MMmmmmm

This is the evening I have planned:



The food is homemade crockpot stew and a glass of a yummy Moscato (I like girly wine, I know, not as classy as a Pino Grigio but sweet and yummy and mellow.) 



My recipe for crockpot stew:

Ingredients

• potatoes--as many as looks good, I usually get about 4 big ones 
• celery--one bunch
• carrots--I buy a bag of baby carrots then add until it looks right and save the rest to munch on
• pre-chopped stew meat--about a pound.  (I stock the grocery store for it to go on sale then freeze it so I can use it as I like.)
• flour--about two handfuls 
• broth--48 oz (I use broth for all the liquid, if you're worried about sodium you can do half broth, half water) chicken or beef, whatever is on sale

Directions

• chop potatoes, throw them in crockpot
• sprinkle handful of flour over potatoes
• toss stew meat in
• sprinkle with handful of flour
• chop carrots and celery, throw them in the crock pot
• add broth
• set crockpot to low and leave it alone for a day (I usually do overnight to the next day's dinner time)
• eat stew
• hide leftover stew from 6'10" brother who loves stew and will eat it all if given half a chance

It's actually even better if you have the patience to take the stew out of the crockpot and throw it in the fridge for another overnight so it can thicken and the flavors can get all combined.  I can never wait.

As for the knitting, its a plain 64-stitch sock from the top down with a heel flap.  This is my favorite method of making socks.  I know all the benefits of toe-up socks and the short-row heel, but top-down are so darned charming.  I love everything about them.  I don't much like ribbing, so it's good to get it out of the way when the project is fresh.  I have enough stamina to make the leg as long as I want it.  With toe-up socks, I find I make shorter legs because I want the project to be over (and I skimp on the ribbing.)  Heel flaps are fun.  You get to go back and forth for a while rather than round and round.  Plus, if you do a slip stitch heel it's more durable than the short-row heel because it's double thick.  Heel flaps fit high arches better than short-row heels.  I have high arches.  Kitchner really isn't that bad.  There, I said it.



The yarn is Boylston, one of the Yarnia house blends I picked up when I was working there.  It's 50% Bamboo, 27% Merino, 23% Alpaca.  It's comprised of one strand navy bamboo, one strand navy merino, one strand bright blue merino, and one strand gray heathered alpaca.  It's definitely on the thick side for a fingering weight, my socks will be very thick--good for hiking or as "outside" socks to go over smaller socks in the winter.