Month: February 2019

WIP Wednesday

mildlygranola, , 5 Comments

Happy Wednesday! I hope winter weather has you crafting away.

I’ve been working on Audrey’s socks. I’m pacing myself so I can finish these on Friday. I’m meeting a friend on Saturday to start our Green Bay Packers KAL, and I don’t want to be without a sock for too long before I cast on my Green Bay pair.20190220_1323534776687207127562455.jpg

I started a sweater last week. I have enough super bulky wool from the box of yarn my cousin made me to make a cardigan, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m using the Shawl Collar Cardigan #6501, but I’m not doing a pattern for the body. I have no idea what kind of yarn this is, other than it is pretty rustic wool. 20190220_1324318028066203526303627.jpgI have two questions about the sweater, so if you can give me some knitting advice that would be great.

Have you ever dyed a garment after you’ve knit it? I love the yarn, but the color does not work on me. I’m thinking I’ll dye it once it is done. If you have dyed a garment, please share any advice you have.

The pattern calls for the collar/button band to be knit and then sewn on to the sweater. I think that is ridiculous, as picking up stitches is so much easier. Can you think of any structural reason I should not adjust the pattern to pick up the stitches instead of sewing them on?

I hope you are having a great week!

Yarn Shopping

mildlygranola9 Comments

We got 8 inches of snow on Sunday. We expected to get about 8 more inches tonight. I might run out of yarn and be unable to make it to the yarn store.

Well, no, not really, but the thought of more snow was enough to get me to pack up the kids and head to Knitting Next Door. I had a gift card and a birthday coupon that expires at the end of the month ready to use.

One of the best thing about Knitting Next Door is the toys. The kids were happy to play while I looked around for the perfect skein to buy.20190219_162915

They have lots of indie dyers, but they weren’t calling my name today. I was in the mood for workhorse sock yarn. I picked up some Christmas socks to make in December, rainbow socks to make for Pride Month or St. Patrick’s Day or any holiday that I can get away with wearing rainbow socks, and a skein of green worsted that Audrey wanted.20190219_1848468256484890966692283.jpg

I also picked up a kid sized sock ruler. I wasn’t aware that a smaller size existed, and I was just cursing the sock ruler for being difficult to fit in a small sock.

Are you getting more snow tonight? Are you ready to give up, only wear sweat pants until April, and start drinking hot chocolate by the bucket full? Am I really the only one?

FO: Hoarfrost Shawl

mildlygranola, , , 4 Comments

Hoarfrost is done. I love how it turned out. It is beautiful and smooshy, just as a shawl should be.

It was impossible to get good pictures of. Please excuse the child who refuses to wear pants.20190216_10255420190216_102655

This shawl was a delight to make. This is my second Andrea Mowry worsted weight shawl and probably not my last.

A dear friend’s father passed away earlier this week, so this shawl went to her. I wanted to give her a wooly hug that she can wrap herself in.

 

skinnytaste Week 7

mildlygranola3 Comments

I had a friend over for dinner last night and whipped up a Jalapeno Popper Frittata from skinnytaste One and Done. I love eggs. I love jalapeno poppers. This was the perfect marriage of their deliciousness. I skipped the bacon (I didn’t have any on hand) and doubled the cream cheese to make up the lost luxury of skipping bacon.

I’m glad I made this recipe. It was delicious last night, and the leftovers were good warmed up for lunch. This recipe has inspired all sorts of breakfast possibilities for me. I think I’m at the start of a frittata kick.

Do you have a frittata recipe you love? If you do, please send it my way.

 

WIP Wednesday

mildlygranola, , 4 Comments

Well my goodness this week has flown. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday.

This week I’ve been working on socks for Audrey and Elliot. They have close to the same size of feet, so they can share them. I really like how this yarn is knitting up, almost enough to make me wish I was making socks for myself with it instead.20190213_1410348243425957561140888.jpg

I made progress on the shawl this week. I only have four rows to go. I would have finished it last night, but we had a friend over for tacos and we stayed up talking late and I never got around to knitting.20190213_1411354716646202407262785.jpgI can’t wait to see what this looks like blocked. I hope to be wearing it by next Wednesday.

What have you been working on this week?

Sour D’oh!

mildlygranola, , 6 Comments

Way back in 2010 I spent a year trying a new loaf of bread every week. Most of that time was spent working my way through the Bread Bakers Apprentice. That year I maintained a sourdough starter and baked with it occasionally.

I started day dreaming about sourdough bread after reading Sourdough last year. After mulling over getting back into sourdough bread baking for months I decided it was time to get back to it (having a snowstorm or a polar vortex a couple of days a week for a month will really motivate a person to get baking).

Over the past 24 hours I’ve made sourdough pizza and sourdough English muffins.

Over the past 24 hours I’ve also come to the realization that I’ve been romanticizing my love of maintaining a sourdough starter. Having a starter means feeding it once or twice a week. Each time you feed it you either throw away a large portion of it or you bake from what you discard. I’m need to expand my recipe repertoire or get comfortable throwing ingredients away.

If you have any sourdough recipes you recommend please send them my way. I’m hoping to find sourdough motivation and become a better baker.