Sarah's Francie Socks

Sarah's Christmas present was these purple Francie Socks. I made them with Knitpicks Essential Kettle Dyed Eggplant. One sock has more of the kettle dyed look than the other, but it's not too noticable. She knew she was getting socks, so I asked her to measure her foot. She replied that she didn’t have a ruler yet and so she measured her foot on college ruled paper. She was 32.5 lines. :)

It turns out that I just have to knit the socks to where the arch shaping stops and then it’s time to shape the toe. When I made them for myself I was fearful of them being too long since I have rather small feet. I ended the arch shaping early. However after trying on my sister’s socks, I find that it would still work for me too. Next time I’ll finish the arch shaping for myself.

Since she's in China and can't model them for me, I modeled them for the picture below. I'm sure they'll look great on her feet too. The picture below is a more accurate representation of the color than the one at the top.
These took me exactly one month, I started them Oct 15th and finished Nov 15th. I think I'm becoming a faster knitter, and I'm also devoting more time to it during the week so that I can get projects done. I've waited until now to post them because I didn't want to spoil the surprise for her.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and your family are enjoying a Merry Christmas!

Lussekatter

I came across a food blog called Lucullian Delights, and found this recipe of Lussekatter. I decided I just had to try it since saffron and cardamom are some of my favorite spices. I've used cardamom before in pilafs and curries, but never in baking. It was wonderful. My rolls didn't turn out quite as yellow as Ilva's because I had saffron threads, not ground saffron, but the flavor and some of the color was still present. We heartily enjoyed them as dessert and as breakfast too.

Here's her recipe, and below you'll find it again with my estimates for US measurements and adaptations:

Lussekatter

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
14 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk, plus a little bit more
scant cup sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
small pinch of saffron threads
1/2 tsp salt
6 and 1/3 cups flour
1 egg
raisins

1. Combine yeast, salt, sugar and cardamom in mixing bowl.

2. Melt butter in sauce pan. Crumble saffron threads and add to melted butter. Pour milk in to pan and warm to just finger warm around 98 degrees F.

3. Add liquids to yeast in bowl and stir to mix.

4. Add the flour and mix well. I used my Kitchen Aid to knead the dough until it was smooth.

5. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour.

6. Divide the dough into balls around the size of a fist and roll into snakes between your hands. Shape into S shapes and lay out on parchment lined baking sheet. Let rolls rise for 40 minutes. I noticed they didn't seem to change much as they rose, but that they did expand a good deal once in the oven. Make sure you leave room between them on the baking sheet.

7. Brush rolls with brushed egg. Top with strategically placed raisins.

8. Bake in a 440 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes. It took more like 15 minutes in my oven. Cook on a rack.

Snow on the Garden

Yesterday afternoon into this morning we received around 8 to 10 inches of snow. I waded out into the snow just before sunset, to check on the garden under the snow. From a distance, I could see footprints around the beds that were not mine.
On closer inspection, I found them to be deer footprints. Looking at the remaining Brussels Sprouts plants which I never pulled out of the ground, I could see some evidence that the deer were munching on the leaves. I may need to cut off the plants so that the deer don't learn that my garden is a source of food.
Here are a few other snow landscapes.

Mom's Francie Socks

I knit these socks for my mom's birthday this month. I did straight ribbing on the legs and the Francie pattern on the sole of the foot. They are knit with Plymouth Happy Feet in a cranberry color on size 1 needles. I started them on November 15th and finished them on December 12th. This is my 4th pair of socks using the Francie pattern on the sole, and it's become almost automatic. I enjoy the extra detail it gives to the socks.

Ice Storm Details

Here are some detail shots from Friday's ice storm. The red crab apples were especially stunning encased in ice against the blue sky. The goldenrod seed head drips with ice.
The sun's power quickly begins to melt the ice. Now the ice dangles below the branch it encased and reflects the blue skies.