Chickenlips Knitting

There it was, on page one of the Living section of today's Oregonian, and also in a banner at the top of the front page. And there it was again, announced on Portland SnB, one of the Yahoo! groups I belong to. When I got home from work, wouldn't you know, there was a message from my friend Jenny of the UU Shawl Ministry, telling me the same thing: The Yarn Harlot is coming to Powells bookstore tonight.


I really wasn't going to go, even though I was intrigued. I tend to avoid anything that smacks of hero worship, especially in knitting, and because Stephanie has this huge following--not that she doesn't deserve it--I didn't particularly want to be among the fawning masses. But even though Jenny's phone message was relayed to me by my daughter, I could hear her charming English accent: "Sharon, the Yarn Harlot is at Powells tonight--you must go!" Well, I couldn't very well refuse Jenny, so I went. By the time I arrived, the room was packed, and it was SRO. I found myself relegated to "Sock Corner," which was what everyone in my area seemed to be working on, so it's a good thing I brought my sock project. The excitement in the room was palpable. Naturally, I forgot my camera and my cell phone died on the way, so I have no pictorial proof--but I swear to you that tonight, I saw the Yarn Harlot.


Stephanie was her funny, honest and brilliant self, and she won me over within moments. I was among those who applauded loudest and longest. As much as I enjoyed her talk, I didn't hang around for book signing--she spoke for an hour, and I was getting tired of standing, but I am very glad I went.


It's a Southern Thing

My first attempt at Red Velvet Cake--but I must confess, I tried a different recipe than Flutter's. I will try hers for sure next time. This one came out tongue-staining red, to be sure, but the texture wasn't as velvet-y as I'd hoped, even though I sifted the dry ingredients. Probably should have used cake flour. Or, maybe the key to making a perfect red velvet cake is, you've got to be Southern. I was born in New Jersey and grew up in Boston, which makes me (gasp) a Yankee! But I'm sure that's not it. I mean, I'm not Chinese, but I make a pretty killer Cantonese Lemon Chicken. Since it's pretty late, and I'm too tired to type it out, I'll save my lemon chicken recipe for next post. Hopefully I'll have some knitting to show off as well.