two apple pies to share last weekend (pie goodness!), and the report was that they were tasty (I am sure the locally made ice cream that Diana had on hand didn't hurt either).   Pie recipe was  from Joy of Cooking, 1972 reprint (naturally).  The curst recipe was the patee brisee pastry liberally modified by me with a goodly amount of extra sharp New York cheddar-because that is how I roll.

I am making the same pie tonight whilst watching the Piehole Wednesday-inspiring show (we went apple picking on Monday, I hope you did something suitably exciting as well), so it's not totally cheating.  Apple pie with a cheddar pastry crust.  I will try for something more original and exciting next week.  Till then, I will leave you with some apple-picking joy (or rather, more goodness).

The first apple he picked all by himself.  It was a big deal.

not now, i'm knitting

Were you looking for pie?  So how about celebrating Piehole Wednesday on Friday?  Yeah, I thought it was a good idea too.  I watched Pusing Daisies on Wednesday and while I did so, I made a pie, a custard pie (with pears), actually. 

It's a Martha Stewart recipe that you can find here.  It's another one of those non-traditional pies in that there is no crust...it's a pie because it was baked in a pie pan.  It was still pretty good though; but, I suppose if you are not a fan of custard (or say, if you are allergic to eggs), then this is not the pie for you.

As pies go, it's a pretty quick one to do...there is no pastry preparation (because there is no crust)...the most time consuming part is peeling, coring and slicing the pears.  Martha suggests that the prep time takes 15  minutes.  I have often thought that prep time estimates arent' really Martha's forte.  If you are a normal person or have a toddler in the kitchen with you while making this pie, you should probably allot 20-25 minutes.  If said toddler wants to "help" you, you are probably looking at 30-35 minutes prepping this very simple pie.  But as pies go, it's a pretty good one to do with kids (after you peel and cut the pears).

Baking this pie was a break from knitting mittens (I know, they aren't knit in that pretty tweed I planned to use, more on that later).  But after the pie was done, I had to get back to knitting the mittens.  They needed to be done last night.  Oh, well.

Also, it has come to my attention that bloglines doesn't seem to like my blog's feed right now.  I can't really do anything about it, so hopefully bloglines and my blog will make up sooner rather than later.  Have a good weekend! 

just peachy

Lest you all think I am lazing about chomping on bon bons, let me assure you that I have been hard at work.  I have been so busy with the knitting lately, I haven't had the time, energy or wherewithall to blog about it (being pregnant probably contributed to the general feeling of lethargy; but, it sounds so industrious to say that I have been busy, so let's go with that). 

For the past couple of weeks, I have been consumed with the knitting of a shawl.  Some of you have heard about the shawl, aka my nemesis.  I finished it tonight, so there will be a finished object post shortly, I have a lot to say about this very tiny shawl.  But while it was soaking up some Kookabura wool wash, I was thinking about other projects.

Like mittens.  I like knitting mittens.  But for some reason, I got stalled on these Aran mittens.  They went in a project bag and there they sat (for a year?).  I liked the pattern, but for some reason, I just didn't finish them.

But the pattern is pretty great, and I think a friend of mine would like the pattern too...so I am going to knit these mittens.  But in a different yarn I think.

Tweed, maybe?

I think it was the white yarn that had me meh about the whole project.  I knew I wasn't going to finish them in the original color, "cloud" (which is Knit Picks' fancy way of saying "white")...

Much better.  Peachy, even.

You didn't think I would let Pushing Daisies premiere with no pie, did you?

Fresh peach pie with a flaky pastry crust, recipe from Joy of Cooking, 1972 reprint.

The pie baker is back (even if her photo editor is not-- please pretent thse pictures are better lit).

a two fer

We interrupt this unintentional blog break with a post.  So I had pie for you last week (actually, a tart, all fruity and nice--fruit tart with pastry cream & shortbread crust) and then I cut my finger (a baking boo-boo) trying to remove said treat from its tart pan and it put the kabosh on the pie joy (I couldn't even look at it, much less eat it--my coworkers who snorgled it for breakfast claimed it was good, but I am starting to think they will eat anything).  So while I allow my enthusiasm for pie to recharge, let's talk scarves.  More specifically, woven scarves.  Some of you may be getting sick of the woven scarf-talk.  I'm sorry, but I heart them.

So, towards the end of March and beginning of April (yeah, I know, that was a while ago), I took a weaving class at Webs.  I don't really live near Webs, but as often as I go there, you'd think it was around the corner; but, as I was saying, I took I weaving class.  The backstory on this class and my registration for it offer countless illustrations of stupidity on my part--kind of funny now (I thought it was one weekend, it was two; I thought it was for rigid heddle loom instruction, it was for a floor loom, etc...), but it was all very exciting.  I learned a lot about floor looms.  I think my foray in rigid heddle weaving allowed me to understand a lot of basic concepts and gave me a base of knowledge to work from.  At the end of the class, I had a scarf.  Details in the gallery o' goodness.

My plan was to give it to Special K for hanging out with our kid for four whole days, thus allowing me time to drive to and from, and attend the day long class meetings.  This is why I chose the colors that I did.  His response: "nice scarf but it's kind of long.  I think I like short scarves."  So now I have a nice new long scarf.  And a passion for weaving.  The royal trifecta of gift-giving that is the month of May (for me-birthday, Mother's Day, anniversary, you might have to make your own arrangements--if you have two days and need a third, I would offer the addition of St. Insert-your-name-here Day, it could work) served as a good excuse for Special K to prove himself worthy of the "Special" in his moniker; he ordered me a floor loom.  It will arrive next month.  I am very excited about it.  Till then, I will have to content myself with pie.

Last week's was the fruit tart as previously mentioned.  Look at it, all innocent and sweet.

This week was blueberry pie.  And I think it's going to be the last until fall, you know, when the show that started all of this is back on the air.  Both pies were made possible with pie crust recipes from the Joy of Cooking (the 1972 reprint) and a lot of improvisation for the fillings and layout on my part (and the fact that I can be improvisational when it comes to food is a shock to anyone who knows me and my over-reliance on recipes).  And in case anyone else besides me thought that making pie when it's 100 degrees outside is good idea, it's not.  Those hearts on the blueberry pie aren't me being cute, they are evidence of me not be able to do anything else with the dough in the heatwave that swept the northeast for the last three days.

The other thing I am filling my time with is knitting.  I may actually have something one might describe as a "finished object" when I come back. Maybe.

gifts from the internets

A while back I won a contest that Kirsten was holding at her place because I suggested a pattern for some of her gorgeous handspun.  Kirsten is really generous.  She didn't just send a prize, she sent a package of gift happiness (including something for Little Sir, he loves his Woolbur, thank you, Kirsten).  One of the things is the package o'delights was a skein of Noro Sock Yarn.  Noro sock yarn, it's pretty, and I was curious to know how it knit up.  I messed around with the yarn for a few days and came to the conclusion that I didn't want to knit it up into socks.  This sock yarn is not what anyone would describe as "soft".  But it is what a lot of people, myself included, would call "beautifully dyed".  And then my new rigid heddle loom arrived and I wondered how it would weave up as opposed to knit up.

 

Not to sound big-headed, but I think this was a stroke of genius.  I used the Noro for both the warp (the vertical bits) and the weft (the horizontal bits, don't you love my technical explainations?) and just let the yarn do what it wanted to do.  The weave is pretty balanced, but I got the look I was hoping for, so I am not concerned with picks or what have you.  I think this scarf is fabulous.

I like how the vertical stripes of color are dominant over the horizontal bands of color.  Also, I just love my new scarf (details here).

Thank you for the yarn, Kirsten!  It's probably not what you had in mind as a finished product when you sent it...but you know, I like to thrill when I can.

And while Elise did not send this to me specifically, I think that original recipes from foodies are gifts too.  They may not be gifts that one always likes; but, they are gifts all the same. 

I used this strawberry and rhubarb pie recipe to make a pie yesterday.  I found the pie overly sweet and didn't care for it; but, it was snorgled quickly by a bunch of librarian-types that I work with who all tend to be pretty picky about their food.  It passed muster, all agreed it was a good pie.  So if rhubarb is your thing, here's a recipe for you, from me (really from Elise) to you.

on birthdays and giving

On my birthday this year, I found myself writing a pattern and knitting it up.  I needed to knit a cowl for a new friend.  Hopefully it has found its way to her.  I liked knitting this cowl, and the pattern is a pretty easy one.  Also, I think anything knit in Malabrigo is pretty much destined to be awesome, because, let's be honest here, it's Malabrigo, people.

 

Spending my birthday doing something for someone else made me feel all cheery and cozy, kind of like I am hoping the cowl will make the recipient feel.

I get cheery about knits and all, but you know, there is also that pie thing, and it's Wednesday...

I made another recipe from Sweety Pies.  Rice pie.  I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.  I shared it with my co-workers and they all thought it was pretty amazing.  Rice, it's a celebratory thing, right?

So my birthday celebration is all wrapped up. I had fun celebrating, of course.  I love gift-getting and everything, but I think gift-giving may be even better.  So for my birthday, I am giving you a gift (if you want it).  I am putting up the pattern for the cowl so you too can keep cozy when it's cool (which may not be at this particular moment depending on your location, but there you are).  Or maybe you just want to be cool, since "cowl is the new scarf" and everything.  Join the bandwagon!

It's my first pattern ever, so be nice!

Download birthday_cowl.pdf

ETA: I got word that some may have difficulty downloading the pdf, so here is the write-up:

 

Finished Size: 9.5” x 21”

 

Gauge: 5 stitches = 1” in the stitch pattern.

 

Yarn:  Malabrigo is suggested (though anyworsted-weight yarn should work; but try and select

something soft and cozy.  The colorway shown here is Bobby Blue.

 

Needles: US 8/5 mm, 16” circular

 

Extra notions: Tapestry needle, Place marker

 

Stitch Pattern: The stitch pattern is a bias rib called Barley Sugar.  The pattern is an eleven stitch repeat worked in 2 rounds:

Round1: *sl1, k1, psso, k6, yo, k3* repeat to the the end of the round.

Round 2: k (till the end of the round).

             

            sl = slip

            k = knit

            psso = pass slipped stitch over

            yo = yarnover

 

Instructions:

Cast on 99 stitches. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.  Join and work 3 rounds of garter stitch (purl the first row, knit the second, purl the the third).  Begin working the Barley Sugar pattern until your cowl measures 9 inches (for a shorter scarf, knit to 6” for longer go to 10-12”).  Work three rounds of garter stitch as youdid at the beginning (p, k, p).  Bind off loosely.  Weave in your ends (there should only be two). Block your cowl.  Celebrate!

trains need homes too

So yesterday I shared what I thought was an fo photo session of the tomten that almost killed my knitting mojo.  I was feeling all puffed with pride, so much so that I didn't give a second thought to Little Sir's reading selection for bedtime last night.

After we read about Corduroy and his pocket, Little Sir began his strategic assault on why his tomten needed pockets (culminating in the statement that "trains need homes too").  Of course they do.

Rockstars don't need pockets, I mean seriously, did the Biscuit ask for pockets?  Probably not, because he, you see, is a rockstar.  Little Sir is really a prepster who was posing.  He got his haircut and gone were his rockstar delusions.  So here is my kid, with a sweater his mom knit for him.  With pockets.

Or rather, a home for trains.

I did a pair of afterthought pockets and now the prepster is willing to go folksy and wear his tomten with a smile.  It all came down to pockets, you see.  Honestly, it's a good thing we can't go to MDSW this year, because he would be sporting the tomten no matter what the thermometer might read (and there would be trains in the pockets, of course).  Our absence from said happy event is probably best for all parties concerned.

After all this, I needed pie.  Or rather, a quick french berry tart with red currant glaze.  All is now well with the world.

Dorie wanted to send me some baking from her home to mine.  Just FYI, Dorie Greenspan is my new baking hero.

If you are interested in the details behind the afterthought pockets that made me Little Sir's hero (for about 5 minutes) I wrote it up in a tutorial, see the post below.  I think I am all done talking about the tomten now (you are all probably sick of reading about it too).  Now it's time to move on.

sorry papa, i had to make pie

In a fit of avoidance (you have no idea), I went through my stash last night to start a new project (this is ridiculous on so many levels).  I really didn't have anything in mind, I was going to let the yarn inspire me.  When all was said and done, I realized that everything I pulled out was green. 

I wish I could say it was Project Spectrum that inspired this color frenzy (it's just a happy coincidence, really); but, I just figured out that every year, about a month before my birthday my affinity for the color green increases exponentially.  I try to incorporate it into everything.  So why fight it?

And going to Webs with my friend Kathy over the weekend didn't help either (they are having a pretty big sale right now, if you are interested in that sort of thing).  Also, Kathy gave me an early birthday gift.  A bajillion yards of laceweight forest green baby alpaca.

That's a whole lotta green.  Enough for an Icarus.  Um two Icaruses...

And then there is this:

I received this sock yarn in a wee trade with Christy recently.  I really love it, and have been saving it for the perfect pattern.  I have a particular pattern in mind for the sock yarn; but, if you can think of something better, please share your suggestion.  It needs to be something that would maintain my interest...because I tend to get bored with socks and my interest usually wanes after the completion of the first sock (in case you hadn't noticed).  This waning interest in sock knitting is a problem since I have an unspeakable amount of sock yarn in the stash.

Oh, so those limes...  I used them to make a tart.  Shocking, I know.

Good, but not great; but, anything would be better than last week's disaster.  It's the Key Lime Tart from the April 2007 Everyday Food magazine (a lot of the older recipes are available online, but I love flipping through the magazines).  I really just had to make something with limes in it.  A mojito might have been a better idea though (hmmm, Mojito Monday...it sort of has a nice ring to it).  I think Papa would definately approve.