I really ought to do this cooking thing more often

Two posts in one day? And this one not even about knitting, but I wanted to remember the food that I ate.


1. Lightly roast some random amount (a handful? I think it was less than a cup) of pine nuts. Set aside
2. Roast Israeli couscous in pine nut oil, then set to simmer with the liquid as per directions.
3. Saute 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and 1 yellow squash. When squash is translucent (and everything's mostly done), add in one small can of chickpeas, just so they get warmed up.
4. Combine everything along with some feta, some green onion, and a healthy couple dashes of balsamic vinegar.

Seriously. If I hadn't burnt the couscous (I don't want to talk about it), this would actually be exactly what I had hoped it would be. Weird since I'm not really used to cooking successes, but satisfying.

Boreale

My most recent project (and the one that I'm the most excited to work on) is the Whisper Cables Pullover by Veronik Avery. I'd been wanting to knit most of her patterns for quite some time now, and Loopy is now carrying both yarns in her yarn line, St-Denis. In theory, I'll talk about the pattern when I'm done with it (hopefully it fits? It's always touch and go with me), but first I want to talk about the yarn that I'm working with, Boreale.

Like her first yarn Nordique, Boreale is 100% wool, made in the US, and comes in a wide range of colors. I know when Veronik was at Loopy, she talked about the way it's spun, but I don't remember the details, except that the structure of the spin might be different than most machine spun, commercially available wool. It's plied so it doesn't seem that it will pill. I woudn't go so far as to call this yarn amazing soft, but it's also not scratchy. I could see using this for any project, be it cables, lace, or just simple stockinette. It's reasonably priced for the yardage and the colors, and seems to me that it'd make a fabric that could be worn for years.

I do have some reservations about this yarn; when soaking, it seems to bleed a little. I don't know if this is just the magenta or if it will happen with all colors, but my water definitely ended up pink. This didn't make a noticeable difference in the final color though, and I do not know if it will continue to bleed. I'm also onto my 4th ball, and have encountered three knots and a little bit of vegetable matter. It does spit splice amazingly so this wasn't a huge deal breaker for me, but because I otherwise have such a huge knitting-crush on Veronik, it was a little disappointing.

So, there you have it. In general, I think this is a good all purpose yarn when you're looking for fingering weight that will stand up to a lot and need a variety of really rich colors.

Red Lentil Soup

Made this soup tonight with just a few modifications. Whoa man is it good.

• Doubled the onion, celery, and carrots. Left out the tomatoes, and used four cloves of garlic.
  
• Two cubes of chicken bouillon in two cups of water, and then five cups of water.
• About 1.75 cups of red lentils.

It's super simple, and something that I'd eat again.

Daaang

I should update.

I'm knitting a whole lot lately, but feel like I don't have too much to show for it. I'm not really sure why... maybe it's because I've been sample knitting? Sample knitting is fun and has been a great way to try out new things-- patterns, yarns, techniques-- that I otherwise wouldn't have even looked twice at, but it does mean that my hard work goes out the door. Seeing as I live in a fairly small apartment, and already have too many sweaters and hand knits, that is probably a good thing, but still leaves me feeling like I have nothing to show for my work. And, you know, if I remembered to take pictures of the things before I gave them to the store, or whoever else they should be going to, I'd probably not really feel that way.

In other news, I finally finished my Fireside! It's beautiful, and I've been wearing it once a week since I seamed it. It does still need buttons, but I kind of like it open. It's probably the warmest thing that I've ever made, which is good for me.