The Sweatshop of Lovers Blog

I couldn’t be more excited at having been asked to teach a couple workshops at YarnCon Chicago!

Beginners Knitting Workshop with Allyson Dykhuizen of The Sweatshop of Love
Get a crash course beginner knitting lesson! Learn to cast on, bind off, and the knit stitch in this two-hour workshop. Bring some needles in the 6-9 size range and some worsted weight standard yarn and leave with stitches on your needles and a new-found love of the craft!

Basic Cable Workshop with Allyson Dykhuizen of The Sweatshop of Love
Sure, they look a little scary, but after this workshop you will be cabling your heart out in no time! Cables work with any needles and any yarn, so bring whatever you have lying around. After one hour you will want to add cables to every project you knit from now on!

Check the full list  of YarnCon Workshops!

YarnCon is October 17th at Pulaski Park Field House. Can’t wait!

And I made muffins. They were good.

Yesterday I was the super luckiest girl in the world and won a beautiful skein of yarn from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks! It totally made my day, I can’t wait to get it, and it inspired me to think up my own giveaway!

I’ve never done one of these before! I’ve had it on my mind grapes for a while now, and I figure today would be a wonderful day to kick this off, what with the Tigers and Twins having The Double Header of Doom. 11:05am. 6:05pm. My season has come down to these next three days.

… but enough about my self inflicted baseball torture and onto the giveaway!

Knit Headband!

Cute!

This season The Sweatshop of Love is focusing on quick, cute, easy gifts for the holiday season, and this is one of my favorites.

Based on the knitty pattern Quant, but, you know, easier and quicker, I’ve got quite a few of these puppies in The Sweatshop inventory, waiting for the right moment to pop out.

Entrelac Greens

Love Entrelac!

I love me some entrelac! And this pattern is a great introduction. But, why learn to entrelac when you can just win this cute headband!

The i-cord ties make this headband fit snugly to any head, and will keep your ears warm and hair not so hat-heady. It’s perfect for pony tails (I’ve been told!).

To enter, leave a comment with an idea you have for a  present you plan on making for someone this holiday season.

You get bonus points if you tweet this giveaway! I’m at twitter/sweatshopoflove.

And are you a fan of The Sweatshop on facebook?

I’ll pick a winner on Friday, if I’m not curled up in fetal position because the Tigers blew their shot at the ALCS.

Good luck!

Hi, Sweetie!

I was a very busy lady this weekend! Starting with this little guy, who I made on Saturday.

Isn’t he the cutest?

I’m making a couple of these for my grandma for Christmas. My grandma doesn’t read my blog. My grandma and papa refer to the internet as ‘the google’. I complain about how my mom has dial up? My grandparents have never had the internet, and never will. So at least my grandma will be surprised by her present!

Elephant Plays Fantasy Football

Elephant Hangs Out With PT

The elephant helped us keep an eye on our fantasy football stats, and really liked to hang out with PT.

The pattern Flower Power Elephant by Ala Ela and is a free ravelry.com download, you can find it here.

Colleen's Knitting Needle Knitting Bag

And I knit another Knitting Needle Knitting Bag for my friend Colleen, who also doesn’t read the blog, so I’m safe here, too.

Regular Bamboo Handle

When I finished the first side, I put in the handle and didn’t like the light color of the bamboo with the yellow yarn.

Darker Needles, Cute Lining! Matching Button!

So I got some wood stain and painted the needles. I put in some cute fabric as a liner and got some fancy fabric buttons that I loved so much so the liner matches the buttons!

Fabric Button Love

Mom's Bag's Button

And I finally added the button to my mom’s bag to match the lining, too.

Lions Win Pizza!

PIZZA

As usual, PT and I made pizzas for Sunday football, but this time they were special because they were Lions Win Pizzas! My retarded Lions won their first game since December 2007! I couldn’t believe it! I jumped up and down fake/kinda serious screaming for 20 minutes!

My pizza had carrots, banana peppers, corn, and caramelized onions, and PT’s had all of that plus olives. Especially smelly olives this time.

I’ve got a group class tonight, and we are finishing up those Toilet Lid Covers! I was talking big about making a Lions Toilet Lid Cover, but I’ve made some slight changes. It will be finished tomorrow!

I had every intention of making Hungry Girl’s Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup last night. My mom has made and loves this soup, my friend Liz sent me the recipe last week talking about how amazing it is. PT had a long and ridiculous week at work, so I was going to be a good girlfriend and make him some focaccia, which is quickly becoming our favorite bread.

Not a Lot of Trunk Space

But there is a shortage of canned pumpkin. I guess the crop last year was much smaller than usual, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Pumpkin pie mix? Yes. Pumpkin? No. I went to Target, CVS, Strack and Van Til, and Walgreens and there was no canned pumpkin.

So I got a pumpkin! It’s pumpkin season, they are everywhere, this one cost $1.35, which is probably less than a can of pumpkin would cost me. The problem, of course, is I also needed milk, and my bike doesn’t have a lot of trunk space, so it was a slow trip home.

(See the tape recorder in there, too? I’ve got to transcribe an interview this weekend for Grocer Gram. And my Glorified Necklace! Which I take everywhere.)

I love pumpkin soup made with a pumpkin, so I wasn’t sorry to see that my easy pumpkin soup was going to have to be traded in for a much more complicated one. Because this recipe is worth it.

The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook

I made this soup a million times last fall and have perfected the recipe. It is based on the Pumpkin recipe in The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook by Roz Denny I found at a thrift store last summer and love love love. The Pumpkin recipe, though, is a PAIN IN THE ASS. I did it exactly like how it tells me to in the cookbook only once, because getting the pumpkin flesh out without chopping up the pumpkin is only something I would do for a very special occasion. A Friday night is not that occasion.

Post Baking

Dead Pumpkin

Baking, slicing, skinning, and chopping up a pumpkin is a messy business. But I would do it again. And again. And am going to do it again and again. Because there is nothing like freshly baked pumpkin soup.

Without further ado, my pumpkin soup recipe:

Pumpkin Soup, With A Pumpkin

Serves 4 Really Hungry People

Ingredients:

1/2 a pie pumpkin

1 onion, sliced

Oil; veggie, canola, olive, whatever you’ve got

1 14 oz can of tomatoes; diced or stewed, doesn’t matter

1 cup whole wheat pasta, any shape

2 cups veggie stock

2 cloves of garlic. diced

Vegetables; again, whatever you’ve got! Zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, carrots, celery, broccoli, corn, and any combination, totaling about 4 cups

Beans (optional) – half a can, or about a cup, add a lot to the soup

Salt, pepper, ginger to taste

Directions:

1. Move your oven rack to the lowest level and preheat oven to 350. Cut off the top of your pumpkin just like you would if you were making a jack-o-lantern, and scoop out the seeds and the loose gunk. No need to clean it too much; you are slicing this baby open soon, so that will make it a lot easier.

2. Bake pumpkin with the lid on for 45 minutes. Take the top off and let it cool until you can handle it. Skin it and chop it up! I think it’s easiest to cut the pumpkin into 4ths, skin it, and then cut it into chunks. Save half of it – it will stay good in your fridge for like 2 weeks.

3. In a big soup pot, saute onion and pumpkin on medium heat in oil till onion is cooked, about 10 minutes.

4. Add veggies and cook for about 5 minutes, or longer, depending on your veggies. Stir in tomatoes, stock, pasta, beans if you so choose, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer 10 minutes.

5. Serve! Add more seasonings if necessary – this soup is great with lots of fresh ground pepper.

Goddamn!

Last night I made it with two carrots, half a yellow squash, and the left over beans from burritos the other night. It made me wish I had pinto beans on hand because pinto beans are so good in this soup! But mine were all dried. Next time!

Focaccia!

The focaccia turned out really well, though a little dense because of the humidity yesterday. It just made it crispier, which is always welcomed.

Terror Kitties

They kitties were waiting at the table, wondering what was taking so long for their dinners! PT hardly had the patience to let me take this picture, though, our dinner smelled so good!

Before

After

I was hoping it was not going to come to this.

I was using some leftover Knit Picks Gloss from a sweater I knit a few years ago for my Twilight/Gloaming Shawl. The sweater is Thermal on Knitty.com, and I liked it, but then I lost 30 pounds so it didn’t fit anymore. It’s been sitting in the back of my closet in a pile of stuff I can’t get rid of but will eventually figure out how to fix.

SOOO Close

I was within four rows of finishing the shawl without tearing up my sweater. But, alas, it needed to be done. And that fatty sweater in the bottom of my closet wasn’t doing me any favors. So I tried not to think about it, un-seemed a sleeve, and ripped!

Pretty!

And I finished my shawl! And I’m not even sad that I had to amputate my sweater because I couldn’t wear it. No matter how many hours I spent on that sweater, it’s unwearable.

LOVE

LOVE LOVE

But this shawl is ridiculously wearable! I’ve pretty much been wearing it since it dried after blocking. And you have to seriously block the crap out of this shawl. I made the big size, and after I bound it off I was seriously underwhelmed. It was tiny!

Pudge Makes Blocking Difficult

But I blocked it, with the help of Pudge Rodriguez, and it is stunning. I mean, I’m wearing it right now in a wife beater and pajama pants. I’m in love with this little shawl.

PT Biked Up an Appetite

Empanadas!

Shrimp and Veggie Special

I finished my shawl, PT finished some fancy producer work, so we thought it would be a great night to celebrate with a trip to Irazu. We went to Irazu once before and were totally in love, and trip two didn’t disappoint!

We ordered empanadas to start: beef and potato for PT, and a black bean and a spinach and cheese to share. They were outstanding! We split the shrimp and veggie dinner special with the amazing Costa Rican rice, cabbage salad, and sweet fried plantains. The entire meal, then the entire rest of the night, we kept saying, ‘Man that was a great meal!’

Man, was that a great meal! I’m still not over it.

OMGHAPPYPOOS!

It’s simple: Sign up for Holiday Present Prep and you will finish every project you want to knit this holiday season. (Including Happy Poo Ornaments!) I will collect easy, simple, fast and adorable projects for you, including any of the projects The Sweatshop has in its calendar this fall, and we will create a knitting schedule for you. You will get 2 or 4 supervised knitting hours per week to keep you on track and answer any of your questions. Holiday Present Prep is starting next Thursday, October 1st! Once a week classes, Thursday nights 7-9pm or Sunday mornings 10-12pm, for two months is only $75. That is $9.38 a class. Sign up for twice a week and you get even better savings! Only $7.50 a class!

Here is the full list of Sweatshop Classes, and the Sweatshop Class Schedule! Email me at allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com with any questions and to sign up for Holiday Present Prep!

Pudge Loves PT's Yarn!

I feel like this project is going very slowly because I can only work on it when PT isn’t home. But luckily for me, however unluckily for PT, he has been working late the past few nights!

I keep everything I need for the sweater in a bag hidden under some other bags. I pull it out when I’m working on it, so just in case PT comes home I can just shove it in a bag that looks like a million other bags of yarn I have all over the house! As you can see, Pudge Rodriguez approves of the yarn I picked out.

Progress!

Last time I checked in with PT’s Modified Cambridge Jacket, I had just barely cast the thing on. I was trying to figure out how to cast the entire sweater on as a pullover and add a ribbed hem. It looks good so far! I had to knit the whole body for 14 1/2 inches before dividing to work just the back piece.

Side, and Armhole Shaping

The side ribbing looks great, I really love the K2P3 ribbing. I stuck with the instructions for the armhole shaping (smallest size). I kept up with the pattern, only two ribs made it through the decreasing, until I was supposed to add more ribbing at the shoulder blades.

Shoulder Blade Ribbing

As written: Mark center 22 sts with waste yarn or removable markers. Next Row: (RS) K1 (edge st), work in established rib to 12 sts before marked center sts, [K3, M1, P1] 3 times, K22 marked center sts, [P1, M1, K3] 3 times, work in established rib patt to last st, K1 (edge st).

… seriously?

I knit my ribs. [K3, PFB] 3 times, K3, P2, (17 new rib sts), K to within 17 sts of established rib, P2, K3, [PFB, K3] 3 times, work ribs.

Love it! I’ve got 23 center stitches instead of 22, but I’m not sweating it. I had to do some finagling to knit the body in the round.

The real challenge will be figuring out the front! I’ll be knitting both sides at the same time to the front rib, separating for the button band? Maybe?

I’ll worry about that when I get to it!

PT had to work all weekend; luckily he could work from home, in front of football, but still. He spent the entire weekend in front of his computer, doing fancy TV producer work. In order to make that less sucky, I had a food plan.

Lentil Sloppy Joes!

It Tastes as Good as It Looks

A food plan that started with Lentil Sloppy Joes! I saw this recipe at No Meat Athlete. He’s got a lot of great vegetarian recipes that he tries and works through on his site, and this one had been on my radar for a while. The recipe, lovingly called Snobby Joes, is really easy and I basically just emptied my pantry into my wok. Some peppers, onions, lentils and spices! They were amazing! PT had two of them for lunch and another for dinner. I thought they were really flavorful; it’s easy to kick up the spices to make them spicier, or tone it down, and it can sit on your stove top all day for repeat visits.

Pizzas for Football Sunday

Pizza Goodness!

A pretty standard meal on Sundays are these little homemade pizzas. Maybe standard isn’t the right word, because it implies a fall back. Our homemade pizzas are so delicious! Homemade crust, homemade sauce, caramelized onions, pineapple, roasted red peppers (and olives for PT) with a sprinkle of Parmesan! I still think we should go into business.

Baking Up A Storm

I went into crazed baking mode last night! I got an extra little gig helping organize the office of a restaurant in Wicker Park (oh the life of a freelance knitting teacher?) and I got home and decided I needed to make two batches of granola bars, more Tigers Suck Cookies (even though they had an off day yesterday! They kinda sucked it up this weekend), a loaf of pumpernickel bread, and zucchini pancakes!

Holy Baker!

I saw the zucchini pancake recipe at Sarah’s blog, and I’m so glad I did! I didn’t have the crystallized ginger, and I only used about a half a cup of olive oil and moistened it up a little more with some water, and these were so great!

Potatoes and Zucchini Pancakes

They were so much sweeter than I expected them to be, being made of zucchini. But just like zucchini cakes or muffins, I don’t really know what the zucchini adds other than an excuse to eat more of them! Because it’s VEGETABLES!

And now I don’t have to bake again for the rest of my life. I’ve got cookies and granola bars enough to last me a while! I love that feeling.

Happy Poos!

Sunday morning I woke up with a job to do. Well, with many jobs to do.

1) Watch three football games.

2) Make Happy Poos.

I’ve made quite a few of these, so I average about an hour and 15 minutes a Poo. A football game is about 3 hours long. So of course I was knitting my Glorified Necklace, watching the first game, la de dah.

Naturally I finished these little guys up at about 10pm.

My mom and I have decided that we are going to apply for the Renegade Holiday Craft Fair the first weekend in December! The application isn’t due for a couple weeks, so we are experimenting with different products to use in the application.

My mom basket-weaves, I make Poos.

Holiday Happy Poos

These are Christmas Happy Poo Ornaments, complete with scarf? Headband? It doesn’t matter because it’s awesome! And pompom hat.

Bride and Groom Poos

And these are Wedding Happy Poos, complete with bow tie and veil.

I mean, seriously. I was making these, half deliriously tired, giggling so hard! I see many more Poos in my future.

Want to learn to make Happy Poos? My Knitted Happy/Sad Poos Pattern is here. Sign up for my Holiday Present Prep class or my Happy/Sad Poos Class coming up this month. (And see The Sweatshop’s full Class Schedule here)