Not Dead

I'm not dead, maimed or impaired - just busy, and when I'm not busy I'm lazy and/or knitting. I'll try to get my butt in gear later today or this weekend to show you what I've been up to. Part of the lack of posting is that it has been so long and with so many knitted objects, that I want to post everything. But the amount of pictures etc. is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to get over it - hence this brief note.

Blocking

Doesn't everyone soak small items like this :) I looked at my counter the other day and thought it looked funny

GF Caesar Salad

Since going gluten free I've been missing Caesar salad dressing. Everything I've seen in the grocery store has wheat. So when I found the following recipe on a box of GF croutons, I had to try it.

From the back of a box of Gluten-Free Pantry Olive oil and garlic croutons was a Caesar Dressing recipe that I tried and enjoyed

Dressing (beat to combine)
125 ml (1/2 c) extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
15 mL (1 Tbsp) gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
5 ml (1 tsp) gluten-free Dijon mustard
125 ml (1/2 c) grated parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish
1 anchovy, mashed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Notes: I didn't have gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, luckily I checked the stuff I had and it had soy sauce. I didn't put the anchovy and I may have put extra garlic (which was possibly a bad choice, and I like garlic). So I made it a bit different from the recipe and it was still quite good. It seems to be missing a little something which I'm figuring is likely the Worcestershire sauce so that is now on the grocery list.

The croutons? Not so great, very dense - but they give the illusion of a full caesar salad...

GF Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts - same cookbook that I used for the bread I posted about a month or so ago. Definitely yummy and they tastevery similar to the original glutenous versions I made. The recipe was wonderfully detailed.

I've also tried the Chocolate Chip cookies but those were an epic fail 3+ times... I will try again at least once more, just not right now.

FO: Mitered Square Blanket

You know a project has taken awhile when it feels weird to think that it is done. I've finally finished my Mitered Square Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting! I started it back in January 2008 and finished it yesterday. Some delays were due to laziness (especially towards the end), heat (also towards the end - who wants to knit the edge on a blanket in the middle of summer), running out of a colour and Michaels not having it because Patons changed their colour line (found a place online that still had them, luckily), and needing more colours (found them in Kelowna). There were also a few extra squares made because I knit them before I figured out the pattern that I wanted... They went to my mom's knitting group who knits blankets for charity - I figured they'd fit in somewhere.



There are 80 miters in this thing - 13 colours - and 9x4 rows of garter stitch in the border (9 colours, 4 rows per colour). I knit some icord to cover the seam at the corners because the seam was messy and I couldn't stand not being completely satisfied given the time investment in the blanket.



Ellie and Cory have both claimed the blanket.

Wordless Wednesday: Vancouver Island #2

This quick trip has provided me with pictures to post for the next little bit



Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS
19/9/2009

More Finished Objects

I don't quite know why but I'm drawn to more of these small projects - I do one of them and then settle in for knitting on a project that takes more time.

I finally finished the Embossed Leaves Socks that I started back in April - the hang up was that I didn't want to spend the time casting on (or so it seems). So when we went to visit Cory's relatives it was all I brought and I wouldn't let myself cast on with the sweatermaker yarn until the Embossed Leaves Socks were finished (including weaving in the ends). Worked like a charm. Here is a photo of the first sock - I haven't taken a picture of the pair yet - but trust me they are done like dinner (well not tonight's dinner but let's not get too picky).





I've knit two mini-sweaters - the second one is a mini-baby surprise jacket. I swear, Elizabeth Zimmerman was a genius to come up with the original (which I intend on knitting).





I made another one of the knitted flower things with a button in the middle. I meant for this one to have 6 petals but ran out of yarn after 4. It is adorning my knitting basket for the time being.



I've had a spurt of bookmarks this past weekend... Not quite sure what I'll do with them but they were enjoyable.


Backbone Bookmark


Gertrude Bookmark (ravelry link)


and the Sylvia Bookmark (ravlery link)


And finally, I've cast on the SweaterMaker Socks using the Yarn Harlot's Basic Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules!



In terms of blogging - that's all I got, pictures and not a lot of words. I've been a bit under the weather for awhile (sore throat that comes and goes) but it has gotten worse this past weekend. Still just a cold, and a mild one at that (knock on wood) - but enough to cause me expend all of my energy on a paper that I'm writing for a class and not leave me enough to think of much to type here. As always, yardage requirements etc. are on Ravelry. If you aren't on Ravelry and want details on where to find the pattern, yardage etc send me a comment and I'll get the information to you.