pepperknit

Some more New York eye candy, before I leave on Monday and my whole blog becomes a food blog for all I’ll eat in Singapore! (I will knit, too.)

All shots have the Empire State Building in them.

I cast this on at 11:30 yesterday morning . . . worked on it idly during the day while working and doing some intense housecleaning . . . and was all but completely done at 9:30. I admit, even I was shocked.

Child’s Placket Pullover (ravelry; pdf)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Needles: Addi Turbo US 8
Size: 0-6 months (the smallest size)
Started: June 23
Finished: June 23

This is the yarn I mentioned having bought in the last post, the yarn that Penelope swore would get me a full February Baby Sweater. For some reason I decided the Child’s Placket Pullover would use less yarn—or, at the very least, it offered a lot of small sizing options. Plus Rachel’s knit a thousand of them and it looks cute; I’d made a Feb Baby before.

In order to maximize the yarn, I knit the body as directed, then instead of pausing to work the sleeves, I did a provisional (crochet) cast-on for the number of stitches the sleeves would have been, and worked the yoke as directed.

Then I went back and knit the sleeves from the top down, working the decreases at about the rate that the pattern calls for increasing. I knit the sleeves at the same time so that I could knit until I ran out of yarn. In truth, I ended up with a small pile of yarn left so I went back after that picture above was taken and lengthened the sleeves, each by about 10 rows (it’s so hard to estimate yarn!). I may have been able to get a little more out of the skein, in fact, but I was done jiggering. In the end, the sweater matches the pattern measurements almost exactly, so I could have just knit it as written and been fine.

Um, was I supposed to put in butonholes? Eh, it’ll just be an open collar for this little boy. It grew a bit upon blocking, but that’s all for the better, because now I can be sure the baby will fit in it. If I were to do another out of one skein of Cascade 220 (and at $10 a skein and just 6 hours of knitting, this is a really economical gift!), I’ll add some length to the body and maybe take a few rows off the sleeves.

Now I’m now more than ready for the upcoming baby boy of the person for whom I originally knit the Baby Surprise Jacket. I was worried I wouldn’t be done in time for the shower—in August. Hm, now what?

Worldwide Knit in Public Day, which was a week ago Saturday, was something of a blur, and completely different than my solitary kip of two years ago.

Anne-Marie, the organizer of Sit ‘n’ Knit New York, planned for a WWKIP extravaganza in Central Park, complete with park permit, and asked me to be the official photographer. Yesterday I delivered the choicest photos to her, so now I can post about the event!

In all, about 60 people came to knit—of all ages. It was pretty humid, but the shady spot was pleasant. One woman made lemon bars and cookies for the whole group! People shared blankets. The Sit ‘n’ Knit group is large and diverse, and each event has a different mix of people, but I’ve had great conversations and made connections with everyone I’ve talked to.

Anne-Marie and her corps of volunteers had gathered a lot of great items for a raffle. If you came, you got one ticket. If you donated a knitted hat or item to charity, you got an additional ticket for each item. I had no time to knit for charity, but was lucky enough to win on my one entry! One skein of Malabrigo, donated by Knitty City. I have never used Malabrigo before—not sure what this will become, but the colors are perfect for me. The other Malabrigo prize was a gorgeous bright blue—but not nearly so “me.”

Once all the prizes were awarded, we retired to a nearby bar for more knitting, plus drinking (and food). And from there a whole crowd of us walked to Knitty City, where I bought one skein of Cascade 220 superwash to knit a baby sweater (Penelope swears I can get a Feb Baby Sweater out of one skein, but Ravelry indicates otherwise. How daring am I feeling?).

I’m in my final week before I leave for Singapore for a month. This means I’m mentally planning all the knitting to bring with me—mom and I will likely have plenty of time to hang out and knit. I think a sweater is in order, but the possibilities are overwhelming! Decisions, decisions.

It’s been hot, but Central Park has been gorgeous lately. I’m off to a picnic lunch there now!

I have never wished for my camera more than I did tonight, at Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Hamlet. Not because Lauren Ambrose’s carrot-red hair was cascading down half her back in luscious curls. Not because of Andre Braugher, who I’ve known since his days on Homicide (and the general lust my old roommate had for him). Not Sam Waterson rockin’ Polonius’s bumbling pomposity. Or B’s mom, playing Hamlet’s mom. No, it was because of the storm.

A lot of you on the East Coast can join me in lamenting the heat wave lately—high 90s (heat index even higher) and gross humidity for the past 4 days, and we’ve suffered every last minute. But intense storms, featuring hail, lightning, thunder, and winds were predicted for tonight. Pshaw, I said! I’m going to see Hamlet!

Things started out just “fine”—albeit with oppressive heat, little to no breeze, the works. I felt so badly for the performers, pretending it was chilly and laden with wool coats. And then? Suddenly, while the Players were orating, the wind started stirring the trees in a way that can only be described as ominous. It as all too fitting with the action on the stage, and it all came to a head when Hamlet was speaking alone. Leaves started pelting the audience and the stage, the eternal flame at center stage went out, and I felt the pain of being without my camera. Imagine a solitary man at the center of a swirling mass of dirt and leaves and rain, carrying on his speech and even working the mood into his delivery. It was masterful! I know I’ll remember it forever; I just wish I could share it with you.

The next scene had four actors up on a scaffold, and a gust of wind so violent made them all just stop, and I think I saw Andre Braugher laugh. They were interrupted—show had to be canceled for safety. The audience had already started clearing out en masse, and I was eyeing the swaying, hanging lights and going over all my Worst-Case knowledge.

We joined the crowds in dashing out of Central Park. Halves of trees were laying around; these weren’t some stray branches down, this was like the cleaving of the arbor. They blocked the paths. Intense. Awesome. Lightning bolts streaked across the sky, lighting everything blue. I think I shouted twenty times “ARGH! I wish I had my camera!” If I had brought it with me (they’d been so strident that there was absolutely no picture taking that I decided to not carry it all around), I probably wouldn’t have risked taking it out anyway, with the wind and rain, but I so wish I could share it in pictures as well as words. I should remember it’s fun to write sometimes, too.

Warning: This post is not about knitting (though a fellow blogger makes an appearance), and this post is NOT for vegetarian consumption. It’s also only for the most die-hard of food readers, and for my own personal reference :)

This weekend was the Big Apple BBQ here in NYC. Smokehouses come from around the country to Madison Square Park to sell samples of their best items to thousands of hungry New Yorkers. Annie has been raving about the event since I first moved to the city, and she hooked me up with a Fast Pass—the only way to successfully attack BABBQ. With it, you get into priority lines that are shorter than those for the hoi polloi. Because we are barbecue elite, of course.

Four friends, 2 fast passes—in one day we hit 7 smokehouses and 2 dessert joints. I ventured back on Sunday with one friend to finish out the fast pass and try 4 more spots (and revisit my favorite from Saturday). Before I forget it all, here it is . . .

BlackJack BBQ (Charleston, SC)
Serving: Pulled Pork Shoulder & Coleslaw
Verdict: This was our first of the day, and it was great. The NC vinegary sauce was easily soaked up by the pork, which was a little on the dry side. Though I knew to avoid any and all bread (more room for meat!), the sauce made me take two small bites with some of the roll—it was that tasty. The coleslaw was standard and refreshing, but didn’t strike me as noteworthy. We were off to an excellent start to the day.

The Salt Lick BBQ (Driftwood, TX)
Serving: Beef Brisket, Sausage & Coleslaw
Verdict: The brisket was nothing short of heaven. Annie had declared this the best brisket, and she was most definitely not wrong. It melted in your mouth, the fat was unctuous and tasty, and the sauce complemented it perfectly. The sausage . . . had a bit too much “snap” for me, and I can’t even remember what it tasted like. Not good enough to get me past the initial texture. It wasn’t bad tasting by any means, but I ate only one bite. (And I’m not one to leave food on my plate.) The coleslaw had a slight sweetness; it was cabbage with a bit of sesame seeds and the dressing. It was really really good.

City Grocery (Oxford, MS)
Serving: Smoked Crawfish & Okra Hush Puppies (closest to my feet)
Verdict: These hush puppies had, supposedly, bits of smoked crawfish and okra in it. Mostly they were just big (2″ diameter!) balls of fried cornmeal. They were light and fluffy—excellent consistency—and the sauce they came with was sweet and tangy, but overall they were a disappointment. There was a slight seafoody quality, but not distinct. A girl I sat next to on Sunday turned to me and complained that they were just fried corn. She held hers out and it really was devoid of other ingredients! I think if this had been just a hush puppy, we would have had no complaints.

17th Street Bar & Grill (Murphysboro, IL)
Serving: Baby Back Ribs & Beans (the two containers to the left in the photo above)
Verdict: The meat was tender and moist—great quality. The sauce that was on the ribs reminded one of my friends of minestrone soup, and she was not far off the mark. That’s not the best flavor for the ribs, but it wasn’t bad by any means. The beans were excellent. Overall, pretty good.

Wilson’s Pit Barbeque (Fairfield, CT)
Serving: Texas Style Brisket & Coleslaw
Verdict: Hands-down the worst of the day. (I suppose we should have known; this was the furthest north we ate bbq from.) The brisket was tough but the restaurant didn’t supply knives, the fat was not flavorful and was poorly marbled in the meat, and the sauce was not memorable. It doesn’t even look good in the photo, does it? The sauce was oily, actually, come to think of it, and we all took about two bites (or what we could manage to rip off) and set it aside. The coleslaw either didn’t get any dressing or they always serve just a handful of cabbage to their customers—completely worthless. The slices of this potato bread (visible in the background) did come in handy as “plates”—we weren’t going to eat them, but we did use them to support our food and catch drips.

Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs (Los Angeles, CA)
Serving: Beef Rib, Sausage & Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Verdict: Most definitely my favorite. Oh good lord it was amazing. The beef fell off the bone, was moist and flavorful, and totally demanded that you suck on the bone. I’m almost speechless for how good it was. It had great beefy, smoky flavor but most of all the consistency was perfection. The sausage? Oh, who knew sausage could be so smooth and soft and good? It had been very finely milled, so it wasn’t so much like meat inside a casing as a smooth paste made solid. This is making it sound awful, I’m sure, but it was spicy and complex, flavor-wise. And then the cucumber and tomato salad! Very vinegary, very refreshing, and a delicious foil to the spicy sausage. This whole plate was just the best you could possibly hope for. We were surprised—this was our longest wait of the day, and happily it was worth it—because, I mean come on, California ribs? Los Angeles, no less? But it was undeniable.

Ubon’s “Champion’s Choice” (Yazoo City, MS)
Serving: Pulled Pork Shoulder & Coleslaw
Verdict: This pulled pork was really good, and the sauce was excellent. Little bits of onion in the sauce gave it extra bite and sweetness, and I definitely mopped it up. The coleslaw was what coleslaw should be, especially after the highly disappointing example served up by Wilson’s.

Day 1’s pork eating was now over. It was time for dessert part 1! We got the last 4 root beer floats of the day. It ended up just being Barq’s over some good vanilla, but it hit the spot. The peanut butter and jelly cupcakes were great examples of PB&J cupcakes; the brownie was dry but chocolatey (both from Blue Smoke, NYC). We took a break to walk around a little and when we came back the bourbon bar was, unfortunately, folding up shop for the day, so we got more dessert instead: Wildwood Barbeque (NYC) for the S’mores (yum) and banana pudding, which was served frozen with instructions to wait 10 minutes, but it was like a frozen pudding pop in that state and even better than 5 minutes later when it had fully defrosted (did I mention the oppressive heat?).

Day 2 began with a return to Mr. Cecil’s. It was as amazing as I’d remembered. I want to move to LA so I can eat it all the time now. Then I took a new friend around to sample places I’d not tried the day before.

Mitchell’s BBQ (The Pit) (Raleigh, NC)
Serving: Whole Hog (chopped) & Coleslaw
Verdict: On Saturday I got home from the festival completely sun-weary. I dragged myself into the apartment, took a long shower, and settled in the new Bon Appetit, which had just arrived. And who was looking out the pages but Ed Mitchell, who I’d taken a photo of just hours before. His joint had the huge smokers set up, and the crowd around his stand was abuzz (I think because he was there). At this point we were full and too tired to wait in line, so it was definitely a must-eat for me today. And . . . the meat has the consistency of tuna fish (which I’m told is intentional); it was really mushy and just plain icky. The vinegary NC sauce was fine, but only added to the fishy tanginess, I think. I was sorely disappointed. The coleslaw was too saucy and blah.

Hill Country Barbecue Market (New York, NY)
Serving: Beef rib, sausage & beans
Verdict: First off, kudos to Hill Country for being the only place to spell barbecue correctly. Since this restaurant is in the city, I was not inclined to sample it, but after Mr. Cecil’s beef rib I wanted more beef rib (more beef rib!) and there was absolutely zero line there at 12:15. The meat didn’t fall off the bone as well as Mr. Cecil’s had, and it was ultimately the most work for the least meat, but it was tasty nonetheless. The sausage was preferred by my friend to Mr. Cecil’s; it was spicy and stood head and shoulders above The Salt Lick’s. The beans were tasty.

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, AL)
Serving: Pulled Pork Shoulder & Beans
Verdict: As we walked to the grass holding our Hill Country and Mitchell’s, I overheard a man say to his friend, “This is the best pulled pork I have ever had.” I spun around and asked where it was from: Bib Bob Gibson’s. Notice how yellow the coleslaw is—I asked, and it’s due to the mustard in it. Oh wow this coleslaw was awesome. It had great heat from the mustard, and the cabbage held up well to the dressing. The pulled pork was incredible, too. Bits of char and smoke throughout, and the meat was super moist. They had a choice of four sauces to put on (how to decide!)—we went with original, spicy, and a dollop of the white sauce, just to try. All delish. That guy who made such a big claim was totally, totally right.

Baker’s Ribs (Dallas, TX)
Serving: Baby Back Ribs & Coleslaw
Verdict: The map said Baker’s was serving brisket, but we wanted a pork rib to finish out the day. We were heading to Rack & Soul (Anne-Marie’s favorite spot), but when I realized that Baker’s had ribs and is not in NYC like R&S is, well, we made a diversion. These ribs were meaty, greasy, with good char on the outside—probably the best pork ribs I’ve ever had, with intense porky flavor in addition to the smoke and spices. It was a good portion, too. This coleslaw had crazy kick! There was no evidence of hot peppers in it, but the flavor was like that of jalapeño or unripe habanero—that “green” kind of heat that smacks you on the back of your tongue and makes your eyes water, but your hand keeps going back for more bites. It was a great ending to the meal.

Phew! My weekend of many meats had come to a close. I only didn’t sample 5 of the offerings—3 of which are in NYC, 1 that was serving Brunswick Stew, which I did not want on hot days like these, and, unfortunately, the Checkered Pig for no good reason. I’m totally eager for next year—and a few more ’cue stops in the city before then!

Everyone’s best blog bud, Pam, is turning 30 years old today! Back on my triumphant day, she told me that she was fearing turning 30. So like any caring, loving friend, I decided I would find a way to rub her face in her 30-ness as much as possible. And what better way than to make her wear a shirt featuring herself, declaring her 30-ness?

I pulled out the freezer paper and my fabric paints, and I got to work, building Pam from the bottom up.

I used this photo as my guideline. Those pigtails are so distinctively her, but the glasses really make it Pam, don’t they? And though you can’t tell, I did put sparkly fabric paint on to give it the rhinestones.

Of course, this is all in the manner of an elaborate and time-consuming gag gift—nothing like the amazing blouse she made me—but I hope it brings her a similar level of joy. And here’s to embracing our age, no matter what it is! xoxo and happiest of happys, Pam—you wear 30 well!