FO x 2

Kristina received her Green Grass Sweater yesterday and called me at lunch to tell me how much she liked it. Yeah! She promised to send a picture of her trying it. Here's some I took before I sent it off to her.



So that's one FO. The other FO (finished object) is my Patons Bella wrap. Just needs to be blocked. Very exciting.

And last night, I finally finished knitting all the parts of my MIL's bright red cardigan and sewed the shoulder seams. Much more remains before that one is done but the end is in sight. At least on the same page of instructions!

It's amazing... all year I've been moaning about how I haven't finished many items so far and then in one month, looks like there will be three. How does that happen?

Weeknight Date

It's sad that a date on a weeknight happens so infrequently that I feel the need to mark the occasion. Nevertheless... Max and I had dinner at home, creamy pesto spaghetti with roasted garlic bread. So totally yum! For dessert, we went to Cold Stone Creamery and shared a small bowl of Monkey Bites. Then we went to the movies to see Take the Lead. What a great movie! Antonio Banderas was so hot - I don't care if he's almost 50. I felt like dancing through most of the movie and would totally recommend it, especially if you've seen Mad Hot Ballroom. They're both based on the "dancing classroom" in New York started by Pierre Dulaine in 1994.

It was so nice to go out just the two of us!

MD Sheep & Wool

Yesterday, Erin and I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. The weather was great. There was so much yarn to look at and touch, sheep (MEH!) and goats and alpacas to see, contest winners' entries on display to look at, and so many yummy food smells. It was truly a festival, not just a fair. Talk about sensory overload! We had such a good time, bought some wonderful goodies, and by 2pm we had tired ourselves out. Lunch was beef hotdogs, french fries, and cotton candy. We both forgot our cameras so unfortunately, no pictures from yesterday. Here's a look at what I brought home:



A close-up of the goodies:


I was thinking maybe a tank top for the silver microfiber ribbon and Bloom for the Big Loop yellow boucle yarn.

Something new

This week I finally finished the Green Grass Sweater. All to be revealed once it has been washed, dried, and mailed off to Kristina.

Of course then I had to start something new! Nevermind my other UFOs, though at least this new project did take care of one of those. I decided the Patons Bella Cardigan was a no go. It has become the Patons Bella Wrap. Based on this pattern:



And here's how it looks so far:



In only two days, it's almost done. Extra bulky yarn on size 17 needles. Love it! Perfect for the office now that the A/C is on full blast.

Secret Pal 8 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Bamboo, cashmere, alpaca. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Itchy acrylic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Needle case and large tin

3. How long have you been knitting? Since December 2004. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Intermediate

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes!

5. What's your favorite scent? Cinnamon apple, vanilla, and anything flowery

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes! Favorite candy? Snickers, jelly beans, Crunchie, Werther's, Payday

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? A little crochet, gardening, cooking, baking. Do you spin? No.

8. What kind of music do you like? Jewel, Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Daniel Powter. Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? Yes.

9. What's your favorite color? Blue! Any colors you just can't stand? Bright pink, orange, lavender, and anything murky

10. What is your family situation? Married, no kids. Do you have any pets? Two cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Hats

13. What are you knitting right now? Cardigan for my MIL. UFOs: shawl for myself, sweater for myself, socks for myself

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Either is fine. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Bamboo or wood.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? A small ball winder.

17. How did you learn to knit? My sister taught me.

18. How old is your oldest UFO? Almost a year old.

19. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (or my birthday)

20. Is there anything that you collect? Other than yarn and knitting needles, not really...

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Handknit Holidays, ebony or glass needles. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Knitting socks on double pointed needles, entrelac

23. Are you a sock knitter? Not really, still haven't finished my first pair. What are your foot measurements? Size 7

24. When is your birthday? June 18.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Erin and Simon came over for dinner on Saturday. We had the Heirloom Tomato Tart, Potato Salad with Dill, and Chocolate Fondue for dessert. We ate, Max and I told them about our trip to Berlin, and after dinner we played Uno and watched our wedding video. Tons of fun!

HEIRLOOM TOMATO TART

For black pepper parmesan pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan or romano
1/2 teaspoon (freshly grated) black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For filling
3/4-1 lb fresh mozzarella (not unsalted), very thinly sliced
1/2 cup pesto
2 lb mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced 3/4 inch thick

Special equipment: pie weights (or raw rice)

Make pastry the night before: Blend together flour, butter, shortening, parmesan, pepper, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
Gently squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together without falling apart, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated, continuing to test. (Do not overwork dough, or it will become tough.)

Turn out dough onto a work surface (and divide into 2 portions). With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather both portions of dough into 1 ball, then pat into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until more firm, about 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll out dough between two layers of plastic wrap (or on a lightly floured surface) into a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch round (tart) pan with a removable rim. (Roll rolling pin over top of pan to trim dough flush with rim.) Lightly prick tart shell all over with a fork.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights (or rice). Bake in middle of oven 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool in pan on a rack. Keep covered, at room temperature.



Fill tart shell a few hours before dinner: (Remove side of pan and slide shell onto a platter.) Arrange one third of mozzarella in bottom of shell and spread one third of pesto over cheese. Arrange one third of tomato slices, overlapping, on top of cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering twice.

Gourmet July 2001

Do-over almost done

This is a picture from earlier this week, so tonight the sleeves are much farther along. Though now, I'm starting to worry that I might not have enough yarn to finish... and of course when I mention to Max we might need to go to the store to get more, he asks, "Do you think they'll have it?"

Nice.

German words I learned (or knew) on the trip

Apfel (Apple)
Biere (Beer)
Bitte (Please)
Blau (Blue)
Brote (Red)
Coke (Coke)
Danke (Thank you)
Deutch (German)
Döner (Kebab sandwich)
Doppel (Double)
Ein (One)
Eis Creme (Ice cream)
Gesundheit (Bless you/Health)
Guten Tag (Good day)
Haus (House)
Ja (Yes)
Kaffe (Coffee)
Käse (Cheese)
Nicht/Nein (No)
Passportkontrolle (Passport Control)
Stop/Stopp (Stop)
Straße (Street)
Wall (Wall)
Wasser (Water)
Weiss (White)
Wit gaz (Carbonated)
Wurst (Sausage)

Edited to add: Toiletten (Toilets)

European Fashions

Max Mara, Berlin

In my experience, whatever is in fashion in Europe usually takes a year or so to hit the United States. Styles, colours... doesn't seem to matter. On my honeymoon in Paris, I bought two plum shirt tops. They were so different than anything I had in my waredrobe... about 18 months later, it was all over tha place. Next summer we'll be wearing dresses with stripes and flowers, sneakers with jeans, or high heels with shorts - and it will be cool!

Unfortunately, since it was Easter while I was in Berlin the only piece of clothing I bought is a hoodie sweatshirt from the Pegasus Hostel.

Catching Up

on my blogging... on my emails... on work… on sleep... on Bloglines... on my knitting... well, maybe not totally caught up on any of these things but at least the normal rhythm is coming back. I will need to wean off my dependence of caffeine slowly in the next few weeks. To start, I'm drinking some weak ass American coffee. Mmmm Mmm.

Green Grass Sweater
Over the weekend I finished knitting the front and back. I bound off last night. There are no pictures. Tonight I will cast on the arms and knit these simultaneously. There's still hope that I could finish the sweater by the end of the month (Sunday) but, we'll see.

Exercise
Max and I went to the gym on Saturday and Sunday. It's been awhile since we've done this. And though I gained a little weight on vacation, I'm actually in better shape than when I left. Maybe it was all the walking on so little sleep or maybe it was breathing the thin air (read: smoky). In any case, my workout yesterday was great - a joy. Almost an entire hour at the gym (alot for me) and I still felt great. Now, if only I can keep it up.

Berlin: Part Three of Three

I did not make it down for breakfast on 4/16 and I really wanted to because Jan and Inga were leaving first. Luckily I did manage to pull it together before noon and make it downstairs before they left. Max even saved a little something for me from breakfast. Next Vanessa, Javi and Silla left. It was probably only 2pm but it was time for a nap. Peter was gone when I woke up. The remaining group was in the Game Room in the basement of the Pegasus Hostel playing pool and foosball, drinking and smoking. I was hungry and so I went to the Doner Kebap place for a börek. I had no idea what it was when I was eating it but it was pretty good. Mostly pastry. After I'd finished eating, Darren and I played a game of pool against Hary and Linda. We won! Claudia met us at the hostel at 6pm and we all hung out until 7:30pm when Tilman and Linda left for the airport.



For dinner, alot of places were closed since it was Easter Sunday. Ida, Darren, Melissa, Anthony, Claudia, Hary, Max, Vince and I went to a Greek restaurant. I had a semi-sweet white wine (turned out to be a Greek summer wine) and a gyro dish. I had originally ordered lamb cutlets but when it came, it wasn't cutlets but cuts of meat. So I made Darren trade with me. Ida saw an old co-worker at the restaraurant haviing dinner with his girlfriend. We all received complimentary ouzo after the meal. I think Ida was the only one who liked it. Then we went back to the hotel. We sat in the common room and played "who am I?" (Michael Jackson? Jesus Christ? Nicole Kidman? Tiger Woods? Shirley Temple? Mao Zedong?) and a few rounds of Uno. By then it was 3:30am, so we all went to sleep - an early night!

In the morning, Darren, Max and I said good-bye to Ida and Melissa. Max and I went for a walk, hoping that by 11:30am, the other three guys would be awake and ready to go out.



We passed by a church that had been converted into a kind of concert hall, walked through the cemetary next to it - all the plots were really small and it was very quiet. At 11:30am, we went back to the hostel but only Darren was ready to go out. He had left a note for the guys to meet us later for lunch at 2pm.

The three of us took the subway for the first time sans Germans and headed towards Checkpoint Charlie. Stopped for Starbucks on the way. Was sidetracked by a cool building, which turned out to be the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin (we only went to the gift shop since you had to pay to get in). Made it to Checkpoint Charlie, took some pictures, stood in line for the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie but didn't go in because the entrance fee was 9,50 EUR. Instead we went into the giftshop and Darren got a piece of the wall for his brother. We kept on walking, stopped at an ATM (as it turns out, cheaper than changing money at the airport), and went into this awesome chocolate store, Fassbender & Rausch. They had a huge Titanic made out of chocolate in the window. Max and I bought a little chocolate for ourselves and some for Gretchen who was looking after Erin and Brookline while we were gone. My feet were killing me from all the walking and so after we left the store, I began walking very slowly. We passed the Berliner Ostermarsch (couldn't tell if it was a parade or a political rally) on the way to meet Anthony, Hary, and Vince at the Sony Center. Max took a picture of me and Darren outside the Canadian Embassy.

For lunch, we went to Andy's Diner & Bar for lunch. It was one of the few places during the whole trip that was not that smoky. There was only one person in the whole place smoking. It was such a relief! Most of us had hamburgers since all the food on the menu was American anyway. After lunch we walked to the Berlin Jewish Musem. I looked all over for something about knitting but this was the best I could find:



After we left the museum, we sent a text message to Claudia to meet us back at the hostel at 7:30pm for dinner. We went to Gruss Gott im Alpen-Wirt, a very German restaurant only one block from the hostel. Very good food. Darren and I started bickering across the table (in fun) like brother and sister (according to Hary). Claudia had to leave after dinner and said her good-byes to me and Max. The rest of us stayed for dessert and more beer. We returned to the hostel, played Uno, had some more döner and Turkish pizza around midnight and called it an early night around 2:30am since me Darren, Max and I were leaving in the morning.

On 4/18, I woke up early because of Max's Blackberry. Once we were ready, we stripped the linens (as the hostel requests) and brought them downstairs before we had our breakfast in the cafe. Darren was able to go across the street and get an open-faced egg sandwich from a place that had been closed all weekend for Easter. After breakfast, Hary, Anthony, and Vince were all awake to see us off. Max, Darren, and I took a cab to Tegel around 10:15am. Max and I checked in - the security was a guy named Andrew Hoffmann from British Columbia who checked our passports. We said our good-byes to Darren and went through security - WAY too initimate of a pat-down. Felt like she was rubbing down a horse. Ugh. Had no problems with our flights and we were back in DC on schedule.

Did I miss anything?

Berlin: Part Two

I don't know the German word for two. Where were we? [Checking yesterday's post and the pictures]

On 4/15, most of the group made it down to the cafe for breakfast. Some looking worse for wear than others. I sat with Max, Melissa, and Peter. Very little talking, we just drank our coffee and waited for our brains to wake up.



We took the subway to Potsdamer Platz. I rode with Darren as his "guest" on his ticket. Not that anyone checked. There's a great group photo on Mattie's camera. After we walked over to the Sony Center, the group split up into smaller groups. I stayed with the "let's sit outside in the sun, relax and have coffee" group... Max, Jan, Inga, Linda, Anthony, Vince, Darren, Hary, Tilman, and Peter. There was Döner. After awhile, we took the subway back to the hostel. I took a nap for a few hours. Anthony and Tilman were playing ping pong in the court yard when I woke up.

For dinner we had Indian. I was a little afraid that, even though I took Zantac before we started eating, my stomach may not be able to handle it. And with 20 other people, I didn't want to be the one person who made everyone else eat somewhere else. At our end of the table, Mattie, Ida, Anthony, and Max decided to order off the menu instead of getting the fixed price menu. We ordered nan, garlic nan, rice (of which I ate alot), tandoori chicken (tried a little and it was not bad), spinach and cheese (seemed too risky to try it), and a duck dish (that was only a little spicy and very tasty). We also had white wine and a mango mixed drink that was good.

After dinner we took the subway to meet Celia at a bar, San Remos. It was the last night the whole group was together. Hary convinced Darren to move to Australia. More pictures were taken. It was very smoky and half the group left around midnight (drinks in hand) to go back to the hostel to drink. It was a very late night, just talking and drinking. Mattie and Tish said their goodbyes since they were leaving in the morning before most people would be awake. It was sad for me seeing the group start to break apart.

To be continued...

Berlin: Part One/Ein

It's not possible to recap in one post, so consider this a mini-series.

We left on 4/12, met up with Anthony in New York, and the three of us flew to Berlin together. We arrived in the morning on 4/13 and took a taxi from Tegel to the Pegasus Hostel. Right away I noticed the cigarette smoke and everyone smoking everywhere. It was cold too, spring had just barely arrived. Good thing I brought my winter coat.

Linda was already at the hostel, having just arrived minutes earlier from the airport. Darren, Hary, and Vince were already checked in and upstairs asleep. Anthony went to wake them up at 10:30am. We hung out in the common room as more people from our group started to arrive, hugging and talking and the first beers came out at 12:15 (only 2 euro).



By 2pm, the Germans (Tilman, Jan, and Inga) had arrived and began to organize us. Our room was on the 5th floor - no elevators. We went out for lunch/dinner to an Italian restaurant. Passed the Berlin Wall on the way there. Claudia met us at the restaurant. Really good food and great service. Vince was in the corner working on his taxes (on his laptop) because he had forgotten that tax day was going to be while he was away. The wait staff was so patient about settling everyone's bill individually. After our lunch/dinner, we went to a bar. Mattie and Vanessa arrived after we had been there for awhile. The smoke burned my eyes and bothered my throat but we stayed until 10:30pm. Max and I went back early while everyone else went to another bar. By the time we went to sleep, we had been up for 36 hours.

The next day we had breakfast in the cafe attached to the hostel. Nothing fancy for 5 euros... bread rolls, sliced cheese, sliced meats, nutella, plain cornflake cereal, plain yogurt, muesli, strong coffee or cappuccino, and orange juice.

After breakfast, we took the subway to the center of Berlin and walked around before splitting up into three smaller groups. Me, Max, Darren, and Anthony headed over to Museum Island. We took pictures, went into two of the museums but only briefly to look around near the entrance and buy a postcard, walked through a marketplace, and headed back to the meeting place (Starbucks) to meet up with the rest of the group at 2:30pm. It started pouring rain almost immediately and anyone who was late got very wet.



We had a late lunch at this German bar. I had Coke to drink. In Germany, they serve soda cold but with no ice and Coke is very heavy on the syrup and light on the carbonated water. I had Kasespaetzle to eat, like macaroni and cheese with onions. Very good. Celia joined us for lunch.

After lunch, half the group went back to the hostel to rest. Jan, Inga, Claudia and her boyfriend, Anthony, Hary, Darren, Max and I went to The Story of Berlin Museum and Bunker. We took the 6pm tour of the bunker and then made out way through the museum chronicling 800 years of history. It was really interesting and very information but somewhat depressing.

For dinner, we went to Tian Fu, a great Sichuan restaurant. Rave reviews from everyone. Anthony really wanted the Ma Po Dofu and so we ordered two dishes at our table. He tried his best but he could not finish it. Everything we ordered was really good. It was raining when we left the restaurant. We went to the Eleven N Lounge for drinks. They were really happy to have us and we ran up a huge bill. Most of us stayed there until 4am and then walked back to the hostel.

To be continued...

Out until 5am

Having such a good time! Lots of pictures to share! More later...

Happy Birthday Kristina!*

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Kristina!

1. Worldwide, Kristina is the most important natural enemy of night-flying insects!
2. The only Englishman to become Kristina was Nicholas Breakspear, who was Kristina from 1154 to 1159.
3. It takes forty minutes to hard-boil Kristina!
4. Kristina can pollinate up to six times more efficiently than the honeybee!
5. New Zealand was the first place to allow Kristina to vote.
6. Kristina is the sacred animal of Thailand!
7. Kristina, from the movie of the same name, had green blood.
8. Humans share about fifty percent of their DNA with Kristina.
9. If you kiss Kristina for one minute you will burn six or seven calories.
10. Kristina was banned from Finland because of not wearing pants!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

Tomorrow is Kristina's Dad's birthday - Happy Birthday Father Hyland!

*Make sure you check for FedEx and keep an eye out for Amazon. I'll send you a postcard from Berlin.

Knitty Spring 2006

Since my mind is already on vacation, why not spend the day reading through all the articles in the new issue of Knitty? Why not indeed. :)

Favorite patterns: Tendrils, Convertible, and (especially) Nautie

I would love to make a whole sea of toys (how cool would that be for the 2007 calendar) but with all my other WIPs... sigh... maybe one day. I do have the suggested yarn in three colours, so that may help. I love all the articles - definitely the biggest issue yet. Go Amy! Keep up the good work! I read all 17 articles today, even the ones about spinning and dyeing.

As for the Green Grass Sweater... it's coming back to life. I'm knitting the front and back at the same time and have made it to the waist, almost ready to do the increases for the bust. Since I'm not bringing it with me on my trip, I'm trying to do as much as I can before I leave. Max is afraid I'll lose something (or have it taken away) if I bring my knitting with me so instead I'm bringing some cheap acrylic yarn and a crochet hook to practice my crocheting. Freeform, definitely.

Countdown

Need something to smile about?

Subversive Cross Stitch Notecard Set

by Julie Jackson

How frickin' awesome are these?!?

Do-over

I don't remember using this term when I was a kid so maybe it's an American thing... but that's just what is going to happen. The grass has been trampled, it was cut too short, and now it needs to be replanted if it's going to grow. Sigh. It may not be ready until the end of the month but if it's going to be done right, then I need to do it.

Sorry Ner.

Seaming Green Grass

I seamed this weekend, all 12 seams. Even started weaving in the ends... and then it occurred to me that I should try it on to see how it fit. Do you see where I might have gone wrong? It didn't fit. Fine. But then trying to undo the seams (which, by the way, looked SO perfect and...sigh...) when the ends are tucked in - a little bit of a disaster. It took two days to undo to a point that I could start to fix. The arms need to be longer and MUCH wider. Really, it would have only fit the arms of Misha Barton the first time around. The deadline is in one week. Can I do it?

Flash Your Stash 2006

This is most of the stash. It resides in a wooden chest assembled by my friends and stain by me and Max. There's way more acrylic in there than I'd like there to be but it is useful for people who will not take their clothes to the dry cleaners or hand wash anything. Not naming any names. This is what it looked like before it was organized:


Then there's my special yarn that does not go in the chest but is displayed decoratively on the top of the book shelves in my living room. The bamboo is my favorite and it's so hard for me to decide what to make with it. As I acquire more...






See also Too Busy Freaking Out and A look into the yarn stash

Thank you Carole Sturgeon!Thank you Passport Canada!

My new passport arrived! Processed in 7 working days, it's like a miracle - and what a relief. Carole Sturgeon was the name on the FedEx envelope and so I am assuming it is because of her heroic efforts that I have my passport sooner than I ever thought possible. I'd like to thank my guarantor for signing all the necessary assurances. I'd like to thank Kristina and Darren for being my references... whatever you guys said, it was just right. I'd like to thank Brook at Moto Photo for the horrible but correctly-sized passport photo. And I'd like to thank Max who has had to live with me throughout this sleep-deprived anxiety-ridden time, and all my friends and family who tried to reassure me that everything would be alright and that my passport would arrive in time for my trip to Germany.

Berlin, here I come! In 12 days. :)

Please God don't let me be forgetting anything else.

Finished Green Grass

The knitting part anyway. Here's a finished sleeve:


Here's the back:

Look at that turned hem! Learning new stuff all over the place. With any luck, I should be completely done next week and ready to send it off to Georgia.

Passport update? Nothing but waiting. Sigh with me people. Tuesday will be two weeks since they received the application. That's the very minimum according to Passport Canada. And only if they're really motivated and I have no idea if they are or not. At least tomorrow is Friday!

Totally Me...

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

Random stuff

The Green Grass Sweater is coming along. The sleeves are 13" long from the turning ridge. Almost done!

In other news... I went running after work last night. It was more of a walk-jog-walk-run but I was out there for 20 minutes. Listened to two episodes of Quirky Nomads and Araby by James Joyce (downloaded from iTunes for free).

Tonight I'm going to the optometrist to get my eyes checked so he can tell me that I need a stronger prescription and new glasses. It's only been one year but I can tell. When I wear my glasses, I have to squint to read the text on TV. I remember last year when I wore my new prescription glasses to the movies for the first time, I asked Max, "Why is the screen so grainy?" He just laughed. I guess blurry = smooth. :)

At this moment, I'm listening to "Light My Candle" from RENT on my iPod.

Le sourire

What you can't hear is the annoyingly LOUD chanting "MAY-SON! MAY-SON! MAY-SON! MAY-SON! MAY-SON! MAY-SON!" If you've ever wondered why I don't like watching sports, now you know. Le sourire? It is for the camera.

Busy Weekend

Tonight Max and I are having dinner in DC with some friends at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. Today is Eunice's birthday and so tomorrow we're taking her rock climbing at Sport Rock and having dinner at our house to celebrate. I'll be making Cinnamon-Spiced Moroccan Chicken and brown rice for dinner, sour cream banana bars for dessert.

Sunday will truly be a day of rest because we're going to need it!

Irish Beef Stew

I made this on Sunday in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Max and I have had it for dinner every night this week. There were a few alterations to the recipe, which I will incorporate below.



Irish Beef Stew

1/4 cup vegetable or tea oil
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups beef or chicken stock or broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons butter
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups carrots, scrubbed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper as desired

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and parsley. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a really large pot or wok over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 1 hour. Taste. Add salt and pepper as desired. Discard bay leaves. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer stew to serving bowl and heat up in the microwave. Serve with crusty bread.

Bon Appétit, March 2001
Fidel Murphy’s Irish Pub, Grand Cayman
www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/104817

Green Sleeves

Probably 1/4 or 1/3 done. It's knitting up very quickly with this yarn. I fear the finishing though. It's going to be a lot of seaming... four for the turned hems, two for the shoulders, two to attach the sleeves to the main body, two for the sweater sides, and two for the sleeves. That's twelve. If I do it right the first time! :) Luckily there aren't any pockets.

Too busy freaking out

There was no knitting this weekend... almost anyway. I spent the majority of the weekend freaking out about the whole passport thing and not getting much sleep or exercise. I knit about 4 rows of the front of the Green Grass Sweater - just enough to bind off and be done with the front! Woo hoo!

On Sunday, I went to Knit Happens and bought some beautiful wonderful yarn. There was a 15% off sale to celebrate its 2 year anniversary. I was hoping that buying yarn would make me feel better, and it did - but only temporarily... still, my first purchase of Debbie Bliss yarn and in Cashmerino Astrakhan no less. I've been wanting this for months now. Six balls should make something very nice... one day!



Today I sent in my passport application. Now, I wait.

Panic

My passport has expired. It takes at least 20 business days to get a new one. I may not be able to go to Germany! There is no breathing calmly.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My great grandmother was Irish. Her last name was Fitzpatrick. So that makes me 1/8th Irish! Definitely not enough to be drinking Guiness or green beer but enough for dinner in Old Town Alexandria... maybe at Pat Troy's Ireland's Own's Restaurant and Pub or Murphy's Irish Pub? Or, maybe it's enough that I'm wearing green today!

How Normal Are You?

You Are 75% Normal (Really Normal)

Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal You're like most people most of the time But you've got those quirks that make you endearing You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!

How Normal Are You?

Weeknight date in Canada

Instead of going home after work last night, I went out! Met Max at work and we had dinner at Elephant & Castle: Pub and Restaurant. What a great place! I love the atmosphere and the food was REALLY good. I had the Steak & Mushroom Pie. Max and I shared the Big Ben Brownie for dessert. Everything was very yummy.

We then went to the Canadian Embassy for the Opening Reception of Seascapes - Exhibition by Canadian artist Jérôme Fortin. For me, it was so cool to be in Canada for the evening. The embassy in DC is impressive. The art was interesting and very cool. According to the pamphlet:

Fortin "chooses trivial, banal and common place items such as corks, bottle lids, keys or publications. Their colours, forms, textures, and volumes suggest the flowers, seashells, jewellery, and amulets once collected by the curious for their exotic flavour."

The artist and his wife were there to explain and describe the process. My Dad would have loved it! The art was lot like some of the things my Dad makes in his workshop. I didn't bring my camera but there are tons of pictures on the artist's website.

We made it home on time to take the last shuttle bus. I was able to knit a few rows of the Green Grass sweater and mark where the armhole begins before bed. I'm almost done the front!

A simple, classic purse

Here's my new Aurielle-Carryland purse:



I tried looking online but I couldn't find the same one anywhere. If you want one for yourself and can find it in stores, it comes in black, brown, or navy blue. And only $40!

The faux pewter kitty hook was a present from my parents. We also have this on the wall for our keys

Green Grass Sweater

Here's the progress from Wednesday to Sunday.


The back is finished and the front has been started. You can see the waist shaping and the pin on the right marking where the arm will go once it has been done.



Thankfully it has been going much quicker than I thought it would! I love the green. It's the perfect March colour to be knitting. All other knitting has been set aside so there's not too much else to report.

I finally bought a new purse. It's black leather, something I can use everyday and take to work, not too big or too small, simple lines, no contrast stitching, lots of pockets in the lining, and zippers close. Nothing "fashionable!" You won't believe how long it took to find something so simple and classic. Hours.

Spring is here!

Perhaps only for today and the rest of the weekend but spring is here! The low today is 51 and the high is 70. Which means I could leave the house without a jacket (and I did). Might even be able to eat my lunch outside. I'm aghast that the temperatures in Berlin are still snowy... the low at 28 and the high only 34. Hopefully it will be warmer in a month.

As for my Green Grass sweater, it's coming along well. I finished the turned hem on the back of the sweater Wednesday. Last night I finished the decreases and started the increases for the waist shaping. Already I have about 8" of knitting, size 9 needles seem to make things go quicker. The colour is really nice and the fabric is soft. I think it will be very pretty. Pictures to follow!

Public Transportation

As I was walking home yesterday, I heard a man say to someone, on his cellphone, that he was on his way to the "L" and my first thought was, "He's not from around here." But then it got me thinking... what you call the subway says alot about where you're from. I know that this guy is from Chicago and he is either travelling on business or has just moved here. When I lived in Toronto, I took the subway. Then I moved to Boston and it was the "T." Now that I live in the DC area, I call it the Metro. Perhaps one day we'll move to London and I can ride the "Tube!"

The Wikipedia article on rapid transit speaks to this, "There is no single term in English that all speakers would use for all rapid transit or metro systems." In fact, there's a whole other article that lists all the rapid transit systems around the world.



Here's a picture of Max in Boston from last year. Tell me, what do you call the public transportation in your city? Extra points if you've lived in more than one place with a subway or have travelled and know the local term for it.

International Women's Day (IWD)

March 8th commemorates women's rights and peace. According to Wikipedia, Internation Women's Day "is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women... it is an official holiday in Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, and is observed by men giving the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts."

1857: Women from clothing and textile factories in New York protested what they saw as very poor working conditions and low wages.

1908: 15,000 women marched through New York demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1917: Women's Day founders Klara Zetkin and Aleksandra Kollontai took part in the most famous International Women's Day strike "for bread and peace" led by Russian women in St. Petersburg.

1996: Mayor of Ottawa declares March 8 to be Alanis Morissette Day but she refused to accept this honor because March 8 was already International Women's Day.

Green Grass has arrived!

Not a reference to spring because in Virginia the grass has been green all winter. Nope, I just received my shipment of yarn from Herrschners!!

=

The yarn is Red Heart Soft Green Grass #4412. The top pictured is from a scan of a photocopy from Vogue Knitting Magazine, a pattern designed by Joan Vass.

It will be a birthday present for my BFF, Kristina. She's in grad school studying to be a landscape architecture and usually too busy to check my blog so it will probably still be a surprise when she gets it. As the yarn has just arrive yet, I'll be cutting it damn close if I'm going to get it to her by April 12. I'll be casting on tonight and only knitting this project until it is done. Cross your fingers for me and wish me luck!!

Weekend

Friday night we ordered Chinese take-out for dinner, I made a martini for myself, watched TV, and I did some knitting. That night I had the best dream... I was at the ISB reunion, but we were all at the University of Madison (I know this because I saw my friend Ray Hsu there). We were all on this grassy hill and when I looked around I could see all these people from my class... Anthony, Charles, Darren, Angela, Donald... and we were just hanging out together and talking, eating in the cafeteria. When I woke up, I had the happiest feeling. So of course I had to wake up Max (at 4am) to tell him. :) Then I went back to sleep.

Saturday, I got up before Max and baked a Strawberry-Rhubarb pie from Schmecks Pies & Tarts by Edna Staebler, we watched some cartoons during breakfast, went to the gym, and had a fabulous evening with Erin and Simon. Dinner was great, I got the whole "Buy Netflix" speech, saw their wedding video, and we all had tons of laughs afterwards watching the type of things that show up on Web Junk 20, and I got to borrow Erin's copy of Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter.

Sunday, I got up before Max again and made some homemade granola, we watched some more cartoons during breakfast, I practiced my driving and then we went to the gym, had dinner for lunch, went out for coffee and sat around reading our books at Cameron Perks, watched some TV (only a little Oscars) and I did some knitting. I cast off the left side of the MIL cardigan and I'm working on the right side. After this piece is done, the rest is finishing... sewing seams, knitting the ribbing for the pockets and button bands. There's yarn on the way for Kristina's birthday present and I'm just hoping I can get a major part of the cardigan done before I start something else, again.

My iPod is famous

Chosen for the cover shoot for an article in HR News.

iPods at work hit a sour note for some employers
By Kathy Gurchiek

Some employers see no problem with workers listening to personal music players in the office. Others are beginning to express concerns, however.

Playing is "Another Postcard" by The Barenaked Ladies.

Add yourself!