One unnamed sock complete! I finished the toe last night, and in a bit of a rush too. Why was I rushing? Because I have this thing when I think I’m going to run out of yarn – I knit faster, as if the knitting will take up less yarn if I knit it at a higher speed. How ridiculous is that? 🙂 It does remind me of a recent similar post by the Yarn Harlot, however, so I’m in good company. She knew she was running short on handspun yarn for her Jacob Damask shawl, so she tried knitting faster to outrun the disappearing yarn. Funny, no?
Luckily, I came in at just under one-half the skein for the first sock (and thank god for my yarn scale, it makes designing so much less of a guessing game – i love the predictability of weights and lengths and numbers in general….), so I think my finished pattern will use this size as the largest size, but that’s fine – I have larger than average feet for a woman, and this design will definitely stretch. Want to see a modeled shot?
Folks, it is seriously hard to photograph a sock well when it’s on your own foot! Oh well, you get the gist. You can see how cushy/springy the fabric is, so as I said, there’s room in this size for a bigger foot. I’ll do the math for a few smaller sizes and get that pattern out into the Ravelry-universe for testing. I’m aiming for a pattern release in early June at this rate!
The sun finally came out in our corner of the world today, and it was so welcome. We went to a baby naming ceremony this morning in Brooklyn, and the weather was perfect. When we got home, I hit the pavement for a quick walk. Forest Hills Gardens is a “private” planned community adjacent to our neighborhood and it’s got all kinds of building/HOA rules so that all of the homes have a similar look and style. Well, all of the rain has also ensured that all of the lawns and plants are totally lush, too. I had forgotten how popular azaleas are the in FHG area – looks like I missed their peak, but there were still some great examples in bloom and in shedding mode all around:
Azaleas weren’t the only things beautifying the neighborhood – look at this rugosa rose bush already blooming and even past peak in some spots! Mom – I can’t believe how early this bloomed! I’m used to seeing them bloom in June…. (PS: it smelled great, I checked.)
One thing I appear to have missed is all of the lilacs in FHG – I didn’t get a chance to take a walk while they were blooming with all this rain. But lucky for me, I’ve got a progress photo of my most favorite lilac bush instead. This little beauty is in my parents’ yard, a cutting from a bush that belonged to my paternal grandmother. It’s my favorite color and shape of lilac, but that’s probably because it was my grandmother’s 🙂 Or is it my favorite because we have similar tastes? Either way, we’re all keeping a close eye on her, and she’ll be in my yard someday.
We’ve got a low-key weekend of household chores and other odds and ends planned, but that’s ok after two consecutive weekends of traveling this month. Before I forget, I had said that I would post the recipe for the rhubarb muffins, originally from Nigella Lawson’s Feast cookbook! Below, all the details – enjoy!!
Rhubarb Muffins (makes 13-14)
- 1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2 average size stalks, diced into 1/4 – 1/2 in. pieces – makes 1 1/2 cups
- 2 cups + 3 tbsp. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 c. wheatgerm
- TOPPING: 2 tbsp. light brown sugar + 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, mixed together
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Â Line the muffin tins with your muffin papers of choice. Â In one bowl, mix the sugar with your wet ingredients, then mix in the rhubarb. Â Fold the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and wheatgerm lightly, but quickly, into the wet ingredients – your batter will still be lumpy. Â Portion the batter into the muffin cups (I usually get 13 or 14 muffins, depending on how much rhubarb I have). Â Sprinkle the topping over each muffin. Â Bake them for 20 minutes, or until they’re golden and baked through. Â
PS: I’m also happy to report that the caramel latte at Nespresso’s Madison Avenue boutique is scrumptious, as is the gold-dusted caramel macaron that comes with it. Â Just sayin’.
daniellechalson.com 
Your sock DOES look “springy-licious”…is that a word…?!?!?!? Great job!! The azaleas in FHG are pretty, but remember the ones in Beaufort County…sigh…!? Lucy Lilac did survive her grand transplanting, and we shall watch over her like a mother bird watches her young! Actually, the first cutting came from your paternal GREAT-grandmother’s garden, so it’s even older than you thought…! The local Lilac Festival was rained out for 3 days, an unprecedented complication, but with Mother Nature’s blessing, the last 2 days may be sunny and cheerful ones…fingers crossed…! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
The new sock is lovely, and it does look soft and comfortable too. Having a very wide foot, I need a lot of “spring” in my socks too.
I do hope you get to enjoy some blooming Lilac bushes somewhere. Mine are just beginning to blossom now, and while I was mowing the lawn, it was amazing the scent they throw off, even before reaching full bloom. They die very quickly when they are cut and put into a vase, but to have the entire house infused with that scent, it’s worth it.
At this very moment, I’m being serenaded by the Baltimore Oriole that has been enjoying the apple blossoms in my tree. His singing is superb! 🙂
The sock would look better in Green and Yellow!!! and for larger feet too! Smell of the Lilacs is outstanding this year with plenty of H2O to push them. Now they need the sun to finish.