Knitting and food

I think I've finally managed to get Wingspan out of my system after knitting another in Silk Garden in blues/greens/purples. The Silk Garden was out of stash and I started knitting this pattern with it; after my usual bout of Knitter's Denial (I knew I couldn't live with the way the eyelets were placed as the shawl got bigger), I frogged it. Hence another Wingspan...

After fiddling around with the Silk Moon Crescent Shawlette pattern and rewriting the last three eyelet rows, I had another go.

The yarn's another Noro one, Aya, which is a cotton/silk/wool mix that feels lovely and soft. I'll post pattern mods when I've blocked it and added it to my Ravelry projects.

OK, that's the knitting out of the way; on to food. I bought a pressure cooker a couple of weeks ago and I'm surprised how different it is from the scary Prestige Hi-Dome I used in the Seventies. This one's as whisper-quiet and efficient as you'd expect from a piece of kit made in Switzerland.

So far I've made stock and cooked batches of beans and chick peas for the freezer. I'm surprised how good pressure-cooked chick peas taste compared to tinned ones.

Finally, a loaf of wholemeal bread straight out of the oven. I haven't baked bread for, oh, about 20 years and I'd forgotten how easy it is. This loaf's a slightly weird shape along the sides because I baked it in a silicon loaf tin which stretched; next time I'll either make rolls or get hold of a metal tin. Hope the bread tastes as good as it smells!

Comments

[Jill Richards]

I was terrified of my Prestige Hi-Dome, used to send everyone out of the kitchen in case it exploded, all that hissing...are they really much improved? What make is yours? and presumably it is not too big.

Just started my first Kauni Wingspan...after finishing a Colour Affection, which I am very pleased with, it has never been off me......

[Peri]

Love homemade bread - can't remember the last time we bought bread.

[Julie]

I can smell the bread from here!!
Butter Beans are nice cooked in a pressure cooker to with onions and tomatoes
Julie xxxxxxxx

[Wibbo]

Jill, it's a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker from Lakeland and it's really quiet compared to those old Prestige ones and not scary at all :o) I'm about to cast on a Colour Affection - seem to be hooked on garter stitch at the moment...

[Rosie]

I've been terrified of pressure cookers ever since the time my grandad exploded beetroot all over the kitchen. But pressure cooked pulses are so much nicer (and cheaper) than tinned. I may have to follow your lead...

[Voie de Vie]

Boy, I have *got* to get on the stick and cast on my own Color Affection. I've got my three skeins all ready and waiting ... :)

And that bread looks really good. Who cares what shape it came out of the oven?