I’ve started off the new year with two new things:<\/p>\n
the Old Norwegian Cast-On<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n I’ve been knitting off and on since I was a little kid (so 30+ years), and I’ve only just discovered that there are other ways to cast on.<\/p>\n !!!! Well, I be danged.<\/p>\n The way I’ve done it my whole life is simple and called the Continental Cast On or the Longtail, but Ann Budd in her Knitting Socks book<\/a> says she prefers the Old Norwegian Cast-On, even though it’s bit like finger gymnastics.<\/p>\n I liked that sound of that. Finger gymnastics.<\/em> I was intrigued. I like a challenge – especially those that require adept fingers, and this technique promised to be worthwhile if it was a favorite of a sock expert.<\/p>\n So, I spent a half hour puzzling over the diagrams in her book while the baby tore my bedroom apart.<\/p>\n Verdict: I’m converted. There is really only the smallest divergence from the Continental style, but the result is more solid (two lines of wool instead of just one), and the last cast-on stitch is more stable. It’s a keeper. Click here for written and visual directions<\/a> if you want to try it. Or just ask me to show you sometime.<\/p>\n The Malnove Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n Served this twice in the last three days and everybody in the family is hooked, including the teenager and the toddler.<\/p>\n It’s a cut-open-and-serve kind of salad.<\/p>\n In a salad bowl, toss salad greens, chopped steamed beets (already cooked from Trader Joe’s), French lentils (also already cooked from Trader Joe’s), and Brianna’s Ginger and Mandarin dressing. Proportions: I like using half a bag of greens, one entire package of beets, and 1\/3 a package of lentils. Those lentils are great served plain for a snack too. Once my CSA basket kicks in for the new year, I won’t be buying bagged lettuce anymore, but for now…<\/p>\n P.S. There are SIX ways of casting on stitches for a knitting project, pictured and explained here<\/a> at knittinghelp.com. Includes video tutorials of each!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’ve started off the new year with two new things: the Old Norwegian Cast-On I’ve been knitting off and on since I was a little kid (so 30+ years), and I’ve only just discovered that there are other ways to … Continue reading