Post #199: Two-color knitting tecnique

Un-named frogged pattern

Working color (grey) held behind previously 
worked color (white). White strand hangs off the 
front of the work. (Bottom white strand is the initial 
join for two-color knitting.)

I frogged (aka "ripped out all stitches of") a project that I started 2 years ago.  I had completed about 3 inches of the scarf before I frogged it.  I liked the pattern, but I determined that the pattern was taking too long and using too much yarn per inch of length.  Basically, I was knitting 2 rows for the equivalent of 1 row of length, so I needed something a little faster.  I ended up finding a new use for the yarn, which is a different pattern by one of my favorite designers, although I found the pattern first, and then found out she had designed it.  The new pattern is called "With all my love scarf."  I don't know the name of the old pattern because I can't find the written pattern right now.

Side view

In doing two-color designs, the question always comes up about how to change colors in an attractive way.  I like to slip the first stitch of every row for a nice edge in general, but this is complicated by colorwork.  I'm posting some pictures here to save time next time, so I don't have to try and figure it out again.

First stitch slipped to right needle, with working color (grey)
held in front of stitch.  Grey strand moved to back of work
for next knit stitch.  White strand hangs in front of work.

Basically, you hold the working yarn behind the previously worked yarn.  Pictures are necessary because it doesn't look like it will work when you're doing it.  This is why when I go to start a new project, it takes me a few tries before I remember the way I like it.

When using this technique the edges do not match, but both edges look nice.

--吴碧芙

Post #198: Thanksgiving

We had planned to go to Des Moines for Thanksgiving, where we usually see my uncle's family.  His neighbor has also joined for a number of years, and we have a nice tradition built there.  We decided to change our plans at the last minute due to the weather.  We went to Sioux City instead and had a nice long weekend with the other side of the family.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving dinner that I realized how much I missed the little specific things that I associate with Thanksgiving, only because of going to my uncle's for all those years.  His neighbor always brings spinach-egg casserole and pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust.  My aunt and uncle always make carrot souffle.

Vegetarian Wellingon cross sectional study

We did have some amazing meals, mostly crafted by my husband. The pièce de résistance was this Vegetarian Wellington. It is thyme-roasted carrots, wrapped in duxelles (which is a mixture of mushrooms, onions, shallots, and herbs sautéed in butter, and reduced to a paste), wrapped in a cashew bean mixture, wrapped in puff pastry. For the record, there was also Beef Wellington.

Vegetarian Wellingon dressed with a side of Brussels sprouts 

This was all topped with the most amazing red wine reduction sauce. It blew my mind-hole! It was a culinary triumph. Miss E even ate it, sans wine reduction. She has expensive tastes, and she likes umami.
--吴碧芙

Post #197: Owl organizing

Before: cluttered

After: organized

Tuesday is my day off, and today I decided to focus my attention on cooking and cleaning.  

The cooking is taking care of itself.  I'm making Slow Cooker Lentil Chili, with a few secret extra ingredients.  I used the Vitamix to chop the veggies, and sauteed them last night, and threw them in the slow cooker this morning.  Dinner done!

Next, I tackled this 3-foot counterspace, which was cluttered mostly by things that needed to be put away...and old mail.  I got a little owl planter at Hobby Lobby, and it fit my criterion of "functional owl items."  It is able to contain all of our binder clips (butterfly clips), while also looking cute.  In our kitchen, we use binder clips for everything, so now they have a home.

--吴碧芙

Post #196: In which Miss E goes to the Children's Museum

Getting eggs

This Labor Day weekend, Miss E got a visit from Grama and Grampa.  On Saturday, we took a little day trip to Brookings.  We started with lunch at Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge, which is, reportedly, where Gordon Ramsay ate when filming Kitchen Nightmares in nearby Minnesota.  (By the way, it was not a kitchen nightmare; it's supposedly his favorite restaurant in South Dakota!)  I had a vegetarian burger, which made the short list of best burgers in a 7-hour radius.  Miss E got grilled cheese, but she actually ate every French fry in sight instead.

Also notable about the restaurant is, they manage to keep it classy and have a name like "pheasant" without any taxidermy pheasants displayed in any part of the restaurant or wine cellar. This is very hard to do in South Dakota, and I was nervous, but I was pheasantly surprised (cringe!).  

Picking flowers

However, the main event was everyone's first visit to the Children's Museum.  The museum is housed in an old school, with each former classroom housing a different exhibit.  I thought Miss E would kick and scream as we transitioned to different rooms, but she was fine and each room was better than the last.  It was the most fun day we have had in a long time.  It's strange to be in a place where you are encouraged to touch and interact with the exhibits, touching, climbing, building, splashing...there is so much to do.  In one of the exhibits, (older) children can "climb a cloud" all the way up to the ceiling, of the two-story building.

Highlights for us included: 
• Giant Lite Brite

• Splash table

• MiniExplorers slides, steps, and cave

• Picking flowers and ears of corn

• Getting eggs from under the chickens

• Playing in the stream outside

• SDSU ice cream: SDSU is where "cookies & cream" was invented.  Could anyone imagine a world without "cookies & cream?"  Does anyone want to?

Also, happening this week: Miss E learned how to say her own name!  She is also repeating a lot more and pointing to get us to name things--mostly "Elsa...Anna...Olaf...Elsa...Anna...etc." 


--吴碧芙

Post #195: A little work, a little play

Working from home

On the bridge

Today after church, we planned to assemble a salad, pack a picnic, and have lunch outside at the local Japanese gardens.  We had moved Miss E's little table and chair into the kitchen on Saturday, when we cleaned the kitchen and prepared our Sunday lunch components, while she played with her Duplo farm set.  Today, she sat for a good ten minutes and watched Elmo in Grouchland.  She definitely looked like she was working from home.

This is the third or fourth time that we have gone to the Japanese gardens.  Today our menu was farro salad with fresh cucumber, garden kale, garden tomatoes, corn, black beans, and lemon dressing.  We also took aged cheddar and Triscuits, fresh raspberries, and watermelon.  After lunch, we took a little walk, especially on the bridge.  Miss E loved the ducks.  We watched them eat, with their tails up and heads under the water.  Miss E had her rubber duck eating all over the bath tonight.  We also all ate some pretend raisins in the bath, and at the grocery store, proving: raisins are always fun, even when they're not really there.
--吴碧芙

Post #194: In which Miss E goes to a California wedding

Looking out

Before felting

After felting

This is the first blog post after a long hiatus.  At the request of my great-aunt, I decided to start posting again.  And guess what, guys?!?  We're almost up to post #200!

During the break, a lot of things happened.  Most notably: Our family grew by one very sweet little girl, Miss E/Boo Boo/L. Bell or any number of wordplay reformulations and extensions that may or may not be vaguely related to her name.  I probably finished whatever knitting project you last saw me working on...and many others.

Last week Miss E  took her first plane ride to California.  She did surprisingly well, with the minor exception of raisins being dropped on the ground in 5 states, 4 planes, 3 hotel rooms, and at least 3 restaurants.  When the raisin trees start sprouting, you'll know where they came from...

At the wedding, she had a great time.  For me, something changed.  Maybe it was seeing those California relatives that I hadn't seen in so long, and despite the long separation, the conversation flowed just as if no time had passed.  Miss E danced, took a walk with my aunt, met many of these family members for the first time (including her newly wed aunt and uncle), and stayed up way past her bedtime.  Then we woke up at 4:00 am in order to walk to the airport (from our hotel across the street) to get ready to go home.  She slept through most of the plane rides on the way home, and she wasn't too messed up to sleep all night when we got home.

Yesterday, I worked on finishing my new Hydroflask cover, with improvements from the old one I made two years ago.  Here are the before and after pics.  I hand felted it for 1 hour and 15 min, and then I decided to finish it in the washer. 

Lastly, my birthday was last week.  We generally bring our own treats at work, unless you organize some sort of exchange with a coworker.  I did make treats for one of my coworkers in April, and she surprised me with bagels, but I wanted to bring my own treats too.  I had just stumbled upon a new cookie technique: cookie mashups.  I made choco-choco-peanut butter and snickersnaps.  Basically, they are 1/2 one type of dough and 1/2 another type of dough.  Everyone at work wanted the recipe, and they wanted to know if I had made two snakes, rolled together and sliced.  Although the result is impressive and the idea is genius, it's way more simple than you might imagine.  I used bagged cookie mixes, except for the ginger snap mix that I made from scratch, and then I balled together a scoop of each dough before baking.  

Well, consider yourself caught up.  Check back soon, as I have a goal to make it to Post #200 soon. -吴碧芙

Foreground: snickersnap, background: choco-choco-peanut butter