28 February 2009

Heads up...

Just to give Canadians a heads up.....if you were planning on getting in on Susan's Super Stash sale, she can only ship Priority at a whopping $24.95. If anyone out there can let her know how to ship First Class, it would be greatly appreciated. Canadians like a good bargain too!

P.S.: She kindly refunded my money and sent me her new pattern, but I really wanted the yarn.

24 February 2009

#1 done...

So here is the first project for Julie:
Pattern: Leafy Beret--Blue Sky Alpacas
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic 2--50g skeins--colour # 3916 bright fuchsia
Needles: 3.75mm & 4.5mm
Very simple to knit, went very quickly, and I love the decreasing on the top.
Mr. D took found this yesterday morning after I went to work.Poor Lady-dog!!! And this is the reason she does this.

21 February 2009

Still knittin'.....

The Scoop Neck sweater (scroll down) was delivered to Julie, and I picked up 3 new projects. I think these ones will go pretty fast.
#1 is blocking right now, so I'll post pictures later.

This is #2: just a sneak peek, I'll post details when it's done. There's only 2 pieces to knit. I'm not sure what other colourways Julie has but I'm lovin' this one.

17 February 2009

Mmm......

There's was a lot of talk at my work this morning about the best cookies, and all I could think about was my favorite oatmeal cookies. Hot out of the oven with a steamy cup of tea.

Years ago I read an article in the cooking section of our local newspaper. A reader was looking for a cookie recipe that tasted like Dad's Oatmeal Cookies. Apparently a friend of hers had made some but wouldn't share her family's secret recipe. Well, the editor or writer of this column found this recipe and it's been my favorite ever since.

So I hauled out my new beast and whipped up and batch and thought I would share some.

Dad's Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cp shortening
1/2 cup margarine
1 cp white sugar
1/2 cp brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 cp coconut
1-1/2 cp rolled oats
1-1/2 cps flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together shortening, margarine, and sugars till fluffy. Stir in beaten egg. Stir in molasses and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients. Stir in coconut and oats. Mix well. Roll in 1" balls or drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 12 minutes till nicely browned and flattened.
Makes about six dozen.

Yes you read that right 300 for 12 minutes. Low and slow.

13 February 2009

Oooh, Bamboo....

Another one finished for Julie. Pattern: U-Neck Top #FC68 by Naturally
Yarn: Atlante DK 100% Bamboo 9--50g balls
Needles: 3.25mm , 3.5mm
All can be purchased at The Needle Emporium!This yarn is lovely to knit with. It feels like a silky cotton, very light weight, and I had no problems with splitting.
Perfect for spring.
It drapes beautifully, and the colour variegation didn't pool or swirl. It looks amazing. I give it an A+!The other plus with this pattern is the construction. The body is knit in one piece to the armholes, the the yoke is knit and joined with a 3-needle bind off. The sleeves stitches are then picked up and knit down. NO SEAMING!!! Then the bands are done.I also forgot to take it with me to the button store. But I think I found the perfect ones. They have a lovely mother of pearl shine to them. This will be delivered to the store tomorrow, and maybe Julie will let me knit something from Norah Gaughan's new book.

6 February 2009

Satisfaction....

More quick knits for the Alpaca Farm.
Pattern: Chu'llu (rav link)--Knitting with Balls
Yarn: 100% Alpaca (locally spun)
Needles: 4.5mm
Not a pattern I would pick, but a very enjoyable knit and fast too. I added extra increases to 104 sts, just to make it a little bigger. 20" for a man seemed small to me.


Now this one, was fun. I doubled the yarn for gauge, and knit Thorpe. I'll definitely be making more of these. This is the large size and I did a shrimp stitch (single crochet in the opposite direction) for the edging instead of half-doubles.

3 February 2009

Again....

And this is why there is no knitting getting done around here........


But tonight there will be knitting!!!!!