Saturday, December 19, 2009

Fast I Am Not

There are knitters out there who can whip up a cardigan in a week or so. There are knitters out there who can knit a pair of socks within two days. Me? I'm not one of them. I think I can finally say that I'm a process knitter, not a production knitter. I like the knitting. To me, a project is just that... a project and a project, in my mind, implies something done over time.

The Ropes & Picots cardigan is just that. Because of having input this project into Ravelry, I know that I started it in January of this year. A few months ago, I finished the right front panel; the left front and the back were both at the same point, ready to start the armhole shaping. Well, as of this morning, the back is finished!

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I could post pictures, but it is, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a denimy blue blob at this point and where's the thrill in showing you a picture of a blue blob? I'll save that for the finished object. I'm aiming for the end of this year; I'm hoping that the Ropes & Picots cardigan will be the final finished object of 2009 (if my wrist holds up; it's been a little achy this past week). That's the goal, at any rate.

In other knitting... there has been other knitting, but again, there's really not much to take pictures of. I've been working on the christening dress; there are now 7 completed points on the second edging and the first skirt is a little longer. I've been working on the second of the Lilac mittens, but progress is slow. Other knitting has been waiting for my interest to be revived.

Instead of knitting this past week, much time has been spent baking. Yesterday, we had a Christmas lunch at work and I made some goodies for that. We also had a work girl's night out; again, I made sweets for that. That has meant lots of time in the kitchen this week. I've been trying out new recipes and hunting down recipes for things I remember from my past. Everything I tried was a hit!

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of anything I made; I do plan, however, to make some of the recipes again, and I will take pictures then, and perhaps (if you're really good!) share the recipes. Some of the sweets I made, like Bitterkoekjes (literally translates as Bitter Cookies, but they're not bitter at all) and Bokke Pootjes (Deer Legs... trust me, they taste better than they sound) are old Dutch recipes and are absolutely delicious! Both are a macaroon type cookie made with ground almonds and one of them involves chocolate.

What about you? Do you have a favourite recipe that you pull out at this time of the year? Are there recipes that you go back to year after year, that are always on your Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year) table, perhaps even handed down from generation to generation? Care to share?

2 comments:

  1. Since my children are grown and gone, any "family traditions" we had stopped after the last child was gone. Mostly it was setting up the tree and making cookies. Personally I never enjoyed either, and I was glad I didn't have to bother any longer. Then earlier this week a friend did me a favor, and charged me a batch of Snickerdoodles. It had been over 25 years since I made them last, and I made every effort to please, but failed miserably. Apparently I've lost the skill along with the desire......hahahaha

    Have a fun and joyous Holiday :)

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  2. Definitely mince pies (addictive) and gingerbread cookies, both of which are linked in the sidebar of my blog. This time of year wouldn't be the same without those. Mince pies are a tradition that I've brought from childhood. I started making gingerbread cookies when the kids were small and they became a tradition too. I used to make fruit cake, but realise I didn't even think to bake one this year - even though I love it.

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