Pretty Darn Great

Wine and Rum, Knitted Up

When I was home in CA over Thanksgiving, my sister Bug and I met up for lunch and shopping over in Rockridge. That part of Oakland is about halfway between where I was visiting and where she lives (okay closer to me but she's sweet like that to take the longer trip) and is jammed with the most adorable shops packed with things that seem absolutely necessary or at least far too cute to leave behind. Like the knitted booze-bottle-sock I saw.

(Above) So cute I took a picture so I would remember later to look up a pattern

I didn't take it home with me but once I got back I started looking for patterns so I could knit something similar for wine bottles. Found several that made little wine sweaters with arms but I adapted them to a) not have arms and b) work with two strands of yarn knitted together since I was looking for a marled look.

(Above) Success! With embroidery!

I made a few of them, playing with the numbers of stitches, the degrees of decreases, and the placement of the writing-stripe. The embroidery was easy, the only tough part being getting the yarn through the needle eye.

(Above) Vin, Vino, Wine - pick your language, it's all delicious

The best part? Once I got confident working with wine bottles it was easy to adapt to working with liquor ones. One of my best girls is more of a Rum-fan than Wine-fan so I knitted up one for a fifth of Captain Morgan's. Didn't take long to do and it was the favorite thing I made this Christmas.

(Above) Captain Morgan, at the ready!

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: Worsted-Weight acrylic yarn and Fingering-Weight sparkly yarn knotted together.

Patterns:  Check out Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) and look up patterns for wine socks

Warnings: Try it on the bottle as you go and adapt accordingly. Using stockinette stitch while knitting in the round looks pretty but doesn't seem to have much give so don't be afraid to add a couple of stitches at the beginning - better its a little big than too small.

Definitely Ambrosia

I hadn't had Ambrosia Salad in forever. I could remember that sweet semi-solid salad of marshmallow and canned fruit from my childhood (in school lunches? from family potlucks?) but couldn't tell you when the last time I'd had it been. And I'd certainly never made it as an adult.

But a while back I wanted to make a not-too-difficult From-the-South dessert and looking through The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook found a recipe for the stuff and decided to give it a go. It was ridiculous easy.

(Above) First you add the fruit

(Above) Then you add the marshmallows and coconut

Add in the sour cream and put it in the fridge for a while the viola - its done. And completely delicious, as well as thoroughly unhealthy (canned fruit not-withstanding). But totally worth it.

(Above) Ambrosia - done and delicious!

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Ambrosia Fruit Salad from the The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook (ISBN-13: 978-0-8203-3275-8) 

Notes: The pineapple chunks were pretty big, out of the can, so I did chop them into quarters so they were about te same size as the cherries and mandarin oranges.

Tote-ing It

Lesson two in the Red Velvet Sewing Class I'm taking?  Reversible Tote Bags.


(Above) Two totes in bad lighting - showing printed side out and in

While I eventually figured these out I encountered a few problems along the way. I was so grateful that I made and royally messed a plain muslin version before I worked with pretty fabric because I could make the following mistakes on scrap:

• I had issues cutting the material the right size  - my lines were uneven, eventually just made a paper pattern and used it to mark and cut the fabric;
• I had some sort of mental block about sewing the correct sides of the bag together. For some reason kept sewing a right to a wrong size - had to undo it three times; and 
• I kept putting the handles on the outside rather than the inside of the bag. Once I figured out how to do it right I wondered how I missed it earlier, but it took a good twenty minutes of puzzling and one hilariously mistaken effort to get there.

But after all of that I l-o-v-e these things. They take about a half yard of fabric each so two one yard pieces yield two identical bags - one for me and one to give away. They don't take too long to make up, they're super-cute and a good size for toting a small project or a mid-week grocery run. I like using them as a way to wrap presents - the cost about the same as a fancy gift bag and are more useful.


(Above) Currently holding my stash yarn

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: 1 yard patterned, I yard plain quilting fabric; Matching thread; Super-sharp scissors

Class Information:  D.I.Y Dress Up E-Course at http://shopredvelvet.com/collections/e-course/products/d-i-y-dress-up-e-course

Warnings: I really do recommend making a muslin version first. Sure you want to get to the sewing straight away but its worth the practice time to get a product that looks as awesome as you imagined.

Wonky Bow = Success (Really)

So, my sewing machine and I have been getting to know eachother. I think we're both a little hesitant (I know I am) so to ease things along I signed up for an online sewing course through Red Velvet. The projects are all adorable and it promised to walk me through different skills at my own pace. Hurrah!

The first project? A bow with some topstitching.

(Above) The truly wonky but I think sweet result

This gave me a good opportunity to get comfortable with my machine and sewing in general - cutting patterns, forward and back-stitching, zigzag and decorative stitches, finishing items. Don't think I'll actually use the bow as anything but a measure of early success but it does make me smile.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: Scrap fabric; Contrasting thread; Super-sharp scissors

Class Information:  D.I.Y Dress Up E-Course at http://shopredvelvet.com/collections/e-course/products/d-i-y-dress-up-e-course

Missing Mix Tape Song - "Friends Of Mine"

Know when you're putting together a mix or playlist and looking for a song that really nails a particular mood/concept/feeling/idea/situation, and after you finish it you find some brilliant song that you wish you could have added? Happens to me all the time, but doesn't need to happen to you.

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The specific situation: Good friends are getting married and you want to tell them how happy you are for them and how great you think they are together.

The song: "Friends of Mine" by the Zombies (1967)

Lyric that sums it up: "It feels so good to know two people so in love (so in love) are friends of mine"

Mix I wish I'd had it for: When two of my good friends got married last year, I made a wedding mix for them that they used at their rehearsal dinner. As they both like 60's music this song would have been a great song to include and a sweet way to let them know how happy the rest of us are that they're so happy together.

Hear it yourself at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s1gOaTn65o

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares

Peanut butter are my favorite cookies and so a peanut butter snack bar intrigues me. Make it a recipe that uses ingredients already in my pantry and have the recipe throw in the added interest of oatmeal and it was irresistible.

(Above) Crumbly Peant Butter Close Up

Actually I didn't have all the ingredients on hand - was missing chocolate chips. As a result, while the bars were tasty they tasted decidedly healthy. Not bad and I may make it again (adding in chocolate chips and maybe nuts), but not really what my sweet tooth was aching for.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares from the How Sweet It Is (http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/08/oatmeal-peanut-butter-snack-squares/) 

Notes: Definitely definitely don't leave out the chocolate chips.

Wild and Woolly Hot Coffee Cup Sleeve

My morning coffee wakes me up before I even take a sip. How? By the way my hand gets throughly seared  through the thin paper cups available at the cafeteria at work. The cardboard jackets they provide offer about 1 minute of relief but that still leaves switching hands and trying to find somewhere anywhere to set my coffee down well before the time I get back to my desk.

 One solution? A better coffee jacket. One like the one I knitted up last weekend from some pretty pretty wool tweed scraps I had on hand.

(Above) Red woolly hand protection

Used it today and was pleased - my hands got pleasantly toasty (but not hot) and despite the wool-ness of it it wasn't scratchy.

(Above) Clooooooooooose up on the stockinette stitch

Think I may make a couple more to have on hand, and I have some coffee loving friends who may get some as gifts for Christmas this year....

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Materials: Each sleeve used up scraps of DK Weight wool tweed; Size 6 double-pointed knitting needles; Tape Measure

Patterns:  Reusable Hot Coffee-Cup Sleeve from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (ISBN-13: 978-1584798606)

Warnings: Don't think it was strictly necessary but I supported the cup at the bottom, was a little worried that the sleeve would slip.

(Modified) West Texas Venison Chili

1) It's Fall. 2) On the weekend I really enjoy taking time to cook something fun.  3) By the time I get home from work the last thing I want to do is cook something from scratch.  What do those add up to (besides 6)? Me cooking up a batch of (Modified) West Texas Venison Chili from a recipe I got off of Garden and Gun.

Had no deer on hand but one cool Sunday morning I rustled up a few pounds of beef, along with the rest of ingredients. There was some beer.

(Above) Action shot of beer with blue manicure

And a half cup of chili powder.

(Above) That chili powder, almost actual size

Let me say that again. One. Half. Cup. Of. Chili. Powder. I am the kind of woman who has that much chili powder on hand but hot damn that's a lot of hot stuff. And we could certainly taste it. Not in the first part of the bite but at the end there was a strong kick at the end that had to be cut with some sour cream or a big glass of milk. Thankfully over the next few days the taste mellowed to a point where it was spicy like a campfire rather than inferno.

(Above) The end result, tastier than it is pretty

And the chili, in general?  Its a huge favorite in the house. There was plenty left over so we've eaten it for lunch and dinner several times, and I'm going to be sorry when its gone. And no doubt making another batch.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

Recipe: West Texas Venison Chili from the Garden and Gun (http://gardenandgun.com/west-texas-venison-chili) 

Notes: Seriously, consider adding less chili powder; My super-carnivorous beau adored the three pounds of beef in this recipe

Getting to Know, Well I Don't Actually Know Its Name Yet

I bought a sewing machine a couple of weeks ago.  A gorgeous fancy sewing machine with a billion stitches and a quilting foot and all kinds of other madness. Looking at the box I had visions of all of the great pillows and presents and skirts and sashes and alterations and general awesomeness I'd soon be making.

Of course I was terrified to actually you know, open it and try and make it work.

So she and I sat down Monday afternoon. I took the machine out of the box, laid out all the parts, and snuggled up with the users manual. I identified all the parts, read the safety warnings, connected the power. I then turned the machine on, and nothing blew up. Fantastic!

Next task - winding a bobbin.  Again took my time to follow the diagrams and within a minute we were merrily winding.  

(Above) Action shot, about halfway through the bobbin

Feeling bold, I picked up the section on threading the needle, got the top and bottom threads threaded, picked a pretty zigzag stitch, and stitched my first bit.

(Above) Zigzag-ing Away!

So there's a ton I have to learn, like how to backstitch, or change the needles, or maybe even sew a really straight line. But it was a great hour introduction, and am looking forward to getting to know What's-Its-Name better.

 

Interested in trying your own hand at it?

The Machine: A lovely Brother CS6000i Sew Advance Sew Affordable 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine, available a lot of places including Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JQM1DE)

Reason #62318 Why I Adore My Beau

With the hurricane a-coming I talked this morning about flipping my balcony patio furniture to keep the blowing around to a minimum. But I spent pretty much all the day running around and by the time I made it back I wasn't looking forward to going outside in the already pouring rain.

But then I came home to this - already flipped furniture. Done without me asking. What a darling!

(Above) Wet furniture I didn't have to move - hooray!