Fiber Arts

Nourishing Knits

February 8, 2012

If there are two things that I love together, it is knitting and food. They have always been a beautiful combination, and provide the comfort and warmth that life so needs. One of the best people that I know to combine these two passions is Kristi of Fiber Fool. I have been reading Kristi’s blog for a few years now, and I have made countless goodies that have been enjoyed by many. There are hundreds of knitters who have been creating pieces from Kristi’s patterns on Ravelry, and I all of us have been eagerly awaiting the release of her first book, Nourishing Knits.

Each one of Kristi’s knitting patterns has a recipe to go with it, and they each inspire us to pick up the needles and enjoy a day of creating and cooking.

I was lucky enough to see a preview of Kristi’s new book a few months back, and I was amazed by the depth of the projects that she has included. Personally, I was immediately drawn to a pair of gorgeous knit slippers, but the above sweater is on my list of holiday knits for my husband in 2012.

The recipes leave an incredible smell lingering in your kitchen, and beg for a favorite yarn and needles to knit with. Rosemary scented grapefruit curd, pumpkin fig muffins, and antipasti bread pudding  were the first three that I made, and each one got better than the next.

Kristi is very conscious of those with food allergies, and her recipes are easily adaptable to be alternative ingredients. I am a lover of gingerbread, and so it was the first of her recipes that I made. Cranberries, butter, and the smell of so many good spices in the kitchen was all that I needed to get started on next year’s knits.

As I have mentioned here in the past, I am really in love with the idea of weighted measurements in cooking. When we first went gluten free five years ago (I can not believe it has been that long), I tried straight substitutions of regular flour to gluten free flour, and so often the end result was dense and dry or under cooked.

When I read a post by Shauna on weighted measurement, it changed everything. I began to see the differences in all of the flours that I was using, and beyond gaining more knowledge of which flours did what in my baking, I also learned how easy it could be to change up a recipe with any flour I might be testing or enjoying at the time.

I keep a piece of notebook paper on my fridge with all of the different weights of flours that I use (I measure by one cup), and I tape the weights of the blends that I am creating to their containers. This makes for very quick and easy cooking, and an almost fail proof way of taking your favorite recipe and making them gluten free (or any other alternative you choose).

As I was flipping through Kristi’s book I came across the recipe for Cranberry Gingerbread Cobbler, I knew it would be the perfect winter treat. Kristi has been gracious enough to allow me to share it here, and I hope that you all enjoy!

Cranberry Gingerbread Cobbler

Ingredients

12 oz bag of fresh cranberrie
1 orange zest and juice
1/2 cup sugar for fruit
1 tbsp. cornstarch
4 oz butter (1 stick)
141 g. flour blend of your choice
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground all spice
1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup molasses

Preheat oven to to 350.

Place cranberries, orange zest and juice, 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in saucepan on medium heat. Heat gently until many of the cranberries have burst, and remove from heat. You want the cranberries cooked a bit less than if you were making cranberry sauce.

Place butter in a 9×9 glass pan* to melt in the pan while preheating. Mix remaining dry ingredients. Stir in molasses and milk until combined. It should be the consistency of pancake batter.

Pour batter into baking pan with the melted butter. Follow immediately with the cranberries, distributing evenly. DO NOT STIR. Place back in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until middle is set and edges are dark brown, almost burnt looking.

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool and serve warm.

 

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The Return of The Sun

December 22, 2010

The Sun has returned, the light will now grow, and the warmth will slowly seep back into the earth. Whatever your holiday traditions, my family and I wish you and yours the most beautiful of weekends filled with the peace and joy that the season brings.

Happy Holidays

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The Last of the Autumn Knits

November 30, 2010

After the success of the Birthday Vests, I decided that I was going to go ahead and knit up two more for the Thanksgiving holiday. The boys are still in their appreciative mode of life, and thankfully giving them a sweater in a pretty package still makes their day. It is fun to watch them show off what they consider to be a very stylish addition to their wardrobe. Someday I will simply be the woman who knits them bunny sweaters, but for now, I still have my title of “cool mom”.

Jacob’s sweater was knit with yarn sent to me from the amazing Larissa of Stitches in Play. Larissa had been kind enough to send the yarn in the hopes that I would make myself a neighborly sweater, but as my belly expands, and my waist seems to have a while to go before returning to normal, I decided that I couldn’t hold onto it any longer, and that it would make the perfect late autumn knit.

Elwood’s vest is knit up from a fun alpaca yarn that makes it as soft as anything I could imagine, and a lot of fun for my always itchy boy to enjoy. The hats that they are wearing came to us right before the big day, and managed to somehow match perfectly to everything else that they were wearing. I do believe that those hats were the hit of the day (every time I see the above photo of Elwood, I always envision him delivering newspapers in the 1930′s).

Of course, Joel and I deserved a bit of holiday warmth as well, so while I could not figure out a way to whip up his and her sweaters, I did find a small amount of time to make his and her Toast. I love this pattern so very much, and the ease of slipping on fingerless gloves never loses it’s appeal. These were the perfect way to end my Autumn knitting.

For anyone who read my Facebook status yesterday, you know that while knee deep in editing Rhythm of The Home, I actually managed to forget to feed my poor kiddos lunch. My oldest son reminded me on the way to chess with a polite, “Well mom, I suppose that today will be a day without lunch”. Yes, while editing a magazine on parenting and family celebrations, I forget to nourish my children. Thankfully, I knew that there were a few snacks that must have been keeping them filled. Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls and Spiced Almonds were on the counter, and while perhaps not the most nutritious thing that they could have eaten, I must admit that they are mighty tasty.

The spiced almonds came from this recipe, and were gone so quickly I thought for sure Elwood had fed them to the dog (we have recently learned that this is a frequent event, and that it accounts for why Elwood is so thin, and the dog so chubby). The popcorn balls were a whim that my niece and I created with molasses, peanut butter and caramel, and they have been a staple favorite for the past week.

I may be the mom who forgets to feed them occasionally, but oh how I hope that the knit wear and sticky treats will make up for it.

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Full of Wool

October 20, 2010

If I had to guess, I would say that my knitting needles have been packed away somewhere in my sewing room for the better part of the past year. Knitting has occupied little space in my brain, especially through the heat of this past summer. To be honest, I thought that perhaps sewing had begun to take on the dominant spot that knitting use to occupy, but thankfully a new baby and a new season has changed all of that.

With the start of my second trimester, and the looming birthdays of my two boys, I took up my needles once again. Pebble Vests were the first items to knock off the lists, but thankfully many more have followed.

This past Saturday, Jacob celebrated his 7th birthday. It was a very special day marked by BMX racing, a soccer game, family time, caramel apples and a lot of love for this little one. To say that Jacob is my miracle would be a huge understatement. At the age of 23, with mass endometriosis and a chronic illness diagnosed, I was told I would never have children. But it was a strange string of dates that would prove that theory wrong.

On October 16th, 1992, I would meet and fall in love with my now husband. On October 16th. 2002, we would find each other again. On October 16th, 2003 Jacob would come into this world at 12:09 am. This date is the most meaningful of my year, since it began the long journey of all of us becoming a family. I think that my favorite moment is always when I creep upstairs at exactly 12:09 to wake my sleeping babe up, and plant his age in kisses upon his forehead.

But back to the knitting.

This year Jacob’s sweater followed his brother’s, and he was gifted a soft blue alpaca Pebble vest. Using the same wonderful modifications as Elwood’s, I added an inch of length to the body and about 3/4″ to the straps to make this fit just perfect. I loved working with alpaca, as it made the sweater feel just a bit more luxurious.

Pajama pants had to come next, and Jacob’s pants were made in the same way as Elwood’s (I promise a tutorial to come shortly). I have to share that the night before Jacob’s birthday, I had procrastinated so badly on the making of these sweet pants that I almost failed to get them done in time. When the clock struck 6 am, and I had only had 3 hours of sleep, down came my oldest son with tons of birthday energy. As he woke me and we quietly crept out to his birthday table, it truly melted my heart that his eyes lit up so big to see his PJ’s made. While there was no reason for him to think that they would not have been there, it still broke my heart to know that I had come so close to falling short on something he was so eagerly anticipating. Lesson learned.

His day dawned clear with warm sunshine, and with everything completed we began the celebration.

Thankfully the boy’s birthdays have sparked a new passion for knitting once again, and while Saturday was spent enjoying my older boys, Sunday was spent dreaming of knits for the one not yet here.

Baby mittens, socks, booties, slippers, hats, sweaters, rompers. All queued up and ready in Ravelry, all yarns, needles and patterns gathered together in knitting bags just waiting to be started. This new little one will hopefully have a very warm and cozy wardrobe to be greeted into this world with.

Of course, while baby and kiddos take up most of the space in my knitting world, there is always room for a few mama items just for me. This easy bookmark form the great book More Knitted Gifts made for a fun hour of knitting, and a great way to mark my place in a favorite book.

My goal in these next few months is to knit up as much as I can for the boys and the baby, hopefully strongly trimming down what I need to purchase in stores. I have had a storage of yarn for way too long, and it is time to use what I have, and use it where we truly need it. Warm and functional is my theme, and I have a few short months of nesting to get to it.

So tell me, what are you working on right now, and what favorite patterns are you excited to dive into?

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Birthday Knitting and Sewing

October 13, 2010

I can’t believe that it has been a week since my last post. I never mean for that much time to go by, but lately I find myself reading my book just a bit longer than normal, drawing with the kids outside in the sunshine for most of an afternoon, or knitting something fun instead of turning on my computer or television. I love these times in life where I can use something, like a pregnancy, to indulge in true relaxation.

Having said that, I also love this space very much, so I am glad that you all have stuck around through these past few months of random posts and long absences. I promise to try and get to my old self here soon.

This past Friday we were so lucky to celebrate Elwood’s 5th birthday. Oh my baby bean, how he has grown and grown. I have to admit that as much as I would like to believe that I was able to peg his personality when he was first born, I am not sure that I could have been any more wrong about who he has become. We use to call him Buddha Baby because his first year he slept, ate and just sat and stared. I thought he would be shy, quiet and pensive.
Nope, none of those.
I thought he would be introverted and not interested in such things as sports and large groups.
Nope, could not be more wrong there either.

Elwood has grown into a spunky, life grabbing little human who is intensely protective of his mother, worships the ground his father walks on, and has a true best friend in his older brother. This will be his last birthday as the youngest, and we all cherished every moment.

A few months back I had seen a post from Stephinie of Gypsy Forest of a Pebble sweater vest that she had made for her 4 year old daughter. I loved the look of the vest so much on an older child, and I immediately knew that was what I wanted to make for Elwood and Jake (he turns 7 on Saturday. 7!) this year.

The pattern modifications can be found on Ravelry, and I have to say that the modifications are spot on for the 4 year old, and need minimal adjustments for even my 7 year old (pretty much just length and straps). This vest is so easy and so much fun to knit that I finished each vest in under two days (hey, this is football season, there is lots of time to knit), and have gone on to begin a vest for Thanksgiving, and for the winter holiday season ahead.

When my kiddos first came along, my husband and I decided that we would try and hand make their gifts as much as possible for birthdays and holidays, and that seems to have spawned the knitted sweater and handmade pajama pants tradition that the boys have come to expect.

This year Elwood picked out Halloween fabric for his pajamas, and I had a blast creating a french seam version  (pj’s are great to practice french seams with) with a cuff on the bottom (Tutorial Tuesday perhaps?). I included a spider shirt that I bought, and a freezer paper stenciled black shirt with a bat on the front, and the #5 on the back, to be worn on the days when the other shirt just smells too darn bad from over wear.

I am still in awe of the gratitude that children have for handmade gifts (both making and receiving), and I am grateful that even at 7 and 5, a sweater vest seems like a cool present to receive. Of course, we will have to wait and see how Jacob enjoys opening his on Saturday, but I can only hope that he has a similar reaction.

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