Botanical Garden at Berkeley

This weekend, we bummed around. Too lazy to get out of town, we decided to check out the Botanical Gardens in UC Berkeley for a few hours. We've been meaning to go, and almost went prior.... but laziness got to the best of us. Anyway, I always seemed to be amazed to find such fantastic treasures literally in our own back yard. Here are some photos i took of some interesting plants and shrubbery at the Botanical Gardens...

Green Sock

My 2nd attempt at making socks. My first attempt a few years ago was not so successful. I ended up "almost" completing a sock that didn't fit. It took so long and felt so tedious, that i just got bored. I put it away, never to be found again. This is more promising. The trick really is to keep trying it on while your knitting....and to cast on really loose. The yarn is a hand dyed merino from Piedmont Yarn and Apparel on Piedmont Ave. The owner hand dyes the yarn herself and no two skeins are alike. I love the variegation of this yarn. This is the first of the pair, and so far I have not lost interest ( thank god, I've got a few works in progress that I've abandoned).

Latest Baby Quilt

It took so long for me to post. This is the most recent baby quilt I've made for a baby show a week and a half ago. I found this fabric ( below) at Stonemountain and Daughters fabric store in Berkeley. I thought the squares were so kitchsy and cute. I decided to make a log cabin patchwork around the squares and put the squares together to form the quilt.

I used as much blues, greens and reds to make it as "masculine" as possible for a boy. I guess, masculinity is out the window when you are first born, but at least it would work for the next one which might be a girl. I love it. It came out well, if I do say so myself. I am now making another variation of this one on a smaller scale. Will post when that is done too.

Really? Ice Cream?

Wow! Really? Ok, if you were to tell me that I'd be making ice cream a few weeks ago, I would have thought you were crazy! Who would have ever thought. Well thanks to Sur La Table for waiving the ice cream machines in front of me...everywhere I go.. I made a impulse purchase, wondering.... "I'm I going to spend my money a one time use thing?" I have been hooked ever since. Ok, this isn't the first thing I've made, but this is the best so far. And this is what got me hooked! I have never been a fan of strawberry ice cream, never been much of a fan of strawberries at all! Inquiring what my mom would like, if I were to make her some ice cream, she said "Strawberry Ice Cream, please." So I bought some strawberries.... and it sat in my fridge. I opened it one day and , oh crap, they were going bad. In a rush, I took them to the sink and cut off ALL the moldy stuff. Then I made the cream and left for work. That evening i churned. I churned and churned. Wow! who would have ever thought. It is one of the most delicious things I've ever had! Its is like fresh strawberries, but better!

Anyway, I'm hooked. I spend my days thinking about coming home to it. I dread the day it will be gone....

oops, all gone. =(

Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

For the sake of making my Matt happy, I decided to make his favorite dessert... carrot cake, in cupcake form. The recipe comes from Flo Braker's "Baking for All Occasions". The cake is moist, with a good amount of carrots! Hmmm..... not only yummy, but a good source of vitamin C. The frosting is fantastic. A traditional cream cheese frosting with a twist of citrus. I'm quite happy with the turnout. By the way, the basil plant lovingly nestled behind the cupcakes is not the original seedlings posted earlier. The seedlings did not grow...... they just went to the trash....

For the love of Cheescake

My first cheesecake. I decided to make the ricotta cheesecake from Martha Stewart's " Baking Handbook" What was supposed to be an easy cake to make, i found pretty difficult. Mine (above) kind of got squashed while transporting from pan to rack, so it's not as pretty as hers (below)

but man was it good! Sorry, didn't take it for a test taste at work. There wasn't any left to take!

New Bake Books!

Really, Borders has got to stop sending me these coupons. My book obsession is just out of control. I just acquired the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook last week and have been obsessing over a variety of recipes I hope to make in the near future. It's so fantastic. So many pictures of techniques and of the baked goods themselves. For a baking beginner, or for someone who is stimulated by pretty pictures, I highly recommend this book. Anyway, back to my book obsession.... I was watching the Martha Stewart Show ( hmmm... it just happened to be on TV), she had a lovely baker named Erin McKenna on as a special guest. She had come out with a new book called Babycakes, filled with recipes of vegan, gluten free and sugar free baked goods. I have never tried making goods for special diets, but it looked so delicious on TV. I have never been impressed with vegan treats I have tried before, but there is always a first. I think the first thing I make will be the Carrot Cake Cupcakes.... of course only after I make the Ricotta ( completely un-vegan) cheesecake from Martha's book.

Loppem

Yay, I'm done! The loppem sweater from Nora Gaughan Vol 3. I first saw the sample at Imagiknit and had to make it. It also helped that I got to try it on too. After the frustration of making two sweaters now that didn't fit me this year, I just couldn't bear yet another one. I used Palace, from Berroco yarn. It is 50% Merino, and 50% Silk, and it feels like butter. Very light and has a nice drape. Not much for keeping warm, so I think I'll save it for when it gets a little warmer. Yes, below.... another ridiculous attempt to photograph myself with it on.

First Signs of Life!

Oh my first plant from seedling. I thought i would share with you the early stages of my basil plant growth. I bought this basil plant starter kit at Ikea last weekend, and already it is sprouting! Wow, it is so amazing how one could progress so quickly. " Ahhh, one day you will be a fully grown basil plant... and one day... you will become pesto.... " More to come in the days and weeks ahead.

Early Mother's Day

Finally, FINALLY!!!!! After 8 months ( OK, so it was stashed away as WIP for about 6 months) I finished the Cap Sleeve Eyelet Sweater from Closely Knit by Hannah Fettig . Once again I have made a sweater that doesn't fit. This is the second time this year! Unfortunately I think I knew it wouldn't fit from the moment I started knitting it. I brought it home to mom and dad to to use their floor ( blocking space), and who of course decided it would be hers to have and to hold?

It does look fantastic on her. Ugggh, my cashmere blend yarn!! Well I think I still have two balls left. Maybe I can make a hat for myself one of these days..... I told her " It is your Mother's Day gift! You can not wear it until Mother's Day!" She's wearing it on Easter.....