Cheesecake Success

I make cheesecake. After that post, I got helpful suggestions to prevent cracking. I put a pan o water on the lower shelf and followed the recipe's cooling instruction of cooling for 30 minutes with the oven door closed and then cracking the door to finish cooling. Here is the result.

Nice. I liked this recipe. So did everyone else.
"It's the best cheesecake by far Gerald." -Jon R.

10 stitch

knitSB & I are going to be uncles for the first time on his side of the family. Baby is due in a few weeks so what do knitters do? We knit baby stuff!
Here's the progress knitSB made on the 10 stitch blanket for the baby.



He's using this Plymouth superwash yarn.



The price is $29 per 420 yard skein. I think this worsted weight yarn would make wonderful socks.

The LYS staff wound it for him and used an electric winder. Why would anyone use an electric winder? It is too tight and didn't wind well. Can you see the prolapse portion of the center-pull ball? And that is the bottom of the ball.



Sigh. I would have rewound the skein to fix the error and relax the tension.

I bought some organic cotton to make a simple washcloth and a baby toy. I've not started them yet. Details later.

BWAPS Completed!

I wore my completed Blue Waves and Piers socks today. I pleased with the results.





I'm pleased so much with the fabric that I'm considering casting on another pair of socks on small needles. I think I will wait and work on the toe-up socks from the Yarmando pattern Fiendish.

Joshual Pattern

Just a week ago, I posted the Joshual progress and wondered if I would be able to post the working pattern. Josh gave me permission to share the working pattern.



It is a simple lace pattern that is working well with the Noro yarn. I hope to see Knit Meredith's progress. I want to see.

I just bought Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel Sock eBook. I think I know what I'll work on during vacation. Maybe. No promises. There are other options that might float to the top. Those are a future blog post.

Josh Raptured

I surround myself with great people. This continues to be true as witnessed by the significant number of my fellow knitters have been caught in the rapture.

This week, Josh was caught in the rapture. Thanks the Knit Meredith's camera phone, we have photos.
Before:




During:




After:




Josh appears to have left his first lace project behind. He was knitting the Hemlock Ring Blanket (Ravelry link) made popular by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed fame. He's was using Fisherman's Wool in a natural gray and it was turning out beautifully.

I wonder if Josh will come back and knit with us again. I bet he'd have some great stories to tell.

Visiting The Columbus Art Museum

Photo Steve and I visited the Columbus Museum of Art on Sunday. Have you visited lately? Now is your chance because the museum is free July and August.

The current exhibit, Street Talk and Spiritual Matters: Aminah's Mt. Vernon Avenue is filled with colorful and emotionally charged images inspired by Aminah's childhood neighborhood. Using various media, the artist uses her "voice" to immortalize the impact community has to its residents. I'm a fan of her work. The layers and layers of cloth, buttons, paint, paper, thread and found objects bring me close to the work and stir a desire to learn more.

This exhibit has some pieces never seen before from the 1992 book, The Teachings. Individually these pieces emote a deep understanding of the Teachings. Together, the pieces beautifully depict a spiritual life across time. I was disappointed the Museum Shop didn't have copies of the book. I reserved it from CML.

Beautifully displayed, this exhibit highlights a local hero who uses her art to make people aware of important matters close to home.

I was delighted to see mock-ups and drafts of her book A Street Called Home. As an artist, I really value seeing another artist's process. I would love to see Aminah's studio. I could only imagine. :)

I would recommend this exhibit. Tell them I sent you.

The Cultural Hub of the Midwest

Happy Birthday, Cat. Today is her birthday and she wanted to celebrate at Bob's Bar with karaoke. knitSB and I showed up to join the fun. There was singing, drinking and some pool. And knitting. See?


It was Sunday and I had to cast-on something for Cast-On Sunday. I am working a washcloth in a simple cotton yarn on US size 5 circular needles. A simple pattern, appropriate for bar knitting. I selected a light colored yarn so I could see. The bar was well lit so that wasn't a problem.

I played two games of pool. (or is that shot two games of pool?) I'm not skilled at pool. I snapped this photo of my knitting and one of the bar stools.


I did not know that Bob's Bar is the "cultural hub of the Midwest." It's in print so it must be true. :)

Observations (a.k.a. Lessons Learned)

It is early morning as I write this post. I want to capture my thoughts before they fade as the sun rises.

These are my observations or lessons learned.

Be genuine about my feelings. Face it, I need to be honest to myself before I can be honest with anyone else. If I am angry, the sooner I admit it the faster I will be able to cope with it and move through it to get where I want to be.

Sometimes there is better living through chemistry. I would be dead without insulin. The sooner I accept this is what I need right now, the sooner I can get on with living and contribute to those around me.

Change things often. I am a creature of habit. It is a good idea to make changes to make sure the way I am working really is the best way for me right now. It challenges me to pay attention to what is going on and what needs to happen.

Pay attention to what is happening. Seeing the obvious requires noticing small things, big things and everything in between. This takes work that I'm not always willing to give. When I notice things, I am able to adjust my actions to align with my purpose.

Keep a journal. It helps to write/draw/create something everyday. It captures moments in time that I want to remember. No one encouraged me to do this growing up and that makes me sad. Journaling allows mento understand what is going on in myself. Whatever is going on in myself is valuable. It also helps me pay attention.

I have impact. I matter. I don't understand what that impact is every time. I want to understand but that's not what's important. I don't need to understand. I need to remember
that I have impact (positive and negative).

Tell people what I love about them. Say it so they can hear it from you. Say it so I can hear myself say it. I realize this is scary because people could reject what I am saying. They are my feelings and they matter.

Create and share. Knitting is a way I share myself with the world. Regardless of the project (cost, yarn used, size, time spent), handmade items have artistic value and make the world beautiful. I created a lot of artwork in college. Most of it is sitting in a room, unused and unappreciated. It may be time to let it go to make room for more creativity.

Be gracious. Say "thank you," "please," and "you're welcome." These are really magic words, especially when said with meaning and not lost in a bunch of vocal blathering that takes the power away from that being acknowledged. "Thank you BUT it was no big deal..." lessens the impact.

I don't like to... There are things I don't like to do (cut grass, housework, math, etc.) and that's okay. it is not good or bad. It just is. The sooner I accept this, the sooner I will be happy with myself.

Stop "shoulding" myself. "I should..." leads me into feeling less than I am. Am I doing something because you think I should or because I've given it thought and think it is true? I can't just accept what others tell me without considering it through my own eyes.

Get second opinions. This helps me cope when I am "shoulding" myself. Broadening my understanding really helps me.

Ask for what I need instead of being afraid of what people will think about me. This is currently a hard lesson for me and is taking time to change. When I ask, I give people an opportunity to share what is good about them with me.

Release clutter. Things/Stuff/Baggage clog up my "energy flow," make me numb and slow me down. Donate it, give it away, trash it or put it in its proper place. This goes for emotional as well as physical things/stuff/baggage.

Take more risks. Scary and exciting, taking risks gives amazing results. Start small and build up to larger risks is best. What is a big risk for me may appear small to others. They don't understand. They don't have to understand to support me. I have to tell them the impact (outloud) so they can understand.

Read. I am not much of a reader of books. It doesn't matter what I read as long as I'm taking in information and adding to my brain power. The more I use my brain, the stronger it gets. As an adult, I don't remember being read to as a child. I remember seeing my dad read a lot as a kid. He read magazines, newspapers, users manuals and the like. It wasn't until I was in college I saw him reading a book. Dad was one of the most intelligent people I know. He got that way by reading and applying what he learned.

Spend time with people I love. Make time to visit my family and friends. Call my mom/spouse/child/friend in the middle of the day just to say "Hi." I might be the remedy for their ill.

Post comments on blogs, no matter what I think others will say about my comment. Lurking is okay for awhile but people like to hear from others.

Set goals and be willing to adjust them. *Get clear about the outcome of the project, stop and check progress, adjust goal, repeat from *.

Thanks for reading this reminder to myself.

I Make Cheesecake

Hi, my name is knittingbrow and I make cheesecake.

I enjoy making cheesecake a lot but don't enjoy eating it. I find this strange. The process of baking one is very enjoyable. It also helps that many people like the cheesecakes I make filling my desire to make people happy.

It is much easier to make cheesecakes now that I have a Kitchen Aid mixer. I can whip up the cheesecake in about 20 minutes rather than the 45 it took with a handheld mixer. This doesn't include the baking time.

This is a picture of the cheesecake I made for Friday to celebrate my colleague T's birthday.



I've not been successful in baking cheesecakes that don't crack. It might be that I mix them too much. Do you know how to get a cheesecake not to crack?

Add a bit of fresh raspberries as a topping and we have a happy birthday celebration. Here's the action shot.



She's happy about the cheesecake. I'm happy with the result.

Do you want the recipe?

Baby Squash Hat

I spend the evening watching The Killing and knitting a Baby Squash Hat.



the pattern is from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant.

I adjusted the pattern to fit my yarn. The pattern calls for size 6 needles but I didn't have a set available. I used Lily Chin Designer Collection Grammercy (this is how it is spelled on the label) on a size 5 needle. The pattern calls for cast-on of 64 but I added 8 sts to make the hat large enough for a baby.

It was a quick knit and I like the look of the hat. I have a few skeins of this yarn that I've not used. I got it on deep discount 4 years back. The "Lily Chin Designer Collection" yarn didn't sell very well. It was pricier than comparable yarns. The yarn split easily and untwisted as I was casting-on. Once I got into the knitting, the yarn didn't split.

I have about half the skein left and plan on making a second hat because it was such an easy and quick knit I could have it be my travel knitting.

I picked up the yarn to knit socks. I still might knit a pair but on a size 3 needle.

addendum:
here are some photos of the finished hat.

I liked this hat pattern enough to make a similar hat but adding further "knitter's choice" to the pattern. Blogging about that hat soon. 

The Joshual in progress

I've mentioned Josh on the blog before. He is an amazingly quick knit learner.

Just last week, he was designing his own lace which KnitMeredith is test knitting the lace shawl, The Joshual.

I snapped a picture of the progress tonight.


It is being knit with a Noro yarn I think is cotton, wool and silk (with nylon thrown in). I like the simple pattern and the color.

But wait, did you notice that knot? What, you didn't see it? Let me help you with that. Here's a close-up.



I snapped a picture of the pattern but I didn't ask if I could post it. Josh, if you read this, can I post the pattern?

I'll post a picture of the FO if possible.

Second Forethought Heel Turned

Yesterday I was able to complete the second forethought heel on the Blue Waves and Piers Socks.



I'm pleased with the side view of the heel.
It's the head on view of the heel that annoys me. Can you see why?



I knew something wasn't quite right when I was kitchenering the heel. I actually paused and looked carefully at that stitch and knew it was weird. I couldn't tell if I went in P-wise when it should have been K-wise or vice-a-versa. I went on, scared I was going to drop stitches and such.

sigh

I've come to terms with that stitch being wonky.

Lesson learned: my gut instinct is pretty good. I should trust it more often.

BW&PAH

I wanted to blog a bit more about my Blue Waves and Piers Afterthought Heels. This is the second pair of Waves and Piers socks I've knit, both using the Kaffe Fassett Regia sock
yarn. I do like the colors and what how well the yarn and pattern work well together. For this second pair, I dropped down to a 2.25 mm needle from a 2.5 mm to firm up the fabric. I'm quite pleased with the progress. Just a fee more rounds before I start decreasing for the toe on the first sock.


I like the forethought sock used in this pattern. It fits me well and keeps the color stripping going in a very nice manner. It involves putting stitches on scrap yarn, provisionally casting-on stitches and knitting what is essentially a toe. It involves ending with a kitchener stitch to close off the heel. I like how mine turned out.



I thought it was quite fun to have the gray/purple be used for the kitchener stitch. I did it without reading my instructions. (go me!) This is the heel not worn on a heel so you can see I do have some pointy ends that I'd eventually like to learn not to have.


Do you know how to not have those points? Please share your ideas.

The heel uses a crochet provisional cast-on using a waste yarn. Easy enough for me to do. This is my favorite provisional cast-on. It is unnoticeable when done properly. I didn't do it properly. Can you see where I did my cast-on?


My lesson learned: Use waste yarn that is about the same weight as the yarn being knit. I did not do this. Instead I used a worsted weight cotton yarn. Worsted weight is nowhere close to a sock weight yarn. I know this. Duh. I also noticed that when I tried to pick up the stitches to knit down the sock, I twisted some of the stitches. I blame this on my trying to pick these up during our Thursday night knitting where the lighting wasn't the best. I won't bother me all that much (really, I won't let it bother me because it is on the bottom of my foot and you won't see it).

I have used a smaller weight yarn for my second heel and will report the findings when I'm finished with the second sock.

I hope to have these socks finished by next week so I can think about casting on a new project for Cast-On Sunday.

I hate driving in rain

While driving Saturday, I met some rain. You know the rain I'm talking about...the storm that shows up expectantly and sits there while you try to move through it. This rain came just as I was on the highway behind three semi-trucks. Semis really spray and make it hard for me to drive.

And I was hydroplaning. Fun.

Don't worry. I wasn't texting or using my phone during the worst of it. I had to turn off my iPod while I was driving so I could concentrate. I shot this in the afterglow.

Blue Waves and Piers Progress

Blue Waves and Piers Progress, a photo by knittingbrow on Flickr.

I had time to work on my Blue Waves and Piers socks today. This is my second pair of these out of the Kaffee Fasset Regia sock Yarn. I really like how the color and pattern work together.

I'm using my 2.25 mm needles and find the knitting slower than I like because the yarn and needles are just so dang small. ;)

I work both socks at the same time using separate sets of DPNs. I am ready to do the "forethought heel" on the second sock. It isn't difficult, just a little clunky on the DPNs and by the fact that I didn't put the sts not being worked on scrap yarn. I think I will do that for the second sock.

I've decided that I need to finish these socks before I attend a 3rd reincarnated sock out of the orange Creatively Dyed yarn.