by Kat | Feb 5, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Last night was a light on sleep night here at Casa del KatKnits! The game was actually a game and we watched it to the end! I thought the commercials were not all that super and the sound at the halftime show was, well, poor sounding. I am not sure what they did to make it even harder to hear, but they absolutely succeeded! And, it was extra special when the underdog won the game! Congrats to the Eagles for this momentous win!
It was a good weekend for knitting, and I am making great strides on my Strokkur. I am almost through the waist decreases. It is just simple round and round knitting right now, so I don’t need to pay much attention.
I also have completed clue 1 on KK’s Mystery Socks! And, I like them thus far! Very much!
In my sleep deprived state today, my list is happily short on things and it might even include a bit of a nap this afternoon!
I hope your Monday is short and if it cannot be that it is full of good things!
by Kat | Jan 22, 2018 | General, In This Moment
It was a fly by weekend here and I am hoping this week moves at the same clip.
Friday Happy Hour was extra special with a couple of Blood Orange martini’s (super simple: Gin and Blood Orange juice in a 2-1 ratio and these were so good they got a replay on Sunday for football!). I do so love January citrus! I also laughed at the email from IKEA with an appetizer recipe. Thanks, IKEA! FYI, plain yogurt is an excellent sub for sour cream.
Saturday, the big thaw kicked into high gear and I spent much of the day doing Swedish Death Cleaning while listening to Behold the Dreamers. This cleaning unearthed some well-aged WIP’s. Some have moved into the knitting rotation to be finished and others have been frogged. All this cleaning made a space for my floor loom to move to my office/craft room. I also started a little birthday knitting for daughter number one, which I need to kick into high gear and get done this week!!
I also pulled out a couple of skeins of yarn that might work for Kirsten’s Mystery socks. I am contemplating red and green… and the red should be really winning for February sock knitting, the yarn is 100% wool, so I don’t think it will wear well at all. Have any of you ever knit socks with 100% superwash merino? If so, how did they wear? And, thanks in advance for sharing your tips!
Sunday, I really wanted to head down to Pittsburgh and join the Woman’s March, but prior commitments kept me from doing so, however, the sunset was appropriately pink!
On my list for today: some intensive death cleaning of the overflowing kitchen junk drawer and then some birthday knitting!
Happy Monday, everyone!
by Kat | Jan 8, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Sometimes the best thing about a weekend is the surprise extension of it on Monday morning. That’s right, Steve’s office is closed today because if you have days on end of at or below zero-degree weather, when it rains and instantly freezes creating a ginormous disaster of ice.
That puts Monday in the win column an even nicer treat after the quiet weekend we had.
I read lots. It felt so good to just sit and do not much but that.
I also did some knitting. I was really not happy with the ribbing on Treysta, so I ripped it out and did the same thing as the neckline (a rolled edge knit with a much smaller needle) This looks much better to my eye and in trying it on, it feels much better than the loose ribbing. I think I need to put ribbing on the list of things that I need to work on improving this year.
The weekend might have included more than one of Lidia’s An Italian in Manhattan. Oh.my.gosh. These are so good! And, they are super simple to make:
An Italian in Manhattan, ala Lidia Bastianich:
First off, Lidia says to put your glasses in the freezer at least 15 minutes before you plan on sipping this delightful concoction. She is right, it is an absolutely necessary step!
**Please note, this makes 1 cocktail**
- 2 ounces whiskey (we used Crown)
- 1-ounce Cinzano Rosso vermouth (we did not have this in the house, but I did have Martini & Rossi and that worked just fine)
- ½ ounce Averna (or other Italian amaro) **amaro is in the Campari family, it is the much darker cousin
- 2 amarena cherries in syrup, drained (I found the cutest little jars of these at my local Trader Joe’s)
In a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes, combine the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Averna. Stir to combine. Strain into the chilled glass, drop in the cherries, and serve.
I would add: repeat as necessary, just because.
And, so now on with my Monday that is a continuation of the weekend. I hope you are warm and dry wherever you are!
by Kat | Dec 18, 2017 | General, In This Moment
“Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one.” – George Orwell, 1984
When the weekend began, I had no idea that before it was over we would be living in Orwell’s dystopian 1984 2017. It began on Friday night with a couple of Perfect Manhattan’s. And, I am not just saying that…nope, it is an evidence-based conclusion, rooted in fact! And, they were the ideal way start to the weekend! We had discussed during the week that we really were feeling in a rut with our Friday night eats, so we changed it up a bit. Meatballs instead of Salami, Lobster Dip instead of Hummus…why we even added in some onion rings! Three cheers for diversity!
Saturday, we still had snow on the ground but with quickly rising temperatures, I knew it would not last for long. After all, science-based evidence is clear that warming temperatures make the snow melt. There is no changing that, no matter how much I want the snow to stay, wish cannot make it so!
I also, sadly, did not get my super-secret knitting done on Friday and I feared being vulnerable to criticism on Christmas morning if I delivered an empty box filled only with an IOU, so I managed to do some covert knitting in the light of day! I am quite certain My recipient feels no sense of entitlement, but they still are deserving of this gift – so I feverishly knit on, grabbing a row or two here and there while no one was paying attention! And, with some sneaky persistence the knitting was done and now begins the seaming. It’s a good Monday task!
We got our annual visit from Santa and the Scott Township Fire Department rolled out the red carpet firetrucks for him! It is a high point of the season and feels so “small town”. I really love this little tradition!
Sunday, it rained most of the day. Hard. The melting of the snow kind of rain. AND, Sunday was a HUGE football day! There was a game for the ages: The Steelers vs The Patriots IN PITTSBURGH, and wonder of wonders – I actually rooted for those crazy Steelers! Perhaps I am finally becoming a Yinzer, n’at! Steve wanted “football foods” for the game. You’d think it was the Super Bowl or some such thing! Ha! So there was a mini-feast with more good eats and even a beer or two! It was an incredible game, even though we lost, thanks to that incredibly bad call in that last 28 seconds (because in any other football game the ball crossing the plane of the goal would be a touchdown, but apparently not in Pittsburgh)!
Finally, we come to the last two banned words: transgender and fetus… I cannot imagine that they actually think that by not saying these words it will change how people feel about themselves, their identity, or a choice that is intensely personal.
I am reminded that every single day I must embrace all that is different. I must support those who are defenseless with words and actions, and if I don’t understand something, I need to be open to new thoughts and ideas. John Lynch said it best, “We will not agree on every issue. But let us respect those differences and respect one another…”
Make it a good Monday!
P.S. I saw this late last night The CDC Poetry Project if any of you want to try your hand at a submission!
by Kat | Nov 27, 2017 | General, In This Moment
Why is it that the Monday after a nice long weekend is even more Monday than usual? That is what my Monday is looking like, my list is long, and I feel like time is not on my side today!
We had an awesome weekend with lots of good things to eat. Okay, perhaps too many days of lots of good things to eat!
We watched some football that was sad and some football that was glad.
We even got the outside lights up, even if Steve a certain someone grumbled the entire time!
And, Frosty is back in town!
I hope your Monday is going smoothly!
