Mint Chocolate Cupcake

Jim:  What's this pink round thing?

Me:  A pin cushion.

Jim:  What are you going to do with it?

Me:  I'm putting it in a cupcake.

Jim:  You're putting it in a cupcake?

Me:  A knitted cupcake.

Jim:  Oh, I thought you were going to cook with it.

Introducing the mint chocolate cupcake with sprinkles pincushion.  Low calorie but still very sweet!!

  

A special treat for a special friend.

Taste Of Howell Mountain

Some of our favorite Cabernet sauvignons come from grapes grown on Howell Mountain so when we heard about the Annual Taste of Howell Mountain we just had to attend on Saturday, June 16. 

This is a wine tasting and auction that benefits the Howell Mountain Elementary School.

Only in Napa does wine and elementary school go together.

 Thirty-two participating wineries gathered at Charles Krug Winery to share their version of wine using grapes on Howell Mountain.  We were able to try wine from several wineries that we were not familiar with and two that were stand outs for us was Outpost Estate Winery and their 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet and the 2009 Howell Mountain Cabernet from O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery neither which will be released until September.  

 There was a silent auction as well as a live auction.  There was some some phenomenal items in the live auction such as a Howell Mountain dinner for 8 people beginning with appetizers at Outpost Estate Winery, your first course at CADE, finishing with dessert at the private home of the co-proprietors of Aloft.  Unfortunately we haven't won the lottery so we supported the school fund by placing the winning bids on some items in the silent auction.

Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Cafe Sarafornia in Calistoga.  Jim tried the Huevos Rancheros and I had the Brannan Benedict, a twist on eggs benedict served on foccacia bread with guacamole and bacon.

 Afterwards we stopped in at  Silverado Vineyards for a tasting before heading home.

View from the terrace at Silverado

Another view.

Save the date for June 15, 2013 if you want to attend the 18th Annual Taste of Howell Mountain.  It's on my calendar!

Soap Box

As women we should support each other.

Extend a hand out to each other.

And be there to help each other.

We are a collective voice.

Enough said.



What I'm Working On

Jim mentioned to me yesterday that I haven't updated my blog for three weeks.  I checked.  It hasn't been that long but it's been over a week so I thought I'd share what I've been working on lately.

We started a KAL (knit-a-long) at the shop at the end of May.  We are knitting Eadon by Susanna IC. I am using Cascade 220. I am now referring to this project as death by ribbing.  I have finished the back which is 3 x 2 rib and my fronts are almost done.  They at least have some cabling.  

 I am also working on Fluency Gloves by Sivia Harding.  I plan on wearing these when walking Jake this winter.  The yarn I am using is Soprano by Abstract Fiber in Black Opal which is 50% merino/50% silk.  I bought this yarn when I was at Madrona in 2011 and it is oh so yummy!!

 You prestring 44 beads for these and I like how the beads sit between the purl stitches.

This is on the inside and what happens when you're not paying attention and skip a double point needle while knitting. I debated but  it's been fixed.

My other project which is not knitting related is a soccer t-shirt quilt for Hagen.  When I was in Texas last month I picked up a few more shirts and shorts from him to fill in the blanks.

Now the goal is to finish something.