All work and no play...

I can't believe it has been almost two months since my last post. Where has the time gone? February flew by and now March is halfway over. I have been working like crazy and in my free time I have been trying to plan an October wedding. Things are starting to settle down at work and the wedding plans are coming together so I can start to reclaim my life. My knitting is starting to resume and I have been reading more. Jake and I attended a Wine tasting dinner a couple of weeks ago.

Tonight, is St Patricks Day! We are planning to spend it at a friends house. Happy St. Patty's Day!

Beer for Breakfast

We went to our BJCP class this morning, our first Saturday morning session. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but the boy and I are taking a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) in order to become certified homebrew judges. We are learning more than any "normal" person want to learn about beer and its' characteristics. The class is usually on Monday evening's except for two Saturday sessions. These sessions are taught at Iron Hill, a local brewpub, but start at 9am (basically so us beer folks don't interfere with lunch crowd). The class is co-taught by the headbrewer at the North Wales, Iron Hill, which is why we are allowed in the place. This morning, after our discussion about malt, we tasted beers in the Pale Ale categories. Mmmm, quite tasty. We also tasted "doctored" beers, or beers that have been altered to purposely taste bad, so that when judging in a competition we would know what common brewing mistakes taste like. Those beer's were not so good. When training to be a beer judge, you are supposed to grade/rate each beer based on aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression and grading based on style. One common theme I found between all of these beers was the honey aroma, however I was the only one who found this similarity between the three beers. Note to self, do not use Milk and Honey lotion before beer tasting. Every beer you hold will smell like honey. Not a very effective way to judge beers. Lesson Learned.

...must...go...to...knitting...

work has been draining me. as i write this i can't even muster the energy to use proper capitalization, so bear with me. the purpose of this blog is not to vent about work. i like my job...usually. right now, however, my brain is overloaded. i'm learning a new job (one of the conditions of my position is that i will "rotate" every year for three years). being in the rotational program is stressful. not only do you have to learn a brand new job, at the beginning of the year, but you also have to train someone to do your old job. sounds easy, right? it's not rocket science, but, it takes longer to teach someone than to do yourself. compound that with trying to learn a new job yourself (that is completly unrelated to your old job), which you are naturally slow at those tasks, and by the end of the day your brain is spinning. or at least my brain is spinning. needless to say, i have not had the energy to do anything lately, let alone anything crafty. the house was a mess. luckily i live with a wonderful boy who cleans on his days off, since we would have nothing to eat off of if he didn't. it was all i could do to find the energy to go to the store, so that said boy would have something to eat when he got home from work (i get home much earlier than he does, even if i have been working 10+ hour days). now it is thursday and i have not been to knitting in over a month. i must go. i have to go. otherwise i will polish off the bottle of pinot in the kitchen and fall asleep on the couch with the t.v. blaring. i don't want to do that...again. plus, i miss my knitting buddies. maybe they will inspire me to finish the second baby sock (for a friend, not me!) or my felted laptop sleeve. one can only hope.

Crazy Customers

I must say, there really are some crazy people out there. It all started innocently enough, I decided to stop at my local cellphone retailer (who shall remain nameless) on my way home from work, in order to price new phones and headsets for the boy and I. As I walked in the door I hear a woman shouting...SHOUTING! Mind you, I witnessed people making a scene at retail locations in order to express their displeasure, which can be understandable but I have never seen anyone behave like this. The woman, who had two small children with her, was in the middle of the store shouting at who I'm assuming was the store manager while on her cellphone. The very nice and embarassed sales associate comes to try to wait on me, however it was rather difficult because the woman was seriously shouting at the top of her lungs. It was as uncomfortable as being at a friend's house when their parents are fighting. I try go about my business when she directs the conversation toward me..."DO NOT BUY ANYTHING HERE", she warns "THEY WON'T TAKE ANYTHING BACK!" Ah, so the domestic dispute is about their return policy. She then returns to shouting at the manager and talking on the cellphone, meanwhile the manager is asking her to leave. It was difficult to think, let alone ask the questions I stopped in to answer. In the end, the cops were called to escort her from the store and apparently she wanted cash for her return, which is not store policy. On my drive home I couldn't help but wonder where this woman learned that acting all irrational and crazy is the best way to get what you want, and did she really want her children to learn that that was acceptable behavior?

Mummers

I spent yesterday with a bunch of men in dresses...no, really, I did. I attended the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia. The parade had been postponed due to inclement weather (it is normally held on New Years Day). We could not have asked for better weather in Philly yesterday, though, it was sunny and almost 70 degrees! I think we broke record highs for this time of year. What a crazy parade...lots of music and crazy costumes...(and drinking). The parade is broken into three sections: the Comics, the Fanciers and the String Bands, or something like that. Each "brigade" has their own theme, costumes and acts that they spend all year preparing for. Apparently the Mummers tradition dates back over 100 years. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Check out my pictures.



Marcia and Tammy (in the hat)

Afterward, Jake met up with Marcia, Jenni and I to watch the Seahawks game and had some excellent beer. Jake brought a bottle of Chimay (the blue label). I can't get enough Trappist beer lately. So delicious!

Lucy and Jodie (Jenni's dog's) love the roof deck of the Philly house. Here they are on the neighbors roof (notice the skylight):

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2007...I love the fresh start a new year brings. One of my many resolutions this year is to post more to this blog. Apologies for the lapse in posting, since before summer, yikes! Since Santa left a shiny, new laptop under my tree, I promise to start posting more often.
Let's see, what has happened since I last posted...
Jake and I finally set the date and location of our wedding (after a 5 year engagement, we figured it was about time). We visited Las Vegas last July decided that it would make a fun location for our wedding! To read more about that, visit our wedding blog (which will be posted to more as the date gets closer).
Emma got a new buddy...Jack, a 3 year old Beagle, who had to leave shortly (1 week) after his arrival. He decided that biting was the best way to show Emma and Jake his displeasure with them. In all fairness, it wasn't entirely his fault...we think he may have been abused by his former owner and had some issues with authority. Unfortunately that meant that we were not a suitable match for him.

My knitting group held our first ever, knitting getaway in Cape May, New Jersey. What a great trip! We visited an Alpaca farm and the local LYS. Although, there was definitely my drinking, giggling and playing than knitting. We stayed at the Cliveden Inn, one of the many B&B's in Cape May. It was such a fun trip, I hope one of many more to come.
I just returned from spending the holiday in the Pacific Northwest. It had been over three years since I had been back, so it was nice to see all of my family and friends. My visit reaffirmed the goal to move back there within the next few years. While I love the East coast, Washington is still home.
Other than that, just lots of knitting, brewing and working...our house has been pretty busy over the past few months. I wish everyone a great 2007!

Blogging Hiatus

I am on a Blogging Hiatus...due to busy work schedules and sunny days....I will return to posting regularly soon.

Thanks!

Teaching Boys to Knit

Lately we've been spending time every other weekend getting together with a group of friends, many of whom are starting to expand their families. Needless to say there are generally a few little ones running around when we are all together. As a knitter with no time and a gift schedule, I try to bring projects with me when I know there will be time to knit (sitting around, drinking, playing games and watching movies, etc....note to self: don't bring lace projects to drinking parties, bad idea). Now that the weather is getting nicer, and my bike is beckoning, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find time to knit. Anyway, a three year old friend has decided that he likes to help with my knitting (again, leave the lace at home). So I've started bringing projects that are a little easier, so that he can sit on my lap and help (he likes to wrap the yarn around the needle and help count the stitches). His brother on the other hand, likes to turn a nice, neat skein of yarn into one big, tangled mess. I think it is cute that he is showing interest, his father (Jake's best friend), is not as amused. I try to counter by informing that it helps develop motor skills, math skills and creativity, and that historically men knit long before women. Sarcasm soon follows. I will not be dissuaded, however, in fact I'm planning to bring big, fat needles next time, better for small hands (of for shoving...well, nevermind).

Kno Time to Knit

So this week has not been very condusive to knitting, or blogging. Pesky things like long hours at work have been getting in the way. It doesn't help that by the time I get home, ride the bike, walk the dog, and eat, there is very little time or energy to do anything else. So, now well rested and looking out at the rainy day, I have time to catch up on my other obligations (no, not laundry...blogging). Last Sunday I finally gifted Sophie, however, I decided on Saturday that I wanted to felt it more (very smart) and ended up having to gift a slightly damp bag. It looked much better, though.

Too much wine to knit...properly

I came home this evening with a hankering for linguine with clams, not quite sure why, as seafood, in particular shellfish, is not something I normally crave. Don't get me wrong, I like fish, crab, lobster, etc. as much as the next person, but it is not on my usual repertoire of cooking recipes. It just so happens that my personal chef (also known as my live-in) was not up to cooking tonight. He recently received an invitation to meet with the head brewer of Iron Hill, in North Wales and was giddy with excitement and working on his resume. Fine. I didn't want him messing up the dinner I was dreaming up anyway: Linguine with Red Clam sauce. Open cupboards, linguine, canned chopped clams (score). The fixin's were all here, no need to run to the grocery store (which I loathe anyway). So I grabbed my Rachel Ray and got started. Confession, I am not the type of foodie who can gather a bunch of ingredients, throw together and have a wonderful meal turn out (like my chef)...I inevitably screw something up in the process. I like to have recopies as a guide. I don't generally follow to the letter, but I like the guidance, and I think I am a better cook because of it. Anyway, I used Rachel's recipe for Linguine with Red Clam Sauce, however, some substitutions and omissions needed to be made. I had the garlic, not the anchovies, crushed red peppers, but not the fresh parsley and thyme, no clam broth either just chopped clams in their juice. Oh well the key ingredients were there, clams, pasta, garlic, crushed tomatoes...shit! Only whole peeled tomatoes (not the right consistency) and Ragu....Ragu it is. Enter wine. The recipe calls for wine...but we are down to our last two bottles, one a novelty and the other, the last of my Olympic Peninsula wine from my trip back home. Our wine selection appears to be drying up, mainly due to the fact that our alcohol budget has been going towards beer for the past several months. The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup...a very necessary 1/4 cup... so I sacrificed the Lost Mountain Syrah (2001) (which is highly recommended to anyone who can find it, which pretty much excludes anyone who lives anywhere other than the Pacific NW). Beer lends itself nicely to many a dish, but not the one I was preparing. By this time dinner is shaping up nicely and a couple of glasses of wine are down the hatch, when the boy emerges...

Boy: "Something smells good"
Me: "Its all the garlic"
Boy: "Did you just open that wine?" he asks...beer glass in hand (did I mention I live with a fantastic home brewer)..."I thought we were saving it"
Me: "For what...we've had it two years"
Boy: "I dunno...You're cooking with it?"
Me: "Yes... we need it to add depth and character...otherwise it's just clams and Ragu"
Boy: "What about the rest of the bottle?..."
Me: "What bottle?"

There was really no real point to this entry, no knitting, just a girl all warm with good pasta and a bottle of red wine.

(Note: Please overlook any spelling errors or incoherent sentences)

Jaywalking....

Meet Jaywalker...

Jaywalker is a lovely sock cuff, soon to be sock, knit from Regia sock yarn. I'm a little concerned for Jaywalker. First, the color. I picked this yarn from my stash to attempt Jaywalker, however I'm afraid the color pattern will obscure the stitch patter. I have read that stripes are okay, but faux fair-isle may be difficult too much. I can see the pattern, but I don't know if I am disillusioning myself because I "want" to see the pattern. I guess only time will tell.
My second concern for Jaywalker is the fit. I have read that a few other knitters experienced the slouchy sock or baggy ankle problem. I still haven't decided if these are going to be gifted or kept, but either way, I don't want them falling down. As a novice sock knitter, I am concerned that I will not know how to fix this problem, should it arise. Any Ideas?

The Yarn Harlot in Philadelphia

Forgot to mention that the Yarn Harlot was in Philadelphia last weekend...

Actually, in a Doylestown Book Shop. BJ from my knitting group was there also. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is so nice (and funny), she took time to really talk to people, while signing their books. I bought a copy of her newest book.

Speaking of that day, I think my webbed feet are starting to grow over. Growing up in the Pacific NW, rain never bothered me. Last Saturday, I found myself complaining about the rain! And it wasn't like there was consecutive rainfall, just a rainy day. I'm turning into a 4 season's wimp.

(by the way...for those who care, I fixed the email address on my website)

Disclaimer...

As you may or may not have noticed, I have not posted anything in about a week. This is not due to lack of interesting happenings in my household, as there have been several. The lack of posts are mainly due to boredom. I must confess, my blog is boring. I have noticed that several of the blogs I read are very entertaining and engaging, which keeps me coming back and reading on a semi-regular basis. Mine, not so much. I took some time to ponder why this is and came to this conclusion: I am a business writer. Years of business courses have beaten me into technical writing submission. I have been trained to be factual and concise, omit any filler or minutiae. It is the minutiae and filler which make for an interesting blog, otherwise it becomes what I have here

Today I did/got/had ...The end.

It may as well be a bulleted list, for as entertaining as it is. For that I apologize to you, my reader. From this point forth, I will try to: (uh-oh, here comes the bulleted list)

• Be more engaging as a blogger
• Write about the trivial nonsense that is my life in an effort to entertain you, the reader
• Post more frequently to entice said reader to return and possibly leave a comment
• And, try to portray my funny, witty, clever self in written form (ha! yeah, right)

We shall see how I do...

Twinkies...finally

I made Twinkies this weekend with my Twinkie bake set. They turned out okay, but not very twinkiesque. I used one of the recipes that came with the bake set, it was supposed to be the sponge cake recipe, however, it was more cakey than spongy. Next time I will use the recipe in the Top Secret recipe book...I did use the filling recipe from this book, which did taste like Twinkie filling.


Spring has sprung in PA! Living in a state with four seasons makes one understand why everyone gets so excited for spring. Growing up in WA, I never really got excited for spring, it generally only meant more rain. Now that I live in PA and am exposed to cold winters (including snow you don't have to drive to) and the dreaded brownness of all vegetation. After the holiday excitement has worn off....mid January... it sucks, everything is dead for months. This weekend is beautiful...warm weather, sunshine, and flowers and trees starting to bloom. We went for a bike ride this weekend, we saw a huge hawk fly right over us and land in a tree nearby. I love spring!

I am a Sock Knitter!

I finished my very first sock!...I am a sock Knitter...with a captial K. Up until now I have always felt like a beginner knitter, too unconfident in my skills to try anything that required more than two needles, but no more! I knit this sock on four, size two (incredibly small) needles; picking up stitches and turning heels, like the best of them. No longer do I consider myself a novice knitter, I am a Knitter ...Norwegien sweaters here I come...okay, maybe not quite yet, but I am currently working on a lace project and a fair isle project. Both gifts so I will not disclose what they are for fear of giving the surprise away.

This sock was knit with Regia Sock yarn, using a basic sock pattern.

Finished sock (unblocked...not sure if blocking is necessary, but my grandma says I should)

Now I just need to knit another...my other foot is jealous.

Mail Call

During the last week or two, I've received some fun mail. Fun mail usually consists of magazines, letters/cards, packages from Amazon.com, etc.; it is apart from the usual junk and bills that normally grace our mailbox. The recent contents included the new Harry Potter movie from Amazon, Yarn and a pattern from KnitPicks, and a couple of magazines. Check out the Stash Enhancement from Knit Picks:
Hand-dyed Merino wool, going to be used for my first lace project (sorry the pic is so dark) .

One of the magazines I received was Everyday with Rachel Ray , which is my new favorite cooking magazine. Rachel and her staff have wonderful and easy recipe's and fun articles. In my excitement, I decided to try out the PB&J cookie recipe, which sounded delicious. It is essentially a thumbprint cookie (you know the kind with the jam in the middle), but uses a peanut butter cookie base. First let me say, the recipe couldn't be simpler, however it turned out to be a disaster. Not because of the recipe, but because of my own ineptness at baking. I underestimated how much the cookie would actually spread (two inches apart seemed rather excessive at the time) and made too large of an indentation for the jelly ( I like a lot of jelly). Into the oven they went, and the bottoms fell out. The bottoms fell out, leaving me with a donut shaped cookie and jelly stuck to the baking sheets. What a mess...but a tasty mess, I must admit. I will definitely try them again, hopefully with better result.
Before Baking:
A couple of the cookies turned out ok...
...but mostly they looked like these sorry excuses for cookies. How unfortunate.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I meant to post this yesterday....actually, I meant to post it Sunday, but whatever. I celebrated my 25th birthday on Sunday! Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me... The above is the gorgeous castle cake my honey baked and decorated for me.
This year I received a beautiful road bike for my birthday. Along with the bike I received a bunch of fun and needed gear from my Parents (via REI)...I can't wait for the weather to be consistently warm enough to ride daily, but for now I'll have to settle for short, face freezing rides, or training on the stationary.
I am also the soon to be recipient of the Lucky Twist Longaberger basket set. I very pretty basket with a bottom twist and green reeds. Thanks Kunkels!

The grand daddy of gifts would have to be my new Twinkie bake set (which along with the bike and the cake, is also from my honey), I can't wait to try it out. I have always LOVED Hostess Twinkies, an obsession that those here in TastyKake land do not understand. Lately, I have not been able to eat Twinkies; we try to eat very little processed foods, which lets face it, Twinkies don't fit under those restrictions. They are one of the few foods that will outlast it's packaging. This Christmas, I received a Twinkie the Kid, Twinkie holder in my stocking, but he has been sitting empty, longing for the yellow goodness he was made for. But, no more...I will now be able to make my own Twinkies...with real ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs, etc...) no preservatives! And if that weren't enough...it came with a second Twinkie the Kid! Bliss.

When Irish Eyes are Smilin'

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Bikes, Beer and Knitting, oh my!

Here on the East Coast, we received our first taste of spring yesterday! It was sunny and in the upper 60's, perfect weather to try out my Birthday Bike. We stayed local for our first ride of the season, taking advantage of the paved trail near our house. Jake spent so much time decking my new bike out, that he neglected making sure his was in proper riding order. He was soon sorry, because as it turns out he couldn't shift out of gear, so he pretty much only had one speed. Needless to say, after a couple miles, he was ready to pack it in and try to repair his bike.

Sophie's trip through the wash:
Completed Sophie:
The Sophie bag is felted and complete, and in time for Gretchen's birthday, how about that for timing. I still need to shave it and I'm thinking about embellishing it with a small knit/crocheted flower, but we'll see how I feel. After the ride yesterday we met up with some friends for an evening of beer. I brought along my very first sock project. Can you think of anything more fun than beer and socks?

Check out my new site...

So yesterday my wonderful cohabitant built me a beautiful new website, with all the bells and whistles. He did a fantastic job, I am so excited about it. He included this blog to the homepage so that you can read the blog from the site. Pretty cool.

The Sophie bag is almost complete! I need to finish the second strap (hopefully I have enough yarn... it's going to be close) and off to the washer to FELT! This will be my maiden felting voyage, keep your fingers crossed because it can't be unravelled after felting.