Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Inspiration: Thanksgiving Dinner

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Happy early Thanksgiving, everyone!  If you’re in the US, you’re probably already prepping for the big meal tomorrow.  (I know I am!) My whole family is coming into town first thing tomorrow, and my husband and I are doing the whole spread- turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pie, the works.  (I’m actually roasting some pumpkin for the pie and making some candied pecans right now… my house smells very good this morning.)

I’m actually vegetarian, so I don’t really care about the turkey (that’s my husband’s thing, but I’ve been told he makes a mean turkey).  For me, the whole point of Thanksgiving dinner is the sides.  So, let’s talk about my favorite sides (with some knitting, because that’s what I do).

Stuffing might be my favorite savory side.  I use the same recipe that my dad used when I was a kid, it’s full of sage and thyme, apple bits and big, juicy raisins.  So good!  The first time I made it, I was shocked because it starts by melting a whole cup of butter, then sauteing a bunch of celery and onion, basically making butter soup.  No wonder everyone likes it!

Stuffed Mittens by TECHknitterMashed potatoes are a staple in our house- I probably make a batch of them every couple weeks (I’m from the Midwest, after all).  My usual mashed potatoes are pretty chill- un-peeled potatoes, a little butter, a little of whatever milk I have in the fridge, and salt and pepper.  For Thanksgiving, I pull out all the stops- I put in the effort to peel all the potatoes, and step up my game with sour cream and whole milk, the whole nine yards.  So creamy and tasty!

Mash Potato Socks by Verena Cohrs

One side that most people keep strictly to Thanksgiving is cranberry sauce.  I am not most people.  I’m a cranberry fiend.  The moment fresh cranberries come into season, I stock up.  I make cranberry muffins, cranberry pancakes, and generally have a bowl of home-made cranberry sauce in my fridge.  I love it on cheese sandwiches (I realize this is weird), with mashed potatoes, or just plain, eaten with a spoon.  My favorite!

Cranberry Sauce by Brittany Tyler SimmondsBut the best part of Thanksgiving might be dessert.  Specifically pumpkin pie.  I gotta say, I make a mean pumpkin pie.  I go fully from scratch- make my own crust, roast my own pumpkins (though this year I’m using Blue Hubbard Squash, because my grocery store was out of sugar pie pumpkins!  The horror!) and garnish with homemade candied pecans and bourbon whipped cream.  I mean what’s not to love?

Pumpkin-Pie by jo columbineDo you celebrate Thanksgiving?  What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods?

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving

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Tomorrow, families across the country will gather around their dinner tables, hold hands, and go through the slightly (very) awkward tradition of saying what they’re thankful for.

I say, why wait!

Here’s (some of) what I’m thankful for in a series of pictures from this year.

First, I’m thankful for my husband.  He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever known, and he can always make me laugh.  He puts up with all the Law and Order marathons and my near-constant panic about my most recent knitting project that is never going to get finished.  (Don’t worry about the dog- he’s having fun.  This is how he plays fetch- he never ever wants to give up the ball.)img_0469And that brings me to the second thing I’m thankful for, my pup Ollie.  He’s too stinking adorable for words, and is a total cuddle monster.  He’s so silly and sweet, and I’m incredibly glad he is part of our family.img_3610I’m thankful for Seattle-  I mean, a beautiful city, full of delicious food and all sorts of things to do, minutes from the beach and less than an hour from two mountain ranges?  Could you ask for a better place to live?img_0593I’m thankful for all our friends, both here in Seattle and spread across the country.  I’m so happy that we’ve managed to stay in touch over the years and across three time zones.  And, I’m still so happy we made it all the way to Yellowstone this summer- best vacation ever!beaver-ponds-hike-36And, I’m thankful for getting to knit and design patterns for a living.  When I was a kid, filling out those “What I Want To Be When I grow Up” quizzes, I never thought “Professional Knitter” would be an option.  So, you can imagine how surprised (and pleased) I am to find myself here.carkeek-park-pulloverOf course, I’m thankful for much more, but those are just the things I have pictures of.  I’m thankful for big things, of course: my family, the opportunity to work with amazing kids every day, and the home my husband and I share.  And I’m thankful for silly little things: that it’s (finally) grapefruit season again, coffee, and trips to the dog park.  And, of course I’m thankful for you guys!  I wouldn’t be writing (as much, anyway) if I didn’t have you amazing readers.

So, happy Thanksgiving!  Have a fantastic day tomorrow, eat too much and enjoy yourself!

Thank You!

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Hi everybody, I thought I’d take a moment to do the cheesy-yet-well-intentioned Thanksgiving tradition.  You know,  the one where we all go around the dinner table (or in this case, the knitting website) and tell everyone what we’re thankful for.

CornucopiaThanksgiving[1]I know it’s dorky, but I’m in a thankful mood (but maybe that’s just my endorphins building up in preparation for tomorrow’s feast), so let’s do this thing.

I am thankful for knitting!  It’s both therapy and entertainment.  It keeps me busy and keeps me warm.  There’s something almost alchemical about turning yarn into something as complex as a lace shawl or as practical as a thick wool socks.  It warms my heart (and feet), and challenges my brain, and I love it.

I am thankful for my husband (obviously).  He puts up with having an entire room dedicated to knitting and doesn’t mind when he finds project bags scattered across the house.  He ‘s been insanely supportive with my blog and pattern design work, as well as regular awesome husband-ness.

I am thankful for my pup.  Ollie’s been an amazing addition to our lives over the past half-year, and he makes me laugh every day.  I couldn’t be happier having him in my life (even if he has chewed up a knitting needle or two… *grumble, grumble*)

I am thankful for this blog- and it’s readers!  It’s been a really fun (sometimes difficult) and interesting exercise to write something (hopefully) interesting and (sometimes) funny every other day for almost three years, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.  Being able to share my passion with all of you lovely people is fantastic!  You’re the best! (And, there’s so many of you!)

Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for?

Inspiration: Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving, Americans!  (And Happy Thursday, everyone else!)

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is one of my all-time favorite things to do.  There’s something about spending hours planning, shopping and scheduling that makes the run-up to Thanksgiving especially great.  And, nothing beats spending the day chopping vegetables, stirring pots, and smelling all those wonderful Thanksgiving kitchen smells with your friends and family.  I’m drooling in anticipation already (which is a gross image, so sorry!)

When I think of Thanksgiving food, I think of home-y, cozy dishes, made with a special twist.  Food that is comforting (and comfortable), but fancied-up a little bit.  Which, incidentally, is exactly how I like my knitting, too.  Simple, comfy, and just a little fancy.

Let’s share a buffet of Thanksgiving-inspired knitwear, all worked in my favorite comfy, yet fancy fiber, alpaca.

This hat has a gorgeous, squishy texture, but is simple enough for even the pickiest of hat-wearers.

Graham by Jennifer Adams

IMG_8516_medium2[1]I just love patterns with great big swathes of interesting texture.

Big Herringbone Cowl by Purl Soho

herringbone-cowl-flat-425_medium[1]The cables, openwork, and shaping on this sweater make it seem challenging and modern, yet I think it would become an instant classic in any wardrobe.

Aurys by Svetlana Volkova

IMG_3020_medium2[1]

Giving Thanks (Better Late than Never)

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I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend, I know I did.  I got to go visit my brother and parents down in San Francisco.  It’s a pretty cool town, and we got to eat a lot of really great food and walked way way way more than I usually do.HappyThanksgiving[1]

Now, because of my busy weekend, I failed to come up with a plan for today’s post.  I’ve always thought that those “What I’m Thankful For” lists that you see on Facebook are kind of dumb, and just used as filler for when you don’t know what else to do.

But I don’t have any good ideas right now, so I suppose it’s as good an idea as any.  Here’s what I’m thankful for (in no particular order):

– My awesome family (and especially my husband).  They totally enable me in whatever crazy project I decide to try.  Want to get a spinning wheel? Awesome.  Want to drop a couple hundred bucks on wool and dye, just to “try out this idea I had?” Go for it.  Want to take over the living room with dozens of yards of fabric so that I can manufacture project bags for everybody I’ve ever met?  Super.  They’re amazing.

-My day job.  I’ve always been super academically inclined and really into planning and making lists (which is why I ended up going to school until I was 25, and graduating with a Masters in Neuroscience… yeah… that happened.)  But, when I left school, I realized that science, while enjoyable, wasn’t what really made me happy.  My new job is my first real artsy-fartsy job, where I work in a ceramics studio making custom tiles.  I get to play with clay and glaze and fire stuff in the kilns.  It’s pretty much the best thing ever, and I totally lucked out in getting it.

-My night job (which sounds shadier than I meant it to), roller derby.  I spend about 20 hours a week rollerskating and doing other roller derby-related things, so I consider it a pseudo second job.  I don’t get paid (unfortunately), but I enjoy it enough to not worry about that much.  And, on top of skating being fun, all my teammates are awesome people, and a great network of friends.

-My other night job (also not shady), my blog!  I’ve been working on the blog for almost a year now, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s turning out.  I get so excited when I see your comments, and looking at everyone’s finished projects posted on Ravelry makes me smile like a crazy lady.  I am constantly thankful for every comment, like, and follower.

But enough sappiness!  I’ve got some good stuff planned for December, and I can’t wait until I get it out of my head and onto my computer screen.  Happy knitting and happy (late) Thanksgiving!