On the Needles

I realized I haven't done a knitting post in a while, so I took out my project bag to take some pictures of the progress I've made so far. I feel like I haven't gotten enough knitting done this summer, but quite a bit has been accomplished.

First up, my Larch Cardigan.(http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/larch-cardigan)

My struggle with sweaters is that they're fiddly. and I don't like making 2 of anything unless they're small. Sleeves are not small. This sweater is only missing a sleeve and some seaming, and then I can call it a finished object. OR I can wear it now as a weird looking vest. That said, I really love the beauty and uniqueness of a hand-knit sweater. They can be modified to fit perfectly. You can choose your favorite color, even your favorite fiber. So, every now and then I'll make one, usually complaining the whole time, but I end up extremely satisfied with the finished object. I worked on the collar, and it was fun. No short rows, but you pick up stitches at the end of every row to create the wider-in-the-middle shawl collar look. This needs to be finished before the Ravellenic Games begin, because I have at least 2 projects that need casting on.

Next up is becoming one of my favorite projects. It's extremely popular on Ravelry, and I'm surprised I haven't seen more around El Paso.   Never mind that. It's summer. I'm the only crazy person willing to wear a wool hand knit shawl in summer because it looks pretty. Even if I sweat and it ends up smelling like wet dog. :P Here's my Color Affection. (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/color-affection)

 I don't know what it is about cats. They seem to have a camera-detector. They'll all be asleep in various places in the house, but the minute they hear my camera turn on, they come running to "pose" next to my knitting. And take a swipe at the ball of yarn when they think I'm distracted. Anyway. Ignore the gorgeous cat in the picture (Comma) and focus on the great knitting. :P

I fell in love with Sarah Diamond's Color Affection Kits at http://thepluckyknitter.com/shop/ . My favorite was called Mid-Century. Which had a grey, a pinkish red, and a yellow. I love bright, primary colors and jewel tones. Problem is, her kits are a bit expensive. So I found some colors that works at http://www.knitpicks.com/knitting.cfm that were also on sale. Like... CHEAP. So here's my version of the Mid-Century kit.

The shawl is knitted flat in garter stitch (knit every row) with a crescent shape. It starts with one color (grey) then adds in a second color, with color change every two rows. Increases are made on the ends of rows. Then short rows are added when the third color is added, giving the shawl it's signature asymmetrical shape. I have to say, the short rows are very addictive. :)

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

I've been wanting to try making a banana cream pie since I had a delicious one at Geske's. http://www.geskesgrill.com/

I improvised a bit on the recipe, but here's what I came up with.

I followed the recipe for a graham cracker crust from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. (If you don't have a copy of this already, I strongly recommend it! My mom still uses hers from the 60's, and the recipes always come out great.)

 CRUST

1. 2 packages of graham crackers, crushed (about 1/2 a box) comes out to about 2 cups 
2. 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

• Place the graham crackers in a ziploc bag. 
• Using a rolling pin, gently crush the crackers until they are a fine consistency
• Pour the graham crackers into the glass pie dish. (aluminum ones work too, if this is for a potluck or a party)
• Melt butter over stove or in microwave
• Pour melted butter into pie dish. 
• Using a fork, mix in the butter.

FILLING

1. 1 small package vanilla pudding mix
2. 1 small package chocolate pudding mix
3. 4 cups milk
4. 2 bananas, sliced

•  Following directions on the back of the pudding mixes, cook the chocolate pudding on the stove. (Most puddings have you combine the mix and 2 cups milk in a saucepan, cook on medium heat until it begins to boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scalding it to the bottom of the pan )
• Pour chocolate pudding into the pie pan, and place in the fridge to cool. Pudding will thicken as it cools. 
• Repeat the process for the vanilla pudding, but leave it in the pan to cool. Once it is at room temperature, stir in the sliced bananas. Mixing them in with the filling keeps them from turning brown. 
• Spoon the vanilla pudding with the bananas on top of the chocolate layer. 

 TOPPING
Try one or several of these toppings for a delicious pie!

•   Whipped Cream
• caramel sauce or cajeta (goat's milk caramel from mexico)
• chopped peanuts
• chocolate sauce

FINISHING:

Makes about 8 servings. Cover and store in the fridge. This recipe can be made low-fat by using fat-free milk and pudding mixes, and fat-free whipped cream.   

White Sands Camping Trip

I've been wanting to go camping at White Sands National Monument since around Christmas. It's supposed to be a very cool place around the full moon. Unfortunately, temperatures in the desert can drop pretty drastically at night in winter, so even though it's the best time to visit the Monument during the day, it's too cold for camping at night. Several of the full moons were during the week. Others just didn't work out for other coordination reasons. So, since we're finally on summer break, and it was near the full moon (give or take a few days) Christina and I decided to head out to spend a night on the dunes. 

 Tent Site #10. It was about a .75 mile hike to the tent site. Because it was 98 degrees out when we started our hike, we had to abandon half our stuff at one of the dune markers and make 2 trips. This means we ended up hiking over 4 miles this trip. :)

 Here's a close-up shot of our tent in the dunes. We spent the evening watching the stars, talking, and digging holes with our feet in the sand, which is very cool and silky.

 Christina taking some photos of the sunset from the dune in front of our tent.

 Some goofing around led to a tree pose. What's hard to see is that if I lost my balance, there was a good chance of toppling over either side of the dune. This was about the time we decided it would be a good idea to head back to the car for some cold drinks. I hiked the rest of the way barefoot.

 I think this is my favorite shot of the whole trip. The sun really makes the edges of the dunes come to life, and there's so much that's untouched by human feet that sometimes it can leave one feeling like an adventurer discovering the area for the first time.

 Sunset. This was about the time we found my lost root beer. Apparently it had fallen out of my backpack when we were hiking in. I was really disappointed at having lost it, since it was the only cold beverage I took from the cooler. Luckily it was waiting for me in the sand, warm, but still delicious.

A trail marker pointing the way to the camp sites, with our tent in the background. :)

Hiking at City of Rocks

I went on a hike yesterday with my good friend Christina. It was a cool, cloudy day here in the desert because it's been cloudy and raining the last few days. I don't think the temperatures hit 90 degrees at all. :) This was my first hiking trip since I broke my camera, and I was very excited to try some of the features of the new one.

 A yucca plant in bloom. The flowers are edible if you ever get stranded in the desert. I've never tried them, though.

 This little bird was putting up quite a fuss. I had to zoom in to get his photo, but his coloring was amazing.

 Me, grinning before the sunburn. :P

 This was a nice little place to rest. We stopped for snacks, and I got to try out the panoramic function on my camera. The only things you could hear were the birds, the wind, and the crickets.

 These rock formations that give City of Rocks its name were created by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. The native Americans would use this as a community, as it offered shelter from the desert winds. There are also cliff dwellings nearby.

 Some lichen on a rock.

 Christina having a rest.

Overall, this was a fun, relaxing day. The hike is only 3.75 miles, no elevation gain. There are many campsites among the rocks, and there are potable water stations, restrooms, and showers on site. Christina and I are planning on going back next week to do a two-night camping trip. :)

Mom's Birthday Shawl

This year, since I'm partcipating in 12 Shawls in 2012 on Ravelry, quite a few shawls have come and gone around this house. My mom really liked one of them, tried it on, and suggested that she might have to steal it from me. So for her birthday this year, which falls in July, I knit her one of her own. This time, I bought the correct weight yarn, and let her choose the colors she wanted. This is my 10th shawl of the year.

Farmer's Market

Ardovino's Desert Crossing has a local farmer's market every Saturday. While I was a bit disappointed at the amount of actual produce and the high prices, I did come away with quite a good haul of local products. It was a bit too hot to stay for very long, but I'll definitely be going back, as the only other farmer's market in the area is in New Mexico.

Clockwise: Sweet and Spicy pickles, BBQ sauce, local honey, lemon poppy-seed bread, sun-dried tomato foccacia.

My mom and I were talking on the way home, and it would be really easy to set up a booth where she sells her jalapeno jelly, and I sell fingerless gloves. Something to think about.

Fightin' Words Part 2

I finished them!