Snowbird Mittens

Posted on by Dan

Dear Autumn, please do not give up…

Snowbird Mittens

…even though Virginia seems to be embracing the recent snow we just had.

Snowbird Mittens

I totally forgot about these mittens that she finished sometime during one of my lengthy stays in the hospital this Spring. But, I noticed she had them on as she got ready to leave the house tonight, so I snapped a few photos before she could get out the door.

They are Elli Stubenrauch’s “Snowbird Mittens” from Vogue Knitting, and knit with Rowan 4-ply Soft.

Snowbird Mittens

Personally, I’m not ready to let “it” do anything remotely related to the impending cold months. I’ve barely had any time to get used to and enjoy Summer, let alone Autumn. I sure hope there are a few good weeks of walking, raking, apple-pie-baking weather ahead before the snow decides to set in for good. In fact, I took the following picture to remind myself that the 3 inches of snow we just received was a fluke.

Autumn Leaf

5 Comments

Birthday Socks (and flowers)

Posted on by Dan

We celebrated Virginia’s birthday last weekend, and I was hoping to have these done by then (it was good motivation). But, try as I might, I did not finish in time. Still, I say delivery within a week of one’s birthday counts.

Norwegian Stockings

These are Nancy Bush’s Norwegian Stockings that I knit using Smart Yarn. The nice thing about DK-weight yarn is that it makes a project like this go much quicker. When I first cast these on, I was a little worried I’d be giving these to her for next year’s birthday.

Norwegian Stockings

Norwegian Stockings

But, as you can see, they are done (and with only a couple of tiny errors).

And, no birthday around here is complete without a last-of-the-season bouquet from the farmers market. With snow predicted for tonight and tomorrow, it appears like we just barely squeaked these in.

Birthday Bouquet

Happy birthday, my dear.

8 Comments

Blackberries revisited

Posted on by Dan

I couldn’t help myself. I unearthed another bag of frozen blackberries, still had some leftover apple sauce and was sad at how quickly the little tartlettes disappeared. So, using the same recipe, but done on a somewhat larger scale, I baked this:

Blackberry Apple Tart (revisited)

The only addition/change was adding a thinly sliced pear.

Blackberry Apple Tart (revisited)

I’m not sad anymore.

4 Comments

Blackberry Apple Tartlette (and some knitting)

Posted on by Dan

Blackberry Apple Tarts

The search for a sugar-free accompaniment to an afternoon tea continues. This time, I’ve come up with a tartlette that packs a blackberry punch. In this recipe, I cooked down about 3 cups of frozen blackberries and added a cup or so of applesauce (using up some of last year’s canning) and a few dates. Once the mixture was thick enough to hold its shape, I spooned the mixture into crust cups that were made with about a cup of flour (half whole wheat, half white), 1/4 cup of butter, a handful of ground nuts (in this case, toasted pecans and almonds) and just enough water to help it hold their shape while being pressed into the mini cupcake tins. I then baked them for 20 minutes in a 400º (F) and let cool before devouring.

On to the needles…

Norwegian Stockings

I’ve started knitting Virginia some knee-high socks. These are Nancy Bush’s Norwegian Stockings, knit using Smart yarn. Obviously, I’ve only just started these, but I’d like to draw attention to the fact that the posts from here on out will now be focused on life as we like it – full of cancer-free, scratchcrafty goodness.

3 Comments

Best possible outcome

Posted on by Dan

Those where the oncologist’s words. I just received a phone call from him with my PCR test results—a big fat “0” in the 10,000 cells that were analyzed. In other words, the results were resoundingly and unmistakably negative. I wish I had a photo of some fireworks, or something. This will have to do:

Grasses

My cancer card has been revoked, and I happily hand it back to the universe.

19 Comments