Pumpkin Seed Season...and Knitting

"Broken Finger Knitting" is I the season I was in while I wore in a cast and a brace after breaking three fingers on my left hand. Surprisingly, there was a LOT of broken finger knitting! It was surely a slower (and more painful) season of knitting, but I have three projects that I actually made good progress on during those 6 weeks, and now they are finished! 

One of the first things I realized when I started knitting in a cast, the day after I fell and broke my fingers, was that knitting was now difficult and painful. I realized that I would only be able to knit a few stitches at a time in the beginning, so I defaulted back to the good and faithful washcloth. These things are always in season! Some of you call them dishcloths, and they are good for dishes, but I really like them for washcloths, and so does my granddaughter! Knitting for her allows me to make them in fun colors to pass along to her for bathtime, and I actually managed to finish about 8 washcloths in this 6 weeks. There are only 6 are in pictures, however, because I gave two away before I was done. =D Washcloths are fun and quick (normally I can knit one in just a couple hours), so this was a no-brainer, and I'm excited to pass these along when I can!

The next thing I finished was a scarf of my own hand-spun yarn! It was fiber from That'll Do Farm that I bought over the summer, and I spun it very fine. It took me a little while to figure out what the finished yarn, soft and fuzzy, wanted to be...but eventually it decided that a lace scarf was just the ticket! I think it turned out very lovely, and I cannot wait until the season is cool enough that I need a lacy, alpaca scarf around my neck to make it through the day!

Lastly, but certainly not least, are my Stripe Therapy socks. You saw a photo of one of these on Wednesday, but they are obviously both done...see?

Yes, three broken fingers might stop some knitters, but not THIS knitter! It was a slower season in my knitting, but it turns out that I may be just a teensy, weensy bit addicted to the needle arts... Hmmm, I don't see that as a bad thing, do you? lol! You know what else is just a teensy, weensy bit addictive? Pumpkin seeds! It is certainly the right season for pumpkin seeds, and I can't resist 'em, so I'm gonna make some today!

Would you like to know how I get them so perfectly roasted? Here are my secrets...

Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

1. After digging the seeds out of the pumpkin and rinsing them well, I put them in a sauce pan, cover with water add a bunch of salt (at least a couple tablespoons, maybe up to 1/4 cup), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. They will be gray, slimey and ugly, but the moisture is key!
2. Drain on paper towels, in a single layer.
3. Transfer to baking sheet(s), lined with foil and sprayed lightly with non-stick spray, and sprinkle with regular table salt. Use lots if you like your seeds salty, less if you like less. :)
4. Bake at 300°F until all the seeds are white, stirring and flipping every 5 minutes or so.
5. Cool on baking sheet and enjoy!

Oh, man, I look forward to these all year long! They usually don't last more than a day or two, but if you need to store yours longer, you can put them in an airtight container. :)

That's a LOT of blog for one Saturday afternoon, and there's still a bunch of day left, so I'm going to go roast some pumpkin seeds, and then I'll see what other trouble I can get into...maybe there will even be knitting! I hope you've got something fun and something yummy planned for your day today. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!