I'm Still Alive . . .

Just been rather busy the past couple weeks or so. This is part of the reason why I was so busy - getting ready for Pascha (Easter). I had to do quite a bit of baking, in addition to going over my parents' home to cook for them. The bread in the middle is Tsoureki. I used a favorite recipe that I'd gotten from an article that I read online a few years ago (did a Google search, but that article doesn't seem to be online). I halved the recipe since I knew I wasn't going to be making a lot of bread. The cakes on either side are pound cakes. One is just plain vanilla, and the other is ginger. I got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook. I really like how these turned out. The secret is to use melted butter and mix with other liquid ingredients and sugar. And then stir sifted flour into the liquid mixture. Yummy! And of course, eggs.

See that colorful egg next to the candle? I "made" it at church on Pascha Preparation Day (which is traditionally the saturday before Palm Sunday). Someone had bought plastic wraps that came from Russia. It's really cool slipping the wrap on, putting on a slotted spoon, dipping into the boiling pot of water and watching the wrap instantly shrinking onto the egg. And the design is lovely! I even tried my hand at psyanky - see that egg at the top with a cross on it? I didn't do a lot of colors - just yellow and red. But it's so much fun. And there are local sources where I can get the aniline dyes and stylus. I've done some research and it seems that psyanky is also practiced in Slovakia, where some of hubby's ancestors came from. So I'll have to make more for next Pascha. Also need to knit up a nice lace doily to use for covering the basket . . .

Here's a sewing FO to report. This is a really good pattern to use - gives you a lot of pockets. I did make some minor modifications. Inside, on one side there's several narrow pockets for the knitter who uses straight needles. Well, I'm a circular needle user, so I just eliminated a couple of stitching rows so that I would get pockets wide enough for circs. Another thing I wish I'd done was to have another outer pocket on the other side of the bag. That will have to be for the next incarnation. I like how the handle is just deep enough for me to be able to sling it over my shoulder, but not too long that the bag drags on the floor if I put the handle in my hand. I still have quite a bit of the cat fabric left. I'm thinking about using it for the cover of a circular needle holder - I have the pattern pieces cut out for that. I just need to assemble other fabric and notions for the needle holder.

And what's living inside the bag? After a bit of a hiatus, I've picked this up again. I really love this pattern - it's simple enough that I don't have to focus so intently on the pattern and can knit while watching tv, or even reading the blogs on my blogfeed account. I have about 5 inches above the armhole completed, and have about 3 1/2 inches more to go. With luck I should get this completed and then I can move on to another FI project. I'm thinking about a S*more design, Glass Beach pattern. The original is a vest, and I already have that made. I have enough yarn for a cardigan. I just need to choose a cardigan shape, jigger around with the directions a bit and recalculate accordingly. Looking forward to it . . .