I’m 70% through my reclaimed yarn, and I’m having…thoughts. The fabric is a little loose, and the lovely edging stitch pattern is a little floppy. A tighter gauge would make it crisper.
And then I accidentally made one of the motifs bigger than planned (upper left). I like it better than the smallest motif, which gets lost as the shawl gets larger. I could just continue, and add the larger motifs from here on out, because most of the beginning of the shawl is covered when you wear it. But that plus the loose fabric (which will hang on the bias and stretch) means I should at least try a sample on a smaller needle, with larger motifs.
I really like the bigger motifs; they look airier. And the fabric feels firmer, but not tight.
Sigh.
I think there’s another trip to the frog pond, but I haven’t blocked the bigger piece so I won’t have to soak the yarn again.
On Tuesday we took Renfe (a high-speed train) from Madrid to Alicante, which is on the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of Spain. It’s about a 2 hour ride, at speeds up to 300 km/hour (190 mph, thanks Siri). Very comfortable. Bev & John’s apartment is a 15 minute walk from the train station, easy!
Their 9th floor apartment is on the top floor of the building on the Calle del Teatro. The apartment’s wraparound deck looks down at the Teatro Principal which dates to 1847.
Teatro Principal, AlicanteThe Castillo viewed from Hotel Gran Sol
Castillo Santa Barbara is on Mt. Benacantil behind the city, right up the street. And I do mean UP!
We went to the Convistas bar in the very tall Hotel Gran Sol for drinks and views.
Looking down from Convistas at Hotel Gran Sol
Such a pretty esplanade, and palm trees in February!
Paella for dinner that night, and then a nice meander back to the apartment.
On Wednesday we hiked to the Castillo/Castell Santa Barbara, 166 meters up. (Castillo is Spanish, Castell is Valencian, and signs use both.) The views of the coastline and the Mediterranean Sea are spectacular. Definitely a great place for a lookout, so you could see your enemies coming. The origins of the castle date to the 9th century.
At the lookout towerThat’s the tower where we’re standing, yikes
Just imagine!
We walked back down through the old town.
Loved the art and poetry on this house. I guessed that it was a Time Flies/Tempus Fugit theme, but needed some help. And may I say that Google Translate with Google Lens is a very handy app? Here’s what the house says:
Pretty sure that’s months, not head of cattle, but the paint was slightly illegible on that line.
Sweet!
We visited a modern art museum, and then walked on the iconic esplanade.
It was very disconcerting to walk on; it looks like it undulates in waves from left to right. Can you see it? DH doesn’t see it in 3D, but it still makes me slightly dizzy!
There are a lot of gelato shops in this town. We only sampled two in our four days here. How virtuous!
Mortazza pizza at Scighera
Pizza at Scighera: Mozzarella flor di latte, chopped pistachios, bologna mortadella, burrata, pistachio sauce. Pistachio is the flavor of the moment in Spain. We had it in croissants, gelato, chocolate, pizza.
On Thursday we took a bus to Altea, a neighboring resort town.
Another pretty walkway
We walked up to the square at the top of the town to see the church up there.
Guernica-inspired sculpture by Antoni Miro, and the church behindVenus de Bronzino by Antoni Miro
So much public art, and such beautiful views of the sea. Look at those blues!
In the Mediterranean
Of course I had to dip my toes in the Mediterranean Sea
And also knit a few stitches there.
Aperol Spritz
A late lunch including the beverage of the week before heading back to Alicante. The weather was so nice the whole time we were there; this was late February and no jackets needed.
Friday was my last full day in Alicante, so we explored the town a bit more.
The Mercado, 2 stories of food, flowers, and more
We visited the Mercado, which is a beautiful 1921 building with 290 stalls of the most beautifully presented wares.
SeafoodFruitOlives!VegetablesMeat and cheese
Oh, jamón! The Spanish love their ham, and it is delicious. Even the Mercadona grocery store had a display like this.
After the Mercado, we wandered through town back down to the waterfront for a walk along the beach.
Sailboats on the MediterraneanNot even high season yet!
So much public art and beautiful architecture.
Even down to the faux needlepoint on this restaurant, where we had a very nice dinner.
Saturday I took the train back to Madrid, because it was time to go home. Brandi Carlile and the Rose City Yarn Crawl were next up on the agenda!
Brandi Carlile at the Moda Center
I’d love to visit Spain again. I think DH would love it. Someday?
Happy birthday to me! I was going to coffee this morning at a friend’s house, and I said I would bring cake. Gotta use those plums! This is my favorite plum torte recipe; you can find it here on my blog. It’s a mash-up of NYTimes, Smitten Kitchen, and Food52. My take on it subs in cornmeal for part of the flour.
Someone mentioned to me that the plums don’t sink as much if you put them cut side up, that the plums turn into a glaze with all that sugar and cinnamon. So I tried it yesterday. (No picture, sorry.) The plums didn’t sink in as much, true. But it looked more like a cake with plums on it, rather than a plum infused cake. Would that make a difference in the taste and texture?
I wanted this morning’s torte to be perfect, so we had to taste it. For science. I knew I had enough plums for two cakes, and I would bake a second torte whichever way I liked better.
Cut side down was the clear winner. All that juicy goodness goes into the torte, instead of sitting on top. I baked another one last night. Here’s this morning’s torte, with yogurt/fruit/nut parfaits, and candied bacon (on the green plate).
I also grilled some pineapple planks for fried rice. And I have two salmon fillets for roasting, too! The oven will be busy.
I’m also putting together a charcuterie board with cheese, crackers, grapes, marcona almonds, sopressata salami, stuffed olives…if I can fit it all on there. Maybe two boards…
How are you spending your Labor Day? (If you’re in the USA, of course.)
The little purple Italian plums are in season, and my friend Ann gave me some. They’re so good for snacking, and also for cake!
Clockwise: Plums, placed, cinnamon sugared, baked
I love the way the batter rises up around the plums, so they’re just peeking out. Here’s the recipe from 2021.
Plum Torte
3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) salted butter, softened 2 large eggs 3/4 cup all purpose flour plus 1/4 cup corn meal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 10 – 12 small plums, cut in half and pitted 1 tablespoon chunky sugar and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon for garnish
Cream sugar and butter, beat in eggs, beat in dry ingredients. The batter is quite thick. I put mine in an 8” springform pan (lined with parchment paper), because that’s the one I have. Top with plums, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or til done. Cool, remove from pan, celebrate!
It’s starting to feel like fall. School is in session; I can tell by the kids passing by on their way to the local school. Plum cake is also a sign of fall. And so is woolly knitting!
My Facebook memories are full of the beginning of pandemic lockdown. Part of it is terrible, and part of it is slightly amusing. Do you remember washing your groceries? Trying to get a grocery pickup time? Trying to find toilet paper and bleach wipes? Hunting for flour and yeast?
I made these bagels 3 years ago today, just before running out of yeast. And now I want to make some again. The recipe is on my blog here. Will I actually get it done today? Maybe. Or I could opt for yogurt bagels, which don’t require yeast or rise time. Apparently that’s what I did for the next batch when I ran out of yeast. There was a lot of cooking and baking 3 years ago!
Of course I’m knitting while I read it on my Kindle. My current project is mostly stockinette, with an occasional assigned pooling blip. It’s a perfect multi-tasking project. The hardest part is remembering to stop for a break to stretch because the book is so interesting. I guess I could set timers on my watch; that would be the responsible thing to do.
Knitting can be such a comfort during trying times, and the results can be a comfort, too! I designed and knit my Beanstalk Poncho in 2016, but it lives in my box of samples. I’m sending it on to my Aunt Rose (my favorite aunt, who taught me to knit), who is recovering from pneumonia. It’s a light hug of a wrap, and it’s a cheery sign of spring, too. Please send good thoughts her way!
One last thing: Our hearts are broken at the news of yet another mass shooting at a school. Clearly, we don’t have the political will to solve this problem. I’m sick of it. Children should be safe at school. Or everywhere, really. What would it take to change?
I love that our (grown) kids love to cook. Their Christmas gift for us was eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, and of course mimosas. We moved it to this weekend so it wasn’t squished between Hanukkah brisket and Christmas prime rib. Ryan brought J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s book over; he likes his science-based approach to cooking and wanted to try emulsifying!
We learned to make Hollandaise sauce, and how to properly poach eggs. It was all delicious.
Our Vogue Knitting Cruise also made a stop in Portland, Maine.
One of the many lighthouses…
Unlike Newport, Rhode Island, and Bar Harbor, which involved a tender (small boat to get from cruise ship to port), Portland has a deep water harbor that accommodates cruise ships. We could just walk on and walk off! With proper documentation, of course.
Windy!
We had a trolley tour of Portland, which ended at Port Fiber yarn shop. Port Fiber is owned by Casey Ryder, with whom I’d meet up again the following week at Knit Maine.
Mary Jane Mucklestone and Bristol Ivy
Designers Mary Jane Mucklestone and Bristol Ivy came to show samples and talk about knitting in Maine. Seeing and touching samples in real life is always so compelling!
Selfies were taken, of course.
Mary JaneBristol
You know I’m not much of a yarn stasher. But I love a yarn with a story, and couldn’t resist this.
Casey imports and distributes yarn for Cashmere People Yarns. These yarns are ethically sourced, handspun and hand-dyed by women in Tajikstan and Afghanistan.
Each skein has a picture and bio of the spinner, which I find charming. My skein is a two ply fingering weight cashgora, which isn’t a blend of cashmere and angora fiber. It’s actually from cashgora animals, which are a cross between Russian fiber goats and cashmere-type goats in Tajikstan. My skein is in the Atlantic colorway, which I thought was appropriate for this cruise souvenir. I’m planning to knit a Zephyr shawlette, which starts at the skinny end and I can knit til I run out of yarn. Or if I get wild, I’ll design a new thing that’s similar. (If you want your LYS to carry this luscious yarn, have them contact Casey Ryder at Port Fiber.)
Kathy and me
I also took the opportunity to meet a longtime friend from my piano forum. I’ve met up with other piano and knitting friends after knowing them online. It’s fun to meet in real life; you just pick up the chat where you left off. (The first time I ever did this, DH was worried that I was meeting up with an axe murderer. Hasn’t happened yet!)
We went to Gritty’s so I could fulfill the lobster roll on my bucket list. It was delicious! But spendy. I think I enjoyed my unphotographed lobster Cobb salad at Stewman’s in Bar Harbor even more. Less guilt…it’s a salad, right? (And split with a friend…with fries…)
Pilot boat guiding us out of PortlandKnit Fit kit
Don’t forget I’m giving away my Knit Fit kit; see this blog post for details on how to enter to win! We got these in Bar Harbor, which I previously posted about in order to get this party underway. My next post: O Canada! Two more ports…
I flew into NYC the day before boarding for the Vogue Knitting Cruise. On the non-stop Portland to JFK flight, I inhaled a book called The Boys by Katie Hafner. It’s about relationships, pandemic isolation, parenthood, and more…with a great twist that I never saw coming. This is Katie Hafner’s fiction debut; she’s the author of several non-fiction books, and when I met her at Sonata piano camp in 2002 she was writing for the NY Times. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.
Dinner at Ichiran
Late in the book, the protagonist has dinner in New York city at a ramen restaurant that is known for solo dining. I was alone, so I googled and found Ichiran. The restaurant has long counters with folding side panels, so you are alone at a booth with your food. If you’re with a friend, you can fold the panel back and be side by side, together. The curtain goes up, you place your order (written), and never see the server’s face. The ramen shows up, and the curtain goes back down. The idea is to concentrate on your food, but I think for introverts and solo diners, the point is to be alone without feeling like a weirdo! At least it was for me. And the tonkotsu ramen was delicious.
I had time for a bit of a walkabout on Sunday morning before boarding, so I’ll share some favorite sights.
St. Patrick’s CathedralAtlas at Rockefeller Centerabove a doorway at Rockefeller CenterWindow shopping on Fifth Avenue, love those animal printsIn the window at Bergdorf Goodman
I loved this dress. I want it. Dolce & Gabbana. $7800. I don’t want it that badly, and it would have to be shortened, anyway. Nope. But isn’t it gorgeous?
Me, in my $20 dress, ready to sail on the Norwegian Breakaway
Don’t forget, I’m giving away my Knit Fit kit on this post over here. Leave a comment there to enter!
What happens when DH decides to go vegetarian/pescatarian? Check out my guest post for Voices of August on the Rough and Rede blog.
I went looking for my previous guest posts, and they’re on the previous Rough and Rede blog (blogspot instead of the current wordpress site). It took some hunting! Here are the links to those posts: Because I Can in 2013 about snorkeling and my relationship with swimming, and The Empty Nest in 2012.
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 