According to the National Weather Service, the imminent winter storm is going to pass to the west of us tonight, so instead we're getting rain, wind, and cold, which will briefly become snow and then go back. I'm knitting like a madwoman, and baking a lot, too, in the hopes that I can stave off the cold for another month or so.
Last week, my 39 brothers-in-law (okay, not quite that many) badgered me into making doughnuts, "like Mom used to make." I reminded them that I attempted to do just that exactly 16 years ago and I did such an un-Mom-like job (may her sainted doughnut-ness rest in peace) that I never heard the end of it and vowed I'd never try it again.
I tried it again. This time it worked.
I made a double batch (72, plus "holes"?). They didn't go stale.
And I've been urged to make them again this Friday morning. Drop in if you're in the neighborhood. There's plenty if you get here early enough.
As for baking, I started baking sandwich bread (3 loaves once a week) when I realized it would save us over $10 a week at the grocery store. I suspected my oven thermostat was messed up because the bottom of every loaf kept burning, even when I set the temp 25 degrees lower than called for. This week, an oven thermometer found something: When I set the oven to 350, it was baking at 410. Hmm. Until I get the thermostat replaced, I've been baking at 290 with excellent results. Go figure.
My husband did finally finish his homemade cider press, as I mentioned he might:
Unfortunately, we ran low on apples. We also need to re-vamp our apple grinder, to better prep the apples for pressing. In short, it went like this:
That's all she wrote:
2.5 gallons isn't much for a whole season, but it's pretty much in line with the rest of my year's bounty, which included 2 half-pints of raspberry jam, 3 carrots, no onions (my husband made a six-foot dirt pile over the onion patch), 2 meals' worth of peas, and 3 blueberries. We got a decent amount of corn and tomatoes, anyway.
So, knitting. I'm just finishing the body of my February Lady Sweater. (Last count on Ravelry: 2,567!) I am seeing this style and shape everywhere lately: garter yoke, lace body (or vice versa, sometimes), slight swing shape, closures only on the yoke, not down the placket, etc. I'd like to finish this before it goes out of style.
Then I want to move onto my planned Neck-Down Hooded Tunic (Knitting Pure & Simple), which is so basic, it's either never in style, or never out. I want something to keep me warm that I can wear year after year. It's not too much to ask.
I finished my daughter's glittens. I called them fingerless gloves but they're actually mittens that convert into fingerless gloves. I worked her initials in the design; that's not a designation for which hand each mitten goes on!
Mittens:
Fingerless gloves:
The pattern is Gloves + Mittens = Glittens! by nuttinbutknittin and the yarn is A Piece of Vermont "Bristol" Real Vermonter.
I really enjoyed this pattern. Rather than fingerless gloves with a mitten flap, this starts out as a complete mitten that you sort of slice open and insert gloves into. And I learned something important: glove fingers are fun to knit! Another groundless fear shot to hell.
The pattern was a bit time consuming as I was working it on a finer yarn than what is called for and two-color knitting is always a little slower for me. But how warm and wonderful! (I didn't block them yet; it shows, I know.)
But here's the real big excitement: I have just updated A Piece of Vermont Yarn & Fiber with a new yarn: Homestead Aran, a super-soft 100 percent Merino superwash in an Aran weight. Yum! I won't bore you with photos of all 8 colorways, as those of you on the APOV mailing list have already been through it, but I will at least show you how it knits up. This is the Blaze colorway (although incandescent lights do it no favors):
I started this Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Storm Moon Knits on Sunday. It was almost finished by Sunday night; I just needed to do two or three more inches, add buttons, and I'd have a nice neckwarmer to go with both my winter coat and my maroon vest.
Then my daughter spoke up.
She loves hats and neckwarmers and headbands and she felt that if I closed it up into a circle, it would make her a good headband. How can a mother object to her child wanting warm ears?
I couldn't get a good photo of the little project thief, but you get the idea.
And when not in use as a headband, it makes a good neckwarmer after all.
My husband had to undergo a surprise medical procedure on Friday for an infection in his, well, let's just say he doesn't have to worry about the wound site ever getting sunburned. So that's been overshadowing life on the farm this week. But while he's been an invalid, Milo has taken advantage of the available warm lap.
Have a good week.
3 blueberries, now that's gardening I can relate to!
Posted by: Jenn | October 28, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Oh, sorry about hubby. They are generally no fun at all when they are laid up. The cider looks good and hopefully next summer we won't be living in the Pacific Northwest Rain Forest.
You may get rain but we're expecting a few inches of the white stuff. No worries here, there's wood, and my bread yesterday wasn't too bad at all. Need to work on it but it's coming along.
Posted by: AnnaMarie | October 28, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Hope your husband's recovery goes quickly and smoothly! Love the neckwarmer/earwarmer. I see one in my future! And thanks for the Milo photo.
Posted by: Cynthia | October 28, 2008 at 05:17 PM
looks like good stuff. I would be happy with some nasty weather right now. It's still in the 90s here, and I'm kinda over it.
Posted by: Carrie | October 28, 2008 at 05:36 PM
I always love your posts--they're always filled with so many interesting things. Like, your own cider press! Not to mention all those homemade doughnuts....
Posted by: --Deb | October 28, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Love the mittens. What would you have done if her initials were R.L.?
Posted by: Cynthia | October 28, 2008 at 05:43 PM
Get well soon, dude, and great job on that press!
Mmmm, mmm! Fresh cider and doughnuts. Wish I lived in Vermont. :o(
PS - J, what's your sandwich bread recipe?
Posted by: trek | October 28, 2008 at 06:03 PM
Those donuts look fabulous. I'd have to leave here Thursday night to get there in time to eat them on Friday morning but they look like they'd be worth it!
Posted by: Carole | October 28, 2008 at 07:27 PM
Yes, they are "holes." The recipe my great-grandmother (from Maine) taught me has a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Yum...
Posted by: Sylvia | October 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM
Depending on how many bushels you plan to press each year, your best bet may be a dedicated chipper-shredder. The apples that come out are really nice for pressing, the apple leftovers can be composted relatively easily or given to animals [from what I hear, as I don't have any animals yet]. As long as you only use it for apples, and only use apples you pick [rather than apples that hit the ground] you have a low risk for contamination.
Posted by: Beth | October 28, 2008 at 08:30 PM
I used to bake all our bread and, after buying a small loaf for $3.50 the other day, I just may start again! I envy your country life but I'm pretty citified these days. Your lovely neckwarmer-earwarmer gave me an idea for an xmas present. Thanks!
Posted by: Abby | October 28, 2008 at 08:55 PM
You guys are always having so much fun! The cider press looks so cool. I hope your hubby's up and about soon, in time for the next batch of dough nuts! And, oh my wow, your daughter is getting so big! Kids seem to have grown like crazy this summer. My son is more than half my height at 5 after being the "shorty".
The Glittens came out great and your yarn looks delicious. I'm going to have to drop some birthday hints around my house ;-)
Posted by: SpiderWomanKnits | October 28, 2008 at 09:33 PM
You just amaze me ! I have spent the last several nights reading everything on your site, including old archives. I for sure am missing the East and I really really want Your February sweater! I envy your life and what richness it emanates. Lots of love :o)
Posted by: Leila | October 28, 2008 at 10:58 PM
I just love that cowl/headband! I think I must make me one.
And healing thoughts go out to your hubbie... tell him to go ahead and cuddle with Milo, since this is probably the only time he'll get to sit/lay still for a few months. so it's a relax and enjoy it :-) Hope he's all better soon.
Posted by: Teyani | October 29, 2008 at 02:20 AM
Hope hubby feels better soon! Love the last picture of daughter! So cute in the headband/neckwarmer. Has she been doing anymore dyeing lately?
Posted by: Robin | October 29, 2008 at 02:30 AM
No snow down here, just cold,cold rain. And lots of it. Rained out the World Series. (not that I'm watching but with the philadelphia team playing, it's unavoidable). When I was home with the kids, I baked all of our bread. We ate a lot more bread than we do now. I'd bake two loaves twice a week and there was never any gone stale. Now, I bake on weekends when I can and use the bread machine when I can't. It's serviceable but not nearly as good as what I used to make.
Posted by: donna lee | October 29, 2008 at 12:28 PM
She is a cuite your girl. That neck warmer/ head band is great . Thanks for chearing.
Posted by: Beate | October 29, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Is it early for snow up your way? It is cold and wet here in the mid-Atlantic. I hope you are planning on knitting yourself another neckwarmer. I really like the colors in Blaze. And Milo is being a good boy and keeping his daddy safe.
Posted by: Mia | October 29, 2008 at 05:02 PM
I love those mitts!
For the amount of money spent on our thigh high gardening beds we didn't even break even but I wa surprised by how much did successful grow. After all, I regularly kill houseplants.
The doughnuts look wonderful. Have you ever tried baked doughnuts?
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 29, 2008 at 06:42 PM
Oh man! I haven't had homemade donuts since my great-grandmother passed away in the 70s.
How far is Vermont from southern Ontario?
Hope hubby heals quickly.
Posted by: Frank | October 30, 2008 at 02:33 PM
You'll have to make Mark a doughnut big enough to sit on...I'll be there for cinnamon sugar ones next week...I'm wearing my neck warmer today too, waiting for sweater and scarf weather in the next weeks...I just shampooed the sweater so I'll be leaving trails of Mo for a few more weeks...
Posted by: jill | October 30, 2008 at 03:49 PM
Wow, that cider press is beautiful. We have lots of apples, but no cider press. It always seems to work that way. Hopefully, we will be able to use a friend's press this weekend. Those doughnuts look yummy. I bet your 457 brother-in-laws will appreciate them. The neckwarmer/headband and mitten/gloves are beautiful. Lucky girl...all those multi-purpose knitted accessories.
Posted by: missscurious | October 30, 2008 at 05:40 PM
Ohhh the doughnuts look so yummy! Lucky 39 bils. My mom used to make potato doughnuts..now I need to go see if I can find the recipe. I think I can afford potatoes..or maybe not *G*
Posted by: Susan | November 01, 2008 at 06:41 AM
Darn you, Jessie - you've done it again...
Now I not only have yarn envy, I'm hungry for doughnuts, too.
My husband got all excited last year when I bought a big doughnut cutter, but it occurs to me that I've yet to use it. (I probably shouldn't ought to tease him that way...)
Doughnuts just hit today's to-do list.
Posted by: gayle | November 02, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Are those apple cider donuts? They look yummy. Glad to hear you were picked clean of your Aran. I would have done yet more damage on paypal :-) Speedy recovery to your reclining hubbie. Love the cider press and the headband/ cowl looks way cute on your daughter.
Posted by: Manise | November 02, 2008 at 11:02 PM