Ripwarmer

Like any Elizabeth Zimmermann project worth its salt, or yarn, I have started the Ribwarmer and ripped it out and started over already. Had the first side of the front done and thought "that is NOT going to be wide enough for you, oh plump one." So, I ripped it all out and started over. I am much happier now. I cast on 14 stitches and knit even for 20 ridges on # 7 needles in Cascade 220 Quattro. I'm getting 4 stitches to the inch, which is what EZ calls for. I then cast on 26 stitches using a backward loop cast on and knit til I was able to cast on at the shoulder (short) side. I cast on 4 stitches and repeated that until I had 52 stitches on the needle.

My bust is 49" at the widest part, so this will give me a 52" ribwarmer. I have linebacker shoulders, so it shouldn't be too bad looks wise. If I don't like it, I can always rip out and do short rows shaping for the bust instead of giving it a go this way!

More to come...

I think I have to post again

More stuff comes to mind... like the other fun side of my life...the 18th century side. Over in the 18th century, and I can say that with a straight face, I am going to a party tomorrow night to celebrate the hot off the presses-ness of a new receipt book. Cookbook in the 21st century. Polly was her name and writing down what she cooked was her game. Then 200 0dd years later some one gave this little batch (get it, nyuck, nyuck) of receipts to Sue, who gave them to Mercy who divvied them out to other cooks and one of them happened to be me. I got to bake Rusks in the oven at Williamsburg. (This is the oven at CW & that is Michael heating the oven. He did a great job!). I was supposed to bake them in a modern oven, but I somehow didn't get that part of the instructions, so I baked them in an outdoor oven and they were wonderful.

Sue and Mercy have researched, modernized and tested, farmed out the receipts, compiled results and had this all printed into a book for sale to those of us interested in 18th century cooking. I can't wait to see the receipts, the modern adaptations AND to start cooking!

Polly's receipt for rusks is basically just the ingredients. Of course, she knew how to make them. I have recipes like that now. When I made the rusks they came out a lot like English Muffins...interesting...

Imagine 200 years from now, someone trying to interpret my recipe for fettucine: pasta, butter, flour, half/half, peas, mushrooms, maybe bacon. That's what the index card says. I know everything I need to do from there. Plus I know to add salt and pepper and to saute those 'shrooms up in a little butter and olive oil first. Well, that's tomorrow night if the weather cooperates.

Then, on Saturday, I turn on my Garmin Gal (sometimes I call her Nuvi--I love GPS) and follow her to Dey Mansion for a workshop on Bed Gowns. The wonderful thing about bed gowns is that you did not wear them to bed. This piece of clothing was the equivalent of a hip-length sweater or coat. It was not knit. It could be made of wool or linen, maybe cotton (though not so much in America) and was an everyday garment. You put it on, you tie your apron over it and you start your day. On some it is a flattering item, on me: not so much. But I do like mine very much. It is tan with navy and burgandy stripes. The bedgown has a collar that can be tricky to make up, but once you see it made it is easy-peasy and Gerry Ferris is going to show us the trick at Saturday's workshop. Here is a painting of Hessian women in bedgowns.

I always love the Dey Mansion workshop. It signals the beginning, the first bud pushing its way up through the winter ground, of the reenactment season. Oh, there's still a way to go yet til it is really time, but come the Dey Mansion workshop I know we are getting close!

And Dey Mansion is so great. If you look at the picture you are thinking standard 5-bay Colonial Dutch farmhouse. Right? Maybe you weren't even going that far--you just thought "old house"? But, you have to go visit. See that side of the house to our left in the picture? Well, there is a surprise that I refuse to tell you about, but you will be STUNNED. Plus, they have a wonderful kitchen if you are into open hearth cooking---you will want to put the room into your car while the guide is not looking. Okay, you will need a magic wand and a magic car to do this, but a girl can dream. So, plug 199 Totowa Road, Wayne NJ into your GPS and go. Alternatively, mapquest, get the directions of the site's website, call them, or get a map.

Which reminds me. Did you know that if you have Tomtom you can download Eddie Izzard as your voice? Well, if you are an Eddie fan it's a big deal!

• 1 pound Fettucine pasta (timed to boil and finish when sauce is ready)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pint half and half
• 1 egg yolk (can be optional)
• 1 cup of frozen peas, defrosted.
• 1 package pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms (8 oz) or just 8 0z mushrooms and you slice them
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. low salt bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• grated parmesan for serving

In a large saucepan, on low to low-medium set half and half to warm up. In a saute or fry pan, heat olive oil. (I like to add a little butter and maybe a little garlic, maybe some onion, in which case do the garlic last and don't let the garlic burn--see, more no measure, no instruction recipe-ing) Saute mushrooms, add peas to warm. Set aside. In a small saucepan melt butter. whisk in flour. Take about 1/2 cup of half and half and slowly add to butter mix, whisking constantly. Add egg yolk. Keep whisking until this gets thick and then slowly return to large saucepan. Raise temp and bring to plop but not boil, stirring from the bottom so that you don't get brown glop on the bottom and so the sauce thickens. Add the veggies. NOW is when the pasta should be done. Drain pasta and place in large, shallow bowl for presentation style serving or back in pot for reality serving. Pour sauce on top, add crumbled bacon and serve for presentation OR add sauce and bacon and mix thoroughly for reality serving. Add salt and pepper and parmesan to taste. Enjoy.

2 Lists, of sorts

You know your week is too intense when you don't have time to do your favorite things until 2:26 am Friday morning. And Monday was a holiday!!! I started to review the week and here is the list of what I did Monday which explains the above picture:

• Monday, okay I did do some knitting---like that Cestari sock, ooh it is wonderful soft. BUT, I also caught up on paperwork---to wit, I threw out a lot of papers that have been accumulating and needed tossing. I threw out favorite turtlenecks that had sleeves that stopped at the elbows. I changed the sheets, I dusted and got rid of some bunnies that had grown horrifically (dust bunnies NOT live ones, though these practically WERE alive). I made a lot of decisions I had been putting off and put them into action on the spot. Good Cate. Reward: knitting AND watching all of Pride and Prejudice.

Thursday (aka tonight/last night) I caught the Incredibles on Family Channel. What a fun movie. But then I couldn't get to sleep, came downstairs, caught up on e-mails and had a great e-mail from Suzie with a list of all the new Spring yarns coming into Woolbearers. I replied to our yahoogroups that she is a yarn temptress, a yarn Delilah, a yarn hussy and my very own personal yarn pusher...and that makes for my other list.

Shibori Pretty Darn Close!

Well, now that I'm about to blog, I realize I haven't taken a ta-da picture. But, I'll blog away anyway. I finished. Big sigh of happiness. The Shibori-esque scarf from Folk Style is an accomplishment. It was very easy. I threw it in the wash in a pillowcase, along with the sheets and pillowcases and washed on hot. Then, because it seemed a little long (a lot), I tossed it in the dryer for good measure. It was still too long so I cut in the middle and had a nice lie down in a dark room. Once that was behind me I cut each side to a proper length and reattached. To cover the seam I did a little bit of free-hand embroidery with the green wool and will probably rewash the scarf to leech the color out of the wool so it matches the rest of the green wool. Actually, then, after wearing it around it was STILL too long for the picture in the book, and for what I wanted, which was NOT a long scarf. Not feeling like ripping out the new seam, I just snipped off the bottom of the wine colored side and now I am extremely happy plus I have lots of lovely felted material. The scarf is very soft, very, very alpaca soft and very pretty. As the alpaca felted it made a great, subtle bumpy pattern.

Not using the recommended yarn (I used Frog Tree Alpaca Sport Weight) I over knit. I definitely want to make this again and will use the same yarn, as it felted like a dream. BUT, I'll use one skein of the light color and 2 of the dark color.

To celebrate I bought lots of lovely yarn at Woolbearers (do I know of the existence of another LYS?---well, yes, but they have everything I want or a reasonable substitution--so why bother?). To begin with, Manos Silk and Wool blend. Oh, this is heaven. It is so soft that you have to hold it to your cheek and caress it, and the colors are as lovely as the regular Manos kettle dyed,just slightly more subdued. I chose the colorway which is green, gold, pinks and wines. It was a tough, tough choice and I feel an overwhelming need to go back for more. I'm going to do this up in a cute little scarf from One Skein Wonders that's sort of curlicue and will be very cute with jeans and turtlenecks. This will help pass the time while I figure out what to do with all the other marvelous colors...maybe the Clapotis from knitty that cries out for a yarn decision? Many thanks to Beth for helping me to narrow down my choice on the Manos...gol'darn but that girl can put colors and patterns together like nobody's business.

I also chose a thick n thin version of Matts Tats, Suzie's own hand dyed for the creation of the Little Monster Bear in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. About two hours start to finish to knit him up, another hour to sew and stuff him up and now I'm thinking of making him into a girl, because she seems to need a little ruffly pink net tutu.

Then, on Ravelry, I found a designer who makes these little crocheted dolls that are animals, flowers, superheroes...all sorts of little cutenesses. Had to have the pattern for Lana the Little Lamb Girl by Mia Zamora Johnson. She's supposed to be made out of worsted weight, but I bought a sport weight cotton to make her in teeny size.

I also needed needles (when don't I) and the Spring '08 copy of Interweave Knits. I refuse to get IK by subscription, it's so much more satisfying to get it in the store because you can instantly discuss and review patterns with BKFs (best knitting friends)! Not shown, because that was a whole 'nother basket is "Son of Stitch 'n Bitch" and 10 skeins of Cascade 220 in white. There's a great sweater pattern inside SSnB for a cable sweater called Pub Crawler and that's going to be the next project...just as soon as I take pictures of the completed Shibori Sweater!

And, not least, certainly not last, half an inch will see me finish the second sock of Matt's Tatts Cestari Sock Yarn toe-up socks. Heaven...they are the softest, yummiest pieces of luscious sock heaven I will be putting on my feet. Like felt, only not.Pulled those out of the workbasket on Monday afternoon and said "why aren't you done yet?" 14 rows of stockinette and then 1&1/2" of k1p1 and they'd be done...why is it you get totally stalled...becalmed, can't stand the sight of 'em socks...and then one day they are okay again and let's get 'em done.

7am...time to stop thinking about knitting and start the workday, so I can make the money to buy the yarn...

3 days off...what to do?

Presidents' Day Weekend. I can clean house. I can knit. I can read. I can watch old movies. what to do, what to do. I should clean house. I can knit. I can read. I can enter more books on librarything. I can enter more yarn stash and projects on ravelry. I should clean house.

Meanwhile, the knitting corner of active projects grows shamefully next to my chair in the living room. socks, a shawl, a cardigan, mitts, a shrug for the dog, a scarf, books, magazines and patterns, newly bought yarn... it's bad...

Progress is being made. I am about 85% done with the Shibori-esque scarf from Folk Style. All knitting is completed and I have two of the crocheted rings to stitch on. That leaves basting little pouffy circles within the rings and felting. Can't wait to see if it will look like the picture. I've also completed a very easy to make mitt that I found on ravelry. It's garter stitch with short rows and an easy bind off/cast on pocket space for the thumb. One mitt done while watching 2 hours of House.

Candy is home from Arkansas. She moved there forever in September and now it is February and Arkansas wasn't working. Is it okay to be selfish and say-o, i'm so glad, kinda.- I'm not glad for Candy, it was a big dream, a big upheaval, a big adventure. I cannot imagine undertaking it and then turning around a few months later and driving back to New Jersey. I'm glad for me because I missed her. Bad Cate. Happy Cate. She drove home in 22 hours on 3 cans of Red Bull. Scary. To celebrate, above is a picture of her son Peter and her semi-step daughter Sonja. Taken before Peter went in the Marines and lost weight and hair. Beautiful children.

Ravelry Rules my Life

Ravelry now rules my life. It's been many months since I've blogged and I've been doing many things, including knitting. But, just lately, about two weeks ago, I was invited to Ravelry, the knitting community where you can list all of your projects (yes---a place for people like me) and I have been consumed.

My other all consuming time consumer is LibraryThing.com. For a life time membership of $25 you list all of your books (over 600 to date and I'm just getting started).

Is it any wonder I don't know what a vacuum cleaner is. But Boomer has a beautiful shrug to wear on chilly days!