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Today's thrifting

I wouldn't normally think I needed this if I saw it in the store. But at a thrift store for $1.50 I needed it and it's never been used!! I knew what I'd do with it before I got it home too. It's not old of course and seems well made and sturdy. My KOIGU yarn will rest nicely in there.

Better than before....

I had to make another .... Apple Pie of course. This one better than the last. Taste is essentially the same but the first one was 'soupy'. I followed the recipe but the flour content of 2 TB. was not enough. My friend Jody at Gumbo Lilly advised me to increase the flour to 1/2 cup. Perfect! My lattice top might be prettier on the first one though.

ETA: Uh Oh! It was supposed to be 1/4 cup flour!! Well, it turned out anyway! I did stack it pretty high with apples and juices spilled in the oven. And it's making an awfully good breakfast this morning!

Wore my Paton's 'Must Have Cardigan for the first time today. I do love this sweater! This time of year it's cooler in the house than it is outside sometimes. It kept me warm all day! I'm glad I went with the two toned yarns. I love the 'rag' look. My changes to the sleeves and back seem to make the yarns work well together.

Tis the Season for Apple Pie

The Better Homes New Cookbook was my grandmothers and has sure come in handy for me many times. It's in a binder form which is really great when you're reading a recipe as you cook. I picked apples last Saturday. First Saturday in October is 'Stayman Day'. This is the first pie of a few I hope to bake this Fall. Not bad looking huh? Pastries are not my thing but I think I can handle a pie!

Salsa for Winter...

I had the afternoon to myself so I decided to be a bit constructive and can some salsa. This is a wonderful recipe for Smoked Pepper Salsa. I don't remember where I got it. I used to make it often. We love salsa!

12 or more chipotle peppers
6 lbs. canned diced tomatoes
whole bulb garlic
2 med onions
half bunch green onions
3 fresh jalapenos
4 tablespoons cumin
6 teaspoons oregano
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups white vinegar

Soak chile's in boiling water till soft, chop. (I used almost a whole 7oz. can of La Costena Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce because I couldn't find dried peppers today). Saute vegetables, add spices and tomatoes that have been chopped in a food processor. I left a couple cans as is when opened so it would be a bit chunky. Simmer 1 hour. Add vinegar. Simmer another hour. Can per directions for tomato products. (Water bath for 10 minutes)
I had a some tonight on a Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger and some tortilla chips. Excellent!

Back to the ole Gansey....

Making some headway with my 'Kinsale'. An Alice Starmore Gansey. I didn't want to set in the sleeves so I did the math to pick up stitches at the shoulder. With a size 2 needle no matter how much I work on this it seems to take a long time to see some knitting done. It's knit with Rowan Wool/Cotton.
I WILL wear it this winter!

Bread Wrap

If you're a bread baker you just might need a nice Bread Basket Liner for your bread. It's a great pattern by Kellelynne Hedberg Riley, (Ravelry links) easy and fun to knit too. It's knit with Elann's cotton/linen yarn called Callista. It's shown here keeping cozy a homemade loaf of wheat/flax bread.

So much better than meat and potatoes!

Some nights the family just fends for themselves for dinner. Unfortunately they wouldn't eat this anyway! My dinner was red lentils with Israeli Couscous with cabbage and fresh from the garden chopped tomatoes. I seasoned it with curry, onion, garlic, kosher coarse salt and pepper. Homemade wheat bread, a little real butter and a slice of tomato. Very good and good for you.

Just finished this 'Lace Prairie Shawl' for my sister-in-law that is dealing with cancer treatments for the third time. I am hoping it sparks a bit of comfort. The pattern is in the book, Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. It's knit in KnitPicks Shine Sport. I've knit it wool and the cotton is great too.

New/Old Lamp

I've been looking for a specific old milk glass lamp. Even though this is not the one I love it just the same. Even the shade is glass. I purchased it recently at an antique shop outside of Lynchburg, VA. This place was floor to ceiling and only paths to walk through and even sometimes turned sideways! One of those nice 'hole-in-the-wall' places. $25 less 20%

Not a good photo but a really fun thrift find. This is an old Avon perfume bottle. I had one when I was younger. Cats and yarn just go together don't they? I thought it suited me now and even better that it's empty! $.79

Happy Independence Day!

Another thrifty find....

Don't you love those 'hole-in-the-wall' type thrift stores along the side of a highway? My sister and I stopped at one last weekend. I've been looking for older Pyrex and found these. I imagine it was a 'nesting' set so I am missing the medium sized bowl. All washed up they look new! The large one was on a bottom shelf full of dirt and spider webs. The smaller one found in another section of the shop both were $6.50. ! The pattern is called "Butterfly Gold". Check here Pyrex Vintage Patterns and get hooked yourself!

Patiently waiting for a CD!!!

Better Pics of the sweater below....

Finished and waiting for winter.

Love the way it turned out. The two tones of Cascade's Eco Wool worked out well. The back is done in a stripe using both colors. I folded the sleeve over so you could see it since I changed the cables from the pattern for the sleeves. It's hard to photograph the dark colors and cables in the tweed yarn. So, now I'm waiting for winter to wear this quite often I'm sure.

Now back to the 3 shawls and another wool sweater I have on needles in various places!!!

Thrift store jackpot!!

It was on my 'Hope to Find Wish List' and it came true today. A Le Creuset cast iron 2 1/2 Qt. pot! It's color is Chestnut Brown which is now discontinued. I bake wonderful artisan crusty bread in my larger Le Creuset and this one will get lots of use as well. Check them out Le Creuset

Another great find is an almost new Bialetti Espresso maker. Came with it's box but lacking the 2 cups and saucers. Bialetti

My new favorite blog

I can't help it. This blog is just full of important information. Maybe it's because I've recently taken up learning to shoot a gun and now own two. What a step for me since a few months ago I never wanted a gun in my home. It's hidden and unloaded so it won't do me a bit of good if an intruder came in so I have to figure that one out. With curious boys it's a challenge.
Check it out Women of Caliber