pears for crisp…

Recipe from Apples for Jam. (Self, you are so clever.) I know that I am super late to this party, but while I was in NYC, I found this cookbook by Tessa Kiros at Anthropologie for under ten dollars. No brainer. This weekend I made both the Pear and Berry Crisp (with pears, apples, and some frozen blueberries), and the Lentil Soup (with more liberal modifications based on the contents of my fridge and pantry). Balsamic vinegar with lentils is a brilliant idea, by the way, and here’s a shot of the crisp:

crisp-2.jpg

pear-crisp.jpg

Boh and I went for a great run along the river on Saturday, which is my way of telling you that I am eating this for breakfast momentarily. Before I can dig into the crisp, how about a bit of knitting? Still knitting away on Brompton (so excited about this) and several other projects, but again, knitting time does not equal visible knitting progress. More on those soon.

gathered-scarf-on-me-ip.jpg

I’m making serious progress on the Gathered Scarf. While not the quickest knit, due to all the needle switching and kfb/k2tog, this is a lot of fun. It doesn’t hurt that the yarn may be the softest I’ve knit with: Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino, for those of you just tuning in. In this picture, the scarf is not yet wrapped around my neck.

blue-shirt-scarf.jpg

Last night I started my third skein, and I think this is going to be long and luxurious. This is a pretty substantial knit, and while I wouldn’t call the scarf heavy, I think it will stretch out considerably with wear. I absolutely adore superlong scarves, so I think this will become fast favorite. It is starting to warm up here in the afternoons, so I better hurry up and finish it so I can wear it before next fall!

I think I mentioned that I was in need of an unplanned, relaxing weekend. If this picture is any indication, we were successful.

chillaxin.jpg

Hope your Monday is off to a good start.

Advertisement

on the road this weekend

Or, rather, in the air. Heading East for work. I’m not sure if I’ll have time and internet access for posting, but I am taking the camera, and I am determined to document the trip. (I’m writing this down here so that you can yell at me if I don’t do it.)

I pack light — small carry-on duffel (projector included), computer bag, and a cavernous purse that can fit inside the duffel if anyone gives me trouble about the whole “one bag + one carry-on item does not equal these + an oversized purse” thing. As I talk about knitting a fair amount here (no, really?), you may be wondering what I am bringing. After much deliberation, evening swatching, and frantic searching for size 5 options needles attached to a cable I think would be useful (to no avail), here is what I have decided on:

1. Materials to cast on for Schrodinger’s Twisted Rib socks, including the Magic Loop booklet.

2. The Gathered Scarf (Ravelry link), in Blue Sky Alpaca Suri Merino. I cast on for this on Wedneday night, and I really like the pattern. Here is an early shot of the scarf:

gathered-scarf.jpg

Oh — and 3. Brompton (Ravelry Link) by Alice Bell. I am in love with this cardigan — to the point where my friend Ali and I scheduled a mid-work-day journey to our out of the way LYS to buy yarn. I ended up with 7 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed, which is gorgeous. Swatched last night, and because the Felted Tweed is on the DK/Sport border, I ended up having to go up a few needle sizes to get a more open fabric that is close enough to gauge. I have a 38 in bust measurement, and it is a layering cardigan, so I think I am going to make the 44, realizing that because my gauge is a little bit off, it may end up more 42-ish, which I think would be perfect.  The size 5s were for the neck of the cardigan. Still can’t find them, but am thinking that 4s will also work. Very excited about this sweater — I splurged on the yarn in part because I was thinking that if it didn’t work for this pattern, I’ll have it for the Tangled Yoke cardigan…but I really hope it works.

Must consume a bit more coffee and finish packing before my ride arrives in about 20 minutes. Have a great weekend!