Knot Sew Nice

Ok, so I haven’t been good at keeping up the blog.  Rather than try and make a fantastic bog post, I’ll just post pictures.  Why?  Because I’m a slacker, and I really want to go and knit something!

I finished my first Plain James sock.

Plain James Sock

            I am blessed to be part of a family who give thoughtful gifts.  The kind of thoughtful gifts that when you open them, you know they were thinking of what you would like to receive and is unique to you.  This Christmas was no exception.

            Last May I refinished my hardwood livingroom floor.  I dreaded the thought of bringing my old, thread-bare sofa back into the room but I was in no position to buy a new couch.  My nephew suggested knitting covers for it.  I thought it was a great idea and went to my favorite website, Ravelry.com, and did a pattern search.  I found this Gusseted Cushion pattern that is printed in the book Last-minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.  I didn’t pursue it any further at the time.  Come Christmas, I was thrilled to receive this gift from my nephew and his fiancé.

 I was so excited that I got started right away.  I have finished two of the three cushions and have started on the third.  I need three more skeins of yarn to finish.  Here are some pictures of the gusseted cushion.

Gusseted Cushion

Two down, one to go!

Another gift!

As if that wasn’t enough, they gave me a beautiful bag with a bottle of wine in it.  I have discovered that the bag makes the perfect project bag for socks!  You can see in the pictures how perfectly the yarn and sock fit into the bag.  The sock shown is a new sock I’ve begun working on that I call Plain James.  It is an ordinary stockinette stitch sock that I am making for my father-in-law on 9″ HiyaHiya circular needles.

Perfect fit!

Plain James Sock

Finally, I haven’t forgotten that I promised pictures of my sweater.  Well here is a teaser.  This is the sweater as I was seaming it together.  I had to tink back a few times but was pleased with how well the collar eased in to the body.  I wasn’t as pleased with the sleaves but those pictures are yet to come.

parts & pieces

Parts and pieces…

getting there

                Yet to come are the final pictures of the sweater and progress reports on the lace projects!

    I’ve been MIA since August.  I had gotten a temporary full time position which was crazy busy and along with my parental responsibilities, I hardly had time to knit much less post.  My first new year goal is to post at least weekly, even after I get a new job.

     My second goal of the year is to build our little knitting group into an official Stitch’n Bitch club.  Our little group has been meeting since last spring, about two times per month, but now it is time to grow.  We need to find a public location and then start advertising.  Finding the location will be the difficult part.  I’m looking forward to this next step.

     My third goal is to learn some new techniques.  I want to learn to knit intarsia and improve my finishing skills.  I hate finishing work because I’m not good at it.  I’m hoping to find some local talent to teach and mentor me but I realize I may have to look outward. 

     I was planning to set a goal for myself of 11 pair of socks for the year but looking at all of the projects I have lined up, some of which are complicated lace projects, I’ve decided to set a goal of 5 pair.

     This may seem more of a to-d0 list  than resolutions and I guess that is accurate.  These are personal goals for myself, to improve myself and make time for myself.  It is truly myself that I neglect the most.  I’ve never had to make resolutions such as focusing on family, God or other such important things because they are so very important to me that I always strive for my best in those areas.   I’m already motivated and don’t need a resolution to bring change.  When it comes to me, I feel guilt when I spend time or money on myself.  I realize this is wrong yet I fight with this feeling of guilt frequently.    My resolution is to make time for myself, better myself and push myself.  I’ll accomplish this by meeting these goals that I have set for myself.  I  hope that by doing so, I learn to take better care of myself and in the process, share with you an appreciation for all that comprises the fiber arts.

    I have some great projects in the works and have been given some new inspirations.  There is some lace, some socks, some home interiors and yes, even that sweater I told you about last fall; the one that was finished but needed seeming.  I have pictures!  Please join me this new year for all kinds of knitting and learning.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a couple of cheesecakes to make before I could take time to piece together a sweater I had knit.  I created this blog for all things fiber but I couldn’t resist sharing my baking success and failure, mostly success, with you.  This adventure begins with my 13 year old daughter who keeps a very messy bedroom.  With school and all the activities that go with it just around the corner, I needed to put the pressure on to get her room cleaned, now while she has the time.  Of course, pressure alone only causes anger and resentment, so I added a little positive reinforcement to the mix.  I offered to make her a cheesecake upon completion.  That may not sound much like an offering to some but I rarely make cheesecake because, well, because I lack the will-power to eat just one piece.  Her room is was very messy and she had to clean it before she could hang out with friends.  One of her friends came to help, even though she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.  Good kid that my daughter is, she offered to share her cheesecake.  Her friend was so excited for cheesecake!  However, she didn’t like the sounds of the wild blackberry kahlua cheesecake, but she LOVES chocolate cheesecake.  So, I felt I needed to make both.  I know, it’s a lot of work but if you knew what my daughter’s room looked like, you would want to do something nice for her friend too.  And so, I set out to make two cheesecakes.

Last weekend, I picked some wild blackberries to use in making my daughter a blackberry kahlua cheesecake.  I have made many cheesecakes but this is the first time I made one that didn’t have cracks!  It wasn’t undercooked either.  SUCCESS!

SUCCESS! Blackberry Kahlua Cheesecake

I started baking these cheesecakes at 9pm because I had other priorities after work.  I should mention that I’m usually in bed around 10pm.  I couldn’t wait until the weekend to make these, though, because I needed to use the wild blackberries while they were fresh.  I should also mention that I have only one springform pan.  So after I successfully got the blackberry kahlua cheesecake transferred to a cake plate, I needed to get the chocolate lovers cheesecake into the oven.  I had to cook it for 45 minutes and then turn off the oven with the door propped open with a wooden spoon.  I set the timer for one hour so that it would continue to cook in the cooling oven.  Good thing I set the timer because I had fallen asleep on the couch.  Again, SUCCESS!  There wasn’t a crack in the cheesecake and it wasn’t undercooked. 

SUCCESS! Chocolate Lovers' Cheesecake

 I was so proud!  Not just one, but two perfect cakes. I was so excited that I took pictures of my cakes; not something I generally do.  Was I truly successful or was I just lucky?

 It was 1 am by that time and I was more than ready to get to bed so I could get some sleep before I had to get up for work.  They say that haste makes waste and well, this is what happened when I tried to transfer the cheesecake to a cake plate before it had cooled completely. 

My perfect cheesecake isn’t so perfect anymore.  Funny thing is, it tastes just as good broken as it does neat and pretty.

Mmm, mmm, good!  I had a piece for breakfast!  I’m sending the rest with my daughter to a sleepover so I don’t over indulge any more than I’ve already over indulged. 

So, how do you know when it is talent or if it is luck?  Or is it a little of both?  My waist won’t allow me to make anymore cheesecakes for awhile, so I can’t test a theory.  I will suffice it to say that with every success, there is an element of luck.

Now, to sew that sweater together!  I feel I’m on a roll.  Will I be successful?  Am I talented?  Will I be lucky?  Or should I stick to baking?  Check back to find out.

This pattern is Turn a Sqaure by Jared Flood

The pattern is Zoom by Erica Brembos

                      I started this blog with hopes of inspiring others but having this blog to post on has motivated me to create material to post.  Knowing that I wouldn’t get around to sewing all the finished knitted parts of a sweater together, I got busy and knitted a quick hat and a cover for my swifter sweeper.  I found these patterns on Ravelry.com a site a visit daily. 

I have two cheesecakes to make and then I can finish that sweater.  Look for it here, next week!

Please join me in my explorations of all things fiber.  My love of knitting has brought me into a large and amazing world of spinning, weaving, beading, needlepoint and much, much more.  The art and their artists are awesome and inspiring.  Allow me to share with you the treasures I find along the way of my journey.

Adventures are exiting and thrilling, so they are best started with a nap.