Shalom

I finished my sweater!  It was a fairly straightforward pattern...I was able to keep my notes to just one page.

This is the first time I've pretty dramatically altered a pattern and I'm pleased by how it turned out.  This is how the completed sweater is supposed to look:

...and here's my finished sweater:

Sorry for the poor photos...it's just impossible to get good lighting inside our tiny apartment.  Really looking forward to moving into another light-filled house soon.  But back to the subject at hand...the original sweater was written for a 34" bust.  It was sleeveless and had just one button.  Relying on others' Ravelry notes, I upsized the sweater for a 36" bust, added arms, added buttonholes all the way down the front, and shortened those funny columns that you see around the yoke of the sweater.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, although I think the bulky weight of the yarn is a little bit unflattering as a fitted sweater.  In comparison, I knitted this sweater in bulky weight yarn last year, but it's too big now.  I wear it as a jacket over another sweater or shirt on cool days and it keeps me really warm.  It's bulky, but I guess that feels more comfortable in a jacket than in a single-layer sweater to me.

I like the neckline on this one.  It's really wide and I call it my "Jackie O" sweater.

Until we move this spring, my sewing machine has to stay packed away, but I continue to accumulate fabric for "someday."  I'm planning to make A LOT of A-line knee-length skirts this summer.  One skirt should take about 2.25 yards of fabric, so if I find a fabric that I really like, such as this scissors panel...

...or these quilt-esque squares...

...I buy in quantity for later.  I also buy collections that appeal to me, like this British line called Freya & Friends, based on a children's book.  I love the old-fashioned colors and the prints.

I love picking up vintage-y fat quarters...

...and yard+ quantities of fabric "singles" that really appeal to me, like strawberries...

...and fun flowers.

I've been a little fidgety, unable to sew, and have taken any opportunity to do a little needlework. Thankfully Todd gave me a chance this week when he decided to make a pot of tea in my KitchenAid mixer bowl (don't ask) and then take it to the living room, where he burned a hole in both my ottoman cover and the carpet.

I was really upset, because a custom ottoman cover will have to be ordered (eventually...it's a little low on the priority list).  I didn't want to stare at a burn hole for months, and covering it with a cloth napkin or other fabric would be an exercise in futility, since any movement would dislodge it.  I found some matching thread and cut a square of cream-colored felt.

Then I blanket-stitched the square into place.  It's not very tidy and it's just a temporary solution, but I felt pleased.

I did a little baking recently.  I'm always curious about the "BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER" claims bandied about on food blogs, and one that always seems to end up on that list is from Not Without Salt. I decided to make a double batch and roll them into logs.  Making chocolate cookies like this is easy because then you can just slice and bake when you're ready.

The cookies were really good and I'm going to try the recipe again with the cookies thick-sliced, not 1/4" thin like I sliced mine.  Having great cookie dough in the fridge was too much of a temptation for us, though.  We ended up slicing and eating so many that there wasn't enough left to give away, which is why I'd mixed them up to begin with!  Still, I'm glad to have another great chocolate chip cookie recipe in my arsenal. 

It's been too busy around here to do anything other than work, and I probably won't have a chance to check in here again until January.  Happy holidays and see you in the new year! 

a familiar yarn

Every year, KnitPicks has a huge half off yarn sale.  Every year, although I have plenty of yarn, I succumb to temptation and order a little more.  I mean, you can't beat half off.

I was surprised to discover that my newest skeins would not fit into my yarn cabinet.  I knew it only had a limited capacity...

...but I was caught off guard to open the doors and see balls of yarn sproinging at me like accordion snakes released from a confining can.  It was an absolute mess:  loose strands hanging, colors out of order, and yarn I'd totally forgotten about stuffed in the back.

I decided to haul it all out and organize it.  I was pretty surprised (and somewhat chagrined) by how much I had.  This is just the fingering-weight yarn:

The whole shebang:

Once organized and consolidated, though, it all fit neatly (albeit snugly) in the cabinet.

Success!  Now, no more yarn purchases for a while...

This week, too, I decided to bake some cookies to mail out.  Even though I only did half-batches, I still ended up with a lot of cookies!

I took the most popular chocolate chip cookie from allrecipes.com and split it into two equal (half-size) batches.  To one batch I added chocolate chips.

They baked up nicely:

I took the other half-batch and added peppermint chips.

I much preferred these to the chocolate chip ones.  So tasty!

Of course, I had to make Nutter Butters (recipe link here): 

Last year I purchased the Two Peas and Their Pod e-book, Cookie Cravings.  I decided to modify the Double Chocolate Oreo Chunk cookies found there by leaving out the Oreos but including the last of my peppermint and chocolate chips.

They were, in a word, AMAZING.  Soft on the inside, very slightly chewy along the outside edge...and the chocolate/peppermint combination continues to be my favorite.

I had enough cookies to send a huge box to Todd's work, as well as make up several decorative bags to send out.

Ah...holiday baking!

It's been below freezing at night here in the South, but it's usually in the upper 50s during the day.  I've definitely been pining for snow.  I have to keep reminding myself that for every brisk snow walk:

...winter project...

...surprising discovery...

...and beautiful flake formation...

...you have cold, blowing snow...

...and hazardous ice.

Shoveling, cold fingers and toes, dangerous and slow driving, sniffles, high heating bills...I'm trying to convince myself that warm is better, but I sure would like to see a white Christmas this year!

Merry Christmas to everyone, and I'll touch base again in the new year!

a turtle hurdle

Yesterday, I was idly looking outside when I noticed some unusual movement.  I saw something small streaking across the water of the pond, leaving a trail of ripples in its wake.  In a flash, I was at the window with the binoculars.  At first, I thought it was some strange aquatic bird, but once I adjusted the lenses I saw immediately that it was a beaver.  We'd heard from the prior homeowners that our pond contained beavers, but I'd never seen one.  However, I'd definitely seen evidence.

Look at this tree:

...and this one:

We have to be careful with our pond-side trees, because these, unfortunately, are done for.  Their phloem has been removed...that thin layer that transports sugar and the other benefits of photosynthesis from the leaves to the roots.  They'll slowly die, and then will need to be removed.  Todd and I will need to protect the accessible parts of the remaining trees from these industrious little fellows!

Most of our trees are fine, thankfully.  I was walking there today, by the water's edge, instead of doing my work...but it's such a beautiful day.

I am nearly positive that the little patch of green on the left side of the photo is a group of flags, which should send up flowers in the next month.  I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if I'm right. 

I spotted some decidedly lumpy logs on the other side of the pond.  Turtles!

Judging by the pronounced beaks and whip-like tails, these are snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina).  The serpentina of their latin name refers to their neck, which is unusually long and snake-like.  I learned as a young child to leave snapping turtles alone, because they had grumpy dispositions and did not hesitate to use their long, limber necks and fearsome beaks to fasten on to the nearest child.  I've learned, though, that like most things in nature, they just wish to be left alone and don't bite if unprovoked.

Decidedly gentler in nature are these yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta).  Their yellow-streaked necks, legs, and undersides of shells make them easy to identify. 

Sigh...one day I'll get that high-quality zoom lens!  Until then, you'll have to imagine those identifying yellow streaks.

I was absolutely delighted to see a row of them clustered on a half-submerged log.

Look how they're piling up on each other to fit as many turtles as possible onto the log, to take advantage of the sun!  I was so pleased as I watched them turning their heads and occasionally readjusting their perches.  I had to smile, thinking of a passage from Susan Allen Toth's My Love Affair With England.  She described a badger-viewing trip with an enthusiastic local:  "Mr. Fursdon was completely caught up in their antics. 'Oh, golly,' he said with pleasure.  'What a party they're having!'"  Now, a turtle party is definitely more sedate than a badger party, but at that moment, I knew exactly how Mr. Fursdon felt.

I reluctantly left the turtles to their sunbathing and did a little more exploring of the property.  We've had continually green ferns throughout the winter, but I was happy to see that our previously crumpled holly ferns have smoothed out and become lush and green.

They're putting up stalks, which unfurl into shiny new fern fronds.

I've been watching these vines, which are staked up around the house.   They appeared dead, but many vines are dormant in the winter.

Look!  New growth!

As soon as I saw the seedhead, I knew they were clematis vines.

As Mr. Fursdon would say:  Oh, golly!

Todd and I worked in this area over the weekend.  The vines had formed great mats over the brick and were tearing into the mortar.

It grew into the window screens with long, grasping fingers.

Look, underneath those vines is a window box!

Later this spring, I will plant pale pink climbing roses by the window, the most fragrant variety I can find.  The three azalea bushes will bloom white, and it will be a cozy place, indeed, to sit on a bench and watch the birds.

Now for the most part, of course, I must wait to see what comes up on the property before doing my own digging and planting.  But some plants are just not negotiable.  For example, I must have columbines. 

 I've felt a strange pang recently, thinking of my old garden in Indianapolis.  Right now, the columbines would have leafed out and would be getting ready to put up pale green stalks.  The hydrangea branches would have firm, small leaves at regular intervals.  My lilacs - oh, my lilacs! - would have tight, compact buds that would lighten and swell before bursting open into sweet-smelling purple clusters.  Soon, the tentative red peony stalks will be breaking through the dirt. 

I'm trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, not to think of it.  I'm concentrating on reproducing parts of that garden here.  I found a bag of columbine seeds, harvested from my plants in 2012.  Before I can plant them, though, they must be cold-stratified.  That is, I must mimic the experience of winter dormancy.  Without this, they likely will not grow.

I sprinkled them on a wet paper towel...

...and wrapped them up in a baggy.  It will be in the refrigerator for two weeks, and then I'll try to sprout them.

Some of our neighbors dropped off tulips recently...

...so I baked a large batch of chocolate chip cookies as a thank you.  I am definitely like Andy from The Office in that regard (link: do not test my politeness.) - I'm always anxious to return the favor! 

Quickly snapped before packing...

The cookies are a spin on the famous New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, which involves refrigerating the dough for up to 72 hours before baking.  That lengthened the time before gift reciprocation, which caused a bit of stress, but I felt happy as I delivered the cookies today.

This recipe creates cookies with a crispy exterior and a soft interior.  I'm a soft-all-the-way-through sort of girl, so it wasn't my favorite recipe, but it was rich and buttery.  You can find the original recipe at Smitten Kitchen.

I hope you're enjoying a bit of spring - or at least the promise of it - in your neck of the woods!

Have a great week!