Wanida

My second pair of socks for 2011 came off the needles yesterday. They’re Cookie A’s Wanida pattern.

This pattern didn’t stand out to me as I looked through the book; it was only in browsing finished projects in Ravelry that I decided to make it.  The pattern is interesting but not too challenging that you can’t tote it around with you to knit night. Several people who saw me working on them thought they required cables, so I would say in that respect that the finished socks look more complicated than they really are.

The first sock went swimmingly.

Then, there were all sorts of hiccups on the second sock. I kept messing up the beginning-of-round shifts. I miscalculated the starting point of the heel, and by the time I started in on the gusset I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the pattern on the top of the sock.

So, I ripped it out back to the beginning of the heel. As much as I don’t like going backwards, it made life so much easier and for the rest of the sock everything was hunky dory.

I think this yarn is so beautiful – a sock yarn from Fyberspates that I picked up at K1 a few years ago (I think this particular yarn has been discontinued). I’m not sure if my photos do the color justice; I lightened them a little so the pattern would stand out better, but the color is a rich, subtly variegated purplish/ brownish-black (the colorway is “chocolate”).

What socks shall I make next?

DIY Fabric Covered Lampshades

Two lampshades did not survive my recent move from Colorado to Florida. My brilliant solution was to buy plain inexpensive shades and cover them with fabric.

I wanted something bold and fun and immediately thought of some Joel Dewberry fabric I’ve been toting around for years. The fabric is dark, which is fine because the lampshades are going in the bedroom and I prefer not to have too much bright light in there.  ;)

I used this fantastic tutorial from Isabella and Max Rooms for my lampshade project. I had limited fabric and didn’t want to mess us, so I made a template out of craft paper. After I taped the fabric to the lampshade, I used a rotary cutter to trim the top and bottom to a half inch. I’m so glad I took the time to make this part clean because you can see where the fabric is doubled along the edges when the light is on. I also taped everything down before I glued it because I am a little paranoid and I didn’t want to mess up or end up with any wrinkles!

The lampshades look great (in my humble opinion), and the way the light diffuses through the pattern on the fabric is so cool (I can’t think of any other appropriate adjectives right now).  I have a feeling I will be updating some of the older lampshades around this house with fabric soon...

Sorbet

I took an ice cream class a few years back that included making sorbet. Since then I’ve never made ice cream, but I now consider sorbet to be one of my specialties. You puree fruit, add some simple syrup and throw it in your ice cream maker. Easy peasy!

My favorites are mango, strawberry, peach, and pineapple (with a splash of spiced rum). We are in the midst of strawberry season here in south Florida and I couldn't turn down a half flat of strawberries for under $8.  I made some plain strawberry sorbet last week, and yesterday I made some more, but I spiced it up by adding a can of Coco Lopez. Yum!

I don’t use any recipes for sorbet. Instead I rely on my best parlor trick – floating a whole raw egg in your sorbet mixture. (Yes, still in the shell. Clean it and use it later.) Make whatever flavor combination for your sorbet and mix in some simple syrup. When the egg floats with about a nickel-sized amount above the surface, you have a mixture that is perfectly sweetened and will freeze well (not too soft, not too many ice crystals, etc.).  If the egg sinks you need to add more simple syrup (sugar) and if the egg is more buoyant you need to add some water or more fruit. Science is so cool!

I do a few other things to my sorbets. I always add a tablespoon or two of lime juice, and a pinch of salt. I think these just really give any flavors punch. I put my sorbet mixture through a strainer so that it is smooth. This is most important with strawberry (oh, the seeds!) and pineapple (oh, the strings!).

I’ve also learned that if you are using a very watery fruit (like watermelon), it has a tendency to freeze harder than other flavors. Adding a little bit of alcohol keeps the sorbet from getting too hard.

An Introduction to K-Ro Logic

I know. A blog. Besides being totally late to the party, who needs another one to read? I’m not even trying to do anything groundbreaking here.

I have a few normal reasons for starting a blog. I want to document this period of my life and hopefully remember it better. Also, it will motivate me to get things done – I don’t want to be boring and have nothing to blog about! I’d like to get back in the habit of writing. I used to enjoy writing, and I think I wrote fairly well, but I wouldn’t know anymore.

I also have a reason that I can only categorize as “K-Ro Logic.” A friend of mine told me that as soon as I add “update blog” to my to-do list I’ll start procrastinating on it. And that I’ll possibly procrastinate to the point of searching for a job.  It’s worth a shot!