House envy and gift bows

This evening I went to a baby shower for a woman in my class. It was a party for couples, but the husbands may have actually outnumbered the wives. Anyway, the shower was at an amazing house out in the glitzy part of town and the decorations were so amazing that I wish I had taken pictures so that I could use them for future inspiration when we finally have a home of our own. The hostess had some Yankee candles that made the whole house smell like she had been baking goodies all day. My gift for the new baby included two hand-knit bibs, though unfortunately I forgot to take photos. But just to prove that there really has been knitting going on, here is a photo of (part of) an entrelac scarf that is sloooowly chugging along:

The yarn is Noro Silk Garden purchased from my fave LYS in San Diego when I last visited over fall break. At first doing the entrelac was a bit challenging, then it was hugely, stupendously fun, but now it is just ridiculously tedious. I am near the end of the 3rd skein of Noro, with another whole skein to go before the scarf is actually long enough to be a scarf. It is beginning to look like this poor guy won't be worn until next winter. Oh well. There are a few other FO's and WIP's that may get posted soon if my dear husband can be coerced into photographing them when he's here on Christmas leave.

In other crafting news, the ribbon coasters have been stalled because I can't seem to focus on any project for more than a day or two before all interest in the task flies right out the window and lands hard on some fascinating new project. For example, just earlier this evening I made a gift bow out of paper torn from an old Knit Picks catalog.


Please excuse the blur and poor lighting, but if you look just the right way you may see that this paper was formerly an advertisement for Knit Picks Options needles!

There are some other projects at the top of my to-do list- the likes of decorative hurricane lamps and homemade gift boxes- but the last exam of the semester is in less than a week. I gotta cool my jets on crafting and get focused on school for the next few days.

Coasters

This year I haven't had the time to knit Christmas gifts. Actually when my mom asked me several weeks ago if I was giving out handmade gifts again this year, I sort of laughed to myself at the idea setting aside hours and hours of knitting time amidst all the hours and hours of time that studying already uses up. Well, I started to think that there had to be some project out there that was quick enough to fit into my schedule, inexpensive enough to fit into my budget, and cool enough to serve as Christmas gifts. So I searched many craft websites and blogs until I found a hand-made coaster project made from curling ribbon.

The only supplies needed are:
Curling ribbon in several colors
Tape (preferably double-sided scotch tape)
Hot glue
Cork
Polyurethane

The process is very simple - wrap the ribbon around itself, forming a disc and adding new colors at will; coat with several layers of polyurethane and allow to harden; glue a piece of cork on the bottom and voila! Coasters! I have nearly finished 2 sets of four and will probably be making 2 more sets. Here's a pic of the first few that got made:



Cute, right? The big ones are approximately 4" in diameter. The little one was a test piece and never made it to full size, but is instead hanging as an ornament on my Christmas tree.

If only there were more hours in the day

A lot has happened in two months. A lot of school, really...not much else. Medical school is going well, but sometimes it seems like an 80 hour-a-week job.

I have been knitting some, I just haven't gotten around to blogging or updating Ravelry in a while. Adding to the problem is that my photographer/husband is still in a different state. But the good news is that he won't be away for much longer! He will be getting out of the Navy in the beginning of 2010 and moving back to Arkansas with me :)

The fact of the matter is that his impending return has me quite excited. Currently I am still living on campus, but will soon be looking for a new apartment to house the both of us (and hopefully, a pet as well.) I really can't wait to set up a home again with my own furniture instead of this dormitory-style stuff. I am hoping to be the owner of a new sewing machine soon, and I have all manner of ideas to decorate a new place. Placemats, pillow covers, shower curtains... never mind the fact that I don't know the first thing about sewing. No time like the present to learn.

There hasn't been loads of cooking going on, either. That didn't stop me from getting a new Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 slow cooker last week. It is absolutely divine next to my old 2 qt. slow cooker that quick functioning on "low" and now only functions at a level of "high" that must be similar to the blazes of hell. The nice, new slow cooker sits patiently in the kitchen waiting, along with all the sewing and knitting ideas in my head, for the day when gross anatomy doesn't thieve all of my time and energy.

I lurve music

The inherent problem in doing school work on a computer is that it's soooo easy to get distracted by the Interwebs. I try really hard to get interested in my powerpoint slides about complex lipid metabolism, but YouTube starts silently screaming for my attention. My will is sometimes weak...but I found a good song! It's called "Hotel Song" by Regina Spektor (not "Come Into My World.") All I can say is that my neighbors must either be absent, hard of hearing, or otherwise very patient with my sudden outbursts of sing-alongs.

WIP Scarf

So I knew med school would throw a lot of information my way. But I guess you can't really know what it's like until you're in the midst of it. The first test is on Monday and is going to cover about 35ish lectures. So I've been ridiculously busy studying but decided to take a break tonight to admire my Scrappy Scarf-in-progress. I haven't knit on it since school began, but I look at it and wrap it around my neck quite frequently. If only it would quit being 90 degrees outside and I had more impetus to finish it asap.




These pictures may not do the piece enough justice, but the fact of the matter (or my opinion of the matter) is that the woven effect is quite pleasurable to the eye.

Unoriginal

FO: Unoriginal

Pattern: Unoriginal Hat by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Mauch Chunky
Needles: size 11 dpns

Yowza. I like finishing projects so quickly. My heart is already set on the next project, which unbelievably isn't a hat. It's Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf. At first I didn't care much for the woven look of the scarf, but after giving it a little more thought the willy-nilly color changes would be mighty fun. And it would use up even more scrap yarn. And I could make fringe out of the yarn ends instead of weaving them in. These three pros trump the unfortunate con of doing linen stitch over 500 stitches per row. Sigh... if only grocery shopping and sewing up Husband's birthday gift didn't necessarily have higher priority..

Reneged

I have to somewhat retract my former statement that I won't get much knitting done while in medical school. In the past couple of weeks I have actually worked through 3 FO's and also have 2 new WIP's. Well, medical school hasn't exactly begun in earnest just yet...but still...

I got the ball rolling by looking for a pattern for some Knit Picks Shine Sport which I originally had purchased with a pattern in mind. But you know, changes of heart, they happen. So after cruising Ravelry for hours and hours, I settled on Ballet Camisole.

Pattern: Ballet Camisole by Alexandra Virgiel
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Needles: sizes 4 and 5

Overall, it turned out pretty well. It's a nice chocolately brown. The neckline is pretty flattering for my, umm, petite upper proportions. My crochet edging sucks, therefore the neckline droops slightly, especially in the back. That's okay, though. Hardly anything ever comes out 100% perfect (at least not in my knitting world.) Now I just need to find a nice button-down collared shirt to wear with it in order to remove the chance of embarrassing myself when bending down.

Then I moved on to a spree of hats. As it turns out, Arkansas Children's Hospital, which is my new neighbor, has a charity knitting drive called Knitting for Noggins. They collect upwards of 30,000 knitted hats each year to give not only to the children, but to the parents and family members as well. Which means they want hats of all sizes. Which also means that I can burn through my stash yarn making hats instead of a damn mitered square blanket. Which also means that I can use my favorite craft to warm the heads of the patients and families whom I may very well interact with when I begin my rotations at that hospital. My goal is to donate at least 10 this Fall. Here are the first two:

Pattern: so you think you can hat by Susan Chang
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino
Needles: size 4 for ribbing and size 7 for body

Pattern: Robin's Egg Blue Hat by Rachel Iufer
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky
Needles: size 10

I also have a few other finished hats tucked away somewhere, so the current number of hats for charity is approximately 5. I did say I was on a hat spree, though.

My husband just had a birthday, so he deserves a hat. And I could use a hat, too. It's going to be cold in gross anatomy lab.

P.S. The only camera I have is on my cell phone. Husband just bought a brand spankin' new digital camera, but I don't get to reap the benefits of it yet, seeing as how I am in one state and he is in another. That's why my FO pictures aren't great.

P.P.S. I may never have a photo of Alison's Nightie actually being modeled by Alison, so here is one of my famed cell phone pics:

It's the Final Countdown

I've got one more day left before my summer class begins. I plan on honoring it fully by lazing around for hours and watching the televised Michael Jackson memorial. The new apartment ain't bad. Ain't bad at all. But the refrigerator is only half as tall as I am, which makes my plan of abundant cooking-and-freezing-to-avoid-ramen-and-boxed-college-food a slight challenge. But the AC works marvelously, almost too marvelously. The indoor chill is revving a desire to knit new winter pieces for myself this year. Perhaps a cloche and some wrist warmers are in order. So what if it's already 90 degrees outside and it isn't even August yet?

Lots O' Stuff

Umm..although it seems like when a person doesn't blog for a couple of weeks, there must not be anything interesting going on, that is certainly not always the case. And today I realized both the near and far future will be so busy that I will have even less time for blogging, so this post is going to serve as a summary of events.

1.) I left San Diego and moved back to Arkansas.
This was a hard move to make, especially since my husband has to stay in California until he gets out of the Navy next year. Also it is difficult because I had gotten used to the city life, but San Diego and rural Arkansas have nothing in common. Not a damn thing. So even though I am back at the place where I spent my childhood, the adjustment to a slower lifestyle has not come naturally. But I don't expect the slow pace to last for long because...

2.) This summer I start medical school.
It's finally happening. I moved my belongings down to the campus yesterday and was genuinely impressed with everything I saw and everyone I talked to. Even so, the anxiety is creeping up on me. The standard questions of "Can I really do this?" and "How hard will it be?" and "What if I get behind?" are racing around my head.

3.) I finished Alison's Nightie.
Yep, the day before the wedding I finally wrapped it up, literally and figuratively. It turned out quite nice. The yarn loosened up and softened after washing. It even fits her well. Unfortunately the only pics I have are crappy cell phone shots taken in a hotel room, so I am not going to post any FO pics now in the hope that I will get better pics soon.

4.) I have not been knitting recently.
Partly because I am trying to save money, and partly because all of my knitting supplies are still packed in a moving box. It has taken all of the restraint I have to not go to the one yarn shop in town and start spending money. Instead I have been sitting on the porch reading Michael Crichton books.

5.) I am sad that I may not be knitting as much in the future.
Ahh, the days when I was a housewife with nothing but free time to knit and surf Ravelry are over. Evening knitting time is probably going to be replaced with study time. But it may be a good opportunity to knit up more scrap stash yarn into mitered squares for psychedelic squares afghan I started last year. Hmm...perhaps set aside 30 mins each day to make a square? That would be easier than almost any other project that comes to mind.

Well, that concludes the summary. We'll see how the next few weeks pan out.

In a Funk

The time to move back to AR is looming near, and it has me in a sour mood. The reason being that my husband's military job has him out of town until the day before my departure. So I sit at home alone, watch marathons of Sex and the City, and occasionally knit on Alison's Nightie. I packed approximately 5 boxes today, but didn't make much progress overall.

There are two good pieces of news, though. Firstly, I finished a top-down raglan shrug of my own design. It's a pretty piece, but it is made from an acrylic blend yarn and needs more of a blocking than my leaky old steam iron could deliver. I didn't wear it to our anniversary dinner as originally planned, but that was only because my husband bought me an entirely new dress for the occasion. We did snap a few pictures of it, although not in the greatest of lighting.







There are similar patterns to this in existence, but I really wanted this piece to have baby cable ribbed edgings. The yarn is Lion Brand Baby Soft in white. It has rayon running throughout that gives a very nice sheen. I would really like to work this pattern up in wool or alpaca, or at least something that can be blocked easily in order to really define the baby cable rib. I kept notes so that I might post the pattern to Ravelry, but who knows when I'll actually get around to doing so.

The second piece of good news is that I just got the Knit Picks ball winder and have been winding up a storm. Lots of partially used skeins and formerly hand-wound balls are now transformed into pretty little cakes. Strangely, there were no hanks that required the erection of the clothes hanger swift. Anyway, winding up everything in the stash provided a good impression of doing actual work. I mean, why pack up messy, knotted, half-used skeins when cakes stack so nicely in boxes, right? My feelings exactly.

Recovery time and knitting time go hand in hand.

It's been 5 days since my wisdom teeth came out and I am just now beginning to recuperate. Eating is still a challenge, but there has been plenty of time to sit on my haunches and knit. And knit I have. The end is in sight for Alison's Nightie. Twenty-one inches in and only nine more to go. After working on that project for 3 days in a row my attention strayed elsewhere. Yesterday I ventured out into public, swollen jaw and all, in search of Noro Kureyon. My favorite LYS was a little farther than I cared to drive, so I went to an LYS more conveniently placed near my home. I was disappointed to see they had no Kureyon, but I didn't want to leave empty-handed so I bought some circular needles and then went to the mall across the street.

A walk around the mall and then through Micheal's left me with the memory that I told my husband I would wear a dress out to our anniversary dinner this weekend. Well this particular dress and this particular weekend kind of require a shrug or something similar to cover the shoulders. So I looked through the yarn at Micheal's and picked out something lightweight with a little shimmer.

Upon returning home I promptly searched Ravelry for a pattern for a shrug or bolero that would go with my dress. But there was a problem in that I already had a specific look for the shrug in mind and I wasn't seeing it in any existing patterns. I decided to try to conjure up my own pattern (with the aide of an instructional book) and cross my fingers that I can knit this thing up by Saturday. So far, so good. I'll know more tomorrow.

With a Swiftness

If you've been stalking Ravelry recently you may have seen a post from a user called FizzTheCarbonated about a swift she made using 4 clothes hangers, a lazy susan, and some clothespins. Well, I thought her idea was mighty fine and I said to myself, "Hey, I have hangers and a lazy susan...I can build a swift, too!!" I dug up all the necessary ingredients, found a bit of tape, and assembled my masterpiece. And I spun my swift in glee. Then my lazy susan came off its ball bearings (or whatever was making in spin) and my masterpiece was no longer in operation. Damn. So I trekked off to store after store until I finally found a new lazy susan (at Target!) to purchase. I brought it home, re-taped various things, and was off spinning again. Swift Part Deux works like a charm..

..which is very good because I have three more skeins of Knit Picks yarn to ball up for Alison's Nightie. I don't have a proper ball winder, but that is a-okay because at least with this swift I can sit comfortably on the couch while balling up yarn, as opposed to standing on dining room chairs with the yarn draped over the chair backs.

Not to let a wave of DIY motivation go to waste, I decided that my closet was full of a lot more clothes hangers, and surely some of those would be fit for turning into sock blockers, right?

Yep.



It doesn't matter that I have only one pair of hand-knit socks that needs blocking. Someday the sock bug might bite me again. The best part about these blockers is that they can hang conveniently in closets or from doorknobs for extra speedy drying.

*Sigh* fun time is over now. It's time to get back to knitting on Alison's Nightie. Did I mention that I am using size 1 needles? Or that this piece needs to be at least 30 inches long (at a gauge of 10 rows/inch ?!)? And there are 288 stitches/row?? Crazy, I know. The good news is that I'm approximately 15 inches in already.

Changes keep happening

Yesterday was my last day at work. I was thoroughly excited about it for weeks, but now that I am actually unemployed...well, it just feels weird. I left on a good note, though. And just in time, too. Next week the store is going to get a completely new register system and a remodel. But the best part about all this newly found free time will be that I can spend more time working on Alison's Nightie, which has to be done by June 26.

So on Thursday night the husband and I saw Ben Folds live at the House of Blues. Holy hell, that was one awesome concert. We were really close to the stage, the performance was really spectacular, and he played all the songs I wanted to hear. Everyone know that I am a Ben Folds fan to the point of lunacy, while my poor husband is not. But even he thought the concert was one of the best live shows he's ever seen. I didn't get any pictures from the show, but I did get a souvenir t-shirt. It was one major thing to mark off of my life's To-Do List.

More changes are coming up quickly. In a week my wisdom teeth are getting pulled, which gives me anxiety to no end. But at least the damn dentist will stop telling me how badly they need to come out. And soon my sister will fly out to San Diego so that she can help me load up my stuff and haul it back to Arkansas. In August I will be an official med student. I just hope that knitting time won't be completely overshadowed by study time.

Today was a good day

Although I still have one more week to go at my job, today was my good-bye potluck party. I have to say that it was a pretty touching event. I was given a card that all of my coworkers wrote nice little comments in. I was surprised all day with sneak-camera attacks. One of the women I work with said she is going to print those photos out and make an album for me to take back to Arkansas. All in all, it was a great day. And everyone loved my spinach artichoke dip! I would have taken a picture of it, but that sort of thing doesn't photograph in an appealing way, you know? It is, however, super easy to make. Here is the recipe I use:

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained very well
1 can or jar artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (the kind in the plastic tub that is often found close to the cream cheese)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper

Soften cream cheese at room temperature. Heat oven to 350. Lightly spray a glass baking dish (8x8 is a good size.) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish and smooth the surface with a spatula. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. If you like an extra cheesy top layer, uncover dish after 25 minutes and top with a layer of the shredded cheese blend. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.


On the knitting front things are at a standstill. I had a moment of why-the-hell-do-I-keep-casting-on-new-things-when-I-should-be-working-only-on-Alison's-nightie frustration, which led me to throw my hands up in the air and turn my back to all the wip's sitting on my coffee table. I did, however, pick up a couple of cute buttons from a fabric store that I learned about from crochetgurl. The problem is that I am not sure if the project for which the buttons are intended will ever reach fruition. Oh, well. I'll write more on that once I decide whether to abandon it or just plow forward.

But all my facebook friends are doing it...

I stole this meme from some peeps on facebook to celebrate the fact that my favorite artist is finally swinging by this neck of the woods, and that the concert is a mere 9 days away(!)

Rules:

Pick an artist, and using only song titles from that artist, cleverly (preferably) answer these questions. This is harder than it seems! Additional rule: You cannot use the same artist I did, or duplicate song titles even if they were performed by another artist.

Ben Folds (including Ben Folds Five)

1. Are you a male or female:
*Girl

2. Describe yourself:
*Not the Same

3. How do you feel about yourself:
*Learn to Live With What You Are

4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend:
*Satan in My Master

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation:
*The Luckiest

6. Describe your current location:
*In Between Days

7. Describe where you want to be:
*Landed

8. Your best friend is:
*Gone

9. Your favorite colour is:
*Silver Street

10. You know that:
*There's Always Someone Cooler Than You

11. What's the weather like:
*Trusted

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called:
*For Those of Ya'll Who Wear Fanny Packs

13. What is life to you:
* Fear of Pop

14. What is the best advice you have to give:
*Don't Change Your Plans

15. If you could change your name what would it be:
*Give Judy My Notice

Oops

I cast on another project today. I am equally ashamed and excited. It was an instant gratification sort of thing. It was an irresistible sort of thing. Follow the link and you'll see what I mean.

It's blocking now.

The times, they are a-changin'.

It was just about a year ago when I began making the transition from "meh, I've knit a couple of scarves.." to being a "mufuggin' KNITTER!" Sure, I had enjoyed knitting in the past, but there were large gaps between new projects. After picking it back up last year in an effort to keep from being so damn bored at home, I really haven't stopped. As a matter of fact, I don't think I will ever stop again. Knitting isn't an occasional hobby anymore; it's my (nearly) everyday lifestyle.

Over the past year of knitting, there have been natural changes in my technique and attitude. Once I was a thrower, and an inefficient one at that. Now I am more of a "flicker" as I no longer let go of yarn or needles to make a stitch.

A more noticeable change at the moment regards the four WIP's laying about the apartment. Not that four is an outrageous number or anything...but a year ago there was no way I would start a project before being finished with another. The focus was solely on the project at hand, on which I would spend all available time, then admire the FO briefly before casting on for something else. Now there are four unfinished pieces here, each one wondering when it will receive the proper attention.


Paradise Beach Cover-Up. Lily Sugar n' Cream. The yarn is such a bargain, and the photo of this project in Custom Knits is so alluring. But the colorway is really too pale for my skin. The sizing is not right. The desire has fizzled out. Perhaps when it's time to actually go to the beach the desire will be rekindled. For now, this wip is just keeping the dress form decent.

Silky Negligee. Knit Picks Gloss Sock. This negligee is for a friend getting married at the end of June. It's knit on a fine gauge and is therefore going slowly. After ripping it out three times or so already, I have finally worked out some kinks and am about 5 inches in. Only 25 more inches to go.


Ilene Market Bag. Lily Sugar n' Cream. A coworker of mine as been very friendly lately, sharing recipes and a love of cooking with me. Since I'll soon be leaving the job and moving back home, I wanted to make her some sort of gift to say "thanks."

Psychedelic Squares Afghan. Most of the leftover pieces of yarn in my drawer are worsted, so this pattern seemed like a good way to use up those leftovers in a visually stimulating way. I've gotten up to 20 squares or so. Maybe one day I'll have the gumption to knit 76 more so that this becomes an afghan of decent size. I'm actively trying to not even think about the amount of mattress stitching required to sew 96 squares together.

At least I'm not running out of things to knit.

Hokay, so...

Want to hear a damn catchy song? Admittedly, the video is strange. But this song plays constantly in my head. Ben Folds feat. Regina Spektor - "You Don't Know Me" (YouTube)

Anyway, the reason for today's post is to propagate a meme I have seen on a few different blogs. The idea is to take stock of what knitting accomplishments one has made, and what one is interested in doing in the future.

The original instructions: Edit the list, bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.


Afghan/Blanket
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book (you never know…)
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting/Ravelympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Teaching a female how to knit
Teaching a child to knit
Reminding someone how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Food Time

Wha what?? Two posts in one day? Yes, well, I remembered that I want to incorporate some foodie goodness into this blog, seeing as how cooking and knitting have finally learned to coexist in my life without one pushing the other completely out of the picture. Last week I made a chicken broccoli casserole, and damn..it was good. There are certainly all sorts of ways to make this dish (and healthier ways, too) but this is how I made it:

Chicken Broccoli Casserole with Cheese

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, seasoned and cooked until slightly underdone
Florets from 2 bunches of broccoli, chopped and steamed
2 cans whole button mushrooms
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 brick of Velveeta
French fried onions
Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Melt Velveeta in microwave and stir in cream of chicken soup.

Cut up cooked chicken. Layer in baking dish with broccoli and mushrooms (seasoning layers with salt and pepper to taste.) Spread Velveeta and soup mixture evenly over the top. Cover and bake about 30 minutes. Uncover, top with a layer of French fried onions and continue baking for another 5 minutes, or until fried onions are deep golden brown. Serve casserole with rice or mashed potatoes.

I used Velveeta in this dish because it was already on hand. But more often than not shredded cheddar is in the refrigerator instead, so I may use that as a substitute next time. As it was, the Velveeta/soup mixture was melty, creamy, and delicious. The chicken was seasoned heavily with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Overall, it was very flavorful and the husband loved it. Definitely a win.

What Was Missed

Well now, it's already May. Absolutely unbelievable. At the beginning of 2009 I wanted so badly for the time to pass quickly because I was majorly hating my job and itching to go back to school. But now reality is setting in and bringing with it some kind of melancholy. Leaving San Diego and moving back home is going to be a big change with emotional effects- and it's coming up just around the corner.

The people I work with are the potluck type of peeps, and as such they decided to have a work party to wish me good luck after I go. That was the original premise, anyway. It has since grown to encompass all sorts of other things (Cinco de Mayo, some coworkers' springtime birthdays, Mother's Day (!?), a corporate takeover...) Whatev. Even though it's turned into a party for partying's sake, it's still nice that I was considered. I mean, no other work place of mine has had a potluck in my honor before. And perhaps the best part is that it gives me a reason to make a huge batch of homemade spinach artichoke dip. Yep. It's going to be a good party.

Anyway, the other point I have about it already being May is that I haven't made any FO posts since finishing all the Christmas knitting waaay back in December. Well, after all the gifting to family members the first thing I did was to purchase some Malabrigo to knit myself a lacy camisole. It was a very easy pattern. Just join in the round and knit a long tube, drop a few stitches, sew on some straps, and voila!

Pattern: Vixen Camisole by Illana Shapiro
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Velvet Grapes, 1 skein

Next I got an unusual urge to knit a little animal, which was probably directly related to all of the polyfill that happened to be hanging around the apartment for a totally unrelated reason. I chose a little lamb pattern that was fun and quick, but unfortunately required a fair amount of sewing to attach his pieces together. Everything was flowing just fine until it was time to sew the head to the body (the head is tilted about 45 degrees to the right) and the tail to the backside (the tail is remarkably off-center...how did that happen?) Oh well.

Pattern: Fuzzy Mitten Lamb by Barbara Prime
Yarn: Leftover acrylic in light gray and dark gray

The next urge was for a wearable garment in cotton. At first I really wanted a top-down pullover, but couldn't decide on a pattern. Hours and hours were spent searching Ravelry and scrutinizing my queue before I finally picked out a cardigan with lace panels and 3/4 raglan sleeves. The whole thing was knit in one piece, which was the major selling point. This cardigan has wonderful drape over curves and a nice wide neckline. The only disappointing aspect of the FO is that the button band gapes open like there's no tomorrow.

Pattern: Rylee by Jordana Paige
Yarn: Aslan Trends Class in Blue Jay, 4 skeins

Lastly on the list of 2009 FO's is a mesh market bag. After working Rylee in a cotton, nylon blend, I wanted to give 100% cotton another try. I had some Lily Sugar n' Cream in the stash for quite some time. The first few attempts to knit it up into a set of dish cloths and towels left me less than impressed with cotton yarn. Anyhow a market bag was on the brain for several days, so the cotton made a reappearance. It's surpisingly stretchy and strong at the same time. Good for so many things besides hauling produce.

Pattern: Ilene Bag by Hannah Ingalls
Yarn: Lily Sugar n' Cream Twists, 3 skeins

That about sums up the FO's for 2009 thus far. The next post will be about the trials and tribulations of works currently on the needles.

Starting Over

Hello, knitters. This blog is a new version of a previous one, http://fearofpop1212.blogspot.com/.
I grew tired of the layout and color scheme of the last blog, and as a result, quit posting. Perhaps a new look will rekindle my desire to write about knitterly activities. Here's to a fresh start.