seventeen

Oh boy.  That just sounds old to ME.
A box of cake mix and my favorite homemade icing:

1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 TBLS whole milk (I use 1 TBLS of half and half and 1 TBLS of 1% milk)
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar and continue creaming until well blended.  Add the vanilla and milk, and blend on low speed for 2 minutes.  Add additional milk if needed.  Beat at high speed until the frosting is fluffy.
*I added 1/4-1/2 cups of cocoa powder to make chocolate icing.

Cheers to celebrations!

anhinga

I had to look back through my archives to see when I last finished a sweater.  November.  Last November.  Holy cow.  
I was happy to be working on an interesting, stockinette stitch, pattern, with just enough "change it up" to keep my mind busy.  I love how the center insert highlights the intersecting pieces.  The visible seam was a challenge for me as my mother has taught me how to hide the seams so well.  A trip to the yarn store was actually required for teaching me how to show my seams! 
 
A super straightforward back piece and two sleeves with exactly the same number of rows (ha! thanks to working both sleeves at the same time).  
I am mostly a cardigan knitter, but can't tell you how much I adore the "wear" of this sweater.  The "flowy" front makes it fun and easy on the body. 
It was not my first time for a Berroco, Norah Gaughgan pattern (which I love) but was my first go around with Amy Butler yarn.  100% organic wool/cotton blend.  It is super soft and I think I could actually wear this sweater all year depending on that summer day.  I thought it gave the perfect drape for this pattern.

Pattern:  anhinga
Yarn:  10 balls Rowan by amy butler belle organic aran  color 212
Needles: size 8
Size:  34"

I wanted to let you know that Jimmy Beans Wool is carrying a limited edition of Denise2go's newest set of interchangeable knitting tools.  This special line will feature eight designs of the Denise2Go released monthly over a six-month span (through February '13).  There are only 46 sets of the "roll back to school" edition available.

And one more thing.  I don't really have a recipe for my veggie chili.  I just take every veggie I have in the fridge and saute them in olive oil.  (This time I had, onion, mushroom, zucchini, eggplant!, green and red pepper and celery.  Then I toss in a couple cans of any beans, one can of corn, and 1-2 cans of crushed tomatoes along with a teaspoon of chili powder.  Let that simmer for a bit, then spoon a big ladle into a bowl and top it with cheese (i love cheddar) sour cream, diced red onions and avocado.  Serve with tostito chips.

Enjoy your weekend!

one of those

I had one of those moments when the eggplant started to grow.  They were so tiny and cute.  It really is amazing.  And another one of those moments when I diced the beauty this evening for the veggie chili.  Wow.

Back soon with a finished (yes, finished!) sweater!

getting organized

Five knitting bags were cleaned out.  Each housing a different project.  Yep, I start some that just never make it to the finish line.  It's amazing what I had in those bags.

Enjoy your weekend!

summer '12

planted a big vegetable garden  picked wildflowers  dave matthews concert  hiked  a gorgeous, meaningful, extraordinary wedding at bedford spings  jumped into lake tahoe fully dressed  jeep rides  chambers punch  rocky mountain national park  golf teams  lake tahoe  slept in a log cabin  star gazed  fried zucchini  mountain bike ride  joan osborne concert  bought my first pair of toms  saw an elk  danced  new friends  took a dyl course  boulder  grew zucchini  camping  sunrises  finished a sweater  libby got her ears pierced  fireworks  mojito's  knit  grew eggplant  andrew started playing football county fair  melissa etheridge concert  an amazing wedding at cherokee castle  buzzard lake rode on a ferris wheel  sunsets  tomato themed dinners  charlie grew long hair  sang  saw a double rainbow  made homemade tomato sauce old friends
Just some memories I want to keep.

Happy September!