Virtual Knitting Assistance

As it turned out, my friend had her heel flap stitches picked up perfectly for the start of the sock’s gusset. She’s on her third pair of socks. The question was – which needle to knit with as she knit up the side. She’d been making the sock with two 16” circulars. She’d been picking up the heel flap stitches onto a separate double point needle, thanks to Roxanne Richardson’s method on YouTube. I had to see it to understand what she was asking me.

We’d tried to solve it on the phone, with words. So difficult to visualize.

A month ago she would have popped up to my house and I would have been able to do hands-on help. With social distancing and isolating that wasn’t possible.

I’m in my living room, she’s at her house. She was able to show me what the issue was. And with some camera work and focus help (thanks Jack). we found the solution?

A Face Time call.

She really would have been okay with what she was doing, just needed the reassurance what she was doing was correct. It came out just fine!

Famous knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman said

“Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises.”

Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitting Without Tears: Basic Techniques and Easy-to-Follow Directions for Garments to Fit All Sizes

 

Knit Yesterday, Baked Fruit and Nut Biscotti Today

Here is a bit more on knitting first. Molly showed me all of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s books and told me about the quote at the end here. Not that wedding preparations are crises but you get the idea.

“Zimmermann was the first knitter to be honored with a full obituary and article in the New York Times titled “E. Zimmermann Is Dead at 89; Revolutionized Art of Knitting.” It appeared on Sunday, December 12, 1999. Her motto was

“Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises.” “

And on to the recipe from the NY Times.

When Matthew graduated from college in St. Paul his friend Patty’s family from Vermont, brought these biscotti. I thought they were delicious. Baking them for the cookie table. My friend Lara typed up the recipe.

I use the apricots, dried cranberries, pistachios and almond combination. The lemon and orange zest are fragrant. I bake them about 28 minutes at 350. You can slice and bake again to dry out the slices. When you make the logs, you need a bit of flour to shape them as the dough is a tad sticky and wet.