Finished Just in Time

I go back to work today. My knee is feeling great and I'm hoping that I'll be just fine. Now I just need to remember how to do my job! (just kidding, mostly)

Anyway... With the back to work deadline looming, I knit my fingers off the last 2 days to finish the third project in my "knit the book" project. I finished weaving in the ends this morning.



Pattern: Bouquet Socks from Toe Up Socks for Every Body by Wendy Johnson
Yarn: Scout's Swag Superwash Merino in Maravilla
Purchased: July 1, 2010
Date Started: February 28, 2011
Date Finished: March 20, 2011
Mods: None.



Here's a close up of the pattern. Truth be told, I didn't love knitting these socks. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't digging the process as much as I did with the two previous socks in this series. Then it dawned on me, there are eleventy million purls in this pattern. Too.Many.Purls. They turned out beautifully but not a pattern I'm likely to repeat.



Close up of heel. I love, love, love this toe up heel flap. I've always preferred a heel flap but, since my feet are a dainty size 12, I like to knit socks toe up to be sure I don't run out of yarn. Until this book, I thought I was relegated to short row heels forever. But Wendy saved the day. Now I can have heel flaps and toe up socks. Swoon!



Check out that gorgeous toe. Thanks again to the Stash and Burn girls for pointing out the Cat Bordhi video on You Tube. I finally figured out Judy's Magic Cast On. In fact, I didn't know I was doing it wrong but I always had a seem on the toes of my socks. Not terrible but not really what was intentioned. Now my socks have smooth even toes. Double swoon!

At the rate I'm going, I have knit 3 pairs of socks in 2011. Part of me thinks, "I'm already even to my sock knitting total for 2010. I'll knit 12 pair this year! YEAH! GO socks! I'll get through my stash!" But then, the realist in me remembers that I'm going back to work and my knitting progress will probably slow way down. Plus, I'd probably like to knit a few things besides socks on 2011. We'll see. No promises. But I'm excited to have my knitting mojo back.

Iron Chef Lunch

A few months ago, Iron Chef Morimoto opened a signature restaurant in downtown Napa. Brian and I haven't had a chance to eat there yet. On Saturday, a few friends came into town to have a wonderful lunch. This was 2 months in the planning and it was worth it!



You know it's going to be a great lunch when Dana Corwin, editor-in-chief of Food and Wine Magazine and frequent Top Chef judge is hanging out. Not the best picture because I was trying to be sly.

On to the food...



Hot and Spicy King Crab Appetizer. Pay no mind to the empty shell, I just couldn't wait to dig in!



This was a HUGE appetizer. I couldn't eat it all. And the leftovers were just as fabulous on Sunday.



Lunch Sets- The Morimoto version of a bento box. Salad, Sushi, Tempura vegetables, and the main event- Sea Urchin Carbonara.



Amazingly rich and flavorful- I could only eat a few bites because it was so rich. But every bite was a dream. I finished it off with Brian's help later on Saturday night.



With lunch, I had a flight of Morimoto's signature sake. 2 oz. pour of 4 different grades including an 5 year aged sake. It was interesting to taste the differences in each grade. I feel like I have a decent palate when it comes to wine but I know NOTHING about sake. On Saturday, I had a little education.



Donuts with flavored sugar and honey for dessert. Our table hemmed and hawed about getting dessert because we were so full. So glad we did. These were light as air and so fun to eat with all the flavored sugars and honey to make each bite unique.



Check this out! Even the take out box is fancy.

We are so lucky to have too many restaurants to choose from in a relatively small area. However, we were missing a high end Japanese/sushi place. Morimoto really shines in filling that gap.

Keep On Knitting

I'm not back to work for 2 more weeks. So I just keep on knitting. Trying to save a little money means serious stash diving. I checked out my stash and found a pattern on Ravelry that would work with this poor yarn that has been lingering in stash limbo for almost 4 years. (What did we do before Ravelry???)



Pattern: Chromosome Scarf
Yarn: Tahki Yarns New Tweed in Sage
Purchased On: From The Masked Chicken in a secret pal swap on April 24, 2007.
Needles: KP Harmony size 10 US
Date Started: 3/1/11
Date Finished: 3/6/11
Mods: None. The scarf is a little shorter than I usually like. But the cables look really good in this yarn. And of course, the color is perfect for me. Nice quick TV knitting.

I also cast on for the third sock in Wendy Johnson's book, Toe Up Socks for Every Body- the Bouquet Socks. I'm using Scout's Swag superwash merino sock in Maravilla. This yarn isn't too old. Just purchased last July. But the model sock is knit in a beautiful bright orange. Maravilla was just the ticket.



The orange is even brighter in person. These are going to be really cheerful socks.

Thanks to Stash and Burn, I found and watched this video by Cat Bordhi on how to do Judy's Magic Cast On. I was doing the cast on completely wrong. The toes on these socks don't have that seam line that I always get. Woo Hoo!