Month: October 2009

A few folks on Facebook took issue with me calling this dish “meatloaf.” (They were not vegetarian, ironically). I usually call it meatloaf because then people know what I’m talking about, and “veggie loaf” just doesn’t sound very appetizing. (Have you noticed that loaf is one of those words that starts to look strange after you stare at it for a while?) You can decide for yourself what to call it. My family called it delicious-even Jay who usually sticks to eating PB&J or spaghetti enjoyed dipping bits of it into ketchup. I made it because I was walking by The Cordova Café and saw a sign advertising “Cold Meatloaf Sandwich,” and that sounded so good.

Ingredients

3/4 c lentils
1/2 c oats
1/2 c brown rice
1/2 c raw pecans (chopped fine)
1 can diced tomatoes (drained, reserving liquid)
1/2 t salt
2 T tahini
1 T sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T Dijon mustard
2 t marjoram
1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used panko)

Cook rice, lentils and oats separately.

Chop pecans.

Combine cooked rice, lentils oats in pecans, add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the reserved tomato juice. If it seems too loose, add a little more breadcrumbs.

Press into a greased glass bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until browned an crispy.

I recently made a châtelaine. Dotty at The Net Loft had a class on pattern darning, and this was the project we worked on. I had never heard of this great little tool, a belt, of sorts that you wear around your neck to keep tools at the ready. Mine has scissors and yarn needles. I think it would be nice to attach a tape measure to it too, if I could find a pretty little one. (Conversely, one could make a châtelaine out of a measuring tape and hang the tools off of it, that would be convenient if perhaps a bit long about the neck).

Châtelaine’s appear to have been most popular in the 19th century, although their appearance as a low-slung belt has them sometimes confused as a medieval accoutrement. Sometimes the châtelaine was a brooch with the tools hanging off of it like charms and then pinned at the waist. Apparently folks collect the old ones. The word is French, and means, literally, ‘the lady of the house’ (or chateau), because it was she who wore the thing in order to have all of her necessary items close at hand. Earlier forms of châtelaine were called équipage (which is also French and pretty much means ‘gear’ or ‘equipment.’)

The “belt” part of my châtelaine is made using something called “ribband,” which is basically cross stitch fabric in a ribbon shape with a finished edge. It’s sold by the yard, and it could be used to do all sorts of things, like make your own decorated ribbon, or hair bands, or hand towels, etc.

Pattern darning is a kind of embroidery which is fun to do because it is very fast. It mimics weaving. You work a running stitch in a pattern the entire length (or width) of your project. As the running stitches build, the pattern develops. I used Valdini hand-dyed thread which gives the project a nice, subtle color variation. I splurged on good scissors for my châtelaine, and I’m protecting myself from the tips by putting a knitting needle point protector at the end. (We punched a hole in the point protector so I could attach it to the scissors too). Right now, I’ve put a little Clover Chibi needle holder on the other side, but I may switch it out for a prettier needle case if I discover one. The rings on either side add a bit of weight and help the belt to lay flat around your neck.

Sitto, (my mom’s mother) was a big fan of smock-style aprons. I like them too–they have pockets, and cover the whole front of you. I have a small collection of my Sitto’s aprons, and my mom does too. I find simply wearing them can sometimes help me channel some of Sitto’s domestic ability. Some of the aprons Sitto made herself, and some she brought back from Okinawa when she went there in the 1960’s to visit my Uncle Jack and Aunt Carole who were stationed there with the Air Force.

Yesterday, I got another one in the mail from my Grandmother Jean. I recognized the fabric immediately even though I may not have seen the apron before. Grandma sent a note with the apron:

“I thought maybe [this apron] would fit Selma and she would enjoy wearing it, knowing where it came from. It really came from some kitchen curtains I had made out of two old bed sheets. Sitto also made me a casserole carrier from the same curtains and I made a zillion napkins of all sizes so the material has been in the family for a long time and served us well. It needs some buttons replaced and I’ve included the buttons in one of the pockets.”

So this is the third incarnation of those particular bed sheets.  It kind of makes you regret ever throwing anything out, doesn’t it? I think I’ll go sew on those buttons and see what else I can mend.

I guess I still have hats on the brain. I’ve been trying to finish a lovely lace shawl, but it’s a little slow going, and I got sidetracked on Wednesday. It was James and my 14th anniversary, and I wanted to make him something even though he’s not here. I’m leading a knit-along next week on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Maltese Fisherman’s Hat (from the Knitter’s Almanac), and I thought it would be good for me to have made one before helping others through it, so I chose to make that for James. (Shh… don’t tell!) It is a bit of a silly hat (I’m kind of a fan of silly hats), but quite warm and practical around here with the ear-flap-neck-warmer. And, everyone in town who’s seen it so far has wanted one, which either says something about the weather here or our collective taste in head-wear. Or both.

Here’s my friend Erica modeling the hat.

The hat is constructed beginning with the ear-flap neck warmer piece, which is shaped with short rows. Then you cast on a few extra stitches for the front and start working in the round.

Elizabeth calls her instructions pithy, and they are. Hardly line-by-line, they take up about a paragraph. I love this about EZ patterns-you still get to think a bit.

I made the hat in the pattern gauge, but in the knit-along I’ll teach how to make it using any weight of yarn, figuring a new cast on, short-row details, etc.

The pattern ends, “make the tassel of your dreams.” That’s about my favorite knitting instruction ever.

Well, this hat actually isn’t new. It’s been in the wholesale catalog for the Stitch Cooperative for some time, but somehow I didn’t realized I never released it as a retail pattern. So here it is! I designed this pattern last year and my friend Lisa knit the sample for me. It’s become my favorite hat. I love that it’s loose enough to wear without smooshing my hair, and the bright red color makes me seem more awake and alert on chilly Cordova mornings. Here’s my friend Heidi modeling the hat last year back in Maryland.

The cool ruching affect is achieved by dramatically increasing and decreasing the stitch count as you work the hat. I’ve been thinking about making one in blue. I have a skein of Hazel Knits in a light aqua that would do the trick. Ironically, while I was putting together this post, I got a call from my friend Lisa who knit the hat saying, Hey, I’d like to make that hat again, do you still have the pattern? So it must be the right time to release it.

The details: Knit with one skein of Pagewood Farm Chugiak Handyed Sock yarn (100% merino, 450 yards/5.5 oz) using size 2 and size 3 circular needles. Gague 23sts/4 in. in stockinette st. with larger needles.

Finished Measurement: Hat Circumference, 22″ at brim. The hat has a loose fit.

$5.00

Downloadable PDF

This pattern is available as a downloadable file in PDF format. To read this file, you will need appropriate software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free here.

By purchasing this pattern, you are granted a limited license to download the pdf file to a single personal computer and to print out a hard copy of the pattern, solely for personal non-commercial use. Any other use, including commercial reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission or republication, without prior written permission from Amy O’Neill Houck is strictly prohibited, and is a violation of intellectual property rights. Garments created from this pattern are not to be produced for commercial purposes, nor are they to be made into items for sale.