"Isn't She Lovely...?"

Stats: Schacht-Reeves 30" Saxony, cherry wood, double-drive, double treadle.
And thanks to spinning pal Margaret (who spent considerable time getting her up and running, because I am an idiot who could not properly thread the drive band) I am now able to produce some fairly nice yarn on her --



(Hand dyed roving from The Vildish Twist, Etsy)

And there's finished knitting too!



What's that you ask? Three mittens? Perhaps I should say I decided to knit a spare for that inevitable time when one goes missing, but the truth is my first effort in finishing up the pair resulted in two LEFT mittens. Ouch, that hurt! So, I knit a third. What's that you say? It's not the same color as the first two? Why no, no it's not. For some reason the idea of knitting a third mitten exactly the same as the other two (well, except for that thumb thing) made that little forehead vein start to throb, so I decided to make the third in the colors that came up next in the Kauni yarn (which has l-o-n-g color runs, for those who have not yet seen it).



See, the cuff of the third mitten picks up from the color on the tip of the second. Wild and crazy, free-spirited, right? Or maybe just nuts, but a fourth mitten is not in my immediate future.

What?...

...You didn't think it would be a sweater, did you?

I really don't do a lot of household type knitting (or crocheting) but I was leafing through Mason Dixon's Knitting Outside the Lines and saw this knitted towel. Now, I wash my hands quite a lot while cooking, and hesitate to use the same towel I use for dishes (cross contamination) or paper towels (expense, eco-unfriendly) for hand drying, so this little items seemed a good solution for my dilemma. Small size, sufficiently different from the dish towel to avoid "which one do I use" confusion, and quick to make. Problem solved!

And speaking of Knitting Outside the Lines -- I bought the book solely for the pea coat pattern (Yank) by Bonne Marie Burns. I'd really like to knit that one -- maybe a bit shorter than shown. Since I have no yarn that will suit (I know, I can't believe it either) it will have to wait a bit.

Meanwhile, there's a construction job to finish. Here's a peek:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What will be the first FO (finished object) of the new year?

Estes vest

Pattern from Interweave Knits Fall 2008 -- knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky, some trim in Lamb's Pride Worsted. Knitting a heavily cabled garment in bulky yarn reminded me just how much I LOVE working with finer weight yarns!

1/2 a FO...

...is better than none.

It seems a shame that such a lovely little object isn't a finished project, but there you go -- unless you're Captain Hook it isn't done until there are two. The pattern is Hippocampus from the online magazine The Inside Loop. The yarn is Kauni Effekt, in colors EQ (rainbow) and ES (denim).

And the reverse side --

Also finished is one Noro Silk Garden scarf, which was so fun to watch as the colors developed, that I cast on another (pour moi!).

Obviously, some of us are too easily amused!

Soup's On!

So, I was out in the garden a week or so ago, and noticed the Swiss chard was still looking good despite some frigid temperatures. Seemed a shame not to use it for something, so I cut a bunch and headed back to the kitchen.

I might have sauteed it in some olive oil with a bit of the home-grown garlic, but the chilly weather, plus a persistent cough, called for a nice pot of soup.

If you, like me, could live quite happily eating soup almost every day, perhaps you'll like this recipe too. I've adapted it from "American Whole Foods Cuisine" by Nikki and David Goldbeck. Quantities can be doubled if you need a larger amount -- since I'm cooking for just the two of us I like making this smaller amount -- enough for some leftovers, but you won't be facing it forever!

Lentil Soup

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
• vegetable broth and water, to equal 5 cups*
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups fresh chard, spinach or other leafy green, shredded -- You can substitute 1 cup frozen chopped spinach if fresh is not available
• 1/2 cup small, dried pasta, such as riso, or tubetini -- whole wheat is nice, if available
• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
• salt, to taste (I start with 1 teaspoon)
• ground pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil and saute vegetables and bay leaf until slightly softened.

Add rinsed lentils, liquids, tomato paste, and bring to a gentle boil -- then lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Add shredded greens, pasta and salt. Cover, and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes or so. Lentils should be tender, and pasta cooked. Add additional liquid if soup appears too dry, but be aware that this should be a thick soup.

Stir in vinegar, and adjust salt/pepper seasonings, if needed. Serve, and enjoy.

*You could, of course, use only water, but flavor will be richer and deeper if you use broth for some of the liquid. I generally use 1 can of College Inn Vegetable broth added to the water to equal 5 cups.

Whoa! ...

...What happened to November?

Am I the only one who has fallen into a time accelerating black hole? Of course, several weeks were spent dealing with The-Cough-That-Would-NOT-Go-Away, but even so, how can it be almost the end of November?

So, how about a little jolt of color to bring us back to speed?

The yarn: Noro Silk Garden The pattern: the rage of blogland and Ravelry, Noro Striped Scarf from Brooklyn Tweed. It's absolutely amazing how 39 stitches in K1P1 rib can be so entertaining.