MK Carrollcaoutchouc on the knithappens.com Virtual SNB forum – I can’t seem to log in to the forum, which is why I haven’t gotten back to you – I charted out the increases and I am working on the chart for the decreases.
I’m having some trouble with the stitch legend; the gray squares are the ‘no stitch’ but the legend shows a blank square. I’m also not understanding why the legend has two listings for knit.
Blueberry Lemonade
5 cups water
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup light agave nectar
2 1/2 cups lemon/lime/calamansi juice (I’m working with a heap of assorted citrus)
what was supposed to be 1/2 pint fresh blueberries, but I ate some
(bought them at the co-op – expensive! But sweet and flavorful)
Half the water in a small pot with the sugar and blueberries, brought
to boil and then simmered until the blueberries started to pop. Mashed
the blueberries and then added the zest from one lemon to the mix and
let it cool, then strained out the blueberries. Mixed all together and served over ice, garnished with a few more blueberries. It’s a really pretty bright pinky-purple, and I can taste
blueberry, but not as strongly as I’d like to. Next time I think I’ll use frozen blueberries and blend them up with the immersible blender and leave them in the lemonade. I might also use about 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup agave nectar and leave out the sugar (agave nectar is sweeter than cane sugar). I was a little concerned about the taste of the agave, but the light version is very mild.
Yes, yes, I could try making mango lemonade… :P
I used this metric conversion table to figure out the metric version of the recipe, but I did guess a bit at the weights:
1.25 liters water
170 grams turbinado sugar (I don’t know if this goes by another
name overseas – I also see it called raw sugar, although it’s been
processed and isn’t truly raw).
125 ml light agave nectar
560 ml lemon or other tart/sour citrus juice
224 ml blueberries
My post about hand-painting sock yarn and setting it in a bamboo steamer got me to thinking about making manapua (also called bao or Chinese steamed buns). The original recipe for the dough and spinach filling is from The New Chinese Cooking for Health and Fitness
Dough (makes 20):
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and salt. When mixture begins to bubble, add the flour and mix well. Knead the dough until soft. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double (about 1.5 hours). When it has risen, punch down and knead again. Roll into a long snake 2″ in diameter and cut into 20 equal pieces. Let rest while you make the filling. Flatten each piece in the palms of your hands and roll into 5″ diameter rounds. Leave the center thicker than the edges (will make it easier to fill and shape).
Spinach filling (for 10 manapua)
1/2 lb frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 Tbs toasted sesame oil (the dark stuff)
1 tsp salt
Squeeze as much water as you can out of the spinach. Mix with sesame oil and salt.
Char siu filling (for 10 manapua)
1 tsp vegetable oil (roughly – I don’t measure it)
1/4 pound char siu, diced
1/2 tsp soy sauce (I don’t really measure this)
1 tsp oyster sauce (…and I don’t really measure this either)
3/4 cup water
2 tsp sesame oil (again, the dark stuff)
1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs water
Stir-fry the pork and seasonings in oil until hot and bubbly, then add the cornstarch. Stir until cornstarch thickens. Take off the heat and let cool.
Fill:
Lay a flattened round of dough in your left hand (or your right, if you are left-hand dominant) and place filling in the center of the dough. Cup your left hand and fold the edges toward the center with your right hand. Twist the top shut. Put a square of waxed paper on the bottom of the bun and mark the top in some way to let you know which filling is which (a dot of food coloring, for example). Repeat until all are filled. Let rise 10 minutes while you set up the steamer. Lay damp cheesecloth on the bottom of the steamer baskets and arrange buns so that they have space to expand. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes – don’t forget to check the water level! Step back after removing the lid and let the steam escape.
We went, we knit (I crocheted), and then we had dinner. The Aloha Tower location was a good one – plenty of seating, a coffeeshop for beverages, and validated parking. We adjourned to Gordon Biersch afterwards for dinner, which worked out well. Even our youngest Aloha Knitter had a good time!
(Wondering how to join? It’s easy – just sign up with the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! group. Free, no dues, attendance requirements, etc. and the announcements and whatnot get sent to your email address! More info in this blog post).
I finally got around to buying a hand model. After searching online and at an art supply store, I found them at a big-chain bookstore (the one in Ala Moana, for those who are wondering). I have been wanting one (or ten) of these for many years.
The fingerless mitt is the pattern I’ve been working on for Twisted handdyed yarns. This pattern has gone through a few iterations; this one is the easiest as well as most comfortable version that also takes advantage of the gorgeous colorway (this is DK weight superwash, colorway Exile). Done in 1×1 ribbing, this can be worked flat in one piece and then seamed up the side, or worked in the round in one piece. I’m working out a variation in a seed-pearl rib that might have some lace worked into it. I still need to format the pattern and submit it for approval; I will of course let you know if it will be offered in the Twisted shop. This is a quick and fairly simple pattern with great gift-knitting potential! Size shown is S/M (very stretchy) on a 7" (measured around the palm) model.
The Knit Sock Kit Swap kit I put together has reached its destination: Meg (Knit and Sip) in Michigan. She likes! Now to see what I get! My pal has already (inadvertently?) revealed her identity, but I conveniently forget it every time she emails me. I prefer to be completely surprised – well, in a good way.
