October 15, 2009
I have set aside my Wide Collar Vest to become my own sweatshop (believe me, sweating is what we have all been doing here in South Florida recently) making dishcloths to sell at a flea market in a couple of weeks. This is the standard Grandmother’s Favorite, variations of which can be found in a multitude of places, including the ball band of the yarn.
These are easy, fast, and if you give them as gifts, you will knit them forever as people will ask you for replacements when they wear out. They even convert the sponge users to cloth! This cloth is magical!
The other work in progress is a cookbook I’m working on for my daughter for Christmas! I recently took a trip and used TripAdvisor for advice. They sent me an e-mail that if you post a review on their site, they will give you a free photobook from Shutterfly. I thought, hmmmm…. a cookbook would be good! So I am cooking and baking my way through 15 of her favorite childhood recipes to photograph and write up for the book. Here is one of her favorite cookies, Oatmeal Scotchies.
I have never used Shutterfly, but I did use Blurb to make a book of a European trip taken earlier this year. I highly recommend Blurb, the book came out fantastic, I was very pleased with the colors, the paper, the binding, they did an excellent job. You can see a preview of the book here.
The weekend has much promise to be had…. cooler weather is coming… a trip to Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival, and plenty of down time is in order!
a food stylist I'm not
October 5, 2009
Recently I had the pleasure to see an exhibit of photographs by Clyde Butcher at the Boca Museum of Art in Boca Raton (Fl). If you are in the area, it is well worth the time to stop. You will come to understand the beauty of the Everglades through his art.
front of the brochure
the back
When I first moved to South Florida, the Everglades was no more than a big swamp to traverse on the way to the west coast. Over time, I have started to see the ”River of Grass” for what it truly is: a beautiful, vast, changing landscape that supports diverse wildlife and supplies us with clean drinking water.
this is how I used to see the Everglades
Recently on TV there was a program on PBS about the Big Cypress National Preserve, and they interviewed Clyde Butcher about conservation, education, and of course, his photography of the Big Cypress Preserve. He said this, which I loved: “I’m asked, why black and white? It keeps everything the same importance, a tree, the sky, the water, it’s all variations of greys, and it becomes one. And nature is one. So when the black and white brings it to a one-ness- that you can understand that everything is interrelated. “
Thanks, Mr. Butcher. I get it .
September 21, 2009
Beautiful weather over the weekend and an overdue visit to the local park made it a perfect time for a picnic lunch! On the menu: Italian Chopped Salad :
liberal interpretation of the recipe
Paired with some Italian bread, fresh fruit, and apple cake for dessert, it was just enough.
Picnickers on the other side of the lake were interesting to watch:
There was Proscceo to drink, this may be my new favorite wine…dry, fruity, and bubbly!
It was nice to take time out from the usual weekend routine to enjoy family, food, and the beautiful Florida outdoors. Sets a nice tone to start the week!
yum
September 17, 2009
Well, WIP Wednesday has a nicer ring to it, but Wednesday was reserved for a Root Canal Wednesday. Yeah, not fun. But once they numb your tooth, really the hardest thing is holding your mouth open forever. So not much knitting this week, but I have been thinking about what I see when I look at my knitting. Does anyone else do this? Think of the knitting in terms of what was going on or where you were when you knitted different parts of your item? Here’s mine:
This is the back of the Wide Collar Vest. I cast on for this watching Ted Kennedy’s funeral was on the TV. Like him or not, his death was the end of a political era that was fascinating to observe. I wonder if history will be kind to him, or will he be defined by his failures? Time will tell. I watched and knitting this memory into the vest. Next memory stitched in was fretting over a sick dog over a week or so. An adjustment to the medications and she has recovered nicely, thankfully. Knitting helped take my mind off the anxiety and helplessness I felt with her ill. She’s back to trying to eat anything not tied down, especially knitting and paper. That’s how I know she is better! Not to have the Vest Of Misery, there are good memories stitched into the vest, too. A recent trip to Tampa to see the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays was just what I needed!
stingrays at the ballpark
Something kind of weird about petting a stingray at a ball game. My impression of Tropicana Field is how small it is! Seems so much bigger on TV. And the fake grass looks better on TV, it looks like chenille on TV! Not so much in person. I did get to see one of my favorite former Red Soxers- Gabe Kapler! He played for the Sox ‘03-’06. He ruptured his Achilles tendon running the bases, of all things, but came back to professional baseball and now plays for the Rays. I liked that he and his wife started a foundation to educate people about domestic violence and helping women out of abusive relationships. His jersey is the only player jersey I own, and probably me and 4 other people have the Kapler #44 Red Sox jersey. And, yes, I did wear it to the game!
Most recent knitting was done to the marathon US open coverege, which I watched faithfully every evening. I love the Open, and am thinking of attending next year. Maybe I’ll wear this vest!
September 9, 2009
A week and a half in front of the television watching the US Open has been great for knitting, but physically I feel like a sloth! I miss the USA network coverage, but I ESPN 2 is doing a pretty good job. And if you have an iPhone, the US Open app is one of the best apps I have downloaded. They did a great job, and it is free!
I’ve been working on the Jo Sharp Wide Collar Vest and looking forward to the miles and miles of stockinette stitch. There is something comforting about the rhythm of the stitches, I am enjoying this so far.
This is about 10 inches of the back. The color is approximate despite the crappy picture! I get about 9 inches per ball, the pattern calls for 9 balls which I think is all I have. Hope it lasts!
August 31, 2009
I am still cooking my way through the Barefoot Contessa Recipes (such hard work, I know 
). I had high hopes for this very easy to make dish. The only modification I made was to halve the recipe.
the ingredients
Simple enough ingredients!
The recipe:
Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved
Ingredients
- 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
- 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
- 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.
Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
This recipe appeals to me because according to Ina, you can take the basically un flavor -full Roma tomato, cook it slowly to concentrate the flavors, and end up with a great tasting tomato dish.
before cooking
after cooking
The finished dish:
it's pretty!
The verdict: Ina is right, cooking these tomatoes does concentrate the flavors rather nicely. The thing I didn’t like was the texture of the tomatoes, they were mushy. I think I would try this again, but use the tomatoes on bruschetta.
I also think I like it better somewhat chilled. I will save this one for winter cooking, and try again.
I have been knitting on my Wide Collar Vest, and practicing some crochet, too! Pictures to come soon.
August 25, 2009
I’m fortunate enough to live within a short drive to the beach. As much as I love the beach, sometime it is easier to just stay home and think how much I would like to be at the beach. Why is that? This summer I am making the effort to go as often as I can, and am always rewarded with such a sense of well-being. Sometimes it’s dinner at the beach, other times it’s to walk the beach, or to bring a chair and knit or read. Oh, and swim! The water here in the summer is like bath water. There is a coral reef a short distance from the shore, and people shore dive and snorkel from the beach. I’m always amazed how busy the beach is at night, too. It really is a treasure.
ahhhhhaaaaaaaaaa
This couple had to be in their 80’s, and spent all their time in the water, swimming. I hope I’m like that at 80!
~7:30 PM. No one was in any hurry to leave. 
August 19, 2009
I haven’t had the chance to knit as much as I would like to, and last week after the dog ate my knitting, I kind of lost my knitting mojo. I have started to swatch for the Wide Collar Vest with this yarn:
Jo Sharp Silkwood DK Tweed. I really hope I like this yarn, because we are not off to a good start. It has thick and thin spots, sometimes so thin it feels like the yarn will break. And it had a knot in it in the first 3 yards of yarn. Not good!
This is 20 stitches over 30 rows equals 4 inches. The rows before the purl ridge is on size 6needles, and only 20 rows. It was becoming clear that this would not meet gauge. After the purl ridge is size 7’s, and is 4 inches. Perfect! Now I just have to get a pair of seven longs, or circulars, and I will be good to go!
I am going to take a crochet class at my LYS this weekend. I have been wanting to learn for ahwile so I can make crochet edgings, and sometimes I will see a pattern I like that is crochet. I hope I don’t like it too much, I feel like I am “cheating” on my knitting!!
August 12, 2009
I came home to this today:
- yeah, this dog is better at frogging than knitting
It’s my own fault, I left the knitting on the table within reach of the dog. This was another waffle stitch dishcloth. Oh, well.
Here’s all that is left of the yarn:
Maybe the dog tried to frog my knitting because she saw me do this:
This was the Branching Out scarf. I decided to not knit this in the microspun yarn. I think the yarn was too heavy for the pattern, and I decided I would probably never wear it. I’ll have to search Ravelry for a yarn I like better.
I’m still knitting on the Chevron Scarf. I’m not sure I like the backside of this, and I really hope I can block the curling out of it. Hopefully this won’t go to the frog pond, too.
right side
wrong side
I plan to start this soon, the Wide Collar Vest from the Jo Sharp Knit, Issue 3.
The yarn is Jo SharpSilkroad DK Tweed. No way this will be left anywhere where the dog can “help” !
