Faux Fair Isle: A Patterny Blessing (annnnnd of course food)

One day, about a year ago, I found myself breathing heavy and slobbering all over myself as I loomed like an ogre in the yarn aisle of Hobby Lobby. I have always been a sucker for inexpensive yarns.  Especially for inexpensive yarns that LOOK like they cost me an arm and a leg. Yarns with rich colors and lofty fibers with promise to sail through my fingers and dance delightfully across my needles.  Finding yarns that fit that bill is not always an easy thing to do.  But occasionally, like this one day in Hob Lob, I scored!

I discovered a yarn that knitted up to look like fair isle…without actually having to do the real work of learning how to do it.  I know fair isle is no big mystery, it is just color work.  It’s not impossible.  I’m a seasoned knitter.  I’ve been doing this for many years.  I can knit with more than one color at a time while following a pattern.  So why haven’t I taken up fair isle knitting?  The short answer?  I’m lazy.  There really isn’t a long answer…I just don’t feel like doing it.  I am more in the camp of Appreciaters of Fair Isle rather than Doers of Fair Isle.  And I’m pretty ok with that. 

But I got to thinking about how maybe I might be judged by other knitters for taking this route, and I took that as my queue to harshly judge myself along with ALL my yarning decisions.  I determined that although it mimicked fair isle, it really isn’t anything like it.  At all.  It’s a crap shoot as to whether the patterns will line up to make it all work out.  Where in fair isle, it is precision and perfection….and lovely.  Knitting with self-patterning yarn isn’t a new concept to me, I’ve worked with it easily a hundred times when making socks.  I never felt like I was cheating while doing it either.  I just knitted them up, pounded my chest and declared “I! Make Sock!” But then again,  I wasn’t making this gigantic blanket like cape thing that I would wear around in public for the whole world to see…..I wasn’t going to stick my poncho in my shoes and hide them.  Everyone was going to SEE it.  Including people who actually KNOW how to fair isle knit.  How could I open myself up to such ridicule?

So what did I do with all that self-doubt and fear of ridicule? I’ll tell you what I did with it….I stuffed it all deep down inside, where I keep all the other stuff I never actually confront or deal with and I pushed through. And MAN, am I so glad I did. Seven thousand stitches later, and by early this last fall I finished the project that had started the winter before.  I made this.  This beautiful, one of a kind poncho that has mismatched lines and uneven seeming….but it is mine.  It is MY thing that I made for ME.  And I love it! 

A few weeks ago I went back to Hob Lob to see if I could find more of this yarn and there was none to be found…I later discovered that the yarn had been discontinued (a four letter word to all yarn crafters!) It’s probably just as well….since I would likely hold onto the yarn for years before I got around to making another poncho……along with ALL the other yarn stuffed in my closet, waiting for their projects-to-be.

In other news….I’ve been a maker of food lately.  For months I’ve been cooking from Melissa Costello’s The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook.  I’ve made many of her soups and other dishes over the last few months, and I gotta say everything has been Out of This WORLD delicious.  (I receive no royalties from raving about this *all vegan* cookbook or the food that springs out of it – I just LOVE IT!)

Wednesday night I made the Baja-Style Fajitas, which were Slap-Yo-Mama good!  I think I felt a tear form in the corner of my left eye with the first bite!  Tonight I tried the Baked Ziti with Spinach.  I really didn’t want to make anything at all, because I feel like I’m coming down with something (tonsils are hurting and I feel exhausted).   But I also wanted to use up the remainder of the Cashew Ricotta Cheez from the fajitas. You know – Waste Not Want Not.   I don’t know how this woman makes food taste so groovy but she is spot on every time.  I swear she’s like the Ina Garten of the vegan world.  I’m totally fan girling. No joke.

Karma Chow Baja-Style Fajitas for THE WIN!

I have tons of foodie finds, and about eleventy million more projects that I made the last few months that I can’t wait to share. Christmas projects and surprise gifts coming soon. I promise!

Surprise Tunisian crocheted pot holders for a loved one 🙂