I'm in the process of sorting through my Peru photos both for this blog and for a discussion on Andean Knitting techniques that I'll be giving on Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30pm at Old Town Yarnery. In the meantime, it would really help me out if you clicked through to the Nat Geo photo contest and FB like my photo and tweet about it if you're on twitter. Click on the photo below and it will take you to my page on National Geographic's website where you'll also get the story behind the photo. So here it is...my favorite photo from the trip:
Today I learned from a very kind someone on Ravelry that the Pluie Cardigan was featured on Knitting Daily TV's Episode 910: Intarsia InDepth. I can't even begin to tell you guys how thrilled I am. Now if I could only get a copy of the episode (we got rid of our DVR last year). I think I'm going to have to wait until it comes out on DVD. Here's a preview and be sure to check out my Soundtrack of a Sweater: The Pluie Cardigan to get the skinny on designing the garment:
My first week in Austria was spent mostly meeting and visiting with A.'s aunts, uncles, and cousins in Vienna. We went from house to restaurant to house eating and drinking. If I had been keeping a diary of the trip many of the days' entries would be, "Today we ate." I love the Austrian tradition of cake and coffee between lunch and dinner. I think one day I actually had 4 pieces of different cakes- one for breakfast, dessert for lunch, cake and coffee, and dessert for dinner. In between meals A. and I managed to get in some sight seeing. To introduce us to the city, A.'s cousin scheduled a Segway tour. It was surprisingly easy and fun and okay, a bit nerdy. Check out my skills.
Here are some more photos from our week in Wien.
Segway Tour
We went to the open air opera with friends of A.'s family and saw Der Fledermaus.
Decorated carriage horse
The roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral
Famous Sacher Torte from Hotel Sacher
Immature, but I couldn't resist
Hofburg Palace (Winter)
Playing in the Karl Martin art installation in the Theseus Temple
Schonbrunn Palace (Summer) down the street from where we are staying
Alex & Alex in the gardens of Schonbrunn
A day at the tiergarten Schonbrunn (zoo)
Tichy Ice Cream Shop
Tasty cool treat from Tichy
We rode the swings at the Prater Amusement Park
Schweizerhaus Stelze (a crispy skinned leg of pork)
Neon lights of the Prater Amusement Park
We had the most fun playing in one of the many fun houses at Prater Park. The beauty of this amusement park is that you pay per ride, usually between 2.50 and 5 euros.
I can finally share- two of my designs are being featured in Interweave Knits Fall 2012 (scroll down to see photos)! This is the first that I've been published in print and I'm incredibly excited. I'm glad to say that it won't be the last; more patterns will be in print Spring 2013 (and with any luck Winter 2012/13).
I thought it would be fun to put together a soundtrack of music I was listening to while designing and knitting the Pluie Cardigan. I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do.
Soundtrack of a Sweater:
The Pluie Cardigan
The Pluie Cardigan
Pluie was inspired by a rainy weekend day- umbrellas to will the rain away and a cardigan to stay warm and cozy while curled up with a book. I got the idea of doing an all over motif from Victoria Beckham's spring 2012 cat dress. I'm thrilled with the result. Not for the faint of heart, this intarsia cardigan is great for knitters looking for a challenge.
Interweave Press
Interweave Press
I love that Interweave included a picture of the wrong side.
I'm pretty proud of my finishing work.
The Woven Rain Hat
The Woven Rain Hat features a simple, classic herringbone pattern. It was inspired by vintage 50s and 60s fedoras and is great for fall and winter. This is the first time that I worked with stainless steel wool and I chose it because I wanted the hat to have stability without being felted. The weave of the herringbone also helps the hat keep its shape. The challenge for me with this hat was figuring out how to increase and decrease within the pattern so that it looked consistent. Enjoy!
The other night I made these sauteed veggies and thought that the only thing that could make them better was baking them in a phyllo dough crust with eggs. Wow are they delish. They would be perfect for a party or holiday breakfast and are also great for dinner.
Mini Phyllo Quiche Yield: 20 mini quiche
Ingredients
1 medium onion finely chopped 2 large tomatoes coarsely chopped (sub 4 plum tomatoes or small package of grape tomatoes) 1 small bag baby spinach 1 8oz package chopped mushrooms 1 4oz package feta cheese 2T olive oil 2T basil 1 package phyllo dough (available in the freezer section) 6 eggs 1/3 cup milk salt and pepper to taste glass cooking dish 2 large muffin pans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Toss the tomatoes with 1T olive oil and the basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Place in a glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute the onions until they are cooked through. Add the package of chopped mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes. Finally, add the package of baby spinach and cook until wilted. Take the pan off of the burner and stir in the feta cheese and roasted tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk together eggs and milk.
Spray the large muffin pans with cooking spray. Fold 1 sheet of phyllo dough to fit into each muffin slot, leaving a little spilling over the edges. Fill each phyllo dough 3/4 full with vegetable mixture. Fill to the brim with the egg mixture.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, rotating pans after 10 minutes.
So last Thursday I got to take pictures of this cutie. His eyelashes kill me. I'd like to thank my friend Claire for inspiring the cardigan and providing the model (they're my lunch dates, along with my friend Rebecca, who you've seen in other worldknit designs, every Thursday). The Ellinger Shawl Neck Cardigan pattern is available for $6 and is sized for ages 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.
Happy Valentine's Day! I designed a quick reversible cabled scarf to celebrate. The Be Mine Scarf Kit is available on my etsy site and contains 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss Andes, one ball of Debbie Bliss Angel, the printed pattern, and a super cute handmade lined project bag for $47 (a savings of $10). Kits come in red, pink, purple, silver, and white. If you're only interested in the pattern you can download it on ravelry for free.
