The Knitting Gamer

My Morning Post on G+

Shoot all targets and complete objectives - check
finish match with full extraction of team - check
Pick up knitting while waiting for page to load - check

#masseffect3   #knittingismyobsession  

Knitting has become a large part of my life. I can be found sitting at the kitchen table, knitting and playing Magic the Gathering or other games with the family or grabbing my needles while waiting for loading screens on my PS3 or PC.  Today it was knitting a sock while playing Mass Effect 3 multiplayer with the husband.

I can be found gaming "badly" on PS3 and Steam.

Knit or Crochet! That is the question!

I hadn't realized that I had never blogged about teaching myself to knit. I started last February right before I turn 48. I am still slow but learning steadily.

Since I have crochet off and on since I was probably 7, I am using those skills too. Guess what, learning to knit is making me a better crocheter..

My first ever knitting project with a beanie, cowl and finger-less mitts for the Evil Child.... Surprisingly she actually wears them, even after I had to fix the brim by crocheting it.

My first work in the round a simple purled cowl

Best Friend Head bands for Evil Child and Bestie

Easy as Pie Shawl with has been Frogged (ripped out) due to silly mistake...I was almost done. Starting it again soon

Boneyard Scarf by Stephen West 

which I still need to block!

The beanie and scarf I knitted for my father-in-law, but modeled by the husband and his porn 'stache

My first ever pair of socks and a crochet hacky sack...The cats demanded.

Orko the Magnificent/Terrible with her spoils of war...The boys didn't stand a chance.

Grannie Squares...For the husband's diamond patterned afghan..king size

Current sock knitting project...number 2... I hope to finish today.

If I was faster I would never buy another pair of socks!

Merry Christmas ..

Today my family will have Christmas dessert due to the kindness of a stranger. Jason went to work this morning and was gifted two pumpkin pies. It has been a tough year for us. I have been so depressed since I feel it is my fault that our Christmas isn't what I assume it should be. I am lucky that my wonderful husband and kid really don't care about all those extras. They haven't even complained that we are short on food and I couldn't do the seasonal baking. I cried when he called to tell me about those two silly pumpkin pies, something that I would have normally baked myself.

There might not have been a ton of presents but we made our tightened finances work. I am so glad that  the few stores I did shop allowed me to use a sort of layaway (even when they don't have layaway programs) The Book Stan game store in Killeen, TX rocks! Some game store owners in this area have earned my eternal gratitude and patronage. I was able to get two presents each for the husband and kid because I paid them off over time. I was able to add to the family game library with Gloom and Munchkins because of the same reason. (the family gift)

My gifts.. a simple sterling silver wedding band and a Pink Floyd shirt... I cried at the beauty of the band that Jason gave me. I had never thought that I would ever wear another wedding band again, I can't believe how lucky I am that he got in my car that day and not someone else's.

Fresh Produce!!!

not pictured...carrots, onions, limes, lemons, celery, and so much other yummies.

So I went a little nuts on the fresh produce today. I ended up with a case of pears, which might last a week, more tomatoes than are shown, onions, limes, cabbage and other good things.  Now off to pull out my Sopranos' Family Cookbook and start cooking and freezing.

It was a gift and the recipes are to die for

Garlic Parmesan Flax Crackers

So my diet is shot to hell, but I have tons of flax meal setting around, so today is all about making crackers which are good for me, and yummy.  Did I mention Yummy!!!

Garlic Parmesan Flax Crackers

What you need:

1 Cup flax seed meal
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup water

I add more Parmesan cheese than called for, I also add a bit more salt and some other herbs to the mix.  Now about that water, I find that 1/2 cup isn't enough, so I add up to about 3/4 cup, until the mixture is no longer dry and spreads easily..

Heat oven to 400 F.

1) Mix all ingredients together.

2) Spoon onto sheet pan which is covered with greased parchment paper.

Rolled and scored, I never get the elongated square I want.

3) Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Even out the mixture to about 1/8 inch. (  I plop the whole mixture into the middle of the pan, then I pat it down with a wooden spoon and shape it into a brick.  I try to keep it pretty even, then I pull out my rolling pen and start flattening it into a elongated square [sort of, anyway] I make mine a bit thicker, closer to 1/4 inch., then I use my long chef's knife to score the batter to make almost even crackers.)  

It be cooking, just starting to firm up but still needs to brown.

4) Bake until the center is no longer soft, about 15-18 minutes. If it starts to get more than a little brown around the edges, remove from oven. Let cool completely - it will continue to crisp up. (I usually turn off the oven before completely done and let cool in the over.)

5) Break into pieces. (You did read that I score mine, right.  Then they even look like crackers, not broken bits.)

The whole recipe is 6 grams of effective carbohydrate plus 35 grams of fiber.

The original recipe is over at Garlic Parmesan Flax Crackers /Low Carb, but don't be afraid to subsitute and experiment.  

Cooking should be fun and taste great.

Bonus!  My house smells wonderful!

I thinks I have a bit of a corkscrew problem. 

How Morgan became a Mad Scientist

Back in the days before Jason walked into our lives and shortly after T died, Morgan was prone to experimentation.  She was just about 8 at the time and she would haunt the library shelves looking for experiments she could try at home. I encouraged this behavior since I felt that my own childhood had been sorely lacking in the scientific experimentation phase (I was flat out told no, I didn't need a chemistry set....pout!) 

That summer after she had left to be spoiled as the youngest grandchild of my parents, I discovered that she had left me a little surprise. Imagine opening your cabinets to find something oozing out of every container on to the shelves and threatening to take over the kitchen. It seems she had decided to try an experiment to make crystals, so she could make me a necklace.

Awe! How sweet! you say!

Yes, it was sweet, except she could not find all the correct ingredients and made a few substitutions, hence the over growth of flubbery like substance that was taking over my kitchen.

That is the day Morgan became a mad scientist and earned her title of Evil Child.