FO: Retro Redux Shrug

Yesterday was grey and breezy, much cooler than the 90 degree days which had been the norm for the past two weeks. It was cool enough that I was actually allowed outside (hives not responding well to sun, heat, or humidity) and I took a wonderfully rejuvenating walk with my mom. I was a perfect night for sleeping with the windows open and a light blanket, and this morning I woke to June perfection - clear, sunny, breezy, and mild. The perfect day for some FO shots. So I took a shower, dried my hair for the first time in weeks, put on makeup, slid into the aforementioned dress and tried my darndest to get some reasonable shots of the Retro Redux Shrug.

Not entirely successfully. I have bemoaned the fact in the past that I am not so good at taking pictures. And when you're on your own, taking pictures of oneself becomes a feat of ingenuity and engineering. They're not the best, but they're all I've got.

Retro Redux Shrug by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark
From Lace Style
Yarn: 2 balls Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Maize
Needles: US 8, 9, 10, 10 1/2 straights and US 8 circ
Modifications: Made 42" size, and shortened the back by a couple of inches. I probably wouldn't do that again, but it was wicked hard to get an idea of the fit ahead of time, and it just seemed like it was getting way too long.

I would totally make this again, and, in fact, I'm hoping too when the weather gets cooler. I think a heavier worsted weight would work better, and definitely in a wool or wool blend. I love the orange color of the original, so we'll have to see.

I don't know. I look pretty pleased with myself, don't I? I got some great self portraits today, though, so it wasn't entirely wasted.

I have recently discovered Orangette , and I am hopelessly smitten. I'm starting at the beginning and reading all the past posts in carefully measured bursts, to make it last as long as possible. It is my treat when I have finished practicing, a little something to make me dream.... I hardly need any encouragment to bake anyway. It's just, because of those challenges, I shouldn't really be baking. Or at least eating what I'm baking. So I'm taking advantage of these last weeks at home with my parents to bake up a storm. At least I don't have to eat it all.

Last night, I tried a healtier recipe for banana bread. Oatmeal Banana Bread, to be exact.

It smelled wonderful in the oven late last night, and looks fantastic, but the thing is, I already have a recipe for banana bread that I have developed over years. It's dense and thick and so flavorful that you'll swear off all other banana breads on the spot. Unfortunately, it's also a treat, as in not terribly healthy. This recipe was intriguing because it contained 2 interesting ingredients - eggs and oatmeal. I have found that eggs in banana bread makes it light and fluffy, which is not the consistency I personally look for. But the oatmeal, maybe that would counteract any tendency towards angelic texture and bring it back to the ground, where it belongs.

Well, it's not light and fluffy, but the crumb isn't quite what I like. It's a little... chewy... I guess. And it's not up to my personal specifications of banana-y-ness. But it's a start. I will be spending the next 6 months or so refining my banana bread recipe to be both awesome and healthy. Stay tuned!

Ahead of the game

You might think that with nothing but time on my hands, sitting in front of the TV, waiting for the itch to stop I'd be getting a lot of knitting done. Um, well, yes and no.

I did finish the Retro Redux shrug, but I had everything but the ribbed edging done before I broke out in hives. I don't have any pictures yet. Maybe tomorrow....

But once I broke out in hives, it wasn't long before they covered the palms of my hands, my fingers, everything (not to mention the bottoms of my feet). Yeah, they itched, but more than that, they hurt. My skin was 100 percent freaking out, and it hurt to just flex my fingers much less to pick things up (or, heaven forbid, open a bottle of ginger ale to help with the nausea). Still, managed to knit. Because, frankly, if I hadn't they'd have had to lock my in a looney bin. And somehow, the hurt was a good distraction. If it hurt, it didn't itch.

So I present to you, Nancy Bush's Gentlemen's Shooting Socks:

Those needles? Size 0. My dad's feet? Size 12. Plus, these socks are meant for Christmas. I think I deserve major kudos.

Don't hate me because I've started my Christmas knitting!

Good Eats

Every time I have to buy my dad a gift, I flounder. For one, he's a guy, which means that his likes (shooting sports, fly fishing, and woodworking) and my likes (music, books, and knitting) are vastly, hugely different. For another, he tends to buy just what he likes, when he likes, whenever he likes, leaving the rest of us to scramble when it comes time to give him something. Since I found out his love for handknit socks, I've been home free. But Father's Day? Not so much a handknit socks kind of holiday. Especially if you live in Southeast Michigan, where it's been 90+ for most of this week.

So this year, I'm giving him Hermits. No, not smelly, uncommunicative cave dwellers. Cookies!

These happen to be my dad's favorite cookies. I found the recipe a few years back while browsing a Good Housekeeping and waiting for Tae Kwon Do to start. I thought they sounded like a kind of cookie my grandma gets from the local bakery which are sort of fruit cake-y with citron in it. (I know. Citron. Don't cringe. We like it in this family. We've been exposed since birth.) These are more like molasses cookies with raisins. The recipe says that they're called Hermits because back in the day wives used to make them for their sea-faring husbands who said they "kept like hermits."

They don't keep very long in this house. I'm making 2 batches (One, Classic Hermits - raisins only. Two, Berryful Hermits - changing it up with dried cranberries, blueberries, and currants.) and freezing them.

What's this you say? More yarn? Yes, yes indeed. Impulse buy from Michael's. I went looking for a 16" US6 needle for my brother's hat, and they didn't have it. They seem to never have what I need at Michael's. I'm not looking there for needles ever again. I miss AC Moore. Anyway, I passed the display of cotton, and suddenly decided that I needed some to make the Retro Redux Shrug from Lace Style. Because, you see, there's this dress... this dress the absolutely NEEDS a sweater or shrug of some kind. I have no idea whether or not the yarn's going to work. Swatching tonight.

And lest you think I'm abandoning Thermal, I'm not. Here's one sleeve done.
I'll leave you to argue about whether it's the left or the right.