a not so quiet long weekend

Not that that’s a bad thing. Saturday we ran some errands, one of them being a run to the Purple Purl. I wanted to pick up Ysolda’s new book that just came in and pick up some needles. Sean needed to pick some yarn for his mother’s holiday gift. I went through and selected some patterns that would work with the yarn he selected and he chose the one he thought his mother would like, a Anne Hanson pattern, because he liked the look and he said something along the lines of well you like her stuff and it always turns out nice. He also picked up some sock yarn for his next pair of socks when I finish his current ones on the needles (he now has to buy his own sock yarn as he has very good taste and always selects the top pickings from my stash that I want to use for me).On Sunday we had swapped desk spaces and we went to Ikea to pick me up a new desk as the table I was using was never really suited to be a desk and I was just making due. I assembled it while someone napped and started working on the spare bedroom. It is finally looking like a room instead of storage space! I will try to remember to post a picture once the room is a bit more organized.

Today I made crepes with strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup as well as some oatmeal cookies with dried cherries and dark chocolate nuggets. I don’t have any plans for the rest of today and I think I will spend it knitting and sorting through what needs to be done in the spare room.

I started work on a baby sweater for my friend Mandi who is expecting her first munchkin to appear in the end of December. They aren’t going to find out what sex they are having so I have to make sure whatever I make looks good for either a boy or girl. I’ve decided to try Tanis’s Sunnyside Baby Cardigan with the cables. So far it is working up lovely but I am not particularly fond of the way Tanis writes up her patterns. I find for the raglan increases she has way too many markers placed into it and then she tends to ignore some of the markers and make mention of others which can be quite confusing while increasing. Needless to say I have paired down on the number of markers I am using.

The hitchhiker scarf now officially lives with my Aunt Lynn who loves it (I got a very email from her describing what she liked about it and all the different ways she can wear it).

Banana Cranberry Oatmeal

Here is the recipe for what has become Sean and I’s favorite version of oatmeal. This recipe makes 2 servings. The spice measurements are not exact and feel free to add your own favorite spices or your own ratios.

Mix together in the pot before putting onto the heat:

1c oats

1tsp cinnamon, 1/4tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of chili pepper

1 ripe banana (has brown spots) mashed with a fork

2 handfuls of cranberries,~1/2c, (fresh or frozen) with the large ones cut in half

1 1/2 c water

1/2 milk

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is boiling while stirring. Turn off heat leaving pot on element and cover with lid. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and a bit of milk.

Tidbits

I received some yarn from my mom to make two secret projects so all I will show you is the yarn until they are complete.

This weekend we made delicious sticky buns. They did not last very long.

I picked up a package in the mail today and these lovelies were inside. These are from Sundara Yarns.

I also finally cast-off the front of Sean’s sweater. All that is left to do are the sleeves.

Tomato porn and apricot preserves

More tomatoes from the garden:

I also made apricot preserves sometime last week from the apricots I bought at a farmers market the weekend before. We enjoyed them this weekend on crumpets!