back to life

I haven't written in so long I'm not sure where to begin. There hasn't been a huge rash of knitting projects so I've hesitated posting. However, I have been cooking up a storm and finishing some projects that were lying around. I've picked up more hours at my part time job in order to make rent. Which is, you know, nice. But it doesn’t leave much crafty time.

The two main projects that I've finally bucked up to do finishing work on are my first ever sweater, The Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knits and Berroco's Brea Bag. Both are knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, which is seemingly my new yarn obsession. I have yet to get a photo I am satisfied with on either project but I will post them none-the-less.

This sweater is super warm (although this is July) and surprisingly bulky for its claims to be fitted and feminine. I suppose I'll have to move to a lighter weight yarn to achieve a more svelte result. (Sigh.) I also did not realize until completion of this sweater that this is the famed Elizabeth Zimmerman technique of no-seam sweater knitting. My introduction to knitting sweaters was energizing and exciting, I finished it in a matter of days. Then I realized that most every sweater is knit in pieces! What a rookie discovery that was. Next I ran to the library to check out sweater design books and anything that hinted towards knitting sweaters with no seaming. I will report back on my findings (this post is already too long). The upside is that I'm becoming more aware of the design of every project I touch which is opening up a whole world of self-designed knitting.

The Brea Bag knitted up in no time. But seaming is my least favorite activity by far. My early projects all involved seaming, as I was knitting flat on straight needles. But they all look jagged and Frankenstein-ey. Not my favorite look. This doesn’t look too bad though, I must be progressing after all.

My friend brought by some produce so I experimented cooking with beets, which is completely foreign to me. One batch is cooked with butter and nutmeg and the other with oil, lemon and balsamic vinaigrette. I seasoned lightly so the taste is subtle at best. I've never had fresh beets so I wasn't interested in masking the flavor.

I also invented a recipe: Orzo and Lentil Salad. Which I'm mighty proud of. I've made it a total of 3 times in the last month. It’s a hit with the girlfriend.

I eyeballed all the portions, but this is the basic recipe: equal parts lentil and orzo, 14oz canned tomatoes (half 28oz can), garlic and onion sautéed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, dab of pesto if you have it, and salt and pepper to taste. I soaked the tomatoes in balsamic for a couple minutes first just for some added flavor.

Other things I haven't taken pictures of have been various incarnations of soup, curries and pumpkin walnut cookies (vegan variety from Vegan with a Vengeance). And one more shared produce recipe: Zucchini Delight, (the recipe is from How it all Vegan).

So this is what I do when I'm not knitting. As you can see, strategizing to use every scrap of grocery items to save money has blossomed into such creativity.

My next project this week is the Razor Cami by ohmystars in Ella Rae Silkience. This yarn is amazingly soft. More details later, this post is already obnoxiously long.