Knitted Bookmark

Here's the full bookmark I knit! It's currently "blocking", which is why it's pinned like this. Before blocking, it was just kind of shriveled looking and sad, but by getting it wet and pinning it stretched out in shape like this it will (hopefully) allow it to keep its rightful shape. I'm also going to starch and iron it to give it some stiffness. I like it! Notice in the middle there is an inconsistency in the lace pattern... I must have messed up somewhere and repeated a line in the pattern or something. Oh well! It's unique :-)

Recipe Card Maker

My hubby finds so many neat websites, and this is one I thought was definitely worth sharing! It's called Skip To My Lou and it has many different craft ideas, printouts and printable crafts, and free downloads. What I'm really liking today is the Recipe Card Maker that lets you make the cutest recipe cards for yourself or friends!

Super cute! 

Microknitting

I'm working on a knitted bookmark to give as a gift. Because it's supposed to be very thin and flat, I'm using knitting thread, not yarn, and size 0 needles, which are pretty much like slightly longer toothpicks. It's a challenge, let me tell you! I'm hoping it'll be worth it! After I finish, I'll block it, starch it, and press it so that it lies nice and flat and is a bit stiff.

The needles I'm using were an amazing find. I needed some smaller double-pointed needles for my upcoming sock knitting class, and a set of bamboo double pointed needles at JoAnn runs you about $8. The problem is, when you're knitting something, not everyone would use the same size needle because people have different knitting tension, so I wouldn't know whether I'd end up needing a size 2 or 3, or what. So, I thought it might be more economical to go online and try to find a set of DPN with multiple sizes that might save me some money. I found some, but not until I tried eBay did I find the best deal of all... a seller was offering a set of 11 different sizes, five 5" needles each, from size 0 to 10 (total of 55 needles!) for... get this... $7.99 (plus $5.99 shipping) for the whole thing! Unreal! They arrived yesterday, and I'm very happy with them! Heck, I'll even give a shout-out to this seller, mnft651. Three cheers! :-)

Tomato Bumper Crop!

We've been blessed with a bumper crop of flavorful, juicy, bright red Roma tomatoes! Just look at this big heaping bowl.... wow! I'm going to have to freeze a ton of them so none of them go to waste. The other day I made a tomato soup in the slow cooker using my fresh tomatoes, and it was SO amazing! I know it's called "Winter Tomato Soup", but do yourself a favor and make it anyway, NOW! I might even make it again today! It's from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. It's a great book!

Winter Tomato Soup

Serves 4   Setting and Time: LOW for 5 to 6 hours

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 quart home-canned tomatoes or one 28-ounce can imported Italian whole or chopped plum tomatoes, with their juice [I just used what I thought was an equivalent-ish amount of my fresh tomatoes!]
1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 heaping teaspoon dried tarragon
Sea salt to taste
Could sour cream for serving [I didn't use this, I just served it with some bread]

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 15 minutes, stirring often.
2. Combine the tomatoes, vermouth, sugar, and tarragon in the slow cooker; add the onion and butter. scraping out the pan. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
3. Puree in batches in a food processor or with a handheld immersion blender. If you don't like the seeds, push the soup through a strainer set over the slow cooker. Season with salt. Keep warm on LOW without letting it come to a boil until serving. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with a spoonful of cold sour cream.

If you make it, let me know! I guarantee you'll love it!

Yearning to knit, while I'm already knitting....

I suppose knitting has made me partly crazy. Yearning to knit while I'm already knitting? Well, yeah... it's just that I just got some AMAZING yarn on closeout at WEBS in Northampton, and I'm planning on making The Panbe Dress from KnitScene Magazine. The yarn, which in my craziness I can't stop stroking and petting, is called Classic Elite Duchess, in the color "Emily's Lilac". It's the softest pale purple in a very touchable blend of merino, cashmere, angora, viscose and nylon. The problem is that I still have to finish this shawl I'm making before I can start with the new project, because I'm on a deadline, and I've already taken two breaks to make other things (the Shalom Toque and the Green Bear) for gifts. Since the shawl is a gift, too, it takes higher priority over the dress, which is just for me! Well, let's see how quickly I can knit (without making mistakes!)

Here's the Panbe Dress... it'll be really cute over leggings. I like the big cable down the front, and since it's made in a chunky yarn, it hopefully won't take months to knit!

Here's my lovely yarn... 

A Green Bear

I took time off this week from knitting the shawl to knit this cute green teddy bear (along with a crocheted vest) to give to my 8 year old niece when we go to India in October. The yarn for the vest is the leftover yarn from the little bag I made for her. I had JUST "bearly" (ha! sorry) enough yarn left for it! Phew! :-)

Shalom Toque

When my dad saw the toque I made for hubby with his name in Bengali, he requested one for himself in Hebrew. I designed the Shalom toque for him for his birthday (today!) and I've been waiting to post it until after he opened his gift.