it makes a nice samwidge

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, projects

upside-down antipasto sandwich. mmm.
it doesn’t always work out that the leftovers have the right proportion of everything to make a yummy sandwich, but this year we hit it. beckie, you should be so sorry you didn’t take this home. but hey, you could come over for knitting and lunch this weekend . . . .

what could be better?
well, there is one thing . . . . maybe not better, but the perfect counterpoint

mom’s christmas cookies.
they were heaped much higher on christmas eve, and i realized today that i needed to get a photo of the diminishing pile before the chocolate ones disappeared entirely. (ahem—someone whose initials are DAVID has a bit of a penchant for chocolate. me, i like the shortbread and nut ones, but go through them a lot more slowly than he does.)

it’s nice to have leftovers and sweets to nibble on for the time between christmas and new year’s.

so, i finally finished a pair of mitts for myself and i’m wearing them as i speak type.

i love them—and, i really really needed them. i think i’m now completely in shape to stay warm in an old house this year. now, onto getting a few sweaters knit, eh?

they came in especially handy this morning after i’d spent a couple of hours on the living room floor with damp hands

blocking oh! canada.
(i know. it’s getting a little crowded in there, but i figure the wrap will be dry by tomorrow. and wow, can i just say that my house looks a lot better and cleaner in photos? makes me want to paper the walls entirely with blog photos instead of looking at the real thing . . . ).

ok, back to the subject at hand

it’s done! judy’s rich brown/gray/blue artisan merino & silk yarn is veritable river of luxury.

the rows of geese and cattails opened up beautifully after a good soak, and the fiber bloomed to a deep, yummy color and feel.

i can’t get over the transformation of the cattails in the center, which all but disappeared in the knitted fabric, and over which i fretted, feeling they did not balance the “geese” as well as i’d like. all that fretting for nothing . . i am thrilled with the proportion now. they look more like cattails even than they did in my imagination. just goes to show—you never know.

here’s the joining row, worked in kichener stitch after the two halves were knit from hem to center back. i’m pretty tickled with the diamonds that formed in that area—another reference to one of my favorite canadian products: black diamond cheddar.

i think i even managed to get the grafting of the garter stitch edging right this time

hehe. now if i can only remember how i did it for next time . . .

i also started work on a new pair of mitts

i love this fabric; it reminds me of the bumpy cobblestones, called pavé in europe, used to line streets. these stones add such challenge and excitement to the bike races we watch, such as paris-roubaix, also known as “the hell of the north”.

in fact, i may even name them after that race; we’ll see.

i started on a zig zag hat to match the mitts, too. no picture yet, but i hope to finish both those projects, plus the last snow on cedar mitt before the 31st. and hopefully a sock as well.

hmm, i better get cracking on that.

29 thoughts on “it makes a nice samwidge

  1. Hi Anne, Wow, I get to be first! Love the finished Oh Canada wrap. It will definitely go into my queue of Knitspot mustknits. the light is so different here in north Florida from your view. We are having a warm weekend and it is a glowing gold sunset. I’m tickled to be here while looking at the scenes of snow throughout blogland.

  2. I’m assuming that there will be patterns for zig-zags and racing cobblestones??? My husband is tired of looking at the hot waffles stuff. 1 hat and 1 set of mitts and 2 sets of mittens have been knitted from that pattern.

    And that sandwhich was waaay better than my lunch — a couple of slices of baloney without bread!

  3. Oh my the new stole is beautiful!! I have some yarn I think that will work nicely on that too :-)!

    Those samwidges…………YUM!

  4. The Goose Wrap is stunning! I love it so much. The yarn is made up of the prettiest colors. Another mitt?!! Oh, my! When will all of these patterns be ready??? You amaze more every time I read your blog!

  5. Those cookies look yummy.

    The goose wrap is gorgeous, I can’t wait for the pattern. That yarn is perfect for it.

    Yay for more mitts! In case you haven’t noticed, I feel strongly about mitts. What yarn are you using for the new ones? It’s really pretty.

  6. Huh. The geese look more goose-like and the cattails more reedy, but I think I actually preferred the pre-blocking texture. (Which is not to say I *dislike* the finished version.)

  7. oh! canada is splendid – and the yarn is a perfect match. I’ve knit 3 snug caps and 1 hot waffles hat that I ran out of yarn at the decreases (it looks silly with a contrasting color beginning with the decreases), and am gearing up for some mitts for myself. It’s a good thing you help us stay warm 🙂

    Merry Christmas and a happy happy 2008, Anne and David.

  8. Again, you’re confusing my salivary glands. I don’t know what in particular they’re drooling over; I just know that they are. 🙂

  9. mmmmm….your leftovers look absolutely yummy! oh! canada also turned out well – they’re always so tempting in the blocking photos. i love the mitts – i keep thinking about making a pair, but have other knitting priorities at the moment (aka a full pair of gloves for the out-of-door coldness.) the texture on these is just so wonderful, though. and what’s the yarn?

  10. wow, The wrap looks fantastic! I can’t wait to block my Oh! Canada wrap.
    I didn’t know black diamond cheese was Canadian! It is my favorite too…medium Cheddar!

  11. Wow the Canada wrap is simply stunning. The marriage of pattern and yarn are perfect, so well done. Another one to add to my ever growing Knitspot queue that I look forward to knitting one day soon.
    The mitts are gorgeous too and your sandwich looks delicious.

  12. The scarf is beautiful, to say the least. I wonder, however: do you want its name to be O or Oh Canada, (I know the song is “O.”) People often use one for the other and I just want to be sure it’s the way you really want it. (Sorry to be a nit-picker.)

  13. Oh canada is gorgeous, and bless you every time I look at shots of your kitchener stitch I really gotta give you props because I hate to do kitchener ever so much! Great texture on those mitts too, and nice to see that you got your mitts done for you as well. Now you can keep warm and toasty.

  14. Wow, You keep whipping out these amazing designs. I love the tribute to my native land.

    But I don’t know how you mange to churn out so many shawls so fast…

  15. Amazing entries this holiday week. With Christmas, entertaining, David’s sweater (which turned out to be absolute perfection in all aspects – fit, design, color), more and more knitting and designing, Oh Canada’s blocked debut (does that ever shine now!), the food, cookies (you must have an Italian mom, I recognize some of the goodies), and your writing, I am wowed. Everyone is right. Your Christmas entry is truly about shared love. And David’s shines through, too. Life is good, dear Anne!

  16. That wrap looks like the height of luxury. Your kitchener is perfection!

    I loved the story of David’s annual sweater. It was so touching and heartwarming. Though I have to admit it did spark a touch of jealousy in my spinster heart. 😉

  17. I loved the saga of David’s sweater and I also recognize some of those cookies! O Canada looks fantastic. I’m looking forward to that one. I recognize the pattern on the cobblestone mitts—I’m using it to make my brother a scarf. Looks good on both sides, snuggly, and fun to knit. And if it makes you feel any better, your house looks quite a bit tidier than mine!

  18. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the unveiling of Oh Canada–it is even more beautiful than I expected. Congratulations on another stunner! Oh, and that antipasto sandwich made my mouth water–and it’s only 8:10 in the morning!

  19. The sandwiches and cookies look scrumptious, and so does the wrap! I wish my house looked as neat as yours, but with two young kids…

    The Paris Roubaix is a big event in my house, as hubby and older son both race (road and cyclocross, and I see mountain in our future). I got a waffle iron for the family this year as a holiday present so we could complete our cyclocross bona fides.

    Have a very happy New Year!

  20. I like the Oh Canada wrap too. I’m thinking that in heavier yarn it might make a nice blanket replacement for tv watching also. I love the new mitts too. Pity I don’t need them enough to warrant as many pairs as I want to knit.

  21. The wrap turned out so well! It’s absolutely gorgeous blocked out, and all the motifs are so nicely balanced 🙂 I’m craving homemade shortbread cookies now — no fair at all… My big question is, how did you take a picture of both of your hands wearing mitts? Was there help? (I fixate on small details, I know…)

  22. Oh geez! I really really want a bite of that sandwich. That’s what I get for blog trolling at night while 9 months pregnant. LOL!

  23. The sandwich and the cookies make my mouth water !
    Oh!Canada came out just perfect, I bet Judy will be thrilled to see it !
    Your mitts look very pretty and warm, both feet and hands will be nice and toasty now. The cbblestones are called kinderkopjes over here. Translated literally this means childsheads 😉

  24. The sandwich and the cookies look so yummy! And the color of the new mitts is absolutely lovely. I think it would be perfect for Eric. Did I miss the details about the yarn? Oh, wait, I still have a few posts to read, maybe it’s in there!

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