[knitting] Totally Biased with Hand-dyed yarn... finished!

Finished the totally biased cowl:

The yarn is bulky hand-dyed. I cast on 52 stitches and worked this up on US 9 needles. I used two skeins (prob... 350 yards?) and remembered to do my garter ridges at equal intervals.

Long enough to wrap around my neck twice. I love the yarn- it is a soft two ply (I love the nubbly texture that two-plies have). 

Ready to take this on my work trip next week.

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TGIF but I have a metric ton of work to finish up before I can relax. I'm getting my hair dyed tomorrow (something spooOoooOOoooky). Chores and football Sunday. Packing and stuff. Leaving Monday midday. Back next Friday.

[cooking] Skull Cakelets

Made some small chocolate cakes for the band last night:

I used this Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake recipe from King Arthur Flour. I used KAF Double Dutch Dark Cocoa powder and they ended up nice and dark. The recipe called for yogurt or sour cream- I only had maple yogurt on hand and used that. 

I filled up my Nordic Ware cakelet pan, only leaving about a half inch of space for each skull. The recipe makes a smidge too much batter for this pan- I had to throw away about 3/4 cup of batter. I baked at 350 for 35 min. They domed a bit and I had to cut away some of the back of the skulls before turning them out onto a platter, so that they would rest flat. 

The looked perfect straight out of the pan but I wanted to add a white glaze. The icing is just powdered sugar mixed with milk- I used a pastry brush to brush the skulls (avoiding the eyes and nose). The glaze dries hard to the touch, so the cakes can be handled.

The glaze is forgiving- a little thin here, a little thick there- it just makes it more spooky.

Love how these turned out- I'm sure they'll be an annual tradition.

[cooking] Grape jam

A couple weekends ago, my neighbor let us come over to pick some concord grapes:

We picked a couple big bowl's worth. I turn some into jam right away:

It's good and sweet and set up well but it's not particularly grape-y. We've been having it on toast but I might try using some for baking- swirled into pound cake or something.

That same weekend, I had the crock pot going all day with apples and spices to cook down into apple butter. It broke down into a tasty slurry but it wasn't butter-smooth (I didn't take an immersion blender to it or anything). I froze most of it but have got to come up with more ways to use it.

[knitting] DC hat

When I was in DC a couple weeks ago, I thought it was going to be cold and I didn't bring a hat. My hotel was only a few blocks from Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA, so I went down and bought one skein of Studio Chunky by Neighborhood Fibre Co. and Knitter's Pride US 10 DPNs. The hat is a basic k1p1 rib, using the entire skein:

Turns out that it was still basically summertime down there and I didn't need the hat but... it's ready for wearing around Vermont. This yarn is divine- sooooo squishilicious. My only complaint is that the finished hat is a little too short to be properly slouchy or to have a deep fold-over brim. Still, I like wearing it as is, without folding the brim.  Maybe over time it will relax into a nice slouch.

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Stopped by my mom's to pick up kimchi after work yesterday. I've been without for a while and I want to kimchi all the things.

Worked away on my sockhead hat during the football game- just about ready to start the stockinette portion.

I'm going to be gone for work next week. I'll miss Halloween week at home, so I want to make some spooky food this week. A pumpkin shaped pizza? Skull cakes? 

[cooking] Misc. jjigae

Good weekend. Stacked wood on Sat, then went to my sister's for a get-together. Fun drinky times. Spent most of Sunday in a legit fog. Made my hangover cure:

Korean stew. I wanted yukgaejang but the market didn't have beansprouts. I got a nice piece of beef shank and just boiled chunks for over an hour. Then added garlic, gochujang, a little doenjang, scallions, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, some soaked japchae noodles. The best part was the slice of bone that simmered away with the meat the whole time- dat marrow...

Somehow, I did laundry and dishes, too (during football commercial breaks). Finished the bulky cowl. Started a new slouchy hat. Should be able to get some good knitting in tonight while the Patriots play!

As long as I'm able to sit on the couch. Lately I've been getting up and coming back to:

This is a classic Penny move and I'm surprised Murderface is doing it. Especially when he has a (practically) new, soft, orthopedic, squishy bed of his own. Sigh. 

[knitting] Totally Biased with Hand-dyed yarn

Working on a new Totally Biased cowl:

I'm using a couple skeins of bulky yarn that I dyed at Scratch in Lebanon, NH earlier this year. The Green Mountain Knitting Guild organized a dye class at the shop and it was fun to play with the acid dyes. 

Based on the yarn from yesterday and today, I apparently like dying with blue and orange.

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TGIFFFFF. Going to try to finish the above cowl this weekend. Wind some sock yarn for a hat (I'm going on another work trip at the end of the month and I want a new slouchy hat). Maybe get back to the sweater that I joined the sleeves for (maybe even finish the sweater in time for the work trip?). Going to stack some wood for someone tomorrow and then go to my sister's for party. Gotta visit my grandmother, too. Busy busy busy.

[knitting] Send in the Clowns

I was looking for a pattern for my hand-dyed yarn and found one for socks:

The pattern is Send in the Clowns (rav link), free. It's meant to be good for "crazy" (aka clown barf) yarn.

I especially like this pattern name because it was dyed during the Green Mountain Knitting Guild retreat at the Circus Smirkus campus. Circus... clowns... circus clowns.

It is working up well, the slipped stitches and purl rounds break up the colors.

I've started the second sock with a new kitty cat stitch marker:

Still cute. They will never not be cute.

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I watched all three seasons of Kim's Convenience on Netflix. It's pretty funny but I'm half Korean and can relate to a lot of it. I really started watching it because it has Simu Liu, who is going to be the lead in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings but I got hooked. The Kim family is funny but the side characters (Mr. Mehta, Mr. Chin, Gerald, Terrance, Frank) are so good.

I will say that after three seasons, there hasn't been any progress between Appa and Jung. They tried to... I don't know, hang out at Handy for Jung's GED party and then there was a ping pong game but it's all been kind of forced and not particularly... good. It makes me wonder if the actors playing Appa and Jung hate each other's guts and just don't want to be in any scenes together ever.

I recently finished the first season of Broadchurch and I can't do any more seasons. It's too sad. 

What else... Oh, The Good Place. We caught up through Season 3 on Netflix and started watching the current (final) season's episodes weekly on Hulu.

Speaking of Hulu, I should watch Over the Garden Wall again. That's a good autumn series (and it has nice artwork).

[vermont] Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival

My finished stitch markers for the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival a couple weeks ago:

They are so cute and I used one right away to make another little knit pumpkin. I have so many leftover, I only swapped a few and gave several away. 

The festival was a whirlwind this year. I took a class on weaving a cornucopia with willow branches, met my sister at Worthy Burger for lunch, went back to the fest together to do shopping, got a stack of handmade soaps (my fave) and then volunteered at the Green Mountain Knitting Guild booth for the last two hours of the day. I only bought one skein of yarn, no spinning fiber, some wooden VT tags and stitch markers...

The greatest stitch markers ever...

Pussy cats wearing pussy hats. I can't even. They were so expensive but I had to have them and I have no regrets buying them. I'm using one for a new pair of socks I'm knitting:

Omfggggggg. It's so cuuuuute!! It's by WeeOnes Creations and all her stitch markers are freaking adorable and detailed.

[embroidering] Snowflake Bundt Bag

Another finished bundt bag:

This Nordic Ware snowflake is my favorite brownie pan. The stitching on the bag was pretty quick and easy- held a strand of light and dark blue floss together.

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Whipped up an actual bundt cake this weekend with the autumn wreath pan:

I used this recipe. Nice and spicy.

It was a pretty lazy weekend. I picked some concord grapes at my neighbor's house and made some jam. Still have a tub of grapes in the fridge to make into juice. Made a pot of Vermont Curry that we could eat all weekend. Knit some more on my clown socks (started the second). Cast on for another Totally Biased cowl (with hand-dyed yarn). Sat down at my craft table and joined the sleeves of my Starfall sweater. What else... Hm, I feel like that's pretty much all I did over three days. 

We finally rented Midsommer. Ugh. About 30 min into the movie, I was like, "I feel bad for this girl but she's literally the worst." It's hard to care about a movie when you don't care about any of the characters.

[knitting] Latvian Fingerless Mitts

Finished Latvian Fingerless Mitts:

The pattern is Latvian Fingerless Mitts by Beth Brown-Reinsel. This was from a workshop that she taught at the Green Mountain Knitting Guild Retreat in mid-September. 

The details are nice- lots of colorwork, Latvian braids, lace, afterthought thumbs... The yarn is Valley Yarns Northfield in five colors and I have a lot leftover. Since it's superwash yarn, I might slap together some kind of sweater for my niece. Oops, not superwash. Thanks for the comment. I'll do something else with the leftovers.

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Was in DC this week. It's still summer down there. Got back Thursday. Nice to have one day in the office and then roll into a three day weekend.

I plan to do some cooking this weekend- maybe make some jams, get a pumpkin and roast the seeds... Go for a hike if the weather's nice. The leaves are pretty nice right now.

[knitting] Making Turtle Stitch Markers

Working on stitch markers to swap at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival tomorrow:

I found some turtle beads at Michaels (50% off!) and they are so cute. They're pretty detailed- with a belly side and a top shell side. I'm adding a seed bead just above the head.

I finished them all last night. I'm trying to keep the jump ring as sooth as possible. I worry that there could be sharp edges or openings that catch yarn, which would be pretty annoying and render the marker basically useless. I think I'm going to cast on something(s) tonight and give one or two a test. 

But they're so cute. If you can't use it as a stitch marker, maybe you can use it as a charm on  something.

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TGIFFFFFF. Looking forward to my class at the festival tomorrow morning: weaving a cornucopia with willow. I want to stuff all my little knit pumpkins inside of it when it's done!

I'll wander around and do some shopping. I need my semi-annual bulk purchase of handmade soap. I'm down to a nearly transparent sliver of soap from the last of the bars that I got at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in the spring.

Then I'll be at the Green Mountain Knitting Guild Booth from 3 - 5 pm. Come find me there for a turtle stitch marker!

[embroidering] Autumn Leaves Bundt Bag

Finished a new bundt bag:

I chose to do this one first because I want to use this autumn leaves bundt pan as soon as possible.

A gingerbread bundt would be perfect. It's chilly today. I'm ready for hot cider and rum drinks!

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Made a nice dinner last night. I roasted an 8lb turkey breast. This cut is called "hotel-style turkey breast"; it's just bone-in, both breasts.

I roasted it for about two hours at 350F until the internal temp was 160F. I made mashed potatoes. Gravy from the turkey pan drippings. Dollar thought it was all the little weird, which I understand but it's not illegal to have roast turkey and mashed potatoes outside of Thanksgiving. I mean, the crunchy turkey skin alone made the entire endeavor worth it. And now I get to freeze the meat, make turkey pot pie, turkey noodle soup, turkey sandwiches...

Uh oh. Maybe we'll end up being sick of turkey by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. That would kind of suck. 

Nah. Everyone in the house loves turkey. The cats boycotted their supper last night and were all, "Oh you didn't have to open that can. We'll wait for the turkey- that's okay." They ate a lot of turkey.

[vermont] Fall Colors

Picture from a week ago:

Things are grey and rainy today. And cold. Penny has gone into full I-wanna-suck-your-body-heat mode. She's either in my lap on the couch and under the covers next to me in bed.

I'm nearly done embroidering my autumn leaves bundt bag. I'll try to finish it tonight and then make all my stitch markers.

I can't decide what to knit/crochet next. I'm going to be traveling a lot for work over the next month or so- I think I'll start some socks. I'd like to use one of the skeins I dyed at the knitting retreat last month.

Really, though, I should finish the sweater I started earlier this summer... I think the body and sleeves are done- I just have to join and do the yoke. I feel like once it's complete and I can wear it, I'll be inspired to make myself more sweaters.

[knitting] Fall Pumpkins

Pulled out some misc orange yarn to make little decorative pumpkins:

They are so cute. I can't think of the pattern names offhand but there are many free pumpkin patterns on Ravelry right now. The front-right one is crocheted, the rest are knit. The white round one is the same as the orange round one, but with half the number of stitches since it was a bulky yarn.

I definitely want to make more and feel comfortable winging it now that I've tried a few different patterns and seeing the various ways to start/end the pumpkins. I can also add more details like leaves and corkscrew vines, etc.

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No shame- last night I got home from work, watched so many episodes of Keeping up with the You-Know-Who's (Hulu just got last season), drank so many White Claw spiked seltzers (I prefer the Polar Arctic Summer ones but they're all good) and embroidered. It was exactly what I needed. The pets were lucky they even got fed.

What I do need to do this week is make some stitch markers for the Stitch Marker Swap at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival on Saturday. I have some adorable little turtle beads- I just need to sit at the craft table for a couple hours and make them.