A Little Lace…

I couldn’t wait to start my new shawl even though I still have some math to still workout but since it will take quite some time to work on the outer edging I figured it wouldn’t hurt. It took a while to wind the skein into a knit-able ball but not too long since the yarn is quite strong.It took a few tries to finally get it and get comfortable but I think I have and have finished just a little over a repeat of the edging. The dark thread is a lifeline and the penny is for scale.I think this might take a long time, but it should be well worth it when I finally finish it.

Saturday Morning Report

Last weekend was the Victoria Day long weekend and Sean, Piper and I headed up to the farm. It was a gorgeous weekend in Killaloe and much hotter than expected. Saturday was a family and family friends BBQ. There was lot’s of food, sports, conversation and beer, even Poppa’s famous wine. Most of us got on the wagon attached to the tractor and went for a ride to check out the new sugar shack for making maple syrup which is at the end of the hay fields where all the maple trees are. Nanny even wore the Triangular Summer Shawl by Nancy Bush that I made her for Christmas last year.  Doesn’t she look gorgeous in it? It’s the perfect size for her!

I’ve recently decided I wanted to make a Shetland gossamer shawl and decided on the Queen Ring Shawl Pattern which I ordered from Heirloom Knitting. It arrived much quicker than I was expecting. These shawls are huge but so fine that you can literally pull them through a ring.I even already purchased the yarn for this pattern and got it at an amazing price! I put a penny in for scale so you could get an idea at the fineness. Now I just need to decide if I will use my 2.0mm needles or if I should go smaller.

I have also started working on this adorable pattern for a coworkers daughter. My coworkers daughter, Ella, is going to model a knitted object for me and this will be her payment.

A Random Wednesday Evening

1. This weekend a certain someone’s sweater was blocked to help make it easier for me to get around to sewing on the buttons and making the I-cord to secure onto the buttons to keep the sweater closed. It’s turned out very well but a wee bit bigger than the one year old size originally intended.

2. I finally have pictures of Sean wearing is 2009 birthday present. The first thing I have ever knit him. We was wearing them this weekend and was willing to model.

3. There has been a lot of progress on the lace scarf. See for yourself.

4. Congratulations to the Montreal Canadians who not only beat the Capitals when no one said they could but who have now moved on to battle for the Eastern Conference title and a shot at the Stanley cup by beating the supposedly great Penguins. Excellent game boys; you did us proud!

Banana Cranberry Bread

Here is the recipe for Sean’s and a few workmates favorite banana bread recipe of mine. It is an adaptation of the recipe found in The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Cream together: 1/2c butter & 1c sugar

Add and mix well: 2 large eggs, 1 large very ripe banana mashed, 1 1/2 tbsp thick yogurt and 1tsp vanilla extract

Add and mix well: 2c flour, 1 tsp b. soda & 1 tsp salt

Add and mix until incorporated: 2c frozen cranberries and 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts.

Put into loaf pan and bake in preheated oven at 350F for 55-65 minutes. Tent with tinfoil after 20 to 30 minutes to prevent over browning.

Variations and Notes: You can add two mashed bananas to the recipe, but add an extra 30-60 minutes for baking. You can also throw in a handful or two of frozen blueberries. It is also advisable to cut the large cranberries in half prior to adding to the batter.

The pictures show the latest banana bread creation that has been all eaten up before I had a chance to blog about it. It had double the banana and blueberries added and used pecans.