Cromarty

Finally it is finished! It took probably two months, however I was constantly sidetracked by other projects. I used Koigu Kersti and size 6 needles, and had to change the design quite a bit.
To begin with, Cromarty in its original form would have been somewhat "baggy" on me, more wide than long. I did not like that, and reduced a few aran panels. I also used crochet edgings for sleeves and hem.
Now it looks somewhat medieval, and I can't wait to wear it to work.

A warm hat

After I got the yummy yarn from Deborah at www.shadysidefarm.com I could not resist ordering two more skeins of Romney - one chocolate and one natural. I made a hat for my son from it. The yarn is incredible: soft and begging to become a project.
I will eventually get around publishing the pattern for this hat. My son wears it proudly, and it only took 3 days to make.

"Siren's Heart" Vest

I started it in July, but then was sidetracked by other things. I like the pattern very much, and it was my first "knitting in the round" project including steeks (now that was scary at first!)
The yarn was Rauma Finnulgarn, and the pattern "The Siren's Heart" by Mette Handberg from the book "Norsk Strikkedesign".
I decided to omit the heart in the pattern: this way it looks better in my opinion. I also used only three colors, and decided not to embroider pieces.
Now I have to get a suitable white shirt to wear with it: the one on the picture is not what I have in mind.

Lovlund top

I knitted this top before with the different color yarn. This time the color is rust, the yarn as before - Noro Hanna Silk. I made in in small, and only used 4 skeins.
I had to crochet around the neck opening and the hem, it looks better (for me) this way.

Destashing

Here are some yarns and also Filatura di Crosa magazine with many patterns.
The yarns are:

1. Erdal Safari 6 balls (100% rayon: color champagne; 133 yds/50 g; needle size 6, 5st per 1")

2. Filatura Di Crosa Brilla 6 balls ( 4 balls in color 100, 2 balls in color 315); (42% cotton, 58% viscose; made in Italy; 50g/120 yd/1.75 oz; needle size 3, 7 st per 1")
This yarn is enough to make a top from the Filatura di Crosa magazine (model 7). The magazine has 24 patterns for men and women. Condition - new.

If interested, please contact me at tadenev@yahoo.com

"Peasant" Linen Top

It took me about three weeks to finish. I used a combination of knitting and crochet, as well as Fair Isle. The yarn - Louet Linen in Natural and Terracota was a pleasure to work with. I like it so much that I might make something from linen again, even though I have many more projects to take care of.

The Fair Isle band pattern is a Ukrainian folk design from this site http://rushnychok.org.ua/e-index.html

thus the name "Peasant".

Summer top "Cap Ferrat"

I had a leftover yarn from the Aughnacloy sweater and decided to make something light and "summery". The result is top "Cap Ferrat". I named it after a famous French Riviera resort where this kind of garment would be very appropriate.
The body of the top is knitted in seed stitch, the picot trim and the straps are crocheted. I agree with fellow knitters who find that the combination of knitting and crochet elements in one garment is an interesting design idea.
There are crocheted lace strips inserted on both sides of the top.

Light and Yummy Summer Treats

This weekend I attended Bring-A-Dish party, and enjoyed various delicious foods prepared by friends. While many of the dishes were mouthwatering, I was especially impressed by the following two. I changed the original recipies somewhat.
Enjoy!

Baked Butternut Squash

1 medium-sized butternut squash
1 small can crushed pineapple
½ cup cinnamon apple sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Microwave the squash for 20-25 min, until it becomes soft. Scoop the pulp out when it cools off. Combine with the rest of the ingredients; add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Butter pan and bake for 20 min in 300 F oven.

Summer Raspberry Pie

1 package frozen raspberries
1 package raspberry jello
1 small can evaporated milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 Graham pie crust
Fresh berries for decoration

Add 1 cup of boiling water to half package of raspberries. Let simmer for 2 min. Add 1 package of raspberry jello. Combine with the other half-package of frozen raspberries. Meantime, whip evaporated milk with 3 tbsp sugar (or add more sugar to taste). Mix with jello liquid. Pour into the pie crust. Chill in a fridge for 1 hour. Decorate with fresh berries and serve.

Aughnacloy sweater

This was such an eye candy for me! The moment I saw this sweater on Maggie Jackson's website, I was doomed. As with all her designs, this was a fun project to do! I am almost sorry it is over...
I have changed a few things: the neckline is higher (I need to be able to wear it to work), and subsequently I had to increase the overall length, and the length of sleeves. Interestingly, I have enough of turquoise linen to make a matching top.

Bosnian Booties

I knitted these for a good friend who is expecting a baby at the end of July. She already knows that it is going to be a boy. The booties were knitted on DPN's, and it was an easy and lovely project. Here is the link to the pattern:

http://knitting.about.com/library/blbootie6.htm

Front view 

Siren's Heart gloves 

Siren's Heart Gloves

This was a fun project, and it took a little more than a week. The pattern is from "Norsk Strikkedesign", and it is called "Siren's Heart". There are gloves, vest (my next project), cardigan, hat, and socks, all designed by Mette Handberg. The yarn - Rauma Finullgarn was ordered from the Nordic Fiber Arts store, and Debbie helped me with suggestions about yarn amounts.

More of My Garden

I had to post these pictures: more irises are blooming now, and I wanted to capture the moment. The unfortunate nets on the background protect these beauties from deer. Surprisingly, they developed a taste for irises, and not an artistic one.

White 

Red 

More irises 

Purple and Blue 

Irises in bloom 

My Garden

Everyone needs a place for the soul to feel at peace, a place where your mind seeks inspiration and rest after times of struggle. For me it is my garden. I suppose it all goes back to my childhood, to the garden my great aunt once had. There was a small summer cabin surrounded by the orchard, and multiple flower beds. Her husband designed the layout: narrow paths bordered by irises, hedges of fragrant black currant bushes fencing off the property, and rows of fruit trees heavy with their sweet harvest in the fall. After his death my aunt (I always called her simply “aunt”, dropping “great”) refused to sell the place. I believe she and the garden needed each other.
She started taking me along since I was five or six years old, and taught me many wonderful things. I learned that tulips and daffodils had to be lifted from the soil after their leaves turn yellow in July, and planted again with good nurturing compost in the fall assuring their continuous bloom. I learned that rose bushes had to be pruned and covered with straw and soil to protect them from winter cold. I learned how to graft a fruit tree and feel ridiculously happy at the first signs of new leaves on a freshly-attached twig. I became a gardener.
Years later and miles away I finally have my own little garden, a distant relative of my childhood place of long ago. It speaks to me in the same secret language. My aunt would have approved…

My son’s favorite blinchiki

This recipe comes from my grandma’s notebook. Blinchiki (Russian version of crepes) are long time favorites in our family. They are great with just about any kind of filling: onions and meat, potatoes, mushrooms, and of course farmer’s cheese. I adjusted the recipe somewhat, adding the cheese filling in layers between blinchiki, rather than wrapping it in each individual blinchik. This was the first dish my son asked me to make after returning home from college.

Here it is:

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 lb farmer cheese
½ container sour cream
½ cup raisins (optional)
1tsp vanilla extract
sugar to taste

Prepare the filling: mix farmer cheese with sour cream, vanilla and raisins. Add sugar to taste. (The filling should be the consistency of whipped cream, only heavier).

Warm milk, and add to slightly beaten eggs. Beat thoroughly. Slowly add flour and stir well. Add olive oil.
Heat the frying pan with some oil on it. Pour a generous ladle of batter, fry one side, flip and fry the other side. Place in a covered pot to keep warm. Spread some filling on a top. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Do not spread the filling on the top of the last blinchik.

To serve, cut wedge wise. Heat them up in a microwave, add sour cream and honey if you like.

Top front 

Maggie Jackson's inspired top 

Maggie Jackson's inspired top

I had some linen and rad yarn from Maggie Jackson's line of yarns, and decided to make a summer top with it. I used Kylemore top from Maggie's Ireland book as an inspiration. The whole project was fun!

I just got published!

Well, it is a small online publication really, but I am very proud of it! Here is the link
http://www.associatedcontent.com/content.cfm?content_type=article&content_type_id=1370

Mother's Day Chocolate Cake

I treated my family with this cake that was an idea of the moment. Everyone enjoyed the result.
Here is my recipe:
Ingredients
1 chocolate Graham pie shell (the one that does not require baking)
6 oz semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 pint fresh strawberries
Process
Melt chocolate morsels with 4 tbsp of heavy cream on low heat. The mixture should be the consistency of honey. Add more heavy cream if necessary. Combine the mixture with raisins and walnuts, and pour into the pie shell. Let it cool, and refrigerate for 30 min or so.
Meanwhile whip the remaining heavy cream with sugar. (I don't like my desserts to be extra sweet, so experiment with the sugar: you can add more or less, depending ot what you prefer).
Dice half of the strawberries, and mix with whipped cream. Place on a top of the chocolate filling.
decorate with the remaining strawberries. Enjoy!

Maggiknits inspired top

I started something interesting a couple of days ago. Found some Maggiknits linen in Natural and Navy, and knitting a summer top using Maggie Jackson's ideas: blocks of contrasting color/texture, usage of Rag yarn as an accent, geometric hem, etc. It is going fine so far. I will post the picture as soon as I finish the top, hopefully, it will not take long.

Lovlund top 

Corset top: another view 

Corset top 

Recent Projects

These are my two recent projects: Corset top from Interweave (free pattern), and Lovlund (Kornelia Hamilton's pattern). For the Corset top I used recommended yarn (Filatura di Crosa Elena). I enjoyed using it: no splitting even though it is a ribbon yarn. The neck opening turned out too wide, so I had to crochet around it. The pattern offers various knitting techniques: DPN's, circilar and flat. Certainly not boring!
Lovlund presented a little bit of a challenge: Hana Silk from Noro felt weird, maybe because I am mostly used to cotton, wool, and linen. However when done, the top is very pleasant to wear. Here again I had to crochet around the neck opening to make it a little smaller.