WIP Wednesday: There's always time for hellos and goodbyes

It's the last week of October, so I'm saying goodbye to one month and hello to another.  But that theme has repeated itself throughout the week.

First, a bittersweet goodbye as a local yarn store closes.  Farewell, Old Oaks Ranch.  I'll miss the statue garden and the alpacas, but I'll look forward to the new yarn stores which may be opened in its wake.  And I'll always have the closing sale yarn purchases to remember it by:

Apparently I start stashing when I feel sentimental.  Or any other emotion.  I had seen the skein of Araucania Puelo during the Crawl and liked it, so I went ahead and got it this time.  I also got two balls of Liberty Wool Light, because I always like their color mixes, and this chartreuse, gray, cream and lilac is no exception.  I'm thinking a pair of yoga socks, and maybe enough for some matching mitts?  And then, three colorways, two skeins each, of Llama Lace.  You gotta love the name.  And after seeing someone else's WIP in the store using it, I couldn't choose between them and just brought them all home with me.

Also coming home with me is my own alpaca!

No, not one of those, unfortunately.  An alpaca needle felting kit, including naked alpaca starter:

Cute, no?

On a happier note, I also bid adieu to one of my WIPs, the Christmas knit.  It feels good to get that one completed and move on to the next gift.  This one I'm going to sew!  In the meantime, I'm also making progress on my selfish knit, the Fruit Loopy Shawl.  It's still colorful and makes me smile whenever I pick it up.

Everything isn't coming to an end, though, some things are starting up in November.  Specifically, NaNoWriMo.  I've mentioned this before, but basically, I'm going to be trying to write 50,000 words over the course of the 30 days in November.  I know it's 'Novel' writing month, but I'm actually working on a collection of short stories.  Shh, no one tell the strict NaNo dictators or I'll be smeared with red ink and thrown in a life-sized slush pile.  Just kidding.  I'm looking forward to the mad panic of blurting all of the words onto the keyboard and getting the stories out of my head.  And hopefully attending some write-ins to engage in that very specific kind of socializing that involves staring at your computer and working intensely…around other people doing the same thing.  Communal isolation.

Alright, so those are the beginnings, middles, and endings for this week's WIP.  For more posts, visit Tami's Amis.

Cubicle kitchen: Dessert Tea Sandwiches

Whenever I bring my treats into the office, I feel like a parent dropping their kid off at kindergarten for the first time.  I'm a little bit proud, a little bit scared, a little bit excited.  I know I should just leave them to fend for themselves and make friends, but I want so desperately to follow them around and make sure everyone likes them.

Is it wrong to think of baked goods as children?  It's probably wrong.  But then again, it's also probably wrong to make a frosting sandwich.  Out of bread baked with ice cream.  So wrong is clearly not something I'm concerned with.

But back to the metaphor.  These were yet another child that I knew was gifted with deliciousness, but their uniqueness made me anxious to explain exactly what they were.  I usually try to come up with something snappy, but this time I just reverted to 'bread made from birthday cake ice cream then sandwiched with frosting'.

This recipe is really very, very simple.  Aside from returning the recipe to it's original loaf pan rather than Bundt cake shape, I didn't change much from Katrina's recipe.  I did bake it longer, and even then found it ever so slightly underdone in the center.  One thing I did which I've left out of the recipe is the addition of chocolate chips.  Because though they were delicious, they made slicing thinly more difficult.  You could, of course, make your own frosting.  I do think that you would want to go with something light and fluffy like this Cool Whip frosting, though.  Nothing too thick or overly sweet.  Because that would be too wrong.

The reason I chose the name Dessert Tea Sandwiches is because I think these would be perfect at a little girl's tea party.  You know, for those of you who are parents of actual children, and not just cupcakes.

Dessert Tea Sandwiches
Adapted from In Katrina's Kitchen: Cake Batter Ice Cream Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups premium ice cream, softened* (I used Blue Bell's Birthday Cake flavor)
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 container Cool Whip frosting (I used Chocolate)

* Leave on the counter for 10-15 minutes, or scoop some out and microwave for short bursts (not entirely melted).  Measure after softening.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix ice cream and flour until fully incorporated.
3. Pour into loaf pan (mine was about 6" x 11") lined with parchment paper, use a spatula to gently even out batter.
4. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool completely.
6. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Cut these slices in half again.
7. Frost slices and make sandwiches.  Chill in the fridge before slicing into triangles.

Monday Movie Madness: A Place of One's Own

This isn't exactly a review, because I can't tell you how good this objectively was, and I'm not exactly recommending that you pop this into your DVD player any time soon.  Think of this week's Madness more as me sharing a movie experience with you.  Just for the sake of it.

Every so often, I'll be flipping through the channels and find myself caught up in something on Turner Classic Movies.  Aside from showing some very interesting things, they don't have commercials, so there's no 'easy out' to snap me out of the story and move me along to a rerun of 'Castle' or another fascinating real estate adventure with 'House Hunters'.

Speaking of 'House Hunters', the movie I randomly found myself watching last week was sort of related.

'A Place of One's Own' was a 1945 film produced by Gainsborough Pictures, a studio that released a series of melodramatic films that were unrelated, but had the same general tone and employed a recurring cast of actors.  From what I can gather, I would say that they were the cinematic equivalent of a beach read: popular escapist fare.  Except that instead of being paired with sun and sand, these were vaguely moody distractions from World War Two.

This one is a ghost story, where the haunting is represented entirely by the eerie playing of a piano and the actress' portrayal of possession.  It all starts when an older couple buys a house, fulfilling their lifelong dream.  There are rumors about the house being haunted, but of course they don't indulge in such silly fancies.  Along with them are some servants and a young woman, Annette, who is a companion to the wife.  Where has that career path disappeared to?  Companion.  Only Time Lords seem to get to have one anymore.

Moving swiftly on, Annette proceeds to engage in classic young heroine activities, such as getting engaged to a local doctor.  And, of course, just when things appear to be ending happily ever after...cue the eerie piano playing.  Annette become possessed by the ghost of a young woman who died under mysterious circumstances and has some unfinished business with a handsome young doctor of her own.

I won't say this was a fascinating film, but it was intriguing.  It's always interesting to see pieces of pop culture that aren't the one or two masterpieces.  It gives you a different perspective on the people making and taking the culture.  Maybe it was because I was about to go to an alumni event for Sarah Lawrence, but I couldn't help but think that these films would be rife with conference paper topics.  There's so much going on here having to do with home ownership, which kept me from changing the channel more than wondering what would happen to poor little Annette.

For more madness, go to Amaryllis Musings.

Inspiration Saturday: LC's cables and lace sweater

It's funny the way things turn out, isn't it?  'Laguna Beach' was a high school guilty pleasure of mine, following privileged teenagers socially scamper in ways which were totally foreign to me.  I couldn't really relate to most of their drama, but part of what drew me in was the fact that these kids were going to prom and graduating and going through all of these basic steps at the same time I was.  I distinctly remember watching a marathon one weekend my senior year, and thinking, 'Wow, that's going to be me in just a few months.'  And then they made teary goodbyes to their family and friends at the end of the summer as they went away to college a few episodes later and my heart raced again.

Who could have guessed that many years later, I would be buying clothes designed by one of those 'kids'?  Lauren Conrad (or 'LC' as she's been known since the Laguna days) went on to have her own spin-off reality show, but now she's pretty successfully transitioned into fashion design.  She has also written some novels, which aren't really on my short-list of books to read, but I find myself consistently being drawn to her pieces for Kohl's.  The tend to be on the delicate feminine side with some nice details.

So this week, my inspiration is based on one piece in particular from her latest October collection:

The giant teddy bear might be a bit distracting, but what I'm looking at here is the sweater.  A simpler shot in another color:

Image from Polyvore

The interesting part about this sweater to me is the use of lace around the neck to back the cables.  You can get really up close and personal on this detail on the Kohl's product page.  I saw it in the store this afternoon and instantly wondered if I could do something like this myself.  Not necessarily the entire sweater, but the concept of using lace as a background to open knit work.  Or for that matter, a printed fabric.  It shouldn't be too difficult, my mom assures me.  I think it would be really interesting to try, and bring some interesting texture and depth to whatever you made.  And I like the idea of mixing and matching various crafts like this.

I'm not sure where I'll be taking this inspiration exactly, but I wanted to share this random find with you all.  For more inspiration, visit Alicia at Woolen Diversions.

WIP Wednesday: The end of a Crawl is just the beginning...

As if last weekend wasn't enough, this past weekend brought even more lovelies into my stash:

1. From Nan's Needleworks: Noro King in two colorways with nondescript names
2. From Happy Ewe: Wooly Wonka Arianrhod in Spice; and a pair of 60" cables for my Knit Picks interchangeables
3. From Gauge (yes, I had to come back again for more!): Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Lichen and Nekkid
4. From Yarnorama: Rowan Fine Tweed in Monsal Dale, Beresford, and Leyburn; and a mystery silk noil wool fingering weight yarn on a cone
5. From WC Mercantile: Sport weight alpaca with angelina from Bluebonnet Hills Alpaca Ranch; and two skeins of sport weight sari silk yarn

First of all, I want to apologize for the different look of the numbers in this graphic.  I had to recreate it on another computer to make sure I could post today.  It irks me, especially since my day job is about documentation standards.  But anyway...

What are my plans for these?  Or, to put it another way, how did I rationalize buying them all?  Well, the Noro was just such an intriguing texture, made up of microfiber, silk, mohair, and wool.  And I love projects that stripe alternating colorways of Noro, so I'm thinking a simple triangle shawl switching the yarn every right side row.

The Wooly Wonka I just love, and this store is one of only four I think that has it in stock.  There were so many gorgeous colors, and fibers as well as yarn, but I really liked the chocolate-y-ness of this one.  And then I remembered that I have some really cute cupcake buttons, which seems only right for a yarn from Wooly Wonka.  Oh, and the interchangeables are to aid me in turning the Wonderland mini skeins from last week into a Mini Mania scarf.

For the next few, I have a very good excuse: good deals!  The Hazel Knits and Rowan were the special 25% off featured yarns for their respective stores.  I'm thinking of dyeing the Nekkid colorway of the Hazel Knits at some point, possibly after I've knitted whatever it is going to be.  The Rowan will probably actually be used to make the pattern provided by Susan at the store:

Color work and bobbles!  I wear fingerless mitts every day in my freezing cold office, so these will make me smile as I'm working hard at the keyboard.

WC Mercantile wasn't technically part of the Crawl, but they advertised in the passport, offering a discount for participants, and once we were at Yarnorama we were halfway there anyway.  I love the stuff they bring to Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta every year, so this was my excuse to buy the exact alpaca yarn I coveted there last time.  Plus some sari silk just for the heck of it.

Whew!  Now it's back to real life.  Except that in two weeks we're planning a trip to Houston to meet up with another Raveler at another yarn store, and then after that it's Kid 'N Ewe Fiber Festival.  I just love fall, don't you?  The good news is that while we were driving I made great progress on my Christmas knitting, so I can finish that up soon and get started on some of these new additions to my queue.

For more WIP Wednesdays, go to Tami's Amis.

Cubicle kitchen: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Blossoms

I hope neither you nor my coworkers are getting sick of my fall-flavored recipes, because here's another one I brought into the office last week.  It starts with the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kiss.  When I think of baking with Kisses, I think of those peanut butter blossom cookies with Kisses stuck in the center.  I don't know why there's no peanut butter Kiss variety out there, because it would be perfect for those cookies.  But in the meantime, I decided to give the classic recipe a seasonal twist, and gluten-free to boot.

I actually made these twice, slightly tweaking the ratios of peanut butter, pumpkin, and sugar between the two attempts.  The pumpkin is the crucial factor, because of the moisture it brings to the batter. Even with the reduced amount, you'll notice that I bake these in mini-muffin pans rather than forming cookie dough balls.  That's because the batter just doesn't quite come together enough to manipulate it.  But once baked they are structurally sound, though the more pumpkin you use, the fudgier the blossoms.

The first time around I used a 1:1:1 ratio of peanut butter, pumpkin puree and white sugar.  For the second try I reduced the pumpkin and mixed in a honey nut butter I had on hand.  Because of the added sweetness, I reduced the sugar. I also switched from brown to white, just because that seemed to go along with the flavors.  Both were tasty, but the second version baked up a little prettier and had a better texture in my opinion, so that's what I've included here.  

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Blossoms
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup pumpkin honey nut butter
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 24 Pumpkin Spice Kisses

Directions

1. At least a few hours before you start, unwrap the Kisses and put them in the freezer.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix all of the ingredients except the Kisses together in a bowl until combined.
4. Drop by the tablespoon into greased mini-muffin wells.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.
5. Immediately after removing from the oven, press a Kiss slightly into the center of each blossom.  Allow to cool before carefully removing from pan.

Movie Madness Monday: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Ah, democracy.  It seems to be working out, for the most part, right?  Sure, sometimes the government shuts down for more than a week, but overall, this whole concept of representation to go along with our taxation is mostly working out.  In the spirit of democracy, I have two things for you.

First, I want to mention that Craftsy has opened their polls on your favorite bloggers in various categories like knitting and baking, two of my favorite things.  Check out all of the nominees and vote for your favorites.

Second, I have a recommendation for a classic, democracy feel-good film:

I remember watching 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' in my high school government class.  I think we were supposed to be learning about politics and graft, but mostly I remember a lot of my fellow female students noticing how dreamy Jimmy Stewart is.  It's one of those self-evident truths that crosses generations.

But aside from that, this is legitimately just a fantastic film.  It's a simple story, not in a bad way, but in a universal way.  Smith is literally a boy scout, the good guy brought into the moral morass of D.C. unaware of the plots being hatched in the inky shadows of all of those patriotic monuments.  His idealism is played for laughs at the start, as the audience knows better than to expect politicians to be sincere.  That's even more true today, when cynicism is prized.  But I defy even the most sarcastic millennial not to be rooting Smith on by the end, and feeling a little glow of civic pride.

I'm pretty sure that part of the reason the filibuster remains a part of our system is because of the positive associations we have with it because of this movie.  Because no one wants to give up on the possibility of Mr. Smith showing up and saving the day with one.  So there's your lesson in democracy for today.  Watch this movie, vote for your favorite blogs, and then apply these same principles in something that actually matters to you.

Don't forget to check out more movie madness from Amaryllis Musings (hey, I recognize that movie!).