My Moment of Need

I often wonder what would happen if, say, I fell down the stairs and was alone in the house. Or, say, if I choked. I asked a doctor once and he said that you could do the Heimlich on yourself over the back of chair. I filed that info in the back of my mind. It's been years since I've choked as I think that I've learned to eat with more human bites. I remember choking all the time as a kid.

My son doesn't like jelly. He eats plain peanut butter on white bread, which I've never tried. Well, today, being I had the munchies, I took a glob of peanut butter and slopped it onto some Arnold Brick Oven White. I don't know why I did this, I really don't like white bread at all. I bit into it and...maybe it was (and maybe it wasn't?) a human bite. Guess what happened? It got stuck. I wasn't choking but I needed the Roto Rooter man to clear out my esophagus. I thought about Hugh Laurie and "House" and things going down my throat and the close up of what my esophagus might've looked like. It was clearly stuck. Visions of a snake swallowing a whole baby pig flashed through my mind as I reached for the milk. Milk. Better than water? Should I have reached for Crisco? Olive Oil? I drank it and none of the cold stuff hit my tummy. It took a good minute.

It was truly, my moment of need.

The children were in another room arguing over Speed Racer on TV. They didn't help me.

Well, neither have my Ravelry friends. Yet. I'm sure they will.

I am up to the heel flap in my Ridged Squares sock and want to make the Eye of Partridge with German Chain Selvage and there is a mistake in row 4 of the pattern. I posted it in the SKS forum, it's been 43 minutes and no one has extended a hand ..yet.

Here's what I posted:

I’ve checked the errata on the website and there isn’t anything posted for this particular heel flap. I want to do the Eye of Partridge with German Chain Selvage from page 67 of MSKS. I have an even number of sts in my heel flap.

Row 4: K1, #K1, sl 1 wyib, rep from # to last 2 sts, sl 1 wyib, sl 1 wyif.

That doesn’t work out for an even number of stitches, now, does it.
What’s it supposed to be?

Then, I have to tell you about my Knitpicks order. I am starting to think they aren't paying attention to me. I recently broke a Harmony wooden needle, size 1, 2.25. It cracked lengthwise. I called them, they sent a metal one. I just ordered a bunch of stuff that I didn't need and attached a note to the order about the needle. Well, they messed up again.

In my moment of need. I'll try calling them in a few minutes, after a glass of milk.

I won't be eating peanut butter any time soon.

Baby Girl Spinning

Well, I spun up my Evergreen Grove and I think it may be my first sock worthy yarn. It's somewhat evenly spun, it's 4.5 oz and it's fingering weight and I have more fiber in case I need to make more yarn.

I am still really learning when is enough twist and when is too much twist. I don't think that I did the best plying job on this yarn. It didn't hang perfectly straight. I was close and it "S" twisted so I have to re-read and see if that is too much plying spin or too much singles spin. I think it's the former. There are spots that have a few pigtails....

My five year old, however, is doing much better than me! She needed a little help plying and she also used a fiber that was easy to spin but she did a great job! She was 'getting tired' treadling so I finished plying this for her. This kid has the patience of a saint and I am very proud of her work here and at piano and school.

This is her very first skein. It took her a few weeks and she kept improving but she spun this. I helped her with plying. She was having a bit of trouble with coordinating the flow of two pieces of yarn and keeping the tension together but so what. After all, she's only 5! Plus, I like hers better than mine. No pigtails here, just a fine job!

OK, time to clean the house.

Another Knitted Pair of Socks is Done!

Tout Fini!



Ta Da! I finished Trekking 126 last night. I wish I could find my sock blockers and take a nice picture. Maybe if I spend more time cleaning and less time knitting, I'd be able to do exactly that. For now, here's a crappy picture of them.




These were knit on size 1, 2.25mm, two at once magic loop over 68 stitches and took two weeks. (I worked on some other stuff during this time plus I spun a bit). I like them very much but should've gone with 60 sts as I originally intended.

They match up pretty well, one of them was kitchenered at the color change so there are some 'sprinkles' on the tip of my toe.


Apparently, I wasn't paying as close attention when I divided this up as I have ball of yarn left and one scrap of yarn left instead of two balls! Luckily, I had enough on the smaller ball to finish the pair so I didn't have to hunt through the 13 color changes to find the right spot to knit the toe.


They're simply, delicious!

Spinning and Knitting Updates

You wait days, weeks, sometimes longer. You track it online. It's "processing". You sing "Anticipation" and think of the old Carly Simon Ketchup commercial. You imagine the vinegar delicious smell. Ah, the glorious beauty of getting a nice package in the mail, opening the envelope and being knocked over with yarn fumes. A smell and a sight to enlighten any dark winter's day.

That's exactly what happened to me a few days ago when my order (finally) arrived. Fresh yarn, Socks that Rock Lightweight.

L to R: Jinglebell Rock, Muckity Muck, Gingerbread Dudette, Autumn and Beryl.

Top, L-R, Jinglebell Rock, Beryl

Bottom: Muckity Muck, Gingerbread Dudette, Autumn

Truly delicious, don't you think? I have wanted Beryl for a long time, you know how I love green...she may become Embossed Leaves. Autumn is beautiful. Gingerbread Dudette is nicer than I ever imagined. I like Muckity Muck, too. It's a color that is different for me, orangey things are usually my least favorite unless they're fall colors. This is orange rust and it's grown on me lately. Jinglebell Rock may become another sock from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn. I love that book!

To keep me busy, I started Ridged Squares in Fortissima Socka, size 2 needles, CO 50 sts for my little boy. I think this may be my last pair on 2's other than for hubby with STR. They're just not the same as 1.5's to me. Hmmn...Either that or I have to use thicker yarn to be happy. I'll see how my handspun knits up.

Yes, you heard me right. I finally am able to spin well enough to spin skinny enough to make yarn that could be used for socks. Now, I want the plying head and the fast flyer but we'll see. I was treadling ALOT on this. Felt like eons and felt like MILES on the bobbin. But, look at the result.

I started making my own green yarn. Here we have 4 1/2 oz of BFL that I started spinning on Wednesday night's guild meeting. I finished bobbin 2 last night and plyed this afternoon. It's a nearly solid and the name of the color is Evergreen Grove. I don't know how to match colors very well and I don't really like the barbershop pole effect but this is a nearly solid so it's fine here.


This photo was taken moments after it was spun. I believe it is DEFINITELY sock worthy! I wrapped it a few times and it's 19-20 wpi. I used a control card while spinning and spun my yarn nicely, carefully, slowly and evenly. This is 2 ply, I don't know how to do 3 ply.



This is my best yet and I am ecstatic. I don't want to ruin it so I am going to let it on the bobbin for a few days to set the twist a bit before I skein it and wash and hang it. Tee hee, I'm giddy! If you like it, see if you can get some from Jen on Etsy. I was happy with the dye job, she got a 10! It came all nice and pretty in a braid but there were some small spots where it wasn't combed as nicely as it could've been so I had to pick out a few fuzz balls. No big deal at all. Besides, it's green. Here it is, side by side with Socks that Rock Lightweight. You can appreciate the thinness here. Nice, hah?



Wednesday night's guild meeting was really fun! I got to spin some yarn, chat with everyone and eat alot of cookies! I also had a delicious slice of sour cream coffee cake that someone made and they were nice enough to print out the recipe for us. Now I can make it myself at home! I also was able to get some homegrown roving. I bought 10 oz of ......guess what color?



scroll down to see...




















almost there!


































I just love green so much!










Ta Da!

Tricked you, didn't I? Isn't this lovely? It is 90% Alpaca and 10% Dorsett. Nice and warm and lucious. I think it would make a nice scarf. We'll see. Nothing too overly expensive, a soft yarn in a fiber I haven't spun yet and in a neutral color that will go with anything. Course, I could spin it in silkwork thinness and knit lace but I'm not that crazy...yet.

Now that I'm well stocked, I am praying for 3 or 4 feet of snow to shut down Long Island for awhile so I could finish a few pairs of socks! Alas, all we get here has been very cold weather and small snowstorms. Nothing major yet. We'll see, I think we're in for a long, hard winter this year. Just enough for a little Oreo Cookie Eyed Snowman.

Snowman, January 2009

Trekking Through the Heel

Yesterday, I couldn't decide what to do with my Trekking 126 socks. I thought that the best bet would be to do a forethought heel; however, with so many different changes in the yarn (13 different patterns) I didn't want to trash that much yarn. You see, in order to do a forethought heel, you first find the color that you are working on (the last color of the leg) from the opposite end of the ball. You then do a provisional cast on for half the stitches (which will become your instep) and you use the back of the ankle for the back of the heel. It's really quite simple and I don't know why more people don't do it. You then knit...a toe. Yep, a toe. Right there in the heel is a toe. The stripes form a bulls eye and are in the same order as your stripes. I used it for my Mudslide Socks. ravel them here I didn't believe that I'd have enough stitches in the ankle so I added some, thus messing up the stripes a TEENY bit. Next time I do it, it'll be perfect.

Ok, so, forethought heel was out because I'd trash yards and yards of yarn.

Next up, I considered short row. That's tons of wrapping, twisting, picking up the wrap. I did that in my Chevvy Sock. ravel them here. Mustang Sally, a gorgeous colorway indeed, is much more forgiving when it comes to striping. She's not a WILD MULTI!

Then, while googling on the computer when I should've been cleaning the house, I came across this heel. Priscilla Wild's No Muss No Fuss Short Row Heel. Ingenious! This was a spectacular heel. No counting, no markers, no heel flap counting the rows, no wrapping stitches. You know what else? It can be used toe up or top down. I tried it. I knew I might not get the results I'd get with a forethought heel but I wouldn't mess up the stripes as badly as I would with a heel flap heel. Check it out.


See that. Nice, hah? And, it fits great, not bulky, doesn't bulge. It's like custom made!


There is a small hole where I rejoined to work in the round. I clipped out a small piece of the brown to realign my socks with each other so that I would end the same at the toe. I'll have to stitch that closed.


Here's the front view. See, you get stripes around the bottom of the heel. Lovely. Easy. It is only a short time knitting and boom, you're onto the foot of your sock. You'll sail right through the heel while watching TV. Hardly even have to think.

Because I have been making socks for the kids, I can get two pairs out of a skein. I am going to start knitting them toe up and it was advantageous for me to learn this heel. Now, just gotta try a toe up pattern and I'll be on my way. That's on my list of new techniques and will be at the top very soon.

Ok, I think you're sold. Now, what's the catch, you ask? Of course, there isn't any gusset, so you're knitting the foot for a long, long time! That's not really a disadvantage, I like knitting the foot, some people might get bored with miles of feet to do as some hubbies have size 13 feet! There isn't a heel flap and it isn't reinforced. I like heel stitch and I like eye of partridge. ravel them here for a close-up of the eye of partridge heel. The thickness is comfortable and it's also a place where I wear out my socks. I wear out my shoes there, too. Yes, I put holes right through the backs of my shoes because of the bone in my ankle. So, I prefer heel flap socks if they're for me. Make that, heel flap socks, reinforced with woolly nylon. I think that the heel flap looks prettier but that's a matter of personal preference. A nice solid ribbed sock with a decorative Eye of Partridge heel is truly a sight to behold as far as socks go. My teal Shibui is destined for that heel.

It's late morning, a day off, 22 degrees out (I guess we're having a heat wave?) and for once, it's NOT snowing. I don't think that I'll have enough time to finish these today as there is housework to be done, I must clear out my office, get on the treadmill, do the wii fit, go food shopping. I also plan on spinning for awhile today or tonight. I have to empty some bobbins so I can start spinning something on or before Wednesday's guild meeting. I get so excited over spinning and I haven't had a chance to spin in a few weeks. My baby girl DD has been hogging my wheel. She's the best spinner in the house...she's five.....




She did that entire bobbin by herself. I just assist when it breaks or she needs help drafting. She has made two bobbins of this and today we may ply it together. It's really even, too!

I've shown her how to do the knit stitch and how to crochet a chain. She prefers spinning over knitting and doesn't really want to learn to crochet just yet. She is fascinated by the orifice hook, for some reason.

Yes, she's a fiber head! She smells yarn, she cuddles yarn and she is in her glory in a yarn shop. That picture on the right was taken when we were visiting the Saratoga Needle Arts yarn shop this past August. You can see her expressions of glee, as well as her mosquito bites...LOL.


She walked into that store and said, "Mom, is it OK if I sniff the yarn?"

Trekking 126 - Update

I love to think of ice cream. These ice cream socks are simply delicious; however, I just put them down for a rest and haven't picked them up. Here's how they looked on January 15, 2008.

That's how they look today.

Two reasons why they're resting, how to do the forethought heel. I know HOW to do it, I'm just not sure of the colors I want to use. I am not 100% certain that I want to trash yards and yards of yarn to make the heels match. I have my spreadsheet and need to sit and figure how many color changes I have to backtrack to make them the proper way. With 13 different colors in the striping, it'd be lots and lots of yards set aside to make them match. Alternative would be to get some Trekking undyed and make the heel and the toe out of that. Perhaps, even saving some chocolate for the very center of the heel and the very center of the tip of the toe. Or, maybe the tree colors that are in the cuff to give it a nice balanced effect. In any event, they will sit until Elizzabetty goes to Webs and is in the Trekking aisle and brings me home some Trekking undyed. That could be awhile so I have plenty of time to think about it. I will photograph this as there aren't very many tutorials on the web for forethought heel and it's really not difficult at all. I like the heel flap better for looks and for wear but the forethought heel works great for stripes!

My son has been asking me to knit him another pair of socks. He absolutely adores the Seeded Ribbing socks that I made him and he wants Ridged Squares and he wants them to be green...dark green. I have no problem knitting with dark green yarn and lo and behold, I have a nice selection of it. This morning, I took some green Fortissima Sock yarn out of my basket and started them for him. I want to finish them in a few days so he could wear them next week. He could surely use them, we're having a very harsh winter thus far and I expect it to get worse before it gets better. Ridged Squares is a nice easy pattern and they should zip along. Each sock has 50 sts in the cuff and I'm doing them two at a time, magic looping. 100 sts in each round. Cake! Pictures will be posted soon.

I am not feeling all that great today and my head is exploding. Hmmn...I also want to get to my spinning, clear out a few bobbins so that I can be working on something at the next guild meeting. I think that I'm going to get some more bobbins or maybe even the plying head with a gift card that I got for Christmas.....

Stay tuned for an update!

Trekking through Trekking 126

It's been a few days since the infamous and carefully plotted ball winding experience with my Trekking 126 and I am journeying onward through this piece of cake stockinette stitch sock.

Monday, I was all set to walk out the door of the house when I noticed there was a flood in the downstairs bathroom. After yelling at DS for leaving the water running, I quickly realized that it wasn't coming from the faucet. I shut off the water, took the kids to school and e-mailed work with the news of the broken pipe. I then changed out of my work clothes and into my sweatshirt and sweatpants plumber clothes and mopped up the floor in the bathroom and the basement. It miraculously dripped right into my laundry basket of freshly washed...and folded clothes. It saturated them and proceeded to run out of the bottom of the basket wetting everything else in sight....and out of sight.

Without further ado, I went under the sink and discovered the blowout.

I had to go to the plumbing supply store, buy a new hose, found out they don't take credit cards and I had 73 cents in cash in my wallet, go to 7-11's ATM, go back to the store, buy the hose, replace it and then eat 'brunch' and sign onto my computer to work the remainder of the day. It was interesting. I had to set aside my clean princess act and do a home repair....

As for the sock, here's what it looks like as of the that day....

I will photograph it today as I have more than doubled that and I'm preparing to do Charlene's Forethought Heel, which is truly ingenious.

Stay tuned for another picture as well as some; hopefully, snow pictures as the Arctic air mass and moderate low pressure move into our area.

Baby, it's cold outside! Maybe the first time for single digits here in years!

The Trials and Tribulations of Trekking 126

I couldn't decide what to make next. Now that I'm out of my Knitting Rut that started in November, I wanted to cast on for a new pair of socks today. I really considered making a pair for Ricky; however, the dead of winter made me long for happy colors. Ice Cream makes me happy so why not knit with Ice Cream Colors?



Without further ado, I whipped Trekking 126 out of my stash. I think wound it forwards and backwards, counting and documenting the strange repeats of the colors in an attempt to figure out where to start so that I could match my socks.....First off, my ball was shy 2 grams.
Don't they think that we check this from time to time? Cheapskates.



Then, I realized that maybe I didn't cut it in the right spot. One ball is considerably larger than the other. I was counting the tan caramel color as the point of my repeat but they seem so far apart after I put them side by side.

Hmmn...

There are 109 color changes in my ball. I set up a spreadsheet, counted the times that the caramel tan repeated and divided my ball in half............I think.............


Let's see what happens....


News at 11.

Chevvy Sock is Done!

I only had a little bit to go this morning but it was slow at the end. Torture, in fact. I kept being interupted with other things going on around me and couldn't get it together for awhile. As I said before, this looks easier than it is. There is alot of moving the sts back and forth and if you screw up (or drop a stitch 800 rows, like I did...twice...) it's hard to find your place. I got new glasses today and can actually see what I'm doing. Let's break out the size 0 needles, yeah!

Sally and I came to an agreement at the end and here she is in her radiant beauty.

A nice close up of all the pretty colors. I love this yarn. The colorway is simple gorgeous and may be one of my favorites for STR. (I like Rose Quartz alot, too).

I love this pattern and will make it again.

I love red socks.

I love green socks more but I do love red socks.

Angels and Devils

Being I'm knitting and spinning so much, I can always use a nice stash enhancement, can't I? My stash has actually dwindled a bit. I haven't bought anything since Rhinebeck and I saved up for Rhinebeck and I will save up for Rhinebeck 2009...so I don't really have ALL that much...., right?


Elizzabetty becomes very dangerous when driving by Webs and I become very dangerous when she's driving by Webs and has her cell phone and I'm in the middle of wanting some yarn. I get the call,


"Hi, It's me. I'm in Webs." Go ahead, dangle the carrot, she's supposed to be my friend.


Having caught me home in a rare moment when the kids were both occupied and I could actually think, I was able to chat with her. I tried to resist but the brain and the lips weren't working together. The little angel on one shoulder said, "You will be stunned when you get that credit card bill from Christmas". And the little devil on the other should said, "Don't listen to her! What does she know? You only live once". I shouldn't get anything. However, I moved my lips and out came....


"Oh good, I need yarn".


Now, there is only one thing that makes her more happy than buying yarn for herself. It isn't only the yarn she likes. It's the chase, the hunt, stalking, waiting in the woods like a hunter with her orange vest on... "I'm in the warehouse, I have some Kangaroo Dyer right in front of me". "I want Midnight". (I hear footsteps, slow at first and then a prance as she lept onto the bins). "I have it in my hand". (POUNCE.....The Capture!) I hope she didn't knock anyone over.

"You know what I really want? I want to try that Shibui stuff. It looks alot like my beloved Cherry Tree Hill and it comes in two small balls so I could wind two and make two socks at once".

That one took a longer time to stalk. Can you believe that she couldn't find it and had to ask the salesperson for help? Doesn't she know where every single item is in that place yet? Naturally, I chose green for that. (It's gorgeous.)


Then, the Berocco aisle. I want to try new sock yarn just to convince myself about how much I love Cherry Tree Hill, the Kangaroo Dyer, and even Socks that Rock and maybe even Shibui but let's not jump the gun...


I chose a red one for that. It looks like ... azaleas.


Then, being I can't buy any more yarn until I pass GO and collect $200 with this year's first paycheck, I tell her 'That's it'. The little devil on my shoulder said, "Ok, we'll be on http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/ later today anyway" and the little angel fell off with heart failure.


She bought a few small trinkets for herself and went to the register to pay only to be checked out by the Kangaroo Dyer herself. Wow. I wish I could be there and meet The Kangaroo Dyer. I love that yarn.


The next night, my yarn was en route to the Homeland, Long Island...in the back of her Subaru all nice and comfy. She arrived at 8PM or so and we had tea and petted the new yarn.

Left to right, Shibui, Berocco and Kangaroo Dyer's Midnight which may be in the bullpen for socks for Ricky after I finish up Chevvy. The leg is done and it's onto the heel which is almost all of the foot anyway. Maybe I can finish this tonight if I stay up late.I like them very much. I was thinking that they're somewhat shapeless and it'd be nice to add a tiny bit of shaping at the back of the leg, at the bottom of the calf would be good. Just a slight taper so reduce the bagginess that may happen at the ankle. If I make these again, I will either go down a needle size or use less stitches. This is just a wee bit big. I am very excited over these.

Mustang Sally is so beautiful. Speaking of STR...you know I got some of that, too. SHH!! It's a secret. I have to smuggle that into the house and hide it from hubby. Stay tuned and I'll show you a picture when it comes! Can't ever tell, sometimes it comes right away and sometimes it takes weeks.

As for Elizzabetty...it won't be long now. I am working on getting her to buy a nice wheel so we can spin and drink tea. She won't be able to resist much longer. I will send her a devil and an angel.

Ride, Sally, Ride!

Busy knitting...here's a sneak peak.There's a teeny weeny hole near the cuff there...I may've missed picking up the wrapped stitch. The markers tell me where to do things on the second sock, which should be started tonight.

This pattern is NOT easy but can be done if you're paying attention. The sts used are cake, the construction is just so different than the norm! Parts of the sock are worked back and forth in rows. The chevrons are set up with short rows, the heel and then the gusset shaping is odd. I wasn't sure that I had that right initially but it worked out just fine. The toe decreases are kind of a pain and time consuming if you're magic looping. Throughout the sock, you rearrange the stitches. My "foot" portion was only a few rows. If you're working on this and saying, "Hmmn...I'm supposed to start the toe now? So soon? The whole ball of my foot is hanging out". Well, that's the way it is. The toe is like 40 rows. Mine started at the purple bow! I think that I might've been able to go down a needle size to a 1.25 size 1 although the fit is very good with the 1.5.

I love the color. I love the pattern and I can't wait to make another pair in a wild multi! Maybe Hard Rock!

I'm Making Chevvy Socks!

I casted on yesterday for two knitalongs on Ravelry. I had to use red yarn and if it was somewhat solid, I could count it towards another group. For the longest time I had the lovely Mustang Sally sitting in my stash. Just couldn't think of the best pattern for her. She was just there, every once in awhile, I'd take her out to play with her and then carefully set her back down. I was saving her for the perfect pattern.

Not sure if she was the BEST choice but definitely an interesting choice. I just received the book, Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn from Amazon. I love this book. The lessons on color and handpainted yarn are enough reason to buy this. You'll learn alot about why you shouldn't use some multis in some patterns. (Remember my 'lost leaves'?)

Anyway, the cover photo is Chevvy. These socks are gorgeous but they don't follow basic sock construction. I'd label this a good intermediate or more likely, advanced project. This is not something for the beginner. The socks are knit on 2 circulars (or magic loop, if you prefer, as I do). You need to do short rows in the leg, use a stitch holder for the heel, rearrange the stitches from time to time and knit the toe first one side then the other. Cannot be knit two at a time because of the short rows so I have to count the rows manually. Very, very different and clever pattern. The book suggests handpainted yarn, not a nearly solid / muted multi as I chose. However, that doesn't mean it won't work. Many Jaywalkers are done in nearly solid and they look spiffy so why not try this in the lovely Mustang Sally? I knit the leg last night.

I would've been further along; however, I had to fool with the gauge. The cuff uses 64 sts and I started with a size 2 needle, against my better judgement. My Jaywalkers are a bit big and I usually make lace or ribbed socks. Other than the Jays, no stockinette stitch socks for me. I wanted to be sure I'd have enough room. I had to go down to a 1.5 and I bet that I could go even smaller and be ok with it. Watch your gauge if you decide to make this pattern. The pattern is sized for two sizes and I'm making the smaller one, on smaller needles (It calls for a 3 and Fiesta Yarns Babyboom which maybe a little thicker than STR Lightweight). 64 sts in the cuff and each round of Chevvies is 78 stitches. It takes awhile to go all! (Luckily I knit continental and can do this pretty quickly.)

It is a dark winter's day here but I will certainly photograph these much better when they're done! I'll go outside to do it. I like them so much, maybe I'll hire a model. ;)

I am so excited over these socks. Sadly, the house is a mess and I'll not be working on them too much today but I hope to have a picture with today's progress by tonight.

Maybe I'll make them in Hard Rock, too! They're so cool, aren't they?

A New Year, A New Pair!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year and I've finished the first pair for 2009, Butterfly Bows!

This is the first pair of 2009 socks that I've completed and I'm very happy with them. They're intentionally big for my daughter and I love that I made a right and a left. The pattern goes in the opposite direction.

I used my beloved yarn, Cherry Tree Hill, magic looped them one at a time, Knitpicks Options size 1 2.25mm, 54 sts casted on.

Scrumptious!