baby hat #2

After the last baby hat I knit- My sister requested that I knit a hat for her friend who is having a boy in August.  She requested the blue and orange and I added the green in because it just looked so great all together.

Again I made the hat on size 6 rounds. I cast on about 64, made a ribbed border and then did the blue in st st and the orange and green in garter stitch.  It's a fun and quick hat- which was good since I had a baby shower deadline to think about!
And like with the other one- when you put it on the little guy the corners will pop up and look like little ears!  I think it's large enough that he could wear it in the fall, and possibly in the spring- since it's so stretchy... although, I don't know, some babies can have big heads!!

I think I will make more hats with the left over yarn and put them on etsy!

Another sneak peak

Here is another pillow I made for Les. I used the leftover fabric from her curtains. (Cool Fabric, huh?) I folded the fabric like an envelope, sewed it all together in a loose manner and attached this wooden toggle button, a left over from those extra buttons you get with sweaters but never, ever use!

Here's the back of the pillow. Very nice and relaxing colors. Perfect for the ocean inspired beachy feel we are going for.

And this fabric with it's rope or shell abstracted shapes will cover the seat of this little rocking chair that Les got for free a few years back. She is going to take it from brown wood to a nice warm white, and this fabric will be a fun addition to the room and to spruce up the chair.  In order to make the fabric wide enough to cover the seat, I simply cut off a long strip from either end and sewed it to the sides. Les will simply staple it to the back of the seat.  This is an example of how to add something modern to a room while also adding a neutral. There is nothing wrong with too much color, as my rooms attest, but it's nice to have a balance.

This fabric also provides a different size print. This is important to remember when decorating- incorporate a variety of sizes when choosing fabric. It helps make the room flow and not make it too visually overwhelming.

More to come, so stay tuned!

a pillow for Lesley

Lesley and I are redoing their second bedroom/office/ guest room! It's been a lot of fun. So far we painted the room, I have made curtains, a new pillow case for a long throw pillow... yadda yadda. I don't want to give it all away so stay tuned- more pictures to come!

Tonight I am working on my own little idea for her room. This pillow is a guinea pig for possible ETSY products to sell in my shop.

This picture above is the inspiration for the pillow. The large graphic coral print to be precise. 

1st I went out and bought a pre-made pillow- 18x18". Then I bought canvas and this matching stripe fabric. I made a pillow case complete with a recycled, green zipper at the bottom for added pop and function for washing.  I am going to embroider a yet to be determined coral shape on the striped side with this pastel pinky color- in keeping with the subdued yet fun color pallet of the room.  Since the room is primarily in all blues it needed a warm punch- hence this pillow!

Stay tuned as I will post pictures of the room and other sewing projects in the next week!

summer dessert

I am making a crumble for tomorrow night's knit night potluck at our place. My mom has been making this dessert for years and it is incredibly easy!!!

Here's a how to:

preheat oven for 350

crack 1 egg in a bowl

add 1 cup of sugar

1 cup of flour and MIX - sometime I had a touch of milk or vegetable oil if it doesn't seem to be binding and is too dry. But ultimately by drizzling the butter on top your doughy topping will become more dough-like and wet.

melt a stick of butter on the stove or microwave if you have one.

put the fruit in a bake safe dish

evenly sprinkle the crumble mix over top then drizzle the butter, or butter like substitute over the whole thing. Bake at 350 for 30+ minutes until golden brown! (will take longer if using frozen fruit, sometimes I kick on broil for a few minutes to finish cooking the top.)

Serve with ice cream or pouring cream and Enjoy!

Summertime shearing

Time for a change.
chop, chop, chop. It's suppose to look messy, like I am 6 yrs old and took scissors to my hair.

It's finally 80 degrees and sunny here, so time for a change!

my first baby Hat!

One of our friends from knit night is having a baby boy in the next month and on Tuesday night's knit night- we are giving her our knit baby gifts!  Since I'm new to the scene I didn't have a ton of time... So I found this darling hat idea on Ravelry and went for it.

It's basically a square. with alternating stripes of knit and purl.

This is an idea of what it will look like when a little head is inhabiting the hat. It will make the ends of the square look like little funky ears!  I made it with a pair of 6 round needles, and I used this super soft navy yarn leftover from a hat I knit my father last year for Christmas.  I cast on about 56 stitches. Made a ribbed border, purled 5 rows, knit 5, purled 4 knit 6 or so and progressively knit more and purled less as I worked my way up to the top!  Then I finished by sewing the top of the square together along the outside to ensure it's squareness!  One could also add two small pom-poms to the tips or tassels! Options, options!

I'm thinking I might have to get a baby knitting book if this becomes a trend! lol

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Nothing quite says summer like Tomatoes!  And we need every evidence of summer around these parts! Thankfully the never ending rain that has been June and now all of July- has let up this morning  and we actually have some sunshine and shadows for a time. (I just hope it will last!)

So after dumping the tarp free of water, I tipped over each pot to drain even more water away from their soggy, soggy roots.  And after some discussion and contemplation I picked this big tomato that has been holding in there since May! I've learned with tomatoes that you have to pick off the big ones, and chop the tops of the plants in order to promote more growth.

And after all the rain we have been getting, my plants need every bit of encouragement and support!   So I am going to try the brown paper bag method- and stuff this guy in one to ripen off of the vine!  And maybe, just maybe I will have my first summer tomato sometime this Holiday weekend!

Recipe blogs and such

The other weekend we went to NH to visit some friends and family had a little dinner, watched a movie, etc, etc...  the dinner was sooo good and our friend shared the blogs she frequents to gather recipes, etc.

And I thought I would share them with you!

A pot of tea and a biscuit

101 cookbooks

Veggie Terrain