Spring Anyway

Looking back, I can't imagine what has kept me from posting for so long! I believe it was the ennui brought on by the long winter. I spent my days in front of the TV, knitting and watching scary shows like The Haunted.
This morning I woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground. I had two thoughts - one was '&@#% snow', and the other was: "Let it snow- the calendar says it's spring anyway."
Signs of spring: The return of the swans.

They fly in every year around this time - a sure sign of spring. Cars line up along the concession road to photograph them. They make a high pitched "toot" that distinguishes them from their geese cousins and grouped together by the thousands in a barren cornfield, they sound like cicadas.

Recent hair-brained idea: Join The Knitting Guild of AmericaThe Knitting Guild of America and attempt the Master Handknitting Program. I was just going to purchase Level One of the Master Program when my eye wandered over to the fine print in the course descriptions. It was gently suggested to first complete the "Basics, Basics, Basics" course. I smugly hit the 'check out' button and waited for my first lesson to arrive.
By the time my first lesson was returned to me, I quickly realized that this path I'm on is going to be challenging! The course instructor was kindly but firm about two things: my blocking technique and my tension. I'm on my Lesson 2 swatches and I've never stressed so much - even more than I usually obsess over swatching.

I've been thinking about being warm lately so I've been cooking tropical foods for dinners theses days. The latest was the all-time Cuban comfort food favorite, picadillo. Per usual - I didn't take a photo, but trust me to high-jack one from somewhere on the web.

Thanks for reading! It's Tuesday so Milo and I are off to Woodingford for our weekly visit.

Back again - with a great recipe!

THis is the BEST chocolate cake!
Sorry I don't have a real photo - I ate the cake already.
If you've ever struggled with chocolate cake recipes that are too dry, or not chocolate-y enough, this is the one for you. It's also very easy - you just mix everything up all at once and pour into the pan. It's so moist and sweet that you may not want to frost it, especially if you just make a sheet cake.

Ingredients
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
¾ Cup Hershey's Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs (I use large eggs)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
Note that you can freeze buttermilk so you have it to make another buttermilk chocolate cake recipe later.
Can't find buttermilk?
Here's how to make a substitute...
Add 1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar or Lemon Juice to a measuring cup. Add milk and fill to 1 cup (240 ml). Let it stand for 5 minutes.

1 Cup Mazola Vegetable Oil
1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Boiling Water
You can use 1 Cup of strong coffee instead of the boiling water. Doing so intensifies the chocolate flavor. If you're making it for children you might want to stick with the boiling water.

Preparation
1. Preheat Oven to 300° F
(This is not a typo! This is a slow bake chocolate cake recipe.)
2.Use Crisco Shortening to lightly grease and flour the
9 x 13 in. Baking Dish.

(Note: You can this recipe for cupcakes and as a layer cake. I included the baking times for each option below.)

3.Place all the ingredients on the left except the cup of boiling water into a mixing bowl.
4.Mix at medium or medium high speed. After about 1 minute add the 1 cup of boiling water. Then continue to mix until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
5.Pour into greased and floured baking dish
6.Bake for... ◦9" x 13" Baking Dish Bake for
1 hr.

(or)

◦Cupcakes: 22 - 23 min.
Be sure to use cupcake liners.

(or)

◦(2) 8 in. Round Cake Pans - 45 min.


7.Test by sticking in the middle with a knife. If it comes out clean... it's done! If not put it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes and then test again.
8.Allow to cool.

Here's the link to the recipe:http://www.bestmoistchocolatecakerecipe.com/
If you've a mind to - drop this blogger a line to tell her how delicious your cake was.
THis is what my recipe looks like after baking this cake for two years now.

Entertaining for Valentine's Day

Roger and I hosted a little Valentine's dinner with Jeff & Lisa - my bIL and his lovely wife.

With just one other couple, with whom we're really close - it was easy to throw together a special celebration.

The advice I first go to is from a dear friend's mother. She advised me that when you're having a dinner party - do your table first! If you're not quite together when your first guests arrive, your table - all set and pretty- will make you appear the most organized hostess since Martha Stewart.

For Valentine's Day, the red tablecloth I use every Christmas does double-duty. Polish your silver and crystal, arrange your flowers and you have a lovely table to welcome your company.

 

I finished  another item in my stashbusting campaign - this is out of  "Hempton". The pattern is available on Ravelry. Many thanks to my lovely model, my SIL Lisa

Stashbusting

It's February.
Yay! Like I always say, the beauty of winter is the promise of spring. Have you ever read any of the "Miss Read" books?  There's a line I love in the very beginning of Gossip from Thrush Green. I couldn't find the exact words so I'll paraphrase. The character says what's nice about February is that we can take walks after tea. I'll be looking forward to longer days myself!
I've been busy with two new projects:  my new membership in TGKA - The Knitting Guild of America, and stashbusting.



This is the first project to come off the needles: socks for my sister, Noel - a most enthusiastic recipient of socks, hand knitted or otherwise.

 I simply have to use the yarn I have, but I probably will go down to The Wise Owl in Ingersoll and make an apology purchase. I haven't been in that shop for ages1 Mala most likely thinks me dead.
I'm also going to knit a few projects for Tabby's Boutique in St. Thomas. Of course, I'll include the famous "hat for a cat".

Some scenes to leave you dreaming of spring.

What's Your One Little Word for 2013?

Sometimes I can't stand the little twee things that become popular on the internets - but this "one little word" business I can handle. Last year it was "dignity". (I did my best with that word. Honestly I did.)
This year, in honour of my New Year's first activity  my word will be "volunteer". I'm hoping I'll do that word more justice than I did "dignity".
After a thrilling NYE falling asleep while watching Liz & Dick, (review: LiLo isn't as pretty as Elizabeth Taylor. Actor who played Dick had much better skin than the real thing.) I woke up bright and early New Year's Day.  Milo and I put on our uniforms and headed over to Woodingford Lodge for some visiting.
I volunteer one day a week. When you think about it, it's not that much time. I clock two hours with my grooming time and travel time. That puts me in the 100+ hours a year category: the volunteer elite.
(I'll pause now for the pats on the back and the "attagirl".)
It doesn't seem like that much work - KWIM? And I'm in the volunteer elite? Let me just repeat the old truism: if I can do it, anyone can!
I've done the traditional "pink lady" volunteering, starting with Tampa General Hospital in the mid-80's.The training was comprehensive and well-organized. I''ve used their standards of volunteer training as a bench mark in my volunteer life. I worked three hours a week in the ER. I was appreciated and treated well by all of the staff - and I got invited to some great after-hours parties. It was a great place for a single girl to do some community work - the men (attractive, well-educated) outnumbered the women. All you did was pick the age, the weight and size.
I volunteered later on as a "cuddler" in the NICU step-down unit at Shands Hospital. The training was sub-par and I had to fight sleep while cuddling the little nippers, but my volunteer experience fast-tracked me to a sweet part-time job in the hospital.
I'm happy to say that my training with the therapy dogs of SJA was just about as thorough as my TGH volunteer training. Support and training I think are the back-bone of a good volunteer experience.
You don't necessarily have to participate in an organized volunteer activity. I've thought about more volunteer activities for myself so I'll pass them off on as suggestions.

This is part of my stash. Modest in comparison to some, but enough to give Roger a facial tic.

For example - I was going to post about my latest knitting-related project: stash-busting.

My Favorite Cowl Pattern

This is what most of my family/friends received this past Christmas. I've made about ten of them and everyone loves them. They're fun and quick to knit - it only takes one skein although the original instructions from Bernat say to use two - I haven't used more than one skein on any I've made.
The shaker rib takes a *teeny* bit of getting used to. I usually have to frog several times before I get my groove going - but since you only cast on two stitches at the beginning - who cares?
MATERIALS
Bernat® Mosaic (100 g/3.5 oz; 191 m/209 yds)
44315 (Ninja) 2 balls

Size 5.5 mm (U.S. 9) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge.

GAUGE
14 sts and 30 rows = 4 ins [10 cm] in Shaker Rib Pat.

INSTRUCTIONS
Cast on 2 sts.
1st row: (RS). Inc 1 st in first st. K1.
2nd row: K3.
3rd row: Inc 1 st in first st. Inc 1 st in next st. K1.
4th row: K2. K1B. K2.
5th row: Inc 1 st in first st. Knit to last 2 sts. Inc 1 st in next st. K1.
6th row: K2. P1. K1B. P1. K2.
7th row: As 5th row.
8th row: K2. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 3 sts. K1B. K2.
9th row: As 5th row.
10th row: K2. P1. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 2 sts. K2.
Rep 7th to 10th rows until work measured along straight edge measures approx 12½ ins [32 cm] ending on 10th row.
1st row: (RS). Inc 1 st in first st. Knit to last 3 sts. P2tog. K1.
2nd row: K2. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 3 sts. K1B. K2.
3rd row: As 1st row.
4th row: K2. P1. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 2 sts. K2.
Rep last 4 rows until longest straight edge measured from corner cast on measures approx 28 ins [71 cm] ending on a 4th row.
1st row: (RS). K1. K2tog. Knit to last 3 sts. P2tog. K1.
2nd row: K2. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 3 sts. K1B. P1. K1.
3rd row: As 1st row.
4th row: K2. P1. *K1B. P1. Rep from * to last 2 sts. P1. K1.
Rep last 4 rows until 7 sts rem, ending on 4th row.
Next row: K1. K2tog. K1. P2tog. K1.
Next row: K2. K1B. P1. K1.
Next row: K1. Sl1. K2tog. psso. K1.
Next row: Sl1. K2tog. psso. Fasten off.
Sew center back seam.
Note : to make the edges of this item much more tidy, do the following:
at the beginning of every row, knit the first stitch through the back. At the end of every row, slip the last stitch purl-wise.
I'm not being sponsored - although you guys can chime in at any time! but please consider signing up at Bernat. They have tons of great patterns and lots of info.
Thanks for reading - and happy knitting!

A LIttle Post-Christmas blurb

We went from no snow to "living in a snow globe" within a couple of hours on Wednesday. It was the kind of snow that makes you SOOOOOOOO happy that you're indoors!

We welcomed little Cohen into our family last week. He arrived safely on Tuesday the 18th. He's a whopper - weighed in at 9.4 pounds. There was a definite urgency in getting him photographed in his "Size newborn" duds. Proud parents are my stepson, Kyle, and his SO, Janelle.
I thought I'd include a little tutorial on converting those wine-bottle gift bags into regular sized ones - or small enough for some little trinkets. If you're a friend of mine, I know for sure you get a LOT of these bags from somewhere or other. I know it's too late for this year - but this could be a lifesaver for you next year!



Use bags that have a repeating pattern.

Cut about 3 ins from the top, then about six or seven inches from the bottom. Discard center section.

Use decorative scissors to trim top section.

Fit top section over bottom section.

Stapling is fine for joining the two pieces.

You can add detail such as a little fringe.

Voila! I hope this can spare you a few last-minute trips to the Dollar Store next year!