This abandoned tractor is on my brother-in-law’s property in the part of our ‘hood we affectionately call “down back”. Dale and I walked there last weekend. It was chilly but not cold, the earth was muddy and it felt great to be outside.

I’m going to make sure to get outside this weekend, too. Before the Super Bowl, of course.

Go Pats!

Do you make your own spaghetti sauce? I do and I follow a recipe that was my mom’s. Now. My mom was English without a drop of Italian blood to her name. Nevertheless, she made damn fine spaghetti sauce. Authentically Italian? Of course not. But truly delicious? You know it.

When I was newly married I told my mom I wanted to make sauce and I wanted her recipe. There was a long pause on the phone and she finally said, “I don’t have a recipe.” I thought she was being secretive and didn’t want to share but what she really meant was that she didn’t have a written recipe because, like most good cooks, it was all stored in her head. We made a plan that I would go and watch the next time she made sauce and that’s what I did. I wrote everything, and I mean everything, down, from the type of hamburger she bought to the brand of tomatoes she used. Of course she didn’t actually measure any of the seasonings but she guesstimated for me and I wrote down those amounts for the garlic, basil, oregano and parsley. In the end, I cobbled together a pretty good recipe for my mom’s sauce.

That was almost 25 years ago and I’ve been making it ever since. Of course, my written notes are long gone and now I have it all stored in my head. I got to thinking, though, that Hannah might want to make her nana’s (and her mom’s) sauce one day so I decided a blog post was in order. Plus, I had a picture of the big vat of sauce I made that I wanted to show you. Ahhh, a blog post is born.

The ratio of ingredients is 1 lb burger, 1 onion, 1 pepper, 8 oz mushrooms, a 29 oz can of tomato sauce and a 29 oz can of tomato puree, plus garlic (preferably fresh), basil, oregano and parsley. The technique is simple: saute the vegetables and garlic in one pan and the meat (with plenty of salt and pepper) in another, mix them together and add in the other spices and the cans of tomato sauce and tomato puree. I usually add a can of tomato paste and a bit of sugar, too. Now, you can make a small batch for one meal but honestly, if you’re going to go to all the trouble to make homemade sauce you might as well make a big pot and that’s just what I did last Sunday.

I like to let the sauce sit for a day so we had spaghetti on Monday night. I shared some with my father-in-law and then froze 12 additional bags of sauce for us to eat over the coming months.

And you know that I will think of my mom every time I pull one of those bags out of the freezer.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the original version of this book but it has been long out of print. My library’s copy has been missing for years (no, I didn’t take it!) and copies have sold for outrageous amounts on ebay so it’s wonderful to have it available again for a new generation of knitters. It is, quite literally, an encyclopedia of knitting.

There are over 700 pages filled with diagrams, charts, facts, advice, and lessons. If you don’t know how to knit you can start here. If you already know how to knit you can expand your knowledge base and learn how to do things differently. There are examples of all kinds of techniques, cast ons,  increases, decreases, flat knitting, circular knitting, steeks and hems and so much more.  There are no patterns here but there is information on designing patterns and writing charts that is so valuable and helpful you’ll be designing your own patterns in no time.

There are chapters on all the knitting basics and there is even information on fiber choices and spinning.

The book is so comprehensive that I would dare say it could be the only knitting technique book you will ever need – it’s just that informative. It’s easy to understand, simple to follow, and will be useful to any knitter at any level of experience. It’s available starting February 14th and would make a perfect Valentine’s gift – I’m just saying.

As a librarian and a knitter I highly recommend this book.

1. My number one favorite thing to eat while watching football is Buffalo Chicken Dip. I use this recipe and it’s the bomb. My friend who is hosting the party we will be attending has informed me she will be making a double batch for this Sunday. I hope it’s enough.
2. Second to that dip is chili. You can make it ahead of time, it can be customized and served with all kinds of toppings, and it’s delicious.
3. Jambalaya. I like to include chicken, sausage and shrimp. Yummmmm.
4. Meatball subs. Seriously, buy frozen meatballs, dump them in a crockpot with jarred spaghetti sauce, wait a couple of hours and they are ready. Serve them on extra fresh sub rolls topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and your guests will love you.
5. Pulled pork. Another one for the crockpot which makes it idea for a football party.
6. Nachos. I think this one is self explanatory.
7. Mexican layer dip. I don’t know why football makes me crave Mexican food but it does and that’s that. Pass the tortilla chips, won’t you?
8. Deviled eggs. What’s a party without them?
9. Whoopie Pies. See the picture up there? Those are the football shaped whoopie pies that I made for the AFC Championship Game. It was a little tricky getting the batter into a football shape but they tasted great.
10. Brownies. For the Super Bowl I happen to think they should be cut into shapes with football themed cookie cutters. Just saying.

Today let’s simply take a look back.
Where were you this day one year ago?
What did you capture in your lens that day?
Looking back can be fun.  You may be surprised by what you find.  I hope the look back brings with it a good memory.

That look back most definitely brought back a good memory. And the timing of this prompt could not have been better because it reminded me that yesterday was my 7 year blog anniversary and last year I hosted a gathering of knitters & spinners at my home to celebrate. Most of those women would not be in my life if it weren’t for the fact that I sat down at my computer on the morning of  January 29, 2005 and just started writing.

Those early posts were pretty dull, my knitting was uninspired and my photography in those days was downright awful but people started reading and commenting and here I am, 7 years letter, with 1675 posts and 49,151 comments. Holy crap.

So on this day, when I start the 8th year of my blog, I just want to say thanks. Thanks for being here, thanks for reading and commenting, thanks for your friendship, your support and encouragement,  and – most of all –  thanks for making time in your day to stop by and spend a little time with me.

Really. Thanks.

Between the picture of the cardinal the other day and my neighbor’s shed today I’m guessing you can surmise that we had some snow last week. It’s long gone now but it was pretty while it lasted.

I hope you find something pretty to look at this weekend!

There are 22 items pictured there. That’s down 9 from last year. Yikes. It’s all good, though, because I knit:

• 12 pairs of socks
• 4 shawls
• 3 hats
• 1 baby blanket
• 1 pair of mitts
• 1 sweater

1. Iron Lady. I love Meryl Streep and I just know her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher will be amazing. Honestly, I could watch Meryl Streep paint a room and I would find it entertaining.
2. Red Tails. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a fantastic one and I’m always interested in seeing something about them.
3. War Horse. I don’t generally like movies about horses because they are always sad but I’ve heard some Oscar buzz about this one and that’s why I’m putting it on my list. If it doesn’t get any nominations I will not be going to see it.
4. The Descendants. I put George Clooney in the same category as Meryl Streep, frankly.
5. Hugo. Martin Scorcese directed it. Need I say more?
6. The Artist. It’s highly favored for a Best Picture nomination
7. Midnight in Paris. Another favorite for an Oscar nomination and the cast includes Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. I’m not always a big fan of Woody Allen but this seems like a good one.
8. One for the Money. I know it will probably stink but I love the Stephanie Plum books and I think casting Sherri Shepherd as Lula is perfect so I do want to see the movie. I wouldn’t have chosen Katherine Heigl for the lead but it ought to at least be good for some laughs.
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Not until after I read the book, though.
10. Gone with the Wind. I know it’s weird to list this one and I’ve seen it many, many times but Dale and I just finished listening to the book and now I’m really jonesing to watch the movie again.

I told Hannah when I finished it that this was the hardest thing I’ve ever knit and it’s true.

I’ve knit sweaters before and I’ve knit cables before but the combination of multiple charts, directions, decreases, increases, left cables, right cables, large cables, left large cables, right large cables, seed stitch and shaping all in ONE pattern made this a challenge. Let’s just say there was a lot of flipping paper around while following those directions and charts.

Just because it was hard doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, though. It’s an extremely detailed and well written pattern and Hannah and I are both thrilled with the finished sweater. It fits her perfectly and the style is really flattering on her slim figure.

The sleeves are ridiculously long but they are also tight so they stay put and the effect seems to work well.

I bought the yarn, Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky, on my first trip to WEBS and it was a pleasure to use. It was reasonably priced, I got gauge, and the color was just what Hannah envisioned for this project – a classic, natural colored cabled sweater. It’s got a bit of a halo to it and it’s very warm, perfect for walking to and from class.

The zipper could have been a tricky business but I chickened out and had Lois do it for me. She made it look so easy! She simply pinned it in place and stitched it on the machine. The bulky yarn worked perfectly to hide the machine stitches and I think it took her about 15 minutes to get it done. I would have fussed and fumed over it and really didn’t want to risk ruining the sweater at that stage in the process. The bonus is that Lois got to participate in the project for Hannah and that made her happy.

Hannah and I had hoped to coordinate our photo shoot for the beach but her work schedule and our busy weekends just didn’t allow for that to happen. Instead we wandered into the backyard last Thursday afternoon and captured these photos. The light was a little flat and it was very cold but Hannah was toasty in her new sweater.

Our trees and my father-in-law’s shed aren’t as picturesque as the beach would have been but you know, done is better than perfect and I’m so happy that this whole thing is now officially done!

Wear it well, my dear Hannah, wear it well.