Madly, madly in love with Kiki's Fair Isle Sweater, made of yarn scraps. Here are some notes on the art of random color, including the fair isle pattern Kiki used.
I promise... PROMISE... those who were worried, this is not becoming a cupcake blog. It's just that cupcakes are so damned photogenic (which must indeed be part of their appeal). This is the "actual" batch toward which the test batch pointed. I decided to use the Magnolia recipes for Vanilla Cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream for my friend Sarah's belated birthday party, and they were a hit. Suprisingly, they also were dead ringers for actual cupcakes bought at Magnolia, maybe even slightly better because the icing may have contained a tad less sugar. And the cake was nicely done this time. Check 'em:
These little beauties were a mere piece of a larger dinner party menu that C. and I put together, including Martha's empanadas (um, don't use wax paper instead of parchment), corn off the cob with chili and lime, greens with avocado dressing, and a peach crisp with vanilla ice cream. And of course not a few Negra Modelos.
Good stuff. Trouble was, we lost our A/C a couple of days ago to an electrical mishap (a mishap in which we almost lost C., too!). Not that it would have helped, because the late A/C was in our bedroom, but still it was not a great day to be baking or cooking. We're talking sticky to the max, peeps. Our dinner party guests were, let's admit it, sweaty. Just like I was, while baking cupcakes.
That blotch on my shirt was water, not sweat, but still, you get the idea. I tried not to sweat in the cupcakes, guests... promise!
Finally we found refuge on the roof, where we ate dessert until we all became groggy with food.
On Wednesday, it's back to school. Probably safe to say all the culinary festivities will end then, and I will return to slow but steady subway knitting progress and hours toting incredibly heavy books and dreaming up How to Build a Better Backpack instead of thinking about the permanent spine damage law school is doing all of us.
No thanks to Catty, I have completed the decrease section on the body of my Union Square Market Pullover.
I try to teach her to knit, and all that lazy arse does is lay on my yarn, clean herself, and fall asleep! We'd all be much better off if she'd just learn to read a pattern so that this USMP wouldn't take until March to complete, now wouldn't we? Catty, you're not helping. You're not helping at all.
(And these two are soooo much better. Ha!)
Were you at the Delicious Sandwich Social? Did I see you, eh? Seems not. But okay, you get the madcap recap anyway.
I'm a bit beat, so it's just thumbnails for the most part. Sorry!
The Sandwich: Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches
Just like a grilled cheese, but a lot more exciting. I cheated by using seven-grain bread and natural peanut butter, but that butter in the pan is 100% real and 100% plentiful. (Click thumbnails for larger views)
The Drawing of Sandwiches: About 20 people showed for the Social, most of whom know the organizer, Jon Friedman. Of course, as it turns out my friend Dena had met him too, so we were kind of not utter strangers. A few other randoms (like us) appeared as well, with excellent sandwiches. I snagged an excellent egg salad and watercress sammy. And my fried PB & B was selected by Sara Schaeffer, la comedienne. Oh, and I won the golden ticket! See:
There was even a SandWitch!
Rock. I'd totally do this again. See you next year, sandwich tasters!
Check this cute, seemingly easy, wide-necked raglan pattern by Live Journal poster Sarah. Katie of Oh My Stars has made a natty one in Ravenclaw colors (how that lady knits so fast, I'll never know... but no complaining here!). Tres tempting!
O knitting godess, will I ever ever ever finish my USMP? Why am I knitting a sweater on size 2s again?
Or of course, this, if it's around...
Just a few suggestions...
Will I see you at The Delicious Sandwich Social in Prospect Park tomorrow? I hope so! (and for pete's sake, NO WRAPS. It says so right in the rules!)
A few delicious sandwiches to consider:
Pressed Picnic Sandwich (feeds 10! it really works!)
Elvis Presley's Hot Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich
Pan Bagnat (Nicoise Tuna Sandwich) (my favorite sandwich in all of France)
Voici les cupcakes! This was my first ever attempt at these. They are definitely a first batch. I give them decent marks on cuteness, if I do say so. The frosting was very, very good. The cake has a long way to go, though.
The frosting is the Swiss Meringue Buttercream I wrote about a few days ago. Really, it was quite delicious. I'm not one for heavy, greasy buttercreams, so the lightness of the meringue provided the perfect counterbalance. It also was not diabetic-coma-inducingly sweet, which = bonus points (except when in the mood for a Magnolia-style frosting). This was my first experience with food dyes, so I went... um... a little overboard on the color, producing salmon and lime colored frostings instead of the subtle pastels I originally envisioned. But no matter: that thar's some tasty frosting.
The cakes followed a basic cupcake recipe from Nigella Lawson's website. I think I overbaked them, because they were a bit tough on the outside and a bit too dry on the inside. Edible, but not great. Maybe I should have followed the "wooden spoon" instructions rather than the food processor ones, since I used an electric mixer. I should probably also get a thermometer for the inside of our oven, since the temp may not be spot on.
Here are links to a few more photos:
Anyway, this batch raises its tiny sprinkly fist, defiantly challenging me to bake another dozen or so. A few different recipes I'd like to try:
Chai Cupcakes (The Food Palate)
Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Buttercream
Mini Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Chili Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Lavender Cream Filled Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting, and basically every other amazingly creative recipe from the Cupcake Bake Shop Blog
What the hell is it about cupcakes? I always liked them, but still I wondered how it was that Not Martha became so cupcake-centric. Then there came Cupcakes Take the Cake, the cupcakean mecca of a group blog in which Rachel, official Lusty Lady of The Village Voice (nudity alert) and acquaintance-of-ex-boyfriend-of-Dena, participates. Gothamist admits to obsession as well, the New York Times has analyzed it, and now even California (gasp!) is apparently catching the fevah.
And then I drank the Kool-Aid made a batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream from The Food Palate (via Not Martha). Mind you, I have not made the cupcakes yet, just a lovely bowl of fluffy, pastel-hued frosting. But it was so goddamned fun that now I myself am crusing the web for cupcake ephemera. Cupcake photos can be added to the list of object porn: yarn porn, real estate porn (found only in Woody Allen films), and now, cupcake porn.
God help me, I may be becoming one of the cupcake people.
You may remember the great SPF moisturizer thread of 2005. I ended up sticking with Olay Complete Defense, SPF 30, and I really like it. It's affordable and easy to find, moisturizing enough, and after everyday use I can see that the still-pale skin on my face has been protected from the good deal of sun my shoulders and arms have endured. I like it even better than the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer, which stings a bit in sensitive spots and is only SPF 15.
Since that went so well, I thought I'd ask you, Dear Readers, another face question. I got a little starter kit of Dr. Hauschka stuff, and have been using the Cleansing Cream and Clarifying Toner every day, along with the Normalizing Day Oil at night (despite its name). So far, I think I like the stuff. My skin is clear and a bit less blotchy and my pores seem slightly more orderly. I also like the idea of skin care without too many chemicals. But I wonder whether any of you have had any experiences with Dr. Hauschka in the longer term... anybody?
After starting and frogging the USMP (count 'em) five times, it seems the ball is rolling. I gave up on my original yarn choice and picked up some Frog Tree Sport Alpaca over at The Yarn Tree in Williamsburg (which is, by the way, a fantastic store... I can't believe I'd never been there!). On US 2 needles, this appears to be the perfect yarn substitute. Fabulous range of colors, soft, and the correct gauge.
Oh, and have you seen all the new Knitpicks yarns? I have seriously been inspired to plow through USMP simply so I can start knitting a crapload of awesome projects with them.
No knitting content here, folks... sorry! Check out the next post though...
There isn't much of a photographic record of our week on Fire Island, because most of our activities involved, well, not very much activity. The only pics I have of all the lazing about that occurred are of our friends Drew and Angela and their adorable 18-month old daughter Trinity, but I'd rather not plaster Trin's face on the Internet without their permission. Not that any of you all are that kind of person, but well, caution pays. She's just too cute to share anyhow.
Our other little guest, however, actually got people moving. Check this praying mantis that hung out on our porch for a while:
Neat, huh? Can't say I've ever seen one that close. This shot of me contorting around, pants falling down and everything, documents the photographic tizzy into which the mantis sent me:
That's more active than I was all week.
Now that we're back in Brooklyn, Chris and I are accomplishing more laying around, wasting of time, and general laziness. Although Chris isn't entirely lazy... he was on the radio this morning! That's right, Chris was invited onto the WBAI morning show, Wake Up Call, to talk about media activism and the New York Independent Media Center one year after the RNC. Click on "listen to hour two" to hear the scoop.
Oh, also, Chris gave me these lovely roses yesterday:
What a peach, eh?
Not much else to report, except that I've been working hard on repeatedly starting then frogging my Union Square Market Pullover (see next post) and that I have (shockingly) already begun some of my reading for the first week of school. Also, we saw Tony Takitani, the film version of the three-page Haruki Murakami story that ran a while back in The New Yorker, a few days ago. I love Murakami, but didn't love the film. It felt like little more than an illustration, the kind you'd find in a children's book. Not bad, but not great. And we sort of already get it: middle aged Japanese men in Murakami stories are lonely and alienated.
Oh and while we're in the mood for random odds and ends, a cute new cafe, called Cocoa Bar, has opened up on my block. It features coffee, wine, and chocolate. Promising, very promising. Hopefully they can stave off the inevitable invasion of loud and undisciplined children for a while (sorry, I swear I'm not a baby-hater... I'm not! It's this neighborhood that's doing it to me!). We're going to try it tonight, but we have high hopes... so Brooklyners keep your eyes peeled for a review.
So, I'm having some beefs avec the Union Square Market Pullover:
(1) Provisional cast on. I'm not sure I'm doing it right, the instructions in the pattern and IK are unclear, and they seem to contradict the instructions in Knitter's Companion. I did what I thought was correct, but am still unsure whether it will work when I attempt to hem the bottom. Plus, the pattern instructions on hemming the bottom confuse me to no end. Is one supposed to knit with three needles there or what?
(2) Yarn Gauge, etc.. Perhaps I jumped too fast into the Lorna's / Gems Opal combo. I saw some Frog Tree Sport Alpaca at a fabulous little yarn shop called Heavenly Socks in Belfast, Maine, and am thinking that might have been a better choice for a number of reasons. First, being alpaca it is danged soft and warm, and a bit more refined than the merino yarns I chose. Second, the gauge seems more suitable for the pattern. I swatched with the Lorna's and the Gems Opal, and while I did get gauge the fabric is stiffer and rougher than I would prefer it to be. I finally saw another completed USMP done in alpaca from La Drougerie and, as you can see in this pic, the gauge looks sooo much finer than mine. In short, I have alpaca envy.
I could return my unwound skeins to Purl, which would mean a store credit there (which I would certainly use) and $20 of yarn I can't return and would use for goodness knows what else. Then I could hunt around for some Frog Tree Alpaca (Yarn Tree carries it) or something comparable. Or I could stick with what I've got and hope it works.
Indecisive much? Nah...
Argh. This is so frustrating! Yarn substitution is MOST annoying. As much as I love Kate Gilbert's designs, I wish designers living abroad and publishing in (primarily) American knitting magazines or websites would use yarns that are readily available in the US or provide suggested alternatives! It's bad enough that you stoke our jealousy by living in France, or Germany, or Japan, or South Africa, so is this really too much to ask?
We're back, but we're going again... this time to Fire Island for a sweetheart of a week in Ocean Beach. Then we'll stop going on vacation for a few weeks. Anyhoo...
For the lazy and/or patient, and/or ambivalent: in about a week, I'll post a whole schma about our trip to Maine, travelogue and all!
For the antsy and/or bored and/or easily excited: you can browse through the photos on Flickr at this very moment! Go on, the chicken says it's okay:
Briefly, in knitting news:
(1) My first-ever self-designed sweater appears to be too big. Not because of an error in gauge or anything, just because, like a fool, I think I started out by taking the measurements of a top that is actually too large on me. Otherwise it looks pretty good. It's a yoked cardi of sorts. I've attached the sleeves to the bod, will decrease a little, then plan to attempt to form a bit of a scooped neck by doing some shortrowing. I say that as if I have any idea what shortrowing is. Whatever it is, Joelle from Purl suggested it, so it must be good.
(2) I've swatched for the Union Square Market Pullover, and glory be, I've got gauge using a US2. The fabric is a tiny bit dense for my taste, but after all, she IS a sweater. I'm hoping to get started on her this week.
We are in full-swing preparation for the end-of-summer vacances for which we have been pining for months and months and months. Pining, not planning, though... no time for planning, just pining. The broad strokes of the trip are this: we're renting a car on Friday and leaving directly after work on my last day (hurrah!) and battling the horrendous traffic to kick off our trip with a weekend visit avec our friends in Lebanon. Lebanon, New Hampshire, that is. It's near Hanover (which always makes me think of that Simpson's episode: "In a motel room in Delacroix / drinkin' like a Dartmouth boy / thinkin' 'bout the wrong turns that I took...).
On Monday we're driving up to visit our friends Clayton (recipient of convertible mittens and organic farming apprentice) and Kendra, who live near a wee town called, you betcha, Brooklin, on the Blue Hill Peninsula. E.B. White lived in Brooklin! <= this is basically the only thing I know about it... The only plans we have while we're there? To (1) eat lobster, (2) drive to and hike in Acadia National Park (can you recommend any specific parts to see?) and (3) visit our friend John who works in the blueberry harvest every year at this time. Other than that, Maine is our
Then we fly back to NYC on Saturday, August 13. On the 15th we're off to Fire Island for a few days, then we'll be cityfolking it up again.
This is all to say, first, that I couldn't be more stoked to get out of the city and, second, that I may not be posting regularly again until August 19. But I hope to get some knitting in while we're away, so maybe there will be a little Union Square on the menu when we return... a girl can dream, can't she?
Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it...
Crafsters can do, I'm convinced, just about anything.
Circular shrug puzzlers, puzzle no more. Keridiana over at Craftster has hit on what looks to be the precise construction of our mysterious circular shrug / vest.