Fiber ... and Some Pinning Notes

Happy Friday everyone! On the fiber front, here's where I stand with my Tunisian Meets Tartan bag:
 

The three pieces of the bag were whipped up fairly quickly. Now I need to add the "tartan" (and I'll get to add that pop of heathered plum) and then commence finishing. However, my JAL participants requested more time, so we'll be at it through the end of October. If anyone is interested in joining us, there's still plenty of time. I probably won't pick this up again for a week or so, as I have a very full design plate at the moment.

 
As I blogged a little while back, I have a Pinterest account. I have been enjoying pinning things that catch my eye and inspire. Most of what I pin is by and large inspirational or fanciful ... except for ... well ... the food. Since I love to cook and eat (!), I've pinned many pins to my food board with the intention of trying the underlying dish. Recently, I did just that, and I thought I'd share my results with you (your results may, of course, vary):
 
1. Lemon Crinkle Cookies: (originally pinned by someone else from KitchenMeetsGirl.com)

 

To the right is what the cookies look like in the original pin/blogpost.

I repinned these onto my food board because I love citrus, the cookies look darn delicious, and sounded too easy to put together. I expect the last point should have been the tip-off for me, since 2 of the 4 ingredients are highly processed (box cake mix and whipped topping). They were, however, as advertised - super easy to put together, as you can see in my before baking photo:

My finished cookies actually looked pretty good:

However, then there's that eating thing. While I am not opposed to convenience food (especially boxed cake mixes), I usually doctor them up after baking, because they are a little ... well ... bland. These cookies look far better than they taste. If I ever made them again, I would definitely punch up the lemon flavor with some fresh zest or even a little squeezed juice. Ultimately, though, I didn't really like the texture of them - they were a little too cake-like for me. But, again, you might want to whip up a batch and check them out for yourself.

2. Chicken Broccoli Casserole (originally pinned by someone else from MyNameIsSnickerdoodle.com)

Now, folks, I love me a good casserole - one pot, in the oven, resulting in several meals - oh yeah. I had roasted a chicken earlier and after having two meals with the dark meat (my eating m.o. when it comes to chicken), this seemed like the perfect way to use up the white meat plus the fresh broccoli I had in the fridge. But again, the recipe calls for canned cream of chicken soup. I haven't actually used canned soup of any kind in quite a while, and even though this dish came out perfectly fine:

I don't think I'll be making it again because of the processed, flavorless taste of the soup mix. There were some intriguing comments on the original blog entry, one of which noted the cook used alfredo sauce; another added curry. I think the massaman curry paste I tested recently for America's Test Kitchen would be a fantastic substitute here, omitting the cheese and probably subbing in a different veggie (although I did like the fresh broccoli in this - it was a great bright note amid the flat sauce), since there's a lot of ginger in the curry paste. As you can see, I'm pretty much remaking the entire dish.

So, while these pins will come down from my food board, there's one really good lesson learned - if there's too much prepared or processed food in the ingredients, I should skip it and move on. I don't begrudge any cook convenience but for me, my tastes have just radically changed. C'est la vie.

A totally gratuitous George Bailey photo ... and,
yes, he really was sleeping "on" the chair just like that

Now don't forget to head on over to Andrea's at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see everyone else's tasty fiber plate this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday. May your weekend be filled with flavor ... and of course, fiber.

The Friday Hodgepodge

The backs are just as
pretty as the fronts 

Sigh, it's the last weekend of summer here in the U.S. The Labor Day holiday always signals the end of all that summertime fun - bbq'ing, hitting the beach, and long, lazy, light-filled evenings during which one can craft away.

Well I, in fact, can't say I bbq'ed or hit the beach. However, I've been working furiously behind the scenes on designs for fall, which I'll be able to reveal in just a little bit.

In the meantime, I'm starting a new September JAL in my Ravelry group for my Tunisian Meets Tartan Bag, and I'll be using the following Cascade colorways to work on my own bag right along with the JALers:



Cascade 220 in Heather, Lichen, Camel and Banana
Cream, with George Bailey as accent 

This is a great way to solidify your tunisian simple stitch skills, so I hope to see some of you there.

Additionally, I thought I'd share photos of my most recent America's Test Kitchen recipe test - it's massaman chicken curry:

It came together fairly quickly - I charbroiled the aromatics and chilies in the oven, put all that in the blender with a hefty amount of ginger (like, 3 oz worth!), some liquid and blended to make the curry paste. Then, I toasted the paste in a little oil to bring out the flavors, added appropriate seasoning, browned chicken, diced potatoes, and more onion, and then let simmer. This curry is incredibly flavorful but not hot at all - I used anaheim chilies which register at, like, zero on the chili heat scale. It will, however, ward off most colds and Dracula - the amounts of garlic, onions and ginger are off the charts.

Finally, I leave you with the flowering sights of a late summer walk here in the Pacific Northwest - we are indeed lucky to live in a climate that allows for blooming flowers throughout the entirety of the summer months.

Have a happy, restful holiday weekend (everyone in the U.S.) - and get ready for back-to-school (if it already hasn't happened). And don't forget to check in with Andrea over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what everyone else is working on this end-of-summer weekend.

P.S. - Andrea, the shawl is almost done. :)

The End of the JAL ...

A beautiful purple play

... and the finished pieces are great. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with these wonderful interpretations of two of my designs from Fleurs et L'eau.


Initially, here's the first completed non-test Le Bateau project (although there are others in process, including another one from yours truly):

Isn't the color just gorgeous?

 

Of course, I'm a sucker for purple, so I love, love, love how this project turned out. The body of the shawl is Rowan Fine Lace and the edging is worked in KnitPick's Shimmer Hand-dyed Lace. As you can see from the initial photo above, the edging variegation speaks well with the purple in the body of the shawl. (And I do note that all photos are used with the respective owners' kind permission.)

 

Additionally, there were several Climbing Vines Cowls completed:

Take 1: In Wollmeise 100% merino superwash in a great tonal rose colorway named "Babe;" and

Take 2: Again, in Wollmeise 100% merino superwash, this time in the "Pfefferminz Prinz" colorway. Gotta love those colorway names.

 

And last, but by no means least, one participant worked the pattern as a stole using two different colors of KnitPick's Aloft, and then gifted it on the occasion of her mom's 93rd birthday:

 

 Didn't that turn out spectacularly?

A hearty thank you to each of my JAL participants. The thread will be there for anyone who might want to look at process photos or see if any questions were asked that might be helpful (and really, only Le Bateau questions were asked; no one seemed to need any explanation for Climbing Vines). Additionally, I'll be working on some of my works-in-progress, as well as a few fall versions of the Fleurs et L'eau cardigans here, so if anyone is interested, do feel free to join in. I seemed to have stalled after I completed the body of my own One if By Hook cardi (and, although Vivian at Bits and Pieces indicated she looked for the much-sought-after cone of yarn, without success, prior to her vacation with Henry, I have no idea if that means she no longer has it, or whether she needs to look again, and/or whether I need to go searching for more yarn), but I've also had other, more pressing projects, on my plate.

 

Don't forget to check in at Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see how everyone is faring post-Tour de Fleece.

Living in WIPville

 

My attempt at evoking the
U.S. flag. Sophisticated in
a simple way - yeah, I'm
sticking with that.

Happy Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday. I do hope everyone in the U.S. had a great July 4th. I celebrated my independence yesterday ... from all things electronic. No internet. No computer. Aaahhh, bliss.
 
Actually, I cooked up a storm and worked on various projects. Since I've got two join-a-longs going in my Ravelry group, I thought it was a good idea to work on those projects (although they weren't the only projects I tackled yesterday). Here's what my to-be-gifted-at-the-holidays Le Bateau Shawl is currently looking like (at right).
 
I'm about half-way through the initial increase section. Slow and steady progress on this is just fine and I'm enjoying the Fyberspates lace dyed specially for the Royal Wedding - what an amazingly deep, yet vibrant blue. Oh, and of course, it haz sparklez. That join-a-long winds down at the end of July (and I've already completed three cowls as part of it), so I'm in a good place to finish this right on time along with the others working on the pattern. If you'd like to join us, do feel free.
 
I've also picked out yarn for two cardigans I'm making (for me!) in my WIPs and Cardis join-a-long (which will be ongoing through Labor Day - the beginning of September here in the U.S.):



This will become a One if By Hook Cardi - hey, Vivan at
Bits 'n Pieces, see something familiar here?

 


And this mess will eventually be a Two if By
Sticks cardi. Of course, George had to poke
his curious nose in the frame.

And, combined with the publishing projects on which I'm working, as well as the two Enveloped Cowls that are in progress (I'm so behind with these thank you projects!), I am officially a sticks-and-hook-wielding fool at the moment.

I have one other little gift to help everyone celebrate July 4th - I've got a copy of the summer edition of Crochet! Magazine (which includes my La Peinture blanket pattern) + 3 skeins of Universal Yarn's Classic Worsted (80% acrylic/20% wool) to get someone started on their very own La Peinture. While certainly not as grand as Universal's entire blanket kit they recently gave away on their Facebook page, this is just my little way spreading the La Peinture love.

Yes, this nifty little package could be yours.

So, here's the info: just leave a comment here between now and Monday, July 8th, telling us what color palette you think would look super cool for your own La Peinture blanket. Then, on Tuesday, I'll pick a random winner from all of the comments and send you the magazine and yarn. Easy ... and sweet!

Now definitely shoot over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what fibery mischief she's getting into this independence day weekend.

A Few Good Cardis

Happy Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday, everyone! I'm so excited to be back to regular blogging, now that Fleurs et L'eau is published.

I thought I'd share some notes on the projects in the collection, and what better way to start than with the two sassy cardigans - One if By Hook and Two If By Sticks.

The knit cardi came to me first, oddly enough. I knew I wanted to also create a garment for crocheters, and the goal was to take elements from the knit cardi but still come up with something just different enough:

At this point, the knit cardi swatch was looking pretty good. However, while I liked the stitch patterns for the crochet cardi, I was still not completely sold on just one color. Going to the store to buy buttons turned out to be just the inspiration needed to go with a lime accent. I instantly saw how adding another color made the Lion Brand Cotton-ease in seaspray pop.

Tunisian 1 x 1 ribbing behaves differently than traditional knit ribbing - there's no real elasticity. This was exactly what I wanted; on the knit cardi I chose seed stitch because of the lack of stretch, as well as the textural element.

There is also loads of tex-ture along the front neck-line of Two if By Sticks which, combined with all that great seed stitch, makes for textural paradise.

Both of these are portable and great for use as temperatures change. In fact, one model wore One if By Hook for the approximately 45 minute coffee/camera battery replacement break we needed to make. It was stylish, comfy and got the job done. I was very pleased.

As I introduce the pieces of Fleurs et L'eau (and if you haven't yet seen the preview publication, you can scroll down the page here and click right on it), I'll be running a poll in my Ravelry group concerning what pattern people might like to tuck into for an upcoming join-along. Do feel free to head on over there and cast your vote. There will be yarny prizes. Yes, yes there will.

Finally, while you're heading places, definitely head on over to Andrea's blog Wisdom Begins in Wonder and share your own fibery pursuits at this, the end of May, and unofficial beginning of summer here in the northern hemisphere.

All Kinds of Fibery Project Updates

Well, well, well my fibery friends - it's almost the end of the first full week of National/International Crochet Month, and I have been a very busy hooking bee. Yes, yes I have been.

 

Initially, let me say that my Rustically Elegant Shoulder Warmer won in the voting for the JAL in my Ravelry group. So, here are the humble beginnings of the one I'm working up alongside everyone else:

The yarn comes across in the cell phone photo only slightly lighter than in real life. I'm using Elann's Lunar Mist in a brown/gold colorway. They list it as aran weight, but this feels barely like worsted weight to me. I will have much more progress on this in the next update.
 
The shawl JAL is producing all kinds of crochet shawl awesomeness. With 53 (!) participants, I can't believe the crochet party we're enjoying in the Ravelry 12 shawls Forever group. In fact, five people have already completed at least one shawl (and a few have completed more than one already). Even though my three are cruising along, I feel like a minor slacker. Here's the progress so far:

My latest Le Bouquet stole is working up rather nicely in the Araucania Ruca Multy I'm using. The colorway is discontinued, which is a shame. It's wonderfully neutral, and it shows the stitches off really well.

I've completed twelve points on my Snowdrop shawl, just about half way done. I am loving these two colorways together. I might just become an ice blue convert.  




I am more than half-way through my Shell Script, and I am loving how this is working up. I cannot wait to complete the crocheting so I can block it. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorite go-to thick and squoishy scarves.

So what have you been up to, mes amis? Check in with the Wonder Why Gal (you know, Andrea!) at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and fill us all in.

Oh, and continued happy hooking in March.

 

Fiber Everywhere

As you all know, next Friday commences the National/International Crochet Month, and I'm in the middle of getting ready for a few crochet-alongs I'll be hosting on Ravelry.

I've been preparing for a crochet shawl JAL by choosing patterns and fiber. The patterns are from the three crochet designers who sponsor the shawl group I co-moderate. I'm working from stash, and in the process of making my choices I feel like there's fiber everywhere at the moment - yarn completely covers my coffee table, there's more on the dining table and still more in a few more corners I hadn't anticipated could actually hold any fiber. Nevertheless, I'm happy with the results:

The mohair above is going to become a Snowdrop Shawl;

This is going to be used for my Shell Script wrap; and

Last, but not least, this plate o' goodness is going to be my very own Le Bouquet Stole (about time I make my own design for me!).

I've thus far swatched for two of these. The mohair choices for my version of the Snowdrop is probably the farthest out of my comfort zone - not because it's mohair (you know I love mohair), but because of the color combo. Ice blue isn't usually in my color repertoire, so we'll see how it turns out.

There's still time to vote for a favorite pattern of mine to make along with others in March. There's a mix of paid and free patterns, so definitely head on over and make your selection. At the beginning of next week, I'll announce a winning pattern.

And, in the middle of all the above, I managed to complete another project for publication later this year (which also had a ton of yarn strewn in various places in my space). I haz been yarny busy.

Now head on over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what other fibers plates everyone is dishing up.

Accessories: Autumne 2012 Update

Happy Friday - the final one before the big day! I hope everyone is on target with their gifts - if you're buying them, you've already done so, and if you're making them, you're done or are in the final stages (like I am as I type this with, among other things, a certain red shawl to be revealed next week).

In the meantime, I thought I'd provide a wrap-up of some of the FOs wonderful stitchers made as part of my Ravelry Accessories: Autumne 2012 join-along. Everyone had free reign and could make whichever pattern they wanted. Here are four of the lovely completed items (and each person gave me permission to use their respective photos):

First up - a beautiful black and silver version of the Piaf Scarf, made by a Louisiana Ravelry member as - you guessed it - a Christmas present for her sister-in-law. I really appreciated her project notes, which described it as "an easy, portable project." Right on.

She worked it up in black Berroco Ultra Alpaca and added gray Crystal Palace Yarn's Kid Merino for fringe contrast. Very sophisticated. I hope her sister-in-law loves it as much as I do.

Next up, an interpretation of my Rustically Elegant Shoulder Warmer. Some of you regular readers of this blog might recognize this face - Kim was one of my wonderful testy testers. However, no arms were twisted in getting her to make this, she actually wanted to (well, I also didn't have to twist her arm to be a tester, but you get my drift).

Kim worked this up in Orange Flower 50/50 merino/silk. It's a dk weight yarn, which Kim used to approximate the fingering weight yarn that I held double in the original sample. However, since her fiber choice has no halo and mine did, she decreased hook size slightly and achieved great stitch definition. Add some great silver buttons (chosen because, in her words, they looked "like hammered metal rings"), and you end up with one stylish shoulder warmer.

The next finished piece is another version of the Piaf Scarf - this time done by our very own WonderWhyGal! Andrea worked her version in Briar Rose Fiber's super bulky thick and thin hand-dyed yarn. Boy, I do love this colorway, as well as how the uneven quality of the yarn adds to the overall lacey effect in the final scarf. Andrea made her fringe using the same yarn - no contrast colorway needed on this one! And the best comment ever in her project notes - she said she would make it again. Can't get much better than that. Thanks Andrea!

And last, but by no means least, is Bits and Pieces' version of my Le Bouquet Stole. Let me say right up front I am so impressed that Vivian chose to work up a crochet pattern. She knits most of the time, so this was a real departure for her, and I truly appreciate her willingness to stretch her skills. She worked up the initial row of this intermediate lace stitch pattern, got comfortable, and just went with it. I like this approach. Using Newton's Yarn Country Cashmere Merino in a wisteria colorway turned this shortened-width version into a very pretty scarf.

There was one other finished piece that I would have shared here, but the crafter didn't return my request to use one of her photos ... so, Robin over at Crochet Nirvana, know that I didn't intentionally overlook your lovely red Slouching Towards Tassels cap ... I just won't use a photo without the owner's permission.

I also finished up an Enveloped Cowl as one of my model thank-yous - and please be patient with the dark photo. I snapped it at night with the cell phone camera just prior to gifting it. No light anywhere at the moment:

Wishing everyone who links in at Wisdom Begins in Wonder's Fiber Arts Friday a truly joyous holiday spent in whatever way brings each of you the most joy.



The Real Star This Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday

Well, everyone, I'm feeling a little post-accessories collection afterglow, but the party must end because I've got other deadlines and projects to get a'movin on.

Nevertheless, I thought you might like to see a few George Bailey outtakes. He absolutely stole the show in a few instances.

Ooooh, a lap to jump onto.

 

Ok, I've had enough of this,
I'm outta here.

 

Yes, I am shameless.

There's a Ravelry JAL (join-a-long for those who aren't familiar with the lingo) that I've set up and people are slowly making their way to it. We'll be getting our patterns and deciding on yarn for the first week or so. The JAL is slated to go through the first week in December, in part, to accomodate anyone from the accessories blog tour that might like to join us. Everyone is welcomed, no matter which pattern you might like to work up. I'm going to start with another Enveloped Cowl for one of my models. I'm still waiting on the decisions of the other two so, who knows, I may be making three of them!

Next week I should be back with other FOs, as well as an update on my Froggy blanket, since I've received all of my swappees' squares.

It's really great to be elbow-deep in fiber this Fiber Arts Friday. Now definitely head on over to the WonderWhyGal's blog and see what fiber everyone else is elbow-deep in. Ain't that sentence construction grand.