18 Comments

This looks gorgeous. How wide is your 13" long loaf pan? - just for an idea of total area. Loaf tins - even standard ones - seem to vary so much in size. Thank you!

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It's 3 inches wide at the bottom and 4 1/4 at the top.

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Ah, fantastic. Thank you so much, Luisa -- very helpful. Xo

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Hello dear Luisa, Your essay today hit a resonant chord. I too have a favorite navy hat, a knitted beret from Agnes B. that miraculously has remained in my possession for several years now. But I too fretted about losing it, so I bought a second one. However, that backup did not allay my anxiety when a friend borrowed the original and almost lost it. She found it and now, a year later, is buying one for herself. If she’s wise, she’ll buy two.

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I love that we both have navy hat anxiety. Much love to you! xoxo (Off to google navy knitted Agnes B beret!)

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Thanks for sharing...I can relate to armor/cushion thoughts!

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An armor, but also a cushion. Yes. Thank you.

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A suggestion from a knitter: Find a longtime experienced knitter whom you trust and… have them recreate your beloved hat for you using your current hat as a pattern. A hat like that deserves to be saved if even as another knitted hat.

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Believe it or not, a darling knitting reader has already offered! :)

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Also, I really love your insight that sometimes what we think is coping is actually just who we are. It’s redemptive to realize that.

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Yes, there's much comfort in the tried and true. Thank you for this lovely, warm post.

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This looks absolutely delicious and I too am a creature habit and familiar comforts! Just one question as I’m looking at the gram measures because I’m in the UK, should the amount of sugar be lower? It seems to be higher in grams but lower in cups. Thank you!

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1 cup is 200 grams, so 3 cups is 600 grams. It sounds like a lot, but it's just right.

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Thank you! I think I get it now. I was confused because the gram weight for flour is lower than the sugar weight but the cup measure is higher for flour but I guess it’s probably less dense than sugar! I can’t wait to try it. Have a lovely Christmas 😊

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Yes, 1 cup granulated sugar weighs 200 grams, while 1 cup of flour weighs approx. 125 grams (some say it weighs more like 140, but it depends on how you measure).

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I rang like a bell reading this! So much the same. Even our favorite shade of blue. Actually, it’s my favorite color, full stop.

I’ve gone through this same anxiety with a beloved piece of clothing many times. You think you’ll never find anything as nice or that suits you as well, ever again. But then you do. I buy most of my clothes in thrift stores which of course means I’ll rarely find the same thing twice. But always something pops up that I wouldn’t have even known to look for. And it’s perfect. I just found a vintage hooded wool sweater, made in Maine, that looks almost exactly like the one my grandmother knit for me when I was four years old. It’s a light heathery blue. I haven’t taken it off since I bought it and it feels exactly right and I feel exactly right wearing it: deeply comforted and very much myself. And toasty warm! It is perfect and I have a hard time imagining I’ll find any sweater that I’ll like half as much. But I will. I always do.

The pumpkin bread looks delicious and I have a beautiful white Danish Koben loaf pan that’s too big for any ordinary recipe but it’s just the right size for this one.

Thank you Luisa!

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That's such a beautiful way of looking at things!, thank you Kristin!!

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I too often buy multiples of favorite items. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

I have some lovely organic pumpkin seed oil. Did you substitute a tablespoon or two for the oil in the recipe?

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