It's baby season...

And that means only one thing around here: baby hats! My cousin had twins a couple of months ago and their "We're finally out!" party is coming up. I found just the perfect patterns for the twinsies, and voilà! Two days later, I had a pair of hats for a pair of babies.

The first hat is from the tomato baby beanie from Knitchicks. It's a great free pattern that can be adapted for all different sorts of fruits and vegetables. I decided to do an eggplant spin on this hat, using Tahki Cotton Classic yarn.


The second cute hat has an Easter theme, something that should hopefully motivate me to get my butt to the post office to send these off soon. It's from my favorite baby hat book: Itty-Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson. The pattern is Bunny Tails and I knit it using Blue Sky Cotton. This cotton yarn knits like a cloud, but boy does it pill. This hat turned out a wee bit large despite my gauge swatching, but not so large that the kid will be 12 before he fits it. (The ears on this hat are really the same size - this picture just makes them look wonky.)


Since these kids are twins, one boy and one girl, I'm debating making them another fruit cap. Perhaps a red one so they look like a tiny tomato and a tiny eggplant. I can save the bunny hat for another baby boy who will probably fit it. Decisions, decisions...

You can find more details on my hats on my Ravelry project page. Are you not on Ravelry yet? Well, what are you waiting for?!?

My dogs were quite the reluctant models today. Perhaps they feel that they are above modeling baby hats. Well, they're wrong. So long as I have to feed them, walk them, and pick up their poop, they are not above modeling baby gear.

Vespa couldn't be more bored with the camera. "Been there. Done that!"

Mingus was in pure denial that he has been reduced to modeling a hat with bunny ears on it. He wouldn't keep his head straight, so I just plunked the hat on the side of his head. He's practicing his "I don't give a crap" look.


Gee, life is so hard when someone feeds you, picks up your poop, and lets you sleep all day.

Remember the case of the missing needles? Since then, I decided that all the straight needles had to be in the same place. My solution is this:

It makes a lovely center piece.

Hm, what else? Oh, I've been tagged for a meme by Kathleen and A Bag of Olives. She also gave me a smacky "Mwah!" award. How sweet!


So, here are the rules for this meme:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I don't follow rules well, and I'm going to ignore rules 3 and 4. If you'd like to participate, tag! You're it!

2. I am under 5 feet tall.

3. I spent 3 weeks bicycling through central China with the boy.

4. I'm an indoor rock climbing junkie. Seriously.

5. I still keep in touch with my pen pal from the 4th grade. She's in Indiana and she has 3 kids now.

6. Originally, I wanted to name Greaseball "Graphite". It didn't stick.

7. I played the viola for 10 years.

How to Make Sauerkraut (Choucroute)

Before my fateful trip to Alsace, I didn't think much about the lowly cabbage and I certainly didn't think much about sauerkraut. Sauerkraut was the stuff I picked off my hot dog. It was the rubbery white stuff that was always too tangy, too salty, or just too weird for me to eat. Then, I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in Alsace, where cabbage is king. Just look at this dish, choucroute garnie:
The woman who owned our guest house made this memorable dinner for us. Okay, I'll admit that it doesn't look like the most delicious thing ever, but it is - don't be fooled by its humble appearance! It is basically a casserole layered with choucroute (sauerkraut), liver dumplings, and sausages. The choucroute was unlike any sauerkraut I had before: it was only mildly sour and it still had hints of green, both in appearance and taste.

When I returned to the States, I just had to eat more sauerkraut. However, store bought sauerkraut was just as awful as I remembered it, which meant that my only choice was to make it myself.

Making sauerkraut seemed relatively simple, the real stuff is just cabbage and salt, but I was skeeved out by the fermenting vessel. Most instructions I read talked about making your 'kraut in a plastic bucket with a pillowcase over it. Yuck. Those same instructions talked about how it is important to monitor your 'kraut and to skim off any white scum that floats to the top. Double yuck.

Enter the Harsch crock. Although wonderful sauerkraut can be made without it, it made a lot less scary to have this tool on my side since it eliminates the "skim off the white scum" step that it is most 'kraut recipes.

Are you interested in tasting what real sauerkraut? Unless you have an awfully good supplier in your neighborhood, tasting fresh sauerkraut means making it yourself. So, here's my method for making tasty 'kraut. You can click on the pictures if you would like to see a larger image.

Tools you'll need:

• Knife
• Cutting board
  
• Kitchen scale
• Food processor with a slicer blade (not necessary, but a huge time saver)
  
• Crock and weight stones
  
• Masher (I use a French rolling pin)
• Pen and paper
• Calculator

Ingredients:

• Cabbage
• Kosher or sea salt
  

Start with green cabbages. In my neighborhood, I can find organic green cabbage at Monterey Market and El Cerrito Natural Foods. Pick cabbages that seem unusually heavy when you pick them up. Give them a good rinse in the sink and let them dry.


Next, use the knife to halve, and then quarter, each cabbage on the cutting board. Use the cabbage's core as its centerline. Once the cabbage is quartered, you can easily cut out its core.

Weigh the cabbage and write down this number. You'll need it later when you have to calculate the needed amount of salt.

Slice the cabbage using the thinnest slicer blade on your food processor (a mandolin or even a knife can be used instead to slice the cabbage).

Now, it is time to calculate how much salt you'll need. Grab that piece of paper with the cabbage's weight. What you're going to do is to calculate 2% of that weight. This resulting number is how much salt you'll add to your cabbage. For example, if you have 1000 grams of cabbage, you'll need 20 grams of salt because 1000 g X .02 = 20 grams. Use the scale to measure your salt.

Here comes the fun part! First, put a layer of salt on the bottom of the crock, and then place a layer of sliced cabbage. Repeat until the salt and cabbage is all in the crock.


Pick up that stick, channel your teenage angst, and mash that cabbage!


As you mash, liquid from the cabbage will release, resulting in a satisfying "walking through the mud with rain boots" sound.


Since I like to ferment around 8 pounds of cabbage at a time, I repeat these steps a few times until my 7.5 liter crock is at capacity.

When your crock is full, place the weight stones on top of them. They should press down on the cabbage with enough force for the stones to be submerged.

Stick the lid on your crock, fill the gutter with water (if your crock has one), and let it sit in a cool, dry place. The temperature in my house fluctuates between 55-65 deg F, and at this temperature, it takes 4 weeks for my sauerkraut to be ready to eat. Once I like the consistency and taste of my sauerkraut, I store it in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process.

Enjoy! If you have any questions or make this using these instructions, please let me know in the comments section.

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).

What to make with this yarn?

My MIL gave me a bunch of this cotton/acrylic, nubby yarn from her own mother's stash. I wanted to make my MIL something beautiful that she can use with it, but I am drawing a blank. Her mother passed away about 3 years ago and was an avid knitter until the end. I have loads of this yarn.


It's not the fanciest yarn, but I'm sure that it can be transformed into something worthy! Any ideas?

If I post it, will they come?

Somehow, I have managed to misplace the following knitting needles:

• 1 pair of straight size 1 needles
• 1 size 8 bamboo needle (7")
• 1 size 8 bamboo needle (10")
• 1 size 1 metal DPN

I believe that the two size 8 needles have run off to mate and that someday, I'll find them together with their baby, a size 8, 8.5" long needle. Missing my size 1 metal DPN freaks me out because I am worried that when I find it, it will be because I've stepped/sat/fallen on it and it will become impaled into my flesh.

I emptied out my knitting bag last night in an effort to find these escapees. No luck. I even felt around my bag to see if the fugitives were stuck in the lining.

I never lose my circular needles. Why? Well, because of this. Methinks it is time to organize my straight needles, too.

I am so, so lame.

Edit: I found everything! I also found a stitch holder and some fingernail clippers that have eluded me for the past few months. Remember, folks, that couches have a huge appetite for knitting paraphernalia and cannot be trusted.

Stitches Loot

Stitches West 2008 was a smashing good time. I got to meet the good folks of Ravelry and scored some schwag. (Note to self: the next time I pick a user ID, pick something a little less embarrassing than "wildtomato"...)


Socks, socks, socks! My gotta-have-it list included sock yarn from Lisa Sousa (front), Pigeonroof Studios, and Blue Moon Fiber Arts (back). There are the items that I got within the first hour of the show because I knew that they would be sold out of my choice colors. Also, these are the online stores I have been stalking for the past year, always too weary to place an order without seeing it and squishing it in person. Surprisingly, I showed an amazing amount of restraint and only bought one representative skein from each place.

I was so sure that I would buy sock yarn in the Mars Quake colorway from Lisa Sousa, but when I saw it in person, it was less purplely and more beigy. Mars Quake was still pretty, but not my bag, so I opted for the gorgeous colorway Olive Tones instead. It is to be determined if this skein will be socks for me or the boy. However, since I'm the only knitter out of the two of us, I have Ultimate Decision Power.

I also bought some naturally dyed roving from Tactile, a fiber arts studio that is happily near my hood! The top roving is carbonized bamboo, and the bottom one is a mix of wool and soy silk. I haven't spun either of these materials yet, so my treadle foot is pump, pump, pumping away in anticipation! They also sell parts for Schact spinning wheels, and they had the elusive extra high speed bobbins and whorls I was on the hunt for. Expect some sock yarn from me soon!


Mingus is just so thrilled to model my skein of Brooks Farm Yarn Duet.You gotta fondle this stuff to see just how squishy soft it is! I'm thinking of turning this into a Clapotis or a some other sort of airy, small shawl. I think it can be elegant enough to wear over a little black dress for an evening out if I pick the right pattern. Ideas? This yarn has a bit of a halo to it because of the mohair, so anything with a complicated stitch pattern will be wasted. (Another note to self: black yarn + white dog do not mix. Duh, I've learned permutations of this lesson over and over, but I still did this photo shoot and had to, subsequently, pick white strand o' Mingus out for what seemed like an eternity.)

All of the above purchases were on my list. I guess I was feeling a little impulsive and rebellious at the end of the day (hey, 6 hours of shopping for yarn can do that to a person!), and I bought a pair of Signature Needle Arts needles. The selling point? Their stiletto needles tips are the pointiest I've tried for a pair of straight needles. I'll be checking their website often because they are supposed to come out with smaller sizes of DPNs! I am a sucker for metal needles. I love the "click, click, click" and the fact that they can double as a weapon. No one messes with me on BART when I'm knitting!

In the picture below, my Signature needle is in the middle, the top is a regular Addi Turbo, and the bottom is a Clover bamboo needle. See the difference? The Signature needles are somewhat customizable: you pick the "hood ornament" at the top and the point, but the color is fixed for the size. Hence, my new gold needles. Gold 'cause, ya know, that's how I roll.


It's getting awfully close to my one year blog-o-versarry and I'm trying to cook up a great contest with some worthy loot! Rest assured that the contest will have something to do with furmiliated animals and fiber.

Viva Mexico!

Mexico, how I love thee!

This year's Mexico trip to us to Mexico City, Troncones, and Ixtapa. Usually, this annual trip is a beachy one that takes us away from the fog, but this year, we began by spending three glorious days in Mexico City.

Mexico City reminds me of Paris. It has culture, good food, and beeee-yoo-tiful architecture that makes my heart flutter and my camera shutter. I wish we had more than 3 days there, although I don't know if my lungs could have handled it for it is hard to get used to the smog and the elevation.

Proof that this is one of the loveliest cites around:

City Hall, all lit up and purty


Glass tile at Hotel Isabel

Snippets of Diego Rivera's murals in the National Palace Look! the ladies in the first pictures are spinning!

Buildings, buildings, and more buildings (yes, I'm being lazy)

Tacos al pastor at El Tizoncito, the restaurant that claims to have invented tacos al pastor. This was the last stop on our self guided taco crawl. I must admit that these tacos were the winners on our taco crawl! Ahem, we had lunch 5 times that day.

After Mexico city, we hopped over to Troncones, a lovely beach town with waves perfect for surfing and frolicking. Our B&B had two resident greeters: Alpha the cat (yes, the pushy critter is on our bed!) and Max the dog. They both made me feel right at home.


This was how the bed looked before Alpha messed it up. Can you believe that they spelled out "Welcome" in flower petals? I almost didn't want to sleep in this bed because it picture perfect.


Ixtapa was our next, and final, destination. The best part was the posole verde!

Can I go back now?

Ready for a picnic?

Because of my upcoming vacation, the dogs are enjoying a vacation of their own at LeannIAm's house. Of course, the minute I leave the dogs, they decide to act like savages. Really, I did teach them basic obedience!



Check out her blog! I'm sure she'll have tons of embarrassing photos of Vespa and Mingus for your enjoyment.

230 yards of Mingus...

looks like this:



This 1-ply yarn is overspun and I had to hang a 5-pound weight on it while it was drying to reduce some of the twist. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it seemed like a waste to throw away Mingus' soft, downy undercoat.

A pleasant surprise

A few days ago, I was contacted by deamure at For the Moment asking for permission to use a Mingus photo on her blog. I bounced the request off of Mingus, and he replied that of course we should say yes (he's a vain dog and he does love his public). Well, this is what she did with that photo:


How cool is that? Deamure creates cute graphics on her blog and, get this folks, she's a knitter! Check her out.

I am constantly amazed at the awesomeness of the blogging community.