it took six years, but wyatt is finally trying to brush his teeth! there is light at the end of the tunnel!!!!
Pongo’s first mama (Debbie) requested some new pictures, so I finally hunkered down and followed Pongo around with the camera!
We adopted Pongo when we lived in Florida, and she is officially Wyatt’s bunny. If you want to see how bonded they are and you want to laugh your behind off, just click here to see the bunny cage incident.
snacking.....
Anyhow, Wyatt is really in love with Pongo, and she in love with him. In fact, he loves her so much, one of his new nicknames is “the bunny liberator”. We have to secure Pongo’s cage now, for Wyatt lets her out, and sometimes it takes us two days to catch her. We love to give her free time, but we prepare that she may be loose for up to three days. Althou, a month ago I had no problem catching her when I found her with our other bunny, who is a boy, and they were well, use your imagination, and I dove, catching both of them at the same. We still don’t know how Wyatt got our other bunny cage unlocked.
sweet but sneaky!
We love her and I know she loves Wyatt, letting him pick her up when he wants. I wish she’d let me do that! Anyway, spoiled bunny, and we can’t thank Debbie, and Pre-K for giving us this wonderful bunny!
close up of waist band
Finally I had the chance to tweak my pattern for longies, and now I am happy that I have my own set pattern to work from! These longies are part of a layette set I had been working on, and I wanted to use my handspun, but needed a solid color to go with my multi color. Also, the layette had to be unisex, for the baby is going to be a surprise.
newborn sized longies
The Scoop:
Pattern: Longies by Big Sky Mountain Designs
Yarn: My Handspun Hand-Dyed Blue Faced Leicester Singles Spun on my Louet Wheel, Cascade 220 Solids
Needles: US Size 6 Circular Needles, US Size 8 Circular & DP Needles
Special Techniques: I-Cord, Stockinette St., Garter Stitch, Kitchener Stitch
crochet baby booties - sized small
The Scoop:
Yarn: My Handspun Hand-Dyed Blue Faced Leicester Singles Spun on my Louet Wheel, Cascade 220 Solids
Hook: Size F
I’ve made so many of these booties I think I could make them in my sleep. But I love the pattern and always happy with how they come out.
snuggling with bear
close up of cabling along side of leg and gusset
Okay, I have finished pair two of Yarnissima’s sock patterns. Kiila was a very interesting sock with a cable pattern built into the gusset area.
close up of gusset and heel turn
Very teeny cables went along the sides of the foot and the leg. The directions to the pattern were very clear. This time I decided to knit both socks at the same time, because I am famous for slightly changing my gauge as I go.
teeny side cables
As with the Brainless sock, the technique of cabling without a cable needle was much easier this time, and having started my third pair of socks (Firestarter), I am very comfortable with dropping a loose stitch now.
entire sock
The Skinny:
Pattern: Kiila by Yarnissima
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Hand Dyed Shepherd Sock, 80% Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon, 1 skein
Colorway: Maple Grove
Size Made: The Largest! Eur 42-43 (because of the size needle I used)
Needles: 2 – 2.75mm – 24 inch Circulars, 2.75mm DPs for toe
Special Techniques: Judy’s Magical Cast On For Toe Up Socks, Cabling Without A Needle, Sock Blockers
My Notes: Yarnissima’s style of pattern writing was easier this time around having made the Brainless socks. If I were to make these socks again, I would use a solid color yarn or a colorway that was dramatically lighter to along the patterned cabling to pop. It is a bit lost because of the strength of the colors. I altered the way I knitted the pattern because of using the one circular needle technique, so I had to be extra careful to read the directions. Knitting both socks at the same time yielded both socks the same. I use a larger needle size because of my foot size. As usual, I blocked on Sock Blockers, the pattern blooms once sock is worn.
That’s it!
Kiila Socks
i think .......
i am .......
going to be .......
an actor someday!
(just smile)
arroz rojo
I love a good bowl of rice, and especially a mexican inspired spicy rice dish with cilantro mixed in. I fooled around with the ingredients and came up with a version we like, althou I rarely make the same dish exactly the same way each time.
But I must confess, I have a secret ingredient that I can not part with.
yum yum ro-tel
I first discovered Ro-Tel the first time I lived in New Mexico. And I remember when I moved to Florida I packed several cans to take there. In Chicago I had no problem finding it. And when we lived in New York, I’d never seen Ro-Tel and couldn’t find it the second time we moved to NY.
Ro-Tel is one of the few canned ingredients I keep stocked. I LOVE it. I think it is starting to gain popularity outside of the southwest, so you may be able to find a can here or there (Ro-Tel is out of Texas and has been around for a long time – I think the Homesick Texan Blog did a bit of history about Ro-Tel).
If you can not land your hands on a can of Ro-Tel, you can substitute with a good brand of diced tomato.
I also use chimayó chile (powdered) which gives this dish a down right kick, but you can omit chile powder – do not used the chili powder available in spice selection – it is not the same thing. If you can’t find Ro-Tel or New Mexican type chile powder, use a can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 to 1 jalapeño diced super fine.
arroz rojo
ARROZ ROJO (Red Rice)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 can Ro-Tel
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon red chile (powder)
1 ¼ cup chicken stock
Optional: cilantro leaves
1. Heat veggie oil over medium-high heat and sauté garlic for 1 minute (do not brown or burn). Then add all ingredients except cilantro. Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce heat to simmer.
2. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone. Quickly stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes with not heat.
3. Before serving, add cilantro the way you want it (chopped and stirred in, or sprinkled on top).
AND BECAUSE I AM KINDA CRAZY I ADD FRESH GREEN CHILE TO BOOT!
Yummy! Enjoy 
arroz rojo
mini mochi yarn by crystal palace
As I thought about New Year’s Resolutions, and commitments that I could actually follow thru on (laugh), I came up with the idea that it would be fun to pick one sock designer and knit all their patterns. A difficult decision lie ahead for I LOVE Cat Bhordi, but I continue to think about Yarnissima’s designs. Long ago, I tried a pair of her socks, and my gauge came out all wrong so I already knew what I needed to do to fix that.
brainless socks
I did decide to do Yarnissima’s patterns, and will reserve Cat Bhordi’s designs for 2011 (she has a lot more than just socks). Researching Yarnissima’s site, I narrowed down the patterns I wanted to do (one pattern was not available, one was a child sock, and one I did not like so I omitted them from the list). I also took in consideration that I knit a pair of socks for my mom each year, so I settled on 15 designs.
full view - blocked on sock blockers
Brainless – 1/15 – Pattern by Yarnissima
Yarn Used: Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace – 80% Merino Wool/20% Nylon – Machine Washable – 2 Skeins
Needles Used: 1 – 2.75mm – 24 inch Circular Needle, 2 – 2.75mm DPNs
Size: Large EUR 42-43
Special Techniques: Judy’s Magical Cast On for Toe Up Socks
close up of gusset
My notes: These socks are knit from the toe up. I worked 11 to 12 pattern repeats on the leg, and used a very stretchy cast off. I really had to pay attention that I was not absentmindedly tighten my gauge throughout the leg. I used a larger needle size than recommended because I tend to have a tighter gauge when knitting socks, and the sock was for a larger foot.
i love the funky rainbow colors!
I absolutely love the gusset. It provides a structure that prevents stretch at the top of the ankle where a lot of patterns get distorted. I did not have any problems with the pattern, but I did have to carefully read in order to understand the author’s lingo. I blocked these socks, and the pattern blooms once you put the sock on!
thank you honey for taking this picture(he does not like my camera!)
I feel like I am forgetting something, if I remember, I will add it later. Now off to post these at Ravelry.
harley wyatt
harley waytt
