We're having a co-worker's baby shower Sep 12th and I want to have this blankie finished by then. I'm knitting it in TLC Cotton Plus.

progress so far (I've got a lot of knitting to do!):


can you see the stockinette hearts within the reverse-stockinette background? It's reversible too so that on the other side, the hearts are reverse-stockinette within a stockinette stitch background. The last time I made this pattern was for my nephew in 2003--the knitting and purling make it a fluffy afghan, with a simple yet delicate baby pattern. I love it in the cotton yarn.

I'm coming along with Gypsy--side seams are sewn up--all that's left is to sew the sleeve seams. Have I mentioned before that I hate finishing?

Labels: baby blankets

Yield thus far:

zucchini: 10 or so. Three breads made. Maybe a fourth.

bell peppers: 5 or 6

butternut squash: 4 picked; one small runt growing/ripening on vine. Not as big of a crop as last year's 20+ or so. Hoping to save two to have for Thanksgiving.

cucumbers: 5 or 6--again, not as big of a crop as prior year.

pumpkins: 2--one real big one and one real little one. Both still ripening on the vine.

tomatoes: approx. 75 and counting!!!

But what's really funny is that two different neighbors of ours have left us vegetables on our doorstep from their own gardens reciprocating what we did last year (they probably think that because they didn't get any from us this year that we didn't have a garden of our own--but it is only because I haven't had the time to bag them up and walk over with them--good thing I suppose!).

After inundating co-workers with some--lugging bags of tomatoes in on the subway--I look like I just came from Haymarket Sq.--I may put some in a food processor and freeze for sauce, to make with lots of paste. Who has the time for canning? I did this last year and it's wonderful.


garden loot from last week:


tomatoes picked just last night--I counted 40:


pizza I made last night for dinner on a whole-wheat crust using tomatoes from our garden:





**knitting progress?**
second sleeve is almost finished--¾ done--and then the seaming will commence on the beautiful Gypsy Mesh. I hope to have the finished pics up and posted the first week of September.

Happy Friday,

Labels: cooking/baking, life in the BerryKnitty household

Not much knitting going on but plenty of burning--

dvd's that is.

After learning way more than I should about the dvd format wars, with weary, tired eyes, I write you this.

Why can't pimply-faced teens that work in electronic stores understand the economic landscape some people face (of course they don't). Yes, my dvd player is four years old; yes, my hard-drive video recorder is one year old; yes, my computer is three years old. Am I supposed to upgrade this equipment every six months?! I want to scream at them; I want to pound my fists on the service counter "Do you not understand that I have two kids, work full-time (which makes even finding time to sit down to burn dvd's a miraculous event), have childcare to pay for blah blah blah????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

But I don't (because that would be pointless). Instead, behind my annoyance I smile politely, nod my head and leave the store with yet another piece of hardware or software purchased either needlessly or way beyond my budget or way beyond my technological-self or all of the above. I also leave knowing that my purchases have become dinosaurs the second I've left the parking lot.

After explaining this 'format war' to confused store clerks, I realize that maybe I know more than the average-joe about this (even if it's needlessly because, after all, I'm the only one that owns a four-year-old dvd player)--I mean if I purchased my dvd player 2 mos after I did--this whole thing wouldn't even affect me -- equipment today recognizes both formats (NOTE: CHECK THAT IT DOES IF YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM ME HERE TODAY). Turns out my player only plays DVD-R; my computer only burns to DVD+R . . . . get what I mean?

My husband comes home the other night to find me on the floor with the computer's cpu unscrewed, panels on the floor, wires everywhere. After ruining my manicure, I've installed a new drive (that writes to both formats).

I got to bed by 1 a.m. the last couple of nights after burning, playing, and going through multiple panic attacks when the only footage I have of my babies churns away on my hard drive--all 800 gazillion gigabytes worth. I know these humongous mpeg files cannot remain on my hard drive--this creates a sickening urgency to the project.

Well, video is on dvd's--cheap ones--Staples brand--and they play in my &*!@ player. And because some of the playback skips (completely crushing the high I was on after successfully installing hardware into my computer and being able to tech-speak on DVD formats), I'm going to re-burn to a nicer brand maybe slow the burn speed (ya, I've done way too much researching on this)--here's to that working. If not, I'll accept the low-quality video. Low-quality video that cost way too much.

I'll leave you with a couple of sunny pictures. A monarch butterfly, found in our backyard as an egg on a milkweed leaf (like the one pictured). Raised in a jar in our house. We let the butterfly go back on August 4. B loved it!





Have a wonderful weekend!

Labels: butterflies, life in the BerryKnitty household

I just went on bostonknitout.com and found out that the Knit-Out has been canceled this year and they're not having it again until 2009. Not enough funds I guess. Bummer! It's just something fun to go to and I've only been once back in 2005.

A second friend canceled out on dinner tonight so myself and one of my other friends are just getting together at my house tonight per usual. This works out best I suppose as I'm exhausted on Friday nights from the work-week, etc.

In more positive news, I've completed one whole sleeve to the Gypsy Mesh and will probably finish the other sleeve by early next week and then sew the seams up and voilà! DONE.

We've also let another monarch butterfly go last Saturday that we raised from an egg found in our backyard. I'll post some pictures of that too next posting.

Oh, and I baked a third zucchini bread Wednesday night! DEEE-LISH.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Labels: Gypsy Mesh Pullover, Knitting in the Boston MA area, life in the BerryKnitty household

Bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers from our garden:



and the second zucchini bread I've made. We're getting so many zucchini I can't keep up with it all.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Zucchini Bread
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
Turbinado sugar or other crystallized brown sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Stir the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. When cominbed, mix in the oats. Make a well in the center of the ingredients. Whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together in a small bowl and pour the mixture into the well. Combine lightly, then stir in the zucchini. Do not overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, mounding it up in the center. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar if you wish. Bake for 60 or 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack covered with a clean dish towel to prevent indentations. Let the bread cool at least 10 minutes longer before slicing. The bread can be served warm or at room temperature. It keeps well and makes good toast, too.

Variation: Brown-Sugar Carrot Bread

Replace the zucchini with 2 cups grated carrot. Because the carrots are a little starchier, reduce the oats to ¾ cup.

notes to recipe: This time around I used a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of white flour. I swear, using the whole wheat made such a difference--the bread is so much heartier and delicious. I didn't do the Turbinado sugar-thing.

The first time I substituted the oil with applesauce, but I didn't this time around--I used oil--but only about ½ a cup

For future reference, it is good to know that the applesauce works fine as a substitution for the oil.

***************
I don't like to eat my vegetables too altered from their natural state so making this bread wasn't because I don't like zucchini, I do--in fact, I usually just slice it, boil it up and put butter on it--it's just that we're getting so many of them at once and this makes good use of it. I have a slice every morning for breakfast.

I have a zucchini casserole idea from a woman I work with--may try it out!

Dinner last night was salmon and fried up bell peppers in olive oil--and of course, a delicious salad of tomatoes and cukes--very good, I must say.

**Oh, and in case you're dying to know, the back and front are now knitted up to the Gypsy pullover. Tonight, after dealing with this made-in-China-fiasco, I will begin the shoulder-seaming and pick up stitches to begin a sleeve.**

Labels: cooking/baking, life in the BerryKnitty household

I had until midnight last night to order $35 or more at Herrschner's in order to get free-shipping . . . and so I did just that.

I got the Circular Solution for my out-of-control & twisted, circ's:


and I got 6 balls of TLC Cotton Plus in Cream for a baby blanket. A co-worker's baby is due this October. I plan to start the blanket soon as it takes me a good three months to finish one--these days, it may take even longer. I also plan to start C's jumper/dress as I want that done well before Christmas.

I have had a second wind with the Gypsy Mesh Pullover and only have ten more rows (which I WILL finish tonight) left to the front piece. Then onto the sleeves and seaming. I'm not posting anymore pics of that thing the top until it's finished and modeled by moi!

Here's to some cooler weather . . . just a tad drier is all I ask.

Labels: shopping