J is for

jicama!

Jicama is a Mexican root vegetable--it's crispy and sweet and easily found in NYC markets.



Sonja and I had been having an email discussion about jicama because she found an interesting cole slaw recipe where jicama is an ingredient. She wasn't familiar with the vegetable and asked me about it. During my low-carb days, I used to prepare jicama as a snack food and I had forgotten how much I like it.

Here's what I do:

Peel the jicama.
Cut a slice off each end so it easily sits on the cutting board. Since the outer layer is quite thick, take a sharp knife and make a slit. You can then peel it off in strips. Use your hands--it's like peeling off wallpaper. I cut off those brown bits,



slice up the jimaca and put the pieces into a ziplock bag.



Squeeze limes over the slices (I used two limes for this jicama--but I wish I had a third one.)



Chop and add cilantro.



Shake the bag and put in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.



Tasty and refreshing on a hot summer day!



How to serve it:
Add salt, chili powder or hot pepper flakes and crunch away.
Scoop up salsa, hummus or dip with the jicama slices.
Make a margarita or mojito and enjoy!

I is for

interlude. Something short and simple between the drama of the sweater and the spectacle of the stealth project. A thing that can be thrown in my purse for when I know my knitting will be interrupted.

An intermission. A break from stitches, rows, pattern. Just garter stitch and an increase every fourth row.



Something not-very-interesting and boring to chill out with on these warm days.

H is for

the herbs I plan to grow.

Over the next few months in knit-blog world, we'll be seeing photos of gardens being planted, growing and being harvested. My inner-suburban-plot-of-land-to-grow-stuff farmer turns green with jealousy as I see the tomatoes and flowers and even the zucchini being grown.

Living in a small, NYC apartment doesn't give me much opportunity to play around in dirt. But, this year, I'm going to try.

Hubster and I were upstate over the weekend and we stopped into a nursery. I decided to start with a few herbs. Basil, cilantro and mint. Visions of mozzarella and tomato, guacamole and iced tea.



Since we have sunny south-facing windows, I chose herbs that enjoy the sun.



That's the cilantro and basil. Since I've read that the mint is an aggressive, take-over type of plant, I'll plant that in a separate container.

This morning, when I opened the curtains, the scent of basil filled the air. I'm gonna love this!

G is for

Daffodils are so last week!



This week, other things have started to grow and turn green.

Some very early tulips--




A few trees are beginning to flower and bud--





And my Jackie sweater is also very slowly growing row by row!

F is for. . .

my first knitted item.

A million years ago, my Mom taught me how to knit--but I never really made anything. About six years ago, at a Christmas gathering, a niece was knitting. She had taken lessons and was making herself a shawl.

A SIL and I were quite fascinated by this. My SIL also knew how to knit--but hadn't done a thing in years.

The following day, my SIL went to a local fabric / yarn store and bought beige yarn, gold metallic yarn, needles and she began to make herself a scarf. Later that day, I saw what she was doing and wanted to do it also. So I went to the store and explained what my SIL was using. As chance would have it, I spoke with the same saleswoman who had helped my SIL and so she pointed me in the right direction.

I chose black yarn -- I'm not sure what it is, but it has some elasticity to it--and a silver-colored metallic ladder yarn. The needles were big ones--9s or 10s. Straight needles.

I cast on using the long-tail cast on. I have no memory of ever learning how to cast on this way--but somehow my fingers remembered. The scarf is done in garter stitch and it only took a few hours to knit. How proud I was when I finished it! And that's how this knitting adventure started.



I wore the scarf for a while that winter. But then I discovered the wonderful world of fabulous yarns and the finer points of knitting. I put the simple little scarf away. And forgot about it.

The other day, I was rooting through my scarf drawer looking for some suitable spring silk scarves to wear with a new coat. Way down on the bottom of the drawer, I came across the black and silver scarf. Despite some mistakes, it really isn't that bad-looking. And there's something kind of funky about it. (It reminds me of a sparkly bowling ball!)

Recently our weather has been quite fickle. Not cold enough to be wearing heavy woolen scarves--but too chilly and rainy to wear fine silk scarves. This black and silver scarf has just enough heft for these days and I think it looks great with the coat!



A found object and a memory of that first flush of knitting excitement!

E is for

Embroidered tablecloths.

I have two embroidered tablecloths. I've used this sweet one for girly luncheons.



The other is quite dramatic and draped the New Year's Eve buffet table.





Both are beauties and I'm always amazed by the handwork that went into them.

As much as I admire embroidery, it's something I have no interest in doing myself. However, check out the multi-talented Sonja's embroidery project.

C is for. . .

Casting on for new projects!

Yes, plural. Projects--two of them. I promised myself that, once I finished the Fussy Watch Cap, I'd start these two knits.

Nothing fancy--just a plain sock. A portable project. The yarn is from Sundara's Petal Collection sock club--Lenten Rose. (I just realized that Ash Wednesday is next week. Probably the subconscious at work when I chose the yarn out of the stash.)



And I've cast on for a sweater. My first one! The pattern is Anne Hanson's Jackie and the yarn is Briar Rose Fibers Fourth of July in a custom color.



This doesn't look like much. But since I've been talking about this sweater since November, I've finally taken the first step--casting on!

B is for

Bedspread.

I took this bedspread from my parents' attic many, many years ago. Being young, I never thought that someday I'd want to know the bedspread's history. And that when I wanted to know, nobody would be around to ask.



Who crocheted the bedspread? Was it my mother? My Grandma or Aunt Emma? Was it a gift? Who was it made for?

When was it made? Did my Mom patiently crochet it as she waited for V-mail from my Dad? Did Grandma or Aunt Emma pull it out in the evenings after long, hard days of working as housekeepers?

Perhaps my cousin Kathy can tell me if this bedspread is a twin to one that her mother crocheted. But then I wonder if my Aunt Marie and my Mom/Grandma/Aunt Emma would work on their bedspreads together? Did they share patterns? Did they advise and help each other?

As I look at it, I have more questions. The bedspread is dirty and damaged. Can it be fixed?





If the bedspread can be repaired, will it be so fragile that I'll be afraid to use it? Or will I lovingly place it on our bed and think about other people, other times?

A is for. . .

Afghan hooks.

When I went through my late aunt's needlecraft boxes,



I found a couple of odd-looking crochet hooks. They looked like straight knitting needles--but had a crochet needle tip.



Since one hook was still in its original packaging, I wasn't left in the dark for too long. Afghan hook--$1.00.

Next I turned to google and entered a whole new needlecraft world. Afghan crochet aka as Tunisian crochet.

Then I happened upon the Winter 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet and learned even more about Tunisian crochet.



With an afghan hook and some yarn in hand, I went back to the internet to learn how to use these afghan hooks.



This is the most basic stitch--the Afghan Stitch. But there's many, many more stitches and a ton of patterns.

Working on this little swatch was a lot of fun and maybe, perhaps my "T is for. . . . " will be a more substantial example of Tunisian crochet.