Something Original to See!

Hello everybody!

I received the following link that absolutely caught my attention. I think it is a wonderful way to both celebrate Winter, Knits and Music together.

It is a video from the canadian group "Tricot Machine" made out of more than 700 machine knitted images by the artist Lysanne Latulippe.

Check it out!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO0-1GKXZEA

Goodbye November 2008

So this is the last week of November, my favourite month ;) It was my birthday last week and I had a very nice day and celebrated it among loved ones with a favourite cake of mine (above). No, I did not bake it because it was purchased at the same place I usually go to on my birthday for cake. Yumm!

So, I do not know about you, but here in Mexico City the Christmas season is everywhere. Sometimes I get surprised and a bit annoyed of the way commerce works. We are not mentally ready for a particular season but our local store or bakery pushes the experience into our lives. It is still November and I just saw a few days ago at my bakery the famous "Rosca de Reyes" that is baked on January. I mean, is this right? I am still in the Thanksgiving mode.

So unfortunately because of Santa Claus and his dwarfs I am no longer able to find any pumpkins anywhere. (Sorry Santa, I know it is not your fault, it is just the way things are in Mexico City!). So unlike other cities I know, I am forced into the Xmas Season early on.........but before I forget all about autumn I decided to post for my mexican friends my recipe for "Pumkin Bisque" (aka Pumpkin Soup). Sorry I took until the end of the season to do it.

Because I guess that cooking with pumpkins is quite common for my friends in the US, Canada or Europe I will not try to impress any of you here. Instead, for my loyal mexican and latin american readers here is my method for cooking pumpkins in spanish:

Ok Chicas! Perdonen si hasta ahora les paso mi método para cocinar cualquier tipo de calabaza de Halloween, lo que pasa es que no pensé en encontrarme más de una vez con alguien que me pidiera la receta. Vaya, pues hasta en Superama andaba dando tips a las clientas en la zona de frutas y verduras!

Bueno pues, aquí está para todas uds, y es más fácil de lo que creen! Lo primero que necesitan es tener un horno de microondas, con esto ya vamos de gane.

En la casa de Uds. mi abuela y mi mamá cocinaban la famosa receta de "Calabaza en Tacha" que es un dulce mexicano muy sabroso, pero nadamás. Así que como a mi me encanta el sabor de la calabaza de Halloween (no confundir con la tipo "zucchini") rica en betacarotenos, pues me puse a investigar.

El método de cocción que empleo no es mérito mío, sino de Martha Stewart, pero lo que es mío es que lo he adaptado a cualquier tipo de calabaza. Aquí en México venden varios tipos de calabaza, y otras que aunque son de la época, no son propiamente "calabazas" sino "squash". Para ambas el método es el mismo. Si se acuerdan, aquí en México se venden las siguientes calabazas: Calabaza de Castilla, Calabaza Halloween (la más grande y que tradicionalmente se le hace la famosa carita Jack o' Lantern), Calabaza Brujita y Calabaza Pay. Bueno, no todas son calabazas salvo las tres primeras, porque las que venden como "Calabaza Pay" son más bien "squash", ok? además éstas últimas son las más caras (a $24.00 pesos el kilo vs. $12.00 pesos el kilo de la de Castilla). En cuanto a sabor y color las que más recomiendo son la Calabaza Halloween y la Calabaza Pay anaranjada. De todos modos todas saben sabroso, sólo varía la intensidad.

Además del color y sabor, el peso es importante pues tengan en cuenta que mientras más grande sea, pues tendrán más materia prima para hacer varias recetas. Con una chiquita del tipo "Pay" les basta para la receta de la sopa.

Nota: la única calabaza que no puse a la prueba es la tipo "brujita" pues es tan pequeña que ni el gasto valía la pena hacerlo.

Una vez que se decidan a un tipo particular de calabaza es importante que tengan en cuenta que debe caber en el microondas. Algunas como la "Halloween" y la de "Castilla" son enormes. Pueden pedir que se las corten y se llevan lo que gusten recordando que en la cocción perderá agua osea que traten de llevarse alrededor de 2 kilos como mínimo.

En casa la van a lavar muy bien, si está abierta procurar no mojarla por dentro, ok? La secan bien con un trapo y la colocan en un recipiente de microondas, y la tapan ligeramente con papel de cocina.

Las fotos que verán a continuación es mi método ejemplificado con una calabaza conocida en EU como "Spaghetti squash".

Una vez tapada con papel de cocina, la meten en el micro y lo programan a la máxima temperatura por 10 minutos. Pasado el tiempo, abran la puerta y si pueden perforar la piel de la calabaza con la punta de un cuchillo quiere decir que ya está, si no, vuelvan a meterla igual a máxima temperatura por otros 5 minutos más o hasta que puedan clavarle el cuchillo. Cada calabaza es diferente, y hay algunas con la piel más gruesa que necesitan más veces en el micro.

No es necesario añadirle agua al recipiente, nada, sólo el papel de cocina. La calabaza solita se cocera por dentro y notarán que "sudará".

Cuando ya se le clave el cuchillo sáquenla y con cuidado y sin quemarse (estará muy caliente!) ábranla con el cuchillo para que empieze a enfriarse como se ve a continuación:

Notarán en seguida que la calabaza está, si no al 100% cocida, sí a un 90%. Ésta es la consistencia ideal, si notan que tiene partes duras, metan sólo éstas otro poco al micro igual con su papel de cocina.

Éste es el famoso "secreto". Nada más fácil, no creen? Una vez logrado ésto ya podrán preparar múltiples recetas como sopas, arroces y claro, el delicioso Pay de Calabaza del que puse un "post" en este blog hace unas semanas.

Cuando la calabaza se haya enfriado y la aguanten con las manos, con la ayuda de una cuchara o como aparece en la foto, una para hacer bolas de nieve, remuevan la pulpa de calabaza y deshechen la cáscara. Para las semillas usen un tenedor, y luego podrán tostarlas si así lo desean.

En la siguiente foto verán porqué se llama "Spaghetti Squash", pues su pulpa cocida parece fideos de pasta!

La pulpa de cualquier calabaza la pueden guardar (una vez fría) en el refrigerador para futuras recetas por una semana.

Para nuestra receta de Sopa de Calabaza se necesitan para 4 personas 1 kilo y medio de pulpa de calabaza ya cocida, y van a picar finamente cebolla blanca, 3/4 de taza, y ponen a derretir una cuchara de mantequilla en una cacerola.

Una vez derretida la mantequilla agregan la cebolla, sal marina y pimienta al gusto y lo dejan sofreír hasta que esté clara la cebolla. No dejarla quemar y mover continuamente.

Una vez lista la cebolla agregar toda la pulpa de calabaza, una cdita de tomillo y cuatro tazas de caldo de pollo a temperatura ambiente.

A flama alta permitir que el caldo alcance el hervor. Mientras, mover despacio la cocción y eliminar cualquier semilla de calabaza que se nos haya escapado.

Cuando alcance el hervor bajar la flama a nivel bajo y cocinar otro poco por 10 minutos o hasta que la calabaza esté totalmente suave. Cuando esté lista la cocción retirar del fuego y proceder al licuado.

Les recomiendo que licuen la sopa por partes y para evitar cualquier accidente con nuestra licuadora y la sopa caliente no tapen totalmente el vaso de la licuadora. Coloquen solo el anillo superior (tapa sin parte central) para así tapar el hoyito o alimentador de manera manual con papel de cocina doblado y sujetado con una mano. Ésto es muy importante hacerlo, ya que la alta temperatura de la sopa y la velocidad de la licuadora pueden hacer que la tapa salga disparada y se haga un batidero. Notarán que al accionar la licuadora sale "vaporcito" a través del papel, ésto es normal.

Una vez licuada toda nuestra sopa regresarla a la cacerola y a flama baja añadirle más sal, pimienta y tomillo al gusto.

Como toque final agregar 3/4 de taza de crema y mover hasta que se incorpore bien y la sopa tenga una consistencia tersa.

Listo! Al servir agregar si desean un poquito de tomillo encima o croutones.

Espero les haya gustado.

Con cariño para todas Uds.

Hasta Pronto!

Shorter Days Ahead.

The autumn is in full force now and it reminds us of its presence every day that goes by. Time is flying and after preparing everything for Halloween and "Día de Muertos" in Mexico, it's a week later and now all stores are showered with Christmas '08 stuff. I like this but the abrupt change can be stressful, especially when there is so little time and so much to do.

To say Goodbye to Halloween '08 I baked again a Pumpkin Pie, I think I found the easiest and quickest recipe around. It obviously gave me time to make a little decor and take its picture before it would be tasted. This weekend will be my last chance to cook more "pumpkin" recipes; so far I've cooked a Pumpkin Bisque, 2 Pumpkin Pies, a Pumpkin Cake, a Pumpkin Risotto and a Pumpkin Bread.

So to celebrate Autumn I finished an Ascot from Interweave's Crochet Fall 2008 issue with whom I learned how to do Tunisian Crochet. I loved it. It was quite addictive and I finished this project in a wink!

Next is a picture of another finished project I started while having the cast on my left hand. It is my own design and it combines three techniques: loom knitting (for the back), circular knitting (for the short sleeves and all-around-collar) and crochet (for the seams and flower pin). I like the results very much.

And now a little update on the Fair Isles project that I really want it to be over. I am done knitting the body and gathered up enough courage to do the "steeks" and cut my knitting (!!) Yeap, it was scary but I made sure to sew the knitting very well while practicing my sewing skills. I just need to join the shoulders and do the ribbing at the cleavage, which I hope won't be to revealing (!) Looks quite nice on the mannequin, doesn't it?

So now the list comes down to 8 projects and the above Fair Isles is at 75%

A presto!

Pumpkins and Casting On.

I love autumn -I know, I have already mentioned it before-, but I do. This autumn has been particularly cold in Mexico City where the sun shined for just a week or so. The present days are very humid, due to our vicinity to the Gulf of Mexico, so I suspect that the winter is going to be difficult. I know mexican winter has nothing to do with the one our neighbours on the north part of the hemisphere have to endure (Canada in particular), but there is one thing that does not help us down here: almost 95% of houses in Mexico have no heating system and are not made of wood but rather concrete........so houses are always cold.
Oh well, this is a perfect excuse to have hot coco and enjoy great winter time food, like one of my favourite ones ever: Pumpkin pies. I love their color and varietes, but most of all I love what I can cook with them. At the end of this post I will share an easy and successful Pumpkin Pie recipe for anyone interested.
One of the things I miss the most about Europe is the culinary culture. To be honest with you, before I ever lived there, pumpkins for me were just for "Jack-o-lanterns", or at their best, for an extremely sweet mexican pudding known as "Calabaza en Tacha". What converted me was an amazing pumpkin bisque I tried in Europe and it was love at first sight. The european markets with a real autumn background would offer endless varietes of pumpkins, squashes, etc. I only knew one, the famous "Calabaza de Castilla" sold in all mexican markets. In Europe I was at awe, as the variety was overwhelming. So I decided to put a remedy to my pumpkin ignorance and it has been quite a trip. Now living in Mexico, I do miss that autumn markets experience as I keep on seeing the same boring pumpkins sold at supermarkets, which are mostly used for Halloween. Sometimes I see squashes, half priced because no big Jack-o-lantern can come out of them, so nobody buys them. If they only knew what they are missing, oh, but I take advantage of it!

So Casting On. I always thought I was immune to endless casting on but I am starting to realize that perhaps I need a vaccination. I remember sometime ago, at a yarn shop, a lady who was buying yarn for her daughter to knit would say to her "promise you will finish the project". I was around her daughters age, still a teenager and did not understand what that lady was talking about because for me, knitting would absorb me so that my mother would even try to put my mind out of it especially during exams. I would always finish my projects, so finishing was not a problem. Nowadays it is still not a problem as I do finish what I start but there is something going on that I was not expecting: endless casting on, so instead of having to finish one or three projects I have around ten. Yes, I should be ashamed, right? but I am not. Why? because I think there is a very understandable reason: my feast for knit and crochet projects has developed over the years and now I am no longer satisfied with just one or two things going at the same time: my mind needs more, so I wonder why some people should say that it is a bad habit to cast on. So this puts my initial idea of vaccination totally off. I believe that knitting is a journey into discovering ones abilities and likes, so if you cast on, it means you are excerting it. It is pretty much like starting a new book. My rule of thumb: if it doesn't "catch" you at the very beginning, you might as well leave it and look for another one.
So now a realistic (and truthful) list of my current projects:
1) Fair Isle pullover (70%)
2) VK Tunic (40%)
3) Off the shoulder pullover (45%)
4) Granny Squares sweater (15%)
5) Turtleneck pullover (35%)
6) Vest (95%)
7) Crochet Ascot (50%)
8) Red Mittens (15%)
9) Crochet Cardigan (20%)
10) Scarf (30%)

This weekend I finish #6 and #7. I have been working on #1 for sometime now as it has been a surprisingly challenging project.
Balance: 5 of them are knitting projects (1, 2, 3, 5 and 8); 3 of them are crochet (4, 7 and 9); and finally 2 of them are done with a knitting board (6 and 10). My goal is to finish all of them by the end of November, I hope this is possible!

So now the recipe: "Prize Pumpkin Pie" by Canadian Living Magazine

Serves 8. Ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 can of pumpkin puree (140z/ 398ml), 1 can (300ml) sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar, 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2tsp salt, 1/4tsp each ground cloves, ginger and nutmeg, 1 unbaked 9-ich (23cms) pie shell.

Preparation: In a large bowl beat eggs, blend in pumpkin, condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Pour into pie shell. Bake in 425 oF (220oC) oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375oF (190oC) and bake for about 35 minutes or until pastry is golden and knife inserted into centre comes out clean. Let cool in rack.

Hasta Pronto!

Un vistazo al Hemisferio Sur/ A Glimpse of the Southern Hemisphere.

Esta será la primera ocasión que escribiré una entrada en dos idiomas, en español y en inglés; y esto es por el bellísimo regalo que recibí de una nueva amiga, Elisa, de Chile.

This will be the first time I will be posting in two languages, in spanish and english, and it is because of the gorgeous gift I received from a new friend, Elisa, from Chile.

Elisa, MIL GRACIAS, tu dedicación es evidente en cada detalle. La bufanda me encantó, es la primera que tengo en crochet; las tres revistas de crochet, las agujas de colores, los seguritos, el block de notitas, tu postal, y el bello alfiletero (que descubrí fué hecho por tí) iluminaron mi día.......en realidad, toda mi semana.

Elisa, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, your dedication is evident in every detail. I loved the scarf, the first crocheted scarf I own now; the three magazines, the colorful knitting needles, the safety pins, the little note block, your card, and the beautiful pin cushion (that I discovered was made by you) illuminated my day.......actually my entire week.

El momento de recibir el paquete no pudo ser mejor, pues recién me enyesaron un brazo por andar haciendo cosas que no debo.......ahora estoy felíz, pues pienso que podré trabajar en crochet -el yeso esta en la izquierda- y las revistas traen modelos de crochet encantadores!

The time to receive the package could not be better because I just had one hand and arm being casted because I do things I should not do........now I am happy because I think I will be able to do some crochet -the cast is on my left arm- and the magazines have enchanting crochet projects!

Este es un close-up de la bufanda, no les parece hermosa?

This is a close-up of the scarf, don't you find it beautiful?

Elisa, muchas gracias de nuevo, ha sido un placer conocerte!

Tu amiga, Marie.

Knitting Magazine Models.

This time I would like to write a bit about the way some knitting magazines, especially two, approach their readers. I am talking about Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting which happen to be, in my view, the most influential knitting magazines in North America.
Not only as someone who works at the Fashion Industry but also as a subscriber and knitter I think I have an opinion about the messages I have been getting lately by these and other knitting magazines.

We have all heard about the way some magazines can affect the way we live. In the Knitting World, knits being an undeniable part of the Fashion Industry, either you agree with me or not, in knitting magazines they reflect the trends and styles of the current fashions. What distinguishes one magazine from the next is the way they communicate the latest trends, the way they translate them into wearable items, and the way they perceive their readers. Not at all an easy job to do as inspite of all the market research done, consumers do have the final saying: they either buy the magazine or not.

Vogue Knitting was the first American knitting magazine to arrive in Mexico City at the early 90's, and Mexico City knitters very soon discovered it. It is a fact that as soon as it arrives it disappears from newstands, hence my subscription. It was until the late 90's that Interweave Knits started to be sold here too. We were then introduced to two very different ways of viewing knitting trends and up to this day I can't seem to be without the other, precisely because they are so different: one gives me what the other doesn't and vice-versa. I had found an interesting balance.

Time went by and I was happy to mantain such balance between those two magazines until I started to notice that Vogue Knitting was changing at a much faster pace and giving mixed messages as it seemed to not only try to keep on being very fashionable but also it would embrace many opposite and strange styles. I was not surprised when I heard that they were having trouble in the Editor's department and then their competiton, Interweave Knits, was expanding itself and evolving into a magazine highly regarded by a vast number of knitters as the best knitting magazine. To make things even more difficult Interweave launched last year their newsletter "Knitting Daily" (a total success) and even a new magazine "Interweave Crochet". They are trying to do the same with "Felt". So while Interweave was reaching higher levels Vogue Knitting seemed to be a bit lost. So lost that it would not even have a working webpage for many months. With all this I lost the balance I used to have between them, why? because inspite of how much I like Interweave Knits I missed much more fashionable knitting projects.

Why am I writing all of this? because I think that the key to becoming a "sold out" knitting magazine relies on how much such magazine tries to know its readers. This brings me to a point of view I think most knitters would agree on with me: knitting is a very personal craft. It can be fashionable but in its origin it is a highly personal activity. What can be more personal than making something with your hands and something meant for you, your family or loved ones? not to many things out there. So, it is my wish that Vogue Knitting drifts away a bit from way to edgy styles and comes back to approaching its faithful readers to much more wearable -and yes fashionable- knitting projects. The remedy is on the way, the recent Vogue Knitting Fall 2008 has Ms. Trisha Malcom back again as its Editor and this is wonderful as I am sure she will do a great job. I have just one tiny complaint with its latest Fall issue: as opposed to its wonderful "Made in Canada" or "An English Garden" sections, "The Alluring Drama of Black and White" would have been really nice if only they would have chosen a different model. I find it so disturbing to see bony models in knitting magazines.

Shiri Mor's shift dress would have looked rather stunning in a curvy model. What did Interweave Knits instead include in its recent Fall issue? a beautiful full figured model that could be my next door neighbor. This is what makes both magazines so different and in the end, makes Interweave Knits much more approachable than Vogue Knitting to the average knitter in North America.

In the last Vogue Knitting Holiday 2007 issue the editors had a very good idea, they decided to include Ms. Paulina Porizkova. I liked this issue because while Paulina was a top model in the eighties I was a teenager devoted to Vogue magazine, so seeing her at Vogue Knitting helped me relate much easier to the magazine. This is being stylish without going to far. It was a good move by Adina Klein.

The above brings me to one of the most appreciated characteristics of Interweave Knits: they always use models who are just regular people pictured in regular environments as opposed to bony, cold, and unreachable models. I was glad to find out just recently that one of the models is the daughter of former Interweave Knits Editor, Ms. Pam Allen. Below, pictures of my favourite Interweave Knits models:

While living in Europe I encountered other knitting magazines being sold in numerous newstands. There I was introduced to Verena Stricken magazine from Burda that in my view seems to be a combo between "fashionable and wearable", something the above mentioned magazines are not alltogether. No surprise that I have been since then their subscriber. Here, three designs from their latest Fall issue (Herbst 2008)

I also was introduced to many other magazines like "Le Idee di Susanna" or "Mani di Fatta" who are still being edited. There was another italian magazine though, "Benissimo", that in its latest issues started including designs and models like the following:

I think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think you would agree with me that the sight of that models' back is awful. "Benissimo" went out of print in recent years. No wonder.

So, it is my wish that Knitting Magazines never forget that knitting should never be put in an unapproachable environment with too much gloss and slickness. Most of the knitters I know like fashion and love looking pretty. In the real world, edgy styles although may look great in fashion shows don't do so well when it comes to editing a magazine for knitters who approach knitting with a warm heart. Trends and styles I think, should be communicated in a more reachable manner. It must be so difficult to edit a knitting magazine but I think that as long as you do not miss out on where you are standing and who are your readers then it will all work fine.

Thanks for Reading.

The Easy Art of Knitting.

I hope that last week you had an excellent time full with many joyful hours of knitting. In my case my usual time dedicated to knitting had to be posponed a bit due to some unexpected things, some that made me reflect on the way we live our lives nowadays. I am positive and hope that some of you have reflected on the same thing I concluded after to many events happening one after the other: our lives have become way to complicated and there is no stopping.
What happened to me was the damage of yet another laptop due to a software problem and then my iPod lost all of its data and was unable to restore it. As you can imagine I was both stressed and very sad. After these events I just kept thinking, "do I need this? Not at all!"
To many nip codes, to many passwords, to many actions asked in order to perform many of our daily life activities. It is all so ridiculous! Perhaps this is the reason why I literally threw myself into knitting some years ago.

Knitting, such an amazing art. Could it get more simple than just a pair of needles and/ or hook and some yarn? It is a friendly and an easy-coming activity that surpasses any level of consideration as it can be a hobbie, a healing experience and a professional activity, individually or all at the same time. Ironically, if being compared with what I wrote above: instead of asking for complicated tasks in order to do simple things (I mean, technology is supposed to make our lives easier, right?), knitting comes the other way: in its basic form it is so simple and it only depends on you to take it into much more complex arenas, only if you want so. I love this, in my book this is called FREEDOM.

I am currently exercizing my freedom while still knitting my first Fair Isle (Jacquard) pullover. It can look complex but it won't delete or crash anything. If you make a mistake, you unravel and start over, in your time, whenever you are ready.

Still posting on knitting, while I went out to a market to forget about passwords and nip codes I was introduced to a technique that absolutely absorbed me: a knitting board. Has any of you tried it?
The owner of a little yarn store at the market taught me the basics of it while listening to the merchants sell their produce. Here in Mexico it is named "telar", in english "loom"; a mistake as looms are a completely different thing, but still this little knitting board and the simplicity of it healed me too from technology. Wow, I love it.
Check out what I knitted in just a day:

On other things I am currently trying to make a knitting diary by using my file at Ravelry. I have been taking pictures of everything that I have knitted and will soon add them up at "my notebook" at Ravelry.com. They are all a reflection of so many things lived through in my life. One of them is the following, and it represents a lesson I had to learn because unfortunately I will only be able to show you a picture of the project at the magazine:

The photo belongs to a sweater that I knitted for someone who was special back then. I was starting up in knitting and inspite of the many long evening hours spent, the results were very good. I gave it then as a gift and never thought I would lose track of it forever because eventhough I asked for a picture of it I never got it and so back then I learned to value my time and effort better and get wiser when it comes to giving away projects that have so much of me in them. If anyone asks me if I have suffered from the "curse of the boyfriend sweater" I have to answer yes, twice. Now I just knit scarfs :) :)

Thanks for reading, I am still recovering from last week.

Hasta Pronto!

A Surprise from Down Under.

It is starting to feel like Autumn here in Mexico City. The sun shines in the first part of the day but soon in the afternoon the shadows start to get longer and the rays of light begin to take a soft orange color. I simply love it. It is definately my favourite season of the year.

This time the first signals of autumn started with a a very special parcel from beautiful Australia. My dear friend Patrizia sent me a very special gift that has brightened the whole season.

Isn't this lovely?:

A beautiful wool and angora lace scarf, 4 delicious Twix bars and the cutest stuffed bear to accompany my knitting bear. They look good together, don't you think?

Thank you very much Patrizia, my very best to you all the way to Australia!

Also to celebrate the coming season I designed, cut and sew myself a blouse. This is the first time I am posting here a piece of clothing made by me. I love its color -again green, right Patrizia? ;)
Fashion Design is something that is part of my personal and professional life so I'll be glad to start also sharing this part with you here.

See you soon!

Second Half of the Year.

It's been a while since I last posted but I decided not to do it until I finished a particular knitting project that I wanted so much to conclude.

July is almost over but this month represents an important period of the year for me. It means that the first half is over and whatever you planned for the year, if you still have not accomplished it then you still have some more time. It also means making final decisions about those "New Year Projects" because six months is also not such a long time, so it basically prompts you into getting "realistic" about them.

I do not like to make "New Year Projects" but I do like organizing my time, as much as this is possible in this very hectic life. One of the things I do love making projects about is knitting and sewing. This year has been a little slow regarding sewing due to logistic reasons (my studio is under construction), but regarding knitting things come fairly easy, and I just love it. You just need a comfortable space, yarn, needles and good mood.

As June ended and having realized that I had to many "cast ons" and unfinished projects I firmly decided to put a final point with them.....and so far it has been working. This obviously meant not starting any new projects until I was done with these six......difficult but doable!

So now comes my first accomplishment, the "Jacaranda Sweater" has been completed after many months of working on and putting it away after feeling tired.

I started it last May, yes last May of 2007! Oh my! this made me think why it is that I took so long and it is basically because although it was an easy project still it was also demanding: just a little distraction was enough to lose the way and find yourself having to face unraveling some rows........this happened frequently, I am afraid. But well, now it is time to celebrate! On the bright side I must say this project has excellent fit, something difficult to achieve sometimes. Check it out......

Going back to demanding projects I started recalling other similar projects that I had knitted in the past. The funny thing is that eventhough the knitted chart looks quite demanding......

....I do not recall ending so tired from it. The following is a picture of the second knitting project I ever did. It took me three months to finish it back in 1997 -talk about being excited with knitting!- and I still love wearing it. I am sure I will keep it forever. The fit is also great.

So now it is three more knitting projects and two crochet ones to go, July is still not over and I trust I will be posting here about another finished project soon!

To end this post with my traditional recipe I thought of sharing and experience I long looked forward to doing. No, I will not post the recipe because this one is a complex mexican dish (and after the Jacaranda Sweater I need a break!), I am talking about "Tamales", the ones from the state of Oaxaca, in the Pacific Coast of my colorful country. My friend Blani from Oaxaca took the trouble of teaching me how to do these delicacies that consist of maze dough with green and red tomato hot sauce that are wrapped around banana tree leaves. Deliciosos!

Hasta Pronto!

From May to June.

It's been a while since I have posted in this site, although it seems like it was yesterday when I was writing here about having taken a break, etc. I am glad now that I did take a break then because the second half of May was quite a busy time for me. Which I am glad about, I do not like to complain.

The second half of May arrived with some unexpected surprises. First of all a very old and not to special cacti plant in the garden started to grow three flower buds. It was amazing to see how quickly and big they grew in just a week and a half and of course I was very curious to see the type of flowers that were going to open up. The first one did in a very chilly evening, it was beautiful and when the next morning I went out to the garden to see it close it was already dead, this was dissapointing. Then a few days later the same happened to bud number two. By the third one I realized that these little miracles had only a few hours of life during the night. So this time, when it started to open up in the evening I waited until really dark and went out with my camera (just in case I need to wait for 8 more years to see this cacti bloom again) and click! (picture above) I captured the third and last flower at full bloom. Isn't this amazing? It was so beautiful and yes, such beauty faded quickly at dusk. This reminded me that many beautiful things in life last for brief periods.......I have one question though, how come a mexican cacti that is under the sun 24/ 7 blooms when there is no light what so ever?

So then came the next surprise: the weather changed drastically. After enjoying (and not so much anymore) really hot days, Mexico City became a very gray city. It has not stopped raining for the past two weeks, from morning to evening and so I started getting cold. I thought I needed asap something to carry on in case of another change of weather. I found at a webpage what seemed to be a very easy and fast shawl project. Because it was my first shawl I thought of giving it a try.

I named it "Tiger's Eye Shawl" and here is a picture of it:

The next surprise is that whilst knitting it, it became huge. This does not bother me because it is quite snug and comfy, it can be used also like a blanket, but it is not anymore something you can put inside your bag. Ooops!
Check out it's size, I love the color too.............the grass is huge thanks to the rain!

And then the last unexpected surprise: My annual flu, and I call it "annual" because I never get sick but when I do it is a nightmare. I am almost out of it but what a pain. Of course this was bound to happen because some stores have yet not realized that there is pouring rain out on the streets instead of scorching sun so they have not changed the air conditioning inside.
The good part of it is that when you ask yourself "What to do when in bed with a flu?" the answer comes right away: KNIT! so yes, because I was cold I tossed away my summer knitting and decided to knit myself a cap. This one, by the way, will be a perfect thing to carry on in case I feel to cold in a store. By the way, have you noticed how ridiculously cold some stores, particularly grocery stores can get? I mean, is anybody here worried about global warming?
My "Wavy Cap", knitted in "spring":


And that one was my last surprise, what comes next is me posting another recipe for you guys. It is easy, fast, includes easy to find ingredients and if you like spinach then I hope you like it:

"Spinach and Cheese Puff" /Food Everyday Magazine

Serves 8 / Prep Time: 10 mins / Total time: 40 mins.

Ingredients:

-butter, for baking dish.

- 3 packages (10 ounces each) of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry or 6 1/2 cups of washed fresh chopped and squeezed dry spinach.

- 1 1/2 cups of half and half cream.

- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten.

- 1 1/2 cups coarsley Gruyere cheese (6 ounces) or your favorite melting cheese.

- coarse salt and ground pepper.

- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

1.- Preheat oven to 350 oF, Butter a shallow 1-quart baking dish.

2.- In a large bowl, combine spinach, cream, eggs, 1 cup Gruyere, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/8 teaspoons of pepper, nutmeg; stir to combine. Spread evenly in prepared baking dish, and top with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere. Bake until set and top is golden brown, 30 to 35 mins.

Enjoy and see you soon!

Taking a break.

Just like my little Dolce here I decided to take a little from knitting and crocheting. It was not because of boredoom with my current projects but actually it was because I felt that my hands needed a real break. Although I did not entirely quit I would only work for bits, and the sacrifice has paid off. My hands are healed and now I am retaking my favourite hobbies!

One of the first ones was one of the two crochet projects that I am working on. After feeling pain in my right hand whenever I would crochet for sometime (scary!) I did a little research and found out that there was another way I could hold the hook: like a knife. Eureka! my right hand does not hurt anymore and now I am enjoying crochet again! I am happy as I always liked it so much but would always hurt......not anymore now! :)
Here is a little update on the crochet skirt I am doing:

On other projects, because I am so excited about crochet I decided to fix an old knitting project that has been sitting in my closet for to long. It was the second knitting project I ever did and I always liked it. The reason I stopped wearing it is that when pants became low rise I was showing to much of my belly! Mmm, I don't mind showing but not that much so I decided to add a crochet rib to it, let's see how it goes!

During my break I had a special surprise. A plant that has travelled from far away lands to reach aztec territory decided to give me its best gift: a flower, but not just one but 4 this time! I have only seen it bloom three times in all its life: one in Switzerland and two in Mexico. First in Mexico it took 2 years to bloom; this time it took a year and a half to bloom again.......after seeing the following pictures can you believe that once, while travelling, it was just a sad potato packed in a ziplock?

2 flowers opened first.....

....two days ago the other two, to make 4 in total. They are so big you can see their size in the picture.

So after having such a surprise I had two not very pleasant ones in the kitchen department. One with a carrot cake that I did not like, the other one last night with a banana bread that kept on growing in the oven 'till it made a burning mess inside!....the good thing is that the flavor is quite good and being cake lovers at home it is almost finished by now :)

I decided this time to post a soup recipe for a change. It is one of my favourites and what I like is that it is both easy and inexpensive. It is from Martha Stewart.

Cream of Celery Soup.

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

10 pale-green inner ribs celery, coarsley chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup coarsley chopped shallots (or simple onion if you wish)

1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

Coarse salt

6 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

very thin slices of toasted baguette

pale-green celery leaves for garnish

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, shallots, potato and a pinch of salt. Partially cover; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft but not browned. About 15 minutes.

2) Add stock; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover, and cook 30 minutes. Stir in nutmeg. Let cool.

3) Purée soup in a blender or food processor in batches until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Return soup to a pan; stir and season with salt. Just before serving, heat soup over medium heat (do not boil). Serve topped with baguette slices; garnish with celery leaves. Soup can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.

Enjoy!

A presto!!