Simmering the sauce

We have achieved the stage of the bolognese when I don't have to stand there and watch any more.  If I just remember to stir it once in awhile, that's enough.  The biscotti are sitting in a turned-off oven for their final crisping, and they will be ready in time for lattes.  And so I am finally sitting down.  Aaaaaaaaaaahhh.


Today's biscotti is Lemon-Anise, only I hate anise, so they are Lemon-Vanilla.  This is the recipe:

I left the magazine on my knitting bag, so Tiki borrowed it and edited it for me.  Maybe it's compulsive to slog through recipes just because they're there, but if I were really compulsive, I'd be forced to use anise instead of being flexible and changing the recipe, right?



I continue to knit.  A lot.  I am about 75% of the way through the box lace shawl, but there really isn't anything to see since last time:

It looks like that, only bigger.  And here is the Dolphin Cardi, which I haven't touched in a month.

Still looks the same.  And I've embarked on three pairs of minis.  I make them from leftover sock yarn and I've run out of space in the jar where I keep the bits, so the new plan is to cast on the minis and soon as the regular socks are finished.  Also, I've learned it works better if I do both of the pair at the same time so I can make them match without relying on memory or the availability of a pencil.  They're a good thing to have around when I need some mindless monkey knitting.

And yes, that's the farm yarn project.  Also untouched.  It might turn out looking really good, but I hate knitting it, so I'm never going to work on it unless I'm feeling like earning martyr points by wallowing in drudgery.

Do you know what you get once you accumulate one billion martyr points?  NOTHING.  You get nothing.

And so I am going to wise up and rip out the farm yarn thing and start over with something I like better.

I have a pair of regular socks on the needles.  Plain old ordinary socks distinguished only by the pretty yarn they're made from.

They're for Mr. D.  He chose the yarn himself.  The colorway is"Frog's Kiss."  The Manos scarf was sucking.  Trying to manage three balls of yarn on two-row repeats and carrying the colors up the side was just too fiddly.  It is gone, and now replaced by more sensible stripes.

My favorite thing right now is the Grey Cardi.  I've got the lower body done and I've started a sleeve and I've picked out which colors I'm going to use in the fair isle section.  Not telling.  It's a surprise.

We did a lot (for me) of arduous yard work yesterday and I have some resultant aches and pains to deal with and I've spent a large part of the day on my feet on the kitchen, so I think I'm going to work on the grey cardi this evening as a reward for good behavior.

Ha!  Joe Hart just saved an Arsenal PK!  I love Joe Hart but not Arsenal, so hoorah!

Mr. D loves "The Arse" more than he loves Joe Hart, so he is not so happy.  That's what you get for rooting for a bunch of half-wits.

Later tonight, Juventus v Bologna (bolognese sauce, remember?) and red red wine.