Title: Away TeamSeries: Starship Cadet Missions::#1Author: Mark AldersFormat: Kindle eBookOverall rating: 3 (out of 5)

My . . . → Read More: bookmarked: Away Team]]> Be forewarned! This book borders on erotica; so, naturally, I touch on the subject in my review. There’s nothing vulgar in the review. I promise. If you think you might be offended by this, though, don’t read it!

Title: Away Team
Series: Starship Cadet Missions::#1
Author: Mark Alders
Format: Kindle eBook
Overall rating: 3 (out of 5)

My first thought regarding how to sum up this novel was to describe it as a “scifi lite, erotica heavy” space opera. Away Team is most definitely a melodramatic romance (as in the literary genre of heroic adventure tales, although there is plenty of the other stuff too) set in space; hence, I think that the term space opera is a fitting label.

Upon reflection, though, I think that “scifi lite” is not really a fair description. The scifi concepts (like photosensitive, self-repairing [possibly living?!] ship building materials and virus-inspired attack strategies) put forth by Alders are interesting; but ultimately they’re not explored as in depth as I would like. The presentation of these ideas felt a bit shallow; the inspiration was there but the explanation wasn’t. In-depth world building may be a bit much to ask for in such a short novel, though. Perhaps the series will flesh out some of these concepts as it progresses, brining the scifi aspects on par with the erotic ones.

Which brings us to the “erotica heavy” monicker. I still think this is a pretty apt description. Although, I’m also led to believe by other reviewers and descriptions of Alders’s other works that this novel might be a little on the “erotica lite” side for Alders… I thought the sex scenes were written well, dancing the line between sensually romantic and all-out pornographic, although there were a few inexplicable anomalies (such as going numb from the waist down during sex being somehow construed as a pleasurable thing…) and some personally annoying vague anatomy references (“his warmth” topping my list). All said, sex took up about half of the text, not that I’m saying this is a negative thing; however, this is pretty “erotica heavy” to me.

There were a few other minor annoyances:

1. The military aspects of Away Team were a bit on the generic side. For instance, the cadets filled out stereotypical military roles such as the geeky science officer, the cocky pilot and the physically-oriented commander. Also, I’m not sure that kissing in a high pressure situation as a bonding experience is a typical military activity…
2. Awkward time transitions were also a problem. There were plenty of times that hours or even days passed from one paragraph to the next, without so much as a transitional word or sentence. On the other extreme, some chapter breaks took place in the middle of a single continuous scene.
3. Unbelievable love-at-first-sight – I’m not a big fan.
4. The name Sonny rubs be the wrong way… Every time I came across it, Sonny and Cher popped into my head. It was unfortunate.
5. I’d bet my left nut that I don’t need to elaborate on this point. [Hint: read the book!]

Then there was the biggest annoyance of all:

Good god, where was the editor?! Away Team was riddled with grammatical errors and typos, ones that cannot be explained away by Alders’s Australian origins. They are not Aussie-isms; they’re just plain wrong. There’s nothing like grammatical errors and typos to take you right out of what would otherwise be fast-paced action, sexual or otherwise. Mark, if you’re reading this, have that conversation with your editor; he/she really fell down on this one. I’d be more than happy to make edits if you want to send me the text. For each red mark, you can deduct a percentage from your editor’s fees for your next book… It could save you a lot of money.

So, wow, it seems like I went a bit overboard on the negatives there for awarding a three star review. The truth is though, I did like this book and will most definitely be checking out future installments in the series as well as Alders’s other works. Most of the negative aspects were born out of personal pet peeves and not horrendous writing. Ultimately, Alders has created endearing main characters who are involved in a realistic feeling relationship (albeit with a somewhat unrealistic but enjoyable sex life) and space adventures. I’ve fallen in love with Ely and Emerson and, really, what reader could ask for more than that?

The cover art that appears as part of this review remains under the protection of the original copyright owner.  It is used here in accordance with fair use guidelines.  If you are the copyright owner and you would like this image removed, please contact me.

Title: The Lightning ThiefSeries: Percy Jackson and the Olympians::#1Author: Rick RiordanFormat: eBookOverall rating: 4 (out of 5)

So, I confess that I made a real mistake with this one. I watched the movie before reading the . . . → Read More: bookmarked: The Lightning Thief]]> I guess that I lied a bit in my last post, ’cause here I am reviewing another book… 

Title: The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians::#1
Author: Rick Riordan
Format: eBook
Overall rating: 4 (out of 5)

So, I confess that I made a real mistake with this one. I watched the movie before reading the book. That was a big mistake!

Don’t get me wrong. The movie was ok. It had some attractive actors, lots of action and fun special effects. All of these things made for a mildly entertaining, but ultimately less-than-engaging movie.

I was determined to read the book someday, though. Other people seemed to enjoy it and I had to know why. That day was a long time coming, but now it’s here and I know why this book enjoys so much praise.

I really enjoyed The Lightning Thief. It is so, so much better than the movie. In fact, if you have seen the movie, forget everything but the names of the good guys, the bad guys and some of the locations and then read the book, because to me it seems like that’s all that really remained consistent in the conversion. Sad, but true! If you haven’t seen the movie, just read the book; you won’t be missing much.

Suffice it to say, the book was really quite better than I was expecting it to be. I was glad to see more mythology woven into the story than existed in the movie. I really enjoyed the more modern take on the traditional characters as well as the exploration of the melding of the mythology and mythological beings into contemporary American society. That being said, I wish these topics were explored a bit more in-depth, although I know that’s a lot to ask for in young adult fiction. Of course, inclusion of more of this descriptive information would also have slowed the pace of the book down for sure, likely ruining the fast-paced, action-oriented feel of the novel. The Classics major in me can wish, though, can’t he? Perhaps, looking on the bright side, the novel may spur some readers to delve deeper into the original stories!

As other reviewers have pointed out, there are several similarities to the Harry Potter series to be found in the book. From the personalities that form the group of three main questing characters to the magical training academy to the destiny foretold by prophecy, the similarities seem limitless; yet, even to a Harry Potter fan like me, the book didn’t feel derivative during reading. I attribute this success to Riordan’s creation of an enjoyable world that built upon a foundation of mythology I know and love. Ultimately, the book’s similarities with American Gods and it’s roots in Joseph Campbell’s monomyth felt more readily apparent to me while reading than did it’s resemblance to Harry Potter. Thoughts regarding the novel’s Harry Potter elements settled in afterwards, with a bit of reflection.

On the down side, the focus on ADHD and dyslexia as traits of the children of the gods, disturbed me a bit. Exactly what kind of message are we trying send to kids who actually suffer from these disorders? It rubbed me the wrong way…

Overall, I’m hooked enough to continue on with the series at some point in the near future. The Lightning Thief was an easy read (which is good for the intended audience) that combines Harry Potter-esque elements with a G-rated version of an American Gods style mythologically infested world model to create enjoyable reading magic.

The cover art that appears as part of this review remains under the protection of the original copyright owner.  It is used here in accordance with fair use guidelines.  If you are the copyright owner and you would like this image removed, please contact me.

I should have some more variety in posts coming to you soon!

Title: Vampire ShiftSeries: Kiera Hudson::#1Author: Tim O’RourkeFormat: Kindle . . . → Read More: bookmarked: Vampire Shift]]> My apologies about jumping back into things with writing reviews, but I’ve been doing a lot more reading recently. It could have something to do with my new Kindle… I’m just saying…

I should have some more variety in posts coming to you soon!

Title: Vampire Shift
Series: Kiera Hudson::#1
Author: Tim O’Rourke
Format: Kindle eBook
Overall rating: 3 (out of 5)

Color me intrigued. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn’t exactly your everyday, trite vampire love story. Sure, our main protagonist Kiera Hudson does fall in love with her supernatural hero, but that’s not all there is. This book has more going for it.

First and foremost, O’Rourke presents an intriguing take on the vampire genre. Stories of debonair night-walkers à la Anne Rice seem to be a dime-a-dozen these days (a dime I’m most certainly willing to shill out, mind you), which makes O’Rourke’s take on the genre a welcome and interesting change. I’m not going to give it away here, though; you’ll have to read Vampire Shift to find out.

Second, Vampire Shift is also a well constructed mystery novella. O’Rourke drops hints to the reader and leads them along the path of discovery and deduction through the eyes of Kiera; however, be forewarned that things aren’t always what they seem and the most obvious answer isn’t always the right one. I’m a reader who loves to figure things out before the reveal and, still, Vampire Shift threw me for some loops. You may think that you have it all figured out, but don’t get too full of yourself… I can assure you it’ll lead to disappointment.

Finally in the plus column, the reader is introduced to many major plot lines that I assume will run throughout the series. While it is somewhat frustrating to have a substantial number of plot lines and mysteries not solved by the end of the novella, this is a calculated plan of action on the part of the author. A sufficient number of mysteries are resolved to leave the reader satisfied with the story, but enough are left unresolved to spur interest in future installments of the series. I know that I’m hooked, at least enough to move on to number two in the series.

So, you may be asking yourself: If Vampire Shift has all these things going for it, why didn’t you give it five stars?

Well, the writing feels like it’s missing some necessary polish. There are pronounced pacing/time issues in this novella. While I know that I’m dealing with fantasy here, I’m not presented with a world whose time scale is noted to be vastly different from my normal waking world. The events I’m presented with in the novella, though, sometimes seem like they could take up 40 hour days… Also, the pacing of the writing seems to be out of sync with the pacing of the events at some parts in the book. It’s not horrible, but it’s not wonderful, either.

All of this, though, is nothing compared to the editing!  There are quite a number of typos/grammatical errors for such a short piece; they’re distracting. Also distracting, formatting issues, uneven indenting being the biggest offender. Quite frankly, the grammatical errors and formatting anomalies were enough to drive me batty (pun intended) at times… I’m all for self publishing, but not as an excuse for poor editing and presentation.

Overall, while the concepts, plot lines and structure of the story are all fantastic, the prose and presentation feel unpolished. Hopefully these will come with a bit more time. In the meantime – Tim, if you’re reading this – I’d be willing to lend a hand with the editing!

The cover art that appears as part of this review remains under the protection of the original copyright owner.  It is used here in accordance with fair use guidelines.  If you are the copyright owner and you would like this image removed, please contact me.

Title: InheritanceSeries: Dominion::#1Author: Lissa KaseyFormat: Kindle eBookOverall rating: 4 (out of 5)

Ok. Confession time. This was my first ever romance novel! And I really enjoyed it…

Did I just say that?! Yes; yes, I did.

My mother was a really big . . . → Read More: bookmarked: Inheritance]]> Fell off the radar for a bit there, didn’t I?  Sorry…

Title: Inheritance
Series: Dominion::#1
Author: Lissa Kasey
Format: Kindle eBook
Overall rating: 4 (out of 5)

Ok. Confession time. This was my first ever romance novel! And I really enjoyed it…

Did I just say that?! Yes; yes, I did.

My mother was a really big fan of romances, although not of the m/m variety, at least not that I’m aware of. Nonetheless, the family teased her a bit for it, always referring to her “smut” books as if they were somehow lower-class literature compared to our other reading interests. You know, because murder mystery, sci fi and fantasy novels are way up there on the quality literature scale…

Anywho, I for one have to eat my words. I really enjoyed this novel. The relationships between the characters seem real and they cover a wide range. I also enjoyed the world that Kasey created for the book (and hopefully series…). While we only get a few details in this book, I look forward to what the world could become given development over several books.

I’m an avid fan of fantasy novels, so I think that the paranormal aspects of this romance novel really helped draw me in and keep me interested. I think that I’ll have to find some other works that have these same aspects moving forward. Although, I should probably also try out some other sub-genres within m/m romance to see if there are other threads I’d be interested in following.

I also have to admit that I was a bit skeptical going into this novel, as the m/m romance genre seems to be dominated by heterosexual female authors and audience members. As a gay man, I wasn’t sure that novels in this genre would really appeal to me and be able to hold my interest; I was afraid that they would be too much like stereotypical heterosexual relationships that just happen to involve two male characters. While Inheritance had some of this vibe in the physical and emotional stereotypically-feminine traits of Sei, the characterization made sense in the context of the story. I still have fears that the genre may be wrought with girly-boys that end up simply being stand-ins for what would otherwise be female characters, but I’ll have to do more reading before I can pass final judgement on this point. If there are more stories out there like Inheritance, though, I have nothing to fear.

The cover art that appears as part of this review remains under the protection of the original copyright owner.  It is used here in accordance with fair use guidelines.  If you are the copyright owner and you would like this image removed, please contact me.

Yarn: Lion Brand :: Vanna’s Choice [Brick (133)] Needles: Knit Picks 24″ Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated Circulars :: US 8/5.00mm Start: 9 September 2011 Finish: 24 October 2011 Made for: AndrePattern: Baby Sophisticate [Linden Down]Size: 0-3 months

Oops!  It seems the month got away from me…  No matter.  On with the show!

Have I ever . . . → Read More: FO: Rubber Baby Buggy Jumper (OK…Cardigan!)]]>

Yarn: Lion Brand :: Vanna’s Choice [Brick (133)]
Needles: Knit Picks 24″ Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated Circulars :: US 8/5.00mm
Start: 9 September 2011
Finish: 24 October 2011
Made for: Andre
Pattern: Baby Sophisticate [Linden Down]
Size: 0-3 months

Oops!  It seems the month got away from me…  No matter.  On with the show!

Have I ever told you how baby/child sweaters are a bit like crack for me?  I absolutely love making them!  Deep down, I really do enjoy making sweaters; I just haven’t brought myself to the point where I’m ready to knit enough fabric to cover my substantial figure.  So, little sweaters are where it’s at for me.  They are fun, functional and, above all, fast to knit.  Also, kids look adorable in hand knit sweaters!  Anyway, enough ranting on that topic.

This particular sweater was made for the recently born baby of one of our knitting group members.  The baby’s name is Andre and he is adorable.

I fell in love with this pattern while searching out sweater patterns that would be boy-appropriate.  (I find there are so, so many cute baby girl sweaters but so few fun, but not fussy, baby boy sweaters.  Do you have any that you would recommend?)  Baby Sophisticate reminds me of a smoking jacket; I just adore the shawl collar.  The pattern is free and easy to understand, with minimal instruction.  I made slight modifications to the pattern including paired make-1 increases for the raglan shaping and false purl-ridge side seams for a bit more structure.

Despite my typical misgivings regarding acrylic yarn, I knit this piece out of Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice.  While the person receiving the gift could totally care for handknits, there is nothing worse than trying to hand wash newborn spit up out of a wool sweater.  Also, who needs the added stress of hand washing during the first few months of caring for your first baby?  The answer, my friend, is: no one!  I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the yarn, as I always am when I use it.  The squeak factor is still there, but with nothing close to the viciousness of Red Heart.  In addition, the drape and feeling next to the skin are quite nice.

Although the project dates don’t reflect it, this was a very quick knit.  I kind of put off knitting on the button band/collar for the longest time.  I’m not really sure why.  Most likely I was simply distracted by other projects…

Overall, I really enjoyed knitting this sweater, and the new parents seem to love it.  Also, I got to use some buttons from the button stash I inherited from my mother:

What more could you really ask for?

PS  I have such are hard time photographing red.  Does anyone have any tips?

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn :: Sock [Turner (851)] Needles: Knit Picks Nickel Plated 6″ DPNs :: US 1/2.25mm; Knit Picks Nickel Plated 6″ DPNs :: US 2/2.75mm [cast on] Start: 1 January 2011 Finish: 31 October 2011 Made for: mePattern: Hayrick Socks [Anne Hanson]Size: XL

Holy crap!  It’s been way, way too long since . . . → Read More: FO: 2011.01]]>

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn :: Sock [Turner (851)]
Needles: Knit Picks Nickel Plated 6″ DPNs :: US 1/2.25mm; Knit Picks Nickel Plated 6″ DPNs :: US 2/2.75mm [cast on]
Start: 1 January 2011
Finish: 31 October 2011
Made for: me
Pattern: Hayrick Socks [Anne Hanson]
Size: XL

Holy crap!  It’s been way, way too long since I did one of these FO posts.  It is true that knitting production has been down for a while, but not that down…

Mostly, there are two hurdles I find to making FO posts happen:

1. Lack of motivation… to block!  I feel like blocking is a process that takes so long.  All that drying time.  So, instead I let things sit around unused.  Like letting objects sit around without blocking will somehow take less time…  Gotta work on that.
2. Photo shoots!  I feel a compulsion to have photos of my finished objects that are as lovely as I can make them.  For me, this means a few elements need to be present: daylight, motivation and means.  These rarely occur all at once.  Perhaps I will need to start employing others in this process…  That will make some shoots a bit easier, especially for those awkward angles on garments.

Anywho, onto info about the finished object!

First, the yarn: The Malabrigo Sock yarn was absolutely lovely. The colorway is gorgeous, although so varied that one sock is noticeably darker than the other:

I’m still in love with the color, despite this quirky coloring anomaly.  In addition to the color, the yarn was such a pleasure to work with!  It creates a nice even fabric with great stitch definition.  Overall, it really worked well with this pattern.

The pattern: This is my first Anne Hanson pattern!  I fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it in the knitspot shop; I had to have it.  Luckily, it was gifted to me during one of my knitting group’s gift exchanges.  (Thank you, Jessica!  Sorry it took me so long to get around to knitting them…)  The pattern is well written and easy to follow, even if your relatively new to sock knitting like me.  I did make some modifications, as is usual for me.  I just cannot leave well enough alone.  First, an eye of partridge heel:

because, apparently, I cannot help myself!  And a toe modified to fit my foot a bit better than the original:

So far, without fail, I’ve found most sock pattern toes to be written for people whose toes are decidedly more pointy than my own.  Perhaps I’m some sort of freak of nature.  Oh well!

As you can probably tell from the project name, 2011.01, these were supposed to be the first of many pairs of socks knit this year.  That didn’t happen, obviously.  I’m hoping that my year of socks goes a bit better, though…  I’m already working my way down the gusset of the first sock in Red Bull, my first year of socks project.  That’s a very good sign.

Overall, I’m totally in love with these socks.  Although, I think they are a tad big.  I’d like to knit this pattern again.  Perhaps next time, I will knit the large size instead of the x-large.  With the amount of stretch the pattern has, they should still fit and bit a little more snug…  theoretically…

Here are some more photos, if you care to see more. Click any photo to embiggen.

PS  I used this new Mac app called Analog to modify my photos for this post.  What do you think?  I kind of like the film-like effects…

The goal?  To finish knitting one pair of socks per month for the next year, starting in November.  Finishing UFOs will count.

First up: . . . → Read More: a year of socks]]> I need more hand knit socks.  It has been decided.  The only way that this is going to happen, though, is if I knit them.  Hence, a year of socks.

The goal?  To finish knitting one pair of socks per month for the next year, starting in November.  Finishing UFOs will count.

First up: Java Socks out of:

The Sanguine Gryphon’s Little Traveller, Rojas coloroway

I’ll be casting on on Tuesday!

Now that that is over with, let’s move on to something fun.  Meet The Branchs:

The Branchs, a family of nudibranchs, were my house color project for this year’s trip to the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival.  This year’s color was orange.

Want a . . . → Read More: Meet The Branchs!]]> <insert some lame excuse for my absence>

Now that that is over with, let’s move on to something fun.  Meet The Branchs:

The Branchs, a family of nudibranchs, were my house color project for this year’s trip to the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival.  This year’s color was orange.

Want a closer look?  Click any photo to embiggen.

Semi-complete details to come in a FO post shortly.

Oh, also: Hi!  How’ve you been?  I’ve missed you dearly.

ETYMOLOGY: [1911]

13/52 : Charte canadienne des droits et libertés – Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms from Flickr user Eric Constantineau

Confused? . . . → Read More: Photographic Friday: self-incrimination]]> self-incrimination \-ˌkri-mə-ˈnā-shən\ noun

1. incrimination of oneself; specifically: the giving of testimony which will likely subject one to criminal prosecution

ETYMOLOGY: [1911]

13/52 : Charte canadienne des droits et libertés – Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
from Flickr user Eric Constantineau

Confused? Don’t be; check out what this post is about by reading up on the concept behind Photographic Friday.

This photograph is protected by a Creative Commons license held by the author. All rights under this license are retained by the author. For more information regarding the particular license protecting this photograph, please click here. If this is your photograph and you’d prefer to have it removed from my site, please email me at habbitualaddict [at] gmail [dot] com.

Definition retrieved from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary on 7 July 2011.

PS  I apologize for the prolonged blog silence.  Camping carved out a bigger space in my life than I thought it would… not that I’m complaining.  I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things and should be posting more regularly again next week.

intransitive verb

transitive verb

ETYMOLOGY: probably from French parez, imperative of parer to parry, from Old Occitan parar, . . . → Read More: Photographic Friday: parry]]> parry \ˈper-ē, ˈpa-rē\ verb

intransitive verb

1. to ward off a weapon or blow
2. to evade or turn aside something

transitive verb

1. to ward off (as a blow)
2. to evade especially by an adroit answer

ETYMOLOGY: probably from French parez, imperative of parer to parry, from Old Occitan parar, from Latin parare to prepare [1672]
-parry noun

Great Fleche Parried
from Flickr user Oncle Tom

Confused? Don’t be; check out what this post is about by reading up on the concept behind Photographic Friday.

This photograph is protected by a Creative Commons license held by the author. All rights under this license are retained by the author. For more information regarding the particular license protecting this photograph, please click here. If this is your photograph and you’d prefer to have it removed from my site, please email me at habbitualaddict [at] gmail [dot] com.

Definition retrieved from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary on 23 June 2011.

PS  I was expecting a lot more shots of fencing, such as the one featured here, when I undertook this search.  Boy was I surprised!  So surprised, in fact, that the decision of which photo to feature this week was kind of difficult.  Because of this, I thought I’d share some of the runners up: Body Count, Privacy Please… and Brenton Parry.

Let’s talk a little about knitting, shall we?  I have way, way, way too many WIPs in my house, many of which haven’t seen the light of day . . . → Read More: The best laid plans…]]> ..are always the ones that seem to fail.  Most especially when it comes to me.  Oh well!  I’m gonna make them anyway.  It’s what I do.

Let’s talk a little about knitting, shall we?  I have way, way, way too many WIPs in my house, many of which haven’t seen the light of day in more than a year.  It’s quite sad, really.  I feel the weight of the projects on my shoulders, so to speak.

So, I think that it is time that go through all of these projects and decide whether to finish or frog each one.  I haven’t done this yet; don’t expect that discussion to happen in this post.  What I have done, though, is restrain myself from casting on new projects recently, in an effort to get through some of the WIPs that I know I want to finish.

This restriction is killing me a bit on the inside.  There are just so, so many new projects that I want to be knitting RIGHT NOW!

In an effort to maintain my sanity, I’m going to be taking the advice of friend and fellow knitter (and blogger), Anj.  She suggests working on projects in pairs, one old and one new, finishing each pair before moving on to the next, until all the WIPs (or some predetermined number) are dealt with.  In order to get to the part of the process where I pair projects, I need two lists: 1) WIPs that I want to finish and 2) new projects I’m itching to knit.  Rather than start with the list of WIPs that need finishing, I decided to start with the new project planning, just to keep things positive.

Here are the projects I’ve been contemplating and lusting after recently, in no particular order:

• Stripe Study Shawl by Veera Välimäki in:

  

  Peace Fleece – DK in colorway Sheplova Mushroom; Cestari Ltd. – Traditional Wool 3 Ply DK Weight Yarn in colorways Light Gray, Medium Gray and Bark

• Northman Mittens by David Schulz in:

  

  Cestari Ltd. – Traditional Wool 3 Ply DK Weight Yarn in colorways Periwinkle, Light Gray and Bark

• Pattern 22 or Pattern 25 from Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch in:

  

  Jamieson & Smith – Shetland Spindrift in colorways Clover [596], Eesit [105], Scoth Broom [1160] and Old Gold [429]

• Douglas Mittens by emilyelizabeth in:

  

  madelinetosh – tosk dk in colorways Boxwood and Twig; Spud & Chloe – Fine in colorway Calypso

• Habitat by Jared Flood in: Brooklyn Tweed – Shelter in colorway Wool Socks
• Damask by Kitman Figueroa in: ??  I have so many fingering weight yarns to choose from. I guess it will depend on what size I want to make. I’m thinking the small or medium size…  that leaves a lot of options…

Lest you be worried that I do not have enough WIPs to pair with these new and shiny projects, I assure you I can think of 7 WIPs off the top of my head, which is more than the number of new project plans I have shared with you in this post.  Next up, I need to go through my WIPs; expect a blog post about it!

At our local Korean market, where Andrew and I get most of our produce, you can’t buy one or two chili peppers; you have to buy a huge package.  While I love to cook dishes that include chili . . . → Read More: Tuesday’s Tidbits (& Sips): pickled jalapeños]]> Sorry about the delay in posting this.  At long last, it’s time for some pickled jalapeños!

At our local Korean market, where Andrew and I get most of our produce, you can’t buy one or two chili peppers; you have to buy a huge package.  While I love to cook dishes that include chili peppers, we typically only cook for two, meaning that I have a lot of chili peppers left over, unless they’re the dish’s main ingredient.  This is most often not the case.

In typical fashion, after making mul kimchi, I was stuck with a ton of jalapeños.  I really did not want to let them go to waste.  Then I thought: “Why not pickle them?!”

So, I began the search for a good recipe or two that could be tweaked to my liking.  During my internet searching, most of the recipes that I encountered called for making a brine using the brine ratios presented in Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, which we conveniently have on hand at home (since I purchased it as a gift for Andrew last year…).  Using this ratio as a starting point I forged a recipe that I though would produce great tasting pickled jalapeños.

I absolutely love how these turned out.  So far, I’ve been enjoying my pickled jalapeños on egg salad wraps but I’m sure they’d be just as tasty in other applications such as tuna salad, quesadillas, tacos and nachos.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Here is what I came up with:

Pickled Jalapeños

750 gr. jalapeño
30 oz. water*
30 oz. white distilled vinegar*
3 oz. coarse salt
3 oz. sugar
5 cloves garlic
2 tbs. red peppercorns**
1 tbs. black peppercorns**
1 tbs. crushed bay leaves or 4 whole bay leaves
1/2 tbs. fennel seeds

1. Clean 4 pint-sized mason jars, lids and bands with soap and hot water.  Rinse thoroughly.
2. Place jars in a water-bath canner with enough water to cover about 3/4 of the jar.  Don’t forget to fill the jars about 3/4 full of water as well.  Cover and bring to a boil then reduce to low heat.
3. Place lids in a smaller pot of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat.
4. Slice jalapeños into half inch slices, discarding the stem end.  Set aside.
5. Peel garlic.  Set aside.
6. Weigh out your water, vinegar, salt and sugar into a large pot.
7. Heat brine over high heat, stirring constantly, until salt and sugar are dissolved.
8. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, fennel seeds and garlic and bring brine to a boil.
9. Keep mixture at a rolling boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
10. Processing one jar at a time, remove a jar from the canner using a jar lifter or pair of tongs, pouring the water from inside the jar back into the canner.
11. Carefully fill the jar with jalapeños to the start of the threads on the neck of the jar (about 1/2 to 1 inch below the rim of the jar).
12. Add brine over the jalapeños, leaving 1/4 inch of space between the contents of the jar and the rim of the jar.  Make sure to get some of the spices in each jar as you fill them.
13. Clean the rim of the jar and the threads with a damp kitchen towel.
14. Remove a lid from the small pot and place on jar.  Screw on band until just tightened; do not overtighten.
15. Place jar back in canner.
16. Once all jars are filled, add water to the canner until water line is at least 1 inch above the jars.  Cover and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.***
17. Boil jars for 10 minutes.
18. Remove jars from canner and let rest at room temperature to cool completely.  Do not disturb the jars during this time in order to allow the seal to form.
19. Check the jars for proper seals.  Treat any unsealed jars as a refrigerator pickle as described below.
20. Allow at least one week at room temperature (75 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler) before enjoying.  Refrigerate any unused pickles after opening.

Although I have given directions above on how to can these pickles, if you lack the necessary equipment, don’t feel comfortable canning or simply don’t feel like canning, you can treat these as refrigerator pickles.  Simply prepare the peppers and brine and place in washed and rinsed jars as outlined above.  Instead of boiling them in a water-bath canner, leave jars at room temperature (75 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler) for a week to allow for proper fermentation, then place in refrigerator.  Use within 4 to 6 weeks.

Like last time, here are some photos from the prep session for you to enjoy (click any photo to embiggen):

*  Please note that this measurement is by weight, not volume. Yes; you should weigh the liquids.
**  If you don’t have or cannot find red peppercorns, feel free to substitute any other whole peppercorns of your liking.
***  If you don’t have enough jalapeños to fill the last jar, just treat the final jar as a refrigerator pickle as described in the paragraph after the recipe.  This is what I had to do.  You can see the jar in the recipe photo; it’s the one with the jalapeños that are still bright green!

ETYMOLOGY: French pessimisme, from Latin pessimus worst [1815]-pessimist noun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

That’s my stack of projects that are almost finished.  Some need to have ends woven in; some need blocking.  Sadly enough, a couple have already been blocked and just need to have ends snipped off and photographs taken…

So, shall I tell . . . → Read More: Problems with finishing]]> I’ve been having a lot of trouble finishing knitting projects recently:*

That’s my stack of projects that are almost finished.  Some need to have ends woven in; some need blocking.  Sadly enough, a couple have already been blocked and just need to have ends snipped off and photographs taken…

So, shall I tell you what’s in the pile?  Sure…

• Wave blanket
• Akimbo
• Endpaper Mitts
• Fetching
• Mystery Socks (a placeholder of a name for socks of my own design for which I also have neglected to write up the pattern)
• Railroad Mitts (again, my own pattern that currently lacks a pattern write-up)
• Maine Morning Mitts (2010 X-mas present for Andrew)
• Manly Mitts (2010 X-mas present for Andrew)
• Fiddlehead Mittens
• Honey Cowl
• Miller’s Hat
• Mitts that I made up to go with my honey cowl, so I’d have a complete eye-searingly orange set…
• Fleur de Lis pincushion (2010 X-mas present for Andrew)
• Fallberry Mitts (not pictured, because I forgot them in another room)

As you can see, I was not lying when I said I have still been knitting.  I really have been knitting, albeit not zealously; I’ve just had some major problems finishing up projects and sharing them with you.  Sorry.

You would be proud to know that, after taking this photo, I was so disgusted with myself that I made some headway on completing some of these projects – blocking, snipping, stuffing, etc.  Hopefully this means I’ll have some FOs to share with you soon!

* In this case, the term “recently” refers to the past year…  maybe more…  Don’t ask.