The mittens are done!
The mittens are pretty cute, after having ripped out the top of one of them three times. The cable isn't perfectly centered because I didn't account for it being tighter, but I still think they are cute. I think I will give them to my friend Nicole who lives in Indiana, because they wouldn't do a whole lot for the type of cold here.
This is a picture I took on my way to school the first day. It's the mighty Mississippi! I have to walk/bike over it every day to get to school. It was about -15 so the water was lots warmer and you can see all kinds of steam coming up. It was a gorgeous day if it weren't so cold!
And then I must show you all my handywork in the kitchen. I made biscotti this weekend, and of course burned the chocolate so only a fourth of them got coated, but they are delicious nonetheless.
Last weekend I made spring rolls and this delicious sauce that my friend gave me the recipe for. They were delicious! Here's the recipe, I'd highly suggest using it sometime. It's more of a summer type of meal, but perfect for the spring, which hopefully will be on its way in no time?
Spring Rolls
Ingredients:
red cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, and fresh cilantro & basil (and whatever else you might fancy), vinegar, sugar, lime juice, rice paper, rice
Cook some rice or rice noodles first. Chop up some cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach or lettuce, and cucumbers (chop up according to how many you want to make).
Cover the cabbage with a little vinegar and sugar. Squeeze some lime juice over the carrots, lettuce and cucumbers. Dip the rice paper in warm water for a minute or two to soften it up. Then lay it flat and put a little of each ingredient in the middle, fold the sides in, and wrap the roll like a burrito. Make a bunch of them.
Peanut Sauce:
Ingredients:
Sriracha sauce, soy sauce, tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, sprig of basil
Here's the recipe, straight out of the email my friend sent me.
"sauce, yes yes threw stuff together but it wasn't half bad you know? there's this stuff that you can get almost anywhere, and by almost anywhere, i can imagine that it's found in the asian section of most conventional grocers, don't know about the coops (wtf about north country by the by? i'm ever so pissed), but you can always try united noodle in seward or some place will have it on nicollet south of like
24th or so. it's a ubiquitous vietnamese red spicy garlicky delicious magic sauce (called Sriracha) that shouldn't be terribly difficult to find. then add some soy sauce, or better yet, some gomaicho (sp? it's the toasted sesame seeds with sea salt and sometimes, if you are sassy enough, wakame flakes) which you can use to salt in a less conventional manner. then, make sure you have enough tomatoes, at least 2 and enough peanut butter, at least 2 table spoons, but i don't know why i bother giving you these measurements because this is really where the subjectivity runs wild. just make sure that the balance is slightly harmonious and fits to the number of people you are going to have. i don't recommend skippy peanut butter or any of that processed stuff, but i am in the land of groundnuts right now. you may want to opt for crunchy to add some texture and if you already have smooth and don't just want some paste or what have you, then maybe try crushing peanuts and tossing them in. ooh, don't forget little sprigs of basil!!"
Maybe you have to know the guy, but his recipe cracks me up every time I read it. The
sriracha is this stuff, but if you can't find it, you could also make your own, using chili paste or chili peppers and tomatoes, a little water, and some chopped fresh garlic. Happy knitting, or cooking, or "schroomin", or whatever you two are up to!
Mountain Hat
Globe Hat
I started this project on our drive to the Grand Canyon in November. It was rather experimental, as I took a stitch from the Stitch-A-Day calendar of Jill's and improvised a shawl design using the stitch. It worked out really well, with the only problem being I had a limited amount of yarn (it is leftover from the chevron clutch that I made) and would have liked to make it a little larger. I think the size is okay though, it does keep a neck warm! The fir cone stitch was really easy to memorize (it is basically the same line repeated through the whole thing, and purling every other row) and I think it looks pretty fancy for how easy it is. This is a gift for a friend who asked for a lace shawl/scarf for Christmas so I hope she likes it!
Hopefully as fall rolls in I will pick this scarf back up, as well as the herringbone clutch that I started last spring.
Also-- I am using the yarn that I thrifted back in mpls for $2.50!!
Speaking of kids, does anyone know any 12 year olds, because I accidentally made a tank top that would only fit a 12 year old. It's really cute!! But I think I'd need more than just a diet to make it fit me. I've even got a little rock hammer for scale for you (I've been in the field too long!). I'm sure I'll find someone though. I made up the pattern and had to restart about 18 times, first it was waaaaaaaay too big, then it was waaaaaaay too small, then it was still too small, then I thought it was just right (WRONG) ... Oh well. Maybe I'll make another one that actually fits, because I think at least the shaping/pattern I made up is pretty cute.
A cute little skirt made out of a turquoise t-shirt, and the belt to a jacket I bought at Savers. The jacket looks better without the belt, and I just cut the shirt off at the armpits and sewed it right up to the belt, with a few tucks in the back (it fits a little funny but for the most part worked well). Pretty cute, but I'm not quite sure it is my style. 
I worked on this Drops headband like the one I had made for my friend Julia for Christmas this weekend when I was flying to and from New Mexico to visit the last school on my list of options. I made it with the leftovers from the Tree Jacket, and ran out at the end, but it worked out because it fits really well. I wore it running today and it works well to keep my ears warm but my head cool and keep hair out of my face. Plus its super soft!
Thanks for the recipe, Jill! Made with Bell's Kalamazoo Stout. The cream cheese frosting is a bit chunky since I don't have an electric mixer, but these are DELICIOUS!
So I finished the KALII Tree Jacket!! Yay! Check it out.
I'll second everything Jill said, but I'm not making any moving plans quite yet. UT was HUGE, the campus was gorgeous and very impressive, and the geology department building and facilities were awesome.
What it really comes down to is that I don't think I really want to do the research he does. He does work with eruption dynamics of volcanoes and the project I could work on would have to do with why some magmas (continental volcanoes) form bubbles as they rise and degas CO2 and other volatiles while other magmas (mid ocean ridges) do not. The actual work would be running experiments and then counting the bubbles and measuring their size and surface area to try and figure out if there is a pressure and temp or a time (rate of ascent) cutoff to form the bubbles. I think it's interesting, but my true interest lies more in the area of mantle dynamics and deeper processes. 
Otherwise, it was a great weekend. I met a bunch of really cool people, including this hilarious southern girl from Auburn, and of course the "its a small world" requirement of two guys from Minnesota, one of whom I had actually run into once before without really knowing it. I'll probably see them again around the city this semester, so that's cool, since more friends are always good.
Jill's Christmas scarf: The pattern is Clapotis from Knitty. It turned out really well. I used this great green shade of Kraemer Yarns Fountain Hill Brushed Mohair, which turned out really well on the size 8 needles. It took a while and got a little repetitive, but it was worth it. The timing was a little late for Christmas, but you'll get that. And it's gorgeous! 
Dave's Birthday Scarf:
