Oscar's Sweater Update

I finished the chest piece of Oscar's sweater tonight (praise Jesus!). I have both pieces blocking right now.

Oscar's Sweater

I finally finished the main portion of the sweater and I am now onto the chest portion, which is significantly smaller. This really has been a boring knit, partially because I've been making the pattern up and have therefore been keeping notes (row by row), which makes it less relaxing. I'm just about halfway done with the chest. Then I'll block it and connect it. I'll post some pictures in the next few days.

Blocking and Books

Blocking is the process of moistening knitted pieces and shaping them and then allowing them to dry and thus maintain that shape. There are two different methods that I am aware of: wet blocking and steam blocking. I am wet blocking this evening.

I am experimenting with blocking tonight. I knitted a swatch (and actually completed it this time) for the neckwarmer I intend to make for my husband, sister-in-law, and brother. The latter two will be Christmas gifts.

I went to the library today to get a few knitting books. I took out some really cool books.

Ultimate Knitting Bible: A truly great reference for all things knitting.

Teach Yourself Visually Knitting: Awesome book with very detailed instructions on knitting. Very easy to understand.

Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Volumes 1 and 2. These books are awesome! Volume 1 contains tons and tons of different types of stitches using the knit & purl. Volume 2 is devoted entirely to cable knitting. This is something that I definitely plan to add to my library.

Vintage Knitwear for Modern Knitters: this book has some really cool patterns. I am absolutely in love with the tube top/bolero set. I think I might want to add this to my library as well- but it's not as essential.

Hitting My Head...

...against a wall trying to get my gauge to match for a pattern for some Christmas presents. Guess what? There was an error in the pattern! Yeah...I feel vindicated because now I know it's not me and pissed because the pattern should have been updated and annoyed that I've spent a couple nights here and there trying to get my gauge to match. Grrrr!!!! Darn you Kris Knits! You should have fixed your pattern! There's just no excuse for that. It's one line people! I'm going to be leery of buying another pattern from this chick.

Lemon Square Sadness

I tried a new recipe for lemon squares. This is my every 50 million good results flop. The recipe called for "slightly beaten eggs" and well, I kinda beat them like I would for scrambled eggs. That in turn caused a kind of crust on the top of the lemon filling- fairly odd. I think I'm going to deep-six this recipe and go back to my hybrid, which is comprised of lemon curd and a flour/powdered sugar crust. That one was WAY better. Not just because of the odd crust that occurred from over beating the eggs but also because the curd just has so much more of a better lemon flavor, which is what I want in a lemon dessert.

My Cousin is Awesome

Can I just say how awesome my cousin is? She is so precious and has such good tips on various domestic issues.

B's tip of the day: Oh well if your using 100% wool You can fray the ends and then rub the ends together in your hands (to keep from unraveling and not have to tie a knot while knitting).

B is a younger than me but very gifted in the domestic arts (it runs in our family). I am so proud of her! Look at what she made:

Needles and Chocolate

To continue the dog sweater that I'm knitting as well as making some Christmas presents I needed to order some additional knitting needles, which is a little annoying since my interchangeable set doesn't come with a cable that is 16" or one that I can buy for it. I think with that size you have to get fixed needles.

Joann's and Michael's only carries Clover brand Bamboo needles in size 8 and larger for 16" circulars, so I opted to search online. I found a really good deal on eBay of all places. I was able to buy 15 different sizes of 16" circular needles made of bamboo. It's not the clover brand it's another smaller company in Indiana. It only cost $28 bucks with free shipping! A seriously good deal since Clover needles are $8.25 a set. The company is called SkyTrader LLC and they call their needles U-nitt. I'll let you know if they're any good.

I tried a new cookie recipe last night called Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I found the recipe in my Essentials of Baking Cookbook from Williams-Sonoma (a great cookbook btw- mine is the original edition). They are like a cookie version of a brownie. If you are ever craving chocolate this is the recipe for you! It has melted unsweetened chocolate, dutch processed cocoa powder, and semi-sweet mini morsels.

Williams-Sonoma has a version of the recipe available online here. The recipe is different from what I have in my cookbook, and quite honestly, I think mine is a better version.

I stored the cookies in my Bundt Cake Keeper from Williams-Sonoma. It's a great container.

Knitting Update

I've been working on a dog sweater for my Cavalier Oscar. It's a super happy pastel yellow fingering weight yarn. I love the color, love the feel of the yarn, and I love way the stockinette stitch looks with this weight of yarn. The downside to this project is that it is a somewhat boring knit.

I've made up the pattern, which is cool- it's my first creation. I'm hoping it'll look really cute on him. We'll see how it turns out (pictures will of course be posted upon completion).

I also found the deal of the day at my local Michael's Craft Store. I stumbled upon some Patons 100% wool yarn for $2.48/skein (this yarn usually retails for $5.99 at Joann's and on sale for $4.49 at Joann's). I bought all 7 skeins of the yarn. For some reason it was on clearance, which I found odd because it's a new color on the Patons website. It's a beautiful shade of purple called Wisteria. I think I'll make a sweater with it- possibly a dress (obviously I haven't decided yet).

As a side note, when I looked at the other yarn prices for the Patons 100% wool, the regular price seemed to be $4.49. If that's the case, I found a better yarn hook-up (for a physical store). Now, I recognize that going to a local yarn store instead of a chain store is probably better. At the moment, I don't have any local yarn stores that are really close and I'm not sure what their prices will be like, so I haven't been there yet. I'll go eventually and probably love it when I do go.

I did find an online yarn retailer that seems to have good products at a really good price Elann for those needing yarn and willing to buy online. I also must mention KnitPicks. They have a good selection of yarn at a good price as well as great selection knitting needles.

Chocolate Cake

On Super Bowl Sunday my husband requested a Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Frosting.

Here are some pictures.








I ran out of buttermilk and the store didn't have organic, so I decided to make some from milk. I usually use lemon juice and milk, but felt like trying something new (it could work better than the lemon juice). Another way that I read that you can make buttermilk is with cider vinegar. I still prefer lemon juice- I think it does a better job of curdling and thickening than the vinegar.

I also dusted the pans with cocoa powder. I think it adds a nice touch when making a chocolate cake.

As promised

Another Project Down

I finished my "slouchy" beret on Saturday. I knit it a little on the tight side so it doesn't slouch as much as I would like. I'm going to take some pictures tomorrow to update my Ravelry Notebook and I'll post it here too. It isn't bad- I'm just not sure if I want to keep it for myself or gift it away. I also still have half a skein of the yarn, so I might try again.

I purchased some yellow baby weight yarn on Friday with the intent of making baby hats to give away as gifts, but part of me thinks that yellow would look wonderful on Oscar my puppy. I'm sure you see where this is heading. Here's the sad part: I already thought of some justification. A lot of the baby patterns that I've found tend to use a worsted weight instead of a baby weight (who would have thought) so this would technically make my life a little bit easier. We'll see what happens- either way I'll keep you updated and post pictures.

BTW for those of you who aren't aware of what Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) is, you need to become aware. It's a fantastic resource for knitters and crocheters offering thousands of patterns for free or purchase. It also allows you to queue projects, store patterns online, keep track of your favorite projects, etc. If you like knitting you need to join this site, and for the record I am not being paid to endorse the site.