WIPville Update

 

Well, my fiber friends, another Friday is unfailingly here. I have been a busy gal, but not everything I've been working on I can share with you ... you understand, right?

 
However, I can share with you my progress on my very own One If by Hook Cardi, and I must say I am pretty pleased with myself:



The back, the initial image is part of the front.

This worked up in, like, no time flat. I am really loving this color combination ... for fall. Yes, fall, people (cause you know those summer Fridays are flying past us). The cardi will feel more fall-like once I get the neckband and front button/hole bands on. I am loving how the LB Amazing (in the violets colorway) is looking - very muted, but with enough color change to be interesting (see the below photo for a better shot of the edging). 

I am particularly pleased with how the wool is working up - tweedy, nicely textured, and with a little more structure than the cotton I used in the summer sample. Of course, this hasn't been blocked yet, and I expect the yarn to bloom nicely, as it did in the previous cowl project in which I used some of it.



See how the tweedy flecks in the yarn
coordinate nicely with the LB Amazing?

I must also give a shout-out to Vivian over at Bits and Pieces - I know I'm going to be a little short on yarn for the sleeves, and she has very kindly agreed to see if she can locate what remaining yarn she has left in her stash. For those of you who might not remember: I actually won this yarn from Vivian last year. I am super thrilled that I can use it for this cardigan - and I get to celebrate her blogiversary (or at least remember she had one!) every time I see the sweater.

I do hope you find the time to make it over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and check out what's going on with her Tour De France, er, Fleece, spinning.

A test cooking update: Remember I wrote about a trifle recipe test last September? Well, Cook's Illustrated (from America's Test Kitchen) has published it in their July/August 2013 edition (and theirs definitely looks better than mine). There is a linky online, but I think you'll be rather disappointed, since they want everyone to subscribe. Nevertheless, you can see that they really do publish what they send us to test. 

Happy weekend, everyone!

Doesn't Mother Nature just nail it all the time?
What great texture and color palette.

Baking Ugly

I am a big fan of Christopher Kimball and America's Test Kitchen. While I have had, at various times in the past, subscriptions to several of the other big cooking magazines, it is America's Test Kitchen that I consistently keep going back to, so much so that a good while ago I signed up to be a recipe tester for them.

It must have been at least 18 months between the time I signed up to be a tester and receipt of my first recipe. It was so long, in fact, that I figured I wasn't ever getting a recipe to test. I shrugged it off, and so was all the more amazed when my first recipe found its way to my inbox.

I've received about 6 recipes in the last three months, but due to various other commitments, have not been able to make the recipe and respond to the requisite survey within the required amount of time. I was determined to make the deadline when I received a recent recipe for Berry Trifle. For some reason, I have been fascinated by trifle; I've never made it, it contains dessert elements I like (cake, fresh berries, custard) and it's from America's Test Kitchen. Definitely, on its face, a recipe for success.

I made this yesterday, and I must say it was ultimately a success, but not without some hiccups. Initially, I have no trifle dish (and the squared shape of the traditional trifle dish is rather important when composing the trifle), so what you see below is my next best effort - a rounded mixing bowl. At least it's glass.

Secondly, the recipe called for a rather large baking sheet on which to bake the cake portion of the trifle. All of my baking sheets were off by 3 inches in both directions; I wound up making a smaller cake. Fortunately, since my glass mixing bowl was slightly smaller than the required trifle dish, this turned out just fine.

And then there was the time element. This dish serves a whole troop of people and takes at least 3 hours of continued effort to complete. No breaks, no down time while things are baking. Then, at minimum, another six hours to set up in the refrigerator (a full 24 hours is probably better). I must admit, this was kind of a drawback - I suppose if I was a professional baker, the time commitment would be no problem. Unless it's holiday time (and then long baking sessions are a joy since I bake, cook and otherwise make most of my gifts), I guess I just wasn't into sinking three hours into one dessert on this particular occasion.

Nevertheless, it tastes great, even if it's not the most attractive dessert. I actually decided to show everyone the finished trifle because I think it's important for everyday bakers and cooks to see how things turn out in real life. While the berries garnish on top saves it, I've definitely put together better presentations.

Chalk it up to a baking learning experience. This recipe should be published in a future America's Test Kitchen magazine.