Socking Fever

But I must confess it's a self-inflicted case. There I was minding my own business happily knitting fingerless and regular mitts when I asked DD to show me how to knit a sock before she went back to Kentucky last weekend. I've been reading the Yarn Harlot's blog and books and am fascinated by how quickly she turns out socks. When I read through the Harlot's blog archives I was boggled by all the first socks people show her and the sheer volume of socks she cranks out. I cast on a sock in Wool-Ease just for practice, to play with, not for serious sock making. I intended to find some cotton to knit into dishcloths and maybe some other something to knit in cotton to take to Bonaire for a month. I mean, who wants to knit wool while they're sitting on a Caribbean island? Not me. Well, there's cotton and acrylic and polyester yarn, and it's worsted weight and you can make socks out of it. Did you know that? I found Berroco's Love it Colors and had to buy the colorway called Monday Monday, soft and variegated. Three balls so I'll have enough (I have big feet). Then I was looking around to see what other sock yarn was on the shelves and found Filatura di Crosa's Maxime print in the festively named #5048. Yummy colors, but it's merino and DK weight so it's staying home and will have to wait. I've been knitting sock when I should have been finishing packing so I can calm down and be ready to leave without having a nervous breakdown. But see how pretty? The packing's nearly done and our flight isn't until 6:15 PM tomorrow. I can make it.

WIPs

Evidently I have a "hands & feet" fetish because everything I have on the needles is on DPNs and either mitts or socks. I knew as soon as I finished grafting the toe of my training sock that it wouldn't be long before I had a life-size one cast on. I'm knitting it in Lion Wool-Ease worsted as a salve to my patience, or lack of it, plus the floor at the dive shop is freezing and my feet usually are too. I can use all the wooly socks I can get.




Don't know who the yellow mittens are for but I couldn't resist the combo of screaming yellow Paton's Melody and the Moda Dea Cheri in green (which is really a mix of yellow, turquoise, lt. blue, and green, and discontinued evidently). They'll keep somebody's hands warm--and awake.







And, of course, I have to feed my Forbidden Love (scroll down) addiction. I love 'em!

Hope everyone's staying warm. It's -3 here right now. Brrrr.

A New Year Contest

Kay over at Mason-Dixon Knitting has posted a contest.
She's calling it: The Grandma Mabel Memorial Recipe Box Show & Tell Contest

This is my late MIL's recipe box, a plain metal box from the office supply store, but inside there is treasure. The family's favorite recipe is for Never Fail Coffee Cake. It came in her Illinois Power & Light bill in the middle-30s or 40s, I think, and was an instant hit. It's sure to draw even the most dedicated dieter to the table.

NEVER-FAIL COFFEE CAKE

4 cups flour
2lb. oleo/margarine (I use ButterUp)
Cut oleo into flour as for pie crust

Mix in 1 pkg. dry yeast, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup sugar.

Separate yolks and whites of 3 eggs. Set whites aside, keep at room temperature.

Beat the yolks, add 1 cup milk and mix into the dry ingredients. Cover with plate or cloth and refrigerate overnight.

FILLING: whip egg whites and gradually add 2 cup sugar until stiff.

When ready to bake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into as many as four parts. Roll each part fairly thin. Butter dough lightly to 1" from all edges. Divide filling into the same number of parts as dough. Spread filling over dough, then sprinkle with brown sugar and shake cinnamon over the whole mess. Roll up, jelly roll style, seal edges with water and pinch. Place on baking sheet. Let rise awhile (about an hour). Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees--watch it--take out when light brown. Frost if desired.

You can do all sorts of things with it. Mix jam with the egg whites, add nuts or raisins. I also sometimes used canned apples but always went back to the plain brown sugar filling. When rolling up the dough see that the edges are sealed; otherwise the sugar runs out when melted.
If you make 3 or 4 small ones, freeze the others AND remember your figure.

I'm quite sure this is the entire recipe. I might wake up in the middle of the night and remember something else. Cutting the oleo into the flour gives it the flakiness. I've seen this same recipe where the oleo is melted in the milk and the sugar is dissolved as well and it isn't the same texture at all. Frosting is just powdered sugar, a bit of milk and vanilla if you want.

Good luck & Happy Eating!
(The italicized parts are Don's Mom's notes to him when she sent the recipe.)

Thanks a Lot, Ann

I've just spent the last half hour going back over my last few posts linking the he** out of things. It was fun. Lastly I linked the "training sock" pattern you used to yesterday's post. *sigh* Can you guess what knitting I'm planning to pack? Hint--it's small enough to put in your carry-on and I'll have to buy some yarn. In fact, I'll probably cast one on when Dad's at work. (I'll wait until he leaves so he doesn't tease me too much.) *sigh* Oh, you're such an enabler.

I'm so glad you were here.

Look!

Ann showed me how to sock! It's very tiny, made on big needles with worsted yarn but it's a sock. I'm so proud. Maybe someday I'll make a real sock. It's so cute. Coochie coochie, little sock.

Abby's Mittens & A Cupcake

Abby was so tickled by the mittens that Ann and I made last Saturday that I said I'd make her some so I did. I had the fuzzy/hairy yarn, in fact I had a variety to choose from, and I bought the thick & quick from Patti's. Purple, mmmm.


I saw the cupcake pattern in One Skein and decided to make one out of what I had on hand. Well, I did have to buy the fluffy white stuff, but I had the bottom stuff and the fiberfill "in stock." It's bigger than I thought it would be and somehow disappointing. Cute, though, but useless. I did put a little rice (in a sandwich bag) in the bottom to make it stand up a bit better.

Look! I linked! Thanks, Ann, for teaching me how.

Elfin Magic

When I picked up my crochet hook last winter to help quit smoking my daughter told me about a Free Crochet Pattern a day website and I used to check it when I remembered. Then when I started this blog I linked to it so it was easier to check every day. Most of the time the pattern is for something I'm not that interested in, but every once in a while it sparks my interest. You have to print it out, or save it, because they don't have an archive. Last week, or the week before, the pattern was for a trio of little shelf-sitters: a gingerbread man, a snowman, and an elf. The gingerbread man and the snowman? Eh. But the elf I couldn't get out of my mind. I picked up some Caron Soft Shadows yarn on sale at Michael's and coerced DD into helping me make one on Christmas Eve. I crocheted the body, head, and hat; she made the limbs and collar. We finished him Christmas morning--and fell in love. Then we had to make another one for her so we reversed the colors so we didn't have to buy more yarn. Here they are: Elmer and Abercrombie. Aren't they the cutest?