Baking Karma, Pie (Pi!) Tips & Spring Lace Scarf

Listening to (Rainy Day Playlist): "Wild World," Cat Stevens

Now I get it-- I was supposed to have a bad week.
Because with the bad week, there was no time to make pie. The pie was delayed. Now, I'm going to make it tomorrow-- on PI DAY!!!!!!

{Pi Day- remember "Pi" (3.14) in math? Tomorrow is 3.14!}
Get it?! Not my pie-- but how cute!

If it hadn't been for my bad week, this lovely coincidence simply would not have been. See?!?!?! Everything happens for a reason!!!

I can't thank you enough for the support after my last, admittedly depressing, post. It really was hard to write about the bad stuff-- made me feel a littttle whiny, but in the end I felt much better. I let it out, and with every comment I felt like-- ok, everyone has a bad day. As Mom used to remind us-- This, too, shall pass.

Tomorrow is Pi Day, and I'm ready.
See Below-- Pi Tips!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Knitting Update ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Spring Lace Scarf: Finished!

-Not very spring-ish... I like it, but I'll try again and make another spring scarf. This just isn't it.
-BUT, I learned to do a K3 and YO stitch pattern
-Really love the YO effect-- the "holes" do give a lacy pattern-- but I think a spring scarf should be a little skinnier, or maybe should have more holes to really make it lacey.
-Still really like the color, just wish I'd used a different kind...
New Girl Lesson of the Day: Shouldn't make "spring" projects out of wool... cotton would have been a much better alternative.

Ta-Da! My first "finished project" pose...
not a bad scarf, just not what I wanted

Cable Purse, or "The Christine Bag":
Update: It's going very well!
-Messed up a few times-- size US 17 needles are huge and hard to work with!
-Cable stitch is FUN and way easier than I thought it would be!
-Can't wait to show you when it's done :)

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Pie Tips

Here are the wonderful Pie Tips I've received so far...
might help if you also feel like celebrating Pi Day... :)

From Sarah:

1. The less you handle the pastry, the better it is. If you touch it or mix it too much, it goes hard and chewy, not at all the result you want.
   
2. Make sure everything is cold, cold flour, cold butter, cold water.

From Melanie:

1. Cover in tin foil-- it's in the oven for a while and might burn
2. The Recipe! It was her "Pie of the Week"-- see here!
3. She also had a great post about homemade pie crust
   

From Rebecca:
This was a while ago, but I still love it: her comment in response to my boyfriend eating bad cookies I had baked

1. "Best tool a baker can have is an appreciative partner" :-)

From My Mother:

1. When baking and using butter: Leave the butter on the counter overnight. Melting it in the microwave does not work for baking (maybe that's what happened with my awful cookies...)
2. Make the crust the night before, leave it in a dough-ball in the fridge and flatten it / do the pie the next day-- keeps you from getting burnt out!

My mom also lovingly forced me to borrow her pastry cutter thingy... it's like a handheld cutter thing, looks like a weapon... I was just going to mix everything but apparently pastry cutters were invented for a reason. I'll let you know if I think I really needed it :)

Till the Pie Post, Happy Pi Day Eve!

-Sarah