Madhu Knits and Cooks – Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Another Beautiful Baby Blanket from the Leisure Arts Best Knit Baby Afghans Book

Little did I know when I purchased, on a whim, the Leisure Arts Our Best Knit Baby Afghans book almost ten years ago at a local Jo-Ann Fabrics or Michaels that I would be returning to this book time after time to create beautiful and classic baby blankets. I can definitely say that along with Nancie Wiseman's Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques, this book is a must purchase for any knitter!

To date, I have made the Basket Weave Blanket, Priceless White Diamonds, and Decked in Diamonds patterns, and I completed this month another pattern — the elegant Heirloom Baby Wrap. This pattern also serves as an important part of me developing into a Knitter in that I actually completed and delivered the blanket BEFORE the baby was born! Although I try to not repeat the same blanket pattern twice, I really, really love this pattern so you may see another version in the coming years! Project details follow the picture.

Aria's Baby Blanket

Pattern: Heirloom Baby Wrap by Rachel J. Terrill. I modified the pattern by casting on only 120 stitches instead of 135.

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Willow, 9.75 skeins

Needles: One US8 Circular

Post-Blocking Measurements: 34.5 inches wide by 35 inches tall.

September 7, 2011
Mike’s Henry Scarf — Knitting with a Capital K!

According to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, there is a distinct difference between a "knitter" and a "Knitter" (Knitter with a capital K). "Knitting" is a "lifestyle" and it signals a Knitter who pushes herself to learn new techniques and constantly improve and challenge her skills. I have to admit that I have don't feel that I haven't challenged myself with a project in some time — most of the projects I have made the past few years have relied on skills I acquired early in my knitting career, when I was far more adventureous and experimental. Although I have made recent plans to explore steeking, felting, entrelac, and do more complex intarsia, those plans always seem to give way to smaller or more directed projects.

I think that this "knitting" streak has been broken though with the successful completion of the Henry scarf pattern from Knitty.com's Fall 2007 issue. The pattern itself is not THAT challenging, but it requires an intense amount of concentration and more preparation than I am used to. The scarf is knit lengthwise, and for the 6-foot scarf I was planning to make, it meant I cast on 260 stitches. Nearly all of the stitches are paired with an increase on the second row, so I was working with 518 stitches per row for almost the entire scarf. And with this pattern, any mistake has to be fixed by going back to the original stitch because the pattern repeat is so rigid so making corrections on future rows simply isn't possible. Thankfully, relatively early on in the pattern, I could easy "see" the pattern on the right side, so didn't need to go back and regularly review my work in the manner suggested by other Henry knitters on Ravelry. And to get the hang of the pattern before starting this 518-stitches-per-row behemoth, I created a swatch with 1/4 of the stitches cast on and tried two different needle sizes on that relatively large swatch to determine which gauge I thought looked better. I am generally a fairly lazy swatcher if you will, so making a swatch of this size, and in pattern, was definitely a huge deal for me and was the first sign I was entering the Knitter-dom.

I used a fingering weight cashmere/merino blend that the Henry recipient — my friend Mike — had ordered from YarnCountry.com for the project. The yarn was an excellent fiber and weight to show off the pattern — the pattern/yarn combination seemed like it would work with both smaller and larger needles as well. The project though with this yarn weight ended up taking almost 4 months to complete. I completed 5 pattern repeats. I also used a standard long-tail cast-on and a normal bind-off instead of the tubular cast-on and bind-off for a slightly cleaner look after reading the Ravelry reviews (and seeing the results of my tubular efforts, which may be more "knitter" than "Knitter"). After blocking, the scarf grew longer than I expected and also became slightly narrower, but the pattern looked fantastic — as some Ravelry commentators have noted, the scarf appears almost woven instead of knit. I am really excited to see Mike wear the scarf this fall!

Mike's Henry Scarf

Pattern: Henry by Mareike Sattler

Yarn: Yarn Country 50% Cashmere/50% Merino, approx. 2.6 skeins in cobalt blue

Needles: Addi Turbo US4 Circular

Post-Blocking Measurements: 6 3/4 inches wide by 6 feet 7 inches long

September 1, 2011
Madhu Knits and Cooks Returns with Mark Bittman’s Mango-Coconut-Lime Bars!

Hello again! I recently moved and the relocation process unfortunately included putting most of my apartment stuff (including all of my cooking equipment) into storage. The unpacking/settling in process has also taken more time than I envisioned, so blogging — though certainly not knitting or cooking — has fallen a bit by the wayside. I am happy to finally return though with another library cookbook experiment — Mark Bittman's mango-coconut lime bars from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

I picked up the book while browsing the shelfs at my new public library branch, and was very excited to see it. I have been debating for years whether I should buy this book which is supposed to be a comprehensive vegetarian cookbook (and written by Mark Bittman, who I adore, of course). I have held back though given my previous track record with neglecting the cookbooks and cooking magazines I own. I haven't made a final decision on the Bittman book yet, but will probably pick up the book again from the library in the coming months to try a few more of the recipes before making the final decision.

I decided to try the mango-cococut-lime bars after flipping through the index to find recipes that incorporate mangos because I had a rapidly ripening mango sitting on my new kitchen counter for days. The mango-coconut-lime bars seemed perfect because I also had half of a lime in my fridge from some salsa I made, and could easily buy shredded coconut on my next trip to the Indian grocery store.

The bars were pretty easy to make — basically a variant of lemon bars, with a shortbread base, a citrus-custardy topping, and toasted coconut flakes on top instead of powdered sugar. While I enjoyed these bars, I have to admit that I found them to be a little bit too eggy in flavor. After the bars sat in the fridge for the day, the mango and lime flavors came out a bit more, but I still felt like I was eating some sort of egg custard instead of a citrus bar. If I make this recipe again, I will probably add more than 1/4 cup of the mango puree and maybe increase the amount of lime zest and/or juice used.

August 10, 2011
Vegetarian Times Baked Onion Rings — A Healthier Alternative to the Fried Favorite

I have found that "healthy" alternatives to more indulgent fare almost always fail to live up to their claims (for example, see my Note on Low-fat Brownies from 2009). For some reason though, when I saw the Baked Onion Rings recipe in the latest issue of the Vegetarian Times, I immediately felt that I had to try this healthier preparation to the traditionally fried (and delicious) snack. Generally, this might be a sign that my favorite fried foods — jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and cottage cheese pakoras — have far too great of a hold on me.

These baked onion rings were fantastic! Crisp, sweet, and not greasy at all! The preparation was a little messy (dipping the onion segments into the batter with my hands), but could not be simpler to make. I now don't understand why anyone would fry onion rings — and risk a soggy, oily mess — when baked onion rings taste just as good, if not better! The only caution I would have in making this recipe is to make sure you are preparing them for a crowd — I halved the recipe and still ended up with many too many rings for two of us who ate them.

May 7, 2011
Ishbel Scarf/Shawl for My Mother

My mother celebrated a birthday this month, and my gift to her was a completed Ishbel scarf. I settled on the Ishbel pattern after searching Ravelry for a project that might properly feature the Habu N-6B root sizing silk that I purchased at Churchmouse last year in Washington state.

I am extremely happy with the result — the slightly shimmery color of the brown silk is fantastic and the drape of the lacy scarf is lovely. I do wish that I washed the scarf a few more times (I washed it three times, with two different light detergents) to completely eliminate the sizing from the material, but I got a little impatient after repeating the washing/blocking process three times. The scarf was noticeably softer after each additional wash, and I think/hope it will probably continue to soften with use as well.

The pattern itself was slightly difficult to complete with the Habu silk because the yarn was quite slippery, would too frequently split, and the texture made it difficult to accurately count the stitches, so I admit that I made a few mistakes with the pattern while knitting it. I'll probably make a simpler project with the remaining skein of the silk that I have — perhaps some sort of knit cuff or another accessory?

Additional project details follow the picture of the blocked Ishbel below.

Ishbel

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Habu Textiles N-6B, 3 skeins

Needles: One US3 circular

Post-Blocking Measurements: 42 inches wide at its widest point, and 13 inches long at the center

April 30, 2011
Parmesan Chive Scones…A Bit of a Disaster

I recently had leftover frozen chives and parmesan from the Cook's Illustrated Almost No-Stir Risotto, and after failing to find a parmesan chive biscuit recipe that I was convinced I had somewhere, I turned to the internet to figure out what kind of savory dish I could make with the limited quantities of those ingredients that I had. I found a Parmesan Chive Scone recipe online, and decided to give it a go, with a few modifications. I think some of the modifications — reducing the amount of chives to what I had on hand (about 1/2 of what the original recipe called for), adding a tablespoon of chopped parsley, and substituting 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour simply because I ran out of all-purpose — would have been fine on their own, but fatefully, I decided to freeze and grate the butter, a la the Cook's Illustrated Blueberry Scones recipe, to achieve light and buttery scones.

Although this recipe cautioned against working the butter too much and ensuring that the scones just held together without too much mixing, the frozen, grated butter and heavy cream seemed to not bind the dough together enough. I decided to plow forward though with the loose dough thinking that the baking would solve the texture issue, but the resulting scones unfortunately fell apart while handling them. The flavor was fine (perhaps though the whole wheat flour I would omit in the future), but the overly crumbly texture really made these scones unenjoyable to consume. In hindsight, I would perhaps freeze only half of the butter, and maybe add some additional heavy cream to achieve the right texture. Ugh. On to the next one.

April 26, 2011
White Bean Dip — Flavorful and Healthy Enough That You Won’t Regret Eating the Whole Bowl!

Although I am generally skeptical of celebrity tv chefs who don't operate their own restaurants, as you know from reading this blog, almost everything I make from one of Giada de Laurentiis's cookbooks turns out so well that I end up making it more than one time (notably the Pecorino Crackers, Quick Rise Pizza Dough, and Lemon Ricotta Cookies). My recent attempt at her White Bean Dip followed this trend, with me making it twice in one week!

I initially googled for a simply white bean dip recipe that would dispose of the can of cannellini beans that I initially purchased for the Alice Waters Minestrone. I think the Giada recipe was the first to pop up, and I ended up settling on it because it called for parsley, which I have in abundance in the freezer, and fresh lemon juice, which I also had in the fridge. Per the recommendations in the comments on the recipe page, I ended up decreasing the amount of olive oil to a few tablespoons, decreasing the amount of lemon juice and just seasoning to taste, and adding in several shakes of red pepper flakes to boost the flavor. I also increased the amount of fresh garlic in my first run to 4 cloves, but the result was definitely too powerful — the second time, I used the original amount called for in the recipe. I think I may end up roasting the garlic on the stovetop before I next make the dip because I think the flavor may be even more balanced that way (even with the reduced garlic the second time, the raw flavor definitely lingered a little too unpleasantly — and I love garlic!). If you are looking for a healthy dip for your next home movie night or even summer barbecue, definitely give this recipe a try! Also, did I mention that it takes only 5 minutes to prepare?

April 19, 2011
My New Go-To Risotto Recipe — Almost No Work and Wonderfully Flavorful

Cook's Illustrated has done it again! Although I was skeptical of the May 2010 issue's claim that it had a tried-and-true "Almost Hands-Free Risotto with Parmasean and Herbs" recipe (particularly skeptical of the "Almost Hands-Free" claim), I tried the recipe a few weeks ago in my new dutch oven and was SHOCKED at how easy this risotto was to prepare. Instead of stressing over the stovetop for an hour, constantly stirring in small batches of hot vegetable stock, I was able to spend just a few minutes on the dish on the front end, and then set the timer to let the risotto cook by itself for 15 minutes or so before giving it a vigorous stir at the end.

I was shocked that the result wasn't mushy or too dry, rather the rice was perfectly cooked — each grain retained its own form. The flavor of the final dish was also perfect — instead of getting sick of the rice after a few bites, which has happened with both restaurant and homemade risotto alike, I kept going back for more servings to experience the subtle lemon and savory herb flavors.

This recipe is definitely my new go-to for risotto, especially for dinner parties because it will be easy to prepare this as a side dish while simultaneously preparing a more complicated main dish. And with my adoption of the freezing-herbs technique which works wonderfully with both parsley and chives (wash and dry the herbs, then place in a single layer on a baking sheet, place sheet in freezer for 30 minutes, then place the herbs into a freezer-safe plastic bag or container — they will retain both their color and flavor for months!), I will almost always have the ingredients on hand!

I'd say that this recipe alone is worth purchasing an online subscription to CooksIllustrated.com — if you have ever thought risotto would be too complicated to make at home, or had homemade risotto disasters, you won't regret trying these directions!

April 14, 2011
Four Eyeglass Cases (or Small Purses)

Coming up with handknit gift ideas for family members in India can be quite difficult given the lack of cold (and even "moderate") temperatures there. So when I was trying to think of what to make for my grandmothers, thankfully my mother came up with the idea to knit eyeglass cases. I found a good, detailed pattern from the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008 issue, and decided to move forward with it after my attempts to design other patterns didn't progress too far. I eventually made four cases, and while the results were smaller than the dimensions the original pattern produced (I used smaller needles to complete the cases), the cases were still so big that they may end up being used as small purses instead of eyeglass cases. I was happy with the pattern generally — I did have to make some improvised modifications around row 33 of the chart (I just couldn't get the original pattern stitch numbers to line up), but generally, the pattern was easy to follow and worked well with the four different yarns I used. Project details follow the picture of the four cases together.

Eyeglass Cases (General)

Pattern: Eyeglass Case by Fiona Ellis, Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008

Needles: Two size 2 Addi Turbo lace circulars

Green Eyeglass Case

Yarn: KnitPicks Stroll in Grass (Lot 76371), 1/2 skein. I did not make the foldover flap for this case.

Post-Blocking Measurements: 5 inches wide at the bottom and top, 4 inches wide at the center, and 7 inches from top to bottom.

Maroon Eyeglass Case

Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss in Burgundy (Lot 77603), 2/3 skein

Post-Blocking Measurements: 6 inches wide at the bottom and top, 4 1/2 inches wide at the center, 8 inches tall, and flap of 2 1/2 inches long.

Blue Eyeglass Case

Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss in Woodland Sage (Lot 77597), 2/3 skein

Post-Blocking Measurements: 6 inches wide at the bottom and top, 4 1/2 inches wide at the center, 8 inches long, and flap of 2 1/4 inches.

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Red Eyeglass Case

Yarn: Lang Cashwool in Red (from stash, purchased almost 10 years ago), 0.9 skein

Post-Blocking Measurements: 5 3/4 wide at the bottom and top, 4 1/4 wide at the center, 7 1/2 inches from top to bottom, and flap of 2 inches.

April 12, 2011
Shale Baby Blanket for Baby Aarna — My First Jared Flood Project!

Every time I finish a baby blanket, I become convinced that it is my favorite. The Shale blanket I made recently for baby Aarna is no exception.

I chose this pattern after seeing it on Jared Flood's Brooklyn Tweed website, which is definitely one of the best knitting sites/blogs on the internet. The pattern called for a worsted weight yarn, which I had already purchased in anticipation of baby Aarna's birth, and the Ravelry.com pictures confirmed that the versatile pattern would look good in a variety of fibers, including a cotton blend.

After the first few pattern repeats, I have to admit I doubted whether the pattern would turn out the way I hoped. I decided to stick with it though despite the time crunch, and I am definitely pleased that I did. The blanket turned out better than I had hoped from the Ravelry finished project pictures, and the time it took to complete each repeat decreased as it became easier to remember the simple 4-row pattern.

Pattern details follow the pictures, which unfortunately show different colors for the yarn. I think the "actual" color lies somewhere in between the three pictures.

Aarna Baby Blanket

Pattern: Shale Baby Blanket by Jared Flood

Yarn: KnitPicks Shine Worsted in Bachelor Button, approx. 8.75 skeins

Needles: One size 7 circular

Post-Blocking Measurements: 31 inches wide by 33.5 inches tall. I only cast on enough stitches for 6 pattern repeats across each row, and repeated the pattern 40 times, so slightly smaller than what was called for in the original directions.

April 7, 2011