WIPs and cookies

[msmcknittington]

I made oatmeal cookies tonight. They are delicious and crunchy and crisp. The recipe I was using called for three cups of oatmeal, but I only had two, so I crushed up two granola bars with a hammer and added them to the mix. I can barely even tell, and I think I may prefer this version to others I've had.





Emergency Oatmeal Cookies

Based on:Oatmeal Cookies from JoyofBaking.com

Yield: 1 to 2 dozen, depending on how much dough you eat during the process. I got about twenty.

• 3/4 cup softened butter or shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 crushed Nature Valley crunchy granola bar, Maple Brown Sugar
• 1 crushed Nature Valley crunchy granola bar, Oats'n'Honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.


2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, blending thorougly.


3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a smaller bowl.


4. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture gradually, blending well after each addition.


5. In a small bowl, mix together oatmeal and crushed granola bars.


6. Stir together the oatmeal mixture with the creamed mixture. Use a big spoon and know that you are lord of all you survey.


7. Drop by rounded tablespoons (I ended up using about two tablespoons per cookie) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. They'll be crumbly when they come out of the oven, so you'll have to wait for them to set up a bit before eating them if you don't want a crumbly mess. Or not. Your choice.

Here we have the current works in progress before I trundle off to bed. Or to do other nonproductive things. Whatever. Also, note my awesome new icon. That's the beret rather startingly resembling a mountain.

This is the tweed beret from the Winter 2006 Interweave Knits. I've just started the ribbing pattern. It's knit from the top down, and I absolutely love the way the whole thing has the spiraled increases.

This is the first time I've ever knit something from the top down in this manner. Previously, I had had an attitude that only whiny babies knitted in such a way (I don't know why; I just did), so I avoided it. I was a fool. This is also the first time I've knit something on this many DPNs (I apparently don't have a hat-sized US6 circular needle) and not had ladders. Loving that.



The yarn is Elann Peruvian Highland Wool, color 2020 Claret. It, fool that I am, is a lot more purple than I expected, and so is now destined for one of my friend's sisters, if she'd like it. Otherwise, I'll take it into work and see if anyone else would like it.

This is a detail of the Artic Diamonds stole from the same issue of Interweave Knits as the hat. I'm done with two and quarter repeats out of five. It was supposed to be a Christmas present for my sister, but it's been creeping by so slowly I feel like I'm knitting backwards.



The yarn is also from Elann, the Peruvian Baby Silk in Aubergine. It's a little bit lighter than the yarn called for in the pattern (Gems Pearl), but the alpaca and silk is delicious. It will probably be a little bit smaller than the finished dimensions for the pattern, but both my sister and I can live with that.

We're not going to get into the five or six dresses I currently have in various states of completion.