New Recipes

Welcome, dear friends, to the final day of my Recipe Countdown.  On June 1st of last year, I started keeping track of every recipe we cooked.  I fell a little short of 365 new recipes in 365 days, but I'm pretty proud to say that we managed 238 new recipes!  Tonight's success involved Prosciutto-Wrapped Tilapia (adapted from America's Test Kitchen Simple Recipes) and Warm Broccoli Salad.

I'm working on classifying and categorizing all the trials (and tribulations!).  Would there be interest in the actual recipes?  If so, I can work on making them available on another site.

I wonder what to cook now...

Inishturk: A Lesson in Blocking

At the beginning of last winter, Mr. Book expressed interest in a new handknit sweater. After the planning dust settled, there were two in the works - a monstrously cabled one out of commercially spun yarn, and enough fiber for a simple handspun.

I specifically tracked down a commercially spun BFL, then dyed it grey.  Halfway through the last sleeve, I realized I was going to need more and I carefully dyed a second batch, then alternated 'dyelots' I knit it all up, sewed it together.  Too impatient to wait for blocking, I threw it at him and asked him to try it on.

We both silently cringed when it was too small.  He's been married to a knitter long enough to say something soothing about blocking, then take it off and put it on a shelf.

A month passed and I finally got brave enough to block it (as per my last post).  I couldn't decide whether I'd frog it or keep it myself if it was still too small.

Luckily, the superwash blocked true to form, and it now fits!:



1297 yards of Kickitat from Ashland Bay, dyed with Jacquard Acid Dyes.



The pattern is Inishturk, and free from Lion Brand yarns. It's a drop shoulder, but I changed it to modified drop for a slightly more fitted feel. The pattern was quite easy to follow and has a great, traditional Aran look.  The slightly tonal variations of the kettle dyed yarn is a bit distracting from the cabling, but I'm still pretty happy with it.  More importantly, he loves it.

Block Party

I've been quiet, but I haven't been idle!

It's a blocking party, down in the guest room.  Project details can be found here, here, and here.  Individual entries for each sweater to come!