Of Watercress, Hat and Lilikoi

The cool weather has been very good for the watercress. Most of the watercress on Oahu is grown on a farm in Aiea, Sumida Farm. My mom used to make namool which I never cared for growing up,or watercress soup with abalone, but now makes salad using the wilted lettuce salad dressing.


2 bunches watercress
3 strips of bacon, chopped and fried crispy
1/4 c. vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon brown sugar.

After frying the bacon, remove bits and set aside. Add the rest of the ingredients to the oil and heat to boiling. Pour over the chopped watercress and toss with the bacon. For the "fat free" variation, use the precooked bacon bits and therefore no grease. It is fine with the veggie "bacon" bits, too.


A little small project, Utopia Hat from http://smariek.blogspot.com is a free pattern. She shares them on her Yahoo group.
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Needles: size 8

I love the way the cables come together at the top. The cables are fun and the project is very quick to make.



Megan herself, shows us how a Lilikoi Knits and wears the Bar Harbor Shell Bag turban style. She allowed a photo modeling it if I promised to stop weaving in ends. The group vote was that I don't have to weave them in if I'm going to felt the thing! Hmmm. Food for thought, but scary to me...all those what ifs.

Tomato Boot Socks, FO

Project: Boot Socks
Pattern: from 220 Projects for Cascade 220, designed by Mary Lou Egan
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824, color 26
Mods: accidental, forgot the knit row in the rib knit pattern
Size: Made the smallest
Needles: my short size 3, wood DPs

This was a fast quick reprieve from sewing in ends on my Bar Harbor Bag. The Mission Falls was okay to knit with, but a bit splitty. These socks are very nice an cozy for these cool Hawaii mornings and count as a Project Spectrum project (except of course, it doesn't start until Febrary)! I have yet to wash them.

Life seems busy now. My recollection is that I used to get more done in a day. Could it be that sitting on my okole at home in front of the computer reading my bloglines, surfing Ravelry and virtual shopping, or watching my Net flicks are sucking up the time? Or am I just slowing down, period! It's scary thinking I feel "old" now and I may have another 40 more years to go! Yikes!

I ran into the Roosevelt High School Class of 1969 Alumni planning committee at Hiroshi's last night. They all look grown up now, heh. They are planning their next Las Vegas trip. I have yet to go to one reunion. Hmm, maybe it's time. I'll put that on the "What to do after I retire" list.

Other then, 5 months 16 days 15 hours and 12 minutes to retirement, what's going on?

I was happy to read here that pollution is not the cause of a brilliant sunset. Lately, the dramatic sunsets have been frequent on those days it is not pouring rain. How to photograph them with a point and shoot digital is another story.

Blogless Michelle has enabled me to share this bit of yarn porn in all it's Pakucho, organic goodness. She knit the Tetris Blanket modifying the edge by knitting on a garter edge. It is soft and comfy, and fit for the future new human.
I was a little daunted by the several balls she had hanging off her work, although she assures me, they are no problem. I have been browsing other patterns and even some crochet!







I have 3 WIPs. One is lace and it is much neglected. I suspect it will visit the frog pond soon. The other is a shrug of some wooly stuff from the 78% hippie Kim . I won it guessing the birth time of the unblogging and therefore technically blogless Termite Queen's 3rd child, but I'm not in love with this project so it's fate is unknown. The trials and tribulations of a serial knitter. Now the Bar Harbor Shell Bag is actually moving along.

I decided to go with the Lamb's Pride in two shades of green as somehow sacrificing 10 skeins of Kureyon just seemed wrong. Secretly, though, I lust for the multicolors. I'm not sure I got the instructions of the point correct, but hey! it will be felted and hide everything! And of course all those ends for the color changes are disheartening. But hey!, felting will fix it all. If the Secret is real, then it will happen! The colors did not come out well in the photo.

The Aloha Knitters have had several visitors. Kris ex pat local girl from Germany, and RandomKnits from Australia. Opal has the scoop, profusely illustrated, on her blog. Thanks Opal:) It was fun seeing their projects and sharing stories.

Peacock Must Have Cardigan, FO

Pattern: Paton's Must Have Cardigan, from Street Smart
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino wool in Peacock, 7 balls
Size: Made the largest size and added 4 stitches on each side of back and on armhole side of fronts as the ladies on Ravelry all said this pattern runs small. I followed the length directions for the small for this cropped cardigan as I'm short, but think perhaps another inch might have been better to cover the sins. I like the length of the sleeves.
Needles: Knit Picks options
I'm still looking for the right buttons. The ones I have on are too small.

It's been a busy season with two sisters visiting with their families. I admit I missed the fireworks New Year's Eve as I fell asleep, but my son managed to catch a few aerials. I received a huge Totoro Tissue cover for Christmas as well as a Cat bus and a pile of acorns:)

The "girls" had dinner at the Prince Court Buffet New Year's Day while the "boys" hunkered down for all day football. The food was lovely and the carved veggies were so cool.

Next up? The Bar Harbor Shell Bag

Here's to 2008! Happy Knitting, creating and crafting everyone!