Coming April 2021 . . .
Pamela Paterson and the Knit and Nibble ladies have plenty of talents that don’t revolve around yarn. But their penchant for patterns has led to a dangerous hobby they just can’t quit–unraveling murders.
Most times of the year, the tight-knit community gardens in quaint Arborville, New Jersey, overflow with seasonal vegetables and herbs. But who planted the dead body? Farm-to-table enthusiast Jenny Miller had a cookbook in the works when she was suddenly found strangled by a circular knitting needle in her own plot. Now, the pressure is on Pamela and her neighbor Bettina as they weave together clues in search of the person who kept Jenny’s renowned heirloom plants–and budding career–from growing. With suspects and victims cropping up like weeds, it’ll take a whole lot more than green thumbs and creative minds this spring to entangle the crafty culprit…
“A Fun Fast-Paced Cozy Packed with Suspects, Knitting, and Food!”–Fresh Fiction.com
Click here to order Knitty Gritty Murder from Amazon. Click here to order Knitty Gritty Murder from Barnes & Noble. Click here to order Knitty Gritty Murder from Bookshop.org.
Here’s the cover of the large-print edition, from Thorndike Press:
Here’s the cover for the audio version, from Tantor Media:
KNIT
Cozy Tea Cozy
Pamela and Bettina are coffee drinkers, but Nell and Karen drink tea. A hand-knit tea cozy is fun to knit and makes a great gift for a tea-drinker. Cloth tea cozies often resemble tents that cover the whole teapot and are removed when the tea is poured. I decided a knitted version of that looked too silly.
So the directions at the end of Knitty Gritty Murder make a tea cozy that is form-fitting but stretchy and slips on and off like a sweater. It leaves the handle and spout uncovered and can stay on during the tea service, but it can be removed easily when it’s time to add more hot water.
The directions make a tea cozy that fits a teapot about 21 inches around and 6 inches tall.
Here are some pictures to supplement the directions in Knitty Gritty Murder.
Top: Grafting on new color. (Tie on the new color and then pull tight.)
Bottom: Hiding tails. Using tails left from casting on and off to sew seams.
Top: Sew the shoulders to fit the shape of your teapot.
Bottom: Button and buttonhole.
NIBBLE
Rhubarb Cheesecake Pie
Rhubarb is often called “pie plant” because it makes a great pie filling, sometimes in combination with strawberries or other fruit, in a flaky pastry crust. Just for fun I decided to have Pamela try something a little different. It’s the same shape as a pie, but it’s a rhubarb cheesecake. You’ll find the recipe at the end of Knitty Gritty Murder.
Clockwise from left: rhubarb stalks, sliced rhubarb for compote, making crumbs, crumb crust.
Marbling the rhubarb compote though the cheesecake mixture.
Rhubarb cheesecake pie–baked!
Have a bite!
BONUS NIBBLE
Roland’s Strawberry Jello Pie
Roland DeCamp makes Strawberry Jell-O Pie for the Knit and Nibble group in Knitty Grittty Murder. For the recipe, see the guest blog I did for Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers on May 3, 2021.
