Mother of Purl (13 page)

Finally, consider spreading your love of knitting to those less fortunate than yourself. In recent years the number of volunteers who knit for hospitals, shelters for battered women and children and homeless people, and senior citizen homes has skyrocketed. Introducing knitting into these environments also brings companionship, creativity, and a sense of purpose—just like in a conventional knitting circle. I’ve heard stories of elderly people with Alzheimer’s who can’t remember their own names, or the faces of loved ones, but still remember how to knit. The needles and yarn conspire to bring back some crucial essence of who they once were—and what could be more of a blessing than that?

“…and have a seat, a glass of wine, perhaps some cheese and a taste of sweets. On any given day of the week, there are tons of women gathered around the table in my shop, happy to spend the time just knitting and socializing, while others visit to peruse the aisles and baskets overflowing with yarns and shop for the perfect project. It’s like this all the time,

and I’m on my feet running in all directions, helping one lady pick out hand–dyed yarns for a poncho, sitting at the table sketching a pattern for a sweater, teaching new knitters, and guiding others on more advance projects. There are days when I don’t even have time to eat lunch or have a cup of coffee.”

Then midweek everything seems to change, at least for a few hours. On Wednesday evenings La Knitterie Parisienne is open until 8:30 p.m.—or so reads the sign on the door. I’m usually there until 10 p.m.—but I’m not alone. On Wednesday evening, the shop is what I’ve coined “Sip & Knit” night. My clients come in droves, some direct from work, others wave to their husbands as they pass each other in their driveway.

Sip & Knit has evolved to become the coveted hour—or rather hours—in the knitting circle. One might wonder why these clients are stopping at the bakery, the cheese store, or the liquor store or hovering over their ovens just before they go to the knitting shop. It’s because Wednesday evening at La Knitterie Parisienne is a social wine and cheese night, like Monday night football at the local bar, except much more refined. And, oh yeah, people also knit.

One of my clients is a wine connoisseur who frequently travels to Northern California wine country and decided to share her latest sampling with the group. She couldn’t decide which one to bring in, so she brought one of each. The winos among us were delighted! The following week, someone else was inspired to bring a selection of cheeses and a warm baguette. The weekly sampling soon became a weekly must, and my clients began looking forward to this unique version of Wednesday night knitting. With a selection of French music piping in and homemade pastries and desserts added to the mix, Sip & Knit was officially born. By the time everyone packs up to go home, many are leaving with one bag more than they originally arrived with: their knitting, of course, and a doggie bag of treats.

My open door policy at La Knitterie Parisienne is to make everyone feel welcome, and I do my best to make each and all feel comfortable and at home. While many of the Sip & Knit knitters have penciled Wednesday nights into their calendars, the evening continues to be La Knitterie Parisienne’s late night, where anyone is welcome to shop, learn to knit, and even sip. One of my regulars and a favorite baking contributor to Sip & Knit is Nancy Schnoll, a young actress, whose desserts rival those of even the most accomplished bakers. Here are two delicious desserts that Nancy has shared with us at the shop.

Pecan Triangles

CREAM SUGAR AND BUTTER.
Add egg and milk and the dry ingredients. Grease two cookie sheets (with edges) with butter or a nonstick spray. Roll out dough on floured surface and press and stretch dough into place with fingers. Be sure to stretch dough up on the inside of the cookie sheet edges and distribute evenly. Poke several times with a fork. Bake 15–19 minutes at 350 degrees. The edges of the dough should be golden brown and the rest a light golden brown.

NOTE: This recipe should be doubled, but only use 1 ½ of it divided evenly between two cookie sheets. It freezes well for future use.

ARRANGE PECANS IN THE BAKED CRUSTS FACE UP,
“stacking” them staggered in a single layer. Very little crust should be visible. Over medium heat, melt butter in a large pot on top of stove. Add sugar, honey, syrup, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Keep stirring while it comes to a boil and after. It will bubble a lot and come up to almost the top of the pot. Boil for about 10 minutes. Be sure the sugar has dissolved, but do not let the mixture burn. Take pot off heat and immediately pour the mixture over pecans and crust in a zigzag pattern going between the two sheets. It is best to cover all the pecans. Bake again for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. When done, the mixture should bubble lightly around the edges, but the cooking time should not exceed 15 minutes. Watch closely and make sure the pecans and caramel do not burn. Let cool and remove from the cookie sheets. Cut off all 4 edges and cut into strips (with piece horizontally) and then into squares. Finally cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles.

Mandel Bread

IN A LARGE BOWL, CREAN ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER BY HAND.
Mix the liquids first (eggs, oil, and vanilla), then add the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Put chips in entire mixture or use a mixture of both nuts and chips. Shape the 3 rolls on a jelly–roll pan with edges. Mixture will be oily and easy to work with. Each roll should be the width of the pan horizontally. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 30–40 minutes. The bread should be dark brown on the bottom—not golden. Let cool for a moment and then with a wide spatula make ½–inch slices. The pieces will be crumbly, but this is normal. Turn them on one side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then put the pan back in the oven for about 10 minutes so the pieces can brown again. You can turn the pieces an additional time to brown the other side, but this is not necessary.

Enjoy!

Wednesday Night at Sip and Knit at La Knitterie Parisienne’s Round Table

It happens around the beginning of November, usually the first Saturday of the month. Merrill and I will look up and see a tide of new faces, all the same: worried eyes, puckered brows, hands desperately juggling through piles of yarn.

It’s the holiday rush. People who blithely promised back in March to ‘knit you your Christmas present’ are suddenly realizing that they have seven weeks to deliver a pile of carefully thought out, lovingly knitted gifts. Here is my single rule about knitting for the holiday season: if you’re reading this any later than August, it may be too late. But if you do have time, here are some gift ideas to consider.

Felting has become widely popular. Felting involves knitting a piece of work, like a purse or slippers, and intentionally shrinking it by putting it through several hot, agitated machine wash cycles. Because you will be shrinking it, you’ll need to make your original item at least 30 percent larger than normal. It will seem almost outlandishly large—slippers that might fit a giant, handbags that could tote a Great Dane instead of a Chihuahua. Two of my clients, twin sisters Cindy and Lindy, impressed me with their felting creativity. Rather than use the normal felting materials—worsted wool—they picked a handful of eyelash and other novelty yarns in a palette of pink and red. I suggested that they incorporate alternate rows of worsted wool with the novelty yarns. When they felted it, the effect was amazing. The wool felted as expected, but the eyelash yarns retained their distinctive style, and the novelty yarns gave the finished bag a wonderful visual punch. Pleased with their work, they plowed through numerous bags. Some other gift ideas are scarves, shawls, ponchos, and blankets.