Hmong Sauce

Last night I made some Hmong sauce. I started to follow a recipe but wasn't happy with how it turned out. Mine did not look as runny as the picture did, so I changed some things and did this:

24 fresh Thai peppers

3-4 tsp. sugar

7 garlic cloves

Pounded in mortar and pestle until chopped finely. (I LOVE the mortar and pestle my mom gave me when she came to visit. It's large but not too big. It's deep so stuff doesn't splatter. It works great! Thank you, mom!!!)

Then, I added one bunch of cilantro, minus the stems. Well, I picked out the majority of them, though there are still a few left. I chopped it up first, then rolled over it with my herb cutter then added it to the pepper mixture. Also added one bunch of green onions. Was going to just use the white part but wanted more, so I added the whole thing. Washed and rinsed first of course.

Also added the juice of one lime and several dashes of fish sauce. Kept pounding it further until it was nice and juicy and chopped up.

I was only wishing I had something to eat it with last night. It smelled so very good! I did try a spoonful of it alone and boy was it good!!! It was very spicy!!! It kind of smelled like papaya salad which makes me crave it all the more!

So, I think I'll pick up some cucumbers and make some cucumber salad instead since no one around here sells green papaya. :-(

I was surprised that it only made one jelly jar size, and I have plenty of peppers leftover. So, I'm going to pick up some more cilantro and green onions this week and make a couple more batches.

I promised some friends this sauce so I divided it into thirds and can't wait for them to try it.

Ready to eat: 

Finished shrug

Now, promise not to laugh when I show you this thing! Remember I was using limited skeins of fancy fur yarn so yes, the colors look pretty funky! lol

If I made another one, I'd do things a bit differently. However, here is how I made this.

Size 13 needles, casted on 30 sts with one strand of worsted and one strand of fancy fur. Knit it until it was desired length of 54 inches. Then sewed up the sides to make the arm holes. To wear, slip through arms and take the middle part and put over your head to cover your shoulders.

To make for yourself,  do a gauge so you know how wide it needs to be. I would have liked that it turned out a bit wider. So, next time I'll probably use size 15 needles or cast on about 35 stitches. Measure yourself from wrist to wrist standing with your arms out like a "T". Then, measure again from wrist to armpit so you'll know how far to sew it.

If I ever make another one of these, I'll do a picture tutorial with more info. This was just a fun experiment! It really does keep your arms and shoulders toasty warm!

She's thinking, "What in the world!?"

Her facial expression is too funny! Like she doesn't know what to think of this wooly thing! lol (And yes, she knows I posted her picture here.)

Crayon Rolls, sewing machines and etsy stores

Last year, I sewed some crayon rolls for the niece and nephew. I waited to mail it to them and glad I did. They seemed to like them. I only wish I had remembered to take a photo of the rolls with the kids. Before the kids left, Matthew asked me quietly (he's shy), "Do I get to take this home with me?" And when I told him yes. He beamed a big smile which melted my heart. He's so sweet!

I didn't really use a pattern, but I had googled several different patterns and made up my own as I went along. These crayon rolls held 16 crayons and had ties on the sides. I wanted to use a piece of elastic and a button originally but worried that the button would eventually fall off. Plus, I figured the kids would learn to tie their shoes soon and then could tie them up themselves.

One of the things I miss is my sewing machine. I've got two used ones but neither of them are working. I was able to sew both crayon rolls before they "died". I've had my eye on a couple sewing machines from Walmart but not that impressed with any of them. I used to have a Janome 4618LE and loved it!

So, while in the local quilt store awhile back, I noticed that they sell a couple models of Janome. They don't make the model I used to have (sadly) but they do have one called the Janome 7318 and while it's not quite as fancy as the one I used to have, I think it will suit me well. It costs $200 so it will take me awhile to save up for, but I can't wait!

Then, I can sew more crayon rolls and other things. I do love to sew and miss it much! There are plenty of patterns I've got my eye on.

While I am trying to save up for this machine, it could take me awhile.  I ordered several things off of etsy the past few days.

I ordered an herbal tincture from here. I've been wanting to start taking this tincture for some time and was thrilled to find it for only $9. I figure I can easily afford a bottle every month. I have looked at several other companies selling similar products but they cost about $30 a month plus shipping. And I prefer to take one herb at a time anyways. This tincture works slowly and may take up to a year for the full effect, but it's worth it to me. Gotta start somewhere.

I also ordered some yarn from Thoughtful Gems. Loretta has been so helpful to me answering my many questions. And I've asked a ton! I've been wanting to try some more hemp yarn since the last time I bought some from her. She also sells organic cotton yarn. What I love about the organic cotton yarn is that it grows naturally in various shades. I ordered chocolate brown and some un-dyed sport weight yarn. I can't wait to start knitting and crocheting with it. I was thrilled to find her etsy store!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nick and I stayed home this year for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed our Thanksgiving feast for dinner rather than supper tonight. Though we may very well eat the leftovers tonight.

I made some ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing and our favorite green bean casserole. I was going to make the famous, "Pink Stuff" but honestly I chickened out when I read the back of the jello box ingredient list! lol  I really am trying to eat healthier and stay away from as many chemicals as I can. I knew that I was already going to be eating plenty of bad stuff so I decided to just skip it this year. I don't think I could have fit in anymore food anyways.

We had pumpkin pie for dessert.

It's been such a lovely day today. The sun is shining and the weather feels great! I hope it's this nice on Saturday when my folks are planning to come see us, along with my sister's family.

Nick's been teaching me to play chess and even though it's really hard right now, I can tell it will be a fun game to play as the year's go by. I've got a long ways to go though before I'll be beating him, since he's been playing online for the past several months and is quite good!

I think a bicycle ride sounds good for this lovely afternoon. Off to see if beloved wants to go now.

until next time!

Knitted shrug progress picture

Here is a progress picture of the shrug:

It doesn't look quite like a shrug yet but it will by the time I'm done. I'll be sure to post up a picture of it when it's done and hopefully have the recipient in the picture too!

 It's almost done and now I won't worry that I won't have it done in time by Saturday. Halfway to go. I still wonder if I'll have enough yarn to finish it but I should...

What was that!?

Last night, I went to check on something outside and had my flashlight with me but the batteries were near dead. I could make out a glimpse of what looked like the neighbor's cat at my feet. About to reach down and pet it, I happened to shine the light down first.

I was shocked to see the largest possum in my life! I let out a tiny muffled scream which scared it so bad that it ran into my neighbor's tractor sitting in his yard!

There was some large bird possibly an owl in the tree next to me which took off in a hurry too. Then, a large crashing sound on top of the camper. I have no idea what it was, but could hear the owl hooting while laying in bed.

Nothing like getting your heart pumping right before you go to bed! :-)

Knitting a shrug

Well, I decided to try knitting the shrug again. I found if I didn't use the fancy fur with the "bobbles" that the knitting was much smoother. I casted on 30 sts and though I wish I had only cast on 25, I don't think it would have worked as well with that little. It's coming along nicely. I was worried I wouldn't have enough of the yarn but so far, each leftover skein is making about 7 inches. I only have to make it 46 inches total, not the 60 I originally thought. Course, this is all just a guess.

It will be colorful that's for sure since I have red, tan, cream in a row so far. Then brown, black and more red left. I wish I could have done more of a pattern with it, but that's okay. It's very warm and soft!

I will take a picture of it tomorrow. I'm hoping to have it done by then.

I haven't forgotten my other projects I need to finish: water bottle cozy and wristers for a friend. Oh and a cell phone cozy. - in case anyone was wondering... :-)

Christmas tree ornament

I found a knitting book a few years ago called,  Family Album of Knits. I got it at a used bookstore for $5. I like the patterns in the book, but it squeaks when you turn the pages. It's not like you can oil a book! I just happened to read the review on the link now and according to it, there are errors in the pattern. Well, I haven't found any, but I have only made one thing out of it so far! Mainly, I just like looking at the patterns and dream about making them! ha! ha!

Well, anyways, awhile back when visiting my sister, I took a bunch of books to sell to the used book store in Kansas City. This one was of the books I was selling. All because of the squeaky pages. Like fingernails on a chalkboard! I did like one or two of the patterns especially but figured I wouldn't miss the book.

After I got rid of it, I was sorry I did! I like it in that it has a little bit of everything. Hats, scarves, sweaters, things for pets, items for babies, stuff for your kitchen, living room, etc.. So, the next time we went to the bookstore, I went and looked to see if they had this book for sale. And they did! So, I bought it back! I know. I know. That is terrible right? They gave me about $2 for the huge stack of books I gave them! and then I bought it back for another $5!!

Well, after having this book for so long and wanting to make a Christmas ornament for our tree, I thought I'd try one of the patterns last night. To my surprise it was so easy! I always thought it was too hard to even try. I didn't even read the whole pattern, I just grabbed some yarn and the needles and got to work. Had it done yesterday night but finished sewing it together this morning. Cute! But a little large.

And guess what? I did a swatch. Well, actually, I measured it halfway through but it was what the swatch said it was supposed to be. I think it's way too big to be an ornament but according to the directions it's supposed to measure 8 inches! What!? Who knits ornaments that big! lol

Our small 4 foot christmas tree has the colored lights on it which we love! So, I knitted the ornament to match the tree.

Herb/noodle cutter

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me an herb cutter similar to this one. She didn't call it an herb cutter though, she called it a noodle cutter. And you know what? It works awesome for a noodle cutter. It makes them the exact width that I like and keeps me from having to roll the dough up like I do for cinnamon rolls. It comes apart easy for cleaning too. I try to keep my gadgets in the kitchen to a minimum but this is one tool I will keep.

It works good for cutting and mincing herbs too. :-)

Yarn hoarder

Yes, I admit it. I'm a yarn hoarder. I decided to go through my yarn stash yet AGAIN! Yes, I know I just went through it a few weeks ago, but since then, a couple more people gave me more yarn.

I just kept dragging out bag after bag in my closest, under the bed, in the overhead bedroom cupboard, in the hall closet, you name it there was at least two skeins of yarn there!

First, I just piled it all up in one heap. Never before seen photos! ha! ha!

It doesn't look like much. But after separating it all out by who had given me what, (and sadly I know where it all came from and who gave it to me) it really hit me! Just how much yarn I was hoarding away. I guess I was worried that I would run out of yarn and not have anything to knit. Some of it I had bought but most of it was given to me. I always tell people when they give me yarn, "If I can't use it all, can I pass it on" so they don't expect me to keep all of it!

I was also surprised to count how many unfinished projects I had started.

This is what it looked like after I had it laid out in piles:

And that's not even counting the left and right corners where the picture cuts off! The sad thing is that I can see each and every skein of yarn and know exactly which project I want to make with each one! But will I ever have the time to do it in my lifetime? lol I have so many promised projects to people,  it's not funny.

I tried to be reasonable with myself and started sorting it in piles that I knew was more practical. I have no doubt that by even the end of the month, someone will give me yet another stash of yarn! And I'm not complaining in the least bit. Nor will I refuse their extra yarn. I love going through the yarn and dreaming about what project to make next. I also know several families with children that will use up whatever yarn I won't.

Now, don't laugh, when you see my next piles:

The yarn in the green bags is what I'm keeping and the rest is being given away. I said no laughing because the green bags look like a lot more yarn, but I plan in another week to dump it all out on the bed and go through the stash again. I really am making it my goal to be a minimalist knitter. I do love the idea of buying my yarn as I need it for whatever project I'm working on. I just need to remember that idea when I see yarn at a garage sale or on sale at the yarn store.

Monday can't come soon enough. I keep thinking of re-looking into the other bags and keeping just a little bit more of it. But no! I must be strong!!

Trying something new

I'm going to try something I've never done before. Something I should have been doing all along. I'm going to make a gauge swatch. I'll find a pattern today to use (not sure yet what it will be) and make one.

A couple of reasons why I've not done one before. For example, when I'm using a strange yarn such as an elastic one. When I try to do a swatch, I'm still in the process of getting the hang of the yarn, so even though it measures one way by the time I am half way done with the item, my gauge is completely different!

Or when I go to measure the stitches, it seems I stretch the material to make it fit. -terrible I know!

Another nice benefit of a swatch is that I really do want to create a knitting scrapbook and I can include that swatch in with each pattern. This way when I want to knit the item again, I'll know what size needle to use.

Now, I just need to know what time of album to get and all that scrapbooking information that I never paid attention to before! lol Any suggestions? I'd really like to get it all ready to start for sure by next year.

Things I want to include on each page: swatch, pattern, notes on making it, label from yarn, picture of finished item and more!

Of course, I won't experiment with making swatches until I finish this baby boy blue hat.

Another lousy day of knitting

How come I can't just have a semi-bad day of knitting? Nope. It has to be the worst ever! ha! ha!

I tried to finish the baby boy hat tonight and when I was just a few rows from being done I looked down and realized I did the wrong stitches towards the beginning of it. I wasn't just being picky either. It looked bad. If the mistake had just been on a complete round I would have left it but no... it wasn't. It was just on half of the hat. So, out went almost 20 rows of the hat, there are only about 40 rows total!

I also tried to work on the crocheted shawl. I took out the three rows that I had and made the chain shorter so that it would measure 60 inches long instead of 72. So, then I did another three rows and re-measured it and somehow it is measuring 49 inches long. Which is fine, I'll just use that as the width and not the length, but it sure is frustrating!

Off to bed, hopefully I'll have better luck tomorrow! :-)

Two day old refrigerator dough and more

For lunch, I set out the remaining bread dough to rise for rolls. They again didn't rise much on their own but once I turned on the "oven" they rose beautifully in the pan! They were delicious. I'm glad I did this experiment so now I know I can make it the day before and still have yummy bread the next day. I'm not sure they would last longer than a day or so, but that's okay...

I started on a baby boy blue hat using the same pattern as I made the pink knitted cap. I need to fix a friend's water bottle cozy but feeling distracted today.

Tried to work on my mom's shrug, but that didn't work. Got two skeins of yarn completely in a tangled mess and I'm hoping my friend "B" will fix it for me. Generally, she loves to untangle knots. I tried a cast on of 25 on size 13 needles and I thought it was wide enough but when I did my swatch, it wasn't. Maybe it will stretch more, but it doesn't seem like it's wide enough. So I tried it on size 15 needles and still too small. I don't have any sizes bigger except a size 35 and 50 which I KNOW is too big! ha! ha!

So... I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I really want to have this done by the 26th when my parents and sister's family is coming to see me. But if nothing else, I'll have until Christmas to get it done. It might also be due to the fact that I'm using this fancy fur which is actually double stranded fun fur and a worsted weight yarn. I don't like the thought of not being able to use a worsted weight in there with it. It's terribly hard to see the stitches as it is, let alone all by itself!

I'm also working on a crocheted prayer shawl and trying to use up every scrap bit of donated yarn. There is just too much sitting around and I need it out of my way. What better way than to make a colorful prayer shawl. I chained 178 stitches and found after I got on the third row that it is just way too long. So I chained 60 sts and that's too short. Grrrr!!

I really don't want to have to take out both projects but need to find something quick. I wanted a lacy looking shawl to crochet and neither of the above is.

Maybe I'll just try to stay focused and finish the baby boy hat. Then on to a pair of booties... I need to focus!!

Refrigerator dough experiments part 3

Well, it didn't look like they were raising much but I went ahead and turned on the bake function. (which I LOVE about my bread machine by the way!)

And about thirty minutes later, I popped these out of the "oven"

I made a thin icing to drizzle on top but they were plenty sweet on their own. And not even 15 minutes later, they were all gone! It reminded me of a monkey bread version. It was delicious!! The recipe I used is found here. (on an earlier post)

Tomorrow, the experimenting continues. I made the whole batch of this dough and have the other half in the refrigerator. I plan to try making regular dinner rolls to go with lunch. Not sure if there will be any "raise" to it left, but I'll keep you posted!

Refrigerator dough part two

Well, the dough rose a little while we were gone and when we got home at around 6, I placed it in the loaf pan to rise. Just checked on it now and it hasn't risen at all. So, not sure if I am just going to have to scrap this whole thing! I hope not!


More to come!

Finished hat picture

I started this hat last night at 6:30 and worked on it for about ten minutes, then got on the computer and forgot about it!

So, when I woke up this morning I started working on it again at 5 in the morning. Went back to sleep from six to seven. Woke up and got the laundry done and the house all cleaned up. (love our tiny house!)

Then, rested and worked on the hat some more. I really wanted "M" to have it for the weekend, so I plugged ahead and while Nick napped I worked on it some more. I took a break to make lunch and clean up from lunch and then knit some more. Total time I think it took me about 6 hours. I was going to knit some tonight, but decided to take the night off. ha! ha!

I did snap a progress picture earlier:

Well, before I gave the hat to "M" I realized I did not have my camera with me, so I'll have to have her bring it back so I can take a picture of her wearing it. Until then, you'll have to see the picture taken with a friends camera phone:

I really like the colors of it. I never would have thought to put those colors together, but that is what she picked and I like it so much I may make another!

One big difference I have noticed with these style hats versus the other style of ear flapped hats I've made in the past is that the with the other ones, the hat covers more of the back of your head and neck. This one fits just like a cap on your head plus the ear flaps. I almost like the other style better because my neck stays warmer. Even though the ear flaps cover more of my chin. Hmmm. Maybe I'll have to play around with both designs and see what I come up with.

Not sure how much knitting I'll do this weekend. If anything, I'll work on getting the skein I started on the prayer shawl done. Then, I'll only have two more skeins to use up. One of which will be in fringe. I wasn't sure about putting fringe on at first, because I heard you had to hand wash it but my friends said you can still machine wash with the fringe but may need to untangle it a bit. No big deal. I can't wait for "G" to see the prayer shawl. I hope she loves the colors as much as I do!

Until next time!

Ready when you are dough

Today I'm trying something new. I'm taking my favorite roll recipe and making it this morning. I plan to keep it in the refrigerator until this afternoon where I will either turn it into rolls or cinna-bites. I hope it turns out! I'll keep you posted.

I googled specific refrigerator dough recipes but wasn't really interested in trying a new recipe. I just am not sure whether or not it will rise too much while I'm gone and then not rise again when it's ready to bake. Wish me luck!

Valuable lesson learned

Never finish a custom order for someone and give the finished product to them until you've been paid for it.

How to finish your nylon net pot scrubber

A couple of you have asked how I finish out the pot scrubber, so I thought I'd try to show it in pictures below. Descriptions will be above each photo.

As you can see the hole is closing up. Not much left to go.

Hole is closed up now.

I take my loop and make it larger. and then

Poke my crochet hook from the other side, doesn't matter which hole you poke it through.

Poke it through the loop (that you made larger) grab the netting piece that is left and pull it through 

 to the other side.

Then take the little bit of the end piece that is left and weave in the end. That's it!

In case you missed the beginning tutorial on how to make a pot scrubber, go here.

Happy Crafting!

Face scrubbie turned dish cloth

I had some leftover facial scrubbies that did not sell at the local bazaar's and I set them in the bathroom for myself to use. Nothing like a mini soft wash cloth to scrub your face clean. I love it!

But tonight, I was doing the dishes and using my nylon pot scrubber. I pretty much have quit using cotton dish rags since I've been using the net scrubbers, but every once in awhile, I'll want to wipe up a spill on the counter. So, I took one of the new facial scrubbers which is about the same diameter of the pot scrubbers and used it to wash my dishes and wipe up the counter.

I loved it! Small enough to fit in my hand, yet big enough to do the job. I'm thinking about making up a bunch more and selling them as a set. I've still got my eye on re-opening my etsy store, but not ready yet.

I've been in the mood lately to knit some dish cloths even though I haven't even got the yarn yet. I've just got some color/theme ideas brewing in my head. I also want to try knitting with hemp yarn. I found a great shop on etsy and I've used her yarn before. Loved it!

I learned so much about hemp that I didn't know before. A nice place to read about it is here. Their hemp sounds nice too but when I get ready to order some, I'm going to order from Thoughtful gems. I've ordered from her before and I love her stuff!

Someday I'd love to knit up a couple sets of hemp wash cloths and dish cloths. But first, I've got to tie up a few loose ends and finish my other projects first!

until next time!

Projects done and working on

Well, remember the orange and blue ear flap hat I made the other day? I wasn't going to put ties on it mainly because I couldn't figure out how to attach them, but "J" wanted ties, so I got to thinking and figured it out.

I just snapped a picture of it in the car because I was in a hurry.

I asked "J" if I could take a picture of him wearing it and he agreed. I promised him his face wouldn't show though.

Okay, I'll admit it looks a bit crazy without a face showing but it's the hat I wanted to show you! lol

I never noticed before how much this kid likes wearing orange and blue! 

Remember the yarn I mentioned earlier, well,  I told "M" I'd make her a hat too. (his sister) and I gave her the color choices and she picked two from that bag of yarn I got. So, I started on it tonight. It's Vanna's Choice yarn and Red Heart simply soft and I'm not sure what to think of it so far.  The purple yarn is a category #4 but so far the hat is looking way too big! I won't know until I do more rows. There isn't a gauge to go by with this pattern since size doesn't matter that much, but oh well. Hopefully, it doesn't turn out too big. I'm also a bit concerned because it calls for a size 9 needle on the label and I'm using a size 8.

I've almost finished the blue/white hat I started yesterday. All I have to do is finish the ear flaps and I'm done which I was thinking of holding off on and making them optional. I don't know who it will go to yet, and I'm not sure if I'm going to sell it or give it away.

On a latter note,  I got 8 pot scrubbers done and only 2 more to go! Yay!

I'm thinking about doing a giveaway next month, but not sure yet when or what it will be. Just keep reading, and hopefully I'll figure it out soon enough!

More free yarn!

Yesterday a friend asked if I wanted some scrap yarn leftover from her bazaar projects. I was expecting a lot of little odds and ends pieces. I figured I'd make some striped child size hats or something. I was not expecting a brown grocery sized bag of what looked like almost new skeins of yarn!! What a blessing! Now I can't decide what I want to make with it.

Tonight, I'm going to try and finish up all my netted pot scrubbers. I've got an order of 10 to make by Christmas and I'd like to get the rest of the stash crocheted up. For one thing, it's taking up a lot of space and another, I'd like them ready to go in case I have someone that wants some. I'm not too fond of doing custom orders.

I also want to finish my second ribbed ear flap hat pattern that I started yesterday. I'm trying to figure out a way to add ties to the first one, but haven't even given it much thought yet. I did ask a friend for some ideas and she definitely gave me something to think about!

Other than that, not much else I'm working on except my other projects- helmet liners and prayer shawl. I'm about half way done with both of them.

Nick called a bit ago to tell me it was S-N-O-W-I-N-G!!! I couldn't believe it. It was 47 degrees here and I had some laundry on the line. I hoped it wouldn't come this way. Then, when I was on the phone with my knitting friend I looked out the window to see some huge snowflakes falling! Grabbed my laundry off the line (it was almost dry) and now keeping warm by the heater. It says it's 39 degrees outside. Brrrr!! Too cold for me!

Off to make some hot tea! Speaking of tea and keeping warm, I read that if you eat some cinnamon in the morning (on toast or however you prefer it) it will keep you warm all day long. I didn't really believe it but I've been drinking my favorite hot tea and noticed that the first ingredient is Cinnamon! And yes, it does work. It keeps me warm all day long! My friend Brandi introduced me to this tea and so grateful that she did. I love it!!!

New thoughts on nylon net pot scrubbers

After someone commented on the post "How to make a pot scrubber" I got to thinking about what they asked and I realized I made a mistake. I had said that if you used 2 yards of material then your pot scrubber would be bigger than if you used just 1 yard. How could this be the way I was cutting it?

So, I emailed my friend who originally shared with me the pattern and asked her which way she was cutting it up. I assumed it was vertically. To my surprise she said horizontally. Which makes complete sense now. If I am using 2 yards of material, then the strips would be longer and thus the finished scrubbie would be larger.

So, I had an order for 2 black/red pot scrubbers and took the black netting and folded it to cut horizontally instead of my usual way. I was prepared to completely change my original pattern posted UNTIL I tried it!

And I decided it isn't worth it. I've made over 5 dozen pot scrubbers doing it the way I show in the post, and not in the way my friend does it. I like the way they turn out. So, I'm not going to change my ways.  I also think that the material feels different cut horizontally and that it feels more smooth less grippy, less scrubby. And, when I go to attach the strips together, they don't hold onto one another as well this "right" way.

So, I leave it up to you. If you want to try it this way, go ahead, but not for me! Not to mention that the strips were a lot shorter and my finished scrubbie was the size of a half dollar! So, if you want to cut it this way, try using 2 yards or more instead of one. Unless you want a doll size scrubbie!

Last thought, you could probably just snip off about a half inch to the sides instead of trying to get the scissors to go into the tube part. But that would waste a lot of the material...

It was in a big heap on the floor as I sorted through each piece finding which ones did not get cut in half. Never again! LOL!!!

Blue and orange ear flap hat

This is the blue and orange ear flap hat I made this weekend. I'm hoping to get it sold quickly!

The one person I think who would be interested in it- I haven't seen all week but hope to on Friday. Otherwise, I may list it in my etsy store.

Experiments with curry

Knowing I was going to be fixing my own lunch today, I really wanted the yellow chicken curry dish, but did not have any coconut milk and bamboo shoots. I couldn't imagine the dish without the rich taste of the coconut milk!

But I really wanted some curry today. So, I got out my frying pan and added some onions and some oil and browned them. Then, I added some diced chicken and a half of a potato leftover from breakfast. I added in a teaspoon of curry, and a pinch of red curry paste and a little water. Started cooking it and boy it smelled so good!

Then, I poured a little fish sauce in and some sugar. I did not measure anything! I tried it and it was wonderful! By this time I was wishing I had some rice, but did not feel like dragging out the rice cooker for the tiny amount it made. So I just dumped some rice in the pan. Only there was not enough liquid to cook the rice, so I added some water. Which diluted my yummy creation. So I added in more curry powder, fish sauce and sugar. I checked on the rice halfway through and the water was gone and the rice was still hard, so after adding more water, and more curry and seasonings, three  separate times! It finally tastes as good as it did when I started. Now I'm sitting here enjoying a tasty bowl!! I can't believe how good it tastes without the regular ingredients!

And along with this meal I boiled some sweet potatoes, topped it with a nice tablespoon or two of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Mashed it in my bowl and ate the whole thing!  This is my comfort food today.

Fried what?

Fried this up for dinner the other night. Can you tell what it is?

Beat egg, dip meat in egg. Roll in flour mixed with seasoned salt and pepper. Fry until golden brown and meat is done.

Lip balm holders, pot scrubbers and hats

Crocheted up 7 lip balm holders this evening. Stamped some display cards to insert them in and got them all ready to take to the flea market tomorrow. I took my sample key chain pouch to a friend to try out for me. I had three pot scrubbers I made for an order I thought I had, but they turned out not to want them. No big deal, as now I have them for the booth.

Some of my items from the bazaar did not sell, so they will be given back to me on Tuesday. I'll probably divide them up and put half at the flea market and the other half at the quilt shop. Depending on what's left, I may even put some in my etsy shop.

A friend of mine sent me a ribbed ear flap hat pattern and I made it this weekend. It was easy at first, just doing the hat part, but adding the ear flaps later stressed me out. I don't know if I'm going to make another one which is too bad cause I really liked the pattern! I liked that it was a one size fits all hat!

I'm in the process of trying to come up with my own version of it where I put the ear flaps on first. Trying to add them later, is a pain! If I can figure it out, I'll be sure to post the pattern up here. I'm hoping tomorrow to get started experimenting with it. I'll post up pics of the first hat tomorrow, but here are the lip balm holders I made tonight:

Pot scrubbers:

Three bags of yarn

After going through my yarn stash and sorting through it all, I put it all inside three reusable grocery shopping bags with a mental note to start using it up, asap!

I have one bag that is mainly all Red Heart yarn. I plan to make a bunch of lip balm cozies to put up for sale in my Etsy store but that still leaves a lot of yarn. So, I decided to start crocheting some hats. Normally, I don't make things like hats unless I have a particular person in mind that they are for, or I'm going to put them up for sale. Neither idea sounds interesting right now, so I'm just going to crochet/knit them and then decide from there. Who knows, I may decide to give them away instead.

In another bag is mainly scraps of Plymouth Encore yarn, which I will probably also turn into hats, but probably for kids/babies since there isn't much.

I have one drawer full of brand new Plymouth Encore sock yarn and worsted weight. I still want to make my mom's shrug before Thanksgiving, which I know is coming very soon, but I still need to buy some fancy fur yarn. She sent me a bunch of odds and ends but I want it to look nice! lol

And my last bag of yarn is the nylon netting, which I need to have done by December. I'm dreading working on these because they really tear my hands up, which makes it hard to knit with yarn. I never noticed it before, but it does so terribly!

I'll post up pics as I make these new items. I'm excited about the projects I'm making!

Minimalist Knitting

This morning I found the coolest website. Yes, I know I say the word "cool" a ton, but this website is exactly what I've been feeling lately. Tuesday before prayer shawl group met, I went through all my knitting/crochet magazines and Country Woman magazines and gave away all but 3-4 leaflets. At first, it was really hard to give it all up, even though I haven't touched most of it in a year and have no interest in making any of the projects (not right now anyways) in the books. But when I saw the excited faces of those that received it, that made the whole weird feeling go away.

I got to thinking about my knitting supplies besides books/leaflets. And how I have way too much knitting needles, accessories, and yes, yarn! I wondered to myself if it was even possible to still knit yet not own a lot of stuff.

So, this afternoon, I started reading Robyn's e-book, which surprised me that it was free! And before I could even finish the first chapter, I was up in my room digging out most of my knitting stuff. I'm almost too embarrassed to post photos, but will at the end of this post. Nah! Never mind.

 I decided to just now take a break and read more of her e-book. I laughed out loud when I got to page 18! I thought I was crazy for dumping everything out in one heap. I have less than an hour to deal with it all before Nick comes home too. It was all too overwhelming but in a good way. It helped me see just how much "stuff" I have. And this wasn't including any of the other cupboards where my stuff is. Just my closet. The good news is I found the floor of my closet. It's brown. I don't think I've ever noticed it before! lol

So, I'm working on paring down my knitted things as well as my personal items. It didn't take overnight to get this way and it's going to take some time but I'm excited about changes.

Key chain lip balm holder and key chain pouch

I finally got around to crocheting up a key chain lip balm holder. It was fast and easy to make! I had the tiniest ball of yarn left and made two without making a dent in the yarn. I am surprised at how little yarn it uses. I got the pattern here. It worked up very quickly. Like in less than 10 minutes!

Side thought- While hubby does smoke, he only does so outside. No worries about my crafty things smelling. 

These look cuter and fun to make, but they look like they take more time. She has the free pattern on her Ravelry page. I like how she adds the button to them rather than sewing it on. I would think that normally it would come right off. I plan to try making at least one but I like the other one better. And I have permission to sell them. < The ones from Crochet Spot.

I tried a knit version with sock yarn but did not like the way it turned out, even though a couple of friends liked it. It was too holey for me. I may however try a knitted version but with thicker yarn and see how well that goes or use sock yarn but larger needles. I used size 2 originally. Next time I'll try a size 4.

I also found a pattern on the Red Heart website for a key chain pouch but didn't realize that it called for very fine yarn. I used some sock yarn but it was taking for ever. I imagine that it would take hours to make just one. I haven't even finished the one I started and still have a long ways to go yet before it is even looking like it is taking shape.

So, I got the idea to try making my own. I took some black yarn (which a friend asked me to make for her) and used a size H hook.

Here's what I did:
Ch4, sl st to join ring. 8 hdc in ring.
Ch2, 16 hdc around. Which gives it the base. Then, repeat until height that you desire. I wanted it almost 3 inches long but about 2 inches wide. The Red Heart pattern size was 3 by 3 which I thought sounded a little too big. Chained about 10 inches long for the drawstring and put through the last "eyelet" holes.

I wanted it small enough to stash a few peppermints inside or some loose change. I like the way it turned out and can't wait to show my friend to see what she thinks. It doesn't take much yarn or time to make.

I originally wanted a different drawstring but it wouldn't stay cinched tight. In fact, I may add a bead to this one to keep it closed tight.

Crocheted baby headband with flowers

These pictures are small, but hopefully you can still see how they turned out:

I made this flower with this pattern here.

Crocheted baby beanie with flower

This picture came about from this last post:

I crocheted this hat for a friend's baby

This hat came from this pattern. My gauge is off, since the hat is not folded at all. But doesn't look like it affects her much, huh? I guess though it won't fit her for long...

I also learned how to make these hats too.

In looking at hundreds of crocheted baby hats this month, I notice that a lot of the patterns were essentially about the same. They start out with a round. Make the increase and then when it's the size you want, you just stop increasing and do a sc, dc, or hdc around and around to make the hat come straight down.

I also made some of these hats this week.

This one also looks similarly made.

Crocheted brimmed hat with pics and pattern link

I found a cool blog tonight!

I can't remember how I found it but I was looking for something and it caught my eye. In fact, I found it several weeks ago and stuck it in my ever increasing bookmarks folder.

The pattern that I had saved was called Quickly Brimmed. I just took out my yarn which was 2 strands of Red Heart and grabbed a size K hook and started crocheting it. I had it done in a couple of hours and it turned out really cute! It wouldn't have taken me even that long but I kept taking a lot of breaks while finishing up other projects.

 I didn't think it would be long enough at first and almost put an extra row on it, but glad I didn't. In fact, it came out a little too long but that's my fault for crocheting it very loosely.- When I thought it wouldn't be long enough, I started making it VERY loose and big! Oops!

But I love how it turned out. I had planned to make more complete baby sets for the bazaar, but I think I'm done. I am finishing up a red (possibly white too) baby hat to go with the red baby booties I already gave them. And a pair of green/purple booties to go with the hat I already made. After that, a few odds and ends and I'm done. Then on to cell phone cozies, wristers, chapstick cozies and more! lol

Here's me in the hat:

Importance of soaking beans properly

You know on the package of dried beans when it says to pick through and sort the beans before soaking. Some packages may even say "small stones are normal" Well, I soaked them. Drained and rinsed them three times and never saw anything unusual.  And after having the meal for the second day in a row, Nick almost cracked his teeth on these:

Yes, those are two rather large rocks in our food! Needless to say, the rest of the pot got thrown out! Ugh!

Crocheted and knitted baby hats with booties

Pink baby set:

The knitted pink baby cap pattern is found here.

The mary jane style booties is found here.

Blue set:

The blue baby hat pattern is found here.

These quick, fast and easy baby booties pattern is found here. The original pattern calls for ties which I may still add. It is found on the Bernat's website, which you'll have to sign up for. It's free and allows access to FREE patterns. Worth it!

Yellow set:

The yellow beanie cap pattern is found here. Takes only 20 minutes!

The baby bootie pattern is found here.

White set:

I haven't decided yet which hat/bonnet goes with the set, but I'll just include them both and/or probably crochet up another pair of booties (like the blue ones) to go with one or the other. 

The crocheted beanie is the same pattern as the yellow one.

The knitted baby bonnet pattern is found here. Scroll down to view Little Shell Lace Baby bonnet. 

The baby bootie pattern can be found here.

Sets almost done

I just have to sew on the buttons to my last pair of baby booties and I completed all the sets that I wanted to get done. Yay! Now, this weekend I'll just work on getting some smaller projects done
A friend suggested making a flower (button?) and I googled it and found tons of neat information! I will probably just sew on a regular button for these, but for the next few batches, I've got some ideas forming.

One thing I did read tonight which made a ton of sense (why didn't I think of it before!?) is this:

If you want to attach a flower to a hat, but not sure how: Just place a large button over the center of the flower and then sew the button on! Easy peasy!

I'll try to remember to post up pictures of all the sets I made. You know how I was saying that I sewed the yellow baby bootie on wrong yesterday. Well, I made another one and was very careful this time and it still turned out exactly the same! So, I guess I did it right. lol

I'm not too happy with how my fancy fur headband turned out. I made almost the largest size and it came out very tiny. Course, I should have done a gauge, but I never do them! I should, I know...

until next time!

Feeling much better

Okay, after I made that last post, I looked up a couple more sites and started a new pattern for some baby booties. I started around 4 so it took me about 45 minutes but not bad since I had to learn a few new stitches. This is the pattern I tried on the Bernat site. If you're not a member it may not let you look at it but it's worth joining for FREE! I'm off to make the other half. I really like how they turned out. I just have to learn a better way to make the ties. This type yarn kind of unravels and is not being nice! lol

If I can get the pink booties done tonight along with the other half yellow one, I'll be super thrilled!

Until next time!

Starting to freak out a little

I got an extra week to finish these baby hats and booties and now I'm wondering if I'll even get them done or not! I spent all morning and mid afternoon working on half of a baby bootie only to find out that I did something wrong and don't know what. The eyelet row is not working to thread the tie through. I don't want the ties to be something that baby's foot can get caught in and that is the only way it threads through evenly. So, scrapping that pattern and trying to find another! I found plenty of great sounding patterns that call for yarn I don't have! It's quite frustrating!!

I did finally finish the blue ribbed hat and just need a pair of booties to go with it. I also still need to make a pink set of booties as well as a yellow one. I guess I can get it all done by Tuesday if only I can find another suitable pattern. I'm not interested  right now in trying another hard pattern that I may or may not be able to figure out!

I will try to remember this time to take pictures of everything before they get sent out.

I did find a crochet pattern using the exact yarn on the Bernat website, but even though it's rated easy, I'm not sure I can figure it out. I still consider myself a newbie crocheter.

What is the most frustrating is that my hands and fingers keep snagging on the yarn!

On a happy note, I finished the white lacy baby bonnet that I found here. I remember when I first found the pattern and fell in love with it. It looked so difficult that I put it aside for later. But then I wanted to try it and though I spent more time taking out my first one, I have since made several and it's really not that hard of a pattern as long as you take it line by line. The only thing is that I realized I used the wrong sized needles for all the previous ones. The white one I finished last night was made correctly and turned out great! It looks so tiny but it is for a newborn and fits a small grapefruit. -was told that would correctly fit a newborn.

You know, I forgot about this pattern, and it turned out pretty cute and was fast. Only I had to sew up the toe part not the back part. I think I did something wrong. I also made a white set with this pattern. I had wanted to make four different types of baby booties but I'm getting desperate, so I think I'll just pick one of these and start knitting!!!

There are some really other cute things I want to make too but I won't even think about them until I finish the baby items!

Speaking of other things, when Nick walked in the house today he said it smelled like a country farmhouse! He was referring to my meatloaf that I had cooking in the crock pot. It has been cooking all day since 8 this morning and now it's starting to smell really good! It's one of my favorite recipes and will post it up tomorrow or later tonight. I just love my new crock pot!!

Red Beans and Rice

This morning I loaded up the crock pot with some red beans to have "Red beans and rice" for supper. I made this dish awhile back and am trying it out in the new crock pot.

The recipe:
1 pound package dried red beans
water
salt pork, ham hocks or sausage cut small
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
3-4 cups water
6 ounces tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
4 garlic cloves minced

Soak beans overnight in water. Drain. Discard soaking water.

I'm always amazed at how the teeny tiny red beans transform into a lighter pink bean in the morning!

Mix together all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours on low or until beans are soft. Serve over rice.

These beans freeze well.
You can substitute canned red kidney beans. Cook 1 hour on High and then 3 hours on low.

recipe from: Margaret Moffitt  (Fix it and Forget it Cookbook)

I borrowed my neighbor's copy so much that I finally went to Half Price book store and bought my own copy for $5!

When I first made this dish, I wasn't sure what to think of it. The pre-packaged beans and rice meals we sometimes eat are seasoned with Cajun style seasonings. This is not, obviously, and took getting used to. But now we both like it a lot! I like to buy this sausage to add to the beans.

Thai Yellow Chicken Curry recipe

Last Saturday I made a nice big pot of yellow chicken curry to have for lunch and to share with a friend. It turned out delicious as always. I just wish I had made more! It was gone too soon.

I got the recipe from my favorite Thai book. I was privileged to meet her and have her autograph my copy when we lived in Kansas. So far every recipe I've made from from her book, we've loved!

This is how I make mine:

You'll need 2 cans coconut milk:

Doesn't matter which brand, this is just what happened to be in my cupboard. I was kind of disappointed when I saw that the "organic" one contained water as its first ingredient and then coconut milk. The one on the left, did have a preservative in it, but coconut milk was listed first and had a much richer taste.

Next, I use red curry paste. About 2 Tablespoons. More if you want it hotter, but remember as it cooks the heat does intensify a little. I always in the past, keep adding more and then by the time the dish is done, it's way too hot to eat. -when I use the good brand of curry that is...

Yes, I know it seems weird to use red curry paste and not yellow but the cookbook said that yellow curry paste equaled to red curry paste and curry powder. I know they sell yellow curry paste, but I've not tried it. I just know how wonderful it tastes the way I do it and don't plan to change it now.  :-)

My favorite red curry paste is this brand.  I like it for its heat and flavor. However, I had this in my cupboard:

It was okay but did not have the heat like I was used to. I even tried it straight from the can and it was hardly anything spicy. Another thing I like about the first brand is that it comes in a plastic container and inside a bag which I can just seal off and keep in the refrigerator. With the canned curry, I have to put it in something and then freeze it. Doesn't seem like it keeps as long in the refrigerator. But anyways...

I made the mistake of making this in a medium sized saucepan and had to run to my neighbor's to see about borrowing a large stock pot from her. That is definitely on my "to buy" list. (a larger cooking pot!)

This is by far my favorite yellow curry brand:

To make dish:

Place 2 cans of coconut milk in medium to large stock pot. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons curry paste and 1 Tablespoons yellow curry powder and mix well.

Slice 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts into thin strips and put in same pot along with 2 potatoes, cut into quarters and 1 cup of water. Cook for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat and add 1 large onion, cut into quarters, 1/3 cup fish sauce, and 1/4 cup sugar. (I prefer the Squid brand of fish sauce over others.)

Simmer covered for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender and chicken is done.

Makes enough for 2-4 people.

I like this dish served over hot rice. (Jasmine preferred)

Mmmmm! This is making me crave the dish just talking about it!