I hope life has been good for you. It’s been okay for us. We’re fostering a pair of Golden Retrievers. OMGosh they are DUMB. I will NEVER adopt a golden retriever to be an “us” dog. NEVER. They are not a breed whose personality I admire or could tolerate. They are STUPID. And the hand lick thing . . . yeah, that’s a hell of a NO. Other than that they’re pretty and friendly and love EVERYBODY, friend or foe. I did tell you they were stupid, didn’t I? Yeah, DUMB.
I got the bathrobe I was working on finished. It’s going to work just fine. It’s so stretchy my neck doesn’t complain when I put it on. I’m 2/3 done with the belt. Another “sit and knit” and I’ll be done.
And the bad news . . . our rescue kitty has reached the point in her life where her bladder control has failed. She sleeps on the bed and her bladder leaks. On our bed. Ugh. I’ve washed the bed clothes all the way to the mattress (treated with odor solve each time to mediate the problem). This whole thing makes me want to cry. I know she was old when we got her so this isn’t a horrible surprise. At this point she has to be an outside cat. She’s still getting her special food . . . baked chicken and canned tuna . . . and milk (probably not good for her) and that will have to be the “going forward” plan. I can’t wash all the bedclothes and treat the mattress every day. I just can’t. I wish it wasn’t winter. This would be so much easier to accept if it was spring or summer. It makes my heart ache.
Refining the fit
I’ve made one pair of socks and they’re comfortable but a bit loose with wrinkles over the top of my instep. So . . . adjustments.
Because they’re a bit too big around I decreased the number of rows knitted before starting the short rows. From the original calculation of 18 rows I dropped to 17 which reduced the total rows by at least two, possibly as many as four. Fewer rows means fewer stitches which means fewer short row turns which means fewer total rows (SRTs + original rows). The original pattern doesn’t have short rows so if you’re embarking on this project and don’t understand what I did with short rows to level the ankle and toe opening, message me and I’ll draw you a picture.
Because the finished sock had wrinkles across the instep I stopped doing increases for the instep wedge at the start of the short rows. This was marvelously successful. It produced a shorter (from ankle to toe) instep which resulted in a better fit.
The result of fewer rows produced fewer short rows which produced fewer ankle and toe stitches and shorter instep run giving a better fit.
New sock pattern with adaptation
I’ve tried all sorts of sock patterns; Fleegal, Sockmatician (I joined his brioche kickstarter – an awesome knitter I was delighted to support), Cat Biori’s tomato heel, gusset, bigger gusset. If you’ve followed my blog over the years you already know this. I don’t have a single pair of socks that I’ve knitted and kept. They were all sent to my sister who has lower volume feet (same length). This is the FIRST sock design that’s shown promise for a truly comfortable fit. It’s dead easy to knit. No fuss, nothing difficult (assuming you’re comfortable with short rows) . . . and it was an easy and intuitive adjustment from the original pattern for my short high volume feet.
I have a horrible time getting shoes and socks that fit. I have insanely short feet with unbelievably high arches. I am not kidding, my foot is shorter in length than the measure around my foot at the arch. 9.5″ around, 8.25″ long. Manufacturers do not make shoes that fit feet like mine. The new barefoot movement has promise but even there the shoes that purport to be made for high volume feet don’t have enough volume.
So . . . socks. As you can guess, socks are also a problem. If they’re the right length they aren’t big enough around. If they are big enough around they hang off my toes.
I bought two patterns from Cita Steinmeier that hold great promise. They’re both knit the same way from the heel out but with different starts. The bit I don’t care for is the knitting of the heel section ends at an awkward angle where the leg and toe are destined to be knit. In addition, the edges traveled too far up the back of my leg and down the bottom of my foot toward the toe. (I did say insanely short feet with unbelievably high arches. When I had boots made they were judged to be 3FF (US), so . . . yeah . . . totally abnormal.)
So, the fix . . . I started by changing the caston. I did the classic thumb caston (3 stitches) followed by this setup worked in the round.
Round 1. K
Round 2. Inc every stitch
Round 3. K
Round 4. Inc every stitch knitting equally off onto 3 DPNs
Round 5. K
The original pattern calls for two increases per section every fourth row. I like one increase per section every other row. It’s the same number of increases, just distributed differently. After setup the rows alternate between a row knit without increases a row knit with increases. The increase rows alternate between one increase at the beginning of each of the two sections on each DPN or the end of each of the two sections on each DPN. In other words, one round has an increase at the start of each section, the next increase round has it at the end of each section. I know that seems confusing. Once it’s a work in progress it’s dead simple. Knit one round. Knit the next round with an increase at the start of each section. Knit one round. Knit the next round with an increase at the end of each section. Repeat.
When the work was about one inch from closing over the top of my arch I started doing short rows to level the work. The SRTs are separated by three stitches. Work the short row turn on the fourth stitch from the previous turn, stop working SRTs when the section marker is reached. Don’t work any short row turns on the arch portions.
I’m really happy with how this fits.
I think this will work for me. Thank you Cita Steinmeier for the pattern to start me off. (The fat ankle is the result of a horse/carriage accident. Totally my fault. The fat ankle thingy is permanent.)
Update on hot cocoa
Update on the keto hot cocoa thing. I’ve streamlined the process and wanted to share.
Put 3/4 cup of your favorite granulated keto-safe sweetener into the bottom of your blender jar. Put 3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark) on top the sweetener.
Cut open a Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk box. I use this brand because it has two ingredients, coconut and water. No sweeteners, no fillers . . . of course that makes it a little more difficult to deal with . . . you can’t shake it and mix it up. It just doesn’t work. When you look at the customer rating for this brand you’ll see it’s rated at ~3.5 stars. It can’t be because of the quality of the product, it has to be because you can’t mix the settled out solids into the liquids by shaking. I solve the problem by dumping it in a blender. Open the box by folding out the ears and flattening the ends. Hold it bottom end up and cut off a corner and pour some of it into a blender carafe, then cut the entire end off and dump liquid and solids into the carafe. Tilt the carafe and carefully dump the solids to avoid splashing the liquidy bits everywhere.
Stick the lid on and blend until fully mixed.
Pour into a quart jar, put a lid on and refrigerate. Don’t try and scrape the carafe clean. Add 2/3 of a cup of almond milk (JMPO, Walmart’s Great Value brand is the best I’ve tried). Scrape the sides down into the cocoa, put the lid on and blend.
Pour into a cup and microwave. Enjoy.
You now have cocoa mix that can be used hot or cold. 1/4 cup mix, 2/3-3/4 cup almond milk according to your taste. Fast, easy, hot or cold.
Don’t forget the MaxMallow Marshmallows if you need the extra oomph.
Cream of broccoli soup
OMGosh I had the most FABULOUS soup last night. First, a bit of history. Wadly and I don’t always eat the same things. We may have the main part of the meal the same (fried chicken for example) but we have different veges. He has spinach. I love spinach but I also love broccoli. He will eat it but he really prefers spinach. So when I cook broccoli I usually cook a bit more for using in soup or stir fry or chicken alfredo or . . . you get the idea.
To make GOOD steamed broccoli I have to pull it out of the instant pot the instant it’s done or it’s overdone. Nobody likes overdone broccoli, nobody.
Well, it was inevitable. That happened. I got distracted, stopped watching the instant pot and the broccoli got left in for natural release. Not quite mush but . . . nobody’s gonna eat it.
I got on the internet and found a recipe for keto cream of broccoli soup. I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly because it used raw broccoli, something I patently didn’t have, and regular paprika, so I improvised. If you’ve already got the broccoli overcooked and you have the necessary ingredients, this stuff comes together in under 15 minutes.
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika (I’ve got some fabulous smoked paprika so that’s what I used)
1 tbsp butter
4 oz cream cheese (half a block of cream cheese)
Put that in a pan and heat it up while stirring until it’s well combined and hot. And 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup heavy cream and bring it to a good healthy simmer for 5-8 minutes
Add 8 ounces of chopped broccoli. Bring it back up to a simmer.
The original recipe calls for garnishing with sharp cheddar. I didn’t. IT. WAS. FABULOUS.
Here’s the 411 on the chicken broth. Mine was left over from making chicken to use in chicken alfredo (also fabulous). I always keep the broth because I can use it in chowder or soup and because it’s well seasoned it enhances the flavor of the dish it’s used in.
Using my big instant pot I put two chicken hindquarters in flat on the bottom, not stacked. Add 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 4 cardamom pods, a dash of salt and 4″ worth of the tough leaves at the top of a leek (the ones you normally throw away) or two slices of onion.
Once everything’s in the pot add about half an inch of water (don’t cover the chicken – add water to halfway up the sides of the pieces of chicken, no more). Cook for ~27 minutes on full pressure. Pull out the chicken, strain the liquid and throw anything else away (leek leaves, onion, cardamom pods). The broth should pretty much fill a pint jar all things being equal. Use it wherever broth is required in a recipe.
This is my current favorite thing to eat for breakfast. It’s SO good!
The bread is a quick bread made of egg, almond flour, baking powder and butter. I use silicone molds for the shape. Mix it, divide it into two molds, pop it in the microwave and cook for 1:40. Easy.
The egg thing is done in the same mold. Sautee bell pepper, onion, mushroom and sausage in a bit of butter. Whisk an egg in a bowl and add the veges. Mix. Scrape it into a mold and stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Assemble with a bit of mayo and a slice of tomato.
Chicken Alfredo! SO good!
I made chicken alfredo for dinner tonight. It was so good! And so easy!
I buy chicken hindquarters in ten pound bags from Walmart. Wadly buys chicken thighs (Tyson) from Safeway. He pays $2+ a pound, I pay $0.67. His are soaked in or injected with stuff that makes my stomach hurt. He likes his, I like mine. It works!
So when it comes time to do something with chicken that I’m going to eat, I use my cheapo untreated/uncontaminated chicken to offset the cost of what I’m going to do with it. Tonight was chicken alfredo over steamed broccoli. This isn’t a fast meal but it is an easy meal. The jar of Rao alfredo sauce is a bit pricey but it doesn’t trigger any of my allergies and is gluten free. Plus it’s really delicious and keto friendly.
I put the chicken thighs (I used three tonight because this batch of hindquarters is mostly made up of smaller pieces) in my big instant pot with a cup of water, a tsp of Italian seasoning, a tsp of poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. I laid the thick leaves of 1/3 of a leek over the top of the chicken and pressure cooked on high for ~26 minutes. After natural release I separated the meat from the skin, gristle and bone and cut the chicken into not too small pieces.
Before doing the deboning I put the broccoli on to steam and started the onion/pepper/mushroom sauteeing. I steam broccoli florets in my smaller instant pot (steamer basket, 1 cup of water) for 0.00 minutes on low and released the pressure valve as soon as the pressure is achieved
While the chicken was being deboned I sautee onion, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper (it’s what I had) and sliced mushrooms in butter until tender. I dumped the chicken in on top, stirred, poured in a bottle of Rao Alfredo Sauce and heated until it’s warmed completely through.
I divided the broccoli into servings and ladled the alfredo mix over the top. Easy (not quick) and delicious! The longest thing to wait on was the chicken cooking. Steaming the broccoli didn’t take long (about the time it took to debone the chicken) and heating all the ingredients gave me a minute to clean up before dishing out. It worked!
Planning the new plant wall
I’ve been working on plans for my plant wall; sourcing materials, working through ideas, thinking through what will work and what won’t.
I’ve got the room reorganized with crafts and knitting shelves moved, my desk and sewing/craft table resituated to maximize wall space for new plant wall. I’m ready. My plans, however, aren’t. There are pesky little things outstanding.
- I’ve sourced the expanded PVC sheet needed for the back of the plant wall. The manufacturer has a plant mere minutes away from our son’s home. The snag . . . they don’t do will call. They *must* ship. We’re going to have to work through this issue.
- How are we going to hang the plant wall so the supports don’t provide a potential path to the wall for water wicking.
- How am I going to get an accurate enough cut of the 6″ pvc pipe to glue the 1/3 circumference pipe frame to the expanded pvc and get an absolutely perfect water tight seal with perfect mitered corners.
- I still haven’t sourced the variety of stainless steel screws to fasten the pvc sheet to the plywood back and the felt to the expanded pvc back. This is probably the most minor issue we have.
Wadly came up with a brilliant idea for hanging the plant wall. For those of you who haven’t been in my living/bedroom, I’ve got two places where I spend my time, at my desk and in my knitting nest. The knitting nest is a hammock chair suspended from a heavy logging chain which runs from one side of the room to the other. It swivels, it swings, it’s just what I need for extended stretches of knitting. The chain is held up by big eye bolts which go through the wall. It’s plenty heavy duty. In one of the moves it was easier to install a new eye bolt than move one from the previous location. So, I have this beautiful shiny eyebolt sticking out of the wall just to the left of where my plant wall will live. Wadly suggested installing a second eye bolt and run a rod through the pair to hang the plant wall. THIS IS BRILLIANT! It keeps the plant wall off the wall, gives us the ability to move/remove/maintain the wall without having to undo/unscrew anything! Absolutely brilliant! All that’s needed is two standoff legs at the bottom to keep it off the wall. Plan!
Good times!
Tomorrow my desk gets rotated. That’s one more step toward a new and bigger plant wall. The crafting shelving unit with table has been moved, the bookshelf with all the magazines and WIP quilt projects and equipment has been moved, the new area rug is down . . . I’m getting closer!
Good news, despite fears to the contrary the aquarium does not leak. That’s $200 I don’t need to spend which gives me more money to spend on plants . . . and that’s going to be the largest cost of the build. I’m still researching what plants I want to add. I want another ricinifolia immense (Hawaiian begonia), some smaller varieties of philodendrons, ficus, smaller varieties of fern, strawberry and angel wing begonias, a few different antherium . . . The goal is to not have anything that protrudes more than 30″ from the wall. I’m going to try to pin on some of the more vibrant moss growing on the maples beside the deck. I’ve already got a 50L bag of leka (expanded clay pellets) to use for putting the plants into the wall. As I get plants I’ll bare root them and get them going in the leka substrate so they’re ready when I finally get the wall built. That will help ensure I don’t get anything added to the wall that isn’t perfectly healthy.
The area below our property has been logged. While I dislike the fact we’ve lost that buffer of trees, we can now see Mt. St. Helens from our house, assuming the weather is clear. At our request they also logged the trees on our easement (as opposed to them being taken down by the wind as happened with our neighbor last night . . . ouch). With the pulp wood being stacked for firewood and the better logs held to be processed for lumber, that will provide a very little bit of income Lorr can use toward property stuff.
Good times.
Shrimp Frittata
I had a frittata for breakfast. SO good! Plus I have half left over for another meal!
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2/3 cup cheese (I used Colby/Jack)
- 6 large shrimp cut into thirds
- 3-4 green onions
- handful of shiitake mushrooms halved and sliced
- 2/3 cup chopped cooked broccoli (I cook it in my instant pot and put it in the fridge for adding to soups, stews, omelettes, etc.)
Sautee the mushrooms and green onions in butter. Add more butter if the pan starts to look dry. Mushrooms absorb oil while cooking and stuffing them with butter makes them extra delicious. Add the shrimp and broccoli. Cook until the shrimp is opaque.
While the veges are cooking mix the eggs and cream cheese until smooth. I use the whisk on my immersion blender. It’s fast and cleanup is pretty easy. Add the cheese.
Once all the cooked stuff is ready add it to the egg mix and stir until combined.
Pour it in a buttered dish/pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Serve it with diced tomato.
Low carb (keto) hot cocoa
This one is fabulous, contains no dairy and has maybe 1 carb.
Mix equal parts Dutch processed cocoa powder (I’m using Hershey’s Special Dark) and the sweetener of your choice. I’m using xylitol. Yes I know it’s poisonous to dogs but chocolate isn’t good for dogs either so I’m good. Plus I’m not about to share my hot cocoa. Once you taste it I think you’ll agree. I mix a cup of cocoa powder and sweetener at a time and store the result in a glass jar with a well fitted lid where it’s available whenever cocoa craving strikes. If you don’t want to premix, add 1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 heaping teaspoon of sweetener. I know that seems weird but when you mix cocoa and sweetener together it takes up close to the same volume as the sweetener because the cocoa nests into the spaces between the grains when they are mixed together.
Put a heaping teaspoon of the mix in the bottom of a cup. Add ~1/4c coconut milk (make sure you shake the carton first). Using a spoon mix the cocoa/sweetener/coconut mix until all the cocoa powder has been incorporated. Add another 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup almond milk (make sure you shake the carton first). Stir. Microwave for 2 minutes or whatever time is suitable for your microwave. Mine’s low powered so 2 minutes works.
If you can use erythritol (I can’t) add two Max Mallow marshmallows to the top. They are fabulous and yes, it breaks my heart that I can’t eat them. Regardless, with or without, the hot cocoa is fabulous. ‘Scuse me while I go fix a cup . . .
Amazingly good beef and cabbage
Wadly brought home some chuck steak. I already had a cabbage. I’ve looked and looked for good simple recipes for beef and cabbage and am truly underwhelmed. I’ve tried cabbage rolls which are time intensive, carb heavy (rice) and not very good. Today was a headache day and there’s no way I was up to anything but simple, so I improvised. The result got an “absolutely delicious” from Wadly so I’m rating this one as a solid win.
Cube the beef. Brown it in equal parts garlic/onion oil and butter.
While that’s browning add to the Instant Pot 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of red wine (I used a good merlo), a couple dashes of Worcestershire Sauce and a good sprinkling of rosemary (I used dried ground).
When the beef is done browning scrape everything out of the pan into the Instant Pot. Add salt and pepper. Lay the tougher outer leaves of 1/3 of a leek on top. Save the tender inner leaves for the cabbage mix. Pressure cook on high for 45 min.
Slice half a cabbage. I halved the head, cut one half into quarters and thin-sliced the quarters so I wouldn’t have long strips of cabbage leaf. Thin slice 1/2 a bell pepper. I used orange for a nice splash of color. Diagonally slice the remaining leek leaves . Sautee the three ingredients in a dash of garlic/onion oil and 2-3 tbsp butter. Don’t overcook. You want it done but still with crunchy bits.
When the pressure falls off the Instant Pot (natural release) pick off and dispose of the leek leaves, add 1/2 small can of diced tomatoes (1 cup), bring up to a simmer, add corn starch to thicken. Serve over the cabbage. Amazingly good. I’ll do this again. My tummy thought it was really good as well.
I know you think I only share this stuff for your benefit but I also do it because I can’t remember what I did from one time to the next and recording my recipes here gives me a place to go to when I need to know exactly what I did.
Update: I need to add a tweak and a comment. I was trying to use up some peppers and onion. I only had about 1/3 of a large orange bell pepper so I added a few scraps of green bell pepper and a slice of yellow onion to the cabbage mix. When the Instant Pot finished venting I pulled the leak leaves and taste tested the liquid. It was a little on the sour side so I added a tablespoon of keto friendly sweetener. When the entire dish was assembled it tasted fabulous. Lots of rich subtle flavor. Wadly loved it.
Finally delivered
Wadly had been carrying Mickey’s vest around in the van for weeks and hadn’t yet been able to get it delivered. He ran into Peter (Mickey’s spouse) at our local grocery and managed the handoff just in time for onset of crappy (wet and chilly) weather. Mickey’s happy.
Revisiting cordwaining
I’m making shoes again.
I bought a pattern and did a test-build. The upside, I learned a lot. I’m totally unsurprised the result doesn’t fit. My feet are pretty abnormal.
It’s important to know what type of foot you have. I have very short feet with very high volume and my foot has a significant curve from heel center to toe center. My foot from heel to end of middle toe is 8.25″ long. My foot is also very wide. 3FF. Until I had custom boots made at White’s I didn’t know there was such a size. Wadly, venerable spouse, says I wear boxes with laces. Wadly has feet that are the complete opposite. His are very long, very narrow and extremely low volume. He’s living the other end of the “shoes don’t fit” spectrum, he has skis for feet.
The shoe pattern I bought is designed for a more common lower volume straighter foot, something approaching the average foot shape.
These are from two different pairs of shoes, one I designed that fits and the pattern result. The shoe on the left is what fits me. It is loose enough to accommodate a heavy sock. The shoe on the right is from the pattern. I haven’t added a sole yet because the shoe so low volume I can’t wear it with a sock. I have to take it apart and rework it into something with enough volume to accommodate a sock. (See epiphany at end)
Feet come in four toe shapes; sloped, mountain, plateau and square. This shoe pattern is designed for someone with sloped toes with the big toe being the longest. I have mountain shaped toes with the middle toe being the longest. I had to take some off the big toe and redistribute that volume to the middle toe before ever trying the test shoe. There isn’t quite enough height to comfortably accommodate my fat little piggy toes, something another pattern user commented on.
The second issue is the shape of my foot versus the shape of the footbed. My feet aren’t straight. They curve from heel to toe. If my feet were straight I’d probably wear a women’s 6C or D. The left is a tracing of my foot with room for my toes. This is the shape and size of the foot bed that works for me. The right is my foot bed laid over the pattern sole. Parts of my foot go right over the flange and, at one point, out of the pattern. There’s no way the pattern’s footbed’s shape will ever accommodate my foot.
The poor fit is NOT the fault of the pattern. For most people this would be a lovely pattern with a nice unique heel construction. I know my feet are weird and expected no less than a bad fit when someone else drafts the pattern for the average foot.
The pattern video is here and partners the pattern. It’s worth a watch if you’re at all interested in making your own barefoot shoes. The video sound isn’t the best so be prepared to turn it up.
In writing this I had an epiphany. I spend 99% of my time barefoot. I have fake crocs I use for running to the outside fridge or out to meet delivery drivers when they show up when the weather is wet or cold. I can take these “do not fit”s, fold the heel down and turn them into a replacement without too much effort. If I rip the midsole off and replace it with the shape that fits me I will end up with new slipons that will work for that job handily. A new midsole, a bit of sewing and soling, new elastic laces and I’ll be all set. Win win!
Bra Logic
I’ve been knitting bras working toward the perfect design for me, something that provides a modicum of support while being comfortable. I’ve gotten a really good start with two of three that are relatively no fuss comfortable. Each iteration I learn a little more and make adjustments. All the techniques I’ve been accummulating have come in handy letting me turn my visions into garments.
I posted my project in knitting groups on Facebook and the comments were wild. I had no idea so many women have my problem. Commercial bras are not comfortable. At all. A percentage of the commenters have given up on commercial bras altogether, wearing a camisole instead. Wow. Who knew?
Still Guessing
I didn’t knit it for Mindy but it went home with her. Purple is one of her favorite colors. At this point I think Mindy’s sweatered out.
I think I’m going to add one more set of short rows to my sleeve cap. Can you see how the pattern rises at the upper arm? Yeah, not liking that. Adding one more set of short rows should fix most if not all of that. This is the kind of stuff I can’t see on the hanger. It has to go on a body for it to show up.
Mindy’s Sheltered
I had a bunch of acrylic yarn I bought before I found out I really don’t like wearing acrylic (itchy). I tried knitting Sheltered (cowl necked poncho) and just wasn’t feeling it. Being a bit of a fit freak, I don’t like clothes that flap around.
So I tested a bunch of things and this is what I ended up with. It’s Conti-something, no picked up stitches, no sewing. The length is what Mindy likes to wear over leggings. The pocket technique is the same as used for her orange sweater. Everything else is absolutely bog standard.
Spring for Mindy
This one’s got a bit of a history. I have a tendency to wander off onto unexplored paths if I start something and it’s just not working. I browsed pictures (flowers, sweaters with flowers, art with flowers, gardens of flowers) and really wanted to do an intarsia flower sweater. Did I end up with a flower sweater? Nope.
On the plus side, Mindy (recipient) has gotten nice comments on her new sweater so it’s all good.
At the first test fit the sleeve was too tight and the pockets were too high. I was having MC yardage issues and couldn’t wrap my brain around how I was going to make the given amount of yarn stretch to cover the extra five inches needed in length and the extra sleeve width. It was breaking my heart thinking I would have to frog. The pockets were FABULOUS. <sigh>
Then it occured to me . . . I could Kitchener! So I cut the sweater off under the arms, added the additional stripes to give it the appropriate length and save the orange for the sleeves . . . and it came out awesome!
The green band at the base of the collar is double knit to help control the stretch of the neck opening. The outside is green variegated and the inside is orange.
The pockets are worked using a technique I developed . . . no sewing and they come out even and flat and beautiful.
The cuffs are an interesting technique pointed out to me by a fellow knitter (thank you Lorie Yates). The inside of the cuff is variegated green and the bindoff is done on the outside of the cuff.
I learned a lot making this sweater. Did I get the flowers I wanted? No, but the end result is beautiful and Mindy loves it.
The shoulder is conti-raglan.
Mickey’s Vest
This is coming along nicely. This is my third or fourth start. The first was with the requested cables and it was a total non-starter. The back side of the cables were unattractive. No, just no.
I still wanted texture and it needed to be reversible so I test-knit the collar in zigzag. It had nice texture if you were looking at it from less than a foot away, but it could in no way compete with the bold graphic of cables. Also a no and a frog. Then I hit on a collar I loved . . . double zigzag. It had all the graphic drama, was simple to knit and it was reversible! Woot! But it didn’t match what Mickey had envisioned so . . . . yeah, frog.
Instead of a tall collar that could be turned down with lapels flipped back (the reasoning for a reversible pattern for the collar), a short collar was what was wanted. No problem!
I tried doing a contiguous shoulder and really hated the cramping. Even using two different types of increases to relieve some of the strain in the shoulder line it still cramped. This two-types thing would be okay for a sleeved sweater as the weight of the sleeve would go a long way to pulling the cramped shoulderline open. For a vest? Yeah, not gonna work. I worked conti-something shoulders. It always fits great.
This (hopefully) is going to work, assuming my numbers are all good and it fits. I’m going to knit a couple more inches and send it off for a test fit.
Heating Pad Yogurt?
I made yogurt yesterday. After scalding the milk, cooling it and adding the starter I put it in pint jars. I had a bit left over, enough for a full half-pint jar. Of course that was the straw . . . it wouldn’t fit in the Instant Pot with the pints.
You know me . . . I can’t waste stuff . . . so I had to come up with a plan! I have a big heating pad . . . what about that! It took a bit of testing but it turns out the #2 heat setting is perfect for processing yogurt!
New Shoulder!
I’ve started playing with a new shoulder, something easy for people to knit that gives a really nice fit. I think I’ve got a winner.
It’s a contiguous shoulder using two different increases paired with shoulder shaping short rows to produce a nicely rounded sleeve cap.
There’s always a downside and with this shoulder it’s the swatch. Cast on six stitches. Put a stitch marker in the middle. Work 2 stitches in seed, M1 (left or right, choose one and stick with it ), k1, sm, k1, work a lifted increase, work 2 stitches in seed. Turn. Work 3 stitches in seed. M1, p1, sm, p1, work a lifted increase, work 3 stitches in seed. Turn. this is where the two row repeat starts.
Work 3 stitches in seed. knit to within 1 stitch of the marker. M1. K1, sm, k1, work a lifted increase, knit until 3 stitches remain. Work in seed to end of row. Turn. Work 3 stitches in seed. purl to within one stitch of the marker. M1, p1, sm, p1. Work a lifted increase. Purl until 3 stitches remain. Work seed stitch to the end of the row. Turn. Repeat until the swatch measures close to six inches.
This swatch gives you row count, stitch count and shoulder row count (the line of stitches that’s on the diagonal).
On the plus side, the time spent knitting the swatch is going to consolidate the technique before the sweater is cast on.
I’ll try and get a video out in the next couple weeks with all the math.
Braised Beef Stew
We were gifted a bag of packages of frozen very lean beef. I’ve slowly been using it up. I’m down to the last package, chuck steak. Chuck steak is one of my favorite cuts because it’s so versatile. Today I made braised beef stew and it’s really good!
I didn’t have potatoes (grocery shopping is scheduled for tomorrow). I have broccoli and carrots, onion and garlic oil, spices, canned diced tomatoes and red wine so that’s where I went.
Peel three carrots, cut them into chunks, peeled two broccoli stems and cut them into chunks. Cooked them in a frying pan with butter and garlic/onion oil until they’re a little bit done. Pull the veges from the pan, put them in a glass loaf pan and spread a layer of sliced mushrooms over the top. On top of that lay a bay leaf.
Add butter to the pan. Salt and pepper the chuck steak, brown it nicely and put it on top the veges/bay leaf.
To the pan add 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (squish the chunks with a fork), 1/2 cup of red wine, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1-1/2 cups broth (today’s was left over from cooking chicken) and heat until simmering. Scrape the bottom well to get all the steak goodness mixed into the liquids. Pour it over the steak.
Add a lid and stick it in a 325º oven for 90 minutes. Pull it from the oven. Poor the liquid off into the frying pan, add corn starch to thicken. While it’s heating/thickening, cut the steak into bite sized pieces, divide into bowls, cover with the vegetable mix (discard the bay leaf) and pour the gravy over the top.
I’ll do this again. It’s pretty delicious.
Frozen yogurt
Wadly brought home some macadamia milk ice cream that’s pretty fabulous. Rocky road. Who can say no to rocky road ice cream? I can’t. But at the price, it’s a complete no-go. With discount it’s nearly $9 a pint. On our budget, in today’s economy . . . no. Just no.
Next Wadly brought home frozen yogurt, fudge flavor. Fabulous! Minus the nuts (macadamias in this case) and marshmallows (the source of the can’t-have soy lecethin) it is as good as the macadamia milk rocky road at a fraction of the price. Progress! Yogurt is a pretty easy thing to duplicate at home so . . . why not try?
So, I’ve been making instant pot yogurt and turning it into frozen yogurt and it’s pretty fabulous. The recipe is dead simple. Two cups of yogurt, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (use the Dutch processed), 1/3 cup honey, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix it in my stand mixer until smooth and stick it in the ice cream maker. Yup, it really is that simple. And fabulous.
Recipes on the internet call for a lot more sweetner but it really isn’t necessary.
Now I just need to source the macadamia nut pieces and marshmallows that don’t have soy and I’ll have rocky road ice cream! On it!
Multipurpose Chicken
I’ve been buying ten pound bags of chicken hindquarters and packaging them individually to freeze. I use them for chicken enchiladas, gravy and soup. I’ve developed a couple of recipes I really like; chicken gravy with stuffed baked potatoes for two and two generous servings of an easy and delicious chicken soup.
Stuffed baked potatoes with chicken gravy
Thaw two chicken hindquarters, separate legs from thighs, and brine for an hour. Easy brining is kosher salt in a gallon ziplock bag. Add water, dissolve the salt, add chicken and zip it shut while expressing the air. I set it in the sink if it’s not going to be brining long or set it in a bowl in the fridge if it’s going to sit longer than that.
In the instant pot add 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1 tsp of poultry seasoning, 1/4 tsp hing (or a garlic clove and a quarter of an onion) and 4 cardamom pods. Place the chicken skin side up in the bottom and add enough water to come halfway to the top of the chicken. DO NOT cover the chicken in water. The goal is a beautiful flavorful broth and more water isn’t the answer. Put the lid on, set to pressure cook for 24 minutes. When the chicken is done separate out the meat and roughly chop it. Strain the broth into a container.
Put 2/3 of the chicken in a pan with butter and onion/garlic oil. Once the chicken is warmed up nicely add enough of the broth to do gravy justice. When the broth in the pan starts to simmer mix cornstarch with a bit of broth and thicken the gravy.
Bake a russet potato. Once it’s cooked, cut the baker in half lengthwise and scoop out the potato.
In the bowl with the baked potato guts add sour cream and butter and mix well. You don’t want completely smooth and you don’t want big lumps. You can use the skin to present the potato. Wadly likes the skin, I give it a skip. If you’re using the skin, mound half the potato mix into one of the potato skin halves. Place the potato in a soup bowl (with or without skin). Keep the potato to one side of the bowl. Add gravy to the other side of the bowl. Serve with a slice of buttered sourdough or a biscuit and a bowl of steamed veges.
Put the left over gravy in with the same container as the chicken and left over broth and refridgerate for later use.
This has become one of our favorite meals. In addition to being easy, it’s really easy on the budget.
Easy and delicious chicken soup
Dice broccoli stems and quarter florets. Dice carrots. Sautee in butter and onion/garlic oil. While they’re cooking cut up mushrooms, green onion, peppers (I use green and something else, red or yellow or orange). Once the carrots have started to soften add the remaining vegetables and more butter. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the left over chicken/broth/gravy. If the soup is too thick add 1/2-1 cup broth (bone, vegetable or chicken – be aware commercial broth is loaded with salt). Simmer until all the veges are done.
I did say easy didn’t I? And really delicious! All the flavoring has already been added, it’s just a matter of cooking the veges and adding the left over chicken/broth/gravy.
Pork stir fry
If you’re like most folks you’re eating more chicken and pork and less beef. Inflation sucks. Until the government stops printing money and agrees to live within a budget, this up and down cycle is our life. So, for now, chicken and pork is on the menu!
I bought a new chili sauce and it was crying to be used. It’s got a bit of heat but it’s also got flavor, really nice flavor! So, pork stir fry for lunch!
This was REALLY good. The marinade recipe is for a generous single servering. Wadly doesn’t do stir fry if he can avoid it. He’s like really plain unspicy food and this is not in that category.
Marinate cubed pork in red wine (2 tbsp), worcestershire (1 tsp), fish sauce (1/2 tsp), balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp), honey (2 tsp) and the onion/garlic oil I make (1 tbsp). The pork sat in the marinade for about an hour before I managed to get to cooking. I fried the pork really quick in butter and my onion/garlic oil, dumped the contents out of the pan into a bowl, added more butter and onion/garlic oil to the now empty pan, sauteed halved broccoli florets and carrot (sliced thin on the diagonal). Once they started to be something other than dead raw I added sliced mushrooms and sliced green onion. I pushed that around the pan for a little bit before adding the meat and meat juices back into the pan and gave it a stir. I added two teaspoons of my new chili sauce and some bone broth to the marinade and added most of that mix to the pan. While it was coming up to temp I mixed a bit of corn starch into the remaining bit of marinade. Once the sauce started to reduce I added the corn starch mix, got it thickened and served it up. DELICIOUS.