So Long 2010, Here Comes 2011

With only a few hours left of 2010, I thought I'd look back at the year that was.
1. I turned 50. A big deal and not a big deal all at the same time.
2. Lots of Travel. San Antonio, New Orleans, Chicago, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and New York for the US Open.
3. Outdoor Baseball. Target Field is a little piece of heaven on earth.
4. Knitting. A year for sweaters. I made five and am working on a sixth. There were a few hats, blankets, a shawl, and some other little items, too. (Gotta keep busy.)
5. A New Garden Fence. After several years of procrastinating, I finally got it together and rebuilt the fence around my garden. Rabbits be damned.

With 2011 around the corner, I think I'm going to try to:
1. Get outside more often this winter. I'm a better person after I've inhaled some fresh air---even if it's frigid fresh air.
2. Pray more. I say that every year. Hope I'm getting better.
3. Plant early spring vegetables. I'm always behind.
4. Knit a big project. Japanese pattern? Blanket?
5. Bake pastry. (Maybe. I want to learn, but do I really need to eat more fresh pastry?)

Happy New Year!

Slow Cooker Bacon Jam

When I browsed through my latest copy of Everyday Food, I immediately noticed the recipe for Slow Cooker Bacon Jam. Bacon tends to get my attention and the very idea of making a jam with its tasty goodness as the main ingredient sounded intriguing, so I tore out the page with the recipe and stuck it in my stash.

This "to-be-tried" recipe stash is my source of inspiration when I'm heading off to the grocery store and every time I came across this clipping for Bacon Jam, it called out to me. But Bacon Jam, really? I couldn't decide if it sounded wonderful or positively dreadful. Eventually, I succumbed and let me tell you, it's amazing stuff.

Initially, we tried it plain on toasted bread with a glass of red wine. Mmmm. Then we spread a little on a hamburger. Oh boy! And just the other night we had it on a ham, Swiss cheese, and pear panini. Whoa!

This has been a great time of the year to make it, too. Share the wealth. I brought a jar to a party last weekend, and it was fun to see people's reaction when they tried it and then heard what it was.

Just as an FYI...as much as I love bacon, I hate the way the house can smell of bacon long after the bacon is gone, so I was concerned about having this stuff stewing away in an uncovered crock pot for several hours--one of the reasons I was on the fence about making it in the first place. I browned the bacon with the exhaust fan from the stove running, as usual, and found the aroma from cooking the jam afterward to be pleasant. No worries.

Yeah, We Got A Lot of Snow

Let's Grill! The old Weber is under there somewhere, and it's all the way up to 5 degrees.

Aw, maybe not.

The snow started falling here late Friday and didn't let up until Saturday night. All that snowing and blowing made it a great weekend to hunker down at home and get going on some Christmas decorating.

This morning, however, it was time to get out and dig. Even though the temperatures had taken a nosedive, the sun on the new snow made it fun to be out. (At least that was my thinking. I'm not so sure about my grumbling spouse who was murmuring something else under his breath while he was digging out the front sidewalk.)

The snow blower took care of the driveway, but we did have to shovel out the porch. Usually, we can sweep away what little snow blows through the screens, but this time the broom wasn't going to cut it. One big, hard-packed drift covered half the room.

By this time, even though my fingers were too cold to adjust the filter on my camera, I just had to get a picture of the snow hats on the bird feeders in the backyard.

According to one of our local weathermen, we've already received two-thirds of our normal snowfall totals for an entire winter---and it's not even officially winter yet. Don't you just love global warming?

This does make for great knitting weather. I mean, this is it. We are entering prime knitting season! So when I was out shopping last week, I stole away enough time to grab some yarn for a new project. I still have a ways to go on my current project, but I'm not about to run out of yarn if another storm hits---or worse, if my mother-in-law is here for a holiday visit. That would be horrible.

I've decided to quit being a big baby and give two-color knitting another shot. What if I try it with a knitting-in-the-round pattern? Would it be so horrible? EZ's Fair Isle Yoke Sweater might be the ticket.

I should have it done about the time those drifts out in the backyard melt.

I'm Getting A Bad Feeling...

In mid-October I cast on the Cabled Swing Cardigan from Norah Gaughan's The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I was proud of myself because this was a step out of my usual knitting zone. The pattern is a style I don't usually wear, and I'm knitting it in a yarn in a color I most definitely never wear. I felt I was being brave and bold. Exploring new territory.

Now that I've knit the body of the sweater and am on to the sleeves, I'm not feeling quite as confident. This sweater looks long. And I'm not. Should I have modified the length, I wonder? But then it wouldn't be different. It would be a regular old I've-got-a-closet-full-of-them-cardigan. Am I going to get this thing all put together and end up passing it on to a taller friend, I fear? Maybe. Even so, I intend to knit on and remain a brave knitter.

I don't think there's really any way of knowing for sure how this thing will fit until the collar is knit and the pieces are blocked, so I think the only way to proceed is to see it through to the end. Keep knitting and start thinking of tall people, I guess.

One note: I did find a stitch count error in the pattern on pg.137 in the second paragraph for the directions for the Left Front. Those stitch counts in the first sentence do not take into account the four facing stitches on the center edge of the piece. I have sent a note to the author. (I had a bad feeling about doing that, as well. There have been a couple of times in the past that I have emailed designers about errors in their patterns and found out that some don't take that well. What's with that? I'd want to know. Are knitting designers thin skinned?)

It's Here!

We knew it would come eventually. Somehow it is still a shock when it does. And no easing into it this year. From 60's to this in less than a few days.

Thank God for snow blowers. This is heavy, wet stuff. Perfect for snowmen. And it was too nice to come in after the driveway and sidewalk got cleaned off, so I got to work on this guy. I guess you're never too old to hurt your back pushing big snowballs around the backyard.

After a crazy week, it felt so good today to just knit, watch cooking shows, eat freshly made English muffins, and eventually nap in front of the fireplace. What more could you ask for on a Saturday in November?

Delphinium

When I went to find some yarn for a new project, I made up my mind to go beyond my usual earth toned palate and venture into something new. And so I came home with delphinium. To me, delphinium sounds better than purple.

Once I finished my last sweater, I wasn't sure what to do next. I even went knitless for several days before I made up my mind and found the right fiber. (The hazards of being a monogamous knitter.)

The project I finally settled on was the Cabled Swing Cardi from The Knitter's Book of Yarn. This has been on my to-do list since I first bought the book. It's almost a knit jacket in style and has the prettiest cabled panel on the front. I went with Berroco's Vintage--a relatively inexpensive, worsted weight acrylic/wool/nylon blend. I had used this yarn once before on the Mondo Cable Cap. It's a nice basic that works beautifully for cables, is super soft, and comes in some great colors. I actually prefer this yarn over Cascade 220, although I'm sure some purists would balk at using anything less than pure wool.

The front piece has gone quickly. I did have to put it aside for a while last night. I had just gotten to the point where I was decreasing and binding off on both sides of the piece--you know, the kind of knitting where you have to pay attention to what you're doing--when we started watching the first episode of Season 2 of Fringe. Something had to go.

This weekend I should get a moment to wind up some other new yarn I found for a scarf project that I want to get going as well. Those were dark days when I didn't have any knitting in the house. It can't happen again. I'll snap a picture and post the details later.

Three Guesses

Bet you can guess where we were this week---at least if you're from the great state of MN.

That's right, Duluth! Home of lighthouses and the great lift bridge. We even broke out record this year and visited three lighthouses in one day. Not bad.

A fall trip to the North Shore is always fun. This year it was even better than usual with temps into the 60's and sunshine every day. The leaves were gorgeous, if not even a little past peak, and the sky and the water were brilliant blue. All that, and we got to visit our son to boot.

Now that we're back home, Mother Nature's show is starting to come our way.

Take Two

It's a miracle I don't hate this sweater, but now that it's done I actually like it. In fact, I actually like it a lot.

This poor yarn started out as another sweater. It tried. It failed. And as much as I hated to do it, I ended up ripping out the entire back piece. I've got to tell you, at that moment I was not in love with this yarn.

Experience told me that if I threw this yarn in a bin and moved on to something else, it would probably sit there forever. Yarn like that only festers. It's hexed.

So, I reminded myself that I liked this yarn well enough at one point to buy it--and pay quite a bit for it to boot. It was going to become a sweater.

There was a time that that meant digging through piles of old patterns, leafing through my library, or running around to yarn stores to fine a substitute pattern, but no more. Ravelry to the rescue! Their new search service gave me plenty of suggestions and within a short time I had found the perfect sweater for my orphaned yarn. I've called it Willow:Take Two.

Now that it's complete, I still have two skeins of this yarn leftover. They are going into the bin. Maybe someday they'll become a pair of mittens or a kid's sweater. I still like the yarn. I'm just not going to push it.

It's a Love/Hate Thing

We've had various work crews going through and around our home now for over a month. It wasn't supposed to take this long, but you know how it goes, one thing leads to another...and five weeks go by. (Not to mention several thousand dollars.)

It's gotten so that the sight of a van with a ladder on top of it pulling into our driveway has become a welcome and dreaded sight all at the same time. So happy to see progress and yet so ready to be done.

As we approach October, I think the end may be in sight. And not a moment too soon.

Last Gasps

Now that it's officially fall, it's time to face the fact that the garden is winding down for the season. Part of me would like to go through and clear out some of the saddest foliage, but I know that the plant is better off if it keeps storing up strength for the winter months.

Besides, time is better spent enjoying the last blooms we'll have before frost arrives, and since our average frost date has come and gone already, we're due for one any time.

In August my blue salvia looked terrible. Some bug or disease had infested the whole bunch, so I trimmed them way back and now I'm getting a terrific second show of blooms.

The zinnias too had spots of mildew, but the pruning out paid off there as well.

I'm most excited---sad, but this is what excites a gardener---about my snakeroot plants. They are blooming!

It took years for them to get established and every year I would watch for a bud without success. Finally, this year I've got some blooms. They are beautiful plants.

And the hyssop. It's right next to my cherry tomatoes. So, if you want to steal a couple to pop in your mouth, you have to ask yourself if you're willing to take on the dozens of bees that hang out here all day. I suppose the bees are working hard to fill up for the winter, too.

Last, but not least, is this sedum that decided it wanted to grow in the rocks by our service door. Sure it's a pain to walk around it every time you want to go out to the grill. I simply don't have the heart to pull it out.

US Open 2010

Tennis, tennis, and more tennis.

For one last hurrah of the summer season, we flew out to New York to go to the first week of the US Open Tennis Tournament. As it turns out, this is not a sporting event for the weak--spectators included. Even though this was definitely not a restful vacation, the effort was worth it for the chance to see some incredible play.

As a former tennis Mom, I've watched my share of matches over the years, but of course, this is tennis at a whole different level. The court coverage, the power and precision, and the player's stamina is almost unbelievable. It actually took a while to get used to even following the speed of play. And while watching tennis on TV can be enjoyable, you simply can't appreciate a 144 mph serve from your living room.

Of course, the venue for this event is as much a draw as the athletes themselves. The facility is beautiful. We were a little disappointed by the foods provided after all the build-up, but it was still better than most. (And you are there, after all, for the tennis.)

Weather played its own role in the opening days. The heat and humidity were oppressive even for watching, which makes you marvel all the more at the fitness level of the players. And to top it all off, Hurricane Earl threatened to literally dampen at least one day of the event, but thankfully only gave us a few drops of rain and delayed play for only a brief amount of time.

All said, we had a great trip to close out the summer, and when we got back to MN, even the weather reminded us that summer is definitely over. So, it's time to get our son back to school and for us to get back to work.

Small Batch Canning

Growing cucumbers is like growing zucchini; you end up harvesting enough to feed an army. At least with cucumbers there's an obvious solution---make pickles!

No one in our family is too excited about pickles, but we do like a few Bread and Butter pickles now and then. Just for fun, I thought I'd try a new recipe this year and found this one online. I liked the addition of diced green pepper--although I wish I'd have gone red instead--and whole cloves.

The recipe starts with "25 cucumbers." I don't think so. Why not make half as much? Wouldn't it work just as well?

It did. I ended up canning five pint jars for later and had nearly a quart jar's worth to refrigerate for now. The flavors haven't all reached their peak yet, but the small sample I had last night was good. The only additions that I would make to this particular recipe, outside adding the color of the red pepper, would be to use pickling salt for the brining process, and to rinse the cucumber mix in cold water after the briny liquid has been drained off. A few red pepper flakes might be good as well.

I followed the advice in Joy of Cooking for processing the smaller jars by using a boiling water bath--bring water to boil prior to putting the jars in the bath--and processing them for 15 minutes.

Now there's all that basil...

It's Over

It's official. Once you've been to the Minnesota State Fair, summer is over. Once you go through the ritual of spending almost an entire week's worth of calories and fat intake in one afternoon, fall arrives. Welcome fall.

This is not an entirely bad thing. I am actually quite eager to get back to a "normal" life after the chaotic schedule we've had this summer. We've got one last hurrah to go and then we're back to being empty nesters once again.

The garden sure looks like fall is on its way. Several hail storms have ruined all chances of having my garden photographed for Martha Stewart's magazine. (Like that's all that would keep me out.) While the foliage is hurting, the late bloomers are picking up the slack.

Now I'm glad that I didn't have the heart to pull up the few Morning Glory volunteers that managed to come up in the rock bed around the house. Seriously, never plant these things unless you want to live with them sprouting in your garden for the rest of your natural life.

The mums, too are starting to open up. I'm partial to this one since it was one of the first things I ever planted in my garden after we built our house. At that time, those few mums were bigger that some of the shrubs we had just put in. We've come a long way in eighteen years.

Unfortunately, my knitting hasn't fared (no pun intended) as well. Sporadic progress on the all-over cabled pullover I've been working on came to a screeching halt when I finished the back of the sweater and finally admitted to myself that I wasn't loving the results. Even though the yarn I'm using is one of the yarns suggested in the pattern, I think it's too heavy for the project. It's billed as a worsted yarn, but seems to be closer to an Aran weight, and the knit fabric is just too dense to allow for a nice drape. It seemed pointless to continue.

However, thanks to Ravelry's new and improved search engine, within a short amount of time I had a few ideas for how I could use this yarn with some of the patterns I already had on hand. So far, I'm still in the swatch stage and haven't had the heart to do the big rip-out, but I should be on my way to re-using this yarn soon.

Back on the Interwebs

That's right. I'm back on the WWW now that I've finally had the time to get out and replace my dearly departed laptop. Lucky for me the geeks were able to recover the information from my old hard drive, but it's still a huge pain in the neck to get a new computer going. And it's not exactly like I've been swimming in free time.

I really shouldn't complain since one of the things that has kept me busy was a wonderful trip. Now that I'm back home it's hard to believe, but in less than two weeks we managed to fly into Munich and tour parts of Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.

And what a beautiful part of the world! The architecture, the countryside, the food and drink, and all the people who are lucky enough to call those places home made for one of the best vacations I've ever had. I did miss the guys while I was away, but I felt very lucky to have the opportunity to go.

Besides coming home with lots of good memories, I also came home with plenty of inspiration.

Each of these countries is a gardener's paradise. Everywhere you look there are perfectly tended flower beds, window boxes, and vegetable gardens. I jotted down some plant and color combinations that I can use in my own yard--even if I don't have a castle or a chalet to call home.

And the food! I may have to make pretzels again, and I'm positive I'm going to be looking for some of the German and Austrian wines that we had with our meals. Maybe the best treat of all was the Cottage Cheese Fried Donuts that we scarfed down on one of our tours. I don't deep fry anything, but I may have to make an exception if I can find that recipe.

I even found some inspiration for my knitting. There were some bold color combinations in the shop windows of Salzburg, and I liked the garter stitch vests and cardigans.

So now it's back to reality. No more castles, no more horse drawn carriages, no more mountains, and not as much afternoon beer drinking. Not as much.

And even though I've struggled with jet lag and had lots to do to catch back up to speed, it is very good to be home.

Knitting for Old Age

Maybe it's just me, but when I get towards the end of a project, I tend to get very focused on finishing. One more row...one more row. Sometimes it's because I'm ready to move on to something else. More often, it's because I can't wait to see what it's going to look like once it's all done.

This Deep Peace Shawl was the rare exception to that rule. I hated to see the knitting come to an end! The simple lace patterns were fun to knit, and the yarn...the yarn. Such beautiful Riverwinds Farm Yarn! The colors are perfect and the spun fiber is some of the nicest I have ever used.

Now if I could only learn to be comfortable wearing shawls. I love to knit them; I just rarely use them. They always seem to be in my way when I'm trying to get some work done. I'm telling you, someday, I will be the envy of my nursing home.

BSOD!

There I was, minding my own business, when BAM! Out of nowhere comes the BSOD! No warning. Nothing. Just the dreaded blue screen of death and then blackness. How can this be? My laptop is only a couple of years old. But the the BSOD knows not age and strikes when and where it wills. And now my computer sits. Waiting for its checkup. And I'm not naive enough to expect a hopeful prognosis.

So, I'm back on my dinosaur slogging through months of updates to make it usable until I get the miraculous news that a repair is possible or the more likely event of having to buy another computer. It's a sad, sad tale. (Not to mention the loss of a couple of documents that I neglected to save that represent so many hours of work.)

Luckily, I've been away and busy enough to not have to dwell on my misfortune. We spent a few days on another golf jaunt---this time through Wisconsin. Perfect golfing weather and some fun with family. Then we came home just long enough to repack our bags for a few days in Chicago.

Chicago is one of my favorite cities. The people are friendly, the city is beautiful, and, of course, the pizza is the best. It's a city we never get tired of visiting.

We didn't have any special plans for our weekend---sometimes the best way to travel. Besides eating pizza, we did a little shopping, saw a movie, and even indulged in an afternoon nap one day. We even had the chance to watch some of the filming of the upcoming Transformers movie. What is it now? Transformers 3? 4? 5? No celebrities to see, only pretty cars and trucks. On Sunday, we decided to head over to watch the World Cup final on the big screens over at Soldier Field. They had a decent crowd for the day. Sorry, but I just don't get it. Nothing happens! And the drama. Not for me, but a couple of cold beers made it bearable.

It's good to finally be home for a few days. Even if it does mean facing my laptop woes.

Lady Kina

A couple of weeks ago when I needed some inspiration for a take-along knitting project, I took a peek in the list of most popular patterns on Ravelry and came across Lady Kina. Apparently, this pattern is the adult version of an earlier baby pattern. It looked easy, it looked cute, and since it was almost July and I had yet to have any cotton yarn hit my needles this year, I decided I'd give it a try.

What turned out to be a great pattern for our golf trip---easy, mindless knitting---turned out to be somewhat of a burden once I got home. Oh sure, it's all fun and games until you finish the sleeves, and then there's twenty-nine centimeters of stockinette stitch, over lots of stitches, and in cotton. Man. I was seriously excited when it got to the point when I could knit the bottom band.

It is a pretty cute sweater though. Clever in its simplicity. If I made it again, I think I might pick a loftier yarn than the Cotton Ease, but this works too. The only change I made was to knit the bands in moss stitch rather than garter stitch and that was just on a whim. I think it's cute either way.

As soon as I had m'Lady blocked, I cast on the scarf/shawl pattern Deep Peace in the yarn I bought a this spring's Sheep & Wool festival. It's good to be back knitting wool; it's so much easier on the hands. And this is really beautiful wool---a kettle-dyed cormo from RiverWinds Farm in the most gorgeous color combination. I was happy to find some hand-dyed yarn, in a color I liked, that wasn't sock weight yarn! The only downside is that the colors remind me of fall as we're turning the corner when days begin to get shorter once again. Don't think about it.

Are You Lookin' At Me?

Our white squirrel has been back visiting more frequently again, and so the other day when he popped by, I went and grabbed my camera to see if I could get some better pictures. I guess we're getting used to each other, because he seemed okay with me getting close enough to snap a few shots.

After a several minutes of staring each other down, I have to admit that I was beginning to wonder who was watching whom?

The Woes of Minnesota Grilling

Over the weekend, I patiently waited for the skies to clear without much luck, so I decided that today was the day to get my butt going. No, not mine. (Although that would be required as well.) No, it's the pork butt that's been sitting in my refrigerator for the last couple of days just waiting to be turned into mouth watering pulled pork goodness. (And yes, I know it's not really the pig's rear end. I'm just going for the pun here.)

I trusted my local weatherman last night who prognosticated spotty rain for today and went ahead and mixed up the briney bath for piggy to soak in overnight, but when I woke up this morning and saw dark skies I had my doubts. As it turns out, those doubts were well founded. The butt is still on the Weber, but it's not as much fun spending the day tending the fires when it's drizzly and cool. I should be enjoying ice cold beer while I'm sitting in my lawn chair reading a book, not running in and out adding charcoal with one hand while I hang on to an umbrella with the other.

Another couple of hours ought to finish it off. I always figure that the meat is done when I smell as smoky as the grill does.

Since I've been tied down to tending the hearth all day, I have gotten plenty done at home--even went for homemade hamburger buns for the pork. Now that it's late afternoon, however, this self-imposed lock down is getting a little old. (Can't you tell? I am writing this.) The sun did break through long enough for me to get out and take a few more pictures in the garden.

Back to the Weber.

Nice to Have Cardigan

I don't know, but I think "Must Have" is a little over-the-top for a cardigan sweater. Now that I've finished it, I guess it's nice to have a new sweater, but trust me, I didn't really have to have another one. (You don't want to know.)

This Must Have pattern and yarn hung around for almost a year before I got around to getting it on the needles. I was initially attracted to the pattern because I kept reading people's complaints that it ran a little small in size. Perfect! I get so tired of having to adjust patterns to fit.

It did not disappoint. It fits perfectly. I must confess that I did do a little last minute jiggling with the stitch count at the top of the sleeve to make the sleeve a smidge wider. That's it though.

I would recommend this pattern to someone who would like to try their hand a cables for the first time except for one reservation. I consider myself a fairly accomplished cable-er, but I still had a heck of a time figuring out what I was supposed to be doing for the "Wrap 3" stitch described in the glossary. The directions given in parentheses for this stitch may have been better written as (K1, YO, K2tog tbl).

This pattern also puts you through the hellish exercise of trying to pick up a precise number of stitches around the entire front edge. Don't do that to yourself. You will learn to hate picking up stitches. Just go ahead and pick up three stitches for every four and then do a little math to get the ribbing and buttonholes to work out correctly. Much easier and considerably less frustrating.

Wouldn't you know it? I finished the knitting on this sweater the day before we were heading out of town for a few days, so I quickly had to find something new to cast on for the trip. I went from wool to cotton. If I finished a wool sweater just in time to put it away for cold weather, I should naturally finish my cotton one in time to put it away for next summer.

Peony Update

So pretty.

June in the Garden

June is certainly one of the best months in the garden for perennial blooms. As much as I love to garden and enjoy a wide range of different plants in the yard, I'm not one of those gardeners who looks for a challenge. I don't need to grow that oh-so-rare variety that needs to be coddled and cared for. Instead, I'm always on the lookout for the tried and true that will give me the most bang for my buck--and time. As I'm planting in my garden for the 19th year, I thought I'd make a note of some of my favorites.

One of the oldest plants in my garden has to be the False Indigo. Now this is my kind of plant. It's durable, long-lived, and is a reliable bloomer year after year. Never snub a plant that's virtually maintenance free and still gives such beautiful color in the flower bed. (The catmint behind it falls in that category as well, but it takes a little more effort to reign in its tendency to spread around the garden. Still, worth it.)

Another plant that is easy to grow, once it's established, is the Gas Plant or Dictamnus albus, if you aren't partial to its common name. Allegedly, this plant gives off enough of a volatile gas that on a warm, humid evening you can ignite it simply by holding a match near the bloom. I can't say that I've ever tried it, but it is a pungent plant. If you brush against it when you're weeding, it gives off a strong lemony scent.

Just like the False Indigo, this is also a plant that likes to go in the ground and be left alone, so find a spot where it can stay for the long haul.

That goes for one of my all-time favorites in the garden as well--the peonies. In just a few day's time, these plump buds are going to burst into the most fragrant, gorgeous blooms. I will always love the peonies that are from my Grandma's garden, but I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to seeing the first blossoms from the 'Sarah Bernhardt' variety that I planted in the row a couple of years ago.

The long, warm days keep me from making as much progress as I'd like on my knitting. Those last few inches on the sleeves of my Must Have Cardigan took longer than I thought that they might, but eventually I cast them off and had the pieces of my sweater blocking in the afternoon sun. During last night Twins' game, I finished off one-half of the sweater and tried it on the best I could to see if I should continue, and it looks like it's going to fit perfectly. I guess I'll have a new sweater waiting for me this fall.