Plum Cake

Long time, no blog.  Sorry folks!  LYS life has been really great but really busy.  As many of you have seen, the store is doing wonderfully well and we are all having a ton of fun running it.  However, all that has not left much time for personal knitting or blogging.  That’s okay.  I wanted to let everyone know that I have not fallen off the planet.  My UFOs are slowly progressing, the store looks great (thanks to the fabulous TYC family), dinners have been on the table each night and all is right with the world.  Speaking of food (my second favorite subject), last night I made a Plum Cake.  I forget how much I love these sinful little treasures.  Italian plums are the main ingredient and are only out for a short time in August.  I found a big package of them at BJ's.  Oh, we can forget about the diet for just a minute.  You see, the recipe uses a bit of butter, sugar, four, eggs... but none of it goes to the hips.  Right?  The recipe has been passed down through my family and will soon be in the hands of my daughter, who is also addicted to the cake.  So, as my little August treat to my most appreciated customers, here is “THE” Plum cake Recipe:

Plum Cake/Torte

Pre-heat oven to Bake at 350.

Cream together 1 cup sugar with ½ cup softened butter.  Add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, a dash of salt, 2 eggs (beaten), and 1 to 1-1/2 tsp Almond Extract.

Blend well with a fork.  Pour into 9” spring form pan that has been well greased with butter.  Cut 12 Italian plums in half and remove pits.  Place plums skin side up about 1/4 into dough.  (place them in the batter, but do not submerge.)  Sprinkle with sugar and Saigon Cinnamon.  (If plums are tart, add an extra pinch of sugar to the topping.)

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Cool and serve. 

Plum Cake makes an amazing breakfast dish to compliment my favorite Trader Joe’s Morning Blend Coffee.

Where to go for knitting help when you don't want to bother the teacher!

The Yarn Club is so fortunate to have Chuck teaching his amazing classes here!  Each class has its own set of unique skills and goes far beyond the class itself.   Each class comes with a notebook of instructions and helpful hints.  Some classes even contain a video.  WOW!  So I asked, “Where do you find all these great tid-bits?”  The answer, “several websites and blogs including, www.knitfreedom.com”.    So I began to explore…..  and click…. and… a few hours escaped me and my head was spinning.

The first thing I noticed was the free pattern discussed on the opening blog.  You all know how I love free patterns.  I try to include one in every newsletter.  Sign up here,  http://yarnclubknits.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a3ca6040436ce8fea139e6930&id=6f10821b4e.  This site is filled with great free patterns that I encourage you to explore on your own.  The next thing that jumped at me was the tutorial on how to relieve hand pain,  http://knitfreedom.com/being-a-knitter/top-5-stretches-for-knitting-pain-relief.  These top five stretches have now been added to my knitting routine.  Good bye hand pain!  It also works well for tension associated with computer use.

Now, let’s get to the meat!  Chuck’s Toe-Up Sock Class is packed with information.  He starts with Judy’s Magic Cast On,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=19jVjIay5Lk.   What a perfect start to any closed top project in the round.  Think about a hat from the top down or a pi shawl from the center out.  No ugly bump in the center or seam at your toes.  I was glad to have this video for my second sock.  I cast on late at night, like so many of us do.  No Chuck, no yarn store, just me, my laptop and knitfreedom.com.

As I ended the class, far smarter than I began, it came time to bind off.  Typically, I would bind off using a larger needle if I needed a bit more stretch to the end of the project.  Oh, but now I know better.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fjynMuSPX4Y  is a great tutorial on “Jenny’s Super Stretchy Bind-Off”.  There are eight different bind-offs shown on this site with pdf graphics to help you out.

I found videos on how to fix mistakes, how to knit more evenly, directions on rarely used stitches, such as, TBL (through back loop) and so much more.  Follow this link, http://knitfreedom.com/knitting-videos, to endless knitting knowledge.  Join Chuck’s classes for in-depth instruction, understanding, and tons of fun!  May brings us a Brioche Knitting Class.  I’m so excited!

Part II - More Knitting Education!

I finished the Casu Cowl using Dragonfly Fibers Traveller in Winter Woods.  This cowl is made up of lace and moss stitch.  It is started with a provisional cast on and ended by grafting the cast on edge to the last row of knitting or what would be the bind off edge.  The live stitches are grafted together using the Ketchener Stitch.  As many of us know from grafting the toes of our socks, Ketchener Stitch is traditionally stockinette.  So, how do you graft two pieces together that are NOT stockinet?  The answer was found on www.tricksyknitter.com.  Here, the Ketchner stitch was explained in detail including how to use it with ribbing and with seed stitch.  Simply following her instructions lead to a perfect and invisible seam.

Pam introduced me to Tricksyknitter recently.  I particularly like the link to “Cool Knitting Tricks”.  Here I found a wonderful description on how to start a top down shawl.  Those first three stitches that are knit for six or seven rows, and then picked up, turned, picked up again, etc.  I have done this maneuver many times, yet it all clicked once I read this link. 

 

    

Tricksy offers us a nice selection of patterns, too.  I just love the Sweet Oak Shall on her accessories page and the Maple Ripple Pullover on her Cardigan page.  Both of which can be purchased in our store via Ravelry.  Every time I go to this site I learn a little more.  Please visit http://www.tricksyknitter.com/.  I bookmarked it for future reference and more knitting education.

Come see the Casu Cowl in person and try to find the mysterious seam.
The Yarn Club, Inc.
www.yarnclubknits.com

Where to go for Knitting Help?

It never fails.  When you need to ask a knitting question, the one that really stumps you, it is 1:00 am and there isn’t a knitting shop open anywhere!  Where do we turn?  What do we do?  HELP!!!

When I started to put this blog together I thought it would be short and I would reference a few sites that I have found helpful throughout my knitting tenure.  I asked a few of the amazing folks who help me out at the shop and I got an abundance of replies.  Too many for one post!  So let’s begin a short series of places you can turn when we want to learn more.

My personal favorite for basic technique videos is www.knittinghelp.com.  The site shows easy to understand videos that can be played over and over again, late into the night.  Whether you are a new knitter or need to learn a particular skill or stitch, this is a “must have” bookmark in your knitting favorite’s folder.   When a new knitter comes into the shop, this is where I frequently turn.  Being a continental knitter, I admit, I need the videos to help teach the English method of knitting.  Both methods of knitting are displayed with each technique given.  There are several methods of cast-ons and bind offs.  With the new cowl frenzy, I have turned to this many times for the Provisional Cast On.  It’s a lifesaver.  And, every time I close a cuff down sock, I turn to the best video on the Kitchener Stitch that I have found.  It gets you saying the mantra of “Knit, purl, purl, knit” over and over again.  Circular knitting is explained in detail with Magic Loop, two circular needles and using DPNs.  The site explores double knitting, intarsia, Fair Isle, button holes, short rows and so much more. 

One of the hardest things for me is how to get stiches to look smooth when doing short rows.  How do you avoid the “purl bump” when picking up the wraps?  So many of our shawl and cowl patterns incorporate short rows.  Short rows are a MUST if you are a full figured woman who wants to make a jacket look like the pattern was written just for you.  (Those necessary bust darts as explained by Jean Frost in Custom Fit Knit Jackets.)  So, where do I turn?  Where Peggie insisted, Cat Bordhi’s tutorial on short rows Part I and Part II.  Peggie recommends you review this tutorial before using short rows for a Top-Down Set-In Sleeve.  The sleeves are picked up from the shoulder and body of the sweater.  Instead of knitting straight down, short rows give your garment a smooth roll from your shoulder to your arm.  Hey, we are not made from geometric squares and rectangles like the pattern graphics may imply.  We have many curves and short rows get us over them.

Chuck and Pam have sent me a plethora of sites where they like to go for more knitting knowledge.  I will continue with these in my next post.  Feel free to share your favorites here or on our Facebook page.  One of the best qualities in knitters is our willingness to share what we love.  Keep the information flowing!

Andrea
The Yarn Club, Inc.
http://www.yarnclubknits.com/
email your favorite help site to andrea@yarnclubknits.com

A Chill in the Air and Chili on the Stove!

Malabrigo Rasta

Finally!  Winter has hit Hampton Roads.  We can now wear our Malabrigo Rasta Cowls, our Madelinetosh Honey Cowls and our Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande Shrugs.  I bundled up in my first knit sweater made with Alpaca Boucle and a crazy yarn from Ironstone.  Oh, it feels good to wrap up in all those wonderful knits!


Rasta Cowl by Carla



Madelinetosh Honey Cowl by Mickey

Today was a fun day at the shop.  With the cold air blowing at 35 mph, I discovered that the windows in the front of the store were terribly drafty.  So out came the coffee and the caulk gun.  While the ladies enjoyed a fresh cup from the Keurig I hopped from window to window killing that frigid draft.  Luckily, it worked!  But, after all that, I decided to leave early.  After Kiki arrived I ran home to put on a pot of Chili.

My recipe is simple.  It is an alteration of a recipe from an old friend of my husbands.  I cook by adding a handful of this and a drop of that, so bear with my measurements.  They are not exact, but they work. 

Andrea’s Family Chili

1 Package stew beef

1 onion diced

1-2 lbs lean ground beef cooked and drained (or cooked on the grill if it’s not too cold out)

2 McCormick brand Original Chili Seasoning packages (do not substitute)

1 can diced or crushed tomatoes 29oz

1 large can tomato sauce 29oz

1 large can tomato paste 16oz

2 cans light kidney beans 16oz

2 cans pinto beans 16oz

2 garlic cloves crushed or minced

Optional hot seasoning mix or other hot chili powder to taste (I don’t add any to mine)

Top with Cheddar cheese and diced red onion

Directions:  Cook Ground beef separately and drain well.  In a large pot, brown stew beef with onion.  Once brown, drain the fat and add all of the canned goods (tomatoes, beans, paste, etc.)  Stir well.  Add cooked ground beef.   Add seasoning packages and garlic. Additional hot chili powder or other hot seasoning can be added if desired.  Cook on medium to low flame for 1 ½ - 2 hrs or more.  The longer, the better.  Stir often.  Stir again.  Stir some more.  There is nothing worse than burnt Chili.  Top with minced red onion and cheddar cheese to taste.



Dragonfly Fibers' Traveller

 Hopefully this recipe and some chunky wool from The Yarn Club will keep you warm this week.  I’m off to work on my CasuCowl in Dragonfly Traveller.

Happy Knitting,

Andrea

For those who missed the incredible "knit, Swirl!" trunk show from December 15th to the 26th, it was a rare treat. Since Sandra McIver published her book November 2010, knitters have been drooling and wanting to make one for themselves. This past June at TNNA Columbus, I was lucky not only to have met Sandra in person, but also see all of her Swirls. While there, I met up for breakfast with Jenny Raymond of zzJonquil Designs and Deborah Robson of "Fleece & Fiber Source Book" by Storey Publishing. Deb's Swirl is made with two different colorways of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. To see her twirl in her swirl, click on the below photo. I love the way it moves!

There are many Swirls made by prominent folks in the fiber world. A second one by JC Briar of the award-winning "Charts Made Simple" book is in WIP status. I have seen hers up close during TNNA also, and it is utterly elegant. During Thanksgiving, when I showed my Swirl-in-progress to a friend of Christopher and I, she was smitten by the alternating welts of reverse stockinette and stockinette stitches. Inspired, she offered to trade a substantial amount of String Theory for my hardcopy book (purchased here at The Yarn Club). Unable to refuse, I accepted her offer and handed it over. By the way, the yarn is a luxurious amount (weighing close to 7 ounces) of silk/merino sport-weight blend at $30 per 4 ounces. I think I hit a nice jackpot, don't you agree?


For those curious about what yarns to use besides the ones listed in the book, here are a few to help. *Note: You must have access to Ravelry to see the details on these projects.*

The Coat of Many Colors swirl above was made in Berroco Vintage by adixonmahatoo

ChezShea's Forest Fiesta swirl above was made in MadelineTosh DK with the Tart colorway
Jill's above Sheer Beauty was made in Malabrigo and Louet
ltlknits' Winter Waves swirl above was made in Malabrigo
knittingalways' Shades of Grey swirl above was made in Cascade Rustic
So before I digress further, here are some of the latest trunk show photos. Again I apologize if you missed seeing these beauties up close and personal because they are simply GORGEOUS.
Ann in a couple of poses:


Andrea grinning in her Sheer Beauty:
Myself unable to resist trying on a swirl in black and red:
Amanda cozying up in a swirl of Mountain Colors:
Our favorite swirl in a beautiful burgundy wine color:
Now if you still want to make your very own Swirl, do not fear because we can help you! Now that I have my first Swirl under my belt, I have figured out not only to make the very long sleeves shorter, but I also figured out how to make the pattern fit larger sizes. Feel free to drop by the shop to get twirling in a swirl!! See you soon! Kimberly =:8

Going 'Round with Alisha

While hanging out in the evenings with my friends this past June during TNNA at the Hyatt lobby area, I met a wonderful woman who was determined to finish knitting a polar bear for her booth. She was using yarn doubled on large needles, and one could not help watch her in fascination as she furiously knitted while still chatting with everyone around her. At some point, I found myself helping her by holding whatever spot she directed me to in order to sew and seam whatever needed to be done. It turned out that the woman was Alisha, and her fabulous polar bear was a cool asset to her fabulous Alisha Goes Around yarns at her booth!

Because TNNA does not allow photography on the showroom floor, the bad news is that I could only Kinnear* a shot of the finished bear in the booth. However, the good news I have is that Alisha's yarns have arrived at The Yarn Club, and they are nothing short of delicious!
To begin the list of what is still available, I must brag about my favorite - Tracks of Bison Fingering yarn. If you click on the yarn's link, you will be able to Add it to your Stash, Favorites, or Queue it on Ravelry. Why tell you now? Because you will want to after seeing this gorgeous yarn in person. Here is one of many projects that are a perfect match: the Mezquita Shawl by Roxanne Yeun. The pattern is a free download on Ravelry, and beads can be added by way of a crochet hook. Pictured below is katecknits' Bison Mezquita. Isn't it gorgeous?
The next yarns to mention are sparkly and shiny. Both "Tiding of Magpies" and the "Tittering of Magpies" are fingering weight yarns at 400-420 yards that contain just a hint of shine to catch the light. The difference between the two yarns is that one contains silk while the other contains metallic thread. Both are amazingly soft and will make your projects stunning.

My favorite project out of these yarns would be hands down HelenJ's Deep in the Forest Mittens. I am in complete agreement with HelenJ when she wrote that the glitter in the yarn made the scene look "c-c-c-c-cold."
As for going by the way of worsted, Alisha created "Stable of Horses Worsted" and the merino combined with her dyepots are truly magic. The semi-tonal colors are deep and vibrant. Our selection at the shop? Well, you will have to see for yourself, but here's a peek...
With 200 yards of machine washable 100% merino in each 100 gram skein, the possibilities of projects are endless. I see blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves (with and without fingers), even boot socks being made. A great idea came from Sjanova on Ravelry, who made an octopus with hers. I really love it!

"Marmalade of Ponies Aran" may be the last yarn I write about, but it is definitely not a least favorite one. In fact if I could, I would get every colorway that Alisha offered in this "soft and sproingy" 2-ply yarn. We do have sweater quantities, but they are limited. Shown below are the skeins "Ashes" I am eyeing. I hope you can grab them before I do!

By the looks of the projects on Ravelry, I see quickly knit garments and accessories in my future, especially for gift-giving time. Clara Parkes' "Hill Country Hat" and Purl Soho's "Bandana Cowl" are two such items. Both of patterns are knit using size US 10-1/2 needles, both only take one skein, and best of all, both patterns are free. Here is killerdaisy's "Bandit" Cowl. Can you believe that she knit it in about 24 hours tops?


I had mentioned earlier that if I could I would snag those skeins of Ashes for myself. What would I make with it? Knitty's latest Winter Issue has the Sky Isle cardigan that I think would be a perfect match. Then again, I seem to have a penchant for grey colorways...

See you soon!

Kimberly =:8