Ribbon Rose

I love beef stew so much, I have been known to make it in July, when opening the oven door could give you heat stroke!  With the arrival of autumn, I couldn’t wait to get out to Metro this afternoon to buy some stewing beef and inaugurate the season of the stew. And now it is in the oven.

For some reason, I can’t figure out how to edit my post so that the ingredient list isn’t double spaced, so bear with me a moment:

Beef Stew with Tomato Sauce

1 pound stew beef

2 red potatoes

3 celery ribs

1 small bag of ‘baby cut’ carrots

1 can pasta sauce

1/2 cup of water

splash of Lea & Perrins Worchestershire sauce

Chop the meat and veggies into bite-size pieces and put them in an oven-proof pot with a lid. Add about a cup of the pasta sauce, more if you like it really tomatoey. Mix in the water and Lea & Perrins.  I also like to add a bit of italian herbs and pepper. Cover the pot and place in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy! This usually makes enough for Denis and I to enjoy for supper, and some lunch leftovers. The dog loves to beg for a taste, too, but I’m not sure how great an endorsement that is.

I heart Chapters.  They have a great selection of knitting books in the Crafts and Hobbies section.  On Sunday, I picked up Kathleen Taylor’s latest book, and I’m really pleased with it. 

For some time, I’ve been looking for a book of sock patterns that are similar to those that Patons used to publish for their Kroy sock yarns.  Socks that a man wouldn’t consider too feminine to wear in public, but would look lovely and girly when knit in the right colour.  There’s at least one chapter in this book that fits the bill.

And as someone who is very afraid to try stranded colour knitting,  I have to say that there are colourwork socks in this book that I really want to knit.

There’s something for everyone in this book. Really simple designs, highly textured knitting, and even a pattern for toe socks!  Did you have a pair that were knee-length and rainbow coloured in the 1970s?  I did.

These socks are from Wendy Johnson’s “Socks from the Toe Up.”  I have attempted to knit along with the KAL group on Ravelry, but I can’t seem to stick to the timeline. These socks were July’s selection, and I finished them in August.  The yarn I used is fantastic–it’s Juniper, from Alchemy yarns, and the colourway is called “Dragon.”  It is a tightly-twisted yarn that gives great stitch definition, and it is nice and soft (merino wool, so what else could it be ?) My only tiny quibble is that it is just a bit splitty.  Why are they called “On Hold?” Apparently, Wendy designed the lace pattern for these while she was on the phone.

I know they clash terribly, but I just had to photograph these on the new mulberry polka-dot sheets I bought last week. They are my new favourite thing.