It's Soup Time!

This is the time of year that I really love homemade soup and chili. Last week I made a new three-bean and beef chili recipe that I found on the Food Network website. It was so good! This week I decided to make Tim some soup especially for him. He has been begging me to make a chicken, noodle and vegetable soup that he had at a friend's house. I asked for the recipe last year, and all I got was a text with what she "usually" puts into it. No accurate amounts, no specifics for cooking. I made it and I hated it! So I ditched the text and figured I was done with that!

Tim brought up that recipe again and asked me to make it. I cringed, knowing I no longer had the "recipe!" After some discussion I decided I would attempt the soup again only this time I would pick up veggies that I like and think work well in soup. It turned out really good, so I thought I would share it with you. Now that I've typed it up, I'll remember it!

Chicken, Vegetables and Tortellini Soup

• 2 chicken breasts, simmer for 45 minutes in water; let cool and cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 carton of Kitchen Basics Chicken Broth
• 1 14.5 ounce can great northern beans
• Half of a package of Trader Joe's (dried) cheese tortellini, cooked and drained as directed
• 1 to 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Prepared pesto
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat; add garlic, onions and carrots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, beans, cooked chicken and beans. Simmer for 20 minutes, adding some water if necessary. Add the cooked tortellini, spinach, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of pesto in each bowl.

Enjoy!

Nancy

I'm Crocheting One Large Granny Square

We have been getting in a whole lot of new yarns since I last blogged. It's kept me busy in the shop. In the process I have fallen in love with many of the new yarns. One of the new yarns to us is Classic Elite Liberty Wool and Liberty Wool Print (122 yards per 50 gram ball). It's a really soft superwash wool that knits at a light worsted-weight gauge (5 stitches = 1 inch on size 7 needles). This week we got in Classic Elite Liberty Wool Light (200 yards per 50 gram ball). The new yarn is the same lovely fiber but knits at a sport-weight gauge (6 stitches = 1 inch on size 4 needles). We have pattern books for both yarns.

I decided that I would crochet --- yes, you heard me, crochet, with some Liberty Wool and Liberty Wool Print. I'm using a basic granny square pattern and changing my colors every couple of rounds, varying the number of rounds as I desire. It's been a couple of years since I crocheted anything, but I am really enjoying it. My daughter likes the resulting design of the granny square blanket and "reallyyyyyy" wants to take it with her to college next year. I told her it won't be big enough for her to cuddle under, as it will only be about 32 inches square when I am done! I'm using 7 different colors, but a total of 10 skeins (3 of the colors I am using required 2 balls of each).

My big granny square blanket

Speaking of crochet, yesterday Barbara Anderson came in the shop wearing the spoils of her winnings from the March Madness Scarf contest we had this spring. She won a $100 gift card to our shop and bought lots of lovely yarn to crochet a long coat. She chose yarns that had silk in them, so it has nice drape. I took a picture so you could see how beautiful her coat turned out.

Barb's beautiful crocheted coat

 Happy knitting & crochet, too!

Nancy

I finally finished my shawl for the KAL!

The back of my shawl with the tails tied in back.

The front of my shawl showing the asymmetrical tails.

After a bit of thought and worry, I finished the Rockefeller Shawl for Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL. I ran out of both yarns, but got an extra one of the dark gray (Color A) and begged for a remnant of the Opal Vincent van Gogh (Color B) from my friend Stacy. Even at that I had to modify the pattern for the second wing/tail. They were both supposed to look the same as the evenly striped one on the left above. In the end I actually like the modification better. I think it would have been too busy. I'm really pleased with it, and would definitely recommend knitting it. Just make sure you have more yarn. I think you need at least 525 yards of each to make it the way Stephen West designed it.

I've taken a short break from all the blanket squares, but only have about 5 left to knit. I will keep plugging away on them! I dread blocking all of the remaining ones (I've blocked only about 25 of them so far). 

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

Mystery Shawl KAL is Progressing

I have completed all three of the clues for Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL. It's been entertaining to knit, but I'm not sure I will wear the shawl. Unless we add more than an I-cord to the outside edges of the front it will be a bit narrow to sit on my shoulders. I may have pulled the I-cord a bit too tight when I started Clue 1, so heed my warning! If you decide to do the Rockefeller when the pattern is available on August 10th, make sure you read all the FAQs for each clue on the Mystery Shawl Knit-a-Long group on Ravelry!

Follow this link to see my shawl so far.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

I'm Somewhat Out of Control!

On Friday I joined the West Knits Mystery Shawl KAL on Ravelry. I had a really weak moment ... you know how I am about sock yarn! I might even say there was a bit of peer pressure involved. Regardless, I am now doing and enjoying two KALs at a time. I am actually done with Clue #1 for the Mystery Shawl, but I have a couple more inches to knit on my Independence Pillow button band for this week. I will try to get it done tonight. I need to be ready for the next step of my pillow on Thursday! Of course I'm still working on my blanket squares, so that's also part of my knitting agenda. I LOVE IT!

The two colors of sock yarn for my Mystery Shawl KAL.

This is the completed section from Clue #1.

Happy knitting!

Nancy

To Cable Without a Cable Needle is Amazing!

The unblocked front of my Independence Pillow.

I don't think I'll ever use a cable needle again when I have to do a 4-stitch cable. I completed the front of my Independence Pillow for the KAL from Knit Purl Hunter and started by using a cable needle. After about 2 rows of cables, I watched the Cables Without a Cable Needle video and tried it. What a fantastic and SUPER SPEEDY cable technique! And what great videos Michelle Hunter has created. I really recommend that you bookmark her Video Tips Lessons page and watch them whenever you need help! Her videos are close up and Michelle does the knitting steps slowly as well as repeats them.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

Join me for a new KAL!

I'm back in the shop after my fantastic mini knitting vacation at home. And I'm just in time to start a new KAL! Michelle Hunter of Knit Purl Hunter started a new "Progressive Needles" knit along, and her first clue came out today for the Independence Pillow. You will need two skeins of HiKoo Simpliworsted to make one 12-inch cabled pillow. We have the yarn in stock at the shop, so be sure to stop by. You will also need three 1-inch buttons and a 12-inch pillow form for finishing. As always she offers outstanding videos to help you through the process. I'm really excited to watch her "Cables Without a Cable Needle Video." You have a month to finish the project and can win great prizes; check out Skacel who sponsors the KAL for all pertinent information!

As for my mini vacation, we had a lot of fun as a family. Tim took off the doors and the front roof panels of his Jeep and we drove around and played House Hunters in the heat. Not because we are planning to move, just because we like to look at architecture. And yes, it was fun even in our record heat. We also managed to make some good meals together. We made fish tacos one night. And last night we made steak, grilled veggies, mushrooms, and potato salad. It was a feast. 

Whenever I was at home over my vacation, I knitted on my sock yarn blanket squares. I am a few rounds short of completing five squares in five days, so later today I will have 51 total squares complete. (Hey Stacy, are you still ahead of me?) I also worked on the linen version of my Bias Before & After Scarf. I didn't get too far, as it's hard on my hands to knit with linen. I may have about 8 inches done, but it will be an ongoing mindless project I can pick up when I feel like it!

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

My Knitting Vacation Begins Now!

We decided to close the shop for a mini vacation (actually ours is a "stay-cation") starting at 4:00 pm today and we will reopen at 10:00 am on Thursday, July 5th. You can probably guess what I will be doing. Lots of knitting and yarn related activities of course! No specific plans but I can tell you I will definitely work on my sock yarn blanket squares. I've got 46 squares done, which leaves me with 17 to go. I may be able to knock off another 5 squares while I'm vacationing in the cool comfort of my home. (It's 90+ degrees here and will continue through next week, so couch surfing is perfect!) I'm also going to work on a Bias 'Before & After' Scarf. I've started two of them, so we'll see if I can make some progress on one of them :)

Have a wonderful Fourth of July and I will update you on my knitting progress at the end of next week!

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

I'm sort of in a rut ...

I know. I am obsessed with making the sock yarn blanket squares. I'm working on my 41st and will most likely finish it today. It's not that I'm not knitting other things, but forgive me, the squares are MINDLESS! And sometimes mindless is really nice! I only have 22 squares to go and I'm sorting them into piles of like colors. I can see that I need a few more greenish ones and no more pink or purple ones! I have 6 solid or semi-solid squares to knit that will make the whole layout nicer ... even if knitting them will be super boring.

I also need to make sure they are all blocked (as you can see in the picture, a bunch aren't blocked yet). I'm not good about keeping up on that. As far as I'm concerned it's never fun to block and put your knitted pieces together! My plan for assembly is to make a 7 x 9 block grid on paper and number each square on it. Then I'll lay the blocks out until I like the way I have all the colors. I have some string tags that I will number from 1 to 63, and I will attach a string tag to each block, so I can assemble them in strips according to the paper layout.

I don't know how I will attach them together, but have tested a couple of techniques, from crochet to seaming with a yarn needle. If anyone has a great idea for me, please let me know!

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

My Makeshift Blocking Board

Here's an idea for you (it may not be a new one, but it was new to me ...)! I went to Lowe's on Monday and bought my new "blocking board" for my sock yarn blanket squares. Lowe's sells a package of four 24.5-inch square foam mats. I bought the gray set which are meant to be used for exercise or exercise equipment. (They also carry the same size set in primary colors for kid's playroom floors.)The package was less than $20, and I can configure all four into a square or a long rectangle. I've marked four 7.5-inch squares on the textured side of one of them to block my squares. I think they will be just as handy when I'm trying to plan the layout of the blocks and strips for my blanket, too.

An inexpensive and portable blocking board!

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

Vera Bear KAL for June

Oh honey!  Let me tell you that I barely got this blog posted in time.  The June KAL is going to be Vera Bear by Annita Wilschut.  This pattern is by the same designer from our April KAL, Jacobus the Monkey.  Purchase your pattern on Ravelry, then purchase your knitting supplies at KT and join us Thursday evenings from 6-8:00pm beginning June 7th.

Knit me, knit me, knit me ...

Vera is very teddy-bearish looking and is fun, fun, fun to knit!  If you are up for an extreme challenge while you knit this bear, you can download your pattern in Dutch.  But don't expect any help from me going forward.

Happy Knitting and hope to see you for the KAL

Renee

The Sock Yarn Blanket Revisited

We had a fantastic long weekend. We started off with a trip to the downtown Farmers Market. There were lots of people and pets wandering around, but the temperatures were cool. Then just before we left the market the sun came out and we could feel the temperature climb about 10 degrees!

As for knitting over my long weekend, I finished my Meandering Mesas scarf and blocked it on Tuesday. It turned out really nice! Then I organized my sock yarn blanket squares. I had 24 done when the weekend started, but by the end of my three days off, I finished two more and have one more nearly done and another started. They are so pretty! I've also searched my stash for some solids and semi-solids to break up the patterns and found at least 4 of them. I think I need a 15 gram ball of a good green and possibly a red, orange or purple solid, too.

Some of the blocked and unblocked sock yarn squares.

I need to get some of the 26 squares blocked. That's not my favorite part, since they really need to be pinned out! I think I'm going to buy a foam square of some sort and draw out the block size on it, so I can pin each square out one at a time for blocking.

Other than blocking, I really like working on the blanket again. I hope I can keep up with it, since I need 63 total to make the size blanket I want.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

Have a good holiday weekend!

We have chosen to close the shop tomorrow so we can have a nice long 3-day weekend! I'm so excited to go to the Farmer's Market with all the other crazy people. We will join the fray of strollers, dogs and people just so we can enjoy an unusual breakfast. We will stop by Saloo's and have some delicious Indian food and pop by Java Joe's for coffee! We may or may not buy anything else.

I'm sure I'll find plenty of time to knit on my long weekend. I'm hoping to finish my Meandering Mesa's scarf. I have about 20 grams of yarn left ... so I'm 80% done.

Other knitting WIP news: I finished my Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe scarf on Wednesday evening, so as of yesterday it's hanging in the shop. (I will definitely knit another one.) Then last night my friend Stacy B. gave me a small ball of our gorgeous Regia sock yarn from the new Kristin Nicholas design collection to knit a blanket square. She is now way ahead of me on her blanket squares, so I think I may need to get my rear in gear! Thanks for the kick start, Stacy!

Also yesterday our new Rowan sales rep came and we placed our fall order. Can I say AWESOME?! I'm really excited for our fall inventory to come in August.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

It's Been Gorgeous Knitting Weather

As a yarn shop owner, I hear all the excuses to not knit in the warm weather. Really! But when the weather is beautiful like it has been, I still knit as much as I always do. I need that time for relaxation as much in the summer as in the winter. What about you? Do you still knit, but only in the evenings? Or when it rains? Or on your deck while drinking your coffee in the morning?

What kinds of things do you like to knit when it's warm? These are the questions that I seem to always ask beginning in May. This year May has been exceptionally lovely. Even yesterday when it was 91 degrees, I had no clue it was that hot because it wasn't humid. It's rare in Iowa that you can say it was a perfect day and have the temperature that high! I still knitted ...

This past week I worked quite a bit on my Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe scarf, knowing that it will be perfect to wear this summer ... and anytime of the year. The yarn is so light, luxurious and beautiful to knit with. One of our customers is knitting a gorgeous cardigan out of the same yarn. It will be lightweight and nice to wear even in summer. You know if someone ever asks me what yarn I can't live without, my answer will be: Rowan's Kidsilk Haze! You can use any needle size from a US 3 to a US 8 depending on the pattern or the desired results. We will be placing our fall/winter Rowan order next week, and the one definite on our order is MORE KIDSILK HAZE! The rest of the order is never as easy to pick out, but with Rowan I always fall in love. What about you? Do you have a favorite yarn you don't want to live without?

I can hardly wait to wear my Kidsilk Haze Stripe scarf.

My other question: What do you like to eat when it is hot? We grill quite a bit, but we have been trying to eat at least one meal a week that doesn't include meat. Last week I picked up fresh vegetables to roast, and made a quick pasta dish using Penzey's spices. It's rare that Tim likes eating meals that don't include meat of some variety, but he has already asked me to make it again (and I have)! So I thought I would pass this "recipe" on to you.

Roasted Veggies

• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped (I used a Vidalia onion)
• 2 small green or red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• Asparagus spears, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
• Baby Zucchini (Trader Joe's sells a package of them that are incredible), cut lengthwise and halved
• Olive oil
• Spices (I use sea salt, pepper, and Penzey's Mural of Flavor)
• Small tomatoes (whole grape, or slightly larger, diced) set aside

Preheat the over to 450 degrees. Toss chopped veggies with olive oil (not the tomatoes). Spray a large, shallow pan with oil. Then spread out veggies on the pan. Sprinkle with spices. Give a quick stir. Roast for about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir again. Roast an additional 5 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Sicilian Pasta

• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons Penzey's Sicilian Salad Seasoning
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Penzey's Shallots (they are dried)
• Olive oil
• Pasta (I used a Trader Joe's Organic pasta)
• Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking heat butter in a small pan. Saute Sicilian Salad seasoning and shallots in butter. Drain pasta and put into large serving dish; drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the sauteed ingredients to the pasta and toss. Serve with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese and a lots of roasted veggies. Enjoy!

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

The Great Jacobus Monkey Party!

Tonight we had a party to celebrate the end of the KAL for Jacobus the monkey. We planned it a couple of weeks ago, giving all the knitters time to get their monkeys done and ready for their photo moments!

A whole lot of monkeyin' around!

At least one of the monkeys showed up without it's maker, but we all --- knitters and monkeys alike --- had fun. We enjoyed wine, fruit, dessert bars, cookies, and chocolate (yum!) after taking pictures of everyone.

OK, which ones are the monkeys?

Human treats ... sorry monkeys.

In June we are having a KAL for Vera, the bear by the same designer as Jacobus. Renee brought her bear, affectionately named Bart, so we can give you a sneak preview of what's to come.

Bart (aka Vera) the bear.

Stop by to pick out bear yarn if you decide you want to participate on Thursday evenings in June!

Fasten your seat belts guys!

Keep on knitting,

Nancy

Shades of Blue: Skinny Summer Scarves

Renee and I have been feeling blue ... in a good way though. We have been knitting our many skinny scarves all in shades of blue. We choose yarns that make them wearable as decorative indoor scarves. We ended up with nice size scarves by using only one skein of yarn for each of the scarves!

Shades of Blue Summer Scarves!

Names of the scarves shown in the photo above from left to right: Noro Tanabata Garter Stitch, Cascade Sierra Open Star Stitch, Noro Shiraito Daisy Stitch, Rowan Revive Bias Lace, Araucania Ruca Dappled Summer Lace, Rowan Kidsilk Haze One-Row Lace, and Schulana Tamarillo Drop Stitch Skinny Scarves.

A bowl of assorted colors in the yarns for the above scarves.

If you would like the patterns for any of our scarves, we have typed them up and each is available with the purchase of a skein of the appropriate yarn for the scarf.

Another Potato Chip Scarf using 2 skeins of colorful Rowan Summerspun.

Stop in and check out our lovely little scarves! We hope to see you soon.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

Meandering Mesas Scarf KAL

Tonight we begin the Meandering Mesas Scarf KAL at 6:00 pm at Knitted Together. I started my scarf awhile back, but set it aside for all of the "summer" scarves we have been knitting for the shop (oh and a couple other projects as well ...). This week I started to work on my scarf again and it seems to move along rather quickly. The pattern is from Mountain Colors and calls for one skein of Crazyfoot sock yarn, size 6 US needles, and a cable needle. If you've never cabled before, this is a nice reversible cable that is crossed every 10 rows. Other than the cable row, you just have to knit the knits and purl the purls (except for the first 3 and last 3 stitches which are in seed stitch and you knit the purls and purl the knits). In other words you don't need to look at your pattern unless you are on a cable row once you get going! Easy.

You can see the reversibility of this cable scarf.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

The winner of the NCAA Scarf Contest is ...

I know this is a bit late, but as the saying goes, better late than never! We want to thank our winner, Barbara Anderson for making the incredible scarf for our NCAA Scarf Contest. She used Mirasol Nuna and designed a very classy tiger stripe pattern for her Missouri Tigers! Barbara did a beautiful job ... actually a bit better than her Tigers did. They lost in the first round. Oh well ... we eased Barbara's pain with a $100 Knitted Together Gift Card!

Check out the pin Barbara put on her Missouri Tiger scarf!

We hope you can stop in today through Saturday to shop during the Mid Iowa Shop Hop! You will enjoy 10% off select yarns here at Knitted Together today through Saturday. You will also get your passport stamped and if you go to all 6 stores your name will go in the running for the $300 grand prize. You can pick up a passport here, Heartland Fiber Company, Knitting Next Door, Ames Knittery, Rose Tree Fiber Shop, and The Yarn Basket.

Keep on knitting!

Nancy

We are busy knitting little scarves

This week has been scarf knitting week for me and Renee. I know what you're thinking. Scarves! How boring! But what a perfect way to try out a new yarn or try out a new stitch pattern! Skinny, lacy, textured, or wispy scarves are fun to knit as well as wear as a wardrobe accent at any time of the year. 


I have enjoyed trying out some new stitches ... well not actually new, just new to me. I've been thumbing through all my Barbara Walker "Treasury of Knitting Patterns" (I have them all and have treasured them for years - now you know why they are called treasuries) and trying out some simple lacy or textured stitches that work well for scarves.

The start of a skinny scarf using Barbara Walker's Open Star Stitch.

You will have to stop in next week for the Mid Iowa Yarn Shop Hop April 25th through April 28th and see the scarves Renee and I have made. The yarns we've chosen are quite nice as well!


Keep on knitting!


Nancy

My Whirlwind Weekend

My oldest daughter Elizabeth moved to Gunnison,Colorado a month ago and we made a quick trip out this past weekend to deliver more of her things.  Gunnison is near Crested Butte which is near . . . nothing.  Look on the map at southwest Colorado.  Look for a large area labeled 'middle of nowhere'.  That should give you a pretty good idea of where Gunnison is.  A mere 13 hours away.  We left Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. and drove straight through, arriving around 8:00 a.m. Sunday.  I know what you're thinking:  Renee is really bad at math because that is a little more than 13 hours.  Yessiree, I have a story for you.  

My husband, the steering wheel control freak' drove, I was shotgun and my second-born favorite daughter, Traci, was trapped in the back with the ever-whining wiener dog.  Jim:  I can drive the whole way.  I took a nap this morning and I am fresh as a daisy and ready to go.  Traci:  Good because I stayed out waaay too late last night and had one too many beverages and I am far from fresh as a daisy.  Me:  Perfect.  I have two headlamps in the car and I can knit on the June Knitted Together KAL 'til my fingers fall off.  Wiener Dog:  Did anyone bring the Beggin' Strips??? 

We drove through Iowa sprinkles as I watched gently rolling hills starting to turn green.  Once we hit Nebraska (could it be any flatter?) we drove through a spectacular lightening show and listened to the radio blare out tornado warning alerts through the middle of all the good songs.  I looked at Jim.  He looked at me.  Jim:  I've got this.  Me:  That last shot of lightening was so close that I don't think I'll have to highlight my hair again for the next three years.  We hit eastern Colorado and I got the answer to my 'could Nebraska be any flatter' question - yes it could be flatter and here it is.  Once we got to Denver the freezing rain kicked in and we drove for an hour at 20 mph.  The only other vehicles on the highway were snowplows and the cars in the ditches.  Three hours later we are zipping along when Jim looks at me.  I look at Jim.  Jim:  I can't make it any further.  You're going to have to spell me.  Me:  Sure!  Me thinking:  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  THE MOUNTAIN PASS IS COMING UP!! YOU WANT ME TO DRIVE THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN PASS??!!  Jim:  You will be fine.  The weather is great.  Fifteen minutes later we hit the flashing sign indicating we are now driving through Monarch Mountain Pass - Travel Not Recommended.  I look at Jim sleeping.  I look at Traci pretending to sleep.  I look at wiener dog and see this thought cross her little mind:  Did you seriously forget to pack the Beggin' Strips?  I was on my own, flying solo.  So I put the death grip on the steering wheel, squared my shoulders and crawled through the pass.  On-coming drivers waved.  I waved back but was internally screaming, "STOP LOOKING AT ME!!"  Once we got to our destination, Elizabeth asked how the pass was.  Before I could even open my mouth Jim and Traci gave a weather report that sounded like we had just traveled through paradise.  What really happened is that I drove through a blizzard!  It was THE worst blizzard on record!!  Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  

We spent Sunday with Elizabeth and the boyfriend, henceforth referred to as Christopher.  Monday morning we got up, said our goodbyes and headed to the Gunnison Coffee Company for the best cup of coffee on the face of the earth.  When we explained why we were in Gunni, our server asked how long we would be staying while delivering 'stuff' to our daughter.  Server:  Wow!  That must be some pretty important stuff!  Me:  Not really.  As a matter of fact it was mostly hand-me-down furniture.  Me thinking:  But it was sure great to see my first-born working somewhere that makes her happy, in a place that makes her happy and living with her love, Christopher, who makes her happy.  I'm not going to look over my shoulder at the mirror to check, but I'm pretty sure my behind is in the shape of a car seat.  And I would do it all over again for my first-born favorite daughter.  Just not this next weekend . . . 

Renee