Waste Not - Weigh Not

I'm enjoying the benefit of our continuous supply of healthy, good-for-you fresh eggs with a motivating desire to spend more time in the kitchen baking.

Last week I made Cream Puffs.  Ummm. Cream Puffs with pudding in the middle and topped with whipped cream, so very tasty.  As soon as the first batch was gone, I made another batch.

Then I made an Angel Food cake and enjoyed it immensely. The egg supply continues so I made PopOvers.  Love those popovers. Plain, with butter or with butter and jelly they really taste good.  I’m presently perusing the Lemon Pound Cake recipe from the trusty ole, Betty Crocker Cookbook.

I’ve been having such a grand time in the kitchen, it would be a bother to step on the bathroom scale and read the digital message.  I mean, we have such a lovely quantity of fresh eggs, it would be wrong to waste them.  

Waste not – weigh not.

I'm Reading

I've got several books stacked on my desk in the "current" stack.  So many books and so little time. I just bought this knitting reference book and I'm really enjoying it.  It comes with 2 DVDs packed with how to knitting help that starts with the very beginning steps to knitting and then it takes you all the way to more detailed professional techniques.  This book is a good price on Amazon at $16.47.  The suggested price on the back of the book is $24.97 and it's nicely spiral bound to lay flat. I bought mine from the local yarn shop.  Shopping online is so easy, just click, click and it's delivered to your door, but it's also good to support the local business when we can.  







Amazon link for a better description of the book.


You can go to  Judy's blog  to see what others are reading.

On the Needles - Free Pattern

 This is one of those "hurry" days, but I wanted to share this cute pattern.  I've only got a couple of rows done so I'll take a picture later when there's more to show. 

 Cropped one-piece jacket























This is worked on circular needles to hold lots of stitches.  It's worked from the bottom up.  The sleeve stitches are held on an idle needle while you knit the fronts and back.  I think it should be pretty easy and similar to the baby sweater I recently finished. I like things that finish quickly since I get distracted when I see a new pattern or new yarn.  This is a free pattern on the Knitting Fever website - link above. 

Check out what others are knitting on Judy's blog . 

What I'm Reading

I read this book a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. I like stories with happy endings and a moral. This one fit that and also had some drama.  At the end I found it was based on the life of a real person, which was an added benefit. 

I have  difficulty reading engaging fiction because I just want to keep reading instead of doing other necessary things such as sleep or housework or grocery shopping. I will speed read to find out what happens in the story.  Later, I go back for more leisurely enjoyment.  I may read this one again tonight. 

Check out what others are reading at Judy's www.patchworktimes.com.


The Preacher's Bride 

On My Needles - Vacation Scarf

These needles are Knitters Pride Cubics from the Comby Interchangeable Sampler Set I recently ordered.  The needles are square shaped and are supposed to be easier on your hands. The cord seems very easy to manipulate so you don't feel like you're wrestling with it. Wrestling and knitting aren't the best combination. (Ha Ha) I ordered this set from a store on ebay called Handsome Fibers. I'll be ordering from them again as they have great service and prices on knitting and crochet needles and yarn. 

This scarf pattern was sent in the email newsletter by Kathleen Cubley, Editor of Knitting Daily (Interweave). She called it "The Vacation Scarf" because she wanted something easy to do while traveling.  The pattern gives a lattice look.  

Here's the pattern as I wrote it down. I'm using worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles. 

CO 24 stitches
Row 1: K1, *YO, K2tog; rep from * to last st, K1.
Row 2: K1, *YO, P2tog; rep from * to last st, K1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until scarf is the desired length.   .

We Got Out First Eggs

Our White Leghorns are 17 weeks old and we got our first six eggs today.  That's pretty exciting. The challenge to make as many recipes from eggs starts now.  We have 23 hens.  If they each lay an egg a day - that's enough eggs to keep a person busy looking for new ways to use eggs.  

 I wish we had the where-with-all to raise "meat" chickens, but ... I don't know.  We tend to make pets out of everything. Although we do have one (meanie) rooster that would be a prime selection to be a special dinner guest. 

The chicken coop was finished just as the weather got cold.  We ran out of paint on the south side and I kept going to get more of the same paint, but it was never available.  It finally came in and then the weather was too cold for painting.  That will be a spring project right after the replacement / expansion of the chicken yard fence. I can't wait until tomorrow to see how many eggs we get.

What's on my needles - Wedding Shawl

I've been working on this project off and on for a couple of months, but alas, the fate of this special garment accessory is uncertain.  The big looming question is "do I have enough yarn?"  I was eager to try the pattern and selected a beautiful colored fine gauge yarn from my collection.   

The suspect but disappointing verdict is appearing more certain with each knitted row.  There isn't sufficient yarn for this lovely piece to grow long enough to wrap around a person's shoulders. Maybe it will have enough length for a ... scarf??  I like the pattern a lot so I'll be procuring sufficient yarn to knit the entire full length shawl.  

Here's the pattern for the wedding shawl.  It's a good idea to check yardage requirements before you begin.  Ha Ha.  

At www.patchworktimes.com you can see what others are working on.