Monthly Archives: July 2010

knitting a blue streak

Posted on July 27, 2010 | 14 comments

It feels like it’s all blue here, all the time.

I started my Breezy Market Tote. Although Twisted’s Single Skein Club offering with my design was AllHemp6 yarn in pumpkin, I was able to swap my yarn for deep sea (blue), since I’d already made the original design in sand (nearly pumpkin). I wound the yarn by hand, twice. The first time, I wound it in my usual way, over my fingers to keep the ball loose to avoid stretching the yarn. It works with wool. With hemp? Not so much. The ball was sloppy and prone to tangling and falling apart. So I rewound it more tightly, and away we went. And yes, that’s a provisional cast on at the bottom. Never fear, the bag will be only…blue.

I also resurrected my ruffle tank from the time-out basket. I lost my annotated instructions last year at Sock Summit time, and was just too peeved to go on. But looking at it now, I’m pretty sure I can get the rest of it done. The back was already done, and the front was up past the armhole shaping. It won’t take long (famous last words) to finish. And I get to learn applied i-cord to finish the edges.

I’ve been working on the instructions for my Pacific Shawl (yes, mine is blue); it’s almost ready to go to test knit. I need to make a video tutorial for placing the beads, and check the math one more time, but the charts are done.

Last night I made blueberry lime jam. (More blue, even though the jam is deep purple.) I don’t like plain blueberry jam, where the berries have been through the food processor. The texture is…grainy. So I gently squashed the berries with a potato masher, and I think I’ll like the result a lot better. Along with lime juice, there are bits of lime zest in there to give it some zing and keep it from being cloyingly sweet. Because these berries are really, really sweet already. There are still more out there on the bushes, too…

Oh, I did finish something that wasn’t blue…a helmet liner for the Knit for the Troops project. Lichen green, and I forgot to take a picture before dropping it off at Twisted! Sorry. I used the pattern here. If I were to do it again, I would change the decreases at the crown; there are only 5 decreases around the crown of the hat, and it meant that the top of the hat was tall and a bit pointy. I’d make more decrease points (maybe 8?) so the crown would be shorter and rounder. (If 8 decreases, then I’d start with 88 stitches instead of 90) But that’s just me; I can’t seem to ever knit something as written!

Back to the blues…

14 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, recipe

Tagged blueberry jam, breezy market tote, Knit, knit tote, Ruffle Tank

knit friends, Passiflora, blueberries

Posted on July 24, 2010 | 15 comments

Samantha Roshak was at Twisted to kick off her trunk show yesterday. She brought some lovely knitted things.

Sam’s a designer from Seattle; I met her last year at Sock Summit. She’s charming *and* talented! Her show will be at Twisted through this weekend. If you can’t make it, you can check out her designs online.

Her friend Chandria came with her. I met Chandria when she came down on the SEA-PDX Yarn train in January. It was nice to meet up again.

Passiflora is done!

I love the lacy detail up the side, as well as the expanded lace on the back.

It’s reversible, and I did try it on with the lacier front, but I like the small panel better in front. The pattern was well-written and simple to follow. I didn’t change anything except to make it shorter throughout, because…I’m not as tall as I imagine!

The weather has turned hot, so it’s a little too warm to wear right now. Yes, it’s sleeveless, and has lots of lacy built in ventilation, but the yarn is wool, silk, and bamboo, and it’s a little warmer than I’d like on a 90 degree day. Last week, it would have been perfect. Don’t worry, it will be cooler again. It’s Portland!

The sunshine is encouraging my blueberries; we still have loads on the bushes. I keep picking, and baking, and freezing. A friend called to ask for a clarification on my blueberry cobbler recipe, so I’ve edited the recipe to make things clearer.

That’s the news from here. Next on the knitting agenda: finishing a pattern, and finishing last year’s abandoned project. Both are blue. ‘Tis the season!

15 Comments

Posted in Knit, recipe

Tagged blueberry, knitquest, passiflora, sam roshak

Take me out to the ballgame

Posted on July 22, 2010 | 11 comments

It was Stitch ‘n’ Pitch night at the Portland Beavers game last night. My god-daughter E was in town; she’s a knitter and a baseball fan.

We had a great time! Remember these?

I decided there was no better time to knit with candy, than in the company of an eight year old. I used size 8 aluminum needles (washed)…this sticky project was not happening on my Lantern Moon ebony needles!

E thought the concept of knitting with candy was a little strange.

But then she wanted to try it, too.

You know what happened next…

While the candy smelled great, it was a bit too chewy and didn’t taste as good as it smelled. It was worth a try, though! I think the laces were too thick for the size 8 needles (was this a gauge swatch?). It would be better in a less dense knit. I tried knitting 3 stitch i-cord, but the laces kept breaking. In the end, a simple crocheted chain bracelet was our best result.

The Stitch ‘n’ Pitch organizers collected caps for cancer patients; you can see some of them on the table. They also had a drawing for prizes during the 7th inning stretch.

I won a sewing pattern, and E won this zippered bag with these beautiful stitch markers!

I didn’t actually see much of the game; we were too busy chatting and knitting! I worked on my Cap for the Troops, but between the candy knit and crochet, I didn’t get very far. It was a fun evening, anyway.

11 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged Knit, Portland Beavers, Stitch & Pitch

Blogging, and more

Posted on July 20, 2010 | 16 comments

I’m so pleased to announce that I’m going to be blogging for Lantern Moon! I’ve been in a knitting group (the knit nite group) with Sharon Woodcock, one of the owners of Lantern Moon, for about three years. Our group grew out of an intarsia class that we had with Leigh Radford. I was thrilled when Sharon & Joel (her husband, and co-owner of Lantern Moon) asked me to blog for them. Please come check out the new blog here.

We went to the Tigard Knitting Guild meeting last Thursday; Sharon was the guest speaker. It’s a great group of knitters, and I even participated in the show and tell time, with my Pacific Shawl.

I still have to finish writing up the pattern; it’s been on the back burner for a bit. But I hope to have it out to test knit in the next few weeks.

So, not much knitting around here, but I’ve been cooking. This is our new favorite pasta salad. It’s just right for summer. You can put any of your favorite things in it, but here’s what I did:

Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

Dressing: in a jar, combine and shake well:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or run through garlic press
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

(2025 update note: I also add the zest from the lemon, and maybe a sprinkle of lemon pepper. I like citrus zing!)

For the salad:
1 pound orzo pasta, cooked, rinsed, and cooled (this makes a LOT. Note: I’ve made this more recently, and I’ve used 12 oz of orzo with reasonable results, or 1/2 lb (8 oz) for a high goodies to pasta ratio. Anything goes.)
2/3 lb asparagus, cut in 1.5 inch pieces (add these to the pasta for the last 1.5 minutes of cooking)
1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
1 pint grape tomatoes (whole)
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts

(2025 update: I’m now using 8 oz of pasta for a high goodies to pasta ratio. I no longer have teenaged boys in the house, so the salad doesn’t have to stretch as far. And I like the higher goodies to pasta ratio. I also halve the artichoke heart pieces, so there’s more chance of artichoke heart in every bite.)

Combine salad ingredients and toss with 1/2 the dressing. Store the salad, refrigerated, to let the flavors meld. Before serving, add more of the dressing to refresh. (You can use all, or part, of the remaining dressing, as you desire) We served it with grilled chicken, and really enjoyed it!

What’s cooking/knitting with you?

16 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Knit, pattern design, recipe

Tagged Knit, lantern moon, lemon orzo pasta salad, pacific shawl, tigard knitting guild

Knitting for the troops

Posted on July 18, 2010 | 8 comments

I recently received an email from Barbara Jennings, who took my class on circular hats in the round at Twisted last year. Since taking the class, she’s made over 40 hats for family and friends. Excellent! Now she wants to do more. She’s involved in an effort to knit caps for soldiers being deployed to Iraq in September, and she’d like more knitters to get involved with this project. Here’s what she has to say:

We need knitters! We recently became aware of a need for 2700 100% wool caps for soldiers being deployed to Iraq in September. If you can make even one cap before the end of August it would be a great help. Please read on to get the cap pattern and pictures and check out the videos of the Idaho organizer – Bea is a Rosie the Riveter from WWII and not deterred by seemingly insurmountable odds. We want to help her reach her goal and get a knitted cap into each soldier’s pack. A huge thank you to our area knit shops for supporting this project! The participating shops are listed on the pattern. Check out the yarn discounts. Barbara Jennings and Carla Harwood – Portland knitters

You can download the pattern here.

And here’s a link to the news story carried on Idaho news station KTVB.

No matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, you may want to knit to provide this bit of comfort to American soldiers. And now I think I know what I’m knitting at Stitch & Pitch on Wednesday night.

Off to find yarn in the stash…

ETA: Well, I really don’t have much stash. There wasn’t enough leftover earth-toned worsted wool to knit the hat, so I popped in at Twisted, and found this:

Lamb’s Pride Superwash 100% wool, colorway lichen. Soft, pretty/handsome, and washable, too. Wool is the requested fiber, so it’s perfect! And it also fixes my formerly picture-less post.

Knit on…

8 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged caps for soldiers, charity knitting, knitting for the troops

Baseball, hot dogs, knitting…

Posted on July 16, 2010 | 8 comments

Stitch & Pitch night is coming! The local Portland Beavers are having their last Stitch & Pitch event; the team is moving after this year.

We go way back with the Beavers. DH worked for them in the 1980’s. I used to sit behind home plate, knitting, knowing that the cage would save me from foul balls even though I wasn’t always paying attention. The Beavs were the Phillies AAA farm team back then; now they’re part of the San Diego Padres organization. DH went on to work for the NY Mets in 1986, a glorious year in which he earned a World Series ring. (I wish it were here for a picture, but it’s in the bank box. Sorry.) Talk about good timing.

My god-daughter is coming to visit from Seattle. She’s a big baseball fan at age 8, and she’s also a knitter! We’ll have a great time. What should I knit? Passiflora isn’t at a stage that would be good mindless knitting. I’m working on neck and shoulder shapings now. Here’s the back:

And the front is a little more demure. The shapings are the same, however, so it’s completely reversible.

Maybe I’ll start my Breezy Market Tote. I can sell the pattern beginning September 1, so it would be nice to have another sample around.

See you at the ball game?

8 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged Knit, passiflora, Portland Beavers Baseball, Stitch & Pitch

a little of this, a little of that

Posted on July 15, 2010 | 10 comments

June-uary was a long month here, with a record amount of rain, and chilly temps. July is working hard to make up for all that.

My hydrangeas are lovely.

They say that hydrangeas will be blue in acidic soil, and pink in alkaline soil. But what does it mean when both colors are on the same bush? Strange!

My blueberries have gone crazy this year. I have five bushes, and they are very happy. I’ve baked cobblers and banana blueberry bread (recipe at bottom of post), and put four gallons in the freezer, and we’re still not done. I guess it’s a good thing, but I’m getting tired of picking them.

Saturday we went sailing with a friend on the Columbia River. It’s been a bi-coastal water week; we went kayaking in Maine on Thursday. I have no kayaking pictures; I was afraid the camera would get wet. Here’s Saturday’s captain and pup:

CollegeGrad and I both enjoyed time at the helm.

I brought a picnic dinner, which DH was not willing to share with the dog!

Mount Hood at sunset was even more gorgeous than this picture suggests.

When the sun went down, the sky was pink and purple, and the mountain was sublimely lovely. My camera wasn’t up to the challenge, so it will just be a memory.

Here’s the recipe for the bread; it’s light and delicate, unlike my usual banana bread.

Blueberry Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used a little less)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium or 2 large)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 325°F degrees.

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add mashed bananas.

Measure flour, reserving 2 tablespoons of flour to coat blueberries. Stir baking soda and salt into flour. Fold into banana mixture. Toss blueberries with 2 T flour, then fold into batter. Transfer batter to loaf pans.

Bake about 50 minutes. If you use frozen blueberries, it may take longer. Toothpick should come out clean. Enjoy!

Knitting in the next post, I promise…

10 Comments

Posted in recipe

Tagged blueberries, blueberry banana bread

summer slow down

Posted on July 14, 2010 | 5 comments

I thought I’d have a lot more knitting to show you, since I had 3 hours in the car and 6 hours on a plane on Friday, but I’m just a little further than I was in the previous post. Why?

See how the lace pattern on the back gets wider every 6 rows? Apparently I forgot to increase the lace on the left edge on the last increase set, and then I knit merrily on for 30 rows. Oops. I blame it on the spa at the resort. I had a delightful body polish/mud wrap/moisturizing treatment, and was so relaxed when I came back to my knitting that I wasn’t really paying attention. But it was worth it.

We passed through Boston’s Logan Airport on the way back, and I met up with a friend that I’ve known for years but had never met in person. We frequent the same piano forums, and Ravelry, and we’re Facebook friends, too.

Not only did she drive to the airport to meet me, but she brought me a gift.

Truffles from Dante Confections, made by Santi Falcone, her neighbor, the ex-piano maker. How cool is that? I read about him in “Piano Lessons: Music, Love and True Adventures” by Noah Adams, way back before I ever went to piano camp. Thank you, Kerri!

Flight home was uneventful, but I didn’t do a lot of knitting there, either. There was free wi-fi on the plane (in-flight wi-fi seems so wrong, since they’ve always told us to have our wi-fi OFF before this), so I caught up on my blog reading. Now I need to go knit, instead of reading about knitting!

5 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged Dante Confections, Knit, passiflora

people will talk…

Posted on July 7, 2010 | 11 comments

Martha! Some crazy lady is out back taking pictures of her knitting!

Yup, it’s true. I’m at a resort on the coast of Maine for DH’s work conference, so the neighbors don’t know me. They can talk all they want. This is the back lace on Passiflora.

We came here via Boston, so I had a lot of knitting time on the plane and in a car. We spent a night in Boston, and took a quick tour through the North End before coming up by car. I had to see this.

One if by land, two if by sea at the Old North Church, right? Do you remember which it was? No peeking! In the meantime, here are the organ pipes in the church.

The organ was built in 1759 and was the first organ made entirely in the Colonies. The organ has been rebuilt several times, but the case is original. The clock was built in 1726, and is the oldest functioning clock in a public building in the USA.

And it was two lanterns, signaling that the British were leaving Boston for Lexington and Concord by sea. Points to you if you remembered! (I forgot.)

Here’s just after sunset last night.

We took a boat tour this afternoon; here’s the lighthouse and dock from the water.

You can stay in the lighthouse, but it’s not air conditioned. We’re having a heat wave on this coast this week, so I’m happy to be in a room with a/c!

Dinner tonight was a traditional lobster bake.

Doesn’t it look delicious?

I’m looking forward to seeing how Passiflora shapes up. The lace you saw in the previous post goes up the sides of the garment. There’s a little bit of lace on the front, but not as much as on the back. The lacy holes should be nice air conditioning. The yarn is fuzzier than I thought it would be, but it’s the yarn specified in the pattern. I wouldn’t want to wear it on a super hot day, but I can see wearing it in Portland…Oregon, that is.

What’s your summer knitting? Or winter knitting, for those of you down under?

11 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged lobster, maine, passiflora

Passiflora update

Posted on July 5, 2010 | 11 comments

Well, these are really clematis, not passion flowers, but I love them passionately.

They’re growing on this spring’s new trellis. I love how the leaves and buds echo the metal ones.

But that’s not what you’re really here for, is it?

Here’s Passiflora. I’m ready to start the detail at the front and back neck. Gauge has been an issue for me on this piece; I went down two needle sizes, and it’s still a little wider than I anticipated. The second needle you see there is me starting over with the next smaller size needle, just to see what would happen. It’s too small, so I’ll just soldier on with the first piece. I think I’m now knitting more tightly, and that may take care of it.

What else is new? The Teen decided to brew some ginger beer (non-alcoholic). He likes the spicier varieties like Fentiman’s, which we don’t get very often. He got champagne yeast and these cool re-sealable bottles at FH Steinbart here in town. They were very helpful there.

We did a tasting on Sunday, and it was pretty good! Great ginger flavor, but he realized that he had put in too much water, so it was more dilute than he expected, and less fizzy, too. Round two will happen after we finish drinking round one…we don’t have more bottles!

The kitchen has been humming. CollegeGrad made dinner that same day, fried rice with Chinese sausage. It’s nice to have someone else make dinner sometimes! He’s hard at work, looking for work.

And the sun finally came out of hiding, just in time for the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, an annual event here. Saturday was glorious, and fun. How was your weekend?