An Abundance of Lisa

Down the pie-hole

Cooking is a hobby that I am trying to cultivate, but with a S.O. with a sweet tooth that cannot be controlled, I haven't really ventured into baking. BK is the kind of guy who can't have a piece of cake: he wants the whole thing. My will power isn't strong either, so we just don't keep many sweets in the house. But two things are conspiring to ruin my resolve by parading pies in front of my face constantly: the show Pushing Daisies on ABC (currently on hiatus because of the strike--but coming back in the fall) and Nova. Curse them and their gorgeous pies.

No longer satisfied to see these delicious desserts out of my reach on tv and the internets, I decided I had to take a stab at the Pear & Gruyere pie made famous on Pushing Daisies.

I am new to pie-crusts, but this one came out well. I consulted Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything for the crust, then just eye-balled a fluffy mound of gruyere. For the filling, I looked at several pear & gruyere pie recipes online. I used this one, for the most part, excluding the blueberries and pound cake. Seriously, google "pear and gruyere pie"--there is a cult following for the cheese & fruit pie combo. Don't believe me? Check out Minty's version with a cupid. And Katie made a yummy-looking Apple-Cheddar pie, which is definitely next on my list.

All in all, pretty easy and really delicious. I might tinker with it a bit and post a recipe...

Swapping Socks Amongst Friends

This weekend was the Spider's Third Annual Trek to Bay Ridge to hang out, eat, and knit at Marie's. The first year, we learned to dye yarn. The second year, Marie let us spin on her wheel. This year was all about a Single Sock Swap, which I think we all agree was a resounding success!

We each knit a rather aspirational sock, one that would surely create a little Second Sock Syndrome if we had to knit a full pair. We used Elfster to arrange anonymous pairs and then knit away! I received a beautiful Eleanora Sock [ravelry link] from Katie of One Scheme of Happiness. She hit the nail completely on the head. It's a sock that's been in my queue for a while and the yarn, Collinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum, is perfect for this pattern.

I can't wait to cast on for the mate! Thanks Katie -- you did a beautiful job!

In other knitting this weekend, I cruised up the back of my Lush & Lacy Cardigan. I am loving this project!

I had one front section finished, but realized I had made a mistake and had to rip back a bit. Despite that setback, I think I'll have a finished cardigan very soon!!

Love at first sight

The other night, I was surfing through my friends' activity on Ravelry and I noticed this beauty: The Lush & Lovely Cardigan by SweaterBabe.com. It was love at first sight. The fit, the detail, the loveliness--I knew I had to cast on for this and soon. I remembered that Fig & Plum was looking for a few Spiders to gang up on a Webs order. After a night of researching my options, I placed an order for Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL in Arctic Night. I waited patiently and finally, the yarn came on Friday!

I don't think any photograph could do this yarn justice. It's heavenly. Soft because of the alpaca content, but structured because of the wool. And the deep navy is exactly what I wanted. Perfect for this project. I swatched on Saturday while waiting for an apple-gingerbread cake that I made with Virginia to bake.

I soaked and blocked the swatch and impatiently waited for it to dry. Fortunately, I had a knitting date at Brooklyn General with a few Spiders to keep me busy. When I got home that evening, I measured the swatch, did some calculations and cast on. By bedtime, I had completed the first 5 inches or so--the peplum!

And today was one of those rare Sundays where I had absolutely nothing to do but knit. I cruised on through the back and at the time of this post, I'm about 12 inches along, about 3/4 done with the back. I cannot wait to have this sweater finished. It's going to be the perfect spring garment. Ok--back to it!

FO: Herringbone Mitts

As much as I love my navy-and-cream Anemoi Mitts, I needed a pair of mittens that matched my new black  winter coat better. Black and blue makes a bruise, you know. I saw a bunch of people queue Elliphantom's Herringbone Mitts and I thought they'd be the perfect accessory for my coat. I had been wanting some colorwork, but nothing too time-consuming and these totally fit the bill.

I was worried that the Cascade 200 would be too bulky when used in stranded fair isle, but instead it creates a warm and thick material that not even the coldest nor'ester could permeate.

Pattern: Herringbone Mitts by Elliphantom Knits

Yarn: Cascade 220 in black and cream

Needles: Size 5 for the cuffs and 6 for the hand/thumb, addi turbo circulars

Modifications: I did a corrugated rib for the cuff, so I had to modify the number of stitches I cast on to an even number divisible by 4. Then, before I started the hand, I had to decrease a couple of stitches to get to the number used in the chart. I also eliminated the eyelet round and i-cord with pom-pom. I wanted these mitts to fit easily under the sleeves of my jacket.

Overall, I'm pleased with how these turned out. I think I knit looser on the second mitt because it is a bit bigger than the first. How do you all recommend fixing that? Should I soak the bigger one in some hot water to shrink it a bit?