theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Reformed?  No.  But do I know a good deal when I see one?  Yes.  I am a bonified yarn snob and proud of it.  I don’t buy yarn at Micheal’s or Joanne’s.  I love silk, alpaca, cashmere, and pure wool — merino and otherwise.  However, I was at a well known discount retailer (rhymes with ball fart) and ran across this yarn in several colors at a ridiculous price.  My eldest daughter has been knitting scarves AND is preparing for a December jewelry craft show.  She mentioned she would like to try to sell a few scarves at the show.  I did not want to invest in the amount of money I spend for yarn on her scarves in case they did not sell.  So I bought the cheap yarn in several colors to try out. 

I decided to see how well it worked before we got too excited.  I knitted up this lovely neutral.  It is the softest yarn I have ever felt.  Ever.  It goes perfectly with my “work uniform” (aka, a beige jumper), and I love it.  I held it double and used size 15 needles so it would be a super fast knit.  Every three ridges I did a double wrap.

I love the very small bits of copper and gold.   So, I have gone to the dark side — at least for one day!!

I really appreciate all the thoughtful responses to my “To Be or Not To Be” dilemma.  [I seem to have had a few dilemmas lately].  Many of you recommended that I teach Kayla to knit — and offered some creative ideas.  I did teach Kayla to knit last year.  My favorite memory of last Thanksgiving was the Friday after when my husband had to work and Laura, Jena, Kayla and I were all sitting in front of the fireplace, knitting and watching movies.  The best time ever!! 

I think what I will do is think about it a bit more and recommend to Laura that we pick out some pretty yarn to make Kayla something less involved.  If Kayla is still around next year, maybe I’ll go for something bigger.  Teens tend to move in and out of friendships — if it lasts, we’ll see.

A wonderful thing came out of the “knit worthy” discussion.  June shared a comment, so I visited her blogsite and found a recipe for Hamantaschen.  I practically broke my neck getting to the store fast enough to make these lil cuties.  And they taste even better than they look.  These pastries are a traditional part of the celebration of Purim in the Jewish faith. 

Where have you been all my life?  I took them to work and “the crowd went wild.” 

The minor changes I made to the recipe: June said she used the zest of two oranges (the recipe calls for 1 tsp of zest).  I used 1 T. and it took the zest of one orange.  I used an entire can of Wilderness ‘More Fruit’ cherry filling.  I made 3″ circles because the 2-1/2 inch size was a tad small. 

I highly recommend these for any occasion and thank you, June, for the fantastic recipe.  It’s already a family favorite — oops, it would be a family favorite if they got to eat any of them ;).

What does it mean to be ‘knit worthy’?  How many of you have asked this question?  Have any of you been the victim of the “knit-for-boyfriend-and-he-dumps-you” curse.  I have! 

My daughter’s best friend said to her yesterday, “I keep hinting to your mom that I LOVE that sweater in Vogue Knitting (design #15 — thank goodness it’s in Cascade 220 and not cashmere!) and would love for her to make it for me for Christmas — she just doesn’t seem to be getting the hint.”  So, should I take the hint?  She is my daughter’s best friend, she comes over every morning before school to eat breakfast and give Laura a ride, she is called “The Third Sister.”  Why oh why didn’t she ask for something a little simpler??!!@@#??  Aaaaaaaaacccccckkkkkkkkkk!  Now I must decide how to spend my precious knitting time.

My daughter is definitely knit worthy, and because I just made something for the little one I must now make something for the big one.  We loved the lace glovelets in the new Interweave so I started a pair for her yesterday.  She wants fingerless gloves with actual fingers, so I have extra work to do on them.  The gauge is supposed to be 8 sts per inch but mine is more like 9 so some adjusting was necessary.  I’ll post a picture tonight after the first glovelet is finished.  I’m on the fingers now.