Spring?

Spring hopes eternal. Technically winter is "over" next week, but I don't think that Mother Nature got that memo.
   Thing Spring and Easter (already?) and check out the Easter goodies starting to hop into the Etsy store. I have tiny felt bunny pins of all colors with sweet embroidered details. I'm thinking of making some chocolate ones for next year. I will also be putting up some decorated wooden and decoupage eggs shortly. My real world job is picking up steam for the next two weeks so shiny new stuff won't be added until after Mardi Gras.
   Speaking of Mardi Gras-I have two sweet hats up that will help you party down and maybe get some cool beads. If not, now of them already has miniature hand strung beads on it!

Knitting Thoughts

So, I've been knitting socks for what seems like forever. I think I might take a break before I turn the heel.
 I have the perfect project to fill in the time. I want to knit the Sydney Carton Cowl from "A Tale of Two Cities" from "Literary Knits". I want to change the morse code knitting because I hate the ending of the book and I don't want to have to knit the "Far far better think I do" speech.
  I have a lovely shade of worsted wool in forest green so I am thinking of knitting a morse code cowl of a Robert Frost poem. I have it narrowed down to two, which one do you like?

Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
HIs house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if these is some mistake
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.



Or......

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry that I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I should be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the ones less traveled by,
And that had made all the difference.



I will probably just use the last stanza in either poem.

A Month of Letters-Year Two

Once again its time for A Month of Letters! Yay! This is my second year participating and I plan on trying to top what I sent last year. The neat thing about last year was that I took a vacation in the middle of the month, so I really got to be a Postal Explorer and I even sent a letter from inside of Disney!
   Can't really top that this year....So, I plan on using handmade envelopes and maybe some handmade stickers and mail art. You can still participate, just go to http://lettermo.com to sign up. You can earn badges along the way and maybe make a couple of friends.
  I plan on doing a wrap up post at the end of the month-how many letters, where they went, how many miles, etc. 

Polish Pickle Soup on a Winter's Day

    It seems like this winter will never end. When it isn't 40 below out, its snowing and blowing; it's like being trapped inside a snow globe. 

   Awhile ago I was dining at "Reflections", a Polish restaurant. One of their specials of the day was a Pickle Soup. I had my doubts-pickles in soup? I was reassured that the soup was a hearty Polish traditional dish guaranteed to cure a hangover and warm you up. It was delicious. Ever since then I've been craving the soup and searching for a recipe. I found my recipe in the pages of "From a Polish Country House Kitchen". 

  Its a quick and easy recipe that makes more than enough for leftovers during the week. I served mine with some schnitzel (the soup is mainly root vegetables, so you meat eaters may want something on the side) and onion dill rye bread. 

Sour Cucumber Soup (OGORKOWA)

1 tblspn unsalted butter

1medium leek (white and green parts) trimmed, rinsed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium carrot trimmed, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium parsnip peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 medium celery root peeled, trimmed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

5 cups chicken stock

3 large baking potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

One 32onz. jar of sour dill pickles and their brine

Salt and Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream

Generous 2 tblspn freshly chopped dill

Celery Root

Polish Dill Pickles-don't scrimp on the quality
Buy the best!

In a medium soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leek and cook until softened.

Cook for about 5 minutes, the leeks should get a little soft,
you don't won't them to cook all the way through or brown.

Add the carrot, parsnip and celery root to the soup pot; pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Simmer down!

Place the potatoes in a separate pot, cover with water, and boil until they are cooked, but slightly firm,   approximately 7 or 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

   

In the meantime, strain the pickle brine and reserve it. Throw out any dill pieces or garlic that was in the brine. Coarsely grate the pickles using a cheese grater or the grater attachment on a food processor. 

Ta da! Its relish!

After the vegetables have simmered, add the pickles to the soup pot, as well as the brine, and the cooked potatoes. Season with salt and pepper (taste first!) and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or whizz it in a food processor. You want the end result to be a little chunky, not whipped smooth. Mix in the heavy cream and sprinkle with dill before serving.

Yum! This stuff will warm you right up!

Sorry for the Silence

Its been cold. I mean really cold, 40 below cold. And snowy. How can it be that cold and snowy at the same time? Shouldn't it be one or the other?
  My car didn't start. Like every night after work. Everyone got to jump start my car. User. It's been with all the cars now. Jump starting your car in the dark when its 40 below and the ind is whipping and you've been up for 12 hours and all you want to do is go home, have some soup and watch your hockey team (loose in a shoot out).
  Then all your co workers tell you what is wrong with your car. And how to fix it. Jiggle the key. Tap the gas. Shift your gears. Stand on one leg and sacrifice a chicken (well, not that one).
  I've been on hold with my insurance for a month. Seriously a whole damn month. My call is important to them. They keep telling me that. You think my money would at least be important to them. Since they jacked the rates up. And dumped dental. And gave me the wrong number to call. Then they tell me to go online and use their virtual assistant. She's no help, she tells me to call the lady that says my call is important.
  I've been knitting socks. Well, a sock and I've frogged it 3 times.

That's why I'm behind in blogging. So, sorry for the silence. 

A Week in the Deep Freeze

We certainly had a weather week in Chicago....The year started off with over a foot of snow, then the temperature plunged to 40 below (yes, it was colder here than in Siberia, leading to the hashtag of #ChiBeria) for 3 days and now the temperature is in the upper 30's.
   This meant a day off of work, two days of screaming obscenities at my car to will it into starting (and being jumped twice in the evening by co-workers with V-8 engines), enjoying the warm up, hating the rain and it ended with the never felt before sensation of hydro planing and sliding on ice SIMULTANEOUSLY! Never felt that before. And it didn't matter which way I turned or how much I pumped the brakes, just a zipping sensation of seeing the landscape pass by again and again. Oh, there was also my commute being doubled!
   When I did have to venture out in the cold all I thought about was Joseph Beuys. I though about his (possible real, possibly made up) plane crash in Crimea and how he only survived because a group of Tartars wrapped him in fat and felt. I was wrapped in wool and a Columbia jacket that reflects back body heat.
   Thank goodness for the weekend and being able to sit on the couch. I am trying to knit socks and I am having a very hard time finding a simple sock pattern. In English. Some how the Germans have corned the market on sock patterns. My college German is a bit rusty, so all I can translate is that if I have any frage I can telephone some long distance number. I think I will try a pattern from lion brand, I've already frogged my project once, I can always frog it again!
  

Knitting in the New Year

So, I recently joined Ravelry (as CityMink). I've been a long time member but, never got around to uploading much. I had time off around the holidays so I updated my profile a bit, uploaded my needles and added some projects.
   Uploading my needles was not easy but now I know exactly what I have and because I downloaded an App that connects to Ravelry I have those needles at my fingertips at all times. This is very exciting because I won't have to keep guessing at what needles I need (I have 3 pairs of circular needles in size 8?!). My only complaint about being a knitter rather than a crocheter is that knitters need straight needles, circular needles, double pointed needles...crocheters just need hooks. Knitting needles come in all lengths and sizes.
   A couple years ago I found a free pattern in the LA Times for a chunky knit scarf (and now chunky knits are in, maybe I'll put it up on Etsy) that called for size 45 needles. I walked into a knitting store in Long Grove to buy some and was mocked by that staff. That experience alone put me off going to knitting stores for years! I finally found some at Michaels and I picked up some Lion Brand Chunky yarn too.
   I have since found yarn stores were people are genuinely nice and thrilled when you come in with odd requests. Knitting is now something that people of all ages and backgrounds embrace. You want to make yarn out of your dog's fur? Fine. Arm knitting? All the rage now.
   The wonderful thing I've found with Ravelry is that you can ask a question about a project and get answers from people all over the world. You also realize that the really cool knit cowl you just finished is wrong.
   I found some yarn from Paton's that is a metallic thread around a black base. Really shiny and slick. It's kind of a pain to work with because it catches on everything. I bought a ball in green and one in copper. I found a pattern on Paton's website and after perfecting my yarn over's I gave it a go.

Really cool, right? I then looked at similar patterns on Ravelry and realized that somewhere I went terribly wrong. This isn't what the scarf is supposed to look like at all! I love the pattern, but its not what it is supposed to be. I don't think I could ever replicate this loopy seaweed pattern again. 

   I started again with the ball of copper yarn and obsessively counted. It turned out the way it was supped to. 

I am calling this one "Tiger Stripes". 

I have a bunch of projects lined up for the new year, lets see if I can keep up with them all. They are all just practice to get my fingers and skills warmed up for the lace work shawl that will be knit with my Mink yarn!

A New Years Eve Cake with David Frost-ing

  I was very lucky to have both New Years Eve and New Years Day off this year. Mainly because it snowed non stop both days and doing anything but stay inside and bake/ watch T.V. would be silly. 

  Ever since I saw Julie Richardson's "Vintage Cakes" book I've wanted to bake her Watergate Cake with Impeachment Frosting. The mix of cake and pistachio pudding seemed to be a match made in heaven. Originally the cake recipe was pudding mix and box cake mix; "Vintage Cakes" elevates the recipe with from scratch versions of pudding, cake and icing. 

   The pudding mixture may not look like you remember pistachio pudding to be (no electric green color) don't be put off by the color! It tasted wonderful and once you mix it into the cake and the frosting it takes on a pleasant pale sea foam green appearance. 

   After reading many reviews on other blogs of the cake I re dubbed the Impeachment Frosting "David Frost-ing". Due to the fact that people thought this frosting had peach in it (???) and because I like witty play on words desserts. Also, David Frost passed away this year and it seemed like a clever way to pay a tiny tribute. 

  Special items you will need include a food processor and 3 8" cake pans. Don't be put off by the price of raw pistachios, all nuts are pricey and you do get a good punch of flavor with this cake. 

   I could eat the frosting by itself. Mascarpone and pistachio pudding -yum! Stick this frosting in a cannoli shell and put some mini chocolate chips on top and you have the best cannoli ever made. 

   Final take on this recipe: Delicious, a little time consuming (not really on a snow day), well worth it in the end and cake freezes well if you slice it and use parchment paper in between slices. 

I didn't use all of the frosting and I left the sides bare

A small piece will do just fine

One does not just make Springerles Cookies....

   About a year ago I cut out an article from the Wall Street Journal about Springerle cookies. Molded holiday cookies that looked like little pieces or artwork and that were supposed to taste like a cousin to the biscotti. Also listed was a recipe for a Molded Gingerbread Cookie from the bakery "Tartine"
   The recipe contains black pepper, cayenne and copies amounts of dried ginger. I *hate* when store bought gingerbread cookies contain no ginger....aren't they just plain old cookies then?

Heart Mold

 These cookies are a bit daunting by are well worth the effort and can be stored for 2 weeks...not that they will last that long. You can just make cut out cookies with this recipe, but if you can find any wooden molds at an antique store, pick some out. I am always on the look out and plan on grabbing some more. I just have a leaf and a roller mold that leaves a pineapple pattern.
   The cookies do not need to bake long. You'll think, 8 minutes, thats not enough-but it is. You want a cookie that comes out more like a ginger bread with a nice cake texture that leaves a small bite of pepper in the after taste.

Here is the recipe if you are hang trouble with the link.

Molded Gingerbread Cookies

Hands-down the best gingerbread I've ever had, ( I most certainly agree) this recipe is adapted from one in the "Tartine" cookbook and amplified by cocoa, allspice and red chili.

ACTIVE TIME: 1-1¼ hours

MAKES: 2-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

"Pineapple" cookie roller

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons agave syrup
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Scant pinch red chili powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1½ teaspoons allspice
3½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and continue mixing until pale and creamy. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Stir in molasses, honey and agave syrup. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix until well combined.

2. In another large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, chili powder, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, salt, pepper and baking powder. Working in batches, sprinkle flour mixture into butter mixture, stirring gently until a firm dough forms and starts to pull away from sides of bowl.

3. Flour your hands and pull the dough from the bowl, knead once or twice into a ball (if it's so sticky it glues to your fingers, sprinkle in a teaspoon or so of flour and knead again). Place round on a large piece of plastic wrap, flatten gently with palm of hand and wrap tightly. Refrigerate dough at least 3 hours.

4. Generously dust a large, clean work space with flour. Divide chilled dough into four sections and, working one section at a time, roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. (Lightly flour rolling pin if dough sticks.)

5. Using pastry brush, lightly dust cookie mold with confectioners' sugar. Place mold on top of dough and press firmly and evenly to imprint. (Don't wiggle or image will blur). Repeat, dusting mold with additional sugar as needed, until entire section of dough is imprinted.

6. Using a sharp knife or cookie cutter, trim around edges of printed designs and gently transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat rolling, printing and trimming process with remaining dough. Then set baking sheets aside, uncovered, and allow cookies to dry (or "cure") at least 3 hours.

7. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking sheet in center of oven and bake until cookies are slightly springy at center and faintly browned at edges, 8-15 minutes depending on size and thickness of molds used. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Once cookies have cooled, brush with a confectioners' sugar glaze, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I think I made about 3 dozen cookies, but I did have one rather large stamp cookie. The best way to make these is to make the dough one day and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Generously flour your work surface and for really good cookies, make sure your mold is cold too! I stuck mine in the freezer for a couple of minutes, powdered it and powdered my dough with powdered sugar before smashing my mold on it. Also, make sure your dough is thick enough to be able to get into the mold!

  By the time I had all my dough cut out and cleaned up the kitchen it was time to bake my cookies. Molded the cookies takes time and some smashing of the dough, but it was all worth it in the end. The cookies taste fine (even without icing them) and they are a showstopper!

Hear Molded Cookie before edges are cut

Pineapple Roller cut into sections

Snowman Handstamp Cookie

Merry Christmas to All...

Christmas comes but once a year, I hope everyone can take the day to be with friends and family. 

Merry Christmas!!

The Fold

    I finally made it to The Fold! For a minute I thought my GPS was trying to get me lost when it told me to turn down a small, winding country road. Fear not, it is small and winding but it leads you to a small blue house that holds all the wonders of yarn that you could want.
   Not only that, but it holds a very knowledgable staff and a large German Shepard. I brought my shopping list and bought more that enough things to fill out my Christmas list, plus a bit of fun stuff for myself as well.
   Every type of yarn and animal can be found from merino to mohair, wool to yak, and even a rather expensive ($98 a skein) small skein of vicuna. I waked around stroking all the various yarns and my imagination ran wild with what I could do.
   The Fold just doesn't carry yarn. Knitting needles and crochet hooks of every size and material lined a side wall. Buckets were filled to the brim with hand carved drop spindles. Spinning wheels of all sizes stood by the entrance and in the back corner reeds of all sizes for weaving could be found.
   Bags of rainbow roving lined a wall that was near a happily burning fire place (not too close to the fire though). There was an entire wall dedicated to sock weight yarn from Blue Moon. There was even yarn that had sterling silver spun into it!

A lusciously soft kid mohair by Rowan knits. This whole series is named after Zodiac
signs. Had I known that when I purchased this, I would have sought out Capricorn!

A Merino super wash that I will use to knit something inspired by "Literary Knits" Tale of Two Cities Cowl. This
cowl has Morse Code messages hidden it it! How fun!

100% Merino Roving. I am going to needle felt this into a hat. I bought one of those multi point
star needle holders to make the process go by faster. 

A yarn by Fiesta that is 50% alpaca and 50% tencel. Never worked with Tencel before...

All and all, a great trip. Isn't it funny how time has no meaning in a yarn store until you realize those 5 minutes of picking out yarn were actually 1.5 hours???

Thanksgiving and the German Market

   Did anyone else watching the parade notice that as the Broadway performances went on the actor's wore less and less clothing? By the time the Pippin cast came on all I could think was the guy balancing on the metal disk must have been really *Really* cold in his devil horns and strong man underwear.  It was bad enough watching the cast of Kinky Boots shiver as they strutted around the stage.

   I made the traditional place holder "Turkey Apples". Just take an apple and stick 4 toothpicks in the bottom for legs.  Add a toothpick neck and stick an olive on it. You can pull the pimento out for the gobbler and stick 2 cloves in for eyes. Take toothpicks and spice drops to make the feathers and you have a tasty turkey decoration!

The day after Thanksgiving I ditch the malls and shop at antique stores. Normally I go downstate to Morris, but this year I decided to go to a German Market up in Oconomowoc. Not as big as Chicago, but not as crowded and you don't have to pay $40 to park and then not be able to see any of the booths. 

  As soon as I saw the stall with the hand blown ornaments I knew I was a goner. I should have bought more of these mushrooms. A tree covered in these would be the height of holiday whimsy. Maybe next year? 

I also went to a lovely antique store just down the street from the market. They had lots of vintage Christmas items: Shiny Brites, Gurley candles, tree reflectors, mercury glass baubles and the world's scariest Santa costume....

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving with friends and family and keep warm in the coming winter months! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. May you be able to spend the day with your loved ones and take a moment to be thankful for your health and happiness.
   This print is from a Harper's Bazaar and while it may be bit more Christmasy, I feel that with the turkey and pumpkins it still works for Thanksgiving.

Silk App Review

  If you are a V.I.B. for Sephora, you can get this app for free, which is how I ended up downloading it. If you aren't, than this app will cost you $2.99, but it is worth it. This is the coolest doodling app that I have found. You can download it at the app store here.  

  You can choose a single color or mix two and make generative art work with the swipe of a finger.

  Here is just a sample of what you can create. Hint: You can also save your work and upload it. No Master's Degree required to be an art god. 

New Holiday Earrings on Etsy

Hear ye, Hear ye.....New holiday cross stitch earrings now for sale on Etsy! Hand made and you can customize them with a post back or clip on. 

Holly Earrings with Red Seed Bead Berries

https://www.etsy.com/listing/169620440/cross-stitch-green-holly-earrings-with?ref=shop_home_active

Red Poinsettia Earrings

https://www.etsy.com/listing/169629755/cross-stitch-red-poinsettia-earrings?ref=shop_home_active

Vintage Christmas Finds

    Last weekend I went to the fairgrounds for their antique show, in hopes of finding some mercury glass and bottle brush trees. No luck on the mercury glass beads but I did find some very cute bottle brush trees in white (never saw them in white before) and a tiny paper house from Japan.  I also found an unusual mushroom made from wood and seashells.

A miniature house in the woods, if I find more I can turn my mantel into a village. I used a battery operated flicker
light to make the windows glow.

The house id covered in glitter, but due to age, you really can't see it.

My sea shell mushrooms

The bottle brush tree is decorated with pipe cleaners and beads.

I did find a tutorial on how to make your own bottle brush trees and I am eager to start my own rainbow forest. You can find the tutorial at the blog Just Something I made.

The coupons are coming!

Mark your calendars, I will be offering 3 separate coupons for the Holiday season good at my Etsy store.

On Black Friday (Nov. 29) enter code BLACKMINK and receive 20% off your purchase of $10 or more.
On Small Business Saturday (Nov 30) enter SMALLSATURDAY and receive a Thank you coupon good for $5 off your next purchase of $20.
On Cyber Monday (Dec 2) enter MINKMONDAY and get free shipping (US only) on order over $50.

One coupon code per day and only for the day they are offered on! Get your shopping done early and support an independent local business-----me!

Trinity Lutheran Craft Show Post Mortem

  Another craft show....well, I made up my table fees plus $5. I guess that is a success. Especially if you account that I sold mainly $2-$3 items.
   I never get what people are going to buy, I guess if I did I would be a millionaire marketing genius and would be living in a fabulous New York City apartment.
    Last show I sold triangle treat boxes, decorative paper origami shoes, Halloween Bingo cards, hats, and crepe paper cats. Everyone wanted more black cat items and "Fall" items. So I quick whipped up some more cat pins, Fall/ Thanksgiving items and more witch shoes since I sold out. Did people buy them? NO!
    My Halloween tree of chenille stem owls and pumpkin people was nearly stripped bare by the end of the day. That's..all...I...sold......oh, and a Christmas ornament.....A lady wanted to buy a pumpkin floral arrangement, but her husband told her the flowers would just die and that something long lasting would make a better hostess gift. She apologized. But, still....stupid husband. If your wife wants some flowers, let her buy them!!!
    I just need an upscale Holiday market to show in.....Or I need more people visiting my shop and buying stuff......

Vintage Dance Card Postcards

These aren't those cool dance cards from "The Major and the Minor", these are cool dance cards that teach you how to dance. Picked these dandy postcards up a while back.....Not that you'll be at the level of Dancing with the Stars, but at least you'll have some moves to try out at your next party!

Lake County Fairgrounds, October 2013

    Another trip to the fairgrounds this weekend. It was supposed to be vintage fashion but that seemed to be sadly lacking. There were many different kinds and colors of fur coats, so if you wanted to go as a hooker, I suppose you could find that baby blue cropped rabbit fur coat to complete your ensemble.
   But there were a few surprises. I finally managed to snag a decent antique Ouija board to use in my displays when I show my crafty Halloween goodness. The garden truck parked outside the fair grounds had a plethora of squash, one of which I bought. Its called the ghost squash and looks like those little bugger in the Pac-man game.

Ghost squash. Mine is an octo-ghost squash. To draw eyes or not to draw eyes........

Then , there was this guy. The woman who ran the booth said "Ken had to take one for the team", I wonder if the Headless HorseKen will ever appear on "Sleepy Hallow"???