In The Middle Of It

I have been working on a large yarn order, which will keep me busy for a little while longer. That is the reason why my etsy store has not been updated lately. I should be able to fit in a small custom order here and there, so please let me know, if there is something  you would like.

I have also managed to knit not one but two Pumpkin Hats. I started the first hat in the car while waiting for my daughter’s dance lesson to end. I had packed everything I needed, except a measuring tape. I knit the hat anyway and it turned out too small. I decided not to frog it, because I am determined to find a baby/toddler who needs a Pumpkin hat!

I have made a second one, which is on its way to my niece and I hope, it will fit her!

The pattern is my own and I used a cotton/acrylic blend from my stash. My niece might be allergic to wool, so I could not use my hand dyed yarn.

For the decreases I used k2tog mirrored with ssk (first hat) and skp (second hat). The cotton/acrylic blend does not like either ssk nor skp. Neither look as smooth as the k2togs. I have read somewhere (I think, it was on Grumperina’s blog), the best pairing of a k2tog is a p2tog on the back of the fabric, but when a hat is knit in the round, you are out of luck.

In the end I can only hope, that my niece does not mind…. 

Spreading The Love – A Recipe

This is the recipe for my Grandma’s Lattwerk. It will yield about 4 pints.

The night before mix 5 pounds of pitted Italian plums with 1 pound of sugar. Add 1 cinnamon stick and 1 or 2 star anise in a little muslin bag. Let sit overnight.

In the morning stir the plums, bring them slowly to a simmer and do not stir. (My Grandma always claimed, that the preserve would burn, if you stir it. Do you want to risk it?)

Once it simmers I turn the stove on low and let it bubble gently for 6 to 8 hours.

Now the tricky part: According to Grandma the preserve is done, when there is a skin on the surface. Honestly I am not sure what she meant by that. You will find the preserve reduced to about half. There will be many “flat” plums on the surface and the liquid will be thickened.

Take a leap of faith, stir the preserve and fish out the spices. Ladle into jars and process for 10 minutes.

The Many Faces of Homesickness

When I left Germany in 1999 and moved into the middle of the Silicone Valley in California I was immensely homesick. Never in my life had I felt so alone before. My  phone bill was at one point larger than my grocery bill, because I had not understood, that one needed to call the phone company to get a better rate.

Things have changed a lot since then and I feel very much at home now here, where I always meet people I know, when I leave the house. One thing though will never change and it was quite unexpected, when I left Germany: I yearn for German food. Luckily there are many Germans here, which results in quite a few stores, bakeries and Delis that cater to these cravings. But still…

I had no idea how much food is tied to emotions and memories. It should not have been so surprising, considering that every get-together is usually centred around food.

I still remember when my husband cooked white asparagus with sauce Hollandaise for all our guests on my birthday. I remember the awe inspiring large number of cakes that everybody had brought to celebrate my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.

My mistake was, that I thought, I could replace that special white Bratwurst with Sushi, or Pretzels with Bagels. But no…

One of the many things, that are so special to me is a Plum Preserve, that my Grandma made every year. She calls it “Lattwerk” a term that I have not heard outside her family. It has very little sugar, some spices and needs to cook for 6 to 8 hours and must never be stirred during that time. Every year I would ask my Grandma for a few glasses of it. One year I noticed, that she had not been able to close some of the jars properly and I knew then, she was getting old.

I have made it every year since and it is such a cozy feeling when the smells waft through the house. And guess what, it is my daughter P.’s favourite!

Busy

I am still here, but I am very busy. I have quite a few custom orders, plus I am doing the single Mom thing this week and I am not very good at it. The Tooth Fairy did not come last night, but I really hope, she will make up for it tonight.

Besides dyeing yarn and trying to be a good Mom, I have made Plum Preserve and Bread and Butter pickles. I have also knitted a few rows on the Endless Wrap and started the cables on P.’s sweater. Unfortunately cabling with cotton yarn hurts my hands.

I have  started a new sock with a lot of colourwork and I hope, I can show it to you one day. Right now there is only about 1 inch of pattern and I doubt, that even with a big imagination you can guess, what it is supposed to be (maybe it will never be apparent).

I had this moment the other morning, when,using the time in the shower  to think about my plans for the day, I suddenly realized, that I had no idea, if I had washed my hair or not! Maybe that is why the Buddhists teach you to “stay in the moment” . You might get more done in the end! 

Update On My Sock-In-Progress Holder

I have noticed, that there is a large interest in my Sock-In-Progress holder. Sadly I do not have any in stock right now. I have been very busy dyeing yarn lately.

However there are two options:

• You can contact me and let me know, what you would like ( colour and size) and I will get to it within a couple of days or
• I can add you to my mailing list and I will notify you as soon as I have some in stock ( Just write “Sock-In-Progress Holder in the subject line)

My e-mail address is sunnyside(dot)ellen(at)yahoo(dot)com

Thank you!