Archive for November, 2006

Mixed Media

Monday, November 20th, 2006

About a week and a half ago I found myself inbetween fiber projects. I wanted something quick and fun to do and none of my current projects were fitting the bill. I also had a lot of yarn left over from the afgan project that I waqnted to use up in something. So I decided that grandson Christopher needed a sweater. I pulled out the scrap yarn I had and made a call to his mother for measurements then got to work. I used a simple pattern from a 1987 Vogue Knitting (it had dinasaurs on it, symptoms I wanted stripes, buy more about mod #1).

I also wanted to use some of the techniques I prefer for finishing, like 3 needle cast off for finishing the shoulders and douple pointed needles to make a seemless collar. (Mods #2 & #3). Mod #4 was making the measurements fit with his measurements and the guage. I can’t wait to see what he thinks and see how it looks on him. At 3, I’m not certain of his taste in clothes, but hopefully he’ll like it a bit. The one thing that I did that I really think makes the sweater less dull is that there’s a texture stripe in the middle of the color stripes. I alternated the purple and green, and the single strip in the middle of each pattern is a purl row so that it has a nice texture on the outside, and nothing amiss on the inside to annoy young skin. I also like the way the colors work together. It took a while to decide how the stripes should match up, and I am very pleased with those results as well.

Brian and I got back to working on our models this weekend, and I finally finished the Cobra I’d been working on. Thanksgiving weekend will be a model working weekend with our friends Jen & Craig. I’m still trying to decide what kind of models I like working on best. This is the first one I’ve finished. I have an anniversary edition of the Lunar Lander that I’m working on, a rubber band engine wood frame Spitfire (a $10 I picked up this weekend), and a Polar Lights “The Witch” to work on. I’ve started the Lunar Lander, and it’s turning out really well. I want to do The Witch with an airbrush. Brian and I are currently researching one that will allow us the best variety of uses. We’re leaning towards a Badger 175.

So this is the Cobra all finished. It’s a metal body. A very simple model to paint, and a bugger to put together with a lot of little fragile parts. I want to get the VW Bug from this company, it’s so darn cute. And with the airbrush, perhaps I can finally have The Galloping Grape I saw when I was 16 that I wanted so very badly.

Clicking on the pictures will usually link to the larger version for easier viewing of details.

Martini & Listening Party

Monday, November 13th, 2006


Brian and I threw a Martini & Listening party on Saturday for about a dozen close friends. It was a wonderful time with great personalities, ailment amazing tastes, and much laughter. The idea was simple: Each couple brought the mixings for their favorite flavor of martini to share and everyone got to pick out a couple of their favorite albums from our vinyl collection. I provided a bevy of munchies (and other tasty treats were also graciously brought). It made for a delightful evening.

I was able to photo document most of the appetizers upon presentation save for one that wasn’t done until people had started to arrive.

Clicking on the photo will take you to the recipe.

The biscotti were wonderful the next morning with coffee as well as a good, dense cookie for a sweet, yet bold appetizer.

The sage cookies were a huge hit. The texture and taste was unexpected and as savory as it was sweet. The biggest surprise is that they are made with cornmeal and had a marvelous texture.

Paula Dean came through with the puff pastry pinwheels. The only modification I made to her recipe was to add a 1/4 teaspoon of thyme to the mushrooms for a richer taste. These were wonderfully easy to make.

The tartlettes were fun to put together and were visually lovely. A time saving feature was to get the refridgerated pie crusts. After cutting out the rounds for the tartlettes, I cut small stars in the remaining pie dough, brushed them with a bit of melted butter and sprinkled them with Mrs. Dash Table Blend. Simple and yet it got super raves from my guests.

Ham roll-ups are so well known, and I wanted to add some meat to the appetizer choices, so I did a slight variation that were well recieved. I used an onion & chive cream cheese along with a sun-dried tomato and bourbon spread I created.

A last minute taste inspirtion helped me create the filling for this amazing crescent roll wreath. Ricotta and parmesan cheeses with marinated artichoke hearts and green onions made it the best dish of the night. It came out of the oven as people were arriving so it didn’t make it to the table in time for proper presentation.

My dear friend and artist Jen brought a lovely surprise for ever guest. A martini glass charm keepsake so that everyone could identify their glasses. She made them from their personal Live Journal icons!

She also made a set of 6 for me and Brian to keep. These are so clever and fun!

The Martini Flavors:

Coffee Lover’s Martini: Vanilla vodka, Coffee liqueur, Frangelico

Yoohoo Martini: Vanilla vodka, Godiva cream liqueur, Chambord

Chocolate Orange Martini: Vodka, Godiva liqueur, Triple Sec

Windex Martini: Vodka, Blue Curacao, Pineapple Juice

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini: Vanilla vodka, Pineapple Juice, Grenadine

Appletini: Apple Vodka, Apple Pucker