Resolute

Y'all know I'm not a "resolution" person, though I do love a quick win. I'm confident that giving up sugar on January 1 is a free-fall into binge eating. But drinking more water? That is SO doable. Admittedly, I started this resolution on some other day of the year, about 18 months ago, but I have never looked back.

I drink water and herbal tea (yes, it's an expensive habit) to the tune of 64 ounces / 2 litres daily. Strangely, I pee less than ever, though I attribute this to feeling less anxious about needing to pee - something my anxiety condition glommed onto at some point. More to the point, I understand how people wake up, drink a glass of water and actually feel their cells soak up liquid to improve mobility and diminish pain. Sure, I can't say that's what I'm feeling literally, but I definitely notice a huge difference after that first glass of water. I also feel altered, for the better, by water consumption after yoga.

If you want to do something life-altering and stupidly easy while contending that you've achieved a new year's resolution, get on board with this one.

In that spirit, I recently decided to implement an effortless new lifestyle change: body scrubbing.

Merben Sisal Body Brush (can be purchased at Ziggy's and elsewhere online)

I haven't decided if I'm going with dry brush or wet brush (so far I've been wet brushing but I do worry extensively about germs on perennially wet natural fibres, so I may yet switch over). I figure, if it's good enough for the Scandinavians...

In fact, the practice of body scrub is known to:

• improve circulation (something that all peeps can benefit from - especially the pain-havers)
• decrease stagnation in the upper layers of the epidermis
• soothe sore muscles
• feel good and scratchy
• exfoliate skin to improve its natural colour and texture
• increase energy - cuz egad, that scrubbing is lively!

There are also claims about eliminating body toxins, redistributing fat deposits, diminishing cellulite and saving the world. I don't know that there's much hope of any of those but, hey, if it works, I'll take 'em.

If you decide to try this, apparently you should massage in small circular motions from the limbs towards the heart. Don't go crazy with the pressure. A little goes a long way. And if you're wet brushing, do ensure that the gizmo can dry out between showers. Mine is very robust and, though my house isn't damp, it's not drying. I'm frankly as creeped out by dry brushing, germs notwithstanding, cuz, um, dead skin flakes on the floor?!?!?

Needless to say, don't use exfoliating scrubs with microbeads because they're trashing our ecosystem.

Technically I started this practice a couple of weeks ago, but I'm cashing in on the resolution angle because, why not?

So there you have it: 2 entirely fuss-free ways to make a self-improvement promise that you can keep and therefore brag about. You're welcome.

Today's questions: Do you body scrub and, if yes, how has it improved the quality of your life? (I'm looking for motivation!) Do you drink a ton of water or do you avoid it tenaciously because, you know, you have better things to do and you prefer the taste of booze? Can you provide another example of a resolution that's easily and effortlessly incorporated into one's life? Let's talk!

Say Goodbye and Hello

The best way to bid farewell is with an afternoon of cooking, no doubt culminating in 20 minutes of gluttonous eating. Trust me. And the best way to cook is with copious amounts of fat, preferably butter. Ask any chef and they'll tell you. If they don't, they're flat out lying.

Tonight's menu is a family fave: quiche Lorraine (Julia's recipe - though I make the crust recipe from The Joy of Cooking), asparagus with wild mushroom and brie sauce and, for dessert, apple pear crumble (with pistachios and almonds). I can't be sure there won't be cream on top of the crumble.

And for some food porn:

Prebaked Crust - Recipe in The Joy of Cooking. You've got to blind bake it before adding the quiche custard...

Seriously, is there anything better than bacon? Except lardons??

You line the blind-baked crust with lardons, just before adding the custard mixture (see photo below)...

This custard is a simple mixture of eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Takes 3 minutes to make.

And here's what it comes to, in the end:

We like a lot of space between the top of the deep-dish pan and the custard. Makes for more crunchy crust!

Seriously, people, if you are afraid for your arteries, do not make this meal. I have actually modified the menu items to remove some of the fat. For example, I cannot conscion adding 2 tbsp butter to the top of a quiche, the ingredients of which are these: lard, flour, butter (in the crust), lardons, 1 cup of heavy cream, eggs, salt and pepper. A girl needs to draw the line somewhere. I use whole milk, not cream, when making my mushroom cheese sauce.

But I do NOT skimp on the butter in the crumble:

See those little dots of apple/pear coloured something? Yeah, that's butter. And, btw, that's the secret to your perfect crumble. When it mixes with the collapsed fruit, vanilla extract, pinch of sugar, lemon and corn starch, it creates a perfect confit.

Add some hand-crushed pistachios, almonds, more butter, flour and sugar, and you've got yourself an awesome, crunchy topping:

Natch, this is pre-baking

And this just came out of the oven (which is why I've updated the post):

You'll have to trust me when I tell you that this is much browner than the pre-baked version and bubbling nicely.

You can see why we need to add some asparagus to the mix.

(I cannot be sure that there won't be a good bottle of wine for pairing.)

Bye-bye 2015. You've been all kinds of things. But I'll put my money on the future.

This Only Works If You Don't Talk About It*

Mise-en-scène: Scott and Kristin are sitting on the well-used, green couch in the front room. They've been there so long that their derrieres have left distinct indents in the cushions. The dregs of a nice Rioja are pooled at the bottom of Italian tumblers. Ratatouille plays in the background. The kid is at a party in Riverdale. The kitchen is clean. It's 11:01 pm, Dec. 31.

Kristin: Lord, this evening is interminable! You know what? Seriously, we could just decide to call it midnight right now. We could pretend it's midnight and have a toast and then just go to sleep. We can use up that last inch of the Rioja.

Scott: Wanna get the Prosecco?

Kristin: I'm not opening a whole bottle of Prosecco for half a glass when I'm not going to drink the rest tomorrow. Not to mention hand-washing those flutes. I am so done with cleaning in 2014. What do you think, toast now with the Rioja? No shame cuz we can tell people we truly rang in the new year, legit-style! Where is it actually midnight now? Sydney?

Scott: Bermuda. It was midnight in Sydney at 10am. We could do that - if I were vaguely sleepy. (Scott puts his insufferable ironic voice to good effect.)

Kristin: What's wrong with you? Who eats a pound of brie and a loaf of bread and isn't sleepy? And Bermuda is very civilized. You know that's where Michael Douglas spends half the year... (How Kristin knows this is somewhat baffling. Blame it on misspent youth spent watching Entertainment Tonight.) The genius part is that no one will ever have to know!

*And if both parties agree.

I'll let you guess how this plays out...

Gauge the Situation: Fingering Weight Options

The price I may pay for a truly awesome New Year's Eve (and, trust me, I'm not into this holiday on any grand scale) is the crappy cold that's so going around. Don't pity me. I went in with open eyes. I drank that booze and ate that sugar and fat and flour and dairy and côte de boeuf. OMG, the côte de boeuf... I danced around like a banshee. I yelled dirty jokes across the room. I stayed up late. I stayed out. I walked home in the cold. (And who knows, I may stave if off with a couple of days of doing nothing, my new and only activity till the weekend. If nothing else, it would be novel to have a common bug, for a change :-)) Just please don't tell my mother.

There's an alchemy in long-standing friendship, a peaceful, playful camaraderie. The best thing about aging, I suppose, (in addition to the improvement of one's intelligence and skills for all of the extra time to learn) is the opportunity to know the people you've loved for that much longer.

At any rate, blogging is one of those things I can happily accomplish while sitting on my ass.

Let's get back to the Gauge the Situation series. You know, that endless trail of posts wherein I talk about the outcomes of making 4 sweaters of different weights (fingering, sport, DK and worsted) and discuss the merits and detractors of each.

Thing is, I can't say no to any sweaters so I've actually knit 3 others that weren't in the queue. And a couple of scarves. What? There's no deadline!

But now we're back to it - to the last of the 4 weights and the slimmest - fingering. I really want to ask you for your impressions of the options which are to follow but I fear it would be disingenuous because, truthfully, I'm almost half way through the fingering sweater I long ago decided to make. Of course, your feedback is incredibly appreciated and useful on so many levels, but I have a bunch of rationales for the one I chose.

Instead, perhaps you'd indulge me by guessing which one of the following you think I chose:

Obsidian by Lisa Mutch

Raiun by Kirsten Johnstone

And then my (apparent) pictorial-ode to vintage-knitting queen Susan Crawford:

Princess Twinset Jumper

Sun-Ray Ribbing

Knitters Delight

 And here's the yarn I'm using (lots more on this to follow):

Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere (100%)

I'd love it for you to tell us which one you'd make or have made or which you think I should have chosen! I'll let you know if you called it right tomorrow! :-)

In the Navy

Meet my New Year's eve outfit:

Oooh, navy on navy. How do they look so different? These are the Clover pants and V8323.

This completely poseur-y shot was actually taken while I was adjusting my hair (all 1 inch of it). But it shows the lines of the outfit well, I think.

This equally poseur-y shot is for y'all cuz I think you all deserve a kiss!

This nice-girl photo is for my mother, cuz she loves shots like this...

I can't tell you how it thrills me to wear an outfit entirely of my own construction!

Now, you may know that I was taking some big time chances on the centre back (my alteration) invisible zipper holding up. I figured, in a worst case scenario it could be a fun "OMG, 2011 totally sucked" story: There I was, raising a glass of bubbly and my freakin' pants fell apart. At a party?!? I am SO ready for 2012...

I definitely need to slender out a smidge before wearing them again. But I do think they're going to be go-to pants when I lose a bit of volume in my derriere, post-Xmas.

The Good:

• I'm super pleased by the pants crotch length and depth, which I altered to suit my shape.
• I did really nice work on the facing at the back zip by morphing up the instructions for the Clovers and the Ginger skirt (which has a back zipper). I'm starting to get with that insertion technique Sarai espouses, which I didn't like at first. It really is freakin' clean, if you can get it to work.
• I finally realized that, when you alter the waistline of your pants, you will absolutely need to alter the waistband and facing: where they sit, where they seam, maybe even how they're curved (slightly). It's not rocket science but it is finicky and time-consuming.
• And let's give me a pat on the back for moving the zipper in the first place. Of course, it was probably harder than just figuring out how to get the zipper to insert nicely at the curved side seam, but you live, you learn.
  
• I think that the adjustments I made on the second version of V8323 really do improve the proportions on me. The neck is notably less chokey.
• I also like the peplum bestowed on the design by virtue of the drape of the fabric. It's nice and flowy.
• I LOVE both fabrics - colour (obvs, if I had to choose 1 colour to wear for the rest of my life it would easily be navy) and hand/drape of each. Both sewed very evenly.

The Less Good:

• I really don't love invisible zippers on stress points. I can see how they're a smarter zip for a side opening, than a centre-back opening.
• The pants are too tight right now, but it's not a critical issue. I can tell that they're tight where I've gained a bit of mass over the hols.
  

What I have observed about my wardrobe is that I wear my own handiwork most days - sometimes one piece, sometimes an entire outfit including scarf and coat?! Also, can we chat about the hand-made coat for a second? I cannot believe I made it. I must have been high on drugs to undertake hand tailoring when sewing for less than a year. And, sadly, I can't wrap my brain around ever wanting to do something so complex again. But look, it's NAVY!

What's your default sewing colour?

Ringing in the New Year

Alors, Twitter is down and I can't express my every mundane brilliant thought in that universe. Micro-blogging is SO not over.

In lieu of being able to share there, you will be treated (or should I say, tweeted) to a few of my deepest, end-of-year thoughts:

• I haven't left the house since Dec. 23. Does that make me seem agoraphobic?
• I'm seriously considering taking 3 weeks off every winter (this presumes I have a whack of vacation, but let's dream, shall we?) to get through the worst of the winter misery.
• The more I sleep, the more I want to sleep. This is simply unproductive.
  
• I have got to get a grip on food consumption. Fortunately, so does everyone else on the planet. Nothing like being in good company.
• Y'all know I don't believe in resolutions. They're so resolute. (What's the fun in that?)
• Having said that, I intend to take up a new "craft" today: figure sketching.
• Note to self: See if you can convince FIT graduate and fashion designer extraordinaire Stacy Lomman to write a post on this.
  
• I must have the ability to draw cute pics of myself wearing the adorable outfits I see on others or the things I come up with from my own imagination.
• How bad can it be? You don't have to cut anything or rip anything out.
• Famous first words.

At the risk of getting sentimental at the seasonally appropriate moment, I wish you all a better year in 2012 - regardless of how wonderful 2011 may (or may not) have been. Your readership is inexpressibly meaningful to me and forms a good part of my drive to document my crazy craft and life experiences.

To those of you who also blog - I learn practically everything I know of technique and knitting and sewing from you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The act of blogging is part vocation, part exhibitionism and part public service. If I have been able to give even the smallest part of what I have received, then I am doing good work.

Love, K

In With The New

I'm no resolution-maker, Lord knows that takes too much public commitment. The things I do, I just get off my ass and do. I try not to think to much about the implications of getting started, of failure, of success (egad!) For sure, many things that have been in the back of my mind for years have still not materialized. Hell, many things haven't even made it into the back of my mind yet (I sincerely hope)...

Having said this, I think it's all well and good to look back on one's year with consideration. I am so profoundly grateful for so many things that have come about in 2009 that it's hard to articulate. I know this year has been an extremely difficult one for many, many people. For many others, it's been a challenge. Certainly, I've lived through those years of exceptional challenge and they are tedious, tiring, frustrating and soul-suckingly frightening. But, having persevered through them (which is to say, having continued to get up in the morning) - only to find, in the long course of time, that bad years really can be followed by good ones - well, it gives me hope.

I am hopeful that everyone who's struggled this year will approach peace and balance in 2010. I wish you imagination and tenacity, bravery in the face of fear and the ability to express yourself creatively with courage and joy.

I think y'all know I'm a communicator at heart, and the opportunity to connect with all of you - from around the world - to learn about your lives, to hear your opinions, to know you care, is just awesome. Thank you all so much for stopping by.

Let's see what comes of next year, shall we? Kxo

This, I Have to Share...

Um, don't mean to seem ungrateful, but I was kind of hoping for the personalized "Thanks, Kristin, for doing our 2008 viral marketing campaign for free" e-card.

But this is fine.