A Tasty Bite

For those looking for a cranberry relish that's just a little bit different, for your own holiday table or to bring to someone else's -- here's my current favorite (from Cooking Light).

Triple Cranberry Sauce with Dried Apricots and Apples

• 2 cups chopped dried apples
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (craisins)
• 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 8 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add rind, and simmer 2 minutes. Cover and chill. Yield: 16 servings

Since I generally cook for a small group, I halve the ingredients. Can be held in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. In fact, I think it needs at least one day for the flavors to mingle and mellow.

The Knit Doctor is in...

Time was when the last stitch was bound off and the last yarn end darned in, I was done with a project. Too bad if the buttonband drooped, or the sleeves were too wide, or the length just not quite right. If I didn't like the way it looked, well, off to the corner of the closet with it. Thankfully, I've learned a bit since then.

I recently finished the Hex Coat from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan. Loved knitting it, love the color, and knew it would be a handy layer for our not-so-frigid winter. Problem was the sleeves were too long. I've run into this before -- why designers think that our arms grow longer as our middles grow wider I'll never understand--so I should have been more careful in the knitting. Not to worry though, time for some surgery.

Off went the excess length. While I was at it, I decided I would prefer not to have a ribbed cuff. I decided on an I-cord bind off -- I thought it might look more coat-like. Plus, the wavy edges bordering the hexagons looked a bit like I-cord, so...

There was a lot of fabric hanging from the shoulders, so I decided to try to keep them from stretching out by hand sewing some seam tape along the shoulder seam. I couldn't find an exact color match to my yarn, but luckily it doesn't show at all from the right side.

Then, to provide a little more balance to the shoulder area ( I have narrow shoulders) I knit some shoulder pads from instructions in Vogue Knitting - the Ultimate Knitting Book.

Now, instead of being relegated to the dark corners of my closet, I have a sweater coat that fits better, and one that I'll be happy to wear. Well, just as soon as I figure out how best to belt it.

Someone needs to learn how to properly post photos -- trying again with an 'in progress' look at Congo.

Temptation...

...in the form of a kit for Tivoli, a Hanne Falkenberg design. So if interest in Congo flags -- a side trip to Tivoli will be in order. The only thing keeping it off the needles right now is the thought of working 300+ tiny little stitches per row.

The beginning of a new project -- Congo -- from the Marianne Isager book, Knitting Out of Africa. Had a bit of trouble deciding on a yarn for this project, but decided to go with Maine Line by Jaggerspun. It's a bit fiddly, but so far an interesting knit -- it will take a while, so we'll see how long it stays interesting.