Projects

A couple of years ago somebody gave me a book about knitting toys for children which I haven't ever used.  I looked through it and liked the projects but never had any reason to make them.  Fast forward to present: me with an ever growing yarn stash.  I decided that I really needed to do something with my yarn before I found myself knee deep in it. I started looking through my books to find something that could work and discovered a pattern for a knitted doll.  Since I had quite a bit of different colored yarn leftover from my purses, I decided to try it.

The first one I  made was the pink and purple  fairy.  The pattern was easy to follow and didn't take to much time.  Trying to embroider her face, do something, anything with her hair, and arranging her skirt to look like petals (I imagined her as a flower fairy), was what took the most time!  I think I starred at the skirt for the better part of a week, trying it first one way and then another!

The green and yellow one was an accident.  But once Mom found the netting, I was in love.  The skirt and the hair went much smoother this time.  So did her face.  I only had to do it once!

This project was a lot of fun and easy to do. I do think I would make it again just not in the immediate future.  One can do the same pattern for only a short time.

How We Use 80 Feet of Rope!

Dad had to work most of the day on Saturday (his line was running), so when he came home he decided that he needed a project to help him relax . The first thing he hit upon was a rope swing. So he packed Jacqueline and me off to the home improvement store to buy 80 feet of rope! When we got home, Jacqueline and I found our work clothes and then headed out to help him.

The rope was in 3 different pieces so we had to find the longest one and then tie a pair of knots on either side of the middle where the ropes attached to the swing would go.

One bored Jacqueline + one camera= a lot of funny pictures

Tying the rope around the tree. (Dad is standing on a ladder in our tree house)

On the other side Jacqueline had to hold the rope taunt. 

When Dad finished one side, he had to tie the other .

I think that we were all praying at this point. 

Once Dad had finished tying and had gotten off the ladder the mood lightened a lot, probably because no one was  thinking about how far away the nearest emergency room is!

Jacqueline was so excited that she couldn't wait for the seat! Swinging is her favorite think to do.  She is outside for an hour or two almost every day!

Drilling holes in the seat for the ropes.

Tying knots in the rope.  Notice that Dad's favorite beverage for working (and not working)  has made it's appearance

Mom was worried about how a rope tied to 2 trees was going to support any one's weight so she made Dad try it first.

After individual turns, Jacqueline and I decided to go together.   Even Mom tried the swing although she declined any souvenir photos.

Jacqueline has commented that in all of our videos one or both of us is screaming.  So here is a continuation of that tradition. 

Happy-Go-Knitty Thursday!

Last weekend when we were in Michael's I saw this book.  Because I have been looking for a knee-high argyle patterns, it instantly caught my eye.  So I quickly scanned the book and got really excited.  There are argyles, checks, flowers and, hooray, five different patterns for guys socks!  Poor Dad is the only one that I haven't made a pair for so I am starting his right away. Anyway, I went home, found the book on Amazon, and it arrived yesterday afternoon.  I love Amazon!

The project I am most interested in is a pair of lacy knee-high socks.  I am wondering if I can make them thin enough that I could ditch my hose in the winter and wear lacy socks instead!  I know it would be A LOT more comfortable.   

It's going to be a happy-go-knitty Thursday.  I can feel it. Now all that needs to happen is it has to rain in sheets all afternoon.  Rain, yarn, needles, and a good murder mystery on tape! What more could a girl ask for? 

Mac and Cheese

    We recently started buying our milk with a co-op from a local dairy. This means that it is fresh, whole,  has low pasteurization, and is a lot cheaper then the milk in the store. Unfortunately, this also means that we have to guess  how much we will need for the whole week. So since we have an extra galleon, we decided to make Mac-& Cheese.

This Mac & Cheese recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart. It is so good that I  refuse to eat anything out of a box after having enjoyed this for most of my life!
   
     6 Tablespoons  unsalted butter plus more for dish
     5 & 1/2  cups   milk
     1/2 cup            all purpose flour
     2 teaspoons     salt
     1/4 teaspoon   freshly grated nutmeg
     1/4 teaspoon   freshly ground black pepper
     1/4 teaspoon   cayenne pepper, or to taste
     4 & 1/2 cups   grated sharp white cheddar cheese
     2 cups             grated Gruyere  OR
        1 & 1/4 cups  grated Pecorino Romano cheese
     1 pound          elbow macaroni

Please note that this recipe fills 2 casserole dishes.

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Next cook and strain  the macaroni.  It is best to cook 2-3 minutes less then the package's directions so that the macaroni isn't over cooked in the oven. 

 Heat the 5 & 1/2 cups of milk over medium heat. 

When the milk is almost warm, melt 6 tablespoons of  butter in a high sided skillet. 

When the butter bubbles, add one cup of flour. cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Then, still whisking, add warm milk.

When the milk begins to thicken and bubble, add the spices.  The recipe calls for fresh ingredients but we always use what is in the spice cabinet. 

Then add 3 cups cheddar and 1 & 1/2 cups Gruyere. ( Don't feel bound by what the recipe calls for. We have a lot of fun experimenting with different kinds of white cheeses.  Our favorite is Parmesan and Romano combination)

Add milk to the noodles and stir all of that creamy goodness together.

 Butter dish, then pour mac & cheese mixture into it, topping with remaining cheese. 

 Bake until brown on top, about 30 minutes. 

While you wait, you have time for, oh snap, the dishes...

a knitting/ smocking/ sewing project... 

 and definitely a cup of tea, at least if you are my Mom!

Success! A mac and cheese that everyone will beg you for more!

A Tale of Three Purses

     We are hoping to visit some friends this fall who live near a lot of historic sites.  I saw a pattern for a purse which was supposed to be small and light enough for site-seeing but sturdy enough to carry camera and guidebook.  So I decided to make Mom, Jacqueline, and myself coordinating bags. The pattern was relatively easy to follow and a lot of fun to make.  However, by purse #3, I was more then ready to be done and move on to something new!  You can't tell from the pictures but these purses are really small, as in 9 by 7 & 1/2 inches!

       Mom wanted the purse as shown in the pattern, i.e. light and dark green with red accents.  Jacqueline's favorite color is purple so she got a dark purple and rose bag with light green accents.  My favorite color is blue so I had light and dark blue also with light green accents.

      I still have to decided what to do about handles.  We thought about pre-made wooden handles but they are much to big.  The pattern actually calls for a braided handle with eight different strands of yarn, but I have reservations about its strength.  I sure I'll figure something out before our trip, although with my record it might be the night before!

Colorwork Mittens

 I know that it is just a little bit early to be thinking about mittens (especially with tempatures in the high 90's/ low 100's ) but these were so pretty I just couldn't resist! 

After all who doesn't love Chrysanthemum mittens?  

       

  I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone will get     mittens/scarves/ hats for Christmas this year!

                                Curiosity killed the cat!  In this case it just
                                       interupted my photo session.

I haven't ever done colorwork before so it went a bit slow at first but now I have several other multi-colored projects lined up!

Pretty Posy Frocks Giveaway

The shop was opened as a creative outlet, a chance to work on some sewing skills, and to earn a little money for day trips.  We want to offer clothing that is feminine, modest and age appropriate.  We decided to get things started with a giveaway.  So here is the prize....

The dress will be available in size 2-6.  It  will be custom made, so please allow up to 10 days to receive your dress.  This also means that we will make the dress to accommodate your child.  If you need a size 3 chest but a 5 length, just let us know when we contact you as the winner.

Measurements:
                             child's chest                                finished length
      2T                       21"                                              21 3/4"
      3T                      22"                                               22 1/2"
      4T                      23"                                               23 1/4"
      5                         24"                                               24"
      6                         25"                                               24 3/4"

Rules:
  1.   To enter please leave a comment letting me know you want
        to enter.
  2.  For a second entry, please blog about the giveaway.  If you
      don't have a blog, link to our blog on facebook.  Then leave
       another comment telling me you have done so.
  3.  The giveaway will end midnight Sunday, July 17.  The winner
       will be announced on Monday.  Random.org will be selecting
       the winner for us.

Tea!

This past Thusday, a friend from church, Miss Sharon, took us to a tea house called The Potted Geranium  in Greensboro to celebrate my graduation. 

The house was built in the early 1800's. The owner beautiful restored it before turning it into a tea parlor. The house is my favorite style (square farmhouse) and it even has my much loved yellow siding!

The food was really delicious! Jacqueline and I had chicken salad on croissants with a house salad of spinach, cranberries, walnuts, some sort of cheese, and the most wonderful dressing!  Mom had turkey salad and the same type of salad as Jacqueline and I had.

We had a delightful time of food and fellowship. We really can't thank Miss Sharon enough for taking us there, especially since we will going there for a certain holiday in November! ( Yes, birthdays, especially mine, are holidays).

The gardens behind the house are lovely and very well kept. I thought this bird house was very cute.

Of course before we left, we had to get a little antiquing in. I bought three books one of which was pre-turn of century edition of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. The edition is not in the best of shape but I thought it would go very nicely with the old book collection I have and I am rather a sucker for all books Elizabeth Gaskell.

The town is very quaint. This is the First Presbyterian Church. The brickwork and the magnificent doors are astounding.

Coming Soon!

The Classics

Cafe and Bookstore

Wouldn't that make a perfect bookstore & cafe? With the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, new books, and my homemade, right  from the oven, blueberry muffins, coffeecake, lemon squares, and maybe slices of apple pie in a glass case, it would be heaven, at least for me.