Hello

May I introduce my newest accessory? A brand new Selmer 67 Privlege bass clarinet. Actually I've had it for about a month and a half now, and I'm loving every minute of it. Except the part where one of the straps on the case broke on day 3. And the reeds, but what else is new? But all the rest is awesome. I'm taking my time thinking up a name. All of my clarinets have names, but it sometimes takes a while. When naming inanimate objects, the first hurdle is gender. This one is definitely male. Generally, something will just pop into my head and stick around. Or, nothing will and the thing will be named by default. My stuffed dog? His name is Puppy. And, no, it's not an adorable toddler thing. I was nine at the time.

So here's my question. (No, you do not get to name my bass. I don't love you all that much.) I'm thinking it's about time for some business cards.... graduating, stepping out in the real world, etc. If I get them from Moo, I can add my own pictures to one side. I have some nice pictures that I've taken of my various clarinets, and I'd probably take some others too, but is this photo too, well, sexy for a business card? There is a female form, and some bare skin, and you know how we classical musicians can be picky about these things. My other thought was of me in all black, legs planted, bass standing upright with my hands on top, like I'm staking out ground, but I'm worried about photographing black. You know, black clothes, black bass...

Plus, the truth is, I just wanted to wear my new dress (even though it's in the 20s still.) I tried it on for giggles at the Gap Outlet a few weeks back, because this style of dress usually does not fit or flatter, but surprise! Perfection. And it solves some serious wardrobe issues involving various wedding activities for the next 6 months.

Oh, and then, if you like the photo, which one is better? Top or bottom?

When life gives you lemons....

Yesterday about lunchtime I nearly had a panic attack as I was browsing through my planner, trying to get my head around my schedule for the next two months. My brother's wedding, my recital, the Wind Symphony tour to Austin, oral exams, ski trip Up North, two auditions.... suddenly there just aren't enough hours in the day, and even if there were, I have a limited physical capacity to make these things happen.

Clearly, I needed to bake something. Enter, Gingery Pear and Cranberry Crisp.

I'm not very good at following directions, especially cooking directions, so this is a completely bastardized version of several recipes I found online. Luckily, I wrote it down, so you can make it too!

Gingery Pear and Cranberry Crisp
Filling:
4 ripe pears
3/4 c fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 T fresh grated ginger
1 T cornstarch
1/3 c sugar
pinch of salt

Topping:
1/2 c rolled oats
1/4 c flour
1/4 c wheat germ
1/4 c oil
1/4 c brown sugar
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and slice pears. Layer in an 8x8 inch pan. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Toss with the pears. Sprinkle cranberries on top. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping, mixing until crumbly. Spread over pears and cranberries. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbly.

The result is somewhat juicy, but completely delicious. Using ripe pears is key, since they do not break down in the oven like apples do. Far be it for me to tell you have to follow the recipe. Do what feels right to you and then tell me about it!

The verdict: the crisp - yummy. My life - still panic inducing.

Who's your Valentine?

Who? Who?

Pattern: Owls by Kate Davies
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool in 8095 (2 skeins)
Needles: US 8 and US 9

I actually knit this one twice. Once assuming that this color of Eco Wool would behave like the color I used for my Garter Yoke Cardi, which it didn't. This color, for some reason, did not bloom as much in the wash and the sweater turned out about 2 sizes too small. The second time, I deconstructed the pattern and redid the math for my gauge in this wool. This seems to be a theme for me lately - I'm never knitting a pattern. I'm using the general shape and design elements and doing my own math. This incarnation is a 39" bust and has 26 (!) owls. I love, love, love the way it fits. It's a bit longer than any other sweaters I've knit and I really like it that way. No risk of that dreaded gap between your pants and top when you bend over (and as I spend much of my day lifting and hauling, this is an actual risk.) The other big mod I made was to do regular waist shaping instead of the very fitted darts in the back of the original pattern. I really wasn't sure I liked that, and I knew I was going to have to move them up the sweater, because the narrowest part of my body is NOT my waist, and I didn't feel like an added headache.

I ADORE this sweater. It is truly one of the best fitting sweaters I've ever made, probably because it's based on Anais which is now the second best fitting sweater I've ever made. Wearing it is like a giant hug, perfect for celebrating this day of love.

You know, on past Valentine's Days, I've gotten myself all worked up and grumpy about what I've viewed as a pointless, exclusionary holiday, but this year, I'm embracing it. I'm taking today as an excuse to treat myself exceptionally well. A new sweater, a box of chocolates (which I'm not going to tell you how many I've eaten already, because that would be embarrassing). Later today I'm going to rent a movie or two and make myself a heart-shaped pizza and some chocolate and peanut bars from the most recent Vegetarian Times. Yes, a heart-shaped pizza is super cheessy (literally and figuratively) but last year my grandma bought me a heart-shaped pan, and if you're not going to use it on Valentine's, when are you? There may also be a pedicure in my future....

And on another note, I completely missed my second Blogiversary which was the 12th. I only realized because Kristy and I share a Blogiversary, and she didn't forget hers. So Happy Blogiversary to me!

Treat yourself today. You deserve it.

Love 2

Pattern: Annemor #8 from Selbuvotter by Terri Shea
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport in Ash (yes, the same as my Selbu Modern) and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in 7854 (which is a dark green)
Needles: US 1

Well, I finally managed to make a pair for myself, after the resounding success that was my first pair of Selbuvotter. I ended up making a bunch of modifications, as seems to be the way of my knitting lately. I have large hands (to match my large head) and while I love all of the mittens in this book, most are sized for Women's Medium and smaller. I went up a needle size on these and they are now a Women's Large or XL. They measure 4.5" across the palm, and fit me very well. Also, these mittens were originally gloves. My intestines try and climb into my chest cavity at the thought of knitting gloves, so after messing around a bit, I was able to fit two repeats of the initial glove chart, decreasing as soon as I passed halfway the second time. In order to make the repeats look organic, I added an extra row, fleshing out the diamond pattern, before restarting. Something odd about this pattern is that there are more stitches on the palm side than the pattern side. This is also true of the thumb, so when I finished all the decrease repeats on the pattern side, I just fudged in some extra decreases on the same row on the palm side to make them more equal. The final stitch count isn't the same, but it's virtually unnoticable.

I'm feeling an odd need for more mittens, even as I'm desperately waiting for spring.... maybe some of Bella's Mittens next?