Yellow blankie: the next generation

I had a dinner party tonight and one of the special guests was the cutest baby in the world. Mom and Dad packed her yellow blankie, which I knit for said baby last year. I haven't had a chance to take many pictures of it, so I took advantage of the opportunity when we were sitting around after dinner.





















The cutest baby in the world is also a budding starlet and loves the camera. Here she is with her Daddy playing peek-a-boo.




















"Peek-a-boo!!"




















It is a wonder to me that when I started this blanket the cutest baby in the world was just a teeny peanut in her mommy, and now she is using the blanket for peek-a-boo!

As for my own lellow blankie, the pattern has been found! My Mom is a terrific bargain-hunter and gave me some old knitting books over Thanksgiving. As I browsed through an afghan pattern book I found the pattern for my blanket! I thought it was great that my Mom wasn't even looking for the pattern but it got to me just the same. I have some gift knitting to do for Christmas, but a new lellow blankie is definitely on my radar now.

Traditions

Yesterday was the first Thanksgiving I've celebrated with my family in three years. Last year I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for my choir ladies in Coburg, Germany, and the year before that I didn't do a darn thing to celebrate since I was out and about auditioning for agents.

But this year I'm home! And I kept my camera with me to photograph all of the traditions that my little family keeps at Thanksgiving.

The dogs get so excited for the holidays. The house is bustling with people and lots and lots of good smells. Grace normally sits somewhere in the middle of a busy traffice path where people can conveniently pet her.

And Suzie spends most of her time sneaking food from the kitchen and devouring it in the family room. This year her begging resulted in getting to eat a bunch of collard green stems.

Before the family rolled into town my Dad tackled the pumpkin pie, keeping them out on the counter to tempt us with the promise of a tasty dessert.

The preparations for dinner are always done amid a slew of snack foods, loud conversation and the drone of the television. When the turkey came out of the oven to rest, we all had something to do in the kitchen. Tyra peeled the potatoes,

and Monica got together the collard greens. That was one of the new recipes we tried this year. The sweet potato recipe was also new (and very tasty), and my stuffing recipe was also being unveiled for the first time.

Everywhere I looked yesterday I found familiar reminders of my family. These potholders are all hand-made. The ones on the left were made by Monica and Tyra, and the ones on the right were made by an old friend of my Grandma.

Here's a shot of the coolest new way to serve stuffing that doesn't fit in the turkey. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I had to steal it from another cook. I squished the leftover stuffing into muffin cups and baked it for about 40 minutes. The stuffing was a huge hit, if I do say so myself, and has probably earned itself a repeat performance next year.

Here is another famly tradition. We don't take a great amount of fuss with cranberries in our family. As a matter of fact, it has become a tradition to serve jellied cranberries just as they come out of the can, even leaving the tin can lines intact. Listen folks, I never said my family wasn't quirky.

At serving time we managed to get everything onto the counter so we could load our plates. By this point the house smelled absolutely amazing. Actually, just the sight of this photo makes me want to go dig into the fridge for some leftovers!

Here is a shot of the table, expertly set by Stacie, and my plate all loaded up for round one. My personal triumph of the day was making the turkey gravy, which has been one of the intimidating tasks normally reserved for a Grandma. However, it looks like the torch has been officially passed and I might be on gravy duty from now on.

The last tradition I have to share is the fruit salad. Every year a fruit salad is required to round out the Thanksgiving menu. And every year we ooh and aah at how pretty it is. And every single holiday the fruit salad sits virtually untouched at the end of the meal, like you see here. We laughed about it yesterday and determined that we all like it better with leftovers, anyway.

I hope you and your family had a very happy Thanksgiving! Now, let the Christmas season begin!!!

Alpaca is the mother of all invention

Necessity be darned. There is no better excuse to dream up a new hat pattern than the luxurious, delicious feeling of handspun alpaca yarn in my hands. Wow.

My recent spinning project (and by recent I mean started two years ago but just recently finished) gave me just enough yarn to make myself a cozy, toasty winter hat. And the timing couldn't be better, since our mornings here in Bellevue are hovering around freezing this week. So, after poking around online at some basic hat patterns, I came up with a pattern of my own. Wanna see??

I'm about 75% done with the hat, which I think I will call the twisted cables cap. Doesn't it look soft?




















This alpaca yarn isn't giving me the stitch definition that 100% wool (or even acrylic) would, so it isn't that easy to see the twisting of the cables. Basically what I did was make a round of cables and then have each cable twist separate and twist with their neighbor. Sound confusing enough?




















Okay, you should be able to see it better in this photo. See how it looks like the cables are sort of leaning to the left as you follow the line from the bottom to the top? I thought it was pretty clever. Also, the cable twists are built-in patches of warmth, because in those spots the yarn is twisted over itself, so I think it will definitely keep me warm.




















In other news, I am getting very excited for Thanksgiving. This will be an easy holiday this year, since I won't be feeling the pressure to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for my 13 choir ladies like I did last year in Coburg. My work potluck is today and I'm bringing a salmon party ball, probably the most fantastic appetizer on the face of the planet. Do you all have fun plans for this Thursday?

Rumplestiltskin!

That is usually what people cry when they see my spinning wheel. After catching sight of my little wooden treasure there is usually a scratch of the head, and then a concentrated look, and finally a lightbulb going off as each person declares, "Ruplestiltskin!" That's right, my friend, I am a spinner.

My spinning wheel came from New Zealand, where the best wheels in the world are made. It's a long story how this wheel came into my life, but let's just say I am forever indebted to my friend Diane, who managed to get it from N-Zed all the way to Washington.

It's kind of cold and dreary outside tonight, and my spinning wheel was calling to me. So I drug it (and a glass of wine) over to my chair and got to work plying singles.


























(Did she just say "plying singles?" What the heck is she talking about???) Okay, most of you probably don't know much about spinning. Truth is, I don't know much about it, either. But the process is kind of instinctive, and, in my opinion, a lot of fun.

See that stand with those three spools on it? That's called a Lazy Kate, and is holding spools of "singles," or lengths of fiber that I have already spun through my wheel.




















In order to turn those singles into useable yarn, I just reverse the way the spinning wheel turns and then let two singles twist together. See, there it goes getting sucked onto the bobbin.


























By the way, this is an extremely over-simplified explanation of spinning, of which I am not an expert by any means. But if you pay attention and have a bit of luck, you end up with some yarn that looks like this:




















It's alpaca, too. Oh my, why isn't my entire wardrobe made from alpaca? It's so soft and wonderful. I can't wait to knit something out of this yarn!!

But before I can knit with it, the yarn needs to be set up. In that previous picture the yarn is stretched onto a Knitty Noddy (no, I'm not making that name up). But when it's taken off, the yarn goes a little crazy and over-twists.




















So, to relax the yarn, I get it wet under the faucet and then pull it tight. Then I weight the yarn down with a soup can and hang it from a doorknob. When it dries, the yarn will be set, the extra twist will be gone, and I'll be ready to dive into my knitting season!

Living room reveal

I love my living room. It took just over a month to get it cleaned, painted, and decorated, but I think it was totally worth it.

Remember what it looked like when I moved in? Here is my sister on my first day in the apartment. She's steam-cleaning the floors, which had some pretty scary stains on them. Even the hanging plants looked depressed to be in the old living room.




















And speaking of stains, remember the neglected walls and filthy baseboard heaters? Personally, I'd like to forget.




















Well, that was the before. And here is the after! The floors are cleaned, the windows are scrubbed, and all the surfaces have been painted. Even the hanging plants have new teracotta baskets. With a little time spent bargain-hunting online and in the stores, the once-depressed living room is now a warm, cozy lounging space.

Our chaise lounge faces the media area, but also allows great views of the artwork and the outside. It's the perfect place to snuggle up with a book or the remote.

Here's a view of the front of the new sofa. I even managed to find a place to put my spinning wheel. Okay okay, I know it doesn't fit seamlessly into a lounge atmosphere, but you have to remember who you're dealing with here. :)

This is definitely one of my favorite places to hang out now. And I like how the furniture is coordinated without being too matchy-matchy. If you click to enlarge the photo you can even see how the cover I made for the piano is the color of the sofa, but has the swirl pattern of the ottoman. I guess it just goes to show that good things are worth waiting for.

Although I consider the living room to be pretty much done, there are still a few details I want to address at some point. However, I think I'll take a minute to bask in how sweet it is to have a comfortable lounging room. Oh right, and then it's on to finish my bedroom, which is still missing a headboard.

The recession finally hit home

About a month ago I auditioned for N.O.I.S.E., an opera company that performs a condensed children's version of a popular opera in assemblies for elementary students. Two casts of five singers are chosen for a 10-week tour, in which they travel to approximately 80-100 schools. N.O.I.S.E. has performed throughout the area for 25 years and I was really excited to have the chance to be a part of their group.

But yesterday the casting call finally came. The music director, who I already know from my time at the University of Washington, asked me if I wanted the good or the terrible news first. I asked for the good, and she told me that they chose me to be in the group. She said that my voice has changed dramatically since graduate school and my ability to sing and act makes me the total singer package. But the terrible news that followed was that, due to a major decrease in bookings (down about 75% from other years), N.O.I.S.E. was going to have to forgo their 26th season. Sigh.

I think I'm like most Americans. I've been listening to the news with half an ear, trying not to think too much about the country's recession and hoping that somehow I will be spared from the widespread destruction that the current economic situation is leaving in its wake. But, I am an opera singer, and the performing arts, especially opera, is being brushed to the side as people tighten the hold on their pocketbooks and think about saving money. I even read an article last week that the Metropolitan Opera in New York City was forced to change their opera lineup this season to save costs, meaning that some of their larger, but more expensive, operas are going missing from the playbill.

I am an optimist at heart and am not too concerned about my personal finances during this crisis, but I am starting to become worried about my spirit. I don't write a lot about singing on this blog, but it has become one of my deepest passions. Singing keeps me from feeling lonely, helps heal my heart when it's aching, and lets me express my happiness. I like singing in the car, or in a practice room, or in an occasional karaoke bar, but the experience of performing for an appreciative, live audience is different. It's something I learned in Germany that I can't just unlearn now. But it looks like it's going to be harder to perform. N.O.I.S.E. isn't the only local opera group that has had to put its season on hold, meaning that it may be some time before I get onstage again in an official company. So it might be about time to roll up my sleeves and start planning some performances on my own. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.

How about a trade?

I know that some of you readers are also knitters, and so I have a proposal for you today. How about I share a semi-embarassing childhood secret in exchange for your knitterly wisdom? Sound fair? I thought so, too. :)

When I was a baby I received a knit blanket as a gift. As far as I know it was knit by my namesake, who was also one of my Mom's best childhood friends. I was very attached to the blanket and eventually named it my "lellow blankie" when I was old enough to speak but too young to form my "y" sounds.

The blanket eventually ended up in a box in the attic, but was rediscovered a few years ago during a huge clean-out at my parents' house. The funny thing is that I have such distinct memories about having the blanket, but I never saw the blankie through a knitter's eyes, which is how I see it now. The stich pattern is so simple, but creates a very nice visual interest and texture.




















I think my love of yarn and tactile objects started with my lellow blankie, for better or for worse. Because as I got a little older and my fingers got stronger, I started poking my fingers through the holes in the blanket. And eventually things started to unravel.




















And, not deterred by the impending doom of my beautiful blanket, I kept pulling, poking, and picking at my blankie until I had done this. Oh my. Thankfully my Mom intervened a time (or four) and sewed around the edges of the bigger holes to keep the entire blanket from unraveling. I can only imagine her spiriting my blanket away from me one evening while I slept to try and save the hard work of her friend.




















So what started out as a beautiful blanket is now a tangled, holey yarn mess. Of course, I loved the destructed version of my blankie just as much (if not more) than I liked the "finger-free" version, and the "lellow blankie" has remained in my life as one of the many stories my family can share when they want to tease me a little.

But now I'm a knitter of blankies, among other things. I even knit a yellow blankie for the cutest baby in the world (oh yeah, remind me to upload pictures of that sometime). And the thought of all that hard work and HOURS of knitting a special gift being shredded by a set of teeny tiny fingers makes me a little crazed.

So here's where the trade part comes in. (You were probably wondering if I had forgotten about that part, no?) I would like to re-knit the yellow blankie. I have so many friends getting married and starting families that it seems only fitting to pass along a version of my favorite childhood possession. But I need your help! I recognize the pattern, but I work way better from written instructions than visual ones. Can you take a look at this stitch pattern and help me figure it out?

I think this is the correct direction to read the pattern. I know the lacey part in the center is from yarn-overs, and the zig-zag effect is caused by alternately increasing and decreasing, but that's about all I can muster on my own. I would appreciate your help figuring it out. And besides, it's a fair trade for the story, right?

Three simple pleasures

1) A fantastic manicure, paid for with a coupon.

2) Freshly-painted bedroom walls and ceiling, courtesy of my roommate.

3) The approaching holiday season, as demonstrated by the appearance of eggnog in my refrigerator.

Scarf season lasts all year

Knitters on the internet are a really super bunch. Aside from sharing a passion for knitting, there are also a lot of websites that specialize in circulating free knitting patterns, which can be a source of boundless entertainment when looking for that *perfect* knitting project. If you take a look to the right on my homepage, you see that I have actually written out a few of my knitting patterns to share. One of them, the chain-link scarf, is also listed on a great free pattern website called knitting pattern central. I submitted it to their website about six months ago and a few people have left comments on that particular post saying how much they liked the pattern. And a Ravelry user even took the time to add my pattern to the database of patterns on that site.

A couple months after I posted my knitting patterns on this blog I decided to install a stat counter for my site. I was curious to see how much traffic my little blog was getting and where the new folks were coming from. I honestly expected to see about three regular readers and maybe 10 or 15 strangers every day. But, much to my surprise, my blog gets between 150 and 200 visitors every day. After figuring out my stat counter program, I discovered that a large portion of visitors are led to my website so they can take a look at my chain-link scarf pattern. Who would have thought that so many knitters would want to look at my pattern? And it's not just in wintertime, it's all year long!

The stat counter showed me that people are peeping patterns from every country imaginable, and some of them actually look around and become regular readers of my blog. (I know some of you are just happy lurkers and don't want to comment or really know I can see you, so rest assured that I can only see the city where your server is located and your IP address. :) And it is a fun feeling to know that so many people are using my pattern to channel their creative energy. It's almost enough to inspire me to start my next knitting project. I think I'm almost ready to dive into a lovely poncho pattern...just as soon as my bedroom is finished.

When in Rome, er, Olympia...

I'm in Olympia this weekend to get my fill of the two best dogs in the world. Well, they are the best about 99% of the time. Here's a picture of the two of them looking sweet and innocent.

What the photo doesn't show you is that Grace (the bigger one) has a tendency to pass the worst-smelling gas in the world and Suzie (the smaller one) likes to eat dryer lint. And paychecks. I have found all of this out in the last 24 hours spent with them. That, and they both shed a lot. I think vacuuming is in order tomorrow (myself and the house).

I'm hanging out at my parents' house for a few days and, in addition to feeding and petting the family pets, I also took it upon myself to take my Dad's truckasaurus out for a spin.

Don't let those sleek lines fool you. There is a small nuclear bomb just resting under that hood waiting for a slightly leaden foot to set it off. After roaring up and down the I-5 corridor today to pick up a couch I bought on Craigslist I have decided that this beast is safest when it's parked in the driveway. With the engine off. Whew.

I haven't written much about Olympia on this blog, even though it's my home town and I've been spending quite a bit of time there in the last few months. Maybe tomorrow I'll take some pictures of the area and show you all around. But to tide you over I found this photo taken by my sister. That stained glass piece in my lap is actually a present that she MADE for me. And you all thought I was a crafty one! Ha! (PS Monica, I'm totally ready to take my birthday present off your hands at any time now...)

We heart Olympia. See, she even has her own Oly stained glass hanging on the wall right behind me! People from Olympia got spirit. Yes we do.

Speaking of spirit, check out this gem I found of myself on my parents' hard drive. My Dad apparently took this lovely shot moments before the Danskin women's triathlon last summer. I'm thinking this might be next in line if my current headshots lose their luster. What do you think?

That sure looked like a good time. Maybe I'll have to look into doing that again at some point. But for tonight I think I'll stick to hanging out with the dogs and some cable TV. Oh, and maybe a little of that leftover Halloween candy.

Random Thursday

* I bought a couch today. It's a gorgeous brown microsuede chaise-style couch that will be the finishing touch on the living room. I can't wait to get it in the apartment and take pictures! Then the pressure will be on to get my bedroom finished. I prepped the walls for painting last night and figured out where I want to hang my degrees and favorite pictures.

* The winter seems to have arrived in the Northwest. I forgot the kind of cold that comes to a coastal town in winter. It's like the moisture seeps right into my bones and makes me want to dress in hand-knit wool items from head to toe. Brrr!!!

* Speaking of wool, I haven't knit a darn thing since the beginning of September. Most of my spare time has been spent decorating the apartment and spending time with friends and family. I think once the decorating is done I will get the urge to knit again. But I much rather prefer the lack of finished knitting projects when the trade-off is so many busy evenings spent with my loved ones.

* My temp assignment at the radiology clinic was originally supposed to be a 4-6 week contract. Well, I've been at the clinic for just over 7 weeks now and heard from the office manager that they may need me to stay as long as through the end of the year. It's an unexpected twist but not at all unpleasant. I feel like I'm finally getting used to the position and I am really enjoying interacting with the patients and my coworkers. I also have a vault of great stories and experiences to share after working in the medical field for a couple months.

* There was something else I was going to write about, but I forgot what it was. I think I'm going to go find some dessert now. My roommate ate the rest of my Barack Brownies this afternoon, so I need to think of a sweet treat. Have a happy Thursday and try to stay dry!!!

Politically Incorrect?

This is probably the only time you will see me post about anything that even halfway involves politics. This blog is my crazy little platform to write about my life as a singer, professional temp and domestic diva. These are all things I feel comfortable writing about to a large and somewhat anonymous audience. And politics does not really fall into any of those categories, unless you count theater drama as politics. But tomorrow is election night and I'm going to a party. And, like any domestic diva worth her salt, I need to bring a hostess gift. So I came up with a tasty treat to share with my friends. And I'd like to show you what I made. Some of you may consider my hostess gift politically incorrect, but bear with me for an explanation.

I started with one of my favorite things: Betty Crocker brownie mix. I love Betty Crocker.





















Then I used my sister's recipe for making vegan brownies. Just for fun. Wanna try it? Okay. All you have to do is take a can of black beans and throw the contents (yes, all that liquid, too!) in a powerful blender or food processor. Puree the beans and then add the dry brownie mix. Bake as directed and voila! You have yourself a protein-rich vegan dessert!

I decided to bake my vegan brownies in a jelly roll pan.

And then I found this in one of my baking drawers.





















And then I used it to make my hostess gift for tomorrow night: Barack Brownies.



















EDITED CONTENT: Apparently the fact that I wanted to name my brownies after Barack Obama has offended someone I know. However, I wonder if it would have been less offensive for me to name them McCain Brownies and talk about the delight I would have tearing them to shreds. Or calling them Palin Brownies and snapping their limbs off. Listen people, this dessert is not meant to offend Mr. Obama. Heck, if I had star-shaped cookie cutters at home instead of gingerbread men I would have a batch of brown stars on my hands. Would that be offensive, too? All I know is that I baked brownies because it was what I had in my cupboard at home last night. And these brownies (WHATEVER their name) will taste delicious with the chocolate ice cream the hostess will have waiting for me at her house tomorrow night.

Just think, everyone, tomorrow at this time you can rest assured that the mean-spirited smear commercials on the TV and radio are at an end! We made it! Whew!!!