World's slowest knitter struggles with multi-sock method

I haven't been particularly well, which may explain why I'm struggling with the multi-sock method of knitting. Either that, or I have bitten off more than I can reasonable chew. Nothing new there, admittedly. I cast on, I got through the toe-increase rows. Hopefully I will soon have the energy to pick the pathetic little scraps of knitting up again.

I worked until stupid o'clock this morning on some test data, went into work fully intending to stay until 14:00, then rush home and take my remaining telconferences from bed. I left work at 18:30. And the software for which my test plan and data were supposed to be so desperately required... will not be ready for testing until Friday, if then.

As to the unwellness, I suspect bronchitis. I haven't had it for about 15 years, but the gentle squeaking in my chest and the feeling of breathing through soap bubbles seems vaguely familiar. My immune system is crap. I can't decide if it needs gentle nurturing or a kick up the arse.

In the interests of the former, I have been cooking a little: I actually got some time to cook this weekend as feeling like shit meant I didn't go anywhere and I was avoiding test data production and CV writing on Sunday afternoon.

My beloved other half bought me three gluten-free cookbooks a couple of months ago: I have wheat, corn and soy sensitivities, so gluten-free is a good place to start, but takes further ingenuity to make it work. I highly recommend Bette Hanagan's Easy Gluten Free Cooking (ISBN 978-1-84454-369-4), if only for her flour mixes and her explanation of what can be substituted for what.

I miss quiche. This isn't too bad a substitute.

sweet potato quiche 'pastry' plus ham and onion quiche filling 'pastry' 500g sweet potato (kumera) 1 tbsp olive oil 100g grated cheese (half parmesan, half cheddar works ok) 50g rice flour filling two small or one large sweet red onion, diced 150g good quality ham, diced 3/4 cup of light crème fraîche (or milk, or yoghurt or cream...) 2 eggs salt and pepper to taste Peel and chop sweet potato into similar-sized pieces (2 - 3 cm) and boil until squishable. Drain and mash. Add olive oil, half the cheese and rice flour. Mix together until they form a wet dough-like substance. Press into a 20cm springform pan, ensuring that the base is completely coated and sides are at least partly covered. Bake blind for 10 mins at 180°C (moderate oven). Saute onion over medium heat until translucent and cool. Add rest of grated cheese, ham, crème fraîche and eggs. Beat together, season to taste. Pour onto blind baked base. Cook at 180°C (moderate oven) for 30 mins or until set and lightly browned. Best served cold, tends to fall apart when hot.

I also made the Apricot bread from Bette Hagman's book with rice flour only. Not bad, but rather bitter: I think I put in too much orange peel. I'd like to substitute apple for the apricot next time to see how that would work. I miss apple bread.

Non-basil pestos are great, especially if you get a rainy summer and the basil goes black. This week the supermarket had the most amazing bunches of extremely healthy common mint, and I found some decent coriander hiding in an unopened crate. Mmmmm. Spicy.

fluffy geek's perverted pesto Two handsful of mint leaves - either the big strong common mint, or vietnamese mint if you can get it. Four handsful of coriander leaves (I cut off the really chunky bits of the stalks but leave the rest in) Two handsful of pine nuts (100g). Cashew nuts are also good. A chunk of parmesan about 1" x 1" x 2" 1 good sized garlic clove a hefty pinch of salt Pepper Olive oil Throw into a food processor bigger than mine (I did mine in two batches and the mint nearly defeated it even then...) I roughly grate the parmesan in using the grater disc, then add garlic, pulse, nuts, pulse and then leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Then add olive oil and blitz until you get your desired texture. Some people like it more soupy than others.

P.S. Oh, but I do like the Addi's I bought for the sock project. I have a suspicion they might quietly breed in my knitting tool drawer while I'm earning British pounds and the price doesn't seem so scary.

wrong, but oddly compelling

Your Score: Ceiling Cat

48% Affectionate, 39% Excitable, 48% Hungry

You are a master of stealth. They never see you coming. But you always see them coming. HEY-O!

To see all possible results, checka dis.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

The fact that I didn't actually understand many of the questions or their answers could be influencing this... Lack of exposure to popular culture bites again.

succumbing to socks

I have finally decided that it might be time for me to dip my toe into the murky waters of sock-knitting. My reasons are as follows:

• I have thick, sturdy legs, puffy ankles and wide, paddle-like feet. Finding comfortable socks is not an easy task
• I get blisters easily, and am irritated by toe seams
• I can't stand the leg constriction caused by socks being made for people with less tree-like calves
• Custom-made socks are clearly the answer
• I need to replace the walking-boot socks I bought in Germany when I was ten because a) I can only find one of them and b) they are very slightly too small as my feet have grown a tiny bit since I bought them (though not much. I stopped growing altogether at 11).

Requirements

• Toe-up
• I really, really need to try on as I go
• Not a short-row heel
• They don't seem to be kind to large ankles
• Both socks at the same time
• My gague is inconsistent and I am terrified that it will change, thus giving me two socks of different sizes
• I am very likely to finish the first sock and stop. What could be worse than having just one comfortable sock?
• DK-weight yarn
• I'm not a quick knitter and this will hopefully make it a relatively short first-sock-knitting-experience

Specifications

• Toe-up pattern from Savannahchick utilising
  • Judy's Magic Cast-On
  • The heel from Amy's socks
• Twilley's Freedom Spirit in 514 - Nature
• Both socks will be knit concurrently on two circulars on
• 1 pr Clover Bamboo 3.5 mm (owned)
• 1 pr Addi Turbo 3.5 mm (ordered)

That's the plan, anyway.

29%

And I finished knitting Clapotis. The two may be related, it's hard to tell.

It took me nearly 6 months, but I'm done. Now I just have to wait for a hot day when my partner is working or we're both out in the afternoon and I can block it on the loungeroom floor without fear of serious pin-in-foot incidents. Pictures will follow.

The last couple of weeks haven't been good. Work has been slightly more fucked than usual, and some of my favourite people have resigned and left. I am becoming less and less enthusiastic about the prospect of transferring to the Australian office when we go home in February. Maybe it's time to move on.

That moment

I've been knitting Clapotis for nearly 6 months now, and I seem to have been on the decreasing rows for a while because I haven't done much knitting recently. Today on the train home, I had that moment of realisation: I knitted twice as many rows on that journey as I have on any previous journey. I still knit at the pace of an arthritic snail, but all that decreasing, one stitch per row, has finally resulted in significantly fewer stitches. I knew it had to happen one day... (actually, to be honest, I just hoped it would happen one day).

Mmmmmm... Cherries

I've been in Boston for another week and a half, and I've got most of another week to go. I'm homesick and miss my partner. Too many weeks in this hotel in the past year, too many weeks not at home.
It's been a difficult couple of weeks, working too much overtime and worrying about things. I'm working today, on a Sunday, and went into the office only to find that my access card doesn't work on the weekend. So I'm trying to work from the hotel, where the connection is slower and the VPN keeps on dropping out.
I did get out of the hotel yesterday and went to Cambridge - I found out that there is a bus which goes directly from downtown Waltham to Cabridge and runs 3 or 4 times an hour. If only I'd known that a year ago. Not that I mind the commuter train, but services aren't exactly frequent.
I went to Urban Outfitters, which I love but can never buy anything I want to because I can't justify taking cushions and homewares home, and went to Woolcott and Company, which I am very fond of, but I didn't find anything I wanted. Well, I did, but again nothing I could actually justify buying.
I love Malabrigo, I really do, but I don't like most of the colours that seem to be available in stores at the moment. They had a sample of the chunky version in the most beautiful green... but of course they didn't have any left!
I did manage to find the most beautiful cherries in Whole Foods. Cherries are my favourite food, surpassing even chocolate. So I bought lots of them. Maybe they will make me feel better.
I haven't managed to get any knitting done at all since last weekend... maybe I can get Clapotis onto the plane home and knit if I can't sleep.

Wilting in the heat

I'm back in Boston for 15 days, hopefully the last time I'll need to do this for a while. Not that I dislike Boston, but I'd really like to spend some time and home with my other half.
Yesterday was muggy and revolting: I don't like heat and I don't like humidity. Anyone with any sense would have stayed inside in the airconditioning. Not me, no, I had to go on a yarn shop hunt.
I've been wanting to visit Circles for some time, but have never made it out there. A commuter train and a T ride and there I was. Stunning collection of yarn and patterns, extremely friendly staff and a place to knit. I knitted and talked to the staff member on duty for over an hour - so nice to be able to take refuge from the heat in such serene surroundings.
I bought Elsebeth Lavold's The Embraceable You Collection here. Now that is a lovely, lovely book. I may never knit anything from it directly, but it's certainly given me some ideas. Mmmmm. Welting...
A colleague and good fried of mine is here with me until Tuesday, so I met up with her for dinner at Prezza. We'd been there once before and were craving the flourless chocolate cake. I also had the tomato, mozarella and basil plate, plus the figs in proscuitto. Superb...
Clapotis decreases slowly.