Nantucket's Cranberries

Yesterday, Magdalena, her father (my ex) and I went to Nantucket's Annual Cranberry Festival. It's been happening for years, and was small for a long time. Then it stopped for a while, and came back amazingly! Tons of fun games, wares, hayrides, and much more. (All of this by Nantucket standards, which is to say it would appear fairly small to most of the world.)
We have had a visitor with us for a very long time now. In fact, what was supposed to be two weeks of so has become almost three months.

Meet the World Traveler Lucy! She has been super sweet in understanding that it took me far longer to get around to hanging with her than it should have!
So, this is a post about her visiting the Bogs with us, and will also be on her Blog soon!

Here's Lucy with Magdalena and her father, hanging out when we first got to the festival. We didn't dawdle there long, as shortly after this picture was taken, that gal directly behind them started eating that piece of paper hanging on the fence!
Next it was into the tent where there was all manner of cranberry and Nantucket related paraphernalia being sold. And she made some friends right quick!

Here Lucy is with Barnaby and his friend, she wanted to stay and chat but we had to be on!

We had been strolling quite a bit at this point, and this looked like a comfy spot to rest! Lucy is reclining in a basket of yarn shorn from sheep on the island, then hand-spun and sold. Pretty nice!
Next it was on to see how the cranberries were (and still are!) processed.

This is is Carrie, she explained that this machine has been around since the bogs opened and still is in use small scale on the bogs. Lucy thought it was very cool!

Next it was onto lunch.

Then a self guided tour of the bogs.

There is a family of wooden Gazelles hanging out on the bogs!

We found a tractor.

Chilling in the sunshine.

Lucy was amazed by how much work it was to harvest cranberries! Because they have air bubbles in the center of them, they float t the top of the flooded bog, and then are harvested.

Then a hayride back!
We had a very fun day, and I hope she enjoyed her (extended) visit! We had so much fun with her!

Giveaway!

This is just a reminder post as my emotional post last night may have taken away from my post earlier in the day about my giveaway. I am giving away a yarn dying kit on my new Blog! Hop on over to enter! Good luck!

Candy Cane Cookies

This has been reblogged: https://nantucket-knitter.com/2017/12/03/candy-candy-cookies/

Kani

This is Kani, on of my daughter's Christmas presents. (Kani is Finnish for Rabbit. I don't know what it is, but I have always been fascinated with Finland.)

She was so fun to make, and I am so proud of her. I think Magdalena will love her!

Favorite Things Friday

I got an unexpected and very lovely day off today. As a single mother, I am very lucky. My daughter goes with her father every Sunday after church for several hours, and then one weekend a month. But today it was raining cats and dogs, and since my ex is a landscaper, he couldn’t work. Bummer for him – day off for me!
I cleaned the house, I worked on my website, I knitted. (I did not, however, actually finish anything.) Then at about two o’clock, I realized I hadn’t eaten, so I made myself a virgin Peña Colada – virgin mainly because I don’t know what kind of alcohol goes into it. And right this very second, I am sipping it.
All that, altogether, is my Favorite Thing Friday. (Well it’s still Thursday here, but hey, close enough.)

Home made tortillas!

We just got a tortilla press this weekend! And of course, I had to try it out right away. (It's funny - this is 'Natalie's Knit's' but all three of the posts thus far have centered on food. All well.)

The new toy!

I have made pupusas before (sorry if my spelling is off) so I know the basics of making the dough with corn flour. Two cups flour and a little over a cup of water. Stir/kneed for a minute or two, and form into balls. Leave under a moist towel for about half an hour.


Put them on an un-oiled skillet, and cook for about three minutes on one side, two on the other. Until it kind of pushes away from the skillet.

A tortilla cooking on an un-oiled skillet.

I keep them in a stack under a paper towel. Not that I really think that keeps the warmth in, but it for some reason makes me feel better.


A small stack of tortillas.

Fill with whatever you like, then cook an additional couple of minutes to get everyting all gooey and yummy. And presto, you have a quesadilla! I put Brie in mine.


A tortilla covered in brie, waiting to be topped with the second tortilla.

I was so hungry I couldn't wait. I broke one apart and used it as a chip to eat my brie.

A first rate dinner, if I do say so myself!

And of course, with all that waiting for timers to go off, I had a bit of time to knit:

A mini sweater ornament I am donating to my Church's Harvest Fair! (It's next month and there's always a table devoted just to ornaments.)<br>
And there you have it, my adventure with the tortilla press!

October Whoopie Pies

My Favorite Thing Friday is October. Three reasons - Fall is my favorite season, Halloween is my favorite holiday, and my birthday is this month.
I spent the day making mini pumpkin whoopie pies, to celebrate October. Literally, the day. Because I am American, I naturally like things far bigger than they're supposed to be, so the first two batches were gigantic...but looked horrible. So, actually following the recipe this time, I made another two batches.

The first batch, with the big ol' scooper.

Some of the second batch, waiting to go into the oven...

...and out of the oven.

All those mini whoopie halves.

A plate of Whoopie Pies!

It's a funny thing - when things are actually made the size they're supposed to be, the recipe doesn't really have to be doubled. So with all that extra batter - mini pumpkin cupcakes!

Aaaand lotsa time spent knitting while waiting for the timer go off. (It's a World of Warcraft stocking a friend asked me to make, by the way.)

And one teeny tiny panda bear ornament, with two different length arms. Poor thing. She'll be fixed tomorrow.

Mini Christmas Stockings, Anyone?!

Soo excited to try these:
Mini Christmas Stockings. And this was a pretty much pointless post, I just go too excited when I saw those.

Lena Loo Legwarmers, and others

These are legwarmers I knit for my daughter. She's one fancy little girl - they're made from hand painted silk blend yarn. It's been lyring around for so long, I just had to use it. You can't tell from the pic, but they've got a lace and cable pattern on the front. They've got a ruffle on the end, and they're just epic. I only wish I made them a tad longer. They've been dubbed "Lena Loo Legwarmers", as her nickname is (one of the many, anyways) is Lena Loo.

Here's a pair of mitts I knit for my friend Danielle. I am so in love with them, I didn't want to give them to her. But as she paid me for them, I really had no choice.

In red as well. Oh, by the way, they're made with cashmere blend yarn. Yum!

All pretty and wrapped up.

The palm cable on the mitts. Shameless advertising - it can all be purchased at Natalie's Knits. Oh, I dyed my own yarn today. With Food Coloring. Mine didn't come out that bright, but I'm okay with that. It's a nice shell pink / Whitish variagated (sorry if the spelling is rubbish) wool, and I'm calling it Nantucket Red to fancy it up. In case you don't know what Nantucket Red is.

Magdalena Mitts

OKAY - Magdalena Mitts

This is the first pattern I have ever created. Thought I would share and see if anyone else would do it!


Using US size one DPN, CO 45 st

Round one - *p1, k1, p2, k1, repeat from *
Round two thru four - repeat round one
Round five - *p1, wrap 4, repeat from *
Round six thru nine - repeat round one
Round ten - p1, k1, *p1, wrap four, repeat from *, using two st from next round to complete patt. Do not, however, change starting point of next round.
Repeat rounds one thru ten once. (Rounds 11 thru 20)
Rounds 21 thru 24 - repeat round one
Round 25 - Repeat round five
Round 26 - Repeat round one


Placing Thumb:
Round 27 - p1, k1, p2, k1, k5 with scrap yarn, slip last five st back to left needle, finish round in patt with working yarn

Rounds 28 & 29 - Repeat round one
Round 30 - Repeat round ten
Rounds 31 thru 34 - Repeat round one
Round 35 - Repeat round five
Rounds 36 thru 39 - Repeat round one
Round 40 - Repeat round ten
Rounds 41 thru 44 - Repeat round one
Round 45 - Repeat round five

BO all st.


Thumb:
Carefully remove scrap yarn, placing five st on one dpn, and four on the other. K5 on lower DPN, pickup 2 st. K4 on second DPN, pickup 1 st. k2, p2 one round. BO purlwise.


Finishing:
Weave in all ends.

Wrap four: With yarn in back, slip next four st purlwise. Bring yarn to front. Slip st back to left needle. Bring yarn in back. Slip stitches back to right needle. Keep tension quite firm.

I Am Addicted

World of Warcraft. If you've never played it, don't start. At least, not if you have something even close to an addictive personality. You will become obsessed. I have been playing this game off-and-on for a year or so, and at this point, if I'm not with my daughter, cleaning or with friends, I am playing this accursed game.
Sleep? When I'm (in the game) dead!
In fact, anyone wondering where the name Sqquee came from? My Enhancement Shaman's name is Sqquee. (The name is based on one of my favorite comic book characters EVAR, Squee. However, that was not available, so I improvised!) And boy, does she rock.
If I was given the option, (and Azeroth were not quite so filled with scary things) I would pack myself and my daughter up and move into Stormwind City. Where I would make my living skinning animals and enchanting armor to add extra mana and stamina. Needless to say, I live vicariously through my characters.
I mean, seriously. You're running across continents on your trained elephant or tiger, in life-or-death battles with anything wandering across your path. The never-ending battle of Alliance vs. Horde. Defending your cities when the other faction decides to strike. Levitating. Baking giant raptor egg omelets. Joining random dungeon groups with five people who could be from anywhere in the world.
What, absolutely what, is not to love about this game?