Year of the Dumpling

Happy 2019! Chinese New Years is this week, and it happens to fall in line with my newest obsession: dumplings and baos! When I was a kid, I helped fold endless wontons and potstickers, but we always used the prepackaged wrappers. I got it in my head late last year to start making dumpling wrappers and baos. And once I start something... Well, you know how that goes.

The boy made me some Asian-style rolling pins, because my tapered bread pin from India wasn't made for the task at hand. Dumpling rolling pins are straight, so conveniently, you can buy a dowel rod between 3/4"-1" in diameter and cut it into 12" chunks. I wanted a fancy walnut rolling pin, not quite traditional, but they're sooo pretty!

Rolling out dumplings reminds me of first learning how to knit. I was all thumbs when I started to learn, and my garter stitch scarves would mysteriously increase and decrease in width. My dumpling wrappers are doing the same thing! But, I'll get my 10,000 hours in and rock this with time. I just have to push through the apprentice stage and realize that even ugly dumplings are good to eat. Two particularly ugly batches of dumplings are pictured below.

Now that I have the hang of the dumpling dough, I've been experimenting by replacing some of the flour and water with sourdough starter discard. For any of you making sourdough breads, you know that the hungry little starters need to be periodically fed by dumping out half of the old starter, and refreshing with new flour and water. But what to do with that old starter? I was making pancakes with it, but I'm not really a pancake person. However, I can confidently call myself a dumpling person now, so into my dumpling mix it goes! I still don't have the perfect proportions yet, but I can share if I ever get there and if you're interested and make another post.

I've neglected this blog in favor of Instagram, but I find myself constantly coming back to this blog to look up recipes and methodologies because I have a hard time keeping track of what I do and when. It's handy! I need to remember to post more often.

And since this blog started off as a knitting blog, here are some of my favorite FOs for 2018.

Laurie

POP!

Faceted Yolk Pullover

I linked my project pages to the captions if you would like more deets. Until next time, have a happy 2019!

(Not My) Grandmother's Slippers

I'm still knitting! I know that it doesn't seem like it, but I do have some small projects that I'm clicking away on while watching American Ninja Warrior, a guilty indulgence that motivates me to climb harder routes at the gym.

These slippers are for a friend who fondly remembers getting new pair of slippers annually from her grandmother. Although her grandmother is no longer here, my friend did have her grandmother's pattern and the last pair of slippers (preserved in a  Ziplock bag) tucked away. With those items in hand, I was able to recreate the slippers - I'm a sucker for a challenge.

I love the way these turned out. They do remind me of something my grandmother or an elderly relative would knit for her beloveds.

These slippers were cool because they are knit flat and then seamed together. My project notes are here.

Does anyone know of a similar pattern? I was trying to find the original source, but no luck.

Granville Complete!

Granville is off the knitting needles, finally! It only took me 504 days. Nothing about it was hard, but for some reason, I kept on starting and stopping, and starting and stopping, and starting and stopping this project. I raced through the front panels and the sleeves, and then it sat. And then I raced through the back, and then it sat. And then I blocked the pieces, and then they sat. You get the picture.

The yarn is Hemp for Knitting's Hempwol in color 040. The cables really pop with this yarn, and it's light and warm. However, maybe due to the hemp, it's a little bit itchy. I'm hoping that this hoodie will soften up the more I wear and wash it.

No Longer a Mystery Socks and SS11 Socks

Hot off the needles, here are my Mystery Socks designed by Jen at Knitting Like Crazy! If you look closely, you'll see that the freshly vacuumed floor was no match for Mingus and the billowy clouds of fur that he emits at a shocking rate.

It was satisfying to knit up a pair of socks with my newly acquired Sock Summit 2011 stash. Now, my hoarder brain is wishing I had bought more Socks that Rock, but I have one more skein in another red colorway to savor, as well as other skeins of sock yarn from my most excellent trip.

I never got around to sharing the socks I wore during Sock Summit: Cookie A's Twisted Flower. It was an exhausting pattern because there were no "rest rows" of just knitting - every row needed a chart. There was loads of tinking back, but I finished them in time for their debut.

 

Although I love these socks, they are more loosely knit than I prefer (I knit to gauge) and I worry about their durability. They're knit up using Malabrigo sock.

Already, the heels are pilled. Still, they were a (sometimes frustrating) challenge to knit, and I'm glad that they are done.

I'm daydreaming about knitting up more socks. I have some on the needles right now, but it's a traveling vine pattern done up in variegated yarn, so it's a bit too much effort for a pattern that doesn't show up well. Time to rip them out. If anyone has any sock pattern ideas for variegated yarns that are not Jaywalkers or Monkeys, please pass them on!

Gaia

Another cardigan down! Wait, didn't I say last time that it was time to stop knitting cardigans??? This makes my 5th cardigan of the year, and I'm beginning to think I should have joined one of those knit 12 sweaters a year challenges.

As you can see, I am procrastinating my sock knitting with cardigans. Usually, that would be just fine, but since I'm going to Sock Summit this year, I do want to have a sweet pair of socks to show off!

This is Gaia by Kristen TenDyke. It is knit using Spud & Chloe's Sweater in colorway 7515. Sadly, I bought this yarn Stash's going out of business sale. Sigh, that was such a fantastic store. I wrote a bunch of notes about this pattern on my Rav page, so I'll spare you them here. The one thing I should mention is that I used a lot less yarn than specified; I could have knit this using 3 balls of Spud & Chloe if I would have made it a bit shorter.

It was fun knitting set in sleeves again, and I'm especially happy with the method used in this pattern to knit the sleeve cap in place. Very, very slick.

OK, socks are next FO. At least one sock. I promise. However, I've been obsessively sketching cardigans in my design notebook, so I hope have the resolve to not knit up that last sweater's worth of yarn in my stash.

Vintage Cardigan

 Another cardigan complete!  This is Miette by TheAndiPants, a free pattern on Ravelry. So far, I've knit 4 cardigans for myself in 2011(Aidez, Ocean Beach, Swingy Cardi) - I needed some more cardi action in my wardrobe.

 

The yarn is Spud & Chloe Sweater, a 45% organic cotton and 55% superwash wool blend. Knitting with the yarn was more pleasant than ordinary cotton yarn due to elasticity of the wool, but the finished yarn does feel very much like cotton to me. And so far, it's stretching like cotton, too. Remember that if you knit with the stuff - add some negative ease!

I'm a shortie, so again many shortie-specific modifications were made. For the details, see my Rav project page.

The flower buttons were a lucky find. The wall of buttons made my eyes cross at the craft store, and I almost missed them.

My next FO will hopefully be a pair of socks, the Twisted Flower by Cookie A. I need to finish up my sock stash before Sock Summit!

Swingy Cardi

Being less than five-feet tall makes it hard to find clothes that fit right, especially when the style I'm after is a cardigan that's long in the front and short in the back. (It's a reverse mullet cardi!) So, what's a knitter to do? She makes one herself!

I added picot trim to the sleeves and the bottom of the cardigan,

 and I added some scalloped edging to the neck.

Madeline Tosh DK is so smooth and soft. I had reservations about knitting with a single-ply superwash yarn, but those reservations melted away with each stitch I knit. MadTosh is a pricey yarn, but I was lucky that it was 20% off at Article Pract (it was a staff pick).

 Speaking of yarn stores, my all time favorite store is no longer. Stash Yarn, you were the best! I am going to miss you.

More details on the cardi can be found on my Rav project entry. Perhaps I'll write this pattern up, too.

Anyone going to Sock Summit in Portland? I'll be there attending the marketplace and hopefully the Sock Hop! My train ticket and hotel are booked, so now I can concentrate on what I'll eat and where I'll visit. A friend works at the Omsi, so that's on the list, and I've love to do some kayaking, hiking, and yarn shopping.  All recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

Aidez!

Done! I finished weaving in the ends this morning, and then immediately put it on and took some pictures (hence, the bad lighting). I followed the pattern exactly for a size xs, partially due to the rareness of me knitting a sweater in pieces. I didn't want to mess up!

It felt like I was knitting forever, yet my Rav page says I started on 2/14 and ended on 3/22. I think this is mostly due to the blocked pieces sitting on our dining room table, mocking me for about a week.

The yarn is Cascade Ecological Wool in colorway 8016, and it is delightfully springy to knit, and delightfully warm to wear. This is so much softer than Cascade 220, but every bit as economical. I'm tempted to go out and buy another 2 skeins for another cardigan!

I have one more cardigan on the needles, my own design, and another cardigan that I need to finish writing up all the pattern sizes and get test knit. Cardigans, it seems, are on my brain.

Cypress Sweater (aka Somewhat Cowl)

Wendy Bernard is a sweater designer genius. I love all of her patterns because they are so wearable and timeless. This sweater, The Somewhat Cowl, is a little retro, but still fashionable enough to wear right now. For my detailed notes, you can check out my page on Ravelry.

I'm sad that the yarn I used for this project, The Fibre Company Khorma DK, is discontinued. However, if it wasn't being discontinued and therefore on super sale, I would have never bought it in the first place. Khorma's original price of $15/skein is a little rich for my blood, and I used 5 skeins (800 yards) for this project.

Don't mind Mingus. He can't keep away from the camera. Silly, camera hogging dog.

Scrubbie Dots

My buddy, kim-chi crafts, is off to Colorado to start a new adventure. I sent her off with some of these Scrubbie Dots (Ravelry download - must have an account). These are addictive to crochet, and the results are so stinking cute that I couldn't stop!

I need to make a second batch. So, so cute.

Boteh

I guess this means I am a crocheter.

I finished my first wearable object, and I managed to wear it proudly coupled with the owl sweater today. After work, I met up with a friend who fondly mentioned how often she wears a store bought scarf I gave her when she was in my wedding. It grated it on me all night that I gave this Very Important Person a store bought scarf, but in my defense, I've only been intoxicated by yarn fumes for the past 3 years and I've been an old married lady longer than that.

At the end of the night, I gave her the scarf. I love this scarf, but I can always make another one. She was kind of shocked, as was I (did I mention how much I love that scarf?), but it felt right.

If you want to make one, too, the pattern is Boteh Scarf by Kathy Merrick. This Boteh was made with Dream in Color Smooshy in the Spring Tickle colorway. I found the yarn a little squeaky to work with, but it was nice and soft against my neck and it seemed like a hard wearing yarn.

Hoot Hoot!

I finally finished my Owl Cardigan, and it is as cozy as I hoped it would be! I used the owl cable pattern from Kate Davies Owls pattern, and the sweater was a modified Tangled Yoke Cardigan. This time, I used RYC Cashsoft Aran. Since this is the second time I knit this pattern, I shortened the arm length and took the arm circumference in by about an inch for a better fit.

These owls are so stinking cute. I opted to not add the button eyes since 1) I dislike sewing buttons (I did mention how this sat around forever just because of those 11 buttons I had to sew for the ribbed band), and 2) it makes the sweater busy.

I found these sweet wooden buttons at Discount Fabrics in Berkeley. They were just the right size and only had 2 holes (less sewing).


The ribbing along the sides reminded me of tree roots. Very fitting for an owl sweater.


Yoked sweaters seem to fit me the best around my arms and shoulders. The only thing I don't like about yoked sweaters is that I have to make them bottom up instead of top down. I know there are top down yoke sweater patterns out there, so if anyone has one that they've used with success, please let me know.

Now, what sweater should I knit next? I have some gorgeous jade green baby alpaca/wool yarn that is calling to me. I think I'll do a pullover since I want to knit in the round. Perhaps Rusted Root? I really dig the poofy sleeves. Or maybe I can riff off of something in Custom Knits.

Squeeeee! Cardigan Accomplished!

Do you ever finish knitting something, step back, and think to yourself, did I seriously just make this? I am crazy in love with this Tangled Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Knit's Fall 2007 issue, and if it wasn't still oddly warm here, I'd be sleeping in it.

Since I'm a shorty, knitting sweaters for myself involves a lot of math because I can never knit the patterns as written. Even more calculations were needed because this was stash yarn, GGH Wollywasch, with a different weight than the Rowan Felted Tweed specified in the pattern. I had about a page of calculations, and even though I knew my math was sound (math is awesome!), I still was second guessing myself as I plugged away.

Knitting sweaters is like baking. In baking, I make tweaks all the time before I throw the concoction into the oven, and I never know if my changes are good or not until my finished product is cooled down and ready to eat. For sweaters, I am holding my breath until I can try on my garment after blocking. Relief washed over me when I wore the sweater and was able to fasten all the buttons - my main concern was that I designed too much negative ease in the waist shaping, but I was aggressive in my shaping because past sweaters had been too baggy around my middle.

Speaking of buttons, I was able to use the vintage buttons from my grandmother's stash! My aunts and mom gave me some of grandma's knitting notions and yarn stash since they thought she'd want me to have them. Unfortunately, all the yarn had icky poopy carpet beetles in them, resulting in me vacuuming the house about 10 times that day. Luckily, the buttons were immune to the icky poopy carpet beetles, and the buttons are fabulous, so I was waiting for the right project to come along to honor her memory. I'm so happy I got to use them.

Project details are on my Ravelry project page (rav link).

Too Much Fun Cami

Although I love my Mexico Cami, after wearing it a few times its flaws were rather apparent. Cotton knits stretch as you wear them, and eventually bending forward always involved me having to put a hand over my chest to prevent free shows. It looked like I was bowing and doing the flag salute. Hence, the need to knit a second cami.

I knit this tank with even more leftover Curve of Pursuit yarn. (Amazingly, I am almost out of Elann Sonata. Woot!) It only took 3 balls, and as you can see, I had to add stripes since I did not have enough of one solid color. And these are not just any stripes, but Stripes by Committee since I pinged my other 3 travel companions often about their design.

I knit most of this cami while lazing around the Yucatan beaches and sitting in the back of cars and on ferries on the way to more Yucatan beaches. This also means that much of this was knit while I had a frosty margarita or Sol in my hand. Hence, there are some sloppy shortcuts I took that bit me in the butt later. For example, instead of carrying the unused yarn up the sides while I did the stripes, I just cut the yarn and tied a knot. I was cursing under my breath last night as I was weaving in over 30 yarn ends, but at least watching re-runs of The Giro made it less painful. Those uninviting yarn ends are what kept this as a UFO for over 2 months.

The Dirty Details
Pattern: Honeymoon Cami by Julia Trice
Needles: US size 6
Yarn: 2 balls Elann Sonata in Pesto, 1 ball Elann Sonata in Nougat
Gauge: 6 sts/in
Modifications: I cast on 156 stitches and then followed the instructions for waist shaping. I started the stripes 4" from the bottom of the tank.

Anthropologie Inspired Capelet

The wildtomato household has been a beehive of activity. Most importantly, my little brother, tofuninja, tied the knot! I was a bridesmaid in their wedding, and in honor of this momentous occasion, I knit myself a capelet to go with my dress.

Photo credits go to Milka at Lightbulb in the Sky Photography. Thanks, Milka! You're so very talented, and my brother's wedding is going to be forever remembered by through your creative interpretation.


Knitting this raglan, top down capelet has given me the confidence to make myself a full blown sweater. It was so easy! And the whole "try it on as you go" thing was a treat. And, the yarn! Oh, and I get gushy whenever I think about the yarn! Sublime makes super squishy goodness, and I'll buy more of their extra fine merino in a heartbeat.

The Dirty Details
Pattern: Anthropologie Inspired Capelet by Peony Knits
Yarn: 3.75 balls of Sublime Yarns Extra Fine Merino Wool DK, colorway Milk
Needles: Hiyahiya interchangeable circulars, US Size 7 (love, love, LOVE them!)

More dirty details on my Ravelery page.

Sunny Day

Ahhhh, spring. Or, more appropriately, "Ahhhchhooo! Spring!" The days are getting longer, the weather is warming up, and I'm trying to make sure that I'm outside soaking in the rays while not becoming soaked head to toe in pollen. It's a tricky feat, conquered best with a little bit of allergy medication.

Speaking of tricky feet, I finally finished my Scroll socks! I started and finished the first sock during my Southeast Asia trip. I knitted the majority of the second sock during our Mexico trip, so these are definitely my special travel socks. If I wear them and click my heels three times, can I be back on vacation? No? OK, then I'll just wear them and dream of warm, beachy places.



Pattern: Scrolls from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Needle Size: 1
Yarn: Schaefer Anne

This pretty lace pattern was surprisingly easy to memorize even though it is worked over 14 rows.


Greaseball, although an indoor cat, is happy about spring also. His favorite patch of sunshine is around longer, and he takes full advantage of this Most Coveted Spot.


Not even a rude dog can ruin his mood (or claim his spot).