June Gloom who?

I was in Knit Culture last week and Lorna's Laces Honor yarn called out to me in a bright sunny soothing voice. But 70% Baby Alpaca/30% Silk isn't exactly cool yarn. It's has more of a cuddly nature right?

Ah Ha! June gloom is soon upon us here in the Southland, so what could be better than a bright lacy layer to combat the rainy gray weather?

What will it be? Wait and see. The swatches have been knit and computations have been made.

Tally ho!

A Scarf for Mom

It was supposed to be for her birthday last year....then it turned into a fall surprise...then finally a Christmas present. I consider myself a fairly fast knitter, but this scarf took foreeeeever. 

I chose a wave cable because it reminded me of my mom's hair when she got married. Loooong, wavy, and gorgeous. The cable itself is one of the easier ones, you alternate directions every 6 rows. This also cable doesn't numb your mind with too much counting and you shouldn't need markers.

Mom loved her scarf. I used a lama silk yarn so she would be nice and warm but not itchy. (very important.) Unfortunately, Indiana has been having one of the warmest winters on record thanks to the La Nina weather pattern. I don't think she's gotten to use it much. Maybe next year.

BBB (Better Banana Bread)

Mmmmm. Banana Bread is one of the few breads I like. I've been collecting overripe bananas in my freezer for awhile now and can I just say that thawed overripe bananas are super gross. I'm glad the end product is so tasty because sometimes I have a hard time getting past the initial squish factor.

I used a bundt pan this time.  I find a giant slab of BB to be a bit daunting at times. The bundt pan allow for more manageable slices to be cut. The bread also bakes faster, 30-40 mins instead of the usual 55-75. (less wait time = YAY!)

I really like adding fresh banana slices sprinkled with sugar on top before going into the oven. The slices caramelize while baking and add some extra banana-y goodness. Not to mention it looks pretty. I got this idea from Cooks Illustrated. (Their BB recipe is amazing as well. Check out the video: http://youtu.be/DtokStgEQKM)

I wish we had smell-o-net. You'll just have to imagine how good my apartment smells at the moment I guess. Tee-hee.

Signs of Christmas

Ahh yes. It's October. 

Time for the Christmas knitting to begin. 

Here is a little taste of the holiday season, thanks to Arne&Carlos and their new book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit.

The book full updated Nordic motifs and old world Christmas charm. As a bonus, there is an empty chart in the back of the book so you can make your own designs.

The only con was there is a very small, easy to look over paragraph about how they do their colorwork.(pg.22) They suggest the stranding method, and I thought it was odd that there were instruction and illustrations for all the other technical aspects of the project except this. I found that stranding the yarn on such a small project worked in the round really lent itself to bunching. Once stuffed they look fine...but there was a lot of tugging involved.

There is a Scandinavian technique called tvåändsstickning that I'm going to try. Don't ask me to pronounce that word, in the states it is also called Twined Knitting.  Hopefully it will work a little better. I'll keep you updated.

Lots of Norwegian Christmas fun will be had over the next few months. Oh, and watch out for Der Krampus, don't let him cramp your holiday spirit. (Pun totally intended.)

Finally, I can knit something for Darcy.

Back when I was working at the yarn shop I saw a blip, a small teeny tiny photo advertising Jane Austen Knits. Since then I've been scouring the internet looking for any sign. None was to be had.

I'm pleased to announce that yesterday pre-order began for this fun collection of knits. Yeee!

I'll be delving into the magazine after my Christmas knitting is done. But I wanted to share my joy now.

http://www.interweavestore.com/Knitting/Magazines/Jane-Austen-Knits-2011.html