The Valentine's Sweater


...Is not done. Chances are good I could complete it tonight. I chugged some coffee so I could stay awake tonight and have some "alone time". I need to decompress from a few very busy days. Plus, Anthony is off of school tomorrow, so I get to (hopefully!!) sleep in until 7:00 or 7:30. His class at school today performed a wonderful play and my little man had quite the role! His expression of emotion was pretty excellent for a six year old. I think he could be a Jim Carrey in the making.

Valentine's evening was pretty good. The hubby and I hit the mall for a bit and I found some bargains that made me happy! (New shoes, skirt and top!) I have decided I don't wear enough skirts. Then, we went to see Music and Lyrics

No, Dh didn't want to go, but he ended up enjoying himself and I loved it! Both Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were great in this part satire/part romantic comedy.

I'm off to knit and snuggle under a down throw while watching a video.

The best part of coming home is knowing that your knitting is waiting for you. I've been working on a sweater for my husband---a Valentine's gift, you know. Of course, I waited until last Thursday to decide that I needed to make him said sweater. It's lovely Tahki Donegal Tweed yarn in the Oatmeal colorway. I like the little blue flecks that appear every once in a while.

The sweater itself is a basic raglan with some ribbing at the sides for a nice fit. He's approved the project and design so far and even likes the yarn, which is a minor miracle. So far, I have 1 sleeve and the body up to the armholes done. So, chances are good for an on-time gift!

Part of my Saturdays during the cold months are to curl up on the sofa when the youngest is napping and knit and watch the line-up of cooking shows on PBS. My Anthony was snuggled up with me this weekend watching and learning and insisted we try a chocolate chip meringue recipe immediately. It was very simple to make and the cookies were quite delicious!



Here's the recipe:

3 eggwhites, room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and vanilla at high speed until soft peak stage. Then, gradually add the sugar while beating. Continue beating until the meringue is at the stiff peak stage. By hand, fold in the chocolate chips.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto the sheets. Bake at 250 for 1.5 hours until lightly golden brown and firm in the middle. Cool and store in airtight container.

Hearing about the class-action sexual discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart this morning gave me tingles. For ages, I'd been hearing about how unfairly Wal-Mart treats their female employees and finally, someone is trying to do something to hurt them where it really hurts--the pocketbook.

I've stopped shopping at Wal-Mart because of their business practices. Pure and simple. I know of many others who have done the same--I wonder how many more will decide to direct their dollars elsewhere now that this lawsuit will be in the news?

If you'd like to read about it, click here

Just a little more knitting content:

A cotton sunsuit I just finished with little fishy buttons to close. I love it!

Dear Bravo:

Please fix Top Designer right this instant. It made me feel really sad to watch it. It's that bad. Please go to Project Top Design and read their critiques carefully because they are DEAD ON with what is wrong with this show.

Thank you.

Where Have I Been?



Well, for a while there, it seemed like anytime I had the time or inclination to blog, Blogger was down. So then it started to feel like it was pre-destined for me not to blog.


Anyway, it's been kind of quiet here, except I just finished a large-ish custom order. I dyed the merino yarn for the twisty scarves and used Manos del Uruguay for the Long and Skinny scarf and the felted mitts:












I've also been working on some other knitting for the store:



Now, I'm trying to screw up the courage to go down into my COLD basement and rinse off the cotton yarn I dyed yesterday. Have I told you we have a high temperature of 3 degrees today? Why did I choose the coldest days of winter to dye cotton yarn? Alright, it was mostly a diversionary tactic, trying to avoid buying sock yarn.

In the midst of the knitting and dyeing, I was watching Top Chef season 2. What a mess that show is. Seriously, I hated every single contestant except Michael. The best part was the guest judges. Ted Allen was a hoot and Eric Ripert holds a special place in my heart. Top Chef producers--take note--your viewers want some quality next season!