Cardigans, Tea and Cooking

Well, I've not started back on the socks yet.  After a major project I do tend to take a bit of a breather.  What I have got is a new 'cookbook'!

In closing off the Cardigan tale, my wife came for her visit.  She brought me a lovely set of Tazo brand tea in a beautiful spun bamboo container!  A truly tasteful  gift that I am thoroughly enjoying!

I gave her the Cardigan and she loves it!  Yay!  The only problem was that she didn't have enough space to fit it into her luggage.  So ... I'll be snail mailing it to her in a few days.

I put 'cookbook' in quotes because it is more of a how and why book than a recipe book. The cookbook is "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman.  Instead of giving a collection of new and wonderful recipes, this one gives the basics as well as how they work.  For me, the big benefit is that you learn to "use what you have" as long as you keep a few basics in the pantry.  I've only just started reading it, but the pancake ratio / recipe is to die for.  :-)

Are there any 'how cooking works' or 'how to cook' books that you'd recommend to myself or others?  Post a comment for us all to see!

The Home Stretch

Life has been ... busy.  Between work and volunteering I haven't spent as much time knitting as would be ideal.  New Years eve was spent with a few friends ... chatting, playing cards, eating munchies and, of course, drinking.  :-)

Now some news ... as you've guessed by the picture, the knitting on the cardigan is done! I need to weave in a few loose ends, and then on to blocking to make it the right shape and to take the size down a little bit..  I've taken a quick, over exposed picture of it (see left).  As it's knitted in black wool, I overexposed the picture to show a bit more detail.  :-)

My wife will be visiting the week after next, so it's with some relief that I've finished the knitting of the sweater in time.  I figure I'll block it on Tuesday assuming all goes well.

After that, it's on to the five year sock!  What makes a sock into a "five year sock"?  Time away from knitting and other projects!  :-)  Hopefully the matching sock will _not_ be a five year sock.  If you've any tips on blocking to share, please post them into the comments!