Cooking Adventures

How’s this for a cooking mistake? And a good fix. When I make quiche or spinach pie (or apple pie) I make my standard pie crust recipe from Joy of Cooking which makes two one crust pies or one two crust pie. I made quiche a month or two ago and my favorite spinach quiche recipe makes two one crust quiches. Yesterday I was making spanikopita. Instead of making little individual Filo dough pocket pies or turnovers, I just make one pie and usually use my pie crust, not Filo. I cooked the spinach, made the pie crust, rolled out the pie crust, & put it in two pie plates. I filled the pies and thought to myself, they look a little skimpy. About half way through the cooking, I checked the pies and thought, damn, they look really skimpy and the filling looks like it is going to dry out. I closed the oven door, started to walk away and then the light bulb came on over my head. I was supposed to make one two crust pie, not two one crust pies!

I thought about it a minute then took both pies out of the oven, scooped the filling out of one and into the other, then I cut the bottom crust away from the sides & slid it on top of the now full spinach pie. It came out just fine with a slightly sloppy looking crust. And it tasted great.

Not as memorable as the time I dropping the custard dish into the Kitchen Aid when it was on, but another one for the books.

It has been about 3 months since my last blog. During those 3 months I had bilateral knee replacements with the additional new wrinkle of new kneecaps. I have lived without kneecaps for over 30 years. When I went to my surgeon (who did the original surgery on my knees) and told him it was time for new knees, he looked at my file and said, ok, you need both, we’ll do both at the same time. And he told me that there was a new innovation in TKR, they would give me new knee caps too. This is such a new aspect of TKR that rehabilitates & doctors at the rehab (where I spent a week after a week in the hospital) had not seen it.

Enough about knees, suffice it to say I am still doing my exercises at home and getting around better, now mostly just using a cane. And I have been knitting.

To keep myself busy in the hospital and in rehab, I brought easy crossword puzzle books, a book on tape and an easy sock project, using two circular needles. Now I am a big fan of using 4 bamboo needles, its just so much fun and looks so cool, but as I also drop needles on the floor with great regularity, I decided the two circular needles was the way to go, as the only way to go as it would be pretty impossible to lose a needle. I bought some lovely purple yarn (contributed by my sister) before my surgery and I started a simple seaweed pattern sock. I got about halfway done the first sock when I came home and I promptly pulled it out and started a heart sock, which is one of my favorite patterns and I could concentrate by the time I got home. You can see that there are hearts & diamonds along the top. Finished the heart socks. Started a second pair called Aran Braid Sock with a double cable down the leg which transfers to a single cable down the foot. It is great fun to make as I love knitting cables and is a very classy looking sock when completed.

I will post my other two projects in a day or two. That’s all for now.

Not participating in the holidays

I haven't been blogging lately and this will most likely be my last entry for a while. Next tuesday I am getting two new knees so I will most likely be busy with rehab. I have been knitting away as it is all I can do right now. My house has been taken over by a small covey (herd, flock, swarm) of jellyfish. They are living on the piano, the spinning wheel, any empty shelves they can find.

I have told everyone not to expect anything of me this christmas. I will not even be making many cookies altho I am going to try and make a few batches before I go in the hospital. And yes, I have a knitting project just for those hazy hospital, rehab days when the brain is not fully functional.

Well this boring blog is over.

Very Quick Update

Well I can't believe that I did not remember what the fingerless glove yarn was from. Although I did vaguely feel that it had something to do with my way out west friend. And I can't believe that the kid I made the sweater for is in middle school now. It does not make me old, it makes me very experienced. Also, the yarn I am using to make the next pair of fingerless gloves is not from my grandma's afghan, it is one I made for myself! I was on a kick, for quite a long time, where I was rocheting these very intricate fisherman knit pattern afhhans. After making 4 of them I got it out of my system, but they are gorgeous. I should take a picture of mine and post it.

Anyway, I am glad a few people read this blog

I started my leaf pattern sweater and it is going to be great. I had to cast on 3 times because first I twisted the cable (which I only fully realized after knitting 3 rows), then I somehow managed to pull the needle out after casting on 260 stitches. The third time was the charm. I got the first leaf motif finished, 5 rows. It just didn't look right to me. So I read the pattern about 50 times and then the light bulb went off above my head and I head to tink 9 rows which took me all afternoon. I was not going to go back to the cast on. So yesterday I got the first little motif done and started the large leaf pattern and then stopped knitting, not wanting to press my luck! The real point of this is that I really like the pattern and it is going to look great when it is done. I am off to take more pictures.

Another Luka Story & My Fingerless Gloves

I finished these gloves a few days ago, and I finally got the pictures on my computer. I am very happy with the patterns, there is a nice simple cable on the wrists & back of the hands, and then stockinette stitch across the palms. But the yarn I used, although very pretty, is too stiff. I am going to make another pair out of a softer acrylic yarn from my stash. I have several skeins of purple heather that I think date back to my grandmother making me an afghan when I was in grammar school. We don’t want to calculate how many years ago that was.

One day this past week everyone was out of the house for several hours as eldest son was working and I had several errands to run and BG kindly chauffeured me around the state. When we came home someone (whose name is spelled L-u-k-a) had gotten in the garbage, leaving some chewed up foil in the living room. BG suggested that we put her down stairs for a couple of hours so she would get the message. So he called her downstairs and shut her into the back room. Sophie kept coming to me telling me that something was amiss, but I was firm and Luka stayed until dinner time. I gave Sophie her dinner, which she completely consumed (not something she always does as she is an indifferent eater). Then BG went down stairs and released the penitent. Luka came running up the stairs and Sophie chased her around the dining room table 4 or 5 times, growling and barking at her the whole time. I only hope that she does that when Luka raids the garbage and we are not home. After a few rounds around the table, I fed Luka her belated dinner, she dove in and I went into the sun room. Luka walked over to me about 30 seconds later looking forlorn. I looked up and there was Sophie eating out of Luka’s bowl. I walked over and said, C’mon Sophie, that’s Luka’s dinner. I pushed the dish away from her with my foot and she determinedly kept eating. So I said, well, Luka, it’s a doggie thing, next time think twice before you eat the garbage.

After finishing her second bowl of kibble, Sophie lay down in the dining room and did not move for the rest of the nigh. I thought I heard her moan a few times.

Ta-Da!

I finished Mom’s sweater in record time and it looks great. The pattern is February Lady’s Sweater from Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sweater#

The pattern is Pamela Wynne’s adaptation of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Almanac baby sweater, which she generously posted on Ravelry. Which my California, former new Jersey, former Michigan knitting friend told me she was knitting and I just had to make one. The Ravelry pattern calls for 3/4 length sleeves, but I knew my always-chilly mom would want full length sleeves. I particularly like the detail just above where the garter stitch meets the gull pattern. And of course the gull pattern is great. And so much fun to knit. You can see I don’t have buttons yet. My local Conglomo-Craft Mart has a lousy selection of generic buttons and there are no close by nice little knitting or sewing shops. Ebay to the rescue once again.

My new box of dreams will be here soon. Translation: yarn order. Can’t wait.

Knitting With Dogs

For Christmas last year my sister gave me Sox Stix, 5 wooden sock-size needles in a cute little fabric bag with a drawstring. It was a much appreciated gift as I certainly knit enough socks and one is always misplacing those tiny little skewer-like needles. As a matter of fact (sidebar) once when visiting a friend for a few days, and, of course, knitting together, she told me that she found one of my sock needles in a kitchen drawer. Her housecleaner had found it and assumed som dope had left a skewer in the living room.

Back to this story: a few days after last Christmas. I had put my new Sox Stix in my knitting bag in anticipation of making yet another pair of baby socks and my knitting bag was in my home office. I was working (or playing) on the computer and I gradually became aware of a noise that sounded like a dog chewing wood, not a sound I ever wanted to hear. I turned around and there was Luka chewing on my brand new bag of Sox Stix! I yelled, grabbed and she ran from the room. She had actually gone into my knitting bag, rooted around under several skeins of yarn, taken the little drawstring bag out and was happily (and somewhat daintily) chewing on them through the bag. After my initial surprise I examined the needles and found them remarkably intact. The bag was fine (a little soggy) and there were a few minuscule dents in the needles. All in all, no harm done although I certainly was puzzled as Luka had never shown any interest in my knitting before.

Fast forward to last night, eight month later. I am using the Sox Stix to make a pair of Almost Fingerless Gloves. http://fiberfiend6891.blogspot.com/2007/12/almost-fingerless-gloves-free-pattern.html I am using 4 of the 5 needles and the remaining needle is in the bag on the coffee table two feet in front of me along with the usual detritus, phone magazine, notions box, TV remote. The gloves were in my lap and I was talking to RG, not paying attention to the coffee table. Out of the corner of my eye I see Luka’s head on the coffee table. I quickly turn my head and see that she has ever so carefully taken a corner of the bag in her front teeth and is s-l-o-w-l-y pulling it off the table. I yelled. She jumped. What is it about that little nylon bag? I told her to go away. She did. And about 10 minutes later (I guess she gauged it the optimal amount of time for me to cool off) she came over and all 70 pounds of her climbed into my lap and she was contritely licking my face. Sigh. Knitting with dogs, always an adventure.