Love, food, yarn, etc
Monday, September 12th, 2011 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
afunaI meant to type "miss you, love you"; instead my fingers typed "miss you, love mine".
Which... works I guess! The keys are right next to each other and all that.
Have been having lots of summery-salad stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots as a base, and then whatever is on hand. I'm all out of the sliced almonds, but I did manage to find some cheese that's actually cheddar, and not velveeta! That has been adding some nice salty-sharpness to my salads. So good :)
I also managed to snag some Red Leicester. I don't know what that is like, but I'll find out soon.
Today's special ingredient was golden kiwi. I though the sweet acidity would offset the cheese, but it was too mild and the salad was overall blah. Green kiwi might have been better. Probably best though, would be some nice pineapple or orange chunks. Maybe apples, to go into an entirely different direction, as well.
I have discovered the hard way that sliced tomatoes keep for only one or two days, so I must now make sure we only slice one at a time instead of a couple.
Have been doing so! much! knitting :D I got my in-progress projects on Ravelry down to five for a time, but now I'm back up to seven (ahahaha /o\), with two more that need weaving in of ends / attaching of handles, that kind of thing. Sometimes I wish I could pay someone to finish my projects for me /o\
My latest project is a summer vest made with a linen/cotton blend. I am super in love with this yarn: it's smooth and light; like cotton it's not flexible, but it's much easier on the hands than kitchen cotton. I bet that it'll feel nice and light on the skin as well. I hear that linen gets softer with washing. I don't know if this blend will act the same way, but I certainly hope so.
I don't know if it's easier on the hands than cotton because I've only ever used kitchen cotton, or if it's because linen is somehow more forgiving than cotton and imparts some of that quality into the blend. It might even be because this is DK weight, and the kitchen cotton I've used is worsted? Noooot sure, but whatever the reason, I do love it, because with this it's much easier to knit garments that are suited to my climate.
I feel like my life right now revolves around IRC, knitting, my dogs, food (and cooking shows), and Dreamwidth. And well, I'm happy. So. Life.
Which... works I guess! The keys are right next to each other and all that.
Have been having lots of summery-salad stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots as a base, and then whatever is on hand. I'm all out of the sliced almonds, but I did manage to find some cheese that's actually cheddar, and not velveeta! That has been adding some nice salty-sharpness to my salads. So good :)
I also managed to snag some Red Leicester. I don't know what that is like, but I'll find out soon.
Today's special ingredient was golden kiwi. I though the sweet acidity would offset the cheese, but it was too mild and the salad was overall blah. Green kiwi might have been better. Probably best though, would be some nice pineapple or orange chunks. Maybe apples, to go into an entirely different direction, as well.
I have discovered the hard way that sliced tomatoes keep for only one or two days, so I must now make sure we only slice one at a time instead of a couple.
Have been doing so! much! knitting :D I got my in-progress projects on Ravelry down to five for a time, but now I'm back up to seven (ahahaha /o\), with two more that need weaving in of ends / attaching of handles, that kind of thing. Sometimes I wish I could pay someone to finish my projects for me /o\
My latest project is a summer vest made with a linen/cotton blend. I am super in love with this yarn: it's smooth and light; like cotton it's not flexible, but it's much easier on the hands than kitchen cotton. I bet that it'll feel nice and light on the skin as well. I hear that linen gets softer with washing. I don't know if this blend will act the same way, but I certainly hope so.
I don't know if it's easier on the hands than cotton because I've only ever used kitchen cotton, or if it's because linen is somehow more forgiving than cotton and imparts some of that quality into the blend. It might even be because this is DK weight, and the kitchen cotton I've used is worsted? Noooot sure, but whatever the reason, I do love it, because with this it's much easier to knit garments that are suited to my climate.
I feel like my life right now revolves around IRC, knitting, my dogs, food (and cooking shows), and Dreamwidth. And well, I'm happy. So. Life.
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Date: 2011-09-12 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 03:06 pm (UTC)(the linen-cotton blend I got was about the same price as the pure cotton blend I found in my LYS -- OTOH it might have been pricey cotton!)
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Date: 2011-09-12 03:48 pm (UTC)http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Simply_Cotton_Organic_Sport_Yarn__D5420185.html
This yarn is simply divine:
http://www.knitonecrochettoo.com/tydy.htm
I've used others but those are the only ones I remember the names of at the moment.
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Date: 2011-09-12 04:17 pm (UTC)Thanks for the examples :-)
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Date: 2011-09-12 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 05:54 am (UTC)I sympathize with this so much! I've been wanting to do tops and the like for ages, but it's been a bit of a pain to find patterns that work well with cotton (e.g., patterns heavily dependent on ribbing don't work so well).
I've recently discovered that looser/drapier sleeveless tops or tanks kinda make sense though, and it's pretty fun working with those, especially in nicer quality yarn *_*
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Date: 2011-09-15 05:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 06:02 am (UTC)The only downside is that my LYS doesn't actually carry it, so I've only been able to pick up a limited number of balls, all while I'm overseas *G*
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Date: 2011-09-12 06:08 pm (UTC)The Provence has to be felt to be believed. It's just that good.
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Date: 2011-09-15 05:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-12 06:09 pm (UTC)I do that sort of thing for money on the side. Too bad you live in another country!
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Date: 2011-09-15 05:57 am (UTC)Hmm, maybe I can see if someone at the LYS does anything similar, or knows of anyone who does similar, though! *plots*
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Date: 2011-09-13 01:14 am (UTC)What's velveeta? Is it what we call "processed cheese" in Australia?
I also managed to snag some Red Leicester. I don't know what that is like, but I'll find out soon.
I like Red Leicester. It's a nice variant on cheddar.
I have discovered the hard way that sliced tomatoes keep for only one or two days, so I must now make sure we only slice one at a time instead of a couple.
Er, yes. I wouldn't cut up a tomato until just before using it, and then I would try to eat it all that day; I dislike next-day tomatoes.
I am super in love with this yarn: it's smooth and light;
If you want a yarn to fall in love with that is soft and light, try bamboo, or a bamboo/cotton blend. It is just lovely.
I got my in-progress projects on Ravelry down to five for a time, but now I'm back up to seven
I'm afraid I haven't quite figured out the project stuff on Ravelry. I'm not sure whether I want to use it or not. What reasons do you like using it yourself?
I'm having great fun with crochet!
Current projects:
1) The Fluffy Wrap. Now on Ball 11, and it's a bit too big to comfortably carry with me on the bus, so I'm just leaving it sprawled over the sofa (ah, one advantage of living alone) and doing it while watching videos. I'm really looking forward to the finished product with this one!
2) My first string bag. It's a combination of three different patterns, and I'm feeling a bit "meh" about it, but I've done far too much on it to give up now, though I am tempted to just unravel the whole thing (sigh). I've already half-unravelled it once, I don't want to do it again. Except that it isn't working as I would like it to... so maybe it's time to unravel it all over again (sigh).
3) The Quest For the Perfect Soap Saver. Yesterday I followed up a suggestion my sister made, and did one in Nylon Knitting Ribbon. She suggested the nylon knitting ribbon because she had a really good soap saver in that material (in a horrible colour, alas) which performed well as a soap saver because it didn't absorb the water, so it dried out quickly and hence the soap didn't go all soft and soggy inside it. I tried out the one I made in the shower this morning. It stretched a bit more than I expected, and a little rough on the face (hey, exfoliating, right?) but it performed very well in the soaping/lathering department; we shall see tomorrow if the non-absorbing aspect is as my sister says. It's true that the cotton ones I've made do retain the water, so yes, the soap gets a bit soft... which makes me wonder why all the soap saver patterns I've seen are made of cotton.
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Date: 2011-09-15 06:01 am (UTC)It's an american brand of processed cheese. It's, ummmm, strange - kind of like flavored, chewy, soft plastic.
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Date: 2011-09-15 06:13 am (UTC)Yes! Well actually, I thought that velveeta was a common name, but I've just found out that it's a brand name (thanks Wikipedia!)
OMG yes *_* I so want this -- the only thing stopping me from filling my closets with it is that it's not available locally, but I have a few balls I got while I was travelling and I'm so in love with the sheen, color, and drape \o/
I use it to keep track of past/present projects: partly keeping track of my knitting progress, and partially for personal history purposes. I've also used it to help me decide what to do next -- e.g., as I was looking at my works in progress two weeks ago, it suddenly struck me that I had a lot of scarves on the needles, but I hadn't done any hats in ages, and suddenly I wanted to do hats!
It has features to help you mark down how much yarn you've used, which is particularly useful if you're keeping track of stash via Ravelry, but even if you're not it's pretty good in terms of remembering whether this hat took one ball or two or one-and-a-half, in case you're ever going to look at the pattern again. Ditto for needle sizes -- when I'm using interchangeables, I find it useful to have an easy reference for what needle sizes I've used when I'm picking the project back up again.
But honestly, and all pragmatic reasons aside, my favorite thing about projects is when you can mark them as finished. It's very satisfying *G* (As was looking back at my finished projects list, seeing the first lace shawl I ever made and realizing that it may have taken me forever to finish it before but I'd find it easy and quick now)
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Date: 2011-09-15 11:29 am (UTC)I wouldn't be surprised if it's turned into a sort of generic name in the US.
But honestly, and all pragmatic reasons aside, my favorite thing about projects is when you can mark them as finished. It's very satisfying *G* (As was looking back at my finished projects list, seeing the first lace shawl I ever made and realizing that it may have taken me forever to finish it before but I'd find it easy and quick now)
Hmmm. It seems I'm already doing something similar, though not to the same level of detail that Ravelry does, which makes me feel that keeping track of projects on Ravelry would be a duplicated effort. What I'm currently doing is two things:
1) add potential and current projects to my task organizer (http://www.taskwarrior.org/) - that takes care of the "marking things as finished" part. On the downside, the task list only has a one-line description of the project, with no details about needles or balls or anything. But I suppose I could add that.
2) Take pictures of my finished work and put them in my "craft" folder. I don't always remember to do this, but I try. I have a subset of these up on my gallery annexe, mostly my macrame bookmarks and bead necklaces. (Note to self: scan in my recent soap savers)
I just feel as if having to keep track of projects on Ravelry as well will turn the whole thing into a chore.
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Date: 2011-09-15 06:20 am (UTC)1) Oooh I love how fluffy that wrap looks. I'd be tempted to just call it finished and curl up in it right now *G*
2) What is a string bag? *curious* Is it a bag made out of string or is it a particular style of bag? Either way -- I hope that either unraveling or going on works out for you ♥ I've had projects like that which just weren't working out well. Frogging them broke my heart but sometimes it's just not worth it to slog through....
3) How did the nylon knitting ribbon go? :D Did that work out or are you still trying something else?
The soap saver patterns I've seen seem to be mostly cotton or acrylic, probably for a balance of comfort and hard-wearing use. I'm not sure how acrylic works as a soap saver though; might not retain water enough to lather up properly or maybe won't retain water at all? Hmm.
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Date: 2011-09-15 11:46 am (UTC)(grin)
It's only scarf width right now; I want it to be a full and luxurious wrap, so I will keep going.
What is a string bag? *curious* Is it a bag made out of string or is it a particular style of bag?
Er, both? It is made out of string, and it is a particular style of bag. The patterns I've found on Ravelry call it a "market bag". It tends to be a netting-style bag designed to be sturdy yet stretchy, for putting one's market shopping into.
How did the nylon knitting ribbon go? :D Did that work out or are you still trying something else?
It needs a bit more experimentation, but even as it is, I think it works. My plan is to make more soap savers, some in nylon ribbon, and some in cotton, because I think some people will find the nylon ribbon a bit rough, so I'd like to give them the choice as to which to use. Yes, we are talking Christmas presents here.
But while I was experimenting, I discovered another interesting use for nylon ribbon. I thought I'd try it doubled up, with two strands of different colours, and what I found was that it was terrible for a soap saver - and brilliant for a bag. When I crochet two strands together, the result is stiff and solid, good enough to use for a soft basket or a stiff bag. So I'm working on one right now, in purple and lavender. I made the bottom of it extra stiff by crocheting in a spiral over a length of jute (thin rope). It's looking very promising.
I love it when one makes discoveries like that.