Favorite Thing - Knitting Cake

It's been a while since I've posted a Favorite Thing, but when I saw this gorgeous knit-themed cake on the Knit & Crochet Now Facebook page, I knew I had to share it both on my Facebook page and here with you as well! This cable knit frosted cake would be fantastic for any wedding, birthday, knitting group party or other special event. 

Favorite Things - Jul Shawl Pin

 

A dear friend kindly gave me a gift certificate to one of our LYS's and I used it to purchase a new Favorite Thing, this white bronze shawl pin cast in a delicate twig shape from Jul.  

Available at many local yarn shops and online retailers, Jul offers beautifully unique pins, buttons, handles and closures for knitwear in a variety of styles like the ones shown below, from the Dreamweaveryarns.com website. 

The pin in the first photo at the top of this post is shown on one of the half-dozen prototypes I knit for my next design release, an update and expansion of my Greyhaven cowl pattern. The stick pin is woven in and out of the eyelets in the lace pattern, although it's slender diameter would also allow it to easily slip between yarn strands without spearing them.  

I can think of lots of ways to wear this pin including to close cardigans, or even as a hair stick. It's definitely one of my new Favorite Things!

Favorite Thing - Juniper Moon Farm

It's that time of year again, when farms are bursting at the seams with new babies of all sorts. Juniper Moon Farm, one of my most favorite things, is again featuring their live  "Lamb Cams" as well as regular blog updates about various additions to the farm family. 

Throughout the day during lambing season, just click on the lamb cam button to see and hear whatever is in view of the camera be it lambs, 

puppies, 

pigs, donkeys, goats, people and more.

At times nothing much is happening and then all of the sudden an adorable lamb will come prancing into view. This always brings a little lift to my day! 

Juniper Moon Farm owner Shepherd Susie's lovely photos evoke such serenity and charm.

The farm participates in community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs including yarn shares and flock giveaway contests, and also has recently developed a beautiful selection of yarns like their Findley lace yarn, shown below.

Their recent pattern design contest received entries from all over and the top winner was my friend Kathryn, with her Turtle Baby Vest - hurray Kathryn! 

The farm also offers educational programs, shearing days and overnight farm stays. I highly recommend checking out their website for a lot of very interesting things.

In other news, I must give a big thank you to everyone who voted for Rio Rancho High School in the Van's Custom Culture shoe design contest for teen artists. Rio Rancho was one of only five (out of thousands of entries) school art programs who submitted designs that received enough votes to win a regional prize! 

Their prize includes a trip for the entire group to fly to LA for the final competition at the end of the month. What a thrill for these talented young designers. 

A panel of judges will announce the grand prize winner of $50,000, to go to the winning school's art department, on May 30th.

Thanks for stopping by today and happy stitching!

photo credits 

Vans

Juniper Moon Farm 

Favorite Thing - Yarn Shade Cards

Choosing yarn for a new project is a fun part of knitting, and to have a successful project it's important when choosing yarn to know as much as possible about it - the fiber content, the weight, the ply, the color range, and so many other things. 

Some of these questions can be answered by reading a catalog or website description. For more information on how to decipher yarn labels, see the Craft Yarn Council's website or check out Lion Brand's label reading tutorial.

Reading up is terrific, but for most of the knitters and crocheters I know, the way a yarn looks and feels in person is an essential factor in making a final decision. 

I always look first to my local yarn shops for yarn purchases, but sometimes I'd like to try something not carried locally and this is where one of my favorite things - shade cards - come in handy. Most small companies offer these cards, with yarn swatches from their full range of colors, allowing you to see and feel the yarn before purchasing.

Brooklyn Tweed offers a virtual shade card you can download from their website, 

but for reasons stated above, I like the tangible version, such as the card (shown in the first photo at the top of the post) featuring their Shelter line, with several pieces of yarn affixed to the card. The gorgeous yarn palette really stands out against the white background. 

Brooklyn Tweed now offers shade cards that include colors for both Shelter and for their new Loft line.

My Quince & Co. Lark tri-fold shade card arrived neatly packaged,

enclosing swatches with small tails left free to allow you to move the yarn.

Some cards offer generous lengths for experimentation, like those featuring lovely Irish tweeds from Blackwater Abbey's Worsted line. This is especially helpful for moving colors around to compare and contrast them when planning color work.

The only problem I can see with yarn shade cards is that now I want ALL the colors and must tame my yarn stashing temptation, lol!

I hope you have as much fun collecting the cards as I do. Thanks for stopping by today, and happy knitting!

yarn tutorial graphic via http://blog.lionbrand.com/2012/02/17/how-to-read-a-yarn-label/

brooklyn tweed graphic via http://www.brooklyntweed.net/BTShadeCard.jpg

Favorite Thing - Wasabi Kale Chips Recipe

 

My husband and I are tried and true popcorn lovers, eating it almost every evening as we relax with knitting, spinning and watching movies. Yet even though we can (kind of) justify popcorn as a moderately healthy, high fiber snack, there are times when you just want something different.

As odd as it might sound (and believe me, at first I thought 'ugh' before I gave them a tentative try) I'm happy to have found a new Favorite Thing to share here - chips made from baked kale.

Since I need to eat large amounts of salt to replenish what I lose through distance running, these chips satisfy that salt craving. But for those who need to watch their salt intake, this recipe is also very good with non-salt mixtures. For variety, I like to add other herbs and spices including chives, onion, garlic, chipotle, and a favorite of mine, wasabi.

Wasabi is a very hot Japanese horseradish that creates a thick paste when reconstituted with water (you may be familiar with wasabi used as a condiment with sushi). For this recipe I use the dried, powder form. A little bit of this pungent root goes a very long way! photo Thespicehouse.com

Tasty, extremely crunchy, low in fat and calories and with a modest carbohydrate content, these chips are amazingly delicious and addictive in a most healthy way. Isn't that good news for once?

Recipe notes:

• Kale shrinks to a very small size as it bakes, so a large bunch will not be as overwhelming as you might think. 
• I usually wash the fresh kale and let it stand on end to drain for a while before patting any remaining moisture out with a clean towel and preparing the chips.
• I like to use kosher salt flakes or sea salt, but any kind of salt, or non-salt seasoning, will do.
• Wasabi powder is available at some Asian and gourmet food stores or at specialty spice merchants like Penzeys, or The Spice House.
• These chips are nice on their own, or tasty with any dip that is good with potato chips, although they are somewhat more fragile than potato chips, use care when dipping.

WASABI KALE CHIPS RECIPE

Ingredients

• 10-12 oz. kale, cleaned and dried very well
• Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil mist
• 1-2 tsp(s) coarse salt to taste
• 1/4-1 full tsp wasabi powder (optional) to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat large baking sheets with oil or line with parchment paper. In small bowl or spice grinder, blend salt with wasabi powder or other spice.

Remove and discard thick kale stems, tear completely dry leaves into approximately 2" pieces, place in large bowl.  Lightly spray leaves with oil or cooking spray and toss gently with spoon to thoroughly coat kale; repeat if necessary. Sprinkle chips with seasoned salt, toss gently to coat; repeat if necessary.

Bake kale 12 to 15 minutes, turning leaves over at about 6-7 minutes if desired. Bake until crisp but not browned. Cool on cookie sheets. When completely cool, carefully place chips in airtight containers and store up to one week, although they'll probably be gone well before then. 

Enjoy!

Beach Glass

Designing new projects is always a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work and I enjoy knitting other people's designs from time to time, especially in the summer when it's nice to slow down a bit and enjoy the season.  So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test knit a new pattern for my blogging friend Diana.  

You may remember the fabulous job Diana did on my Sothia shawl test knit recently, 

and I love being able to knit her new design, shown on her Ravelry project page as Green Tulips.

I started later than most of the other testers so my shawl is not very large yet but I'm trying to make up some ground and hope to finish a lot of it this weekend.

Further delay was caused because I originally began this project with a vastly different lace yarn in pure alpaca.  The original yarn, which (because I intend to only publish positive reviews on this blog) shall remain nameless, caused me so much aggravation that I spent hours on just a few inches before I ripped it from the needles and started over again this week with something pulled from my stash. 

The new yarn is an unknown wool/ angora/ nylon  purchased at a wool festival last autumn from a vendor who imports closeouts from Russia.  

This yarn is terrific with great texture that is not overly soft or fuzzy, and it has wonderful stitch definition .  

The vendor only had one color available, a shade of aqua that reminds me of the sea glass I collect from trips to the beach.

I am really enjoying knitting this beautiful shawl, thank you Diana!  The pattern is easy to follow and clear, and the charts are excellent.  The stitch pattern is very large and slightly asymmetric so it took a few rows to get the rhythm, but now I am zooming right along and loving every minute.  

A 'favorite thing' I have been using for this project and that I must share with you is one of my favorite tools for chart knitting - highlighter tape.  

Found at some LYS, office supply stores, or in the school supply section of large stores, this semi-transparent tape comes in many colors, and can be adhered, lifted and moved over and over again as you progress through the chart, allowing you to easily see which row you are knitting and at the same time, where you have been and what is coming next.  

I usually put my paper pattern into a plastic sleeve then position the tape so that it covers the rows yet to be knitted and my current row is uncovered, just below the tape.  Then I move the tape up as I progress.  

I hope this tape tip makes your knitting just a little simpler and more fun.  And don't forget about my blogiversary free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway contest going on until July 21st, 2011, detailed in this post.

Look for Diana's new pattern to be released within a few weeks, I know you will love it!  

Watching the Lambs & New Yarn

Occasionally I have shared on this blog a few of my favorite things - things that make my life happier, easier or better in some way.  One of these 'favorite things' is a regular peek into the goings-on at Juniper Moon Farm, a small livestock farm founded by shepherd Susan Gibbs (all photos courtesy of Juniper Moon Farm). 

Susan left a New York City job as a network news producer to purchase a starter flock and begin shepherding on Martha's Vineyard, eventually moving to Virginia to found Juniper Moon Farm (JMF).

The photos alone on the JMF blog are guaranteed to make me smile.  Beautifully shot and thoughtfully captioned, the images lend a fascinating look into the sometimes peaceful, often frenetic life of a livestock farmer.

Lambing season is currently in full swing and the blog is regularly updated with photos of the new arrivals.  A popular feature of the blog is called the "Lamb Cam," three live action cameras offering full sound and views of barns and pens with mamas, babies and the occasional farm hand or visitor.

Of course there are loads of darling lambs to see (cute overload?... nah!).

But in addition to sheep, Susan also regularly features the hard-working, Italian Maremma shepherd dogs and their puppies, 

playful goats,

delightful chickens,

honey bees,

 
and other interesting critters.

The public is welcome to visit the farm, and special shearing days are held for visitors.  The next one is Saturday, May 14th.

Hotels are located in the vicinity of the farm, but I'm dying for a chance to visit for one the farm stays where guests stay for long weekends or up to a full week on the farm itself, welcome to pitch in with the animals and chores, sit and spin or knit in the fields, take private yoga, knitting and spinning classes, or explore the area rife with vineyards, wineries, and historic sites such as Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello.  Ahh, it sounds wonderful!

If you live at too great a distance for a visit, the JMF website features an online shop with lots of interesting farm products, like pottery yarn bowls and mugs, beeswax candles and farm 'shares' that allow partners to buy a portion of each year's shearing.  At $100, you get a lot of really lovely yarn or fiber, your choice.  

 

I found this Youtube video to be interesting and informative in explaining the farm's beginnings and community-supported approach:

Community Supported Agriculture at Juniper Moon Farm video

An exciting new venture for JMF is their own line of yarns, designed by Susan and with pattern support from designer Tanis Gray, available soon in three weights and fiber blends like this "Chadwick" Merino/ Baby Alpaca blend. 

Giveaway Fridays are undoubtedly a draw for some readers, especially when you hear that Susan recently gave away an entire flock ...  You read that right, an entire flock of animals.  But more often there are other, smaller goodies from the shop or artist friends.

As idyllic as it appears, Susan frequently points out the hard work and difficult aspects of farm life including the fact that this has been a sad and difficult lambing year with some unexplained illness and losses amongst the babies.

I have been contemplating lambs a lot lately, as it seems Passover/ Easter is the season for these innocent, pure, beautiful creatures.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but the difficult part was narrowing my photo features down to just these, they are all so captivating.

If you find farm life intriguing, check out Juniper Moon's website at Fiberfarm.com.  If you need a smile today, I recommend that you watch the lamb...