Baby Steps

The new mommy has decided on some fabric colors and patterns, so I'm starting to make the crib skirt. This is the first panel.  So far...so good!  I'm worried about getting the chevron patterns to line up across the pleat.  It seems easy so far, which makes me wonder what I might be leaving out.

I just need to make two long panels and two short panels then attach them to a middle piece that fits until the mattress.  

No idea if the baby is a B or a G, but these colors are neutral and cheerful for either gender. Love it!!!  After the skirt is finished, I'm going to tackle some bumpers.  That will be quite a project!  I would like to get everything finished to take with us when we visit Minnesota at Christmas.

Hideous Hat

This is a monstrosity, but I love the new stitch I learned.  It's call the basket weave stitch.  It's used a lot on blankets and, apparently, on hats.  I'm not sure what I'll use the stitch for next, but I know it won't be on this horrible hat.  Ugh.

The stitch is made on Row 1 with a yarn over, slipped stitch, knit one, yarn over, then pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch and the 2nd yarn over.  On Row 2, you drop the slipped stitch off the needle, then knit everything else.  

That part was fun.  Now to find a decent project to use it on.

There's a Nip in the Air

We're headed for winter, no doubt about that.  Temperatures are expected to drop into the 40s by the weekend.  No better time than nowto bring back the flowered headband/earwarmer pattern and get busy.  A teacher requested one for her daughter (also one of my students), so I was happy to give it a try.  Favorite colors for this adorable 2nd grader?  PINK and PURPLE, of course!

I had just enough yarn in my knitting stash to whip up a cute earwarmer in about 45 minutes.  I'm not sure if I got the length correct, but that can easily be modified.  I kinda like the three colored flower accessory!  Let's hope she does, too!

Here's one for her little sister, too.  The button says "Girl Power!"  So true!!!

Chevron Pattern Baby Blanket

I've shown the color pallet and and the blanket pattern in other posts (gray, green, and yellow), but here is the finished baby blanket for a friend at school.  Yes, there's a lot of that going around our school!  Two pregnancies - both due in December!

This is for a new little girl whose Mommy loves pink and green.

Something Fun for He and Her

One of the 4th grade teachers at our school is having twins!  A new baby girl and baby boy are expected in early December.  I decided to make a little welcome gift for the babies (and to secretly practice my upcoming Grandma skills), but instead of knitting booties, I made some shoes.  So fun and although so tiny, it was easy. I truly felt like the elves in the Shoemaker and the Elf fairytale.  I made them overnight!

This is for SHE: Pleated toe MaryJanes in pink and purple polka dots

This is for HIM: Baby loafers!

And for THEY:  Stylin' little soft shoes (lined with super soft terrycloth)  The belt and buckle have velcro underneath the buttons.  Hard to tell in the photo, but the soles are only 3 inches long.  Teeny tiny, but I bet they'll still be too big when the twins are born.

  The pattern was free and found at a blog called schwinandschwin.blogspot.com.  John suggested that I make another pair for GUS (MaryJanes for the front paws and loafers for the back??)

Woof and Bow Wow!

New doggie treat cookie cutters!  I have a couple of good recipes for Gus's treats.  By "good" I mean that he eats them in one gulp.  Who knows what they really taste like. 

I have noticed that, much like his owners, Gus has a bit of a "sweet tooth."  He like the treats made with peanut butter, pumpkin, and honey a little better than the savory ones made with beef from baby food jars.  The last time I made the pumpkin treats, he actually sat by the oven door waiting for them to finish baking.  YUM??

Culinary Success!

Have you ever had a meal that was so good that you tried to replicate it at home?  This has been an on-going challenge for me since 2009!

When John and I were in Tortola a few years ago, we stopped by a roadside cafe on our last evening on the island.  We had been trying to explore local cuisine and get a real taste of the Caribbean and we hit the jackpot in a couple of local "dives."  John took a picture:  a simple chicken dinner with beans and rice, fresh veggies and plantains.   What made this meal delicious was the ginger sauce over the chicken and the sweet plantains.

I have been trying to make the ginger sauce for almost two years and I think I finally have it!  The grocery store had plantains in the banana section, so it was time to give it once more try.

Not a very pretty food picture, but trust me, it was yummy.  Tomatoes from the garden, lightly fried and very sweet plantains, rice and peas, and grilled chicken covered with the ginger sauce.


Here's the recipe:

3 inches of minced fresh ginger.  (sorry, I didn't measure in tablespoons)  I suppose this part would be "to taste" anyway.
2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup apply jelly (provides great consistency and makes it more "sauce" than "juice")
1/2 tsp (probably more) salt
red pepper flakes - I didn't measure
dash of sesame seed oil - not much - and this could be left out.  I sort of wish I would've stopped before this.  I just thought it needed "something"  eh...not so sure, but you can't take it out once it's in! No harm, it just sort of "clouded" the ginger.  (that's when I added more!)

Pulverize it in the food processor for a few seconds.  This is great on chicken, fish, or pork.  It tastes just like the islands!  We brought home a bottle of Pussar's Ginger Sauce and I used that as my comparison (until it was gone!) My latest version is a bit sweeter and not as vinegar-y as I remember, but highly recommended!

Tomorrow night:  talapia (and more ginger sauce!)