Showing posts with label pulla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pulla. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2024

Repeated Renovations.

It has been a busy week! Again!. I finished the second sleeve on the Oregon Autumn Cardigan. I need really good light to pick up the stitches for the front and neck band. 



In looking at the directions for the front/neck bands, I noticed that the numbers to PU don’t add up to 336 (for the size I’m making, X-small.) I went back to the original pattern, and that’s what it says: 336. 99 + 64 to PU on each side = 326 sts, + stitches on holder/waste yarn 41 sts =367 -1 stitch decrease in the middle: 366, not 336. I did a little math and came up with 335 as being equivalent to the 380 sts for the next size up, in relation to the other stitch amounts, and rounded to 366. The 2X2 ribbing will go all the way around from the bottom right to the bottom left, so a 4-st repeat and then 2 sts at the end, so they will match in the front bottom. I needed to make an even number divisible by 4 with 2 sts left over, and 366 works out. This pattern has been out for a long time, so I assume someone else already caught the mistake.


Our garbage disposal went out a few days ago and could not be fixed. Charlie thought he had a new one purchased in Utah when we lived there. He found it in the shed. He called a plumber and set up an appointment to have the new (unused, but several years old, of course) installed. The young man came on Thursday and took everything apart.


He had to run out to get a part, because the new one needed to be installed a bit differently from the old one, but it didn't take him long.



The new disposal works great! 


The plumber mentioned that he had a two-year-old daughter. He left with one of my new books, signed by the author. He sent a text later to thank me for the book. Apparently it was a hit at home.


Another item that broke down is our over-the-stove microwave, but that stopped working shortly after we moved in. We had one of those home warranties, so we called the company, and they sent someone to look at it. The repair man said it couldn't be repaired. A new one wasn't covered by the warranty, so we were out the deductible. The light and fan worked, so we've been using those and storing our tea in the microwave. We bought an inexpensive microwave that sits on the counter. 



The problem with this one is, the light from the kitchen window shines in your eyes in the morning, making it impossible to read the "buttons" or to see what's happening inside. It's like a mirror. We're finally going to replace the old microwave with an over-the-stove microwave/convection combination, with vent fan and light. 
I think it should be enough like the one in the r-pod that I'll be able to transfer what I learn about the convection function to that one as I become more familiar with it.

The new microwave arrived Saturday and a married couple came to install it.



It doesn't look that different from the old one it's replacing, but the fact that it works makes a big difference. It came with a rack that fits onto some holders, just like in a regular oven, as well as a round rack on legs that can be used on the turntable, just like the one in the Pod. I don't know where we're going to keep the accessories yet. I'll figure that out. 



The kitchen looks better than it has in years.



The air fryer was sitting on a cart at the end of the island. Now it and the tea kettle are where the old countertop microwave was. That makes the cart useful in case I need additional counter space, and who doesn't?


The old countertop microwave does a good job, so we moved it to the laundry room upstairs, so if we're working upstairs we can make a cup of tea right there without coming down to the kitchen. The problem is, the electrical outlet behind the washer and dryer has two places to plug in, and both are taken up with the washer and the dryer. There's another outlet on the opposite wall, but we will have to run an extension cord over the door and down to the microwave, before we can plug it in. A job for another day.


The kids were coming from Beaverton yesterday, as well, so I made some Pulla (Finnish Cardamom Loaf). The recipe makes two, and we've already almost finished off one.



I started cleaning two weeks ago, beginning with our bathroom and bedroom, figuring they wouldn't be seen by company as much. I did one room a day, and Charlie vacuumed a couple of rooms, but we didn't hadn't vacuumed upstairs, the stairway and the living/dining room when the kids arrived. The boys will help with that today.


The pups went to the groomer on Thursday. When they came home, the plumber was here to start installing the garbage disposal. They enjoyed meeting him, and he has a dog, so he enjoyed them, too. We got in a walk, too, so they had a busy day with little time to nap. 


I put the fleece jacket on Dusty, because he feels the cold more than Sandy.


On Friday I received an email from Apple, saying that my old laptop, which I traded in when I bought the new one, had been checked out and was worth the full amount estimated. My check from the Butterfly Keyboard Class Action Lawsuit also arrived, so between the two, nearly a fourth of the cost of my new laptop was covered.


Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US who are celebrating this week!



I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah or Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.


Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on the Oregon Cardigan.

What's on my loom: Still in its corner under the windows.

What's on my sewing machine: Still its dust cover.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: This week's story from #TheDollsStorybook is Water, Water. Three of the dolls each have a different idea of where water comes from. Mandy helps them decide who is right.


What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Dean Koontz's new book, The Forest of Lost Souls. Also reading a physical book, In the Shelter of Each Other by Milree Latimer. Not very far into either yet.

What's in my wine glass: El Tinto Lot 43 from MadroƱa. Always a favorite!

What's my tip of the week: I saw this Dawn Powerwash in a commercial on TV. I don't usually buy things based on TV ads, but I thought this might save some water when we're camping. I bought it mostly for the spray bottle. It' lets you wash one thing without having to fill the sink or let dishes pile up in the sink. It turned out to be a very good product, not just for dishes, either. Apparently you can get refills for it. It's really good at cleaning grease from pans.



Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 


The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, because the publisher gets a cut. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, December 12, 2022

Scandinavian Adventures

It's time for Finnish pulla again. It's always time for pulla, but I don't make it often enough. What caused me to make it this week, you ask? We were invited to bring "snacks" to choir practice. I decided pulla was a good choice. The spread we ended up with was amazing, so most of the pulla came back home with me, which is fine. We did have a bit of a discussion about what it is, and the people who tried it seemed to enjoy it.




This is my recipe.





Our organist is vegan, so there was literally nothing she could eat. I hadn't had supper yet, so no sugar for me. I had a cracker, an olive and a piece of cheese. I decided to make a vegan version of the pulla for our organist to take to church with me on Sunday. Here's what I did with the above recipe: 
For the egg, I used 1/4C soft silken tofu.
For the milk, I used Oatly oat milk, which I had to use in my coffee.
For the butter, I used an equal amount of olive oil.
I skipped the wash with egg, so it wasn't shiny, but other than that, it looked just as it always does. I've done dairy-free before, because Soren was off dairy for a while, but I've never made it totally vegan before. It turned out great, and she loved it.

Speaking of oats, I made oatmeal, and Rocky got to lick the pan, something he still somehow finds the energy to do. He makes room for Dusty, but little brother usually gives up before the job is done. Rocky sticks with it until it looks as if it could just go right back in the cupboard. (We make sure to wash it anyway, though.)



I have managed to get some knitting done.


We had a semi-moderate blizzard Sunday.


Daphne was chosen for the honor roll at school.



She's doing well with her ballet now that she's en pointe. She really seems to be enjoying it.


Zachary is also still enjoying dance. 



He can't seem to get enough of math. That may end up being related to his calling. 

The Beaverton boys went to the Scan Fest over the weekend. They wore Norwegian cardigans made by their great, great, great aunt from Bergen.





If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our other books, Emil and Mariah, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.


Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover, moving along on the second sleeve and the Talvinen. The EmPower People Kerchief (still hibernating).

What's on my loom: Dust, but I still plan to make some placemats.

What's on my sewing machine: Still ready for back of T-shirt quilt. I did get the quilt top and the backing pieces out again.

What's in my hoop: Whole Cloth quilt, still no progress..

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In "Taking Out the Trash," the dolls learn what happens to the trash and why we divide it up for recycling. 


What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor. In a couple of scenes I think I laughed harder than I ever have.

What's in my wine glass: LĆ”crima Purpura Tinto Seco. I couldn't find a vintage, but "purple tears" suits the wine. One of our favorites, partly because of the price.

What's my tip of the week: If you need an egg for a recipe and don't have one, or you want to avoid the egg for someone's dietary needs, you can substitute 1/4 C of silken tofu, as I did OR you can use an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce OR for each egg, whisk together 1 tablespoon (7 grams) of ground chia or flaxseed with 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of water until fully absorbed and thickened. You can also use mashed banana, prunes or winter squash. Strangely enough, if you have a can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), you can use 1/4 C of the liquid from the can. In baked goods, you may want to add a tiny amount of extra baking powder or yeast, as these substitutions won't help your recipe rise.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 
Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.
Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is hereThe three stories in Emil are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.
The three stories in Mariah are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.
If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 



Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, October 11, 2021

Print It!

The biggest event of this week was the arrival of the second proof copy of the new book, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook


I was very happy with the new version, so I gave the go-ahead to publish. The publication date will be December 3, I think, but it will be available for preorder earlier, still in plenty of time for Christmas. I think I will receive my copies to sell before Halloween. Costs have gone up, so this book will be $1 more than Mariah. I really like the new cover, and the photos on the inside pages look much better.

The same day as my proof copy arrived, two big boxes were delivered. (They were on the same truck!)


What (or who) do you think might be inside? I had ordered a couple of dolls for the two grandsons who haven't received a doll for a while. This will give me time to add to their wardrobes in time for Christmas, which is expected to be at our house this year. They are Gƶtz dolls that were made for Pottery Barn. I believe they are based on the Precious Day line made by the Gƶtz company. On the left is Jackson, and on the right is Parker. (They will probably get new names when they join their human boys.)


They are on sale right now, so I saved some money. They have soft bodies. I'll be making them some clothes. Because they have sleeping eyes, they will need a periscope to look at the clouds or the stars that are directly overhead, but they will not need sleep masks.

In the meantime, I'm participating in a KAL (knit along) in one of the Ravelry doll groups and testing a new chart for this pattern I designed last year for Pippa. 



Here's the new chart (also posted last week):



I picked out some other yarn for it last week and actually started the project twice. The first time I discovered the yarn I had picked out was too thick. The second one I chose didn't have enough contrast. I started it a third time, and this time I think it's satisfactory, so I'm moving ahead. I'm at the armhole steek CO now.




Fortunately, I didn't have to rip out the ribbing, so it has been fairly quick to get back on track.

I made some pulla on Friday. I thought I was going to have some company this week, and I wanted to have something on hand just in case, but the visit is postponed, so we're enjoying the pulla.



Our daughter came home from dropping Daphne off at dance and found this in Daphne's room. So nice Rebekah doesn't have to be sitting around doing nothing while her human child is gone.




Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Taina Shawlette, but now also Pippa's Colorwork.

What's on my loom: Still the Trailer Rugs, only a little progress this week..

What's on my sewing machine: Still its cover.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth quilt, no progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: A Year of Pippa! Pippa looks back over her first year out of the box, which means most of her life.



What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Wildwood by Colin Meloy. Not much progress, but I'm really enjoying it.

What's in my wine glass: Red Diamond Mysterious, Red Blend 2016, from Washington State. Excellent.

What's my tip of the week: Think your yeast has lost its effectiveness? You probably know this, but you can test it by proofing it. Mix a little sugar in a cup of warm water. Add a teaspoon of yeast, stir until dissolved and then wait. (I measured the amount of water I would put in my recipe. I used 1 teaspoon of sugar. That way, I could use the proofed yeast in my recipe, just adding the extra yeast needed and subtracting the 1 teaspoon from the sugar needed.) If the yeast is still active, it will foam up.



Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from booksellers worldwide. If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment, and that's 50% of the price when you buy there. Other bookseller take a much bigger cut. The three stories in the book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. The stories (and links to them) are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.


Available soon: Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook. Watch this space.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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