thoughts on me & knitting

i have been spending a lot of time lately, perusing ravelry and all it has to offer. my interest in knitting seems to come and go, and right now it is definitely a part of my everyday. juliet, the sweater i am knitting for myself, is still on the needles and almost complete. i am a little torn about it though. it is beautiful, but i very obviously made some mistakes early on in the lace pattern that i didn't catch until now (and i am only a couple inches from being done).

i know if i was a better knitter, i would rip it back and correct it. but i just can't. i am too eager to move on to some other projects.

i quickly completed these hats for the boys. the pattern was extremely simple, and i used a nice (but not spectacular yarn). i'm pretty happy with them.

during my recent knitting blitz, i have learned this....

1~ knitting is not an inexpensive craft.

2~ the yarn i like is not widely available, even in my local yarn shop. boo.

3~ if i make a mistake, i have no idea how to go back and correct it.

4~ i really need a knitting mentor that lives next door.

5~ if anyone decides to chat with me, i must put the needles down immediately (or stupid mistakes will occur and then i deal with point #3).

6~ as much patience as i have in everyday life, i have very little with myself when it comes to knitting and get so easily discouraged.

if you are a knitter and have any tips for me, please do share. or if you are looking to move, there are a few homes on my street for sale, too.

breaking news...

i made a pie, completely from scratch.

i've made plenty of desserts before, some included home made pastry. but for some reason, making a real fruit pie seemed different. i served it to my parents after a perfect roast beef dinner with yorkshire puddings. it was so nice to cook for my mom for a change.

other breaking news.....

~ i chopped off a lot of my hair

~ i've already decided what i want for christmas from this site

~ i spent a lot of time in ikea today with my mr. and we enjoyed a lunch date in the caf. (we had no kids with us, but i wanted to help every other mother in the store by holding or feeding their screaming baby- of course, i resisted)

~ swedish meatballs are really yummy

~ fall is pretty amazing

dutch baby

i admit that i had never heard of a dutch baby before spotting the recipe in this book. and i may have made it simply because the name was so cute. but oh my gosh, i am so glad that i did! it was the easiest 'pancake-like' recipe ever.

and it made the most perfect sunday breakfast which the boys gobbled up.

this book is so good!

patchwork love

i just finished a new table runner for our kitchen table, and i am totally in love with these fabrics. so much so, that i think i may need all new pillows in the family room which is just off of the kitchen.

i used amy butler's pattern for the truest triangle table runner which is on her softwares disc. it was easy enough to complete, although my triangles may not be the truest out there. but that's ok. i feel like a pretty good sewer when it comes to garments, but my quilting is definitely not perfect. i've come to accept that and almost like it.

the fabrics i used were mostly amy butler's (a combination of a few of her collections), with a bit of anna maria horner thrown in there too. i have a lot of green in my home, and i think this touch of blue really compliments the green. it's funny how one project can turn into another. i'm off to plan more pillows now.

thankful

i felt like i was handling october so well...and all of a sudden i feel a little like the balance is off kilter again. it's such a tricky thing, finding that right balance, isn't it? but in the spirit of thanksgiving (which is this weekend in Canada), i thought i'd recap what is really good about right now.

1. my laundry is almost caught up (although there is a lot of putting clothes away in my very near future)

2. i feel like my crock pot and me have made nice

3. i love my new best friend- the cast iron skillet

4. i started a new patchwork project for my kitchen table with those fabrics above

5. even thought my little guys start the night off in their own beds, by the morning they are snuggled in bed with us

6. i received 2 new prints to hang from lovely design. and they are even more perfect that i imagined.

7. thanksgiving is this weekend which means pumpkin pie and family gatherings

happy thanksgiving!

soup's on

what's better than a crisp fall day that involves soup? not much that i can think of. i was happy to join in the soup swap happenings over at turkey cookies today. if you like soup, you should really check jessica's blog out. you'll find lots of very nice people sharing their favorite soups.

i made a new soup today, based on one that i had bought for lunch one day a few months ago. it was so good, and after looking for a recipe on-line, i realized i'd have to just make it up. i think it turned out excellently so here's my contribution to the soup swap:

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

1 TBSP Vegetable Oil

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into slivers or cubes

1 large carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP finely grated ginger

4 Cups Chicken broth

3 Cups water

8oz Sliced muchrooms (white, button or shitake)

1/2 package of egg noodles

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

juice of 1 lime

2 scallions chopped

1 can of baby corn, cut into pieces

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a large pot and cook chicken until lightly golden. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Discard any juices and saute the carrot and celery until soft.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and water to the pot, add the mushrooms and put the cooked chicken back in the pot. Bring to a boil and add the noodles. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are done.

Remove from heat and add the scallions, lime and cilantro. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

I hope you like it as much as we did.

if you've been looking for me, i've been in the kitchen

i feel like i've been hibernating in my kitchen lately. we had to put the furnace on this week, and i am getting acquainted with my new cast iron pan, my good old slow cooker, and some new recipes.

i made a lasagne in my slow cooker that was very good. it surprised me, just how good it was. and camden had 3 man sized portions. i also made a one pot chicken casserole thing in the slow cooker which was ok but i'll probably not make again.

i finally made rachel's chicken enchiladas and they were delicious. i've already copied the recipe onto a small index card to go into my recipe box- a sure sign they are a winning recipe.

i tried a recipe from the cast iron skillet cookbook (which i mention below) and it was fantastic.

moist cornbread, which I think will be perfect with soup tonight if I can get myself together to participate in Jessica's Soup Swap over at turkey cookies.

this cornbread is delicious.

and i finally managed to make glen his favorite cookie which has only ever been made at christmas in our house....chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies from martha.

these cookies involve a few extra steps than the average cookie recipe, but they are so good they are worth a little extra work. and i think i got some extra wife points for making them on request.

happy monday!