omg, like my favorite thing ever

Trader Joe's has done it again, and come up with the bestest snack food ever ever. These papadams are like Pringles but without the greasy, so you feel like they just can't be bad for you. And they are very light and crunchy, too. The tandoori masala is super-tasty, especially since I'm such a fan of the fake-Indian dish tikka masala. The yogurt and dill was a big surprise. They were very similar to sour cream and onion chips, which I also lurve.

Way to go, Joe. Just keep making them, OK?

they were right; i was too weak

I'm a West Wing fan from way, way back. I love all the characters like crazy. I was rightly horrified by the WW after John Wells took over sole Executive Producership. Therefore, this article nearly drove me over the edge this morning. After all the devotion, how could they have considered electing Vinick? Thank goodness Santos is my next President.

seriously stalled

I'm in a bit of a holding pattern right now. Nothing seems to be working out, knitting-wise. I did finish the lovely spring scarf this weekend, and will share a picture later (still in the camera). The Retro Rib sock is toying with me, and I can't seem to get the heel started. If I can't get this going, what's going to happen when it comes to the short-row part? Yikes: too scary to contemplate. I also set out some pieces of a potential baby gift, and found that my gauge varied wildly. Far too wildly to consider sewing the piece up. Finally, I started to make the linen hand towel from MDK and that's too loose and floppy to be a towel, too. I'll have to frog and go down to a #3 needle, but that's too much like socks, so I'm not pleased there either. And the kitchen sink is clogged and we have people coming over for dinner tonight. Guess I get to use the new bathtub for washing the dishes.

This concludes my session of complaining. Thank you for your attention to these matters.

sud-ouest

Today's drink comes to us from the Wall Street Journal's cocktail column last Saturday. The Sud-Ouest might be the most interesting cocktail I've made at home. The main ingredient is pineau des charentes, which is about as difficult to find as it sounds. The third stop is the charm, and I finally found it at 67 Wine and Spirits. (Which is not on 67th Street, for your information. It's on 68th Street.) It's a cognac with wine, and also comes in a red variety. The bottle labels it as a dessert wine, but it doesn't have the sweetness normally associated with them. The book of cognacs I read at the shop while waiting through the search for the pineau also said that it makes a lovely aperitif. Again, not so sure about that.

However, this drink is fabulous, and potent. Give the ingredients a good shake and serve in a cocktail glass. It has a great layered flavor that is well-balanced, and didn't need any sprucing up from simply syrup or more juice.

2 1/2 oz pineau des charentes
1 oz gin (Plymouth, of course.)
1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 oz Cointreau


Enjoy!

how could you be cranky?

Especially with a watch like this?


A watch that matches my favorite pajamas? I didn't remember how loudly Swatches tick, and it's a wee bit irritating. But so darn cute overall! Of course, that's not what is driving me crazy today. I think that I just need sleep, and a lot of it.

And for the Yankees to win another game already.

The high point of today was finding pineau des charentes to try this cocktail recipe that Hubby found over the weekend. I'm ready... and will report on it soon.

yee-haw, y'all!

Yesterday after work I had the extreme pleasure of heading down to Coliseum Books for the biggest event in NYC knit blogging this month. Maybe even this year! I got to attend the reading for the publication of Mason-Dixon Knitting with Ann and Kay. It was great to meet Ann after reading about her for so long. Who knew that she was so tall? I also got to see a number of famous bloggers that I'd met at Kay's previously: Ann and Kay, Lis, Cara, and Valentina.


Even though the book was out for a whole week, I decided to wait and purchase the book at Coliseum, since they are so cool and host knitting book readings. I didn't want to dive into the book there, so I was actually eager to get on the train home. It was engrossing, and there's not much that can hold my attention during rush hour trains. I didn't even put on the iPod or use earplugs. I was shocked when the train pulled into my station.

Given my previous rant about photography, I am so pleased that MDK has utterly beautiful photography. Clear, large, and interesting. The patterns look great, and there are a number of things that I can't wait to try out. I want to go through it again, more slowly, and absorb the material more. It's really an inspiring book, and can't recommend it enough.

My pictures were not loverly, but really! I was there! Muchos congratulations!

springing forward

I'm giving the very thin sock yarn a brief break to make a springy scarf, since I don't really have anything that fits the bill (quelle horror)! The yarn is a 50/50 blend of mohair and silk, and I'm using the Blue Sky Alpaca Opera Scarf pattern. I probably should have gone up a needle size, but I started it at movie club (hi, movie club!) and did't have size 11s in the purse. The yarn is from Catherine Van Laake Loom in Eessence Atelier [sic]. I can't find it online anywhere. I got two 50g hanks at Knit/Purl in Portland in January. It was more expensive than I normally go for ($16.75), but it just feels so very good. I got about 14" out of half a skein, so it should be fine, lengthwise. Glad that I got two, though.

The dye isn't fixed terribly well, because my bamboos are now quite blue-greenish on the tips. My fingers weren't quite as bad, and they washed out just fine. But if I wear this during the warmer spring months, is my neck going to turn blue too?

So, I brought this along to a conference that just finished. For the long plenary session yesterday I dragged my co-worker to a table at the side of the room. After 20 minutes I passed him a note: "Would it be OK if I knit discreetly?" He nodded, and I pulled out the scarf. I was happily knitting away, listening to the speakers drone on, and occassionally commented on the proceedings. Co-worker excused himself for a moment, and when he came back he said that people throughout the room were writing letters and napping. Therefore, it appeared that I was almost the only person paying attention... because I was knitting!

I'm into the second ball at this point, and should have the scarf finished by the end of the week. Spring temporarily disappeared from NYC, but it'll be back, and then I'll be ready.

baby parade

So far in 2006, I've done three baby gifts: the Taro-inspired blankie, a purple hat, and a set of hat and booties. Still to go:

Baby MG: a boy, coming in May, friend of my Mom's. Gotta do something (not so subtle hints from her).
Baby CJ: gender unknown, coming in June/July, Dad is a former co-worker of mine. Sweater?
Baby MCS: gender unknown, coming in June. Big brother has a blanket, sweater and penguin already. But, they live in the South and I hear that it's a little hot for garments. Another toy? Do I have time for a blanket to match the big bro's? No. But I'll try to do it anyway.
Baby JL: a boy, coming in June, college friends. Baby has siblings already, so there are plenty of clothes. Perhaps a toy? I like little toys a lot, despite the massive amount of finishing that's required.
Baby MK: gender unknown, coming in September. Need to figure out something in a blankie format with colors, but not too bright. Hmmm....

So, I think that's the Year of the Baby. Of course, there are still MONTHS to go, so I'm sure that more will spring up from somewhere.

experimenting...

I tried out a couple of drinks on Friday night, and had marginal success with both. The first drink was the Star, from William Grimes' Straight Up or on the Rocks. It is equal parts applejack and sweet Italian vermouth, and needed just a little simple syrup to make it very drinkable. Grimes writes, "Said to have been created at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan in 1911, the Star cocktail was famous enough by the teens to be celebrated by Franklin P. Adams in his 'Coming Tower' column in the New York Tribune." Who was Franklin P. Adams, you might ask? Good question. Let me know if Google comes up with anything.

The next drink was an original of mine. I wanted to use up some crappy brandy that we had languishing in the cabinet, we had an orange, and I thought that it would be OK together. I used about equal parts brandy and OJ, and then thought that it needed a little pep. I put some sparkling water into the lowball glass, and it was good. But it still needed more pep, or so I thought. I just a touch more in, and completely watered down the drink. Ah well, it was good while it lasted.

flash your stash!

I signed up for Flash Your Stash day pretty late, and also haven't conquered the whole "button" thing, but here goes anyway:


Above is the stash that I'll admit to having. It fits in three under-the-bed containers, and that seems like a reasonable amount, doesn't it? I didn't have a lot of time to unpack all of the layers, but I think that you can get the idea. It's a goodly amount of yarn.


This is the stash that I don't admit to having. It doesn't have a nice storage space. It's in random bags in our spare room/office. I use a lot of the heavy zipper bags that sheets and linens come in; they work beautifully for holding a single project at a time. I found the Cotton-Ease on super-sale in December and went a little bonkers. But there are so many cute cute sweaters in the Miss Bea's books that I had to stock up while I could.

How does your Hubby feel about all of the yarn stash? Well, we have an agreement. He doesn't say anything about the yarn, and I don't say anything about the wine. (He's in the Biz, so there is a reason behind all of the wine beyond the fact that we just really like it.



The top picture, again, didn't cooperate. Tilt your head. One note about the yarn and wine: most skeins cost well under $10, and I don't think that Hubby can say that about the wine. Ha!