Menehune Finished

Still have my knitting mojo and I powered through and finished the menehune shawl.  The body was handspun from the Jenkins spin-a-long.  I did not have enough for the lace edging so I used the leftovers from my dark pearl cardigan.

Washing and blocking to be done and another finished object for the year.

Pieology Combinations

I took my parents to Pieology to try it out and left to their own devices had some very weird toppings to their pizzas.

I went with my standard pepperoni, artichoke hearts, and sausage.  We all had leftovers for lunch another day.

Christmas Dinner

After much discussion and decision changing, we finally settled on our standard Christmas menu.

It all started with Cal and Dave not coming due to Dave not having a knee, then it progressed to a turducken (never heard and never tried), to game hens, and then finally to prime rib (our usual fare).

Dad got a small one with 2 ribs and prepped it on a bed of carrots, celery, and onions.

Next came the spread of garlic, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

With a bit of olive oil.

Meat was prepped with a fat side up and then tied.

Some bay leaves were woven into the string and the meat sat out to rest with the garlic spread.

After cooking at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, the heat was turned down to 350 and some water was added.

Total cooking time about 2.5 hours and out it came to rest again.

Dinner of prime rib, roasted carrots, apple salad, garlic mashed potatoes, and a Mom's facsimile of Red Lobster's cheddar rolls.

Epic fail since the instructions called for 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese with one package of mix.  Instead 1 pint of water and cheddar cheese made a slurry on the baking sheet.  Epic fail.

Eileen enjoyed her prime rib dinner.

And we had mango dessert from 85C bakery.

Preparing for the Force Awakens

It has been a long time since I saw my first Star Wars movie.  I recall a summer in Reno where my parents dropped off my brother and I at the Century theater and we watched all three movies in a row while they gambled.  It was a great memory and I'm excited about seeing this new movie.

I was not too impressed with the prequel series and I'm hoping I won't be disappointed as I have always had a soft spot for Han, Leia, Luke, and of course, Chewy.

I saw this pattern and knew that I wanted to make a new hat and had some leftovers from a previous color work hat.  

It took a few days, but I have finished and even though the color work is not too distinct, I like the subtle changes and you really have to look for the fighters, troopers and the title.

I'm planning on wearing my hat when I go see the movie next year.

Mom's Poncho

My mom had asked a while ago for a poncho.  We went and bought the yarn - Lion Brand Wool-ease in three colors.  The pattern was also from Lion Brand but after getting a fabric I liked, the plaid pattern was way too busy.  I just randomly changed the yarn to get a pattern.

After knitting two rectangles, I joined the two pieces together after doing some research on you tube.

The poncho is done just in time for winter.  My mom tried it on and liked it.

We chose this as the front.

And the back.

Hot Water Bottle Cover

I was able to finish the hot water bottle cover from my handspun yarn.  Not as soft to the touch, but a washing should full it up.

Supper Club Appetizers

Supper Club this month was hosted by Jan.  She decided that her theme for the holidays is appetizers and drinks.

I offered to make bacon wrapped cheese stuffed dates.  I used medjool dates and asiago cheese.  Preparation was made the day before and a quick heat up at Jan's for the bacon to finish cooking and for the cheese to melt.

There was a variety of yummy appetizers that were filling after a few passes.

Great evening with friends.  Can't wait for next month.

Christmas Balls

My friend Grace sent me a link to a do-it-yourself wool dryer balls and asked me if we could make some.

We have been busy and I have been traveling, but I was able to pull out some pure wool yarn.  I had some skeins that I bought in Arizona when I first started knitting and used some of it to start a sweater, but I didn't really like the color spread so I frogged the project and used the yarn for these dryer balls.

Here are the wound balls.  Some are from the frogged sweater, some are leftover weaving yarn, and some other tidbits that have been lying around.

The next step was the stuffed pantyhose and the multiple washings and dryings over the laundry day weekend.

I had two batches so Grace could have a matching set and the leftovers colors will stay in my dryer.

Next time, I will only use one layer of hose instead of two.  I still have quite a few skeins of this yarn - I always fall for the bargains.  Does anyone else need dryer balls?

Brr! It's Cold

It has been cooler and wetter than usual here and I finally broke down and turned the heat on.  I never have the heat on at night as I have my down comforter and quilts.  So poor Bailey with his thin skin and short coat has been cold at night.

I pulled out a small down blanket for him and covered him in his bed.  He has been happy as a clam.

I also pulled out of the pantry my hot water bottle project.  This is some handspun yarn from my first fiber club.  The color way is called sugar coma.  Here is the progress with the water bottle.

I'm now at the neck of the bottle with the ribbing.  This should be done soon and put to use this winter.

Spinning with my Peeps

After my trips and seeing all the fiber and knitwear, I got my mojo back and wanted to start working on my fiber pursuits again.  During my last trip, I took some knitting but got all distracted and never finished until I got home.

Here are the finished socks.

I have my next skeins ready to go - just need to pick the next color.  These are self-striping yarns from Knit Picks and I'm excited to start a new pair of socks.

I made pumpkin rolls for spin group at Jeri's.  Baking them a second time was a bit harrowing as I noted my yeast was very old as I had used up my newer jar.

The first rise took quite a bit longer and the second rise was pokey as well.  No leftover ingredients and yummy moist rolls.  This is an adaptation of a potato recipe from my foodie friend Kim.

Jeri made vegetable soup which was delicious and warm for a cool day.

We also had salad, a cheese log, and a tapenade.

My long term spinning project is on my non-travel wheel so I took out some really old fiber from the closet and started a new project.  I almost got one bobbin full.

Catching up over dinner at Gyu Kaku

Grace, Yaling and I met up for dinner at Gyu-Kaku in Mira Mesa since Grace had some expiring coupons.  We all entered a raffle to win a trip to Japan.

We were still within the happy hour menu and we ordered a grill for two which was a lot to eat for 3 people with a couple of extra items.

Appetizer and salad.

Rice bowl.

Meats.

And vegetables.

And of course dessert.

Shopping afterwards at Trader Joe's before heading home with a full tummy.