Like Wearing...Nothing At All

I'm relieved that my knitting pace has picked up a bit, and I can post this finished object, posed artfully in the window to show it's "airiness":


This was one of four gift scarves with deadlines this month. Two down, two to go! The details:

Pattern: Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Heaven in Watercolors
Needles: Size 10

This was a breeze to make. The pattern calls for Kid Silk Haze, but I've had the Heaven in my stash for ages (left from a Meadow Flowers Shawl from Knitter's Stash). The color changes made it nice and interesting, as did the eyelet rows. It's a short scarf, meant to be tied at the neck as a neckwarmer type thing, about three feet long. The large-ish needles mean it goes pretty fast. It's definitely "airy" and very, very light. I was using a Clover Bamboo circ, and would have been happier with Addi Naturas on this one (more pointy). I'm happy with the final product, and I would definitely make this again.

I have two more gift scarves to make in the next three weeks, plus a baby shower gift (can anyone say Placket Neck Pullover?), plus finishing the Vintage Beaded Gloves (which, after my last beading attempt, may be bead-free). I still have Butterbean's garter stitch blanket on the needles, and it's nearly half done.

You have one week left to submit ideas for naming Lee's new business selling preserves, pickles, and chutneys. If you have a great idea, submit it, and if she picks yours, you get complimentary preserves! Having just had some of her fantastic Meyer Lemon Marmalade on toast yesterday, it's a great prize, and you creative people must have some ideas!

Reading: Ten Big Ones.

Writing: Chapter 7. Sort of on hold since I'm prepping for hosting my book club Tuesday.

Cooking; Friday night I made Curry Couscous. I made it the way my husband likes it best, with real cream. Usually, I try to fudge it with lowfat yogurt, but he's always a bit disappointed when it tastes healthy. You saute a clove of garlic (crushed) and 2 tsp curry powder in 3 TBL of butter, add 1 cup of liquid (half broth, half cream is what I usually do), and bring to a boil. Add 2 cups vegetables (cauliflower, potato, and frozen peas this time) and simmer until the veggies are tender. Along with the veggies, I like to add nuts and fruit, especially cashews and raisins. This time, I also tossed in some walnuts, coconut, and banana. Salt to taste. Serve over couscous, topped with toasted nuts and cilantro. This is from Allison's Vaguely Ethnic Recipe Collection :) I do cook more authentic Indian food sometimes, too.

Last night, I made Curried Butternut Squash Soup and Pumpkin Walnut Focaccia with Gruyere from Cooking Light. The soup is a fall favorite of ours, and I had just gone to the farmer's market and picked up a lovely squash. The focaccia probably isn't technically a focaccia, since it rises quite a bit, but it's fantastic. It's slightly sweet flavor is a nice contrast to the strong cheese. It's not a combination of flavors I would have thought of, but we love it.

This morning, I made brunch. Sweet Potato and Canadian Bacon Hash (with Canadian bacon made separately for Matt) and Cheddar Grits Cakes. Both recipes are from Cooking Light, and are yummy. I'm not normally one for grits, but the grits cakes are really good. They were actually a side dish recipe, but happened to be just a couple of pages from the hash recipe, and I just put them together (without the pepper topping for the cakes). This is one of the few savory breakfasts we make--usually we do waffles, pancakes, or French toast.

I have a lot of cooking to do over the next couple of days, as I'm hosting my book club Tuesday. There's quite a bit of prep I can do ahead of time that makes the event day much nicer. I'm doing fall food, with soup, squash, wild mushrooms, and Caramel Apple Cake for dessert. Best of all, Steph and Lula are ready to make bread, which means I have time to make sourdough before book club! (Thank you, though, for the biga offer, Stefaneener!). As a general rule, I go for non-healthy cookies, so Stefaneener and String Bean, bring on the recipes! Yum.