Merry Christmas

I hope your day was wonderful, full of the spirit, family, friends and whatever you love. My day was nice and perfectly suited to me. I cooked a full turkey dinner with all the usual accrutremonts, served   two plates with dessert and champagne on the side and it was lovely.

The high point of my Christmas gifts was my Christmas Eve Box. Remember, I mentioned it before? I also made a box for the spouse. Here they are:

For the spouse I included things he likes at the moment which was not an easy task. I had to think small . . .

First is a sleep shirt in lieu of pajamas. He likes PJ tops. The long pants bottoms not so much. Thus, the sleep shirt. Longer than a PJ top and maintains some modesty. 

Then a one year subscription to Esquire magazine.

Next: Okay, if you must, chewing gum in three throwback iconic flavors. And diet soda for the non-coffee/tea/hot chocolate drinker.

And then the fun stuff: two decks of cards--one Pinochle, one standard.

And underneath, the Cheez-Its he's currently addicted to.

On the bottom is an electronic game called FlashPad.

Fun on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

My Box

The dark red pajama top has coordinating dotted pants.

Tucked in the neck is my current favorite CD and the DVD. It's Andrea Bocelli's concert in Portofino, Italy. Love it!

  There are hot chocolate K-cups for the Keurig coffee maker: Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate and just in case, one for Chai Tea. And microwave popcorn to eat while watching a movie. There's my Roku streaming device remote control in the box. I watched Love Actually. And the new knitting project making the final cut is . . . . . . Turkish Bed Socks! The yarn is Koigu, a favorite of mine for knitting socks. I kept you in suspense, but I'm sure some guessed it would be the socks instead of a hat. After all, my other blog is The Sock Lady. 

One small confession: The things for my Christmas Eve Box continued to increase after the lid was closed. I also got the electronic game FlashPad. 

And a new cookbook.

Christmas Day is over. I am H O M E bathed in the ambience of candlelight and having a final reflection on the day. And remembering a Christmas Day past . . .

Bona Fide Knitter

Snow, Snow, Snow, NO!

Hey everybody! It has snowed here three times in a week! Is this an indication of the winter we are going to have? Is Mother Nature out for vindication after not mustering up any snow last winter?

I didn't think of taking pictures of the winter wonderland until a day after the last snow/ice storm.

View of backyard
with a little electronic enhancement

without enhancement

Right outside my front door I found some interesting footprints. What are they?

At first I thought the mailman had taken a tumble and those were his handprints.

On closer inspection they are definitely animal prints. And they are neither dog nor cat prints. I'm glad I didn't walk out and frighten whatever it was. I would have been the frightened one!

During this transitional season I've spent some time knitting Beach Socks 2013. At the rate I'm going, I might get them done before it's time to start Beach Socks 2014. I've spent more time making donuts and most of the time missing my Bichon babies. Oh gee, don't get me started on that.

I want to bake, but I don't want to eat the carbs or calories of baked goods. What to do? Don't bake! But I couldn't resist making my favorite apple cake. Actually it's my only apple cake. It's the only one I make. I adore it!

I've always loved a well made Jewish apple cake. I tried many recipes, but none measured up to slices I used to get from a cafeteria downtown, The Colonnade, no longer in existence, and from a neighborhood Jewish bakery I've lost track of. There was even a tolerable one sold at my neighborhood Acme Super Market. And then there wasn't. One day while searching for something to watch on a TV-not-hooked-up-to cable, I stumbled upon the Y Arts channel and Deborah Dal Fovo making her Nonna's Homemade Italian Apple Cake. I could hardly wait to make one. I've written about it before. It's not Jewish. It's Italian and it is THE apple cake! Just the way I like it: enough apples, moist, not too sweet and pretty to look at as well. Always a feast for the eyes and the tummy. Yum, yum, delicious!

It calls for just a few ingredients. Buy five Golden Delicious apples. I'm sure you have the rest of the ingredients on hand. A spring form pan, a couple of bowls, a wire whisk, peel, core, slice and arrange, bake in a 350 degree oven, and the best apple cake ever will be yours each time you bake one. And you will make it again and again. Easy, peasy, delicioso. Trust me.

When it's hot out of the oven my figural measuring cup set and measuring spoon set check it out.

Plated, Golden and Delicious

Cut

Can you see the moistness? Can you see the apple slices inside?

Perfection!

I have completed my Christmas Eve box. I can just lift the lid and save the box for next year. No ribbon, not bow, no tag . . . yet. I still have over a week to go. Something else might need to go inside. As for the tag, I won't need one. I know whose box it is.

I had to do some editing of the contents before I put the lid on. There were three knitting projects vying for a place in the box: (1) a free Ravelry download of a slouchy beret Springtime in Philadelphia,  (2) American Girl Doll Beret and (3) Turkish Bed Socks. How much can a person do on Christmas Eve while looking at a movie, eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate?  I changed my mind many times, but the final decision has been made. Which one, you ask? You will find out after it is a fait accompli. Stay tuned.

Still a
Bona Fide Knitter

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey, another holiday, another post. Yes, it's Thanksgiving. Can you believe it? Where did this year go?!!!

Thanksgiving for us has been scaled down over the years. We have a good traditional meal and delicious dessert(s) and try not to overindulge in either. We've taken care of the eating part already. Time to move on to the next thing. My Christmas Cacti (two plants) which I have had for over 25 years as near as I can calculate based on pictures in which they appear in the background, have already bloomed themselves almost to death. Over the years their biological clocks reset and they bloom for Thanksgiving every year. They think it's Christmas. Here's this year's display.

Last Week

Today, Thanksgiving, November 28, 2013

So, moving right along . . . 

Time to think Christmas. I mentioned in the last post "the Christmas Eve Box." I saw the idea on Facebook. I liked it so much I decided to make one for myself. The idea is to make a box to be opened on Christmas Eve after dinner, in the evening. Open the box, get ready for bed, don the new PJs and settle in to enjoy the other contents of the box. Ideas for the contents include new PJs, (The PJs or other sleep attire are a must!) new socks, favorite treats like popcorn, chocolate, pretzels, fixings for hot cocoa including marshmallows, a book, a game, Christmas movie or other DVD. Let your imagination be your guide.

So far in my box I have new PJs, popcorn, pretzels, K-cups of chai tea and hot chocolate, the remote control for the Roku (I haven't decided on a movie yet.) and a new knitting pattern with yarn and needles. I have two patterns in contention.

I'm going to make a box for my spouse as well. So far in his box I have a new sleep shirt, chewing gum (Wrigley's Doublemint, Spearment and Juicy Fruit), Cheez-It crackers and diet ginger ale. I'm stuck on providing entertainment for him. A book? A game? Not sure yet. Part of the fun is picking the right items for the person. I'm sure both boxes will go through a few additions and subtractions before December 24.

My contending knitting patterns are berets. Shall I start one for myself or one for an American Girl doll. I'm leaning toward the doll beret. I could get a lot done while watching the movie and I could finish on Christmas Day. Patterns for both can be found on Ravelry.

I'm so gung ho on this Christmas Eve Box idea I've convinced my cousin to make one for herself. How about you? Make one for yourself and family members you spend the night with Christmas Eve.  I think it's a great tradition to start.  Singles, young marrieds, families with children, empty nesters--Christmas Eve Boxes for everybody!

Time for another piece of pie.

BonaFide Knitter

Another Holiday

Well, of sorts . . .

Today is the anniversary of the day I was born. I won't say which anniversary. Suffice it to say it is a MONUMENTAL one. And that's enough about that.

What I want to go on and on about is what the younger generation(s) have missed out on. The electronic age has robbed them of so many things! I sometimes wish I was younger, but I never wish I had not lived in the years I experienced.

I learned to read and write. I learned to use my imagination, visualize, improvise, add, subtract, multiply and divide. Technicolor musicals at the movie around the corner from home made me appreciate Broadway musicals before I ever went to New York and saw one.

Don't get me wrong. I also love modern technology. I am amazed at it. I think my computer, laptop, netbook, MP3 players, e-readers, iPhone, iPod, iPad, iPad Mini (a birthday gift today) MacBook Pro (an anniversary gift back in June) are wonderful. I can't get enough of them. What a far cry from my Texas Instrument calculator of the 1970's! It was all unimaginable back when Dick Tracy had a two-way wrist radio. "Dick Tracy?" Two-way wrist radio?" Let me try another reference . . . The Jetsons! We are living beyond even what the Jetsons had.

I am as sorry for my relatives and friends closer to my age who know nothing about modern technology. Especially those who write it off as something they want to know nothing about. Well, other than having a cell phone. They don't know what they're missing. They are being left in the previous millennium! And that is as sad as not knowing how to hold a pen or pencil correctly, write in cursive and know the multiplication table.

And on that note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Selfie taken this morning

November 19, 2013

Okay, the rant is over. I love my iPad Mini. It's an iPad, Kindle and Nook all in one little sleek, handy body. I had my usual celebratory meal: Chinese take-out and champagne. This celebration called for a cake and that was good too.

Bona Fide Knitter . . . older

Veterans Day

I hate to miss a holiday post. I'm sorry to be so late in the day with this one. All year I thank, donate to and say prayers for all the men and women who have served and those currently serving the United States of America in the armed forces.

In their honor I was determined to start and finish the little knitting project that should have only taken about an hour. It took me about an hour of actual knitting and about an hour of frogging and knitting again over a period of a few days, grabbing knitting time when I could.  I'd start, get halfway through and forget what I was doing. I'd start again and begin talking and or get interrupted and could not remember what I was doing. I could not look at it and tell what to do next or what I had done wrong on the row below or how to fix it. Holey moley I'd lost my knitting know how! And believe me,"holey" was the operative word when I went wrong. The perfectionist in me made me ripit, ripit, ripit. I thought I'd turn into a frog!

On Veterans Day I started and made it to the end. Yaaaaay!!! I'm pleased with it and it goes with the coat I had in mind when I picked the yarn colorway. And I would make another if I wanted to invest in another hank of the yarn. It's a little pricey. Maybe when it goes on clearance . . .

Yarn: Link by Berroco, 1 hank (200 grams)

Colorway:  #3241 Earthen

Pattern:  Wink (included on the band of the hank)

Needles:  Size 35 (19.00 mm)

Heeeeere's Wink:

A good representation of the colors in daylight

With the coat

With the coat reversed

What happened to the flash? This is what can happen when phone pictures 

are taken after dark.

Anyway, it was fun to do once I got my knitting bona fides back. Now I need to gather some photography bona fides. Maybe I'll stop with the iPad and iPhone go back to using a CAMERA. I think I'll go off now and see what other colorways are still available and possibly at a reduced price. I could add it to my Christmas Eve Box. Does "Christmas Eve Box" pique your interest? More about that in another post.

I am happy to say I am still a

Bona Fide Knitter

Happy Halloween!

Not tricks, not treats, this holiday it's all about knitting, MY knitting!

Expert online shopper that I am, I purchased the Berroco Link yarn from Noble Knits and size 35 knitting needles from Amazon and orchestrated them to arrive today--both on the same day. Actually, their arriving on the same day was just a lucky coincidence. Amazon was a day late. Noble Knits came sooner than expected.

I chose the colorway Earthen, which is a somewhat muted version of the bright colors of the picture on the ball band instructions. I thought it would go well with a particular coat of mine. I should have a scarf knitted in a "Wink." Pun intended.


The
Bona Fide Knitter
is about to knit!

Knitting, It's About Knitting!!!

Okay, so it's not about MY knitting. It's about a couple of new (to me) patterns that have put a little knitting fire in me.

You may recall my ongoing hexapuff project, the Beekeeper's Quilt. Yes, it is "ongoing." I just took a little (spring) summer (fall) break from them. 

The pattern is from Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits, my newest favorite designer because yesterday I happened upon her Moonkoosa Boots and video. I'm thinking the woman is a forest nymph and I'm enchanted by her woodland patterns. The Moonkoosa Boots led me to her book which led me to her Wanderwillows, something I have a real use for. I can picture them in yarn colors to match a couple pairs of my shorter boots. They will be an extension of the boots. In my advanced years I'm finding I like more warmth up my legs in the NE winters, but not the bulk and weight of knee high boots.

Stephanie (I'm using her first name like we're old friends since I've made it through two of her videos which can become a little bit of a trial. If you've watched her Moonkoosa video, you get my drift.

However, I love her! Her patterns are new and different. She designs to a different drummer. The Moonkoosas are fun, but without orthodics, are not or me. The Wanderwillows are for me. I neeeeeeed them. I can leave the house in them with regular boots on my feet. They will go over the calves of my jeggings or slim leg pants like leg warmers, down into the boots and make me look young and hip.

And then there is this scarf. The pattern is Wink knitted in a Berroco yarn called Link. How cute is that! AND it's giant knitting on size 35 needles. A scarf in an hour! The pattern is on the ball band--FREE!. I decided a quick project like this would be like a shot of penicillin to cure my not-knitting-itis. I could finally get something finished. No excuses.

I need a doughnut,
Bona Fide Knitter

Doughnuts

PART TWO:

Two posts in two days? Surely this one is about knitting--NOT!

I'm still on the doughnut kick even though I did have the knitting needles out for a nano second yesterday.

I have to keep making doughnuts for quite some time to use all the equipment, tools and food supplies I had to purchase. I vaguely remember saying something similar about my sock yarn stash.

You're not going to believe this:

     3 doughnut pans
     1 electric mini donut maker
     1 3-tier cooling rack
     6 Mason jars  (actually Ball brand, to store the flours and sugars)

     3 kinds of milk
     4 kinds of flour
     4 kinds of sugar
     baking powder
     baking soda
     yeast
     eggs
     butter
     canola oil
     unsweetened applesauce
     vanilla
     pumpkin pie spice
     ginger
     Dutch processed cocoa (sub. Hershey's)
     sprinkles
     maple syrup
     molasses

And all this was for just six types of doughnuts!

In all fairness to my compulsive self I must explain that I had some of the food items on hand, but needed more or a fresh supply because carbs, cholesterol, sweet things and oils are not frequently used in my diet. Anyway, the shopping for all of it gave me purpose and something to concentrate on while I mourn the loss of both my LWDs.

Now, as for the eating of all the doughnuts, I am not eating them! For all you Facebook Friends who wonder, most of the the doughnuts are in the freezer. The ones I make in the next few days will be joining them. I have a monumental birthday coming up next month and am determined to be at my goal weight (or so close I can touch it before November is over). Speaking of birthdays, the spouse's birthday is next week and most of the doughnuts that pass the taste test will be going to his celebration.

I'm spelling it "Doughnuts" today because I made the Buttermilk Doughnuts, glazed, from the book that started this latest obsession of mine, Baked Doughnuts for Everyone, by Ashley McLaughlin.

They look a little like bagels, don't they? These were baked in the oven in a doughnut pan. They are a regular size, not minis. It was an adventure to bake away from my home oven. I didn't have an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of the oven temperature so I had to play it by ear  . . .  or by eye in this case. When they looked done, the color of the pictures in the cookbook, I tested for doneness with a toothpick and took them out. Some were more brown than others.

The darker ones up front in the picture were actually baked in the doughnut cups closest to the back of the oven. Evidently they got more heat than the others.

I baked the final two using the remaining batter in the middle cups of the pan and tried to center the pan on the oven rack. I think they could have stayed in a tad longer. Their uneven color seems to indicate the oven left something to be desired in having an even temperature throughout. It runs on propane gas. Could that be a factor?

Cooled and glazed, it was time for a taste test.

Hmmm, not as good as anticipated. The last two, baked with the remaining batter, were smaller so I picked one of those to taste. There was a slight raw ingredients taste to it. Although the toothpick came out clean and the one I bit didn't look raw or wet inside, I think those two needed to bake longer. Later I had the nice brown one on top and went "Mmmm" instead of "Hmmm." Now that was more like it! Then I put the rest in the freezer. I must remember when I thaw them days from now that the smallest one is a dud and should be throw away like its counterpart was.

Some things I've noticed about baked doughnuts, both oven baked and machine baked: they don't look like fried, the tops do not brown like the bottoms, the bottoms are rounder than the tops, glazes and icings solve aesthetic problems, the pictures in cookbooks use the bottoms as the tops, the presentation side. And last, but not least, they are delicious no matter how you bake them.

My next attempt will be Baked Apple Donuts. I found the recipe in a blog. More information after the taste test.

Bona Fide Knitter

Doughnuts or Donuts

Any way you spell 'em, they're delicious.

PART ONE:

Baked cinnamon-sugar mini donuts. Thirty three of 'em!

They were baked in my Baby Cakes electric mini donut maker using a recipe from the book Mini Donuts by Jessica Segarra, creator of The Novice Chef Blog.

The machine is a cute little thing that has somewhat of a learning curve. The first batch of six left a lot to be desired. They were left in too long.

All six had pale tops (see column 1) and rather dark bottoms (column 2).

The next batch was an improvement.

They were taller, which made for more color on the tops and almost perfectly colored bottoms. Too bad the holes darkened so much.

By batch three I had it down to a science. I needed a good 1-1/2 tbs of batter in each well and I had to work fast or the first ones would bake too much on the bottom before I got the sixth one in the well. The last three, baked by themselves with the last of the batter, had not so pale tops (the middle one), not so dark holes and the bottoms were not too dark.

The process needed tweaking, but once the tops were dipped in butter then cinnamon sugar, all was forgiven.

Going . . . going . . . almost gone!

Bona Fide . . . Knitter?

Happy Columbus Day

The blows keep coming. A week ago today I had to let my little girl Bichon Frise, Icecream, go to the Rainbow Bridge. She was failing. Aggressive treatment for 24 hours overnight at the veterinary hospital ICU didn't make her better. It was so hard. She would have been 17 years old in December. I'd already lost Snowball this year. I am left with their paw prints on my heart.

French Vanilla Icecream

(a Bichon Frise, not the frozen dessert)

December 21, 1996 - October 7, 2013

So, the days after were a real challenge to keep spirits up and find something else to focus on. I had already had a small seed planted by a blog I read. A new book came out on October 1 and I used all my time and energy trying to get a copy, researching, ordering everything I would need to take advantage of the book's content and generally obsessing. What is this new book you ask? It is . . . drum roll, please . . .  BAKED DOUGHNUTS for everyone.

No, it's not knitting. When the going gets tough, these days this tough girl gets cooking. Actually I find a new cooking/baking skill to get deeply involved in. For this time it's doughnuts. And because I am determined to be "fit and fine" by the monumental birthday I have coming up in November, I decided to concentrate on baked rather than fried. Following this folly might be my downfall. However, I also plan to gift and not eat most . . . err . . . many of the doughnuts I make.

So far I've amassed two doughnut cookbooks with two more arriving this week. I've purchased two pans and an electric mini donut maker. I've ordered the flours required for making the gluten-free doughnuts. They should arrive this week as well. But I have not made a doughnut yet!

Knitting? I'm working on Beach Socks 2013 . . . barely.

Back soon,
Bona Fide Knitter

P.S. to Melodye: Really soon and definitely before Thanksgiving!   ;-)

Happy Labor Day

Yes, I'm still alive and kicking, even if not very high. The last time I posted was Valentine's Day. Note to self: This is not a holiday blog! It's supposed to be a knitting and other things blog--other things because so many things interest me. However, evidently blog writing has not been one of them recently.

Since February, things have not been the greatest. Nothing monumental, just enough to have my get up and go get up and leave. There was a little health scare of mine, ongoing health concerns for the spouse, a major pet event that left me grieving more than I could imagine and continuing health concerns for the remaining pet.

I will go into detail on only one of those. My Bichon Frise and best buddy, Snowball, could no longer fight the fight even with my help and the best veterinarian attention and I had to let him go to the Rainbow Bridge at the end of March, two weeks before his 17th birthday.

Snowball

April 14, 1996 - March 29, 2013

Knitting, my go to for de-stressing, stopped working. I haven't been doing much of that. Even sock knitting has fallen by the wayside. I started a pair toe up on one 40" circular and that was a joke. What ever made me think I would do that?!!! I don't even like doing two at once on one circular so what ever made me think I would like doing two toe up when I've never done a toe up sock before? I think I was not in my right mind and still might not be. Anyway, I frogged them and started Beach Socks 2013 (from the cuff down, one at a time on one 32" circular the way I like to do them). I might actually knit a little on the beach before the week is over.

So, what do I really have to write about today? I think you've figured that out already. Yep, you've guessed it--NOTHING! I just wanted to put in an appearance, so to speak, and let you know I'm still around. I plan to bring you enthralling content on knitting, cooking, traveling, and whatever I'm finding fun (or not fun) at the moment to keep you reading and get those of you back who gave up on me and left. Hang in there just a little longer please. I'm back.

For you amusement today, a Labor Day Throwback:

Atlantic City

Labor Day 19X9 

(You pick the year in my youth. I'll never tell.)

The best is yet to come,

Bona Fide Knitter

My Funny Valentine

It all started with my non resolution to eat healthier and move more in 2013. My Zumba Gold DVDs are not seeing much action, but I did start eating oatmeal almost every day for breakfast. No instant, sweetened, flavored stuff for me. My aim was for old fashioned oats, whole grain, no additives, no over processing. I'd add my own natural fruit and maybe a few slivers of almonds if I chose, maybe even some skim milk.

After a month of  microwaving and trying to remember to use the deep, not the wide, cereal bowl for my one-portion size to prevent an oatmealy mess in the microwave when the timer sounded, I thought there must be such a thing as an electric oatmeal cooker. Voila! The rice cooker, my new love.

When I Googled "oatmeal cooker" and was led to rice cookers I went to Amazon.com where I also found this book:

It's a great little book, especially if you like Roger Ebert. It's funny, witty and informative. But if you're looking for a rice cookbook, this is not it. There is information and blog posts and charming, witty anecdotes all pertaining to rice cookers, Roger's rice cooking experiences and also those of his blog readers. Although he mentions it quite a few times it only took one "Get the pot!" for me to go searching for the perfect least expensive, three cup cooker. After all I only wanted it to cook one portion of oatmeal a day.

Here it is:

Roger said you only need a little basic pot, one that turns on, cooks then switches to warm. The name he dropped was Zojirushi. My little Zojirushi pot was advertised as such, but actually does not have the Warm feature. I needed the six cup version for the Warm feature. Oh well, I should have done just a tad more research.

So as in all things, I went on a mission to "read up on" (a favorite expression of my late Aunt Ruby) rice cookers--brands, sizes, features and cooking oatmeal in one. Google led me to a blog via an "I love my rice cooker" post which included instructions for cooking steel ground oats. I've come to really enjoy the writings of this blogger. She's a young mother, chef, vegetarian, marathon runner and loves her rice cooker. The blog is Daily Garnish by Emily Malone. After reading the post in which she extols the virtues of her rice cooker, a top of the line six cup beauty, I was smitten. I found myself wanting to upgrade . . . badly. And not to the six cup version of the one I had. After reading the blogger's recommendation of a less expensive one comparable to hers, one now sits on my kitchen counter. Sorry, Roger, I found I did need a fuzzy logic, micom with all the bells and whistles. I also needed a six cup size, even for just one portion.

I bought it as a Valentine's Day gift to myself, My Funny Valentine. At night I can put in 1/4 c steel ground oats, 1 c water, a dash of salt, set the timer and at 7:30 a.m. have hot oatmeal. If I'm not ready to eat then, it will keep warm for me until I am ready. Yes, I have used it to cook rice as well.

Will the rice cookers please step forward . . .

 

 

No knitting. No knitting content. When the tough can't focus to knit, this tough turns into a foodie. Remember my homemade ice cream? How about the cupcake phase I went through? I guess this is healthier--rice, steel ground oats, quinoa, etc. I have The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook now, a real rice cookbook all about types and sizes of cookers, every kind of rice, porridges, techniques and recipes.

However, I am still a

Bona Fide Knitter

Back to Hexipuffs

Friday is my newly designated  "by myself date day" and the weather forecasters put such a damper on today with their gleeful "Nor'easter" predictions that I decided not to spend the day at the Barnes Foundation Museum exhibits, then having dinner and staying for this evening's event. I even gave up on the idea of going instead to the 10:30 a.m. showing of Argo. Cold rain this morning changing to icy snow this afternoon lasting into the night is not appealing to this driver. Sooooo, I cuddled up in front of the fake fire and arranged the newly acquired tote for my Beekeepers Quilt in-the making.

 

It's the greatest little on-the-go project bag for the small balls of sock yarn, polyfil, needles, hooks, pattern, tools, etc. There are six pockets for the yarn on the outside and the inside can hold all the other stuff. It closes with hook and loop strips.

 

 

 

I filled the pockets with small center pull balls of the Koigu colors from my stash I'm working with at the moment. My hexipuff in progress still on the needles and polyfil peek out from the middle section. Love it!

Speaking of Koigu, you will remember I mentioned the Grab Bag of Koigu skeinettes I ordered online that I was dissatisfied with. Well, I had written a negative review on the site and I got an email from their Customer Service. They were willing to do everything to make me a satisfied customer including let me keep all the yarn and refund all my money! I didn't want to take unfair advantage, so I sent back the skeinettes I had not opened and they refunded my entire payment including shipping. How great is that!

I didn't name the site because I have purchased there before and been very pleased with what I received. I didn't want to bad mouth them. I will not mention the name now because I don't want to start a run on the bank. But I will tell you this, they are the BEST!!!

Back to the tote bag . . .

The tote bags are sold on Etsy and eBay. The are called Bingo Bags and come in two sizes. I got the smaller size. The Etsy and eBay seller does a great work. I ordered mine from Etsy before I read the part where it says, "It will take two to three weeks before I ship."  Not good for my desire for instant gratification. The bag arrived in 21 calendar days, a real trial for me! But I'm very happy with the purchase. I picked the owl priint because the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern is from Tiny Owl Knits. I know, awwwwww.
 

                                              

Bona Fide Knitter