Oh, the possibilities

Purlescence Yarns is having an end of year sale, 30% off most yarn & bags, 50% off selected yarn, books, and bags, and 60% off dye kits. I did my part to reduce their inventory and brought home a few items that were on sale and (some that weren't):


Cascade Heritage


Cascade Heritage


Cascade Heritage


Cascade Heritage


Abstract Fiber Yak Merino


Mother MacKenzie's Miracle Dye Mix and Louet Superwash Wool

Help the Purl Girls out--the more you take home, the less they'll have to count.

Purlescence Yarns
586 South Murphy Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 735-YARN (9276)

They'll be closing early on Thursday, December 31st at 4 PM, and will be closed on Friday, January 1st to spend time with their families.

Back to basics - 3 ply Merino

Being sick means I'm spending a lot of time at home.

I bought this fiber from Royale Hare at Stitches West in 2008. The colorway is called Bloomfield Blues and unfortunately the photos do not accurately show the blues and teals. I'm not used to plying energized singles because typically months go by before the singles become yarn. This time was different--I may have put a bit too much twist into the yarn, but that'll be good for socks, right?


Royale Hare
Superwash Merino Combed Top


308 yds, 3 ply fingering weight

Welcoming 2010

As we say goodbye to 2009 and look forward to 2010, we're greeting the new year with the latest Bird Walker calendar.


2010 Bird Walker calendar

Bill Walker is a nature photographer, musician, knitter, and husband of fellow spinner, knitter, and designer, Spinnity. You can view the calendar pages and order one for yourself here.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm keeping warm by the fireplace in my felted clogs.


Fiber Trends Felt Clogs
Project details on Ravelry

Merry Christmas to one and all.

East Meets West

I'm working on the East Meets West bag from KnitPicks.

The strap and bottom of the bag are worked as one piece in the round with short rows.


East Meets West - strap
Project details on Ravelry


East Meets West - strap detail


East Meets West - bottom


East Meets West - bottom detail

The front & back are worked as one piece in the round and is on the needles now.

I took a camel for a spin

Camel/Silk that is, from Tactile: A Fiber Arts Studio. It's wonderfully soft and the silk allows it to be spun wickedly thin.


50/50 Camel/Silk, 2 x 2 oz


Singles


534 yds of 2 ply laceweight

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

Today's forecast is warm and cozy.


Scrunchable Scarf in Malabrigo


Petroglyph Socks
Project details on Ravelry

HKF

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of Hand Knit Friday. It's amazing how quickly time passes, isn't it? HBD HKF!

What hand knits do you have on today? I'm wearing


Alice

and


Hooray for Urban Broads


Digits exposed

Winter fruit (and brandy)

It's interesting to see the fruits and vegetables come in and out of season at the Farmers' Market. Where there were heirloom tomatoes there are squash and root veggies, and blueberries and nectarines have been replaced with apples and persimmons.

We had persimmons when I was growing up. In the winter there was a line of Hachiyas ripening on top of the stove. Hachiya is the pointy variety that are soft and squishy when ready to eat. We didn't cook with them, but ate them as a sweet treat.

Our market has bushels full of Fuyus so I thought I'd try my hand at preserving them. Fuyus are shaped like a tomato and can be eaten when they're still a bit firm. Don't try that with a Hachiya! Hachiya's have high levels of tannins and they're not pleasant to eat before they're soft. You'll feel like your tongue is covered in wool.

There are persimmon jam and jelly recipes online, but they use so much sugar--almost one cup of sugar per cup of jam--I wanted to find some other way of putting them up.

I stumbled across a Sunset Magazine recipe for Brandied Persimmons that only uses 1-1/2c sugar for 4-5 lbs of fruit. Winner!

On Sunday we headed to the market and the Fuyus were $1.50 per lb or 5 lbs for $5. It doesn't get much better than that. We went home with 5 lbs of fruit.


Fuyu Persimmons

Then I realized I only had 7 half-pint jars available, not 4 pint jars. I played it safe and only prepared 4 lbs and cut the pieces smaller so they'd fit in the little jars.


Brandied Persimmons

The flavor is supposed to develop in a couple of weeks so I don't know how they taste yet. The syrup was pretty good, so I think they'll be a nice treat.

I'm looking for ideas for the remaining pound of Fuyus. Any suggestions?

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Zigzag Lace socks

Pink Power!

FO: Snowman Illusion Mitts

A few weeks ago Margit asked for some assistance in knitting one of her designs for a photo shoot. Seeing as I had nothing else to do (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek) I volunteered.

Well, this was a fun little knit and allowed me a bit of rest from my other hand garment project which is a tad more involved.

In no time I had a pair of illusion mittens:


Palms


Backs


Snowmen!
Project Details on Ravelry

I used a new-to-me jogless jog method and it worked like a charm:


Jogless jog

I found a link to it in a discussion group on Ravelry--

Rnd 1 with new color: Work as instructed.
Rnd 2: Sl1wyib, then work the rest of the rnd as instructed.