I’m giving up my spice mixes today.

Taco Mix
1/2 C Garlic powder
2T sea salt
1/4 cup paprika
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup Ground Coriander
1/4 cup onion powder
Optional 2T Cayenne

If you currently use those Packets of Taco mix - this is really very close. Use it to season beans, rice, or the Meat/meat substitute for your tacos. I use it the same way that I would those packets. I don’t just sprinkle it on as is. I mix about 2T with 1 cup of water and mix it in to whatever I’m making. If it’s something like the rice, I use the flavored water to replace 1 cup of the regular water. Voila - Mex flavor.

Breakfast Potato Mix
1/2 C Chili powder
1/4 C Roasted Garlic
1/4 C dried Cilantro
1/4 C dried parsley
1/4 C dried Chives
2T Fine ground Mustard

This mix is good as a final sprinkle on those breakfast potatoes. It’s also good to mix 1T with a 1/2 cup sour cream or soured Kefir to use as a dip for veggies or a spread for “burgers”. I usually add salt and pepper to the final product thus leaving it out of the mix.

Apple Sprinkle
1 cup organic Cane sugar
2T Cinnamon
1t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg

As it says, this is good to sprinkle over apples. It’s a good mix for baking but equally good if you just slice up some apples in a bowl and sprinkle this on top.

Knitwise
The time off has been good. The house isn’t any cleaner but I did get time to knit. I finished the Worsted socks for my girl

And then I finished those wretched Jiffy ones.

Then I worked on an old shrug to get it finished but I need to rip. It’s a self designed one and I need to redo the collar, it’s not exactly how I envisioned it. Actually, it’s one of those times that I thought fancy is better than plain and I was wrong. Sometimes plain is just as good. I’ll use the fancy somewhere else. But since it’s in the frog pond, I don’t have any pictures.

I did cast on for 3 new projects though….
I have to make you wait. I need to go shovel out the shop and get a load of shipping done. I hope those of you that are celebrating the New Year tonight, that you are safe and happy.

I raise my tea mug and wish everyone a happy and fiber filled New Year!

Drinks are the recipe this week. Not the type of drinks for those trying to behave. But drinks for those that are celebrating on New Years or those that are “dealing with relatives”. No, these aren’t healthy. We can take a break from that routine for a day here and there. All in the pursuit of fun or trying not to kill that rotten uncle. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean. 90% of the families out there have “that uncle”.

Easy Pina colada

Bacardi Rum
Pineapple and coconut juice
French vanilla stevia - or vanilla extract (1 drop per drink)

I’d tell you how much to put in but really it’s a “to taste” kind of drink. I’m a lightweight so I have 1 cup of juice to one shot of rum. You can serve it with a few cubes of ice or blend it up with ice for the frothy type of umbrella drink you’d get on a beach someplace.

Pomegranate Martini
Orangecello
Good Vodka (don’t get the cheap stuff, you’ll regret it)
Pomegranate juice

1 part vodka, 1.5 parts Orangecello, 3 parts juice
It’s just yummy. It really is. I could drink these until they find me under the table. Relatives? I have Relatives?

Incognito Cocoa
Your favorite hot cocoa or any chocolate that you can find that you can liquify (this is when you know you’re getting desperate)
Add in Some Kahlua (the coffee flavored stuff)
Voila! You have a slightly alcoholic Mocha
If that most annoying relative is really getting on your nerves, add some vodka to it as well. It helps take the edge off and it might actually prevent you from saying those things that everyone wants to say to them but never does only when you say it your Mom gets embarrassed and all upset and you don’t really want to do that. If you’re drinking though, you have the added excuse of, “I”m sorry, I was drinking” and most families will forgive you and you got to say what you wanted to anyway so it’s all good.

My PSA
I’m just teasing about the relatives. I know you and I all have fantastic relatives and none of them ever make us bite our tongues in silence. And drinking is not always a good idea. No underage drinking and certainly no drinking and driving.

KNITTING CONTENT:
I’ve been working at finishing up a few things. I finished one of the Shetland mittens but it’s blocking at the shop so I couldn’t take a photo. I did however finally finish the sample sweater for the Big Ball worsted yarn

I’m wearing it today and maybe I’ll get a decent photo in action.

SHOP NEWS: I’m taking a shipping break and a break from the shop to visit with family and have a real holiday. I’ll be shipping today and then not again until the 31st. Be safe and have a fantastic holiday.

I’ve been trying to think of how to describe this book without giving away all of the info that makes it worth while and it’s hard. The history and information is interesting. But more interesting is the technique used.

It started with the Schiaparelli sweater. You know the one. The one with the bow tie:

Basically the technique is a way to knit intarsia in the round without it being actually intarsia. You are carrying both colors all the time. It’s so interesting because it’s not technically fair isle and it’s not technically intarsia. It’s an interesting technique that I plan to use as soon as I get some time.

I want to make this:

That vest is the main reason I got the book. That because it was co written by Meg Swansen and Joyce Williams. It has to be good, right? It is. I had thought I could get the pattern and rework the vest in such a way that I didn’t have to do the intarsia because it was so obviously intarsia. Now I’m looking at all things “so obviously intarsia” in a completely new light.

Oh and the club is half out the door and the rest will go out today.
If you want to ruin the surprise and peek….. The yarn and the hat.

This is it folks. If you’re buying for Christmas, you are in the home stretch. Ordering online is fast becoming a non-option. I still have a few links for you though. Some gifts of pretty Knitting Needles:
Beautiful initials in your needles
Funky needles

Gifts of Notebooks and Journals:
Knit Buddies
Giftt tags
Knitter’s cards
Cards and Stationary
Knitting in the wind

If you are going to buy online (and I’m speaking for myself mostly here), let us know you need it for the holidays. I advertise that it takes me 24-72 hours to ship. I have to call ahead for postal pick up so I can’t always ship the same day I receive an order. But I can try and I can also quote you Express shipping.

For all you folks that are really this late I’m going to suggest that you go to (or call) your giftee’s LYS - that’s Local Yarn store. You’ve heard your giftee talking about this place. Think hard, you know the name. If your giftee is there alot then they know them. They might even be able to suggest a gift. If not, they have gift certificates. I know lots of people think gift certificates are cop outs, but most knitters I know think a gift certificate to their LYS is like a winning lottery ticket.

There is one source online that is still offering to get you stuff in time for the holidays. That’s Amazon.com. First check to see if your giftee has a wish list. Seriously, buying from the list is a good thing. If there is no wish list, let me suggest a few books.
New Spinner - Get Hands on Spinning or Spinner’s Companion
Experienced Spinner - Get Spinning Designer Yarns or Alden Amos’s Big Book of Spinning
Spinner/Knitter - Get Spin to Knit, or either of the Twisted sister books (or get both books)

New Knitter - Knitting Little Luxuries or One Skein wonders. Actually both of those books are good for spinners as they are a way to use up small bits of yarn. Another good book is “The Knitter’s companion”.

Experienced knitter - They NEEEEEEEED Armenian Knitting. I have much much more to say about this book but I’m going to save that for another day instead of going on and on here. Or you could be really generous and get a copy of the much coveted Magnificent Mittens or any of the Starmore books they may not already have.
All Around good Knitting books: The Knitter’s Book of Yarn where you will find a couple of designs done by myself, Adrian, and Shelia, Clara (Who also wrote it) and many other great designers. If you have little ones or the giftee does then I recommend Soft+Simple Knits for Little Ones My vest from this book is almost done.

Someone that’s into color in their projects might like Hands on Dyeing or a Dyers Garden. If they spin as well then I’d go for Color in Spinning.

Another option is a gift magazine Subscription. There are magazines for everyone. The subscription is the gift that gives all year long.

As for my fiber pursuits…
I finished that mitten last night.

Yes, the thumb is a bit pointy. It’s a sign that I was over this mitten before I was done with it. I knew from the start that I wasn’t going to like the cuff yet I continued.

The second I finished the Mitones Ivenos I started the ones in Handspun Shetland

The cuff isn’t crazy tight but it’s going to be way more snug.

One last thing and then I promise I’ll stop blabbing.  The physical shop is having a sale on Saturday.  20% off selected handapinted fibers and yarns and the shop store models of wheels and looms will have a 10% discount.  I promise I won’t be forgetting the online store. I can’t do the discount on floor models but I will discount a few of the boxed wheels in stock and there will be the same fiber and yarn sale.  The online sale will take place after the holidays.

These aren’t hard at all and I’m sure most everyone knows how to make some version. Mine are loaded with Garlic.

Mashed potatoes for supper.
Wash a bunch of potatoes really well, chop, boil. Then I mash them with sour cream and garlic. Instead of sour cream you can use a little lemon and tofu or that Tofuti Sour Cream for Vegetarians stuff. Eat hearty but save some for breakfast. Sure you can make this the same day you’re making the pancakes but it works much better if it’s cold.

Now comes the hard part (which isn’t very hard at all). Form it into a patty (this is why it’s easier when it’s cold). Put into a pan of hot oil. you don’t need a lot of oil, but you need a skim of it so the potato doesn’t stick. I usually saute the onions and mushrooms next to the pancake. I also like it with spinach or chard (I just happen to be out right now). I remove the pancake when it’s done and then add a touch of soy with the veggies that are cooking still. And then put it on top of the potato and eat.

Fibery pursuits.
I finished spinning this for mittens:

2 ounces and about 120 yards of each of four colors in Shetland. I devised a mitten pattern to work with this. As soon as I get it wound I’ll be working on it…. well. I’d like to finish this mitten first:

It’s the Mitones Ivenos mitten in handspun BFL. I have to kitchener the top and finish the thumb. I’m not sure if I’ll do the second one. The loose cuff bugs me. I know it’s designed to go over the sweater or jacket but … I’ll wait and see what I think before I pass judgement. Of course I do have plans to make gloves with January’s fiber of the month colors. Yes, I’m already thinking of January. I finished December’s fiber and knit a hat:

You didn’t think I would really show you the color’s did you? But this is a pretty good hint. Check out the stripes!

I did finish 2 other things:

Quant in a handspun Navajo 3 ply - the colorway is “Fruit Stripe Gum”. I had originally made the yarn to make mittens for the girls but I had to make a Quant so I did. I think Miss 7 going on 20 will like it. I’m hoping she also likes her new vest

I need to still block it, weave ends and put in the zipper. The pattern is from “Soft and Simple Knits for Little Ones”. I altered the pattern a little because I always do and I was using a different yarn. I used Ella Rae which is gorgeous for being mostly acrylic. I really recommend this yarn as far as washable goes. I like it enough that I’m thinking I need a sweater in it.