Testing Knitting Gauge

A few years ago, my Grandma explained to me all about checking gauge before starting a knitting project. And despite this passed down knowledge about gauge, I never tried it. I just haven't attempted a project where the gauge really mattered to me.

It's freezing cold this winter and I want to knit myself a balaclava. I found a pattern at my skill level and set about to make it. The pattern suggested chunky yarn, so I picked up some chunky yarn. Turns out there are different sizes of chunky, and the pattern calls for "5" (bulky) and I got "6" (super bulky). I wasn't sure if the super bulky yarn would still work on the suggested needle size, so this was an opportunity for me to test the gauge.

First step was to knit a swatch. I didn't time it, but I think it took about an hour to knit. Spending an hour on something I'm going to rip out anyway seems tedious, but if it saves me making a whole project that I have to rip out (because it's too small or too big) it's totally worth it. I didn't cast off my swatch, as I will just pull out the knitting and re-use it for my actually project.

Next I watched this video about checking gauge.



Then I used the "Knit-Chek" tool I bought three years ago but never used. The pattern called for 4 stitches + 5 rows = 1 inch.

Here is how mine measured up:

So it looks like I met gauge, which means I could proceed with these needles and this yarn and my project should turn out the proper size.

The swatch was also helpful for me to get an idea of what the end project will look/feel like. And in this case, I think the yarn is too thick and the knitting is too tight for it to be a comfortable and breathable balaclava. I held the swatch over my nose and mouth, and I am able to breathe through it, but I think I would prefer a little more space between the stitches. So I am going to switch gears and use this yarn for slippers or slipper socks, as I think this yarn would be perfect for them. It feels really warm.

So my first try at testing gauge was a success. I got an idea of the finished project and that helped me decide whether to proceed or not. My balaclava project is on hold, but now I'm super excited to find a slipper pattern!

Fun in the Snow

It was a beautiful sunny day today, but unfortunately it felt like -28°C (-18°F). I couldn't stay out too long, but I needed to see the sun. A little sun on my cold face was better than none at all.

I don't have snow pants but I went ahead and made a snow angel. It was quite enjoyable, actually.

I also became a scientist for a few minutes and did the experiment to see what boiling water does when thrown into cold air. There is a great summary of people trying it out here and here. Apparently some people who try it burn themselves, so if you try it, don't burn yourself!

Here is my attempt at it this morning. It was only -20°C but it still seemed to work.

I Live with a Magician

Around suppertime last night, I noticed there was leftover mac and cheese, but not enough for both of us.

John said: "You have it and I'll make something later."

We've been together long enough that I know full well that the 'something' he made later would be 1000x better than the mac and cheese. By that time, I would already be full of my supper and be extremely envious of whatever he spontaneously came up with.

I told him I wanted what he was having (I trusted it would be amazing), and we agreed the mac and cheese could become a side dish or a snack for later.

John asked: "Do we have chicken?" We did. Then the words "spicy chicken" came out of his mouth and he just does what he does, which is make something truly amazing out of nowhere. He doesn't use a recipe, he doesn't measure, and I am pretty sure he doesn't know what the final result will be until he is halfway through cooking it. He definitely has mad kitchen skills.

Which allow this to happen:

Spicy curry chicken

John also took the sweet potato I was going to steam, diced and spiced it, and we had curried sweet potatoes on the side, all served over basmati rice. Take that mac and cheese leftovers!

My spontaneous curry plate

The flavour combinations were all amazing and John said: "I just wanted to have something that tasted really good." We definitely did and I get to have the leftovers for lunch today. Mmmmm...

Mid-January Christmas Fudge

Not sure what it's like at your place over the holidays, but here the house is constantly full of treats. I didn't even bake that much this year and it was still treat overload. We would just get through a tray of something and a new load of goodies would show up. It was amazing, but getting back on a schedule where I don't eat a baked good every 45 minutes is better for me, I think.

As there were too many goodies over the holidays, I waited until our recent gaming night to make some Christmas fudge. The main flavour is soft mint and boy did these go down smooth. The mint drowns out the sweet so it was really easy to eat a lot of this in a row. 

This recipe was adapted from white chocolate peppermint fudge recipes found at On Sugar Mountain and Alida's Kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 cups white chocolate chips (2 - 226g bags)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (300 ml)
1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
4 candy canes, crushed (makes about 1/3 cup)
1.5 tsp peppermint extract
green and red food colouring

Method (in photos):

Crush candy canes and set aside.

Combine white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until all is melted together. Remove from heat and add mint extract.

Quickly pour 1/3 of the fudge into prepared 8x8 pan, and divide remaining between two bowls. Colour the fudge in the bowls green and red. 

Pour green fudge over the white fudge in prepared pan and spread to cover. Add red fudge over green fudge and spread out evenly.

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and press gently to adhere them to the fudge.

Chill for 24 hours and then take a number of art shots of your fudge!

These would make a great gift in about 11 months. For now that are just so lovely to snack on.

Just Like Knitting a Bike

So I forgot I loved knitting. But yesterday I remembered.

I want to knit myself a balaclava, but I thought I should make sure I still have knitting skills before I try out a new pattern. So I picked up the needles on a project I started THREE years ago. A winter hat for John. I guess he has just gone without all this time. It has been so long since I knit something that wasn't a dish cloth, that I actually had to look at my knitting book to make sure I was purling correctly. Thankfully I have retained my skills and knit pretty much all day yesterday.

I accompanied my day of knitting with bad fantasy movies. I started with the 2011 Conan the Barbarian (it was terrible), moved on to Krull, and ended with The Sword and the Sorcerer. None of them were the kind of movie you had to pay attention to, so I focused on knitting and had some fantastically terrible background noise.

I might actually complete John's winter hat this winter. I made some significant progress yesterday.

I also started knitting myself a 1st year Gryffindor scarf, because I've had the yarn for years and just never got around to making it. Now is the time!