Letter to a Lost Sweater

Dear Coral Cutie,

Please return home. I’m sure you’re out having a good time, but we miss you here. I’m sorry I left you behind somewhere on our shopping trip yesterday. I promise not to leave you behind ever again and will include you in the wardrobe as often as you’re clean. I bought you a shirt yesterday to wear with plumpy. You’ll be the star of the show.

We had some good times you and I. I crafted you before plumpy was born and lovingly tucked you away to await her arrival. I miss your smooth stitches and your sweet little buttons. You were on the cusp of a new era, the coveted wearing of a baby. I couldn’t be sorrier to have lost you. We didn’t even get to say goodbye.

Please come back,

Sylvia

Alphabet Soup

Well, I managed to finish up the latest project last night. I'm working on a pdf of instructions and templates for this project. Anyone can make this. The only "special tool" needed is pinking shears (unless you consider an iron special). These are hand-stitched, so no sewing machine required. Hopefully I can get a pdf download ready in the next couple days (and some better photos). I'm just glad the walls aren't bare in the munchkin's room anymore!

A New Distraction

I've been distracting myself with a new project the last couple days. It's a little hand-stitching project and I should have time to finish it this week (especially after the snow starts in). I'm excited about this one. It's a little something for the munchkin's room. Her walls are pretty bare right now, so this should brighten things up a bit. I'll post more pictures and instructions for this simple project soon. And then I really need to get back to the quilt.

We did it!

Well, I did manage to figure out the crochet trim and added it to one of hats and called in reinforcements for the rest of the finishing. My mom graciously offered to cut and sew in the fleece and she ended up doing the crochet edging on the second hat too. Hey, that's what moms are for, right? Anyway, I think the hats turned out great and will keep some little ears very warm. I opted to just do tassels at the ends of the ties and the i-cord at the top of the hat. (Maybe I'll add pom poms to the next one... maybe). The funniest thing about these hats is the difference in gauge. I made both hats on the same size needle and they almost look like two different sizes. Oh well.

So Close...

I've been plugging away at a pair of Flap Happy Hats for a set of twins and I'm so close... yet so far. I've reached the crochet trim point. I've been telling myself I need to work on the crochet skills for instances like this, but haven't sprung into action yet. I think I'll leave the pom poms off these and just add a few tassels. I've got the ties knit and ready to attach, it's just the crochet edging I'm hung up on. I was thinking the hats might be ok without? Anyone care to weigh in? Or give me a lesson?
These hats were really fun to make. I enjoyed working the textures and stripes together and they whipped up pretty fast on a size 7. I think the colorways turned out pretty fun too. (Boy: Moonlight, Ice Cream, Grass and Rootbeer; Girl: Popsicle, Ice Cream, Watermelon and Rootbeer). I'm planning to line these with fleece as the recipients live in Alaska.

New patterns are up!

The new spring patterns from Blue Sky Alpacas are up (just in time for Christmas? Haha). My newest pattern is the Everyday Hoodie and I'm thinking a kal may be in order. It's a feminine, flattering hoodie in super squishy cotton (S&C Sweater would make a great substitute too). My little peanut had her modeling debut with this round of patterns as well. She got to model grandma's new pattern, the Cotton Baby Set. The blanket in this pattern is too cool and fairly simple. It has a quilt-like, textured pattern unlike any other blanket pattern I've seen. The little wrap sweater uses the new Multi Cotton. This is a super fun take on BSA cotton. My mom has another amazing pattern included in this round, the Greta Blouse. It's based on a vintage pattern and I think it's very unique and totally gorgeous. I really need to brush up my crochet (not that there's much to brush up).

Granola

I've been meaning to make granola for ages and the itch set in last night, so here we are. It's super easy and delicious. I will definitely be making it again. I modified this recipe. Here's my version:

• 6 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, honey, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add dried cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.

Playing with yarn

She's already a yarn snob (and I've got some untangling to do). Can't let any Spud & Chloë go to waste!

Crafting Central

Well, life happened again last week and the quilt (among other things) got neglected. I've had supplies for another fun project burning a hole in the bag in the closet as well. *sigh* Maybe this week. We had a minor family crisis this week (everyone is fine, we're just needing to shift some space), which made me the proud guardian of this beautiful machine (in addition to about 8 large plastic totes FULL of fabric). All the accoutrements accompanied the load, so my sparse craft room has been transformed into crafting central for the time being. Packing up fabric got my brain running full speed with ideas, so I hope I'll still be able to sleep at night. Anyone up for a crafting therapy day?

That time of year

There's a chill in the air, which means the oven has been on a lot lately. This is a recipe that's been finding it's way into the rotation a little more frequently than it ought to (I can't resist). These have been a family favorite for years. I hope you enjoy them!

Snickerdoodles
1 C Butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
2 3/4 C Flour
2 t Cream of Tartar
1 t Baking Soda
1/4 t Salt
2 T Sugar
2 t Cinnamon

Heat oven to 350°. Mix butter, sugar and eggs. Blend dry ingredients (except 2 T sugar and 2 t cinnamon). Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into balls and dip into cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.
Note: If you refrigerate the dough for about a half hour you'll get better results. The dough is thin and will spread too much if you leave it at room temperature. Also, the cookies will be VERY soft when you remove them from the oven. Leave them on the pan for a few minutes to firm up and finish cooking.

In the mail

I received the funnest box in the mail the other day. I had a gift certificate for Purl and decided to splurge on some fabrics that I have no particular plans for... yet. Anna Maria Horner is my absolute favorite fabric designer. She recently came out with some gorgeous new flannels and a couple oilcloths that complement her latest line. I got 4 pieces of flannel and a yard of oilcloth. (I'm dying to get my hands on some of her new dobby dots too, but I didn't see those on purlsoho yet). I can't wait to dive into these gorgeous fabrics, but first things first. I'm finishing up my next pattern design this week and then it's back to the sewing machine.