The top ten things I did this weekend

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1. Celebrated my darling Joe’s 40th birthday. He’s a good egg.

2. Decided, with Denny and (Lettuce Knit’s owner) Megan, that Denny and I are going to actually do what we said we were going to do last year, and have a “How not to buy crappy fleece at the Royal Winter Fair” class at Lettuce Knit, the morning of the fleece auction. The Fleece Auction is on the 16th of November, at 2:00 in the afternoon. Denny and I will begin to hold forth on how to choose a fleece (what’s good, what’s bad – we have samples of totally crappy fleeces we have bought in the past so that you may learn from our mistakes) from 10-12 (am) at Lettuce Knit. Then we can all make our way – together or apart (Denny and I will be taking the TTC- you’re welcome to go with us) down to the Royal Winter Fair where we will all look at the fleeces at auction and attend the auction. It should be bags of fun, especially since you get the value added of watching Denny and I try not to buy more fleece since we didn’t use up the fleeces we got last year (or maybe the year before that too.)

Call Lettuce Knit for more information about how to sign up, and what it costs and all of that. (Remember too that you’ll need a ticket to the fair as well, but it’s well worth it just for the butter sculptures.)

3. Started a new scarf. Waves of grain, which I am knitting in the exact yarn ( Royale Hare alpaca lace in Moravian Barley) that the pattern calls for because Romi made a gift of it to me when I was in California.

Wavesstart41108

I know it looks a little scrambled, but it’s lace in alpaca. It always looks especially rough before blocking. I have faith.

4. I could start that because I finished the vest.

Tahdahvest41108

Adding one more repeat gave me all the length I wanted, and I’m happy with the width as well.

Birdvestdiamond41108

(There’s a squirrel in the tree next to me) I feel like it fits well, and is another piece I can add to my “could wear it to work and look knitterly without looking so knitterly that you’re over the line” collection.

Vestlove41108

Foxhill Farm “cormo cross” (I love this yarn. Super cushy, tons of life, but I expect nothing less from the incomparable Alice Field) in “Chestnut”. I used three skeins, although I have enough left of the third skein to make mittens. Pattern was “Diamond Rain” from Purlescence. Knit the medium, added an extra repeat of the diamonds for more length, otherwise knit as per the pattern – right down to the single crochet around the armholes.

5. Remembered that one of the reasons I crochet like a drunk howler monkey on smack is the difference in terms. I get messed up with the whole “single is double if it’s American” and remembering who’s double is treble? (Or is it the other way or do they just want me to chain around the edge?) I ended up following the directions for American single crochet because I figured that was the right thing to do, since it’s an American pattern, but I really wish we could get an international ruling on crochet terms. It makes me nuts.

6. My book has finally arrived at Lettuce Knit – and I’ll be celebrating tomorrow evening at knit night. If you’d like to buy a copy or have me sign a copy you have…. I’d love to.

8. I made a very, very good banana bread and realized we are very sick of banana bread. One bunch comes every week in the Wanigan box, and nobody here really likes eating them out of hand. Any ideas besides banana bread?

9. I started another scarf.

Revsarfcharms41108

I feel a scarf phase setting in.

10. Has anyone seen the sock I was knitting out of Basan? Can’t find it. Making me nuts.

(PS. If you’re American, please go vote. The suspense is killing the rest of the world.)

493 thoughts on “The top ten things I did this weekend”

  1. Happy birthday, Joe!
    The vest looks great, and the length is (now) perfect. Nice save, Harlot.
    I voted, already. Can’t wait for this part to be over!

  4. The fleece workshop sounds like a hoot! Wish I lived closer…and no kidding on the suspense as we watch our southern neighbours FINALLY get this thing decided (this from a country that runs through the whole process in about a month–probably gives Americans brain cramps to consider).

  5. Woah – only one comment so far. Everyone must be out voting. Stephanie – the suspense isn’t just killing the rest of the world – it is killing us as well. Best of luck to the good guys! whoever you think that might be.

  6. I voted! And I have the sticker to prove it, lol. My favorite banana treat is to peel, slice, and freeze them, then feed them into the food processor or blender (if you have a good one) for some great “banana cream” (like ice cream). If you aren’t so hot for bananas, add a healthy dose of strawberries or other berry. Even jam/jelly works in a pinch. Yum! Soooo creamy.
    LOVE your vest, by the way — great color on you (and one of my favs…good thing you live far away…and wear a much smaller size, lol) 😉

  8. Extra bananas? Peel, cut into eighths or quarters and freeze as chunks. They’re great for making fruit smoothies. Throw half a banana, milk, ice and some berries into a blender. Mmmm.

  9. If you are looking for a dessert to make, cheesecake is a delicious option. I made a butterscotch cheesecake and it was pretty good.

  10. Happy birthday, Joe!
    The vest rocks, Stephanie!
    Bananas: I feel like I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I like them sliced with sugar sprinkled on top, and milk poured over, like cereal. Also, slice them and use them to line a graham cracker crust and pour in vanilla or cheesecake flavored pudding over it for an instant banana cream pie. Or, umm, slice them long-ways and fill them with scoops of ice cream! 😉

  11. For bananas: once they are quite ripe, peel and wrap in wax paper or put in baggies. once frozen, throw in the food processor (don’t know if a blender would work as well). Takes a bit of periodical pushing down with a spatula, but it will suddenly and magically turn into stuff that looks like ice cream. Eat at once!
    Beautiful vest.

  13. Voted! But I can’t stand to watch. We’ll be enjoying a pizza and movie night tonight.

  14. Happy Birthday Joe!! Welcome to the 40 is Fab club (charter member here).
    LOVE the new sweater – looks great!
    In Arizona we have the option of mail in voting, so I have plenty of time to review candidates, issues, etc. before mailing in. This year – I felt like chucking everything except the AZ version of marriage (big fat NO on that one!) and seceding.
    But at least after today scary Sherriff Joe Arpio will no longer be leaving me messages on my machine. Small blessings.
    Be well.

  15. Re: those bananas. Smoothies. Grrr those babies up with some yogurt [or yoghurt, if you insist] and a bit of fruit juice to thin things down. If you trust the chickens and/or the farmer, pop in a raw egg or two. When we had our chickens and our goats, I would make “power shake” with frozen strawberries, some past-their-prime bananas, and an egg or two, with either fresh milk or some powdered milk. Good food, good memories.

  16. Love the vest! Love the scarf! Love the pink scarf too! (It looks really smooshy. I want to squeeze it.)
    The suspense is killing me too! I voted around 10:30 AM. I want to know *rightnow* if I have to move to Canada or not. I promise to be a nice addition to the country.

  17. I really love that vest!!!! I may have to knit one too.
    P.S I just got back from voting and saw a Golden Eagle on my way back. How cool is that? (they aren’t very common here in MN.)

  18. Banana Cream Pie.
    All you need is vanilla pudding, some squished up bananas and some sliced (for the top) and a graham cracker crust.
    The vest is gorgeous. I want your necklace and what is the scarf pattern?
    And yeah I voted.

  19. the Absolutely Fool-Proof method to unload extra banana bread- Add lots of chocolate chips to the batter. They won’t even notice the banana flavor….I’ve had lots of compliments on this, and when I am feeling extra ambitious, I also melt some dark chocolate and pour that in half way when I’m putting the batter in the pan. It creates a solid vein of chocolate in the middle of the loaf and tastes great.

  20. Happy Birthday Joe!
    Vest looks great.
    See my comments re: Bananas under your post about the raisins/oatmeal scarf.
    I voted. I knit in line while I waited to vote and again outside the door while I waited for my husband to finish voting. It freaked people out. This made me very happy indeed.

  21. STEPHANIE! The vest looks FABULOUS on you! I seriously think it’s one of the most flattering things you’ve ever made yourself and posted on this blog. And that’s saying something, because you make so many great things for yourself. 😀 But the color, the shape, everything is just perfect.

  22. Already voted. We’ll be up until the wee hours watching the returns!!
    LOVE the vest – How can you start so many new things all at once? How much coffee you been drinkin’??

  24. Bananas Foster / aka “the awesome banana dessert my Jamaican mom always made”
    2-3 bananas, sliced round-wise
    1/2 c. brown sugar
    1/4 c. butter
    splash of rum or other copacetic booze
    Apologies in advance … I am not so good with measurements (might explain some of my knitting!). Melt the butter and brown sugar together until bubbling. Add the banana slices, cook until they are a little soft around the edges but not totally turning to mush. Add the booze, cook not much longer unless you want to burn off the booze. Eat over ice cream. Try to restrain yourself from making round #2 🙂

  25. I already vOted, but my state really isn’t in play (we were Huckabee all the way in the primaries so you can guess what the general results will be). I’ll be watching my neighbors to the east, Florida!

  26. Banana pudding is so easy, the other members of your family could make it. Anyone can layer Nilla wafers, instant vanilla pudding, and sliced bananas.
    I already voted too. I had to mail mine in from overseas, so I took care of that a couple weeks ago.

  27. I usually end up making banana nut cookies with my leftover bananas, but that’s a lot like bitesized bannana bread. They’re also great in smoothies, just toss them in a blender with yogurt and some milk.

  28. Voted before 6:30 this morning! I always get excited about voting – I feel like I am participating in History. My family loves banana mocha muffins. Bananas, chocolate, and coffee – you can’t go wrong. If you go to cdrecipes (with all the w’s before and the dot com after) and do a search you will find the recipe I use. Enjoy!

  29. I voted. But in a different election – ours is on Saturday! (who has elections on a Tuesday when everyone is at work anyway??)
    Vest looks fab!

  31. Bananas: try epicurious.com There’s a bread pudding with banana sauce which looks really good. OR, can’t you ask them to stop the bananas and throw you a bunch of grapes or something?
    Vest: man! that’s gorgeous. Very business-casual.
    Birthday: Happy birthday Joe. Shoot! I am exactly mphdhdr years older than you!!

  32. Voted already. Looking forward to staying up late (knitting) and watching the election results. Happy belated birthday to your sweetie!

  33. Bananas Foster (If you make it like I do, you’ll be able to warm the entire house with the flames.), peanut butter and banana sandwiches, cocoa-banana smoothies, banana cream pie, and one of the ultimate American comfort foods-bananas on cornflakes.
    Welcome to the 21st century. My city ditched the computerized machines and went back to paper ballots. But then they got sucked into a machine that looked like a copier…or a paper shredder.

  37. 1)Happy Birthday, Joe!
    2)Vest is gorgeous-I want one.
    3)I have a recipe book – In The Kitchen With America’s Favorite Brand Name Recipes – that has a recipe for killer cookies using bananas named Elvis Would Have Loved These Peanut Butter Cookies(I chid you not)
    4)Yes, I voted this morning and I can’t wait to find out the results, either!
    Happy Election Day, Everyone!

  38. I voted! 🙂 I was even at the polling place before it opened at 6am.
    The vest came out very nicely. I kind of want to make one now, only in purple (I make a lot of things in purple).
    As for the bananas, I’m absolutely no help. I used to like eating them straight, but now I don’t eat them at all because I’m allergic. 🙁

  39. I’m American. I voted (early) for Obama, and the suspense is killing me, too. I’ve been sending huge HOPE and CHANGE vibes out into the world from my desk all day long.
    I must recommend a big bowl of banana pudding. Not quite as portable as banana bread, but you get to add vanilla wafers, and it is very very good.
    Your vest is absolutely wonderful. You look so thin in it–makes me want to create one.

  40. Banana Pancakes
    Banana Stuffed French Toast
    Have you been adding chocolate chips to the Banana Bread? Makes everything better.

  43. The very best use for bananas is in daiquiris. No matter what the other fruit ingredients are (my favorites are strawberry or peach), daiquiris always taste better with a little banana.

  46. The vest is lovely, just the right size. You picked a wonderful color, and, unlike me, had the wherewithal to go back and do it right!! Nice job!
    I must go vote before the the enthusiasm (and light) wanes. It’s not like Alaska is a swing state,but at least I get my two cents worth in!

  47. Fry 1/2 inch slices in a little butter over high heat (get the butter just below it’s smoking point) until the outside browns, flip with a spatula and fry the other side. Serve on toast or in hot corn tortillas with a tiny bit of salt and chili powder.

  49. That’s only 9. It looks like you need to tink back a couple of “things” and add number 7. 😉

  50. Banana creme pie! w graham cracker crust – yum. Also, bananas cooked in a pan with butter and brown sugar and a splash of orange liquer – or juice. Also, freeze them and use them in smoothies, or just dip them in melted chocolate.
    The vest is cute – and your scarves grow faster than my weeds! Love the lace, can’t wait to see it blocked.
    More than half of Colorado voted by mail, so we’re hoping to have results relatively early. I work at a polling place – there was a rush this morning, but slow to steady ever since. I hope we get a decisive win without the doubts that have plagued many of us the last two Presidential elections!
    Most importantly – happy b’day Joe! (He’s a keeper.)

  51. I voted, Happy Birthday Joe, mine is on Friday, love both scarfs, I started a 2×2 one after seeing yours, your such an enabler! I too see another scarf coming, I know that I have the perfect laceweight for one! Your vest is lovely.

  52. Too funny. We seem to be a bit in sync with our knitting projects. I finished Peacock Feathers earlier this year and just started Waves of Grain on Sunday (using some fabulous Louet Mooi). I think I am on the exact same row as the scarf in your picture.

  53. Fresh banana sliced into a bowl with cottage cheese (or yogurt) and chopped almonds is tasty, fast, and healthy. Pineapple added to the mix is good too.
    Great vest and scarves! Was it the wool-stealing squirrel?

  54. My mom used to use bananas when making oatmeal raisin cookies. They were pretty good!
    I make a lot of banana bread because I cannot abide food being thrown out…so if a banana is going to go it’s going to go in bread. You can wrap banana bread in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for a good long time.
    You can also freeze bananas for use in baking later. They turn brown and look weird, but they bake just the same. Just don’t look at them.

  55. Bananas Foster.
    Frozen banana smoothies. Tasty with any other fruit you care to throw in the blender.
    And it’s almost over – I voted this morning, and Hubby about an hour ago. The first states should have their polls close any minute – BUT people in line still get to vote, and both states have two time zones so I don’t think any results will be released for at least another hour.

  57. A very Happy Birthday Joe! Harlot, your vest=perfection. The redo was well worth the extra time spent. Voted early (two weeks ago).

  58. I have made banana bars with banana frosting on them. It uses a lot of bananas and can make a lot of friends with them:-) You can also freeze bananas in their skins. We used to buy bananas that were not salable from our local grocery store by the box load and freeze them to make bread, bars, cookies and pies later on.
    I voted this morning. I am trying to distract myself until 7pm when the results start coming in.

  59. Happy Birthday Joe!
    That lovely vest has inspired me to cast on my own vest, even though I don’t even *wear* vests. As for the bananas, shove a popsicle stick in those babies, dip ’em in chocolate, and pop them in the freezer. My family inhales them that way! Oh, and I voted this evening. Took my knitting thinking I’d have a bit of a wait, but I was in, out & home in 20 minutes (in Ohio!).

  60. Lovely vest. I did laugh a bit when I started reading the post containing “D For Denial”, so I’m glad it all turned out for the best.
    As far as bananas go, sometimes my husband and I buy bananas and let them go spotty brown just to fix banana pancakes.
    1 banana
    3 tablespoons all purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
    1 egg
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    You just throw all of this in the blender and cook them like normal pancakes. My husband and I probably have 2-3 times the recipe (since it is really only for one person) and I think they are fantastic. No syrup needed!

  61. I freeze very ripe bananas and use them in smoothies or to give moisture to lowfat baking items. But my favorite is to put two frozen bananas in the food processor with a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened) and a few drops of vanilla extract. Then you add just enough water or milk to make it puree until it’s creamy. Only a few tablespooons. You’ll be amazed. It tastes very much like ice cream. I eat this because I can’t have dairy, but my friends love that it’s much much lower in fat. Add more cocoa if you like dark chocolate.

  62. Love the vest and especially the color. I looks beautiful!
    Yep I voted. My husband is a history teacher- so I’ll be watching the poles alllll night. Have to says that I’m anxious too. I’ve told my family that if the candiate I voted for loses- I’m taking the pellet stove and moving to Canada!
    I like to make banana muffins- add a few choc. chips and the kids gobble them up. They freeze very well too.

  63. That vest looks yummy on you and such a beautiful pattern. You are so tiny and look good in everything.
    I’m not a fresh banana fan either and since the cold weather has set in, I make banana cake occasionally. Also like them in muffins and cookies. In warm weather smoothies are good as long as you have lots of berries to cover the banana flavor. I peel, chunk and freeze them to keep on hand for the next season.
    Happy Birthday Joe, I’m glad I’m past that season of my life as well.
    I also have voted absentee and am totally hoping for a fundamental, conservative, anti-liberal result. God help us otherwise.

  64. Banana Nut Quesadilla Wedges at allrecipes.com sounds good.
    If you Google allrecipes, and then use the search box on the Google result page to search for “banana -bread” there are lots of options. 🙂
    I took my daughters (3 and 6) with me when I voted.

  65. That vest looks yummy on you and such a beautiful pattern. You are so tiny and look good in everything.
    I’m not a fresh banana fan either and since the cold weather has set in, I make banana cake occasionally. Also like them in muffins and cookies. In warm weather smoothies are good as long as you have lots of berries to cover the banana flavor. I peel, chunk and freeze them to keep on hand for the next season.
    I also have voted absentee and am totally hoping for a fundamental, conservative, anti-liberal result. God help us otherwise.

  67. The vest is beautiful, I especially love the color.
    Yep, I voted. My husband is a history teacher so we’ll be watching the poles alllll night. I told my family that if the candiate I voted for loses- I’m taking the pellet stove and moving to Canada!
    In regards to Banana bread- I make muffins with a few choc. chips added in , the kids gobble them up.

  68. The vest looks great on you. I second the motion for smoothies. We freeze the extra bananas and always have enough for smoothies everyday. As far as the election I am hoping for a landslide so there is no doubt and no possibility of hanky panky.

  69. I love the vest. The color and fit are great. And Happy Birthday to Joe. Idea for bananas: banana splits. Chocolate with bananas on it. Bananas and a cookie. Banana sandwiches. Bananas in the cereal. Going bananas. Bananamobile. That’s all.

  71. My boyfriend really likes banana pudding. Check most any vanilla wafers box (you have those in Canada, right?) for the recipe. Also, do an ingredient search at allrecipes.com. That’s my go-to place for recipes for most anything. I haven’t tried any of the banana recipes there, but the Lemon Bundt and White Texas Sheet cake recipes are AWESOME!

  72. Went and voted for Obama this morning. The turnout was amazing.
    I’m allergic to bananas so can’t help out too much but I have a friend who makes a baked french toast and layers some bananas in. It always looks and smells really good.

  73. I agree with others who have suggested Bananas Foster – they may not be good for you, but they *taste* very, very good. 🙂 See http://www.brennansneworleans.com/r_bananasfoster.html for a great recipe. A healthier alternative that still tastes good is peanut butter and banana sandwiches made with whole wheat bread. Or try waffles or pancakes with sliced bananas, toasted pecans, and warm maple syrup for a terrific breakfast. We’ve never had any trouble with banana’s going bad at our house!

  74. I vote, right after dropping off the kids at school, feels great.
    I really like your vest, exactly the type of knitterly wear that would be good for your travel wardrobe. Love the color too!
    And that is a great idea to hold a fleece class. I know that if I were in the area I would attend! I could use the help. Perhaps you could make it a post for your blog? For those of us who cannot attend, but would still like to learn? Purly Please??

  75. Sick of bananas AND of oatmeal? Make this shake in the blender: 1 banana at any stage of ripeness, 1/2 cup raw oatmeal, glop of peanut butter, milk, ice. The oatmeal will make it texture-y, but will not taste like cooked oatmeal. The peanut butter works nicely with the banana. Don’t leave any part out – it needs all of these to hold together in suspension and it needs to be cold. Good and sticks with you.

  77. hi! Outstanding vest. I guess I am just a little slow – what work do you where you could look too knitterly? How could that be?
    As for the bananas, my favorite is to take a frozen banana, some frozen fruit (berries, peaches, mangoes – what ever comes your way that is reasonable in price and tasty), some plain (or maybe vanilla) yogurt, and perhaps a little sweetener (maple syrup, honey, etc.) and maybe a little liquid to thin it all; whiz it up in a blender and an awesome smoothie results. Cook and nutritious for summer. Too bad that is months away. Anyone have a recipe for banana hot chocolate?
    Have you ever tried grilled bananas? They are awesome with anything with jerk-style spices. I was going to provide a link, but the first page of hits were all for recipes for desserts using grilled bananas. Hmmm……
    One final idea – a frozen banana whizzed into lemonade in the blender is also a yummy thing.

  78. Oh, the suspense is killing us, too! I filled in my absentee ballot a couple of weeks ago. I totally don’t understand the people who couldn’t make up their mind!
    Bananas — in any warm or cold cereal; smooties (you can peel and freeze them if used this way); dip ’em in melted chocolate poll ’em in chrushed peanuts and freeze, (ok, that might not be the best thing to do in Toronto in November).

  79. I voted and I don’t know where you missing sock is. I also hope you’re putting some of those scarves aside for holiday gift giving. I won’t even tell you how many more days til Christmas; you don’t want to know.
    Carolyn in NC

  80. I love the scarf, would love to know where to get the pattern. i voted at 7 am and knit in line!!!!

  81. You did a fantastic job saving that vest! Of course, we knew you would. It looks quite classy, definitely not over the edge knitterly.
    I voted last week!

  82. AH! You’re making my scarf!! I fell in love with Waves of Grain. Now I’m jealous! I think I will have to make it my first TRUE lace project…
    I love your vest.
    Banana Cream Pie. Banana ice cream? Banana Splits. Smoothies with anything. Freeze them until the family isn’t sick of banana bread and then “surprise” them 🙂 Oh, just noticed Karen L.’s idea of grilled bananas. That sounds awesome. But then again, grilling fruit is always awesome!

  83. *LOVE* the vest, love banana bread. Haven’t had a piece in eons.
    Also? Voted. 2 hour wait, but well worth it. AND (like many before me) brought the knitting along and made enough people jealous to justify trying to follow a lace pattern (I don’t do lace) while standing in line.
    Yay us.

  84. I use overripe bananas for hair conditioner. Just mush them up in bowl (I sometimes add olive oil and honey) smear it on your hair, cover in a shower cap and/or hot towel, wait 15 minutes or so and rinse the snot (ahem) out of it. You can shampoo after if you add the oil. Works wonders for my frizz.

  86. Slice the banana lenghtwise and spread peanut butter on it. Top with the remaining half. Delicious peanut butter banana sandwich without any extraneous bread in the way.

  88. 1) I voted this morning, and the suspense is killing me, too. I have the champagne chilling, for drinking once the returns come in.
    2) The scarves are stunning. I love both the pattern and the color of the “Waves of Grain.”
    3) The vest is perfect. Not only does the vest look great on you, but you look great in the vest.
    4) Bananas are my husband’s favorite, so I know tons of things to do with them.
    a) Mash or dice them into pancake or waffle batter.
    b) Fry in butter, as a side dish with Caribbean food. If you ask nicely, I’ll send you my patented recipe for black beans.
    c) Nanner Pudding! Line a casserole with vanilla wafers, then a layer of vanilla or butterscoth pudding, then sliced bananas, repeat until you run out. For ultra-deluxe, top with a meringue.
    d) Sandwiches with peanut butter.
    e) In crepes with caramel.
    f) Fry in butter; add brown sugar and cook until slightly caramelized. Serve over vanilla ice cream. If you flame the bananas in rum, you have Bananas Foster.
    g) Puree in a blender with milk and yogurt, sweetened to taste, for breakfast. A second fruit is nice– I vote strawberries, which can be frozen.
    See? Now you don’t have enough bananas.

  90. I freeze my extra bananas (sans peels) and either make bread or throw them in fruity smoothies. But smoothies aren’t so tempting in cold weather. Another yummy thing is to throw them in a pan with butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar, then spoon the whole warm mess on top of oatmeal. You won’t be sorry!

  91. Wow, that vest is gorgeous! You look so professional.
    I know the suspense is killing me, and I have homework to do, but I can’t do it because I’m so excited!

  92. I was up at 4:30, again at 5:20 when I threw on some clothes and hustled with hubby to stand in line at the polls (they opened up at 6 a.m.) I was #73 to vote – at that hour of the morning.
    The wait is making me crazy too.
    The vest is BEAUTIFUL!

  93. Happy Birthday Joe!
    Love the vest! It looks terrific on you; can’t imagine it with fewer diamonds :^)
    The scarves look great, but what happened to the black thru shades of grey skirt? Is it for you or one of the girls?
    To spice up the banana bread, add 1/4 cup of shredded coconut and 1/4 cup of well drained crushed pineapple. or
    1/4 cup of shredded coconut and 1/4 cup of diced tropical fruit (canned), again well drained. or
    add 1 cup of chocolate morsels
    all of these are favs in our house ;^)

  94. Happy Birthday Joe! The vest looks great on you Stephanie and I love the scarf.
    I voted this morning and will be waiting with baited breath for the results. I didn’t think the rest of the world was that interested!

  96. I love the vest! The redo was very well worth it. I like the lace too. I haven’t knit any lace (except socks) so I am eagerly anticipating seeing it blocked. It looks pretty good to me like it is now. (I just realized I have never knit a scarf.)
    Bananas: I don’t care for banana bread. I do enjoy deep-fried bananas and banana cake. The Banana cake that I made tasted more like bananas than banana bread. The banana pancakes sound lovely.
    It sounds like everyone is voting. I am glad.

  98. Was the squirrel trying to make off with the vest? ‘Cuz that’s what I’d be doing – it looks great! Happy bday to Joe!

  99. I will take your banana bread. nom nom banana bread nom.
    Aside from shipping it across the continent, you could do banana cream pie, banana pudding, smoothies with peanut butter & frozen berries, peanut butter & banana sandwiches, and some sort of rice/banana thing that I’m sure is popular in South America but I don’t have a name for because I didn’t have coffee this morning.

  100. Banana pancakes. Just use regular old pancake mix (bisquick or krusteaz) and whack up two nanners into the batter. Don’t mush them up. The finished product has big lumps of hot, creamy banana. Along with ice cold milk, it is a breakfast to die for. I eat the leftovers cold, just holding them in my hand like toast. Fabulous.

  101. I voted. Other uses for bananas as they go all soft on you:
    Peel. freeze. Make smoothies. Well, maybe that won’t go over so well in the frozen north.
    Nevermind.

  102. I love your vest, and it looks great on you! My banana ideas are as follows:
    -banana pudding (It’s a southern american tradition. if you make it, try to find the “Nilla” wafer box recipe.)
    -banana pancakes
    -chopped up in fruit salad
    -chopped and frozen for smoothies
    -peanut butter and banana sandwiches
    -banana splits/milkshakes
    -frozen and dipped in chocolate
    I know other people have probably suggested some of these already, but I wanted to add my voice.
    (Seriously, if you’ve never had banana pudding, you should. It’s heavenly.)

  104. I’m going to have to echo Susan and Diana and vote for banana splits. Or if you aren’t feeling that then waffles (freezer ones work fine) w/ yogurt (I usually use plain), agave syrup or honey, and sliced ‘naners on top. I have this for breakfast almost every day.

  105. I voted too. Although I always vote, I haven’t been this excited about an election for years. I hope the rest of the world is happy with our choice and of course I hope my choice is what we are all going to have as President for the next four years!
    Your vest looks great – can’t believe you knit that fast even with the frogging you had to do!

  106. Perhaps your sock is in hiding with the untouched skein of Sundara silk lace that I can’t find.

  107. Most importantly, Happy Birthday Joe! The vest is perfect and sure does look like it makes an outfit. As far as fleeces, as much as dashing off to TO would be fun, I did get a fleece at Rhinebeck that now needs carding (at least it’s washed). I often check the Food channel for recipes, Banoffee Pie does sound good, though.

  108. Happy b-day to your good egg!
    8. smoothies: break up a banana, add a dollop of plain yogurt, some honey, and top with milk or oj, and blend. (optional with the milk – add some cocoa powder) works great if you throw in some berries or other fruit with the banana, too.
    I’m making myself hungry…

  109. Chocolate Banana Cake or Bread – swap 1/2 a cup of baking cocoa for 1/2 a cup of the flour in your favorite recipe and you will love the difference!!!!! My daycare ladies love them – gotta keep the people molding your young childs mind happy!
    Love your scarves… I go on those kicks too. Cute vest too! Glad it all worked out!

  110. Oh and I voted absentee 3 weeks ago!!!! I am all settled in for a long night of seeing how it all turns out!!!

  111. The vest turned out great Steph. That pink scarf is cool, too. Is there a patter or your own creation.
    Voted on Saturday – early voting in NC. I’m ready for it to be over and to prove I mean it:
    I’m Stephanie and I approved this message!

  112. My momsy used to make banana chocolate chip cookies that were pretty darn good. And you could tell people that they’re the healthy kind of cookie.

  113. Happy Birthday Joe! (40– Both of you are babies!) I’ll add my vote to those for banana pudding and bananas in fruit salad. Add to smoothies of almost any flavor, too. (Particularly good with chocolate) The vest turned out beautifully, and the scarves are gorgeous, too. You’re on a roll!

  114. Voted, yes. Bananas, fine. Amber waves of grain, lovely. Vest, another exquisite project. But the big question, what is the BEAUTIFUL scarf wrapped up in all sorts of cabley goodness? Where do I find?

  115. Vest looks faboo as is usual and indeed I voted at 7:10 AM this morning before there was much of a line. We still have to wait you know. Argh, I HATE the waiting. Glass of wine is duly in hand while waiting and waiting. Hopefully there will be much less waiting that in 2000.

  116. I love banana cake with cream cheese frosting (maybe a late birthday cake?). Also, bananas are great in smoothies with orange juice and frozen strawberries and raspberries.

  117. Ooooooooooo I’m not a vest person but I love that one! Being a Michigander, a vest is a good call because the weather is apt to change very quickly and we need layers.
    Happy Birthday to Joe and can’t WAIT to see that waves of grain scarf.

  118. Add slices of bananas to pancake batter just after you spoon it onto the griddle. When you flip the pancake, the bananas sink in a little and get nicely carmelized as the other side of the pancake cooks. Yum! The first time I had this, I though warm, mushy bananas would be gross but it was really good.
    I voted. I get so excited about elections. There are so many times I get frustrated with the US and its politics but all is forgiven when I get to go proudly vote. I’m always proud and glad to live in a country where we can change governments without violence.

  119. There is a fabulous recipe for a spicy buttermilk soup with turmeric and almost-ripe bananas sliced up in it in one of the Moosewood cookbooks – my whole family loves it, even the kids – the book is at home and I forget the title but it is truly worth buying the book for. E-mail me and I’ll give you the gist of it.

  121. Lovely vest, Stephanie. I am reading (savoring) your book and enjoy the wit and wisdom. Very nice. Love the scarf. I *must* have the pattern! Will you cite, please? I voted and am avidly watching results with fingers crossed for a progressive win!

  122. “1. Celebrated my darling Joe’s 40th birthday. He’s a good egg.”
    Ahh….Like my dearly departed DH, he married an “older woman” 😉
    Happy B.D., Joe!

  123. After all the talk about the lines at polling places I took knitting and a book (from a person that doesn’t generally knit in public). I only had a chance to get one weird-ish look and knit two rows.
    But that just means I can take my knitting with me to the bar for a celebratory dinner (as in thank goodness it’s OVER) and can poke The Boys friends with the needles (or threaten to) if they don’t play nice.
    Overipe bananas also make great healthy face/ hair masks (just a thought you have a lot of ladies in the house)…
    Happy Birthday, Joe!!!

  124. ****I voted! Now we bite nails and wait!!!****
    Bananas Foster, Southern Banana Pudding (Look for recipe on Nilla Wafer Box!!!) It’s like a trifle with vanilla wafers, vanilla pudding, and Bananas~~and NOT to be missed. Banana cream pie… Southern Ambrosia Fruit Salad. Blueberry and Banana Smoothies… peanutbutter and Nana sandwiches (toasted or untoasted)! Grilled bananas and grilled pineapple…(use Jamaican RUM)!!!

  125. I voted!
    Say, if you freeze said bananas, then put them through a champion juicer (others would work too) with some berries, you’ll get ice cream. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it works. Doesn’t even really taste like bananas. Add enough other fruit and it won’t at all. Yummy!

  126. Do you think I could do the waves of grain out of Habu Stainless married with the merino? I just can’t hack it knitted into the Kushu Kushu scarf- I tried…it’s just not my cup’o’tea, and I’ve been dreaming it lacey instead….
    I VOTED! The suspense is killing us too.
    So many silly, over the top, totally bonkers assumptions about the 2 major candidates have been circulating (and their VP candidates)- it’s driving me crazy and I can’t wait for it to be over!

  129. Doctor Bird Cake (I didn’t name it)
    sift together 3 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp salt. Att 2 cups diced bananas, 1 cup oil, 1 8oz can crushed pineapple,1-1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 eggs.
    Stir it by hand, don’t use a mixer and bake in a greased tube pan 1 hour, 15 min at 350.
    DH and I voted with our paper ballots as soon as he came home. I am SO looking forward to hating the normal TV commercials again.

  130. Vest is gorgeous! Joe may be, too, but definitely a keeper 🙂 Love the waves of grain scarf– mamma mia, it’s going to be lovely.
    BANANA— 1. Peel 2. wrap in saran, then in baggie. 3. Freeze 4. Slice while still frozen and beat like H-E-dbl toothpicks in blender, adding a tiny bit of vanilla.
    Makes a lovely, fat-free, sugar free dessert!
    Marjorie, in the Sock-Shaped State (California)

  131. Vest – made of awesome. The color, the cabling, the length, total package.
    Alpaca scarf – uh, I love me some alpaca. Have too many wips right now out of alpaca, scarf, shawl, sweater/top thing, and socks. Seriously.
    Other pinkish cabley scarf – really interesting. Link to pattern please?
    Banana ideas – uh, banana pancakes, silly. My boys love them, breakfast, lunch, snack, I usually throw in a handful of mini chocolate chips when I’m feeling especially loving. Or pecans. Or walnuts. Or all. Or you can grill them with some brown sugar and cinnamon. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if you can wait to get it scooped up. Sort of like a bananas foster thing I guess. Great, now I’m hungry. Thanks.

  132. I did indeed vote this morning. The suspense is killing us,too.
    Dearly love your vest! You are looking particularly feisty in it (you gotta get that squirrel ao you gotta be feisty!)
    I am soooo glad that the single/double crochet thing irritates somebody other than me! My crocheting grandmother immigrated from Sweden and my gene pool crochets in Swedish.

  133. Eeeee! I’m so excited that you’re knitting Waves of Grain! I hope you enjoy! And as I always say, “it looks like crap until you block it.” 🙂
    Happy birthday Joe!
    I voted! I am so nervous that I can hardly stand it. I certainly am not able to concentrate on *any*thing at all.
    Awesome vest.
    Off to bake a chocolate election night cake.

  134. gracielou already mentioned one of my favorite banana tricks, but my ALL-TIME favorite banana trick is this:
    you will need:
    one fire.
    one square of tinfoil per banana.
    one knife.
    a little cardamom
    lots of cinnamon
    lots of chocolate
    lots of bananas
    (optional: a little bit of chipolte powder).
    take a banana and wrap it almost entirely in the tinfoil. slit down the middle of the banana lengthwise, about half the depth of the banana. stuff with spices and chocolate. fold tinfoil over exposed banana. stick in or next to fire. wait (it’s agonizing, I know, but worth it) about 10-15 minutes (less if you stuck it in the fire or you’ve got white coals).
    fish out your browned tinfoil banana and open. scoop out melty banana chocolate spicy goodness.

  135. Hubby with be in France on the 16th of November. So, now all I have to figure out is how I get from Kansas to Toronto for the fleece auction. All ideas accepted.
    PS I voted like a good sheep.

  136. Love the vest! It turned out splendidly. I voted this morning and am holding my breath too. Watching the National Public Radio site.

  137. Happy Birthday, Joe! I agree with everyone else, the sweater is lovely. Coincidently, I was admiring the Waves of Grain scarf online just the other day.
    If you try the banana pudding, I suggest adding a can of sweetened condensed milk and a container of the frozen whipped cream type stuff to the pudding. Another great recipe is called Hannah’s Bananas and is a cookie – but it tastes just like banana bread, so I don’t know how it would go over at your house. I guarantee they are divine, though – if I recall correctly, the first ingredient called for is three sticks of butter, so you know they gotta be good! 🙂 The recipe can be found in Joanne Fluke’s mystery novel ‘Fudge Cupcake Murder’.
    P.S. I voted too.

  138. happy birthday joe!
    my polling place opened at 7a; at 7:45a I was voter #102. turnout is fantastic; and so many many first time voters too!
    banana pancakes or banana pudding. yum!
    OBAMA 08!

  139. Love the vest and the scarf. Would like to know where I can buy the pattern for the scarf.
    As for the election, I voted on Halloween. That seemed the appropriate date. I am hoping for an outcome that will finally end welfare–corporate welfare. I’d also like to see us get back to the basics of the Constitution, such as separation of church and State. It would also be a neighborly thing to stop wrecking Canada’s economy–I really enjoy visiting there. Bought some really great yarn in Halifax last month. Thanks Canada!

  140. Just a thought….you could make banana bread for any knitter that voted today in the American presidential election.
    (I’m kidding. It’s been record turn out this election. You’d be making banana bread for knitters until you were 108).

  141. Banana Oatmeal. MMMM. Make oatmeal, and add bananas and chopped almonds. So yummy.
    I’m excited for how much you did this week 🙂 It is clear that your life is filled with meaning, I’m inspired.

  142. If I have to many ripe bananas I like to make banana soup. Blend together till smooth the bananas, milk, honey, nutmeg and any other fruit hanging around (it can be fresh, frozen or canned) to the taste and consistancy you like.

  143. Just got back from voting, and for the very first time, two of my kids voted along with DH and me. How did they get this old? It was a proud mom moment, for sure.
    Steph, I truly love that vest of yours. It’s classy with pizzazz. One of my favorite combos!
    ~ Dar

  145. Polls opened at 6:30, I was there at 5:45 and was voter number 3.
    I still wish I could vote for “none of the above”

  146. How about bananas foster? Banana cake with cream cheese frosting also sounds yummy. I was at the polling place at 6:30 this morning. We are listening to NPR right now and can’t wait for the final results!

  147. I voted By Mail, so the suspense has been killing me for a week!
    Also that vest is incredibly good-looking. That extra repeat works!

  148. Can you make Banana Bread and give it away? Or freeze it till Christmas and give it away then? banana crepes? Banana Cream Pie? I have agreat cream pie recipe if you need it. It is no bake (except for the crust which I buy already made)and oh so yummy!

  149. After 40 minutes in line, i finally got to vote! Rock on with my bad self,
    Trust me the suspense is killing us too!
    I just hope its over tonight, no hanging chads, no missing ballots, no re-counts, no supreme courts and more importantly no whining.

  150. Banoffee Pie! I don’t like bananas that much, but could eat banoffee pie every night for dinner for the rest of my life. I keep a few cans of boiled sweetened condensed milk around the house just so I can make it when I get a craving.
    Love, love, love the vest! Glad it all worked out.

  151. How about making a breakfast smoothie with bananas, frozen strawberries/raspberries/whichever and yogurt?
    I have the opposite problem, my kids can never get enough bananas (raw or in bread, thankfully their grandma on their dad’s side likes to bake!)

  152. Banana cake with banana cream filling and cream cheese frosting. Much more satisfying than banana bread. Fairly easy too. The recipe I use comes from the newer Fannie Farmer baking book. I am not a banana bread fan, but this cake is a winner!
    Oh, and so is the vest. Nice work.

  153. I have no recipes. I do remember the difference
    between USAnian and Ukian crochet: UK singles are
    a simple chain. Ukian starts earlier, USanian
    singles start later, like the country (historically)
    and like the clock (some hours later anyway).
    So USanian 1 (single crochet)
    is UKian 2 (double crochet), because the Ukians
    started earlier.

  154. Banana bread + Chocolate chips = yum!
    Or banana pancakes.
    Love the vest! Is this (magical) yarn available to those who don’t live in Mass. or didn’t get to a fibre fest?

  155. Great vest! I love it. I would start one, but I’m on a “project diet” right now. I am forcing myself to finish some of the zillions of projects I have laying around here.
    I voted after work today. I got there by 5pm and expected to be there for a very long long time. I took my current small project and stood in line knitting away. I was in line for nearly an hour and it passed very quickly.
    Now about those bananas….. BANANAS FOSTER! Butter and brown sugar in a pan, melt them together. Drop in a couple of sliced bananas and let the bananas cook in the liquid. Remove the bananas, then AWAY FROM HEAT add some banana liqueur and simmer for a few minutes, (some people like to flame this, but it is not necessary. The alcohol will simmer away in a few minutes.) Add the bananas back into the liquid and serve over ice cream.

  156. I voted! The suspense is killing me, too.
    Banana smoothies? (with frozen berries…just as healthy as fresh…and you don’t have to add as much ice. Yes I know you’re in Canada. It’s unseasonably hot here right now.)
    The vest looks tremendously better than the cropped version! I love it. I might need to make one. I mean…sweater without the arms…I think most knitters could embrace that idea!

  157. Happy Birthday Joe! And perhaps banana chips? I hate eating bananas in their 100% out of the peel state, but oddly enough enjoy banana chips…the dehydrated crunch = num.

  158. Bananas – use in smoothies. Mix with any kind of berries, frozen berries are fine. Delicious. Also, if you want a special dessert, try Bananas Foster. It is a spectacular concoction of bananas sauteed with brown sugar and butter, etc., served with vanilla ice cream. Wonderful !

  159. Banana pancakes…just slice them up and drop some slices into the batter right after it hits the pan. The pancake cooks around it, just the way it normally would, and it’s delicious and yummy. And it still tastes good even if they’ve gotten really ripe. Yum.

  160. The vest is gorgeous! 🙂
    Happy Birthday, Joe!
    Bananas: a) 1/2 a banana blended until smooth makes a good replacement for an egg in baked goods (great if you know any vegans, or people allergic to eggs); b) smoothies, smoothies, smoothies; and c) my favourite banana recipe, from “Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian”:
    Sweet Yogurt Cheese with Bananas
    2 cups whole milk yogurt
    1/4 tsp ground cardamom seeds
    1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    1 ripe banana, mashed
    1 tsp ghee or peanut oil
    2 Tbsp chopped pistachios
    2 Tbsp chopped blanched almonds
    Drain yogurt through sieve lined with cheesecloth for three hours; transfer to a bowl and add cardamom, sugar, and banana. Mix, push through a coarse strainer, and put into a serving bowl.
    Heat the ghee/oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in the nuts and stir until they are lightly browned. Scatter the nuts evenly over the yogurt. Cover the bowl and chill before serving.
    This is served with the meal in Gujarat (where they love sweet-ish dishes), but Jaffrey suggests it as a dessert or snack as well.
    It’s really yummy!

  162. LOVE the vest, looks fabulous on you. Could I ask what the pattern is for the pink scarf? Looks very soft and warm. Thank You.

  163. Funny you should mention crochet. I work at The Village Sheep (my lys) and today a customer came in and asked if I could please show her “how to do the braid thing”, because she wanted to make scarves. She proceeded to pull out a crochet hook and said “you know the braid you make with this thing”. Thank goodness the shop’s knit a long group was there and could offer help, cause to be honest yes, I work in a yarn shop but no, I do not crochet or should I say “braid”? I knit. I cast my vote today and like the rest of the world am glued to my TV waiting for results…love the vest!

  165. Beautiful vest – brilliant save (excellent letter D lesson, lol – and baby Elroy is a cherub!)
    I, too would love the second scarf pattern soon
    HB to Joe
    checked the squirrel’s hideout for that sock?
    the suspense will be over soon! I voted early-early-early and was bemused by how no one even talked! Is that normal?
    smoothies was going to be my suggestion, too, but…
    HOW DO I email Tracey for that “spicy buttermilk soup with turmeric and almost-ripe bananas sliced up in it” ?!?!?

  167. Throw a banana in a smoothie for lunch: 1 raspberry non-fat yogurt, 1 banana, 2 C. blueberries, 1/2 C orange juice, 3 ice cubes, blend, drink or actually spoon.
    Of course, you’re in Canada, not California, and even on a warm day the tips of several of my fingers turn dead-white for an hour after. But you have thrummed mittens, don’t you?
    I voted days ago. Everyone’s so nuts about this election, I feel the need for some sign on my person, maybe like ashes on the forehead for Ash Wednesday, testifying that I done voted, already. Leave me alone.
    We have got to change this eternal campaigning.

  168. I voted at just after 6 a.m., and I was #25–amazing for our little village!! The aged lever machine broke down on voter #24, so those of us in line that early had to vote with an emergency paper ballot. Great fun!! I can’t stand to constantly watch the numbers; it makes me nuts, so I am away from the tube for a bit before joining the Obama victory party nearby. (Fingers are virtually crossed, since he will definitely win in New York, pretty surely most everywhere else, so now I want a landslide!)
    Banana smoothies with orange juice, banana, and ice cubes in the blender are wonderful, but not that much at this time of year. They freeze beautifully, though.
    Great vest!!
    Happy birthday, Joe!

  169. My banana solution: peel over-ripe bananas and put them in the freezer. Use them in smoothies for a creamy, frothy mix.

  171. I voted and Obama is going to win. The polls around here are leading toward a win by him. This doesn’t mean I voted for him or McCain but I just have that feeling that he is going to.

  173. Your sock has run away with my favorite cozy flannel lined shirt, excellent for cool weather knitting as the fiber doesn’t stick to the hurricane cloth exterior. They are making mutant babies as we speak.
    Bananas – Saute with butter and brown sugar for a dessert.
    – Add to smoothies (yogurt, fruit, blender)
    – Have a contest to see who can create the most clever banana person
    – Throw them at fleece stealing squirrels
    – knit something with them and laugh like a loon.

  174. Birthday love to Joe.
    I make Chocolate Banana Muffins on a regular basis. They are a modified version of Double Chocolate Muffins found at http://www.sunset.com
    I use less sugar, more banana and yogurt, mini chocolate chips, and add any “fiber” (wheat germ, bran flakes, etc.) I have on hand.
    All things knitterly look lovely.

  175. Aw crap, there’s different crochet terminology around the world, too?! Just when I started considering thinking about learning enough to do amigurumi!
    My ballot has been turned in – the suspense is killing me, too.

  176. Man, if only I’d thought of snatching that Basan sock when I had the chance…..
    When we can pry the bananas out of the babe’s deathgrip, we like to whip a banana and a couple of cups of milk in the blender to make a healthy-yet-decadent-seeming milkshake. Or I guess maybe that’s a frappe? I dunno, but it’s good. I’m also a huge fan of bananas foster over waffles or pancakes. Oh, and if you’ve never had banana butter (sort of like apple butter), then you should try this:
    Title: Banana Butter
    Yield: 3 Cups
    4 lg Bananas; ripe and sliced
    3 tb Lemon juice
    1 1/2 c Sugar
    1 ts Pumpkin pie spice
    Process bananas and lemon juice until smooth; transfer to a saucepan. Stir in sugar and spice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, 15 minutes. Serve on toast, etc. Store in refrigerator.
    It’s OUTSTANDING on peanut butter sandwiches.

  177. Took advantage of the early voting available in Texas. I am thrilled to have done my civic duty. I have to admit that I will be more than a bit sick if my candidate somehow does not win the day. It is time for us to take a chance on making a change. I think Obama is the right man at the right time for the right job.

  178. Banana cake. Peanut butter frosting. The Elvis special. Yum. Happy Birthday, Joe! Love the vest.

  179. Banana pancakes? 3 or 4 quarter inch slices plopped onto the second side of each pancake (whilat you’re cooking the first) then fresh banana slices on top.
    Ooh, or you could dry them and make banana chips. They’ll keep for ever or maybe you could chocolate coat them and give them as gifts?

  180. Love the vest!What pattern are you using for the scarf.I am in a big scarf phase right now would love to make one for a Christmas present.

  181. I voted at 7:15 this morning at my little polling place that looks out over the ocean. The sun was rising through a golden mist over the water, and I took that as a good omen.
    Bananas: Slice the bananas. Get some hot chocolate mix and put just enough water in it to make sludge. Dredge the banana slices in the sludge and freeze. They should look like little hockey pucks. Eat while singing the theme song from “Hockey Night in Canada.”

  182. Voting? Check. Also took time from work to watch the kids so husband could volunteer for the Obama campaign.
    Bananas: I recommend banana splits.

  183. I voted this morning. My last name was spelled wrong on the voter rolls, and the poll worker tried to tell me I couldn’t vote. The moment I said I would call the ACLU and get a lawyer to advocate for me, the poll worker started to actually help me and I got to cast a regular ballot.

  184. Voted by mail.
    Good smoothie for energy and health – and I don’t even like bananas:
    a banana, vanilla yogurt, orange juice, fresh spinach. Whirl in processor or blender with some shaved or crunched ice. Tell the kids it’s green because it has kiwi in it, which you could totally do. It’s breakfast, right now, and can be whipped up for several kids leaving the house, screaming,”I can’t find my ___________!” Mothers should drink two at least to keep up with kids.

  186. 1) I voted! And I hope things will change. I even brought my knitting in anticipation for a long wait. Luckily it was not.
    2)Love the vest,
    3) Bananas – I hear they make good compost. Or you can try out smoothies?

  187. I just made banana biscotti–go to cookinglight.com and search banana biscotti. I used walnuts instead of pecans and added 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips. Delicious! But alas, the receipe only uses up one banana.

  188. I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but peanut butter and banana sandwiches are fantastic! Also, banana pudding. I have a recipe I got on a magnet from the Paula Deen store when I visited last month that I’m very excited to try!

  189. so i confess i didn’t read all the comments to see if this was in there already, but i love bananas in smoothies, with strawberries, peanut butter, chocolate, or any other various combinations.

  190. I’ve always loved that pattern–I bought a copy long ago–but I’ve never gotten around to it. Yours looks absolutely smashing. I may have to change my no-sweater-knitting streak. You look great!

  191. 1. Vest is awesome! I want it, but I’m not sure how well it would look on someone who is less generously sized in the chest area.
    2. I don’t like bananas in anything but bananas. My husband once made banana pancakes and I threatened to divorce him.
    3. I voted early, and I’ve been completely unable to focus since. I join the rest of the world in hopeful and anxious anticipation.

  192. The Banana Pudding recipe form Magnolia Cafe in NYC is TO DIE FOR! When there, I often do this:
    -Stand in line to by cupcakes and pudding.
    -Gleefully run around the corner and immediately eat the pudding on the stoop. It never makes it back to the hotel.
    They have a book out with the recipe that you should be able to find at the library.

  193. Believe you me, the suspense is killing us more!! I am glued to the news trying to do homework. News is winning 102 to 49 (and so is Obama).

  195. The color and the style of the vest are just right for you.
    Happy Birthday to Joe!
    A la Marina and Gillian’s earlier BananaPlans:
    Melt about a tsp of butter, add a shake of cinnamon and a few pine nuts. Brown the pine nuts lightly. Add banana(s) in a single layer and cook til soft but not mushy,stirring to coat with the butter and cinnamon mixture. I LOVE sugar, but I don’t feel the need to add sugar to ripe bananas cooked in this manner.
    MinM

  196. Happy birthday, Joe!
    Great knits, Stephanie!
    Now for the bananas: I don’t like banans very much, but this cake–great–and truly better the 2nd day!
    Chocolate Banana Cake
    ¾ c. butter or margarine
    1 ¾ c. white sugar
    2 eggs
    1 ¼ c. mashed bananas
    1 tsp. vanilla
    2 c. flour
    ¾ c. cocoa
    1 ½ tsp. baking powder
    1 tsp. baking soda
    ¾ tsp. salt
    ¾ c. sour milk (put 1 tbsp. vinegar in ¾ c. measuring cup, fill with milk)
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter with sugar and eggs. Mix in banana and vanilla. Mix flour with remaining dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 parts, alternately with sour milk, beginning and ending with flour. Pour into two 8” or 9×13” greased pan(s). Bake in oven about 40 minutes. When cool, frost generously with chocolate butter or cream cheese frosting. (Gina Johnson)

  197. Haven’t tried this yet but my gs is Banana crazy so I will soon.
    BTW–love the vest!
    Banana-Oatmeal Power Cookies
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup flaked coconut
    1/2 cup rolled oats
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
    6 tablespoons butter room temperature
    1 ripe banana, mashed
    1 large egg, room temperature
    1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or golden raisins
    1/2 cup chopped walnuts
    Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease 1 or 2 baking sheets.
    In a bowl, stir together the flour, coconut, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until fluffy. Add the banana and egg and beat with a fork until blended. Stir in the flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, then stir in the apricots and the walnuts.
    Spoon the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through baking if 2 pans were used.
    Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet(s) on a rack for about 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
    Yields about 18 cookies.

  199. I voted, too. Right after I finished a knitting project. That took some priority to all of this nonsense here in the States. I can’t wait for it to be over.

  200. I love the vest! It looks perfect.
    Peel the bananas, cut in half, and stick a popsicle stick in one end of each piece. Freeze for an hour. Dip in melted chocolate and freeze for another hour (or not) before eating. Banana cream pie can be good, too.
    Also, caramelized banana with rum sauce – recipe on epicurious.com.

  201. I second banans foster … and would like to also suggest banana splits(yum!_
    When I make banana bread, I make it in a bundt pan, and add blueberries to it. Whne it comes out of the pan, I drizzle the top with a lemon glaze — and you would never think it is banana bread!
    Oh, also – I haven’t tried this, but have been wanting to — a few years ago, in a magazine carrying the name of a certain former inmate (rhymes with Dartha Dewart), she suggested lightly cooking some slices of banana in a bit of butter, then flipping the slice over and pouring a dollop of pancake batter over each slice to make cookie sized pancakes with a nice warm carmelized banana in the center of each — you can top a bunch with your favorite pancake topping, molasses, maple syrup, Aunt Jemimah, or your favorite fruit sauce and have yummy little bundeles of good! sounded delicious (the magazine article came out 6 years ao and I have thought of making it often)

  202. BANANA RECIPE—> I think this recipe is to die for… 1)I love bread puddings; 2)I love bananas; I read this blog and one day she had a recipe for Banana Bread Pudding; I made it immediately..I almost ATE it by myself, immediately. It’s an Aussie blog: down-to-earth. I hope they have a search engine….when capturing the url, it does a general blog address capture (whaaaa?? we’re drinking wine and eating good chocolate and digestive biscuits and watching the returns!). Alter it at will (like I did).
    Viva Ca-na-da and our new President!
    Christine

  203. Your vest is simply spectacular and VERY flattering, in all respects. Congratulations on that and the book arrival.
    p.s. Voted early this morning.

  204. bannanas? get some dulce de leche (or cajeta as its sometimes called) where you buy latin american groceries….peel the bannanas, one per person and cut in 2 inch pieces, place in baking dish and spoon the dulce de leche(about a tablspoon for each bannana) over the top of them…..bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees and serve over ice cream …hope you all like it as much as we do…. and happy birthday joe!

  206. OK I haven’t read all the comments, but I have seen more than a few recipes! So I will post my Banana Cranberry muffin recipe 🙂
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    2 tsp baking power
    1 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp salt
    3 large ripe bananas, mashed
    1/4 scant cup, white sugar
    1 large egg
    1/3 cup butter, melted
    1/4 tsp vanilla
    frozen cranberries, to taste (I add about a cup but I really like cranberries)
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175C). Use paper liners in muffin tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
    Combine bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans
    Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly pressed.
    I cook at altitude so if you are at sea-level you might want to watch your cooking times.
    Enjoy!
    PS Love the vest!

  207. Banana smoothies.
    Banana pancakes.
    Banana splits.
    Fruit salad.
    Banana cake with peanut butter icing.
    Banana french toast.
    Fried bananas.
    Dried bananas.
    Grilled bananas with marshmallows and chocoalte chips.
    Can you tell I grew up in the topics?

  208. Love the vest! It looks great on you.
    that new lace looks scary complicated!
    banana= smoothies I toss one in the blender with a handful of frozen blueberries and a bit of vanilla yogurt, my kids will drink it for breakfast. Also a good breakfast for those on the run. just remember to rinse out the blender.
    What the pattern for the pink scarf?

  210. Happy Birthday Joe!
    As for bananas? Sautee in butter and a little brown sugar for a few minutes, pour 1/4 rum over, stand back and ignite, shake pan until flames subside, cook a few minutes longer until carmelized. Serve over ice cream.
    Also, please name that scarf. I have 800 yards of grey cashmere and a directive to knit a cabled scarf.

  211. A veggie venture
    kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com
    has a recipe for sweet potato and banana puree
    — I’ve never tried the recipe but it does
    use bananas!

  212. If the election suspense is driving the rest of the world nuts, you should be living here. I did my bit for Obama and other worthy Democrats. In Nebraska, it is a lonely job. Just call me a blue dot in a red state! Here’s hoping for change. Nice vest. Looks great on you! Jane

  214. The vest looks perfect on you! WE make alot of banana pancakes around here. Slather them in maple syrup too. Adding chocolate to the banana bread can change things up a bit too. I did see a woman slice banana onto her curry the other day. I don’t like banana texture much but she enjoyed it!

  215. Happy Birthday Joe!
    I love the vest! Great color on you and so pretty!
    As for the bananas, how about Bananas Foster?
    What pattern are you using for your new scarf?
    I hope you find your sock 🙁 It was very nice!
    I did my duty and voted this morning, and I must say that the suspense is killing me too!
    Best of luck with trying not to buy fleece as well… I’m very weak when it comes to buying fleece and yarn, so I hope you have better luck than I would 😉

  216. Hi
    You knit so fast! I like the color! I like to eat bananas with oatmeal, smoothie. It’s very tasty.
    I’m so excited to see the results.

  217. Well, if you have a food dehydrator you could make banana chips. Or try banana muffins. They go like hotcakes in my house if I throw in some chocolate chips. Walnuts are good in there too. Or make fruit smoothies. Or get a pet monkey. I’ll stop now. Happy birthday, Joe!

  218. I don’t like fresh bananas, they taste bitter to me. But I prefer treating them as a vegetable than in sweet things. Try thick slices of green banana cooked with sweet potato and onion. Coconut milk and curry spices are good too. Also saw some recipes for banana dumplings in black bean stew that looked interesting.

  219. 1. The vest looks great.
    2. I voted.
    3. I like banana pancakes, I like Jack Johnson’s
    Banana Pancakes. I have a recipe for banana
    bars that are like a thin banana cake/brownie
    with a thin icing. E-mail if you are interested in the recipe.
    4. I think Autumn’s recipe (bananas, butter, bown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg on oatmeal)
    would also be good on top of vanilla ice cream…mmmm.

  221. Congrats on all your weekend productivity! I notice that there is not a #7 on your list so I am taking the liberty of providing one for you: 7. Reflecting on my recent speaking tour and came to the conclusion that despite how exhausted I was, I REALLY REALLY want to go back to Florida on a regular basis and see those wonderful heat hoarding knitters again. I’ve made this decision because, despite the rumors to the contrary, the sun has not totally fried their brains nor evaporated their desire to knit and knit and knit. They are, to a certain extent, the disenfranchised of knitters just because of the stinking hot climate they endure most of the year. They deserve and need as much, if not more, knitterly care and visitation as folks where it is not 81 degrees (F) in October. Even if they find a way to screw up and prolong even further the incessant presidential election, again. Plus it might give me a respite and an edge to withstand and win the furnace wars every year.” (No charge 😉 and thanks for coming down. I know you were bee-zausted. We loved having you visit! ~ RAVELRY “Pippin67”

  222. Happy Birthday, Joe! (I think you should ask your wife to knit you a grey handspun gansey for your 50th.)

  223. Love the vest. It’s just knitterly enough. As a southern American; I think if it’s good enough to have killed Elvis it’s good enough for me, so I recommend grilled peanut butter & banana sandwiches for a different taste sensation. What’s the name of the new scarf pattern? It looks yummy.

  224. I voted at 7am. I was told I was lucky number 13 in line. Hmmmm, if they knew how I voted they may not have said that…Lets just say I am another small blue dot in a very red state, (Idaho).
    Love the vest. I am thinking I should try it….I have been following the blog about the addition of the extra diamond. I think it looks much more balanced that way. It looks terrific on you.
    What is the pattern for the scarf?

  225. Love the vest. Love, love, love.
    Maybe the scarf thing is catching. I’ve done 2 of “Branching Out” (my first “lace” – not so very lacey, but you inspired me to try with all your pretty lace).
    Bananas: smoothies. If the bananas are getting to the bread stage, peel them, throw them in a zip lock, throw that in the freezer, and make smoothies at will. About 1 cup of milk, a little vanilla, a few ice cubes, a frozen banana = easy breakfast or snack. My teens still love them and you can throw in whatever else makes you (or them) happy, like other frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, etc.) or those peaches that are getting sort of soft, or whatever. For extra health – substitute yogurt for 1/2 the milk. Flavored, plain, whatever.
    Enjoy!

  226. Gosh, I wish I’d seen this earlier! I did vote, and it looks like we’re making history here.
    For the spare bananas, peel them once ripe and put them in the freezer whole, then, when you’re really hankering for ice cream but don’t want to feel guilty about eating ice cream, take three whole frozen bananas, put them in a blender or food processor and add 3/4 cup soy milk. Blend until smooth and icy.
    Yum.

  227. Love the vest!
    I also love the scarf! What pattern??? Haven’t found one that caught my eye to make as a gift till this one :-).

  229. I want you to sign my copy of your new book at knit night tomorrow, but there’s no way I’m making it because I have to do this going to teach thing in Boston this weekend so I can’t make it. Stop taunting me.

  231. Wishes for a VERY good year ahead for you Joe. Hope you enjoyed your weekend . Stephanie , that vest looks perfect on you. thank you for showing it on. would love to try the scarf with beads it sure looks like my cuppa tea . can hardly wait to see it blocked. THE BOOK has arrived at long last in Canada eh ? Oh oh wished I lived closer I’d be there tomorrow for sure.

  232. i voted this morning at 8 am and took my 5 year old daughter with, and am super excited about the current projections…

  233. I voted — only waited in line 15 minutes but I had my knitting at the ready in case of lines.
    I HATE that I cannot wear anything knitterly (except socks) to work as I wear scrubs 🙁
    What pattern are you using for the pink scarf? It looks soft and smooshy and like something I *must* have!

  234. I did vote! Several people have suggested peeling, slicing and freezing the bananas for later use in smoothies. Good idea, but I also suggest using a small piece of banana in your margaritas. Here is my recipe:
    6 oz frozen limeade
    6 oz tequilla (I use El Jimador)
    4 oz orange liquor (triple sec is traditional, but I prefer Paula’s orange)
    1/4 to 1/3 of a frozen (preferably over-ripe) banana
    Add all to your blender, and fill with ice
    blend until smooth
    The banana adds a little sweetness, and makes it super smooth – drink slowly, they are stronger than they taste!

  235. I agree with the suggestion of bananas & cottage cheese -esp with nuts & pineapple – it’s yummier even than it sounds. The vest looks great on you – fits very nicely. I voted mid-day & there was a bit of a line – unheard of in this neighborhood composed almost entirely of folks who work downtown, I have been on pins & needles ever since. I received the invitation to the big party in Grant Park (I wish someone would tell David Gregory that it is in downtown Chicago, not on the douth side) & am sorry now I didn’t ask for tickets – would’ve made a great memento (I am too old to spend much of the night outdoors with no chair to sit on). What is the pattern for the second scarf? It looks familiar & I really like it (like the first one too but I am looking for a warm winter scarf).

  236. LOVE the vest, you always make the right decision!
    Freeze the bananas and then use them in place of oil in baking for low-fat goodies that sometimes really don’t taste like banana at all! I learned this and other baking skills in art school–go figure!

  238. Oooh what’s the scarf pattern? Things are looking good for Obama, lets keep it that way silly polls!

  239. Uncharacteristically, I have not read all 226 comments because I get dizzy switching browser windows after each one to see if there are new election results. (Believe me we’re dying of suspense here too!)
    However-for bananas-
    Banana Boats
    Peel back one strip of skin from the banana. Cut a triangular wedge out of it. Fill the hollow thus created with chocolate chips and miniature marshmallows (or the sweet filling of your choice- coconut, perhaps?) stick the wedge over the top and lay the skin back down. Wrap the whole banana in foil and then bake at 350 until the banana is cooked and the chocolate and marshmallow melted. (Don’t recall the exact time- I’d start with 15 min, but it’s probably closer to 20-30 to cook it.) When done, peel back foil and loose banana skin and spoon cooked banana mixture out and eat. (These were a staple of camping trips in my youth- can be done over a campfire.)

  240. You could try banana-chocolate-chip pancakes, they are num. Maybe more of a weekend thing or for-dinner thing than a weekday breakfast, but num all the same. With whipped cream. And hot chocolate.
    Great vest! It makes me want to knit vests.

  241. Yay the vest turned out wonderful.
    When it comes to crochet I can never get my tension right, I all ways start off to loose and then tighten up towards the rest, ending up in a fish tale shape.
    OK as far a bananas go you can do Bananas Flambe (with out flambe)
    3 bananas, cut into 1/4″ slices
    1/4 cups light brown sugar
    4 tbsp. unsalted butter
    1/4 cups liquor, bicardi or malibu rum
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    1 – 2 cups vanilla ice-cream, to serve
    Directions:
    Slice the bananas and set them aside.
    Heat a 10″ skillet over medium heat and add the butter and light brown sugar. Stir until ingredients are incorporated and simmering.
    Add the bananas and spread them evenly. Simmer them for a few minutes and gently stir them to insure they are cooked evenly. The bananas will start to become slightly translucent during this process. The goal is to have soft bananas but not baby food.
    Lower the heat and pour the liquor into a measuring cup. Add vanilla extract to the measuring cup then add to the skillet. Turn the heat off and gently stir.
    Serve with the vanilla ice-cream.
    NOTE: There is no need to set the bananas on fire because the amount of liquor is not sufficient. This dish is fantastic and has a strong hint of liquor, but is not overpowering.

  242. I have never been to the Royal Winter Fair. Do any yarn shop exhibit there? I don’t spin so I won’t be buying any fleece : (

  243. What I do with Bananas as I frequently buy them and then overestimate how many we will eat is I make banana muffins and then freeze them in gallon sized zippy bags and take out a few and have hubby grab them for breakfast. If I mix it up with other muffins it works great. It was especially nice when he was out the door at 5:15 am.
    I already voted so I’m just anxiously awaiting results.
    Happy Birthday To Joe! A younger man, cute! And I love your vest. It definitely looks professional but knitterly. And BEAUTIFUL!

  245. Vest is very cute. You can use the bananas as a fat sub in lots of baked goods, just like you would use applesauce. The banana flavor comes through a bit more, where the applesauce is a more neutral replacement. You could try brownies and use the bananas in place of the oil/butter and see what happens.
    Also, Southerners (but not me so much, as I’m not a fan of bananas unless they are in bread form) are pretty fond of banana pudding. Vanilla pudding with sliced bananas added and Nilla Wafer “crust”. That’s the very traditional way of making. I’m sure the internets will have a multitude of recipes.
    And could you make ice cream with them? Just a thought.

  248. Happy birthday, Joe.
    I queued the Waves of Grain scarf on Ravelry almost before the photo finished loading. I’ve got miles (literally) of lace weight yarn that I should use, but I’m really tempted to buy the alpaca you used.
    As for the bananas, may I suggest Bananas Foster over vanilla ice cream for a special end to an ordinary meal? Less elaborately, my mother used to serve sliced bananas with half-and-half and a little sugar for dessert. I didn’t notice at the time, but I now suspect that was on hectic days.

  249. Well, at 11:00 EST, they called it for Obama….is that early enough for the rest of the world? And we thought it was going to be a late night!

  250. OBAMA ELECTED !!! MCCAIN CONCEDED!! BARAK OBAMA THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

  254. McCain is making a rather nice speech, actually. It’s only the book-burning hottie-boom-bodi I wasn’t too fond of, anyway.

  255. Happy Birthday to Joe! The vest looks awesome, too!!
    Need help with the bananas? Just trust me and try this recipe. It’s a huge favourite in my family and is absolutely incredible.
    Banana Avocado Chocolate pudding
    Ingredients
    * 1 Banana
    * 1 Avocado (with black skin)
    * 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (or to taste, original recipe specifies 1 tbsp)
    * add honey to sweeten to your tastes
    Instructions
    Blend everything together with a blender and serve or chill in the refrigerator before serving.
    This tastes great on its own, but you can also use it as a dip for fresh fruit

  256. Nice work on salvaging the mini-vest! The yarn looks stellar in the photos.
    Yes I voted absentee (not so exciting as it was in Washington state, but I did vote!).
    I am now somewhat less embarrassed to hold US citizenship, and I am sure the Obama presidency has to be better than the horrendous Bush years …

  257. Seems we figured that pesky election thing out rather nicely. This is one of the first turns the candidates were persons of significant merit, and I am so proud of this country for the outcome. Raise a glass; we might be on our way to growing up. Oh, Happy B-Day Joe, and, nifty vest, Harlot. Many more –

  258. The vest looks wonderful!
    I voted for the first time ever this year and I am incredibly proud to have helped change things for the better. Thank you for encouraging people to vote!
    As for the bananas, they are quite tasty if you peel them, put them on sticks (like a popsicle) freeze them until they feel solid and then sip them in melted chocolate. You can also slice them before you freeze them for smaller/easier servings.

  259. The vest looks fabulous! I’ve crocheted longer than I’ve knit and anytime I crochet an edge on anything I use a single crochet. 1)it seems more stable, less stretchy, and 2) its not as “tall” as a double crochet. These are American terms, in case you were wondering. 🙂
    I voted, and knit in line! I had a lot of people ask me about my knitting and say that if they knew how to knit they’d knit in line too, which made me happy.
    Banana Pudding (with instant pudding, Nilla wafers and thinly sliced bananas) is always a favorite at my house and is gone really quickly. I also like to slice them over cereal sometimes. I was talking to a lady today that made a “Hawaiian Banana Bread” taking crushed pineapple and putting it into the banana nut bread recipe. It sounded good, and may give your banana bread a new twist!

  260. Lady, I’ve not only voted already, but my great candidate has been declared the new President Elect! Yes! Guess this almost-62 year old knitter won’t be moving to Canada after all.
    The vest is beautiful. And I love that alpaca lace. Alpaca is – to me – sooo much better than cashmere – really!

  262. Extra bananas? Banana Pudding! 9×13 inch pan (or anything similar size, really). Line with vanilla wafer cookies (or almond cookies, or shortbread cookies). Pile on a lot of ripe, sliced bananas. Cover with vanilla pudding. Chill in the fridge. Dish it up with whipped cream. It’s better the next day when the cookies get soft and mushy, but it rarely lasts that long in my house.
    Add mashed bananas to your morning oatmeal. Make banana and peanut butter sandwiches and pretend you’re Elvis.

  263. I have no idea what to do with bananas. Have it stop coming in the box if you can? The vest is lovely. It’s very flattering. And you are not alone in your scarf phase… I am there right along with you.
    PS: IT’S OBAMA!

  264. Happy birthday to Joe.
    Your vest turned out really great, glad you managed to sort it out.
    I was just oggling the Waves of Grain pattern the other day but shied away when I saw ‘beads’!

  265. Happy Birthday, Joe!
    I am happy that the suspense is over for you! I voted for Obama 11 days ago! I went with my 19 year old daughter who voted for the first time. It was like magic. I also need to make that cabley pink scarf!!!

  267. You could always freeze the bananas. It’s like a healthy popsicle (remember to peel it BEFORE freezing – it’s a lot easier that way). Can also dip the bananas in chocolate and then freeze them (put a stick/skewer in them for easy eating later).

  268. I voted early Tuesday morning…. Nothing personal, but I’m glad I don’t have to move to Canada!

  269. We DID IT. We have HOPE again. I have faith in my country once more. Hell of a birthday gift, Joe!!

  270. Hey Steph! so glad to see a blog from you today (I was starting to feel withdrawl) happy birthday to Joe a younger man Steph…uh … rob that cradle…;) THAT SCARF PATTERN IS FANTASTIC did you create it? or is it written down somewhere? FYI I’m an american who voted today and not only did my candidate win but just for having voted Ben & Jerry’s gave out free ice cream today to all those who voted, ain’t america grand 🙂

  272. Hey Canadian lady !!!! Thank God…we Americans are not as stupid as I feared we were!!! Maybe we can be more like you guys, now…GO PRESIDENT OBAMA!!

  273. I like the lace, and happy birthday to Joe!
    I recommend making up a Polka Dot Bacchini bread (chocolate chip zucchini/banana bread). We dont have a set recipe, but each time we re-create it, it works great and goes fast.

  274. I freeze my very ripe and unused bananas and make fruit smoothes out of them
    RRamus
    ( the girl that gave you tomatos in california)

  276. Hmm, bananas eh? Not much of a fan of them, myself, but my mother makes these banana pancakes that are killer. Barely even taste like the things, but they are SO MOIST you almost don’t need syrup or butter. Almost.
    PS. I voted, and the results are in. We have made history, and elected an African American man as president. Yes we can, and yes we did! 😀
    I feel a celebratory yarn purchase coming on…

  277. things besides banana bread:
    put on a kabob stick, freeze it, dip in that chocolate shell stuff, and roll in ground pecans; put with yogurt and strawberries in a blender for a smoothie; mash and add to other recipes as a sugar substitute; freeze with peels on and defrost and squeeze like a toothpaste tube into things like hot oatmeal; add slices to jello; add slices to vanilla pudding; make banana cream pie with vanilla wafers, vanilla pudding and banana slices; cut lengthwise, roll in flour, and fry.
    signed
    a bananafanaobamamama

  278. The vest looks fabulous! I love the adaptations you made to it; maybe I’ll add those to the new shop model I’m knitting.

  280. Happy Birthday to Joe! Gorgeous vest and scarf. Take your banana bread batter and mix in some chocolate chips, then bake it in a cake pan and frost with chocolate frosting–yum! Bananas also are great in smoothies. A banana, a couple of ice cubes, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, and some soy milk or yogurt whirled in the blender makes an awesome breakfast drink.

  281. Happy Belated, Joe! Forty is great!!
    We are so HAPPY here in the U.S. of A! It’s been an amazing night. We can all breathe a bit easier…
    p.s. Great vest… and I love the lace!

  282. First, happy birthday Joe.
    Secondly, thank you for the Wanigan link. Believe it or not, Mount Albert is on their delivery route! This will make things much easier for me, as with the RA it’s hard for me to get shopping done for fresh stuff. This is a great alternative.
    Thanks a ton!

  283. At comment 281 you probably know this by now, but that is the BEST vest! I love the pattern, the color, the fit…very nice indeed, without being too knitterly. Bananas are very good served with ice cream, or in smoothies. Sometimes, instead of banana bread we prefer banana chocolate chip muffins. (who doesn’t prefer chocolate?)

  284. Happy birthday, Joe! You are a class act, and I hope that you and the family had a wonderful day. Stephanie, your perserverence was worth it. The vest looks spectacular! I’m not usually very political, but the outcome of this election will have an effect on those of us north of the 49th, too. (Okay, technically I’m south of the 49th, as we live in Victoria, but that’s just getting too nitpicky…….) I’m hugely relieved that Mr. Obama prevailed.

  286. We did it! I’m finally really, really proud to be a U.S. citizen, and excited about what the entire country decided! I’m in Chicago, and the energy here is just incredible.
    (enough to make me post a comment!)
    Happy birthday Joe!

  287. You can use banana puree in place of the fat in other recipes. Pancakes, perhaps? I also love a good banana in a smoothie. My grandmother used to stick a popsicle stick in bananas, dip them in chocolate and then freeze them.

  289. Happy happy, Joe!! (belated, but sincere)
    Love the vest, love the scarf, love the results of the election!
    I voted 20 minutes after early voting opened here in Florida and have been riding the hope/fear rollercoaster ever since. So relieved to get off it and thrilled to see it stopped at “hope” and not “fear”.
    And the banana thing? I can’t help you there, as they give me migraines. (I know! Whoever heard of such a thing?!)
    Much love from the Sunshine State, Stephanie, to you and yours. And again, happy birthday, Joe!

  290. Well all the best husbands had their birthday last weekend- i.e. mine too! Happy belated birthday Joe.
    No I haven’t seen your sock, but of course now I desperately want to buy some basan.
    How about raspberry & banana muffins. Or you could add a banana to a curry – sounds wierd but is really lovely.
    The vest looks great.

  291. banana bread freezes, gifts, and when you add lemon emulsion, is to DIE for.
    have you tried adding mini chocolate chips, walnuts, and other fruits to your bread? do you spread cream cheese on the bread? have you ever toasted it and drizzled honey over toasted banana bread?
    bananas and honey on peanut butter on bagels or bread are a great breakfast/lunch/snack.
    we are almost in the lefse season, my DH makes 20 dozen with the DK’s and freezes it for the non lefse adept in his family. We always leave them (and us) wanting more, and it is a delightful surprise for anyone who does not or cannot bake.

  292. The international term for crochet is chart language! Before I knit, I crochet a lot mostly doilies and small purses. My family, my mother and my sister, and me learnt it from Japan book, so it’s all charted. Until now for the life of me I don’t know which one is single or double or if it called different in American or England, but if you gave me the chart I’ll hook it for you 🙂

  293. bananas fried up and served with corn fritters and meat in a breadcrumb (personally prefer matzos crumbed) batter. <3

  295. Wow, there’s a lot to comment on so please bear with me. 1st – Happy birthday Joe!!!! 2nd – What a very cool scarf. I like the color beads you picked out. 3rd – The vest is stunning! The length is perfect and it looks great on you. (Sure there was a squirrel in the tree LOL!)I really love the color of the yarn. Foxhill is a local farm and I see her at all the festivals. They have great stuff. 4th – I would be beside myself if they had a Wanigans here. That is so cool and the prices seem very reasonable. I can understand the banana problem. I only like to eat them by themselves when they are barely ripe, after that they get yucky (to me anyways.) If you are sick of banana bread, you can always make banana muffins, banana cake, banana cream pie, sauted bananas (like Bananas Foster), dried bananas, and banana smoothies, and one of our family favorites frozen bananas. You push a stick into a just ripe banana and freeze it. After it’s frozen you dip it into melted chocolate, then maybe some chopped nuts, coconut, or colored sprinkles for little kids, and then refreeze it. Yum! For your banana bread,have you ever tried adding dried coconut, some pineapple and a little rum. It’s like heaven! 5th – Yet another cool scarf. I am just amazed at how fast you knit and how much you get done. I took a class with Cat Bordhi and she said that you were probably the fastest knitter she had ever seen. You must be to get so much done. Books, blogs, banana bread and finished knitting projects. Pretty darned amazing! I’m thrilled when I finish knitting a hat! And finally – Our whole family goes and votes at the same time. After my husband and son got home we all went together and voted. It makes my son very proud to be able to vote. Me too. Happy knitting!

  296. Happy Birthday to Joe, and well done on a very successful vest-venture. It looks just perfect and is making me think I’d like a few vests in the wardrobe – after I give birth in January!!!
    Man, I wish there was an LYS like Lettuce Knit where I am… those fantastic classes and studio space? *sigh*

  297. Love the vest 🙂
    Our favourite recipe for using up bananas is to bake them in a cinnamon sauce.
    Break up the bananas into 1 inch pieces and arrange in a deep casserole dish.
    Mix up 1/2 tablespoon of corn flour, 1/2 tablespoon of dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in a cup of warm water.
    Pour the resulting syrup mix in a small sauce pan, with another half cup of water and heat gently, stirring all the time until the syrup starts to thicken.
    Pour the syrup over the banana’s and cover with a lid. Pop them into a warm oven for about half an hour, which should be enough to cook the bananas, then serve hot with ice cream.

  299. Baked bananas are lovely. I cook mine in the Ramoska with tinned apricots – and serve with low fat Greek yoghurt – totally delicious. A more naughty version in the oven or on the BBQ is to slice the nanna lengthwise, slice a Mars Bar lengthwise too, place the Mars between the banana slices, wrap tightly in foil and bake – wonderful and oh so naughty.
    Hope Joe had a wonderful day.

  300. The vest looks great!
    I am wondering how you will block the alpaca scarf? I have an alpaca shrug on the needles and read that it really can stretch a lot when blocking. So I have stopped knitting and doing a swatch but I am hesitant to proceed….
    Jane

  301. That vest looks really good on you. Glad you were able to work out the issue with length without strangling the pattern designer! 😉
    As far as other banana recipes go, I’m allergic, but I’ve found that RecipeZaar.com is an invaluable source of awesomeness for cooking!

  302. We voted. Watching election returns is a good excuse to spin. I’m happy with the results. Are you?

  303. the sweater looks fantastic. That class also sounds wonderful, I would love to go to a class telling me how to buy roving, I am clueless. As for what to do with bananas? how about banana pancakes? banana pudding?

  304. You could always make banana smooties in the blender with another fruit. Banana Cream pie. Or would that be liking eating out of hand. Texture thing going on? Sweater looks great. Hope you find your sock.

  307. 1. Super vest, looks great on you!
    2. I voted for the first time in several years….
    3. Favorite use for bananas: my breakfast at least 4 days per week is one banana, one cup (I use the measurement loosely, there is no real measuring involved) organic lowfat vanilla yoghurt, and one cup of frozen mixed fruit. Mix the heck out of it in a blender. Yum!

  309. Happy belated birthday to Joe. I voted too, and since it’s now Wednesday a.m. — how did we do? I think the savory banana recipe in a tortilla from an earlier comment sound really good. I saw a recipe on the food network (Michael Chiarello) — leaving the bananas in the skins, slice partially through lengthwise, spread the slice with Nutella, add mini marshmallows and wrap in tin foil. Grill for 5-8 minutes (you might be able to do in the oven) and you have a great desert. Man are these good! Can you link to the pink scarf pattern? I love it as much as most of the things you do.

  312. That vest looks fantastic!
    Will you please share where you found that pattern for that pink cabley scarf at the end of your post? Looks reversible too… Thank you!

  313. So, you are a cradle robber. I hope that Joe got a hand-knit gansey for his birthday. Am very glad that the election is finally over, although now we will endure endless analysis and speculation on cabinet choices. It never ends. Why don’t you get the grocery people to swap out the bananas for a more user-friendly fruit? Ideas for use? Well, I haven’t done anything with a banana that hasn’t already been suggested. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

  314. One: happy birthday, joe!!
    two: awesome vest.
    three: nice couple of scarves.
    four: add semisweet chocolate chunks to the banana bread.
    five: I can’t crochet with american patterns, either. I learned how to crochet and knit in Germany when I was 8, simultaneously, and my hands know what to do. I learned how to read english and american knitting patterns. Crochet? Forget it. Not happening.
    six: see election results. Whew.

  315. PS that yarn really is much more brown than the original picture made it seem. It’s a good color on you.

  317. Love the vest! The yarn color is so gorgeous and so Fall and looks great on you. Love both scarves. Can’t wait to tackle a scarf like “waves of grain myself”. Just finished making a lace pattern sweater and a lace scarf — I cursed a lot but determination (thankfully) won out! The results for both were good — especially when you see your daughter modeling the sweater and it fits so perfectly!
    What is the name of the cabled scarf that you are knitting? Is it an original or yours?

  318. Take MizKathyChin’s recipe (found above) and pile it all on top of a tortilla. Bake in oven until crispy. A little whip cream once it’s on a plate wouldn’t hurt.

  320. A belated Happy Birthday to Joe. The vest looks great. This length is definitely “you”. Think it would have to be a bit longer even for me. Seeing all these new sweaters and vests on Ravelry is making me want to make one for myself, because I sure don’t want a store bought one.

  321. We started making smoothies with our bananas. We cut them in half and freeze them (without the skin) and also freeze strawberries and whatever else was fresh and reasonable. Everything else lasts in the freezer but the bananas need to be eaten within the month.
    We put the frozen bananas in the blender (1 or 2 pieces depending on your taste) 4-5 strawberries, some blueberries or raspberries, some Acai juice and either Soy or Almond Milk and let it rip. This has become one of our favorite breakfasts around here!

  322. Having lived through the turbulent 60s, it was with great pride that I cast my vote yesterday morning for a person of color. Despite all the flaws of our country, I believe that the historic outcome of this election is a sign of the social progress we have made as a nation and hopefully will continue to make. Despite the huge challenges that lie ahead, there is a wonderful feeling of optimism in the air today. To echo the refrain of the Springsteen song that played after Obabma left the stage at Grant Park last night, “Come on up for the rising!”

  323. Dude! The vest looks great. I SO wish I could pull off a vest like that but I have a little too much on the front porch. I didn’t get to participate in the election, but I did get to stay up late listening to all the cheers and honking in the street when they announced who won. Whew!

  324. Banana cookies! Quite similar in texture to the pumpkin cookies on the Libby’s Pumpkin can. Or Banana-Oatmeal cookies. 🙂 🙂 🙂

  325. I happened to be cruising your project page on Ravelry last nite & saw the outcome of THE vest! It really looks great, and appears to fit fine! As for our long-awaited election, we cast our votes early and stayed up late to revel in it all!It boggles my mind that we lived to see this in our lifetime! What an achievement!!!

  326. What is your banana bread recipe?
    Do you add cardimom?
    I find that it makes the taste more interesting.

  327. Wow, that vest is so perfect! I love the idea of a nice-fitting vest. (esp. after I made a crappy-fitting vest!) Really good work!
    And as an American, may I say, YES we did! GObama!

  329. Smoothies are great things to put bananas in! Very kid friendly and yet another thing to use the margarita blender for. Yogurt, bananas, another fruit, maybe a touch of ice or frozen berries, blend and wha-la… Breakfast.

  331. The vest turned out great – Also love the pink scarf at the end.
    Sliced bananas on a bowl of cheerios or rice krispies is my fave (but if you just don’t like the texture of bananas, then this doesn’t help).
    Peanut butter – banana sandwiches are tasty. With or without honey. Raisins (or other dried fruit or apples or potato chips) might be a good addition here.
    Or banana-nut muffins? There are banana bread recipes with chocolate chips in them. The author of the blog Orangette, I think, has a strong love for banana bread and probably several variations.

  332. The vest looks great!
    I have a great recipe for banana ice cream (it only involves 4 bananas and about 30 minutes). I’ve also seen pudding recipes where you layer nilla or ginger cookies with vanilla pudding and banana slices (I mix my pudding with mini chocolate chips for extra fun). Both are good options that have nothing to do with more bread!

  333. a drunk howler monkey on smack . . . wow. I like it. I voted, and I am extremely happy with the outcome of the election.

  334. My son loves banana juice (ripe bananas, water, lemon juice to keep it from going a really gross colour, and maybe a little sugar if required).

  335. The wheat color is just perfect on that yarn – beautiful!
    How about Banana Chocolate Chip Scones? There is an accompanying chocolate cream cheese in the recipe I have….though I have never actually made it, as the scones are more than good enough on their own, and then I don’t feel so bad eating them for breakfast! (They have yoghurt and fruit in them – this makes them breakfast food in my eyes, even if they might otherwise be dessert!)

  336. make ‘naner puddin with extra bananas. some nilla wafers, pudding and banana slices=delicious!

  339. My kids and I were up half the night watching election returns. Even thru the TV set, the energy is incredible. We are so excited for CHANGE at long last.
    I have to tell you: I emailed a guy friend who lives in another state, asking him to pack some sock knitting and a camera when he went out campaigning. He doesn’t even knit! so I told him to learn some stitches, or have his wife do so, and be ready to grab a sock photo shoot with some political big shot (for your Docs w/out Borders fund). He declined, saying he is just a door knocker, never sees any candidate personally. Well Tues. aft. who popped up next to him to say “Thanks for helping” but his State Senator?!! I am totally giving him grief for that!
    Cory

  340. Happy Birthday, Joe!
    At the moment, all bananas go into Theo, my 8 month old, but I use them in smoothies too, like everyone else here, seemingly!
    Your tanktop is BEAUTIFUL! You look shapely, professional and exactly knitterly enough.
    Now, must get some sleep after being up half the night to watch the election on UK time…

  341. Not only did I vote, I will be knitting a celebration of it! (See Nocturnal Knits’s Hope Sweater, from her upcoming “Picture Knits”; she posted the free pattern on her blog.)
    As for the bananas…well, I don’t like ’em. But what about smoothies (add milk, yogurt, berries, maybe some honey & whirl in the blender). Or freeze them and dip ’em in chocolate for pops?
    Happy Birthday to your Joe!

  342. Banana cake, my grandma’s recipe:
    1-1/2 c. sugar
    1/2 c. butter
    2 eggs
    1/3 c. buttermilk (add a little vinegar or lemon juice to milk)
    1/2 c. hot water
    1 t. baking soda
    2 c. flour
    dash of salt
    2 mashed bananas
    Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs. Alternately add flour/soda/salt with milk/water. Add bananas. Bake in a 9″x13″ pan at 375 (Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes.
    Frosting: Combine milk with powdered sugar until frosting reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.

  343. Vest looks just great, I want one now! Happy Birthday to Joe, just 40 eh, I will be 54 in December….. scary.
    Bananas, have you ever made Banana tea cake. I think I got the recipe out of the old Betty Crocker cookbook, the red and white check book. I make that, no frosting and it’s pretty yummy. I do want to say that as many above me have pointed out that plenty of chocolate chips can make anything better, I have to agree! Has my vote!
    Woo Hoo, we made history here in the state… could have said that either way, but still.

  344. Yes. Voted. Bet you’re tired of USA politics by now. (Lucky you – you didn’t get to answer robocalls all day.) Love the alpaca lace.
    Thoughts on bananas — banana fritters. Chop them up and stick them in fritter batter then fry them up. Not good for you, but still… pretty darn good. And then there’s the option of Nutella inbetween slices of banana.
    Have fun trying recipes.

  346. Happy Birthday Joe. Did you get a Gansey?
    Vest looks great, very flattering, would have looked odd in the origianl “crop-top” version, but as is it is really smart.

  347. Scarf pattern from where?? As for the election, watching returns made me so anxious that I had to downgrade knitting projects I was working on, going from an intarsia cable sweater to a sleeve for a gift sweater ( sister) to a very simple scarf. Couldn’t screw that up while I was waiting for results to come in. Its a new day in America and the world!!

  349. Happy belated Bday to Joe.
    Congrats on the vest it looks very nice.
    Regarding Bananas: I make caramelized bananas with some sugar and butter. They are great in the American Banana pudding, with custard made from scratch and real whipping cream. I also make banana ice-cream with them and banana tart, by puting the caramelized bananas over creme anglaise. Finally I love caramelized bananas over hot oatmel or pancakes for breakfast. The reason for cooked bananas is that I only like to eat them raw when they are semi-ripe. If they have brown spots I do not eat them, raw. I have never made banana bread:-)

  350. Try Banana-Peanut salad? Sweet/tangy w/crunchy peanuts.
    This is a really interesting flavor combination, it’s won many converts. The recipe came from my sister’s grandmother-in-law:
    Boil together until dissolved about 1/2 c sugar, some milk and some vinegar (it should make about 1.5 C liquid, so vary the sweet/tangy to your taste). Let the liquid cool.
    Slice 3-4 bananas and layer with about 1/2c chopped peanuts in a serving bowl. Pour the cooled liquid over it, toss a bit. Try to serve it within the day so the bananas don’t brown, and try to avoid refrigerating it for the same reason.
    Another sweet/tangy treatment for bananas is banana/miracle whip/peanut butter sandwiches on toast. Like the above, it sounds weird, but I find that it really is quite good.

  351. Oh PLEASE write a post about how not to buy a crappy fleece! It would be so helpful for those of us who aren’t local to see photos and descriptions of what is good and bad.

  352. glad the vest worked out. Looks fantastic!
    Banofee pie. It’s an Northern Ireland fave, and if you like toffee, it’s actually very good. I think my SIL found her recipe on the web, although I think you can get a good one from Paula Deen….

  353. How is it even possible to get sick of banana bread? If that is, indeed the case, consider popping them in smoothies: Soy milk, banana, frozen strawberries, maybe some frozen blueberries if you have them on hand.
    I Baraked the vote!

  354. we make this grilled banana dessert from a Weber grilling cookbook…it has a spicy chocolate sauce that is soooooo good! and the left over sauce (as if!) is really good heated up and poured over ice cream, too!

  355. We too eat a lot of banana bread….as only the littlest likes to eat bananas…and when he’s on a jag – we have bananas in abundance. Have you tried twisting up the recipe with oatmeal banana bread? Or a quick bread with a strudel topping baked on? Ah, and you can used squished bananas in pumpkin bread (my copy is circa cooking light from 2 ish year ago) instead of the oil/butter and it turns out pretty good. (though I usually substitue eggnog for the oil when in season).
    Smashing vest! Enjoy the fair 🙂 Oh thank god the election is over, and my very much preferred candidate one. Anyone know what size shoe he wears? I told my sis if he won I’d make him some socks! Think they would get past security at the White house…or go straight to the dumpster?
    Happy Knitting!

  356. I feel as though I am living in a nation reborn. The quiet despair and depression that settled over me as we headed off for Iraq has lifted. I feel hope that we may become a nation of honor as well as of power. I see new possibilities!

  357. Smoothies, banana pudding!,
    I voted! He won!! I am stunned and amazed and as a African American, feeling very, very American.
    I am a bit older than you and have lived through a good many historical events. (I remember them)I usually cry on election night, for all kinds of reasons, but cannot remember ever crying because of “hopefulness.”

  358. I didn’t catch up with your blog until this morning. I was waiting in line when the polls opened, and when I got home after work I was glued to the television, waiting for the results.
    Your scarves look beautiful. And I’m glad the vest worked out after all the frustration.
    I think America is starting to grow up. I’ve never before cried tears of joy over an election result.

  359. I LOVE the vest. It looks very “wearable.” I too voted yesterday; it’s nice to be able to express our rights, regardless of the outcome. And as for the bananas, I was going to say banana pancakes as well, and in the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook there’s an incredible looking banana cake that I’ve been wanting to try!

  362. Thank god the election is over! I dealt with it by going to see a prime-time showing of “W”. This may have been a mistake, but makes my relief over Obama even greater. Hearing W on the radio this morning makes me wonder if he holds his cue cards out in the open or tries to conceal them.
    The scarf – Oh. Oh. Oh. It’s going to be gorgeous!
    Happy birthday, Joe!

  363. This might sound terribly gross, but sliced bananas in orange juice or with sliced oranges is amazingly yummy!

  364. LOVE the vest – very flattering and also trendy in a restrained, age appropriate way with the shirt peeking out from under. Truly one of my favorite things you have knit for yourself.

  365. Love the vest. That looks suspiciously like the same scarf I’m currently knitting (from Scarf Style – something about Waves)

  366. I actually found your book last weekend at the Borders by my house and probably scared the entire store when I spotted it. But I’m no where near you so I can’t come have you sign it. Sad panda.

  368. That vest is fantastic and looks great on you. I voted, he won, I am delirious with joy, but oddly waiting for it to be taken away- go figure!
    When we get sick of bananas I peel and freeze them for future use. I sneak them into muffins and cookies, great frozen for smoothies, what about banana cream pie? cook them up with cinnamon and sugar served with ice cream.
    I am lucky we are allowed to make three substitutions with our doortodoor organics box, saved me from eating all the veggies no one else will touch!

  369. I’m on a scarf jag too…I don’t know why,I have the Irish Hiking scarf going, I took some of my not so great handspun and am doing your plain k2/p2 long skinny scarf (with a bit of flare at the bottom) and am DYING to start waves of grain… BTW I voted, and am quite pleased with the outcome(to say the least). Lovely vest… haven’t seen the sock, but if I do, I’ll let you know.

  371. Beautiful vest! Congratulations on overcoming the length issue. 🙂 It looks lovely.
    Stephanie, are you using a pattern for the scarf that is featured in item #9? I LOVE that cabling! I’m a newbie knitter, though, and I don’t think I could swing something that detailed without a pattern to see me through it. If you are using a pattern, would you mind sharing the info on where to find it?
    Thanks much!
    g

  372. I am told one can eat bananas plain with cinnamon sprinkled on them. Could be tasty — I’ve been really wanting to try it!

  373. -Happy Birthday, Joe. I believe we share the same date, Nov 2. I got a free breakfast, did you?
    -Did you check the outside pouch of your suitcase for that sock?
    -Ask the produce company to NOT include bananas. Most let you ask for extra or none of something.
    -Did you hear the USA’s collective sigh of relief from Canada?

  374. How about better banana bread? If you put 3 bananas in, omit one and add 3/4 cup of peanut butter, and if you add nuts, substitute with 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

  377. Ummmm, let’s see – the vest looks amazing on you, much better than I thought it would turn out from your previous post. I can’t wait to see the finished waves of grain scarf – I’m not going to check it out on its original site because I’m going to wait for your pictures. The other scarf looks super cute, love the cables. You could try making smoothies with the bananas, or make muffins instead of bread then you can freeze them and defrost a few at a time. And last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE!

  379. Happy Birthday Joe
    The vest is wonderful and looks perfect on you.
    As for the bananas, I make a banana chocolate chip scone that is wonderful. If you want the recipe, just let me know.

  380. I love the way the vest looks on you. I was not impressed with it before you finished it but now I’m imspired to perhaps knit one of my own.

  381. Happy Birthday to Joe.
    The vest is so cute and the color looks great on you.
    I am so relieved our election is over and the terrific guy I voted for won. Hurrah!

  382. Banana flavor can be eliminated, overpowered actually, with a few drops of real orange flavoring! I also add different nuts for change in appearance and taste!
    btw the Moravian barley looks delicious!!!

  383. Everything looks gorgeous. What pattern are you using for the pink scarf, or are you just cabling along?
    No new ideas on the bananas, but I’d happily take some of the banana bread. 🙂

  384. Happy Birthday, Joe! The vest is gorgeous and I’m on a scarf jag myself, but for charity. And I have 2 words for you: Banana Pancakes
    The cook at a villa we rented in Montego Bay, Jamaica made them. To your regular pancake recipe, add 1 mashed banana, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a capful of vanilla. Stir and make as usual. Guaranteed to pull all the over-sleepers out of bed immediately.
    Good job, America, for getting out and voting! And to Christine at 5:44 PM yesterday, where is the Paradise where election season is only a month long?

  385. Hi Steph, Love the vest it looks gorgeous and absolutely LOVE the color!!!!! Where did you get that yarn from? Very good choice in color. Thanks for the tips on the pattern sizing. Love the new scarf and color – – who is that scarf pattern from? I need to make me one of those! Rosalia

  386. Wow, you look hot in that vest! It’s stunning!!! I often think of your recent comment about one of your sweaters creating an outfit, rather than just being some clothes worn together. (I am misremembering exactly what you wrote, but you know what I mean.) Lead the way toward not only knitting smart but dressing smart, Stephanie!

  387. Go President Obama!
    Chiming in asking what the pattern is for the gorgeous pink cabled scarf?
    Thank you to Ingrid @ 12:35 pm for the tip on orange flavoring for banana bread!

  388. bananas dip slices in lemon lime soda and dehydrate – that stops color change — great in oatmeal later
    i swear i will never vote again went yesterday tripped fell into brick wall with my head – also spiral break (4 pieces) of arm -finding out tomorrow if i need surgery and i never even got to vote hubby did go back later and voted while waiting for my pain meds….. phooey on voting

  389. Banana French Toast! Slice your banana bread thinly, dip in a mixture of egg/milk/vanilla/cinnamon/nutmeg (to taste), and fry up for breakfast. MM.

  390. I have a Mrs Fields cookie book which has a recipe in it for Banana Chocolate Chip cookies. The kids love it when the bananas need to be baked.
    Election is over, yippee! I am so done with all the commercials.

  391. Happy happy to Joe, with the following thought: Everything before the age of 40 is just rehearsal! Now is when things get to be fun.
    As for voting, I’m just happy that the campaigning is over with. All that mud-slinging was giving me a headache.

  393. maybe drunk howler monkeys like bananas??
    what was item #7 on your list? Or was it personal?
    Knitting sure took the edge off waiting for the election results last night! GObama!!! Was planning on moving to Canada if the election went the other way. 🙂

  394. I voted for President Obama yesterday. Now that we no longer have to apologize for being evil Americans, citizens of the rest of the world, can we come play with you? We’ll bring yarn!
    (Lovely lovely vest, btw. You make me think “Hey, I could pull that look off!”, you enabler.)

  395. Did anyone end up suggesting broiling the bananas? I just by chance found a recipe that suggested coating them with Grey’s Chutney and butter and broiling them as a side dish. Grey’s, it turns out, is a mango/tamarind chutney – but it has high fructose corn syrup, so maybe you can improvise. I, for example, was just going to try brown sugar. But I have an eight-year-old, so the chutney thing wasn’t going to work anyway… probably the brown sugar won’t, either. How come no one likes bananas?! How can you not love a fruit you don’t have to wash?!

  396. The vest looks fab. Love the color!
    happy b-day, Joe!
    Can’t wait to see what fleeces you find… 🙂
    JD

  397. Oh my goodness!! I’ve been crocheting for 25 years and I can’t believe that I have no idea what you are talking about! I didn’t realize there were any different terms. Must be I’ve only used US patterns? That just cracks me up. My love of knitting has taken over, but I say that I’m “bi-craftual” thanks to LNV.

  399. I did not read all the comments but I peel the bananas and wrap in tin foil and freeze. This way they keep well and I can use in smoothies with some milk, a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little chocolate syrup.

  400. I throw ripe bananas into the freezer, skins and all, and then use them to make smoothies. The frozen skins peel right off, and use of the frozen bananas means I don’t need to water down my smoothie with ice cubes. I just add some soy milk and occasionally cinnamon and/or some other fruits that are in season. I’ve even added cooked oatmeal — not bad at all.

  402. Obviously #7 was Take Care Not to Split the Infinitive in the Title of the Fleece Class Even Though That Rule Is Entire Latincentric and Makes No Sense for English Yet We Will Uphold Standards and Then Erase All Evidence of the Task. (hence the missing 7)

  403. I voted at 7:20 yesterday morning before I came to school. (I was number 4 out of the 194 people who voted in my little village.)
    I then stayed up until midnight to see if we would actually “habemus presidentum” on the day rather than weeks later like the last two times when we got it wrong.
    Whew.

  404. We make smoothies here – milk or yogurt, blueberries from freezer and a whole banana!
    banana muffins? banana cake?
    you can peel them and freeze them for future bread or smoothies.
    Love the vest

  405. i didnt read through the comments, so i dont know if this has already been suggested, but here is mine (i love this stuff):
    Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. Its the best!
    Love the scarves and the vest. might have to put that one in the queue.
    thanks harlot.

  406. edit comment: oh you were talking about ideas for bananas, werent you? i found an awesome recipie for vegan chocolate banana cookies once that rocked! maybe you could find it on google?
    Also, I voted! YAY OBAMA!

  407. Banana fritters (not healthy but delicious), sliced bananas and walnuts on waffles, and hummingbird cake – a cake filled with mashed bananas, coconut, pineapple, pecans and whatever wlse you’d like to toss in.

  408. Quick pudding – ripe banana, whipped double cream and maple syrup. Banana icecream – mashed bananas, brown sugar and thick cream.

  409. Yes I voted, in my tiny hometown in Indiana ( We used a marker and filled in the oval to vote, no computers or punch cards involved! 🙂 The vest looks amazing!
    Obama ’08! Yes we DID!

  410. Bananas Brulee:
    Slice lengthwise, then crosswise, sprinkle with sugar, and use a blow torch ( I am sure that Joe owns one) to caramelize the sugar. No blow torch? Stick bananas under the broiler briefly.

  411. freeze bananas and make fruit smoothies with them and whatever fruity else around the house.
    OR – add chocolate chips, cinnamon and pecans to said banana bread

  413. Oh, and LisaDinPA? You’re an amateur. I was at the polls at 5:55 yesterday morning and cast my vote at 6:15 (was #70 — we’re an ambitious bunch here in northern VA). But thanks for voting — go swing states!
    And Harlot? If you mash up/puree the heck out of a banana, you can use it as an egg substitute…

  414. We knew you’d figuree out the vest. And the squirrel was there because you mentioned fleece. It’s winter, he or she needs a nest . . .
    As for bananas, have you looked at epicurious.com? You can search vegeterian cuisine by ingredient, and they had some interesting ones there with those yellow fruits. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc.
    And yes, I voted. The suspense is now over.

  415. The Hartford COURANT just had a recipe for “Chunky Monkey” muffins which are banana with dark chocolate chunks and I think nuts added. You can toast banana bread and spread with cream cheese or quark or something for sandwiches.
    Banana and peanut butter sandwiches on wheat or oat bread. Frying them is completely optional. I also agree with the bananas Foster oe bananas brulee ideas, as well as banana pudding. And if the bananas are greenish, you can chunk them into stew like plaintains.
    OTOH, in my family we usually eat the bananas out of hand. They rarely last long enough for sandwiches, although if forgotten they do get turned into bread. I wish I knew Carolyn’s trick to peel skins off frozen bananas; they stick to mine. Oh! That reminds me: stick goes into banana, banana goes into melted chocolate, nuts optional, concoction into freezer, banana pops!

  416. I love the vest! Definitely “could wear it to work knitterly”.
    How about banana pudding or making fruit smoothies and adding a banana?
    And, yes, I voted! 🙂

  417. You make Toronto sound like the shiniest place ever! I’ve never been there, so I have no reason to doubt you. (Love the vest!)

  418. Drunken howler monkey on smack….ROTFLMAO!
    I second the Bananas Foster suggested earlier. Verrrry yummy! Just be careful how much rum you use, I almost burned the hood of our stove top once by adding just a teeny bit more. But it was soooo good served over some “not diet” Vanilla bean icecream.
    Bon apetit

  419. Try Bananas Foster for dessert. I could willing live on Bananas Foster for every meal for the rest of my life. It normally doesn’t have chocolate in it, but I was thinking how good it would be to drizzle some dark chocolate shavings or melted dark chocolate over the whole goopy experience.

  420. Forgot to add a big Happy-Happy 40th to Joe!
    You know, blowing the flames out on the Bananas Foster would be a fine way to continue the celebration…

  421. The vest looks great – you would never know all the drama that went into it. Funny how that works.
    Here’s an:
    Easy Banana Cream Pie
    Make or buy pie crust (pastry or graham cracker works, just make sure to prebake the pastry kind). Mix up 1 large box of choclate pudding mix according to pie directions. Stir in sliced bananas. Dump in crust and chill
    It makes bananas yummy.

  422. Yeah, see… I’m not that big on bananas. My partner just eats them straight because he adores them. But typically banana bread or sliced on corn flakes is the only way I do bananas. Sorry to be useless. 🙁
    On the plus side… 1 – I love the scarves and have every faith in the lace. 2 – I took your advice, bought discounted, high quality yarn at knitpicks.com, and am now halfway through my very first knitted garment – the “Hey Teach” sweater. 3 – I am American and for the first day in my adult life I am proud of my people! Ladies and gentleman, YES WE CAN!

  424. Two words: banana pancakes. Very popular here in Hawaii, especially when sprinkled with macadamia nuts. DH also makes a banana cake, but that is probably too close to banana bread for an over-banana breaded family.
    Very happy birthday to Joe.
    Aloha,
    Lisa Louie

  425. ok you’re getting me concerned..you’re going nuts, and there is a squirrel in the tree….did anyone else notice the connection?
    Nice vest…makes me want to throw what I’m currently working on( a baby hoodie) in the to-do later bin and start one…down startitis!

  426. We won! We won! We won! Can you believe it? President Obama. I am swelling with pride.
    Banana Salad (from Seductions of Rice by my favoritest cookbook authors Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid who live in Toronto so surely you must know them and whose books are so wonderful that you should run out and buy them all even though they aren’t vegetarian)
    2 ripe bananas, 1 tsp. oil, 1 tsp. cumin seed, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
    Peel and chop bananas. Heat oil in heavy skillet over med. heat. Add cumin and stir 20 seconds, then add bananas, cayenne, and salt. Stir gently so as not to mash for 30 sec. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. This is so delicious with Indian food that you might weep with joy like we did last night watching Obama’s speech.

  427. HI
    I haven’t waded through 400+ comments so may be repeating suggestions but for better or worse….
    I have a killer banana chocloate chip muffins recipe if you want I can email to you..
    Also a recipe that was popular with my two when younger. Get not to ripe bananas, peel and slip longways in half. Put in an oven proof dish, or doubled tinfoil if cooking on barbecue. Cover with chopped marshmallows and grated chocolate. Cook in very hot oven for 10 mins or until chocolate melted and marshmallows toasted. If barbecuing 5 mins or so over hot coals. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Yum… hungry writing this.
    Cheers from down under >^..^<
    PS love the scarf.

  428. Banana pancakes.
    Peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Grilled if you like (it’s what Elvis would have wanted).

  430. Freeze banana in chunks then put in blender with yogurt a bit of milk and other fresh or frozen fruit you have lying around and maybe a pinch of cinnamon or a shot of espresso or whatever.
    Whirl and drink.

  431. BANANA PANCAKES!! You just make regular pancakes, but add the smushed ‘naners. I’m sure someone else in the 450+ comments already said so, but still. They are my favorite. And my kids’ favorite and my cousins’ (note the plural) favorite. Actually it is only my husband who doesn’t like them. But he’s not blood so we forgive him.

  432. Just noticed that #7 was missing from your 10 things you did this weekend… an edit? an omission? Just to see if we are really reading? a cruel joke on us who hang on your every word… hehehehe

  434. Thanks for showing your Waves of Grain scarf. I’m not as far along and was worried that it looked quite rough, but if yours looks like that, it’s okay for mine to look like that.
    Gorgeous vest, by the way.

  435. banana pumpkin bread. Just the thing for after halloween. Recipe is on the wanigan page… there’s also a great recipe for a grilled ice cream topping… contains rum… yummm

  436. Hurray, it’s over!
    Peel and chunk the bananas and freeze them, then when you have several (and maybe some strawberries or marshmallows) have a chocolate fondue!

  438. Again your talent ,amazes me, you make me want to be a yarn snob knitter, thats a good thing. Someone/thing to aspire to. I voted, GOP, didnt get Sarah Palin in office, but someone on her campain should of put a pair of socks in her hand, on needles, in the american flag motiff, lol that would of gotten her more votes lol kisses ,loua

  439. Is number 7 a secret? Or did the suspense get to it?
    The vest is so perfect! Short vests always remind me of that video back when with Brintey Spears dressed as a schoolgirl, for some reason.

  440. ***cue the TWILITE ZONE MUSIC***BANANA BREAD*** I made Banana Bread yesterday – no kidding & I always add choc chips…the dark ones are best, & some walnuts. We ate it last night while watching election results come in, Should have had some bubbly to go with it!!! We never got this excited for our own Cdn election last month did we???
    There seems to be alot of drunken fruit as a result of this thread, Banana’s Foster, Hmmmm maybe next time????
    Scarf is looking very pretty, with cables

  441. Your vest is adorable and fits perfectly! If no one else has mentioned this yet, we use bananas with Chocolate syrup and a bit of milk and ice cream to make shakes. I count it as more healthy that way.
    Sara

  442. OK, I think I need the award for the strangest banana recipe:
    Bake the bananas IN THEIR SKINS until they turn black, then cut them open in individual bowls and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on them and a little caramel sauce. It looks strange, but it’s wonderful.
    I also dehydrate bananas–done at home they’re not those strange crispy poker-chip things you can buy in stores. Dip them in orange juice to keep them from turning brown or (as I do) just cut them up and live with brown dehydrated bananas. 🙂
    AND GEORGE JUNIOR IS DONE! HISTORY!
    Thank heavens for term limits!!!!!

  444. Yes, I voted. I voted for hope and most definitely for change, having lived through 8 excruciating years of near national and global despair.
    I’m in the crone phase of the three phases of woman (maiden, mother, crone, hence fibercrone) so have voted in my share of elections. This is the first one I have felt absolutely passionate about, obsessed with, to the point of barely knitting for weeks. Whew! I feel a plethora of spinning, knitting and weaving ideas and enthusiasm bubbling up with the renewed optimism.
    Now I have to go back to your post and track down the yarn you are using for the cabled scarf ’cause I have a raging case of startitis.
    Happy Birthday Joe!

  445. Me again, joining the list of folks who covet the scarf pattern and yarn in that particular colorway asking (begging) for more info.
    As for bananas, there is the banana sandwich. Slice, add mayonnaise and two slices of bread. I can’t go there but some people actually use peanut butter instead of mayonnaise.

  446. Banana pudding – layer sliced Bs with vanilla pudding & Nilla wafers – sit in fridge a few hours, then devour.
    Cut them in half crosswise, insert stick, dip in chocolate, freeze, then devour.
    all the smoothie ideas work great too.
    Happy 40th Joe.

  447. ****Banana pudding is so easy, the other members of your family could make it. Anyone can layer Nilla wafers, instant vanilla pudding, and sliced bananas.*****
    I second this one, it was the one I was going to add if it wasn’t already there. ( It is also very good with Chocolate pudding too)

  448. For the bananas, I make smoothies. One banana, one double-handful frozen strawberries, a dollop of plain yogurt, and enough orange juice that all the other things are just barely submerged = breakfast.

  449. How about banana milkshakes? Use several bananas in the blender with skim milk powder and water. You will need at least one banana per cup of finished product – more is not bad!
    You could add suger, if you want it, but I think that the bananas are sweet enough.

  450. About the bananas, I make banana cake with browned butter icing. Mmmmmm… it’s delicious!

  454. Banana Jam (good with peanut butter on a sandwich):
    equal parts banana and sugar
    about 1/4 as much orange juice (100%juice) as banana
    Mash bananas. Cook it all together in an unreactive pot until it gets jammie. yum.

  455. Stephanie, I love reading the comments as much as your blog. I now know EXACTLY what to do with bananas! Hhaha! The vest and yarn are beautiful. I am still in tears from time to time with relief from the US election results. And I love your blog.

  456. p.s. on bananas. The old Moosewood cookbook from the 70s has a surprisingly yummy banana bread recipe. When I tried it I added chocolate, as one must to almost anything.

  457. Banana Split
    sliced bananas
    ice cream scoops (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate)
    toppings (sweet pineapple, strawberry)
    chocolate syrup
    whipped cream
    cherry

  458. Happy Birthday to Joe!
    That scarf is lovely and has been on my To Do list for a while — love using beads in knitting.
    Your vest looks fabulous! You look great in it. Very professional, yet still knitterly!
    And as for over-ripe bananas, stick them in your freezer (provided there is room) and pull them out for making smoothies, or my favorite — add 1 or 2 to pancake batter (first defrost in your microwave, then slide them out of the rind into a bowl and mash them with a potato or avacado masher, or even a fork, then add to batter) with toasted pecans and they make delicious, nutricious pancakes. They are yummy with maple syrup!!! BTW, teh inside of my freezer looks like a morgue for bananas — whole or halved — very scary.

  459. Make a Tarte Tatin with the bananas…really luscious with the caramel taste of the browned sugar. You can speed up the Tarte Tatin by using brown sugar (it will caralize more quickly) and frozen puff pastry.
    YOur blog is a delight as always. When are you including Richmond, Virginia on a book tour?

  461. I keep trying to leave comments, but I’ve never actually had one of mine posted, which makes me sad. After I post, I see other people’s more recent comments appear, but never any of mine.
    Sigh.

  466. Wow, that vest is soooo incredibly flattering on you. I think it’s the kind of knit we all strive to make. Cute, stylish and flattering.

  467. Hi!! This is the 1st time I post a comment, but I saw you made banana bread and I had to tell you that Banana Bread French Toast is the best! You just use the Banana Bread and put it in the french toast batter, fried it, serve it with maple syrup and voila! Other thing that is very easy is to buy a oreo pie crust, slice a couple of bananas and put them in the pie crust, add vanilla pudding on top and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Serve it with whipped cream! Enjoy :).

  470. That fleece-picking class sounds like something I should give at my shop.
    Yay spinning —
    Yay finished vest…
    Yay scarves… and …
    YAY OBAMA! As much as I would enjoy your company, Stephanie, this election postpones my evacuation to Canada for awhile. And, it gives me hope that our nation will be much less embarrassing to have as a neighbor, for you guys up North there, eh?

  471. My mother would make banana bars–a sort of banana brownie with cream cheese icing. It always went very fast in my house…

  472. I should, really should, know better by now than to visit your blog at six in the morning. I’ve now woken the cats (and probably the neighbors) laughing at the idea of drunken howler monkeys on smack…..
    The vest looks amazing–I long for a day when I’m knitting things like that for myself! And I’m totally with you on the crochet thing, which I can only do if it has nothing to do with knitting something, because I knit right-handed, and crochet left-handed, and never the twain shall meet in harmony.
    And yes, I did vote. The suspense was killing me, too. I actually had to turn the t.v. on, so I could watch election results. It’s beyond gratifying to see my country get something *right* once in a while! (Looks like I won’t be emigrating after all…..)

  473. Well, we voted, and yippee! I saw a particularly terrible YouTube all about how some people were going to emigrate to Canada if things didn’t work out; they were picking out cities as if they were chocolates they were going to take a bite out of. Ugh.

  474. Just getting to this now as Bloglines hasn’t been reporting new posts from you this week.
    Vest looks fabulous!
    For bananas, perhaps smoothies or using them to sub for eggs in other baked goods like cookies. I keep meaning to bother my gramma for her banana pudding recipe too.

  475. What happened to thing number 7? Was it too horrific to print, or did you just have a bit of a brain fart?
    All your knitting looks great!

  476. Banana pancakes: make your usual pancakes, mash a banana or two, and stir them into the batter. Not a heavy flavour, uses up lots of bananas, is a great excuse to eat maple syrup, and the pancakes come out light and fluffier than usual.

  478. 1. I thought it was unlike you to go several days without posting. Turns out my Bloglines was just being a butthead.
    2. Happy belated birthday, Joe!
    3. Oh man, I would so love to see a drunk howler monkey on smack crochet! Well, ok, maybe not, because giving a monkey alcohol and smack would be animal abuse, but you know.
    4. I hate bananas, but some months ago I bought a fruit smoothie, all fruit, and one of the fruits was banana. I didn’t taste banana at all. It was goooood.
    5. Your vest looks really good. I love that color.
    6. Maybe your missing sock went the same place your missing shoes went?
    7. I voted, I’ve still got the “I voted” sticker on my jacket, and I’m so glad the reign of insanity will be coming to an end soon…

  479. I saute banana slices with butter, br sugar and cinnamon to put over french toast (not very vegan, sorry) but my peanut butter substitute for eating with banana is to take macadamia nut butter and stir in as much fine dry coconut as your arm can stand to stir — you won’t ever have to “stir to recombine” again and it’s decadent. also works with any other exotic nut butter that needs some excitement.

  480. Too knitterly? But I always liked the “too knitterly” sweaters worn by Mrs. Weasly in the Harry Potter movies – I want to look that screwy ;o) Well… maybe not, I haven’t actually knit/crocheted one yet.

  482. Happy 40th Joe! You are indeed a good egg! That age thing is no issue. It’s mind over matter. If you don’t mind………..it don’t matter! If you lived near KY I’d buy you both a big old beer!

  483. Great vest and scarf and lace. As for the bananas maybe try banana pancakes for breakfast or our new favorite snack: thick slices of banana that you dip in chocolate syrup and then in your choice of toppings: mini chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, shredded coconut. YUM!

  484. I was just wondering… when does the Christmas knitting start?
    I thought of it when I read “I feel a scarf phase setting in.” Then I thought of you knitting scarves for everyone this Christmas… and I can’t bring myself to knit one scarf without wanting to poke myself in the eye with a needle… and then I decided I must be more regular about reading your blog between now and the holidays!
    (grin)
    You, knitting deadlines, and Screech have become a heart-warming Christmas memory! A tradition! I hope this year doesn’t disappoint! (and I mean that in a very good way!)

  486. Yes, i voted and thought of the post when you were in the UK and exchanged photos with one of your fans, each being snapped with her work in progress.
    I have a prayer shawl i’m making for a friend and while waiting the 1.5 hours in line, i worked on it. When i got to the registrar to give my name, he said, “Oh, i hope you didn’t start that while you were in line!”
    I laughed and said, “No, i’m not that fast of a knitter, but thanks for the compliment!”
    I didn’t get any sticker, just my stub to show i voted. A number of people commented they wish they’d brought along something to work on while we were waiting. I’d love to think that during the next election, there’ll be scores of us waiting in line working on our projects.

  487. Banana walnut pancakes, or nutella and banana sandwiches on really good crusty bread. P.S. The vest looks fabulous.

  488. I accidentally invented “banana jerky” (better than it sounds…): slice ripe bananas into about five pieces each and toss them in a little oil. Lay them in a baking pan and bake for about…45 minutes? at about 350 or 375 degrees (Fahrenheit), turning occasionally, until they get caramelized and soft and (towards the end) chewy and condensed. Sprinkle with lemon juice and chili and leave them in the oven after you turn it off so that they can dry out a bit. If you do it right they turn out sweet and spicy and tangy and chewy and delicious. Possible pitfalls include burning or using underripe bananas (which just get pasty and dry). Good luck and enjoy!

  489. a) I think Bloglines hates either you or me, they have lied and told me you hadn’t updated in a couple weeks.
    b)I love your vest. Also, I hope you are grateful for your figure, you look great.
    c) in my family, we fried bananas. Either slice them while they are firm and fry them in butter, or if they are a little squishy or you want to be less buttery, microwave them a bit until they are limp and then drain (banana liquor is yummy, let it cool before you slurp it out of the Pyrex) and fry them until there are crispy brown bits. Some would fry bananas in bacon grease, but not you or me. Also you might like hummingbird cake (see Google).

  490. I love the scarf pattern – it is hard to find cabled patterns that are reversible! What pattern is that?
    I HATE bananas in the hand, so good luck with finding alternatives!

  493. Smoothie!
    2 cups soy milk
    1-2 bananas
    1 cup of any other fruit that takes your fancy
    2 tsp vanilla
    1 cup ice
    1/4 cup high fiber cereal
    Let blender go nuts. If it gets too thick… add more soy or regular milk to desired consistency
    Drink!

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