I'm baaaaaaack!

Hey girlies! Long time no see! My wrist problems aren't over, sadly, but when I saw Nancy at RWA this summer, she made me reeeeeally want to try to come back. Life got in the way for awhile, and I still have to be careful how much knitting I do after writing all day, but....

Okay...deep breath...I'm trying to overcome the dreaded

FEAR OF SOCKS eeeeeeeeeek!

I tried Magic Loop last year or so when I was on here and fell flat on my face. Then I was visiting with Deb Dixon about a new book I have coming out with Bell Bridge Books (Belle Books' womens fiction imprint...the book is called THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA--you wanted to know that, right?;))

Anyway, somehow we got off on talking knitting, and I brought up the aforementioned FOS. Deb assured me she had a sock pattern ANYONE could knit, so I said "Show me!" She sent it...I started hyperventilating...I exchanged 483 emails (okay, 2) and I pulled out the set of 2.5 mm bamboo dps I had on hand plus some gorgeous Brown Sheep Wildfoote Symphony I'd optimistically bought in the Magic Loop days and....

I cast on 15 st each on 4 needles, tried to knit a row...had to lie down and breathe deeply.

Then I got on knittinghelp.com and saw a video where all were cast onto one and divided after...so I did that, started working on the first row...and had to lie down and breathe deeply. :) (You see how much I love you guys and want to be Barbara or Fran when I grow up?)

Another email or two with DD, and after about five rows, I started feeling like, hey! Maybe I can do this! So here's a couple of pictures of my oh-so-humble beginnings!

Jean

Low-fat and Luscious

Pistachio Nut Bread

1 (18 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1 small package of fat- and sugar-free Jello Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix
1 Cup low-fat or fat-free sour cream
1 Cup Egg Beaters (or 4 eggs slightly beaten)
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup water

4 Tablespoons Splenda brown sugar (or regular brown sugar if you prefer)
3 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or any other kind of nut you like)

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, eggs, oil, and water. Beat well until smooth. If batter seems too dry, add a few more drops of oil - but just a few!

In a small separate bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. (Keep the nuts separate if anyone can't have them.)

Spray two 9"x5" loaf pans with the canned baking spray that includes flour.

Divide the batter between the two pans, alternating layers of batter with sugar and nut mixture. (Make one loaf with and one without nuts, if need be.) End with a sugar layer on top. Bake for 1 hour or until loaves are done. Remove from pan and either serve or wrap and freeze for up to one month.

(c) 2009 Fran Baker

Note: For some reason, blogger won't let me upload a picture, but it makes a very pretty loaf.

A perfect gift for scarf mavens

In my new Knit 'N Style Magazine, I found this marvelous gadget: the Scarf Fold-up, from Nancy's Knit Knacks. (How appropriate that another Nancy sells this!)



As your scarf gets longer, you fold and wrap it round the tool. The scarf stays neat and compact: no twisting and tangling. In addition, the Scarf Fold-up has a pair of 8" rulers, a 4" X 4" stitch and row gauge, and a US-Metric needle conversion chart. It holds knitting needles too. All for a mere $11.99. Evidently, a customer suggested this idea and Nancy's 88-year-old mother refined the concept.

Here's the link for any scarf mavens or friends of scarf mavens: http://www.nancysknitknacks.com/Scarf%20Fold-up.htm

You know how I love to knit scarves. This baby is going right on my Christmas wish list!

Yarn Bombing

The Denver Post last week did a story on Yarn Bombing -- anonymous knitters who carry out a kind of textile grafitti by decorating trees, light posts, signs, and other public spaces with pieces of knitting and crochet. It's whimisical and a little weird and certainly surprising.

So -- anyone done any yarn bombing? Ever felt the desire to knit a tree cozy or dress up the local lamppost?

Scarf in use

I had to share this photo of my handsome nephew on his way to a big game, wearing the scarf I lovingly knitted for him. It's always gratifying to see one's FO being used and enjoyed. Go, Demon Deacons!

What's Known as a Teaser . . .

Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you what these socks, Sonny Fox, Wonderama, a backwards spelling bee, and the Luau 500 all have in common.

Really.

Wanna Enhance Your Sock Yarn Stash?

I've come across a terrific way to greatly enhance your sock yarn stash--the "Sock Yarn Knitting Exchange." (And it's also open to crocheters.)

First, you receive a letter (from me) with two names and addresses on it. You send a 100 gr. ball of sock yarn (or two 50-gr. balls--enough to make one pair of socks) to the first person on the letter. Then you send out a new copy of the letter to six knitting (or crocheting) friends with the first name and address from my letter removed, the second name and address in first place, and your name and address in second place.

In short order, you should receive enough yarn to make 36 pairs of socks! Cool, huh? And just as much fun will be seeing who, and where, the yarn comes from.

Now, I know these things often don't pan out exactly as expected. Somewhere along the line, someone usually drops the ball. (Of yarn. Hah!) But I figure if you even receive only one ball of sock yarn, you've broken even. Anything more than that is a bonus.

As it happens, though, I don't know a lot of knitters here. So I'm throwing this open to all of you in yarn cyberspace. If any of you would like to participate in this sock yarn exchange, please e-mail me at elizabeth@elizabethdelisi.com and I'll get your address and send you the info. BTW, this is only open to those in the US and Canada, because of the difficulties of mailing elsewhere. (Not my rule.)

Hope to see lots of you participate!