Temptation

Temptation, thy name is KnitPicks. I *want*. Again. Yes, I know. My burgeoning stash, and diminishing bank account. *sigh*

What has me tempted this time? Shine, a machine washable (and dryable!) cotton/modal blend. I was just thinking it would make a nice yarn for a summer cardigan, and a raglan crochet version of the eyelet cardi would be fun!

Yes, I have yarn for two sweaters in my stash. But my stash yarn is alpaca & wool... totally not suitable for a summer cardigain!

Yes, I have yarn in my stash for summer wear... namely two tank tops.

Plus, I have *9* WIPs/UFOs! (10 if you count my half finished snowflake... yes, I finally did a snowflake for snowflake Monday, but I only started at 10, and so am not finished even though it's bedtime. I was having too much fun with Weasley to start earlier.)

*sigh*

I really should unsubscribe from the KnitPicks e-mails. But I won't. ;)

Hmmm... I need a plan. It's currently half way through May, and I've been very good about not spending much money for the first half. If I continue to be very good (darn, that means no Crochetville Woolie bag), and finish, um, say, my LB throw, slippers, and three pair of socks (or 50% of Weasley), I'll let myself buy yarn for a cardigan. Does that sound fair?

I made my grandma's potato salad tonight. She made good potato salad... my dad liked it so much, he got the recipe from her before she passed away. It uses Kipfler potatoes (aka banana/fingerling potatoes). Like all of her recipes, none of the ingredients come with quantities. Here's her recipe, as my dad e-mailed it to me:

(Banana potatoes)
Cook potatoes 20 min, peel when cool enough to handle, slice.
Add salt, sugar, vinegar (2 pts vinegar, 1 pt water), oil and chopped onions.
Toss and serve.

Complicated huh??

(That last bit is because I insisted dad e-mail me, rather than just tell me on the phone. I can be a complete klutz when cooking, and tend to forget ingredients. I've gotten better, but I still like to have recipes in writing.) Dad uses an egg slicer to slice the potatoes.

My favourite thing about her potato salad is that I'm not allergic to it. Cool, huh? Most potato salads contain mayo, which I'm really allergic to.

I've actually inherited all of her recipes, because I'm really the only one who can read German. My dad can speak German, but not read or write it. (I really can't figure that out... German is so phonetic! However, he actually speaks Austrian rather than German, which has a whole other spin on the pronounciation.) I don't have the recipes yet, though. I think they're at my uncle's for now... my grandma lived in another province, and dad only had so much room to bring stuff back. That's not all I inherited... I also got an embroidered picture my mom made for her, and $2000. And two tams, because they could be crammed in nooks. The tam I have down here is 75% angora, and survived a trip through the wash... oops... must remember to check pockets!!!

I didn't want much from her... not because I didn't want stuff to remember her by, but because some people on that side of the family tend to bicker, and I really didn't want to accidentally ask for something that someone else wanted. However, grandma specifically said the embroidery was for me... since she's no longer speaking to my mother since my mother divorced my father. (This is the Roman Catholic side of my family... they're *so* much fun. :P )

I had wanted to save the $2K for something really special... like a trip somewhere, or a piece of art to remember her by, but it's beginning to look like that "something special" may end up being tuition. (She would probably have wanted me to spend it on jewelry, but I'm really not the expensive jewelry sort... as it is, I pretty much never have opportunities to wear the bracelet she gave me for high school graduation... and those times I do wear it, I feel *way* overdressed.)

I'm looking forward to getting her recipes, though. In particular, I'd really like the recipe for that cake she would make for me, because she knew it was my favourite. That reminds me of another funny memory of my grandma... she would always comment on how we had put on weight, and then chide us for eating like birds. She liked cooking so much that she'd serve us dessert at every meal, including breakfast. And not only that, but we'd have a choice of three or four different things. Inevitably, we'd go home heavier than when we arrived.

Speaking of recipes and grandmas, my "third grandma" is going to teach me her perogy recipe this summer when I visit! She's turning 90 this August, so *someone* has to learn... as much as we'd like her to live forever, that's not going to happen. Bob and Mark kept saying they were going to learn, but somehow never found the time. I've booked her, however, and made plans. Setting a date helps these things happen. ;) She doesn't have any recipes at all, but I'm going to write things down as she teaches me what to do.

There's more of her recipes that it would be a shame to lose, like borscht, holopchi, prune perogies, and other special Ukranian dishes, but I don't eat those. Maybe once I'm back for good I'll get her to teach me, and write them down, so that we'll have them if Bob's kids want them. I love history and tradition, but I only have two weeks to visit this summer, and I'll be working with my prof in Winnipeg during the weekdays.

Well, I've sat and rambled on for long enough... I should go to bed. I'm tired, and it's late. Good night.