Delectable Delights by Heather

This past week was our third wedding anniversary and to celebrate I decided to have a cake made by Delectable Delights by Heather.

Three years ago, Heather made the cupcakes and cake for our wedding.

These cakes and everything else I’ve had from her are so good.  So I shouldn’t have been surprised that the cake we had this weekend was just as delicious.

That’s yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache filling.

Mike and I decided we should try to remember to celebrate with Heather’s cakes more often than once every three years.

Why I Haven’t Been Knitting As Much

The past month has been a whirlwind of activity.

I still haven’t finished that super cute baby tunic but plan to this weekend.

So what have I been doing?

Well, traveling like usual for work.  How many people get to go places for work where they see neat things like this?

There’s been a lot of running too.  At the beginning of the month, I ran the Broad Street Run for the second year in a row. I wasn’t that pleased with my performance (four minutes slower when I wanted to be four minutes faster) but I finished and felt like my regular self instead of hurting for days, so that’s an accomplishment.

Here’s me giving my parents a thumbs up somewhere in mile five.

And then I didn’t run this 5K but helped with the planning starting last summer. It was the first ever to raise money for a project in my community and we had 112 registrants (over our goal by 12!).

I’ve also been trying to learn more about my Nikon D3000 and trying to ditch the point and shoot whenever possible in favor of understanding photography a little more.  I’m learning but I’ve got ways to go and I’m enjoying figuring things out while looking at my community in new ways.

Working on a Super Simple Baby Tunic

I started this project a few weeks ago for a friend’s baby who is due this summer.  The Super Simple Baby Tunic is easy to follow and a pretty quick knit.

There’s is an error on the directions for the bodice front part but I just knit that like she suggested the back piece. I just have to do the back bodice, weave in all the ends and then select some great buttons.

Orange Beef and Broccoli

Tonight we made Orange Beef and Broccoli.  We both thought we’d made it before but neither of us could remember cooking it once we got started.  It was very easy to make and the Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley actually took longer than the entire prep and cooking of the beef and broccoli.

This was really flavorful and fragrant.  It’s probably even better for during the week when we need quick recipes that taste like a treat.

New Malabrigo

Here’s how it happened.  Earlier this week I needed US 15 DPNs.  I thought maybe I could just go to Michael’s and pick them up. So I decided I should get US 13 DPNs at the same time.  And then I decided that I should just buy the needles for $5 in Paris also since I am going to knit that at some point.

Michael’s was a bust. They had nothing.  I was even considering just buying the Caron Simply Soft that this sweater calls for but their selection was pretty much gone. So I left defeated but I knew I wouldn’t have any free time to make it to my local yarn store to check out their needle selection. I actually started a different project because I had the stuff for it on hand and decided to just wait on the hat that called for the US 15 DPNs.

Then I decided to just order what I needed from WEBS. And since I was already paying for shipping and handling, I decided to treat myself to some yarn that I really didn’t need. And that’s how I wound up with two skeins of Malabrigo Finito.

I first noticed this yarn in my Facebook newsfeed when The Loopy Ewe got it in stock and I was intrigued by the description.

The luxurious Malabrigo Finito comes from the finest Uruguay wool available and only comes to market once a year in limited quantities.

And after knitting up some Malabrigo Chunky for my latest Dolores Park Cowl, I knew I had to take advantage of this once a year opportunity.

I love the feel of this yarn and the colorway I chose, Glitter, isn’t glittery at all but earthy and rich.  I wonder what this might become.

Lemon Basil Bowties

I got a late start to my run after work and wasn’t home and showered until almost 7:30 pm.  But we had a perfect, quick dinner planned.  In fact, all the prep work for Lemon Basil Bowties can be completed before the pasta water even boils.

Mike doesn’t even like cottage cheese and he likes this recipe.  Tonight we also added the juice from the two lemons.  The final dish is a perfect balance of creamy from the cottage cheese, sweet from the basil, tangy from the lemon and toasty nuttiness from the pine nuts.

Finished: Another Dolores Park Cowl

I really enjoyed knitting my first Dolores Park Cowl.  But this time I loved it!

I made this one for my friend Abby and used the Malabrigo Chunky recommended in the pattern. I have a few skeins of Malabrigo in my stash but this is the first time I actually knit with it and it is so soft and easy to work with.  I’m so happy with the color I chose and it just knits up so nicely.

I love this cowl so much better than my first one. The pattern is great and I highly recommend it.

Chicken Breasts with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve last blogged. Admittedly, it’s been a few weeks since we actually cooked a dinner that required a recipe. April has been full of travel, running and other fun evening plans.

Tonight we had plenty of time to cook dinner although this recipe really doesn’t take much time at all. I got it from my mom and she found it in Good Housekeeping. Chicken Breasts with Raspberry-Balsamic Sauce is healthy, quick and full of flavor.

We followed the recipe exactly except for substituting half an onion for the shallots. We served it with couscous and roasted asparagus.

Beginnings: Augustine Shawlette

I started my Augustine Shawlette almost two weeks ago and was out of town for almost an entire week with little to no knitting time.

So this is all I have.

But I am loving this pattern and I hope to find some solid knitting time to watch it grow. Comments on the other projects seem to indicate it only gets better when you start decreasing and dropping stitches to open up the stitches between the long rows.

I’m using my Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk and Silver that I got at Yarn Garden. I love the subtle sparkle in the yarn.

River Knits in Lafayette, Indiana

Last week I was away for work and one day I had free time when I was near Purdue University and decided to see if there were any local yarn stores. I discovered River Knits in downtown Lafayette, Indiana.

They had a really great selection of yarns perfectly organized by weight.  The girl working in the store was really friendly.  They didn’t have anything locally spun or dyed when I was there but I did find one thing I’d been looking for and one splurge.

I’ve been wanting to make another Dolores Park Cowl for a friend but wanted to knit it in the Malabrigo Chunky that the pattern recommends. However, I haven’t found it in any stores and it has mostly been sold out on my go to online yarn store, WEBS (of course now there seems to be more available but buying yarn in person is so much more fun!). But they had such a nice selection of Malabrigo and I found this skein for the cowl.

They tried to wind it at the store but it wasn’t behaving so I’ll untangle and wind it when I start my project. I might knit this up this weekend just to get in a quick fun project, but at this point it isn’t even cowl weather anymore.

I also got this Kraemer Yarns Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair.

I’ve never bought anything fuzzy before so I was excited to get something different. Fortunately, this guy behaved as it was being wound. At 560 skinny yards, it would have been a pain to do with my method. I have no idea what this will become but it’s a nice addition to my stash.

I’m glad I had some time to check out this yarn store.  It had a great selection and friendly staff.