First bike ride of the year

Yesterday I had the day off for Good Friday and decided to go biking with my boyfriend.  We ended up going to see the progress on the new bridge connecting to Laval and I can't believe they are almost finished.  This bridge has been talked about since the late 50s, early 60s and is now going to finally exist.

The biking went well for me, the boyfriend however ended up with a flat tire.  It's the 3rd one he gets and hopefully the little piece of metal the guy found in his tire and took out is enough to not have flats happen again.  I know flats can happen for all sorts of reasons but 3 flats in 3 outings is a bit much. 

The new bike I have is just so amazingly light and it really makes a difference when I go up hills.  Well, they aren't big hills but with my other heavy bike I always ended up having to stop in the middle and walk up to the top.  This time we had three hills and I was able to bike all three to the top!  I am quite proud of myself especially since my physical condition this year is just so-so compared to other years.  I have let myself go a bit too much this winter and don't like it one bit.  Hopefully using the BIXI to get back home evenings will help.

It was a gorgeous sunny day and we stopped in a park just to  bask in the sun.  We also wanted to rest our legs from pedaling against the wind.  Why does the wind have to pick up when we are on the way back home? It's when we're tired and can't wait to get back home. The sun was strong enough to slightly burn my nose and tan the top of my hands.

The distractions I deal with

Whenever I knit, it is unmistakable Lola will come to see what I am up to.  I could be surfing the net for hours and she leaves me alone.  But the second she hears the click of knitting needles she comes around.  If only she looked at what I am knitting but no.  This always happens while I knit.

She has to plop down on top of my book and chart making it impossible to continue knitting.  And the second I put her down on the floor, she's right back up before I even have time to pick up my needles.  She is so lucky I love her to pieces but sometimes my patience does run out and she knows it when it happens.  She doesn't try to get back up after I put her down.

She's also the reason I only use circular needles; she likes to chew on the ends of regular needles.  Now try knitting with a cat attacking your needles, not so easy.

My favorite way to eat soba noodles

A friend was tweeting about soba noodles and it reminded me of my favorite way to eat them.  I found this recipe years ago even before I became vegan in Vegetarian Times/July 1999.  It's really the dressing that makes it so great; apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice and dark sesame oil. 

Now, I want to eat some over the weekend.  Will need to go to the Chinese supermarket since I am out of soba noodles.  I have all the other ingredients already on hand.

What are the ways you love eating soba noodles?

My biggest knitting pet peeve

This knot to connect 2 ends of yarn in the middle of a ball is my biggest knitting pet peeve.  I once had 3 knots in a 50g ball while trying to knit one of my spring scarves.  It drives me crazy and I want to throw the ball across the room when it happens.

Luckily this time I was knitting something small and had knit only 10 rows.  When 3/4s of the way into a row for a baby blanket is another matter though which is what happened to me the last time I knit for a friend.

Is this also your biggest knitting pet peeve or is it something different altogether?

Cable and seed stitch fun

The last couple of weeks I have been working on a new hat and fingerless mitt pattern.  The hat was inspired by a stranger in the subway.  She was wearing a wonderful lace and cable hat and I really liked the look of it but wanted something warmer than the lace in between the cables.  Winters here can be very cold and windy and lacey hats just don't cut it most of the time. After a few trials trying different patterns I found the seed stitch looked good.  So here's what the hat looks like in black.

I also wanted to knit shorter fingerless mitts and decided to keep the cable and seed stitch as inspiration.  Here they are in black and a detail of the pattern in purple.

Vegan salmon bagel

Some weeks back I bought myself these vegan salmon steaks from the Viva Vegan Store and someone wondered if they would be great to make salmon bagels. 

The salmon steak by itself is delicious.  I love bringing it to work; microwave a few minutes with a herbed gravy and some mashed potatoes.  It's a quick, easy and delicious lunch and my coworkers can tell you how much I love it.  I rave about my lunch every time I bring this.

And yes they are great to make salmon bagels.  I used the creamy Sheese, thinly sliced one of the steaks, added capers, onions and voilà!  The vegan salmon bagel is born.  I just wish I had some sprouts to put on top since I loved eating it this way.

Fruity Coconut Jelly

Fruity Coconut Jelly are amazing, delicious jelly desserts.  They are made with coconut gel and seaweed instead of gelatin which makes them vegan.

I love these with a passion and I have now found them in my neighborhood at the Asian market.  I first ate these last summer when a friend found these shopping in Chinatown.  They come in various fruit flavours; these are green apple, pineapple, strawberry and grape. I must buy the mango ones next time I go shopping.

Yes, half of the container is already gone after just one day!  I eat them straight out of the little cup being careful not to spill some of the juice in them.  There's also a little piece of fruit in them which I have yet to identify. I even have the omni boyfriend liking them.