MelKat Creations

Whole Wheat Baguettes

2010-05-16T11:29:00.003-04:00

I hate whole wheat. I think it's gross, I really do, and it's probably because we never had white bread in the house. But in a house where everyone's trying to eat healthier, whole wheat is the way to go.

So over at Not Without Salt, I found this delicious bread recipe for baguettes. And honestly, it's probably one of the easiest bread recipes I've ever made (or seen for that matter). I don't have a stand mixer, and I was still able to make this in less than twenty minutes. I substituted all-purpose whole wheat flour for the bread flour, and the texture of my bread turned out less baguette-y than I would have liked it, but it's still delicious. And that's saying something, coming from someone who hates whole wheat.

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (I’ve used all-purpose with great results)

1 tbsp coarse kosher salt

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

2 cups warm water

Method

Prep Day: Combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer, set with paddle attachment, and mix on lowest speed for 1 minute until well blended and smooth. Dough should form a coarse, shaggy ball. Let rest, uncovered for 5 minutes. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Knead dough by hand on lightly floured work surface for 1 minute, then transfer to a large clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.

Dough can also be made without the use of a stand mixer. Combine all the ingredients – start with a wooden spoon then switch to your hands when the flour is incorporated. Lightly knead until all the ingredients are well blended. Let rest for 5 minutes then knead for about 5 more minutes until dough is smooth and slightly tacky.

Baking Day: Remove dough from refrigerator 2 hours prior to baking. Gently transfer to lightly floured work surface, taking care to release as little gas as possible. Divide dough into four equal portions. You can also do as I have by removing just enough dough to make one baguette and have a fresh baguette everyday for the next four days from one single batch of dough.

Form Baguettes: Pat each piece of divided dough into a thick rectangle.

Fold the bottom half to the center and seal the seam. Fold the top half to the center and once again seal the seam.

Roll the top half of the dough over the seam to create a new seam on the bottom of the loaf.

(Go look at Not Without Salt's pictures to better understand this, if you need.)

With seam side underneath, gently rock loaf back and forth, with hands moving out toward and increasing pressure at the ends, to slightly taper the loaf until baguette is the length of baguette pan (or baking sheet). Place the formed baguettes on a baguette pan or a baking sheet that has been oiled or covered with parchment. Mist top of dough with oil, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, or until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.

Baking: About 45 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a sheet pan, which will serve as steam pan, with a 1-inch rim on shelf under which baguettes will be baked. Remove plastic wrap from the dough 15 minutes prior to baking. Just prior to baking, score the dough 1/2 inch deep with a serrated knife or razor. Transfer dough to the oven, pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is rich golden brown, the loaves sound hollow when thumped, and the internal temperature is about 200 degrees in the center. Cool on wire rack before slicing or serving. Best eaten the same day, or heated briefly in the oven the next day if crust loses its crispness.

Sweaters and cameras

2010-04-25T00:35:00.003-04:00

I'm currently knitting a sweater.

Yeah, I realize that it's nearly summer and all, but despite the fact that it's 80-something degrees outside here, my room is absolutely freezing. And hey, the sweater has short sleeves.

A long while back, I saw this sweater at Ann Taylor Loft, and I loved it. It's cute and comfortable... and seventy dollars. And while looking at it, I realized that I could make it. And while this was months ago that I saw the sweater and bought the yarn for it, it's taken me a while. First, I was knitting ten million other things. And I have stuff to do, like go to class and study. And then I began knitting it, and got most of the back done and realized that I was knitting stockinette when I should have been doing garter. So I restarted it.

Currently, I am almost done with the back (again), and will then move on to the front. But because I don't have a camera, I can't post pictures.

Which brings me to the camera thing. I had a Canon PowerShot SD800 IS, which I have had for forever and then some. It's been around the world with me, on top of the Empire State Building and the Colosseum, in German airplanes and my high school. Seriously, I loved it. It's scratched and dirty and a boring grey, but it was mine. I had won photography contests with it, and taken hundreds of silly photos of friends with it, too.

Yes, I realize how ridiculous it is for me to be so attached to a camera, for goodness sake, but it's very high on the list of things I would grab if my house was burning down. Phone, wallet, laptop, camera.

And because I will be (finally) getting a paycheck in a few weeks, and I usually put my first summer paycheck to something big for myself, I'm going to get a new camera. Because I seriously can't live without one. (And I do need a new phone, but those are hundreds of dollars cheaper).

I'm currently looking at:

Nikon Coolpix S8000 and S6000

Canon PowerShot S90

And my favorite, the Nikon Coolpix L110.

I've always been a huge fan of DSLRs, as I used them frequently in high school, but they're extremely expensive, and not all that easy to carry around. Which is why I like the L110. It's compact (for a SLR), and really cheap. Or, well, not that expensive.

I miss my camera.

15/365

2010-04-18T14:31:00.003-04:00

I'm clumsy. Really really clumsy. So while hiking in the mountains this morning, I fell. In a river/stream/waterfall thing. And my beloved camera, a Canon PowerShot, decided that being submerged in freezing mountain water would be better than... not. So no camera.

I did manage to save the memory card. But not my dignity.

14/365

2010-04-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

13/365

2010-04-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

Maybe one day I'll post something that isn't macro.

12/365

2010-04-15T14:40:00.003-04:00

{If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.}

{Winnie the Pooh}

11/365

2010-04-14T22:35:00.003-04:00

{May you always do for others,

And let others do for you.}

{Bob Dylan}

10/365

2010-04-13T22:28:00.001-04:00

{The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of dreams.}

{Eleanor Roosevelt}

9/365

2010-04-12T21:54:00.000-04:00

{I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule.}

{Doctor Who, S5E2}

8/365

2010-04-11T22:09:00.001-04:00

{This ain't a scene. It's just a generation caught in-between.}

{The Henry Clay People}

7/365

2010-04-10T15:39:00.004-04:00

{Sanity is a cozy lie.}

{Susan Sontag}

6/365

2010-04-09T20:33:00.002-04:00

I have a thing for macro. A big thing. Like, I might just be in love. And I would greatly recommend anyone else who is in love with macro to do The Pioneer Woman's photography contest, on MACRO. Because a macro lens is a camera's gift to humankind.

5/365

2010-04-08T20:52:00.000-04:00

{Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.}

4/365

2010-04-07T19:26:00.003-04:00

{I used to walk to school with my nose buried in a book.}

{Coolio}

3/365

2010-04-06T15:29:00.004-04:00

{Perhaps nature is our best assurance of immortality.}

{Eleanor Roosevelt}

2/365

2010-04-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

{You can't deny you want the happy ending.}

{Mumm-Ra}

1/365

2010-04-04T01:10:00.002-04:00

{The only person you are destined to be is the person you decide to be.}

{Ralph Waldo Emerson}

Baci di Dama

2010-04-04T00:38:00.005-04:00

This is not my kitchen. This bothers me more than you can possibly imagine. Despite how much I might dislike the one I have (share?) at home, especially when there are literally four cooks in the kitchen.

But at least at home, I have reliable cooking things, like food processors, and I know where all the measuring cups and spoons and such are. Let's just say that without a food processor, I had to make an archaic-like mortar and pestle with a mixing bowl and metal ice cream scoop. Like MacGyver. Or Jack Bauer. Except with cooking.

So, the actual recipe. Bci di Dama. It's an Italian cookie, made in the 1800s. It translates to "lady's kisses," because, supposedly, it's like kissing a lady, or, when bitten into, has the appearance of a lady's lips.

These were really good. And pretty easy to make, if you're not attempting (well, being forced to attempt) to be the Jack Bauer of cooking. But I love almonds, and chocolate, and cookies. All good.

(Please ignore my chocolatey hands.)

Baci di Dama

(Taken from Pandas and Cupcakes)

Makes about 20 assembled cookies

For the cookies:

3/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled (I used almonds, which were probably just as good, and cheaper) 1 cup powdered sugar 9 tablespoons butter, softened 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup flour For the ganache: 6 oz dark chocolate, chopped 6 oz heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind hazelnuts (or almonds) and powdered sugar together in a food processor.
Beat butter, vanilla, and hazelnut/sugar mixture in a bowl until fluffy. Add flour and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
Shape dough into half teaspoon balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake one at a time for 12-15 minutes until golden.
While the cookies are baking, make the ganache. Heat the cream to just boiling, pour over chocolate.
Let sit until thickens. When both cookies and ganache are at room temperature, put about half a teaspoon in between two cookies, sandwiching them together.

After step five, I dipped an entire cookie back into the ganache, just because I had a lot of extra.

But they were all really good, with or without the extra chocolate. Also, be aware that these cookies are fairly small. I doubled this recipe and made about fifty total, and most people ate two to three each.

Rusty the Owl

2010-03-21T00:38:00.002-04:00

I love him. Used up some of the maroon and silver grey I had left over, and felt I've had for forever and a day. Though I didn't have enough stuffing as I'd have liked, so he's not as fat as I wanted. He did take a really long time to make, but well worth it. The front is, well, above, and the back is the exact same shape and such, but in plain grey. No, he's not perfect. I'm not so great at the attaching-some-other-material-to-knit-things process.

Taken from the book Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor, the mouse I made came from the book, too. I did adapt them both a bit, but I definitely recommend this book.

Sunday Confessional

2010-03-21T00:17:00.004-04:00

I hate when people hide healthy food in dessert. Like zucchini-chocolate cupcakes. It's shameful.
I love love love coffee. I'm a two-cup-minimum kind of girl. The amount I drink is pretty much enough to kill a horse.
There are a few books that will never fail to make me cry. Any of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants books, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. And The Time Traveler's Wife. Like, gut-wrenching sobs. It's not a good sight.

Dinner party

2010-03-11T23:45:00.008-05:00

The Menu

Stuffed mushrooms

Oven-roasted asparagus

Soft garlic knots

Roast beef

Mashed potatoes

Snickerdoodles

Stuffed mushrooms

Yum. Yum yum yum. I don't like mushrooms. Or most cheese (crazy, I know). But these were delicious.

(Taken from Annie's Eats.)

(These are them uncooked, sitting in the fridge. Once done, they were all oozy and delicious.)

Ingredients:
24 whole fresh button mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Bread crumbs and minced fresh herbs, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully remove the stems from the mushroom caps, setting the caps aside for later. Add the stems to the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic to the food processor as well, and pulse in brief bursts until them mushroom stems and garlic are finely chopped.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems and garlic and cook until all the moisture has disappeared, about 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and spices. Stir together until the mixture is smooth and creamy; remove from the heat. Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of filling. Arrange the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet. Top with bread crumbs, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are hot and liquid starts to form under the caps. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with fresh herbs if using and serve immediately.

Roasted asparagus

I love asparagus. A lot. Which is surprising, because I hate most vegetables. But these were delicious, and super easy to make.

(Thanks, Pioneer Woman)

1 bunch Asparagus

4 Tablespoons (up To 5 Tablespoons) Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

After you wash the asparagus thoroughly, stack a bunch together and lop off the tough/thick bottom an inch or so.

Spread out the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat it as dry as you can, as you don’t want any water to “steam” the asparagus in the oven.

Begin by generously drizzling olive oil all over the asparagus and then sprinkle the asparagus generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast the asparagus for about ten minutes.

Soft garlic knots
I LOVE bread. So so so much. And these were so good. Like Ippolito's. (Thanks again, Annie's Eats.)

(These are the knots after they've risen, just before they go in the oven.)

For the dough:

6 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. instant yeast
2 1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup milk
2 cups + 4 tbsp. lukewarm water

For the glaze:

4 cloves garlic
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10 inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center. Transfer shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic or press it through a garlic press. Mix with the melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.

Roast beef

I love roast beef (too, I guess. Seeing as I made the menu for this dinner, of course I love everything). But I've never made one before. The Pioneer Woman has this recipe for roasted beef tenderloin, but the tenderloin was ridiculously expensive, so we opted for eye of round. And it was still really really good. If you like roast beef, MAKE THIS.

(I realize this isn't the most attractive picture, but just so you get the drift of what it looks like.)

2.5 lb-eye of round roast (this fed six, many of whom took multiple slices)
1 stick Butter, or more to taste
Whole peppercorns, or cracked peppercorns (you're cracking them anyways, so if there is cracked, get them)
Seasoned salt
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

The eye of round meat should be very lean, but if there's lots of fat, cut some of it off. Sprinkle meat generously with the seasoned salt. You'll want to use a lot, because you're not getting a lot of the edges when you actually serve it. Rub it in with your fingers. Sprinkle both sides generously with lemon & pepper seasoning. (There are no measurements because it depends on your taste, but be sure to season liberally.)

Place the peppercorns in a Ziploc bag, and with a mallet or a hammer or a large, heavy can, begin smashing the peppercorns to break them up a bit. Set aside. (Or just buy them already cracked, and you're set.)

Heat some olive oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is to the smoking point, place the beef in the very hot pan to sear it. Throw a couple of tablespoons of butter into the skillet to give it a nice little butter injection before going in the oven. A minute or two later, when one side is starting to turn nice and brown, flip and repeat.

Place the tenderloin on an oven pan with a rack. Sprinkle the pummeled peppercorns all over the meat. Press the pepper onto the surface of the meat. Put several tablespoons of butter all over the meat. Stick the long needle of the thermometer lengthwise into the meat. Place it in a 325-degree oven until the temperature reaches just under 140 degrees. This will take multiple hours, but by cooking it slowly, it stays nice and tender.

Let meat stand ten minutes or so before slicing, so the meat will have a chance to relax a bit.

Snickerdoodles

I have never had a snickerdoodle before this. Never. And as much as I believe most desserts should be chocolate, something non-chocolate was needed after such a rich meal. And these were good.

I took this recipe from Betty Crocker. Thanks, Betty. This makes 4-5 dozen.

1 1/2	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2	cup shortening (as much as I hate using shortening, you need it for this recipe because it keeps them from spreading too much)
2	eggs
2 3/4	cups self-rising flour
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup sugar
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.	Heat oven to 400ºF.
2.	Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour.
3.	Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4.	Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. They'll be super-soft, so do this carefully.

S'mores cupcakes

2010-03-11T23:16:00.004-05:00

S'mores cupcakes. Or, oh-em-gee cupcakes. Or, better yet, I-love-you-so-much-I-made-you-these-ridiculously-yummy-but-time-consuming cupcakes. Yeah, that last one.

I don't think a dessert has ever frustrated me more. Fairly simple ingredients. But: uses a lot of bowls and such, have to make two batters, they take a really long time to prepare, and they're so difficult to get out of the pan (if you mess it up like I did) that I had only one pan out of three survive.

But they're soooooo good. Even my father, who hates cupcakes (insane, I know, right?) loved these. LOVED them.

So, if you have the time, I recommend making them. I mean, they're worth it. And it probably wasn't that bad, I just messed up five million times.

Mess-up #1: While adding the milk to the batters, I accidentally added all of the milk to the chocolate batter, instead of half in each. Which lead to a very liquidy batter. So, I just put it in a cake pan and cooked it. BAD IDEA. It was the densest, chewiest cake I've ever made. I guess in my frustrated mind, I figured batter + cake pan = cake. Nope. Not so.

(Ew. Do not try this.)

Mess-up #2: I did not inspect my pantry well, which meant that I bought a thing of chocolate chips and a bottle of vanilla because I saw we didn't have enough, while, in fat, we had the largest bottle of vanilla I've ever seen and more chocolate chips than imaginable at the bottom of a basket in our pantry. And then I ran out of cupcake liners. Yeah, the grocery store saw me a lot that day.

Mess-up #3: I overfilled many of the cupcake tins, and did not expect them to rise as much as they did, which lead to ruining half the batch.

(See?)

Mess-up #4: I did not ice these until a day after I made them (mostly because I was so aggravated about the whole ordeal), so the only photos I was able to take were pre-iced cupcakes, because once they were iced, they were gone in about five seconds.

S'more cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing (adapted from Bakerella)

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups cocoa
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups milk
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup oil
Bag of mini-marshmallows or bag of jumbo marshmallows, cut in half

Graham Cracker Crumb topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Ganache
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.
Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
Add 1 cup milk, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.
Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups (you need like the size of a quarter. This rises a lot. But then again, it depends on the ratio of graham-to-chocolate you want. For mine, I did just a little dollop in the bottom) and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
Place a marshmallow half on top (or about 3-4 mini marshmallows) and then cover the marshmallow(s) with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full. (Remember: this rises. A LOT.)
Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes.

Let cool and top with ganache.

Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.

This makes about 24-36 cupcakes.

(Hello, grainy photo taken at midnight.)

Blogs revisited

2010-03-04T12:18:00.002-05:00

People (blogs, really) you should check out:

Who -- What I love

KNITTING, etc.

Rawrchar -- This is Carly's blog, a good friend of mine

JL Yarnworks -- love the Hermione hat

VO Knits -- the Lyon hat, yet to be made

Present Knits -- her Mossy Pebbles scarf. I made a similar one for my friend Megan for Christmas

Midnight Knitter -- used her Karaoke Cable scarf pattern for my mother

Na Vlne -- I LOVE her Capucine hat. This was also one of the failed January hats. Let's not talk about it.

The Sweatshop of Love -- Love the name, love her slouchy red hat

Creativeyarn -- these fingerless gloves, yet to be made

Knit Me! -- I really love this dinosaur. A lot.

BAKING, etc.

Usually I just mess around with recipes I have, but I just found:

Bakerella -- LOVE her cake pops. There are no words.

Pinch My Salt -- awesome photos

Baked Perfection -- yum. yum yum yum.

Annie's Eats -- stolen many recipes from. So good.

Cake Spy -- so cute.

Sweetnicks -- Such an adorable family, and some really awesome-sounding recipes.

Bake at 350 -- LOVE those cookies. All of them.

The Good Apple -- even though fondant terrifies me, she makes me want to try it.

The pillow

2010-02-26T15:10:00.004-05:00

Things I've learned in the past two weeks:

It is inevitable that when I have no one to knit for and start a project for myself, twenty million people (aka three) will want me to make them something.
Midterms are any knitter's/baker's enemy.
I will get sick at the most inopportune times. Like the week before I'm supposed to go home for a surprise visit. And when I have papers and quizzes and things that one cannot be ill for.
A upper respiratory infection is just a cold. But it sounds so much serious when you call it an upper respiratory infection.
When I get sick, I get really emotional. Flashback to a couple days ago when Joannie Rochette skated her short program and cried upon finishing. So did I. And just now, when I read Bake at 350's blog post on livestrong and her mother's battle with cancer. Tears. I'm a sap, I know.
Spring break is T-7 days away. Which, finally, after months of reading food blogs and dreaming about scones and cupcakes and cake truffles, BAKING.
Uncrustables are a lazy girl's best friend. Especially when she runs out of strawberry jam. And bread. Also, they say they thaw in 30 minutes. THIS IS A LIE. I have had one sitting next to me for the allotted half-hour, and it is still mostly frozen. And I am hungry.
I am a poor college kid. I cannot afford a pillow form. Well, I probably could, but I don't really think I could find one on campus.

So, that brings us to knitting. I made my sister a pillow. Mostly because I had/have a lot of yarn of various blues and greys and not much to do with it. Except for the things I was asked to make after I started the pillow. And once you start a pillow, you can't stop. It's easy. You just... knit. No decreases or ridiculousness. And, the best part is, you can use any stitch. I used US 8s.

For the front, I used my old not-so-soft light grey. I did the same cabling pattern I used on this hat. CO 68, knit 68 rows (including cast on and off rows).

For the front, I used various blues I had. From the hats from The Mission II and my mother's hat and scarf. The small grey stripes are my Vanna's Choice Silver Grey. It was 6 rows of the blue, 2 of the grey, and repeating with the other blues. Also CO 68 and knit 68 rows (including cast on and off rows).

So I sewed up three sides and some of the fourth side inside-out. Turned it right side out and stuffed it with the stuffing I have.

And then I realized, this pillow is not square. I think it would be if I used an actual pillow form, (I believe it was a 14" by 14" [do those even exist?]). But I adapted the pillow form from one I found a long time ago, and figured it would work any way. That was knit on US 6s and fit a 12" by 12". And I'm positive that will fit. I think mine didn't because it had nothing to stretch around.

Whatever. She'll like it. No, she never asked for a pillow. Or anything, really. But everyone likes presents.

(Front)

(Back)

The Mission Part II

2010-02-10T00:08:00.004-05:00

I finished. Well, I finished Saturday around 4 pm, so it's been a while. I'm just lazy and dealing with midterms and the like. But I had a nice long Roommate From Hell-free weekend, so I got a lot of knitting done. Five pm on Saturday found me at the FedEx in town, where I shipped the FIVE hats I made. They should be arriving sometime tomorrow.

So, when I posted The Mission (Part I), I was in such a rush to get started that I failed to mention details. The hats are for one of my aunts who lives up north. Many years ago, she had breast cancer (twice) and survived. I was pretty young at the time, so all I remember is going up for the summer and seeing her with no hair. Recently (as in, like, two days before The Mission Part I), doctors found a small tumor near/on/in her brain. This was really really scary at first (let's just say there was some hysterics on my part. This isn't something I ever wanted to hear, much less on the phone with my mother while I'm on my way to my art history class). About four years ago, I had a brain cancer scare (if that makes sense), and though it wasn't, it was still beyond terrifying for me and those around me. So I can't even imagine.

But she's going to be fine. Thank god. She lost her hair on Friday, so I wanted to make sure the hats got out to her as soon as possible. So, the final product:

Grey: The Lydia Hat

Pink: Large Horseshoe Cable Hat

Light blue: Karma Hat

Medium blue: Braided Cable Hat

Green: Horseshoe Cable Hat

Lydia hat and scarf

2010-02-06T15:40:00.008-05:00

I made these for my RA, Lydia. She kills all the bugs for us (we can handle the thousands of ladybugs, but it's the stinkbugs and wasps and cockroaches none of us care to handle). And she's helped us (by "us," I mean my two suite-mates and I) with dealing with my roommate, whom I not-so-affectionately call the Roommate From Hell.

I gave Lydia the scarf today, but I ended up sending the hat with the other Mission hats. (Sorry, Lydia). I'll probably end up making her another one. Seeing as we're expecting snow tomorrow and probably for the rest of forever, she can definitely use it. I guess that's what you get for going to school in the mountains. It's pretty, but it snows like no where else in the south.

Anyways. Both were knit on 10s with Vanna's Choice Silver Grey. (Honestly, this is such a good gift-giving yarn. Grey matches with just about everything.)

The hat:

(Notice the change in hair color? Yeah, no one else has either).

CO 80

K1 P1 across for 6 rows

*P1, K2, P1, K6 across

K1, P2, K2, P6 across

P1, K2, P1, K6 across

K1, P2, K2, P6 across

P1, K2, P1, K6 across

K1, P2, K2, P6 across

P1, K2, P1, C3F across*

Repeat between ** three times, for a total of four cable crosses.

K1, P2, K2, P6 across

P1, K2, P1, K2tog, K2, K2tog across

K1, P2, K1, P4 across

P1, K2tog, P1, K2tog, K2tog across

K1, P1, K1, P2 across

P1, K1, P1, K2tog across

K1, P1, K1, P1 across

K2tog, K2tog across

P across

K2tog across

P2tog across

Cut long tail, pull through remaining stitches, sew up the back.

The scarf:

Okay, preface: I wanted a cabled scarf (I've been obsessing about cables a bit lately, it seems), but I didn't want garter stitch edges, blocking something this large isn't really an option in a room the size of a postage stamp, and I wanted the cabling to be the main thing. So I made this.

CO 22

[*K2, P1, K2, P1, K10, P1, K2, P1, K2

P2, K1, P2, K1, P10, K1, P2, K1, P1*

Repeat between ** for ten rows

K2, P1, K2, P1, C5f, P1, K1, P1, K2

P2, K1, P2, K1, P10, K1, P2, K1, P1]

Repeat between [] once, for a total of two cable crossings

Okay, now, do the same thing again, but where it says "Repeat between ** for ten rows" do it for TWENTY. And the repeat everything above until the scarf is as long as you want it. (I ended with the ten-row cable part, just to make it all nice and even). Cast off, add fringe (if you want). The end.

Large horseshoe cable hat

2010-02-05T23:09:00.007-05:00

I like how this turned out, but I don't LOVE it. I think the yarn I used wasn't right for the pattern, but, then again, I couldn't find a good pattern in the first place, hence my making one. Ravelry failed me in finding a large horseshoe cable hat that had more than two or three cable panel things.

This is on 10s (duh. It seems I can't use anything else right now, but I half-blame this on the need to finish these quickly). Vanna's Choice Baby Cheery Cherry (which is really bright. But cute).

CO 76

K2p2 for 5 rows

P across

K across, inc by 3

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, C3B, C3F across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, C3B, C3F across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, C3B, C3F across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, C3B, C3F across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, K12 across

K1, P12 across

P1, C3B, C3F across

K1, P12 across

P1, K2tog, K8, K2tog

K1, P10 across

P1, K2tog, K6, K2tog

K1, P8 across

P1, K2tog, K4, K2tog

K1, P6 across

P1, K2tog, K2, K2tog

K1, P4 across

P1, K2tog K2tog across

K1, P2tog across

K2tog across

Cut long tail, pull through remaining stitches, and use tail to sew up the back.

Horseshoe cable hat

2010-02-03T18:37:00.007-05:00

This hat turned out a little big (I think it was because of the yarn). But I put a smaller version in italics. This was knit, as per usual, on straight 10s. I used Vanna's Choice Baby green something.

CO 80 [Or cast on 72 if you want it smaller]

K2P2 across for 6 rows
P1 K8 across, make 10 (for 90) [If you did the smaller CO, only increase by 9]

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1, C2B, K2, K cable stitches, K2F, K2, K cable stitches across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1, C2B, K2, K cable stitches, K2F, K2, K cable stitches across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1, C2B, K2, K cable stitches, K2F, K2, K cable stitches across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1 K8 across

K1 P8 across

P1, C2B, K2, K cable stitches, K2F, K2, K cable stitches across

K1, P8 across

P1, K2tog K2tog K2tog K2tog across

K1, P4 across

P1, K1, K2tog, K1 across

K1, P3 across

P1, K2tog, K1 across

K1, P2 across

P1, K2tog

K1, P1 across

K2tog across

P2tog across

Cut long tail, pull through remaining stitches, sew up the back.

Braided cable hat

2010-01-30T18:08:00.005-05:00

(I think we can all agree that I need new needles, especially when they have turned from gold to silver, and they're turning my fingers colors. Not good. But they were my first needles. I don't know if I can give them up.)

I really like how this hat turned out. It's on the Loops and Threads Threadless Cadet Blue. Straight 10s, as per usual.

CO 80

K2P2 across for 6 rows

K across, make 10 throughout (I made mine at the ends, as in K1 M1 for 10)

Stockinette for five rows

K4, C3 front, K3, K3 from cable across

Stockinette for five rows

C3 back, K3, k 3 cable stitches, k 4 across

Stockinette for five rows

K4, C3 front, K3, K3 from cable across

Stockinette for five rows

C3 back, K3, k 3 cable stitches, k 4 across

Stockinette for five rows

K2tog, K2tog, C3 front, K3, K3 from cable across

Purl across

K2tog, K8 across

Purl across

K2tog, K7 across

Purl across

K2tog, K6 across

Purl across

K2tog, K5 across

Purl across

K2tog, K4 across

P3, P2tog

K2tog, K2

P1, P2tog

K2tog

Cut a long tail and pull through the remaining stitches. Use tail to sew up the side.

Karma Hat

2010-01-30T17:27:00.005-05:00

I LOVE this hat. A lot. I love cables, and stockinette, and having entire purl/knit rows. No counting. To top it off, this hat took me only a few hours. Maybe five? I'm not sure. I should start keeping track of these things.

(Yeah, I need new needles.)

First, let me tell you about this yarn, the Threads and Loops Threadless. I knit my Hermione hat with the burgundy of it, and LOVED it. A lot. So before I came back to school, I bought two blues. Cadet Blue, and what I knit this hat on, True Blue. I was looking online to see other colors, and I found out it's the Michael's store brand. And I was pleasantly surprised. It's pretty soft for acrylic, and knits really well, without a lot of stray strings and whatnot that the Vanna's Choice sometimes has. The only downside is that the ends fray a bit more than most when leaving them loose (like fringe and such).

I promise that Michael's didn't pay me to give them their own little commercial. Though I wouldn't mind.

So, anyways. The actual pattern is knit on 8s, and I'm lazy and wanted to knit it on 10s. So straight 10s, with Loops and Threads Threadless True Blue.

CO 78

Knit 6 rounds of K2P2 ribbing

Knit a row, increasing by one on each end

Purl a row

Knit a row

**C2F, K2, Knit C, K4 across

Purl a row

Knit a row

Purl a row

K4, C2B, K2, Knit C across

Purl a row

Knit a row

Purl a row**

Repeat between ** three more times, or until desired length.

K4, C2B, K2, Knit C across

(I had some trouble with the following, but I think I just miscounted my decreases. Sorry.)

Purl a row

SSK, K6 across

P across

C1B, K2, Knit C, K4 across
P across

K5, K2tog across

P around

K3, C2F, K1, Knit C across
Purl across

K1, K2tog, K3 across

Purl across
C1B, K1, Knit C, K3 across

P across

K2, SSK K1 across
P across
K2tog, K2 around
P across
K 1, C1F, K1, Knit C across
P across
K1, K2tog

P across
K2tog

Cut long tail, pull through remaining stitches, sew up the back.

The Mission

2010-01-29T22:31:00.003-05:00

Who: me, of course

What: hats!

Why: for one of my favorite people in the world, who is sick.

When: by February 10th, or February 26th

How: yarn I already have, and the soft Vanna's Choice Baby I ordered, which was shipped today

The Patterns:

The Cap Karma Hat (with this crown shaping)

(Possibly) The Claudia Hat

Another Hermione Hat

Aother Lydia Hat (which I'll upload soon)

A simple striped hat

And more, once I find them.

I'll upload photos/patterns as I finish.

Blogs

2010-01-17T23:59:00.003-05:00

People (blogs, really) you should check out:

Who -- What I love

KNITTING, etc.

Rawrchar -- This is Carly's blog, a good friend of mine

JL Yarnworks -- love the Hermione hat

VO Knits -- the Lyon hat, yet to be made

Present Knits -- her Mossy Pebbles scarf. I made a similar one for my friend Megan for Christmas

Midnight Knitter -- used her Karaoke Cable scarf pattern for my mother

Na Vlne -- I LOVE her Capucine hat. This was also one of the failed January hats. Let's not talk about it.

The Sweatshop of Love -- Love the name, love her slouchy red hat

Creativeyarn -- these fingerless gloves, yet to be made

BAKING, etc.

Usually I just mess around with recipes I have, but I just found:

Bakerella -- LOVE her cake pops. There are no words.

Slouchy red hat

2010-01-17T18:51:00.006-05:00

Things we ARE NOT going to talk about:

How I ruined two (and a half?) hats.
How I'm beyond exhausted for no apparent reason.
How my favorite pair of knitting needles are so worn out that the... color? is so worn out that the silverness underneath shows through and thus turns the tips of my fingers silvery after lots of knitting.

Things we ARE going to talk about.

I finished a hat. And not just a hat, an ADORABLE one. (We're not going to talk about how I messed up some of the cabling in the back. It's in the back.) I might even make a matching scarf.
It's a long weekend. Which means another day of sleeping in. Thank you, MLK.
I have good leftovers for dinner.

So, here's the hat.

Here's the girl who made the pattern. I've got to say, the hat (and she) are adorable, like I said earlier. But this girl must have a tiny head, because I added TWO extra cable panels. TWO. So, 26 or so stitches. I did use size 10s instead of 11s, but I've done this before, compensating for it, and it's never been that much. It's really easy to make, as it's in stockinette mostly, so you don't have to worry about counting knit stitches and purl stitches in your head. And it didn't take that long to make, either.

So, here we go. Realize that this hat will be big. It is slouchy, after all. If you want it slouchier, block it. I've never blocked before, and the hat I made was already pretty big. All I did was put it over a big plate. Seriously.

Knit with Burgundy Threadless, size 10 straight needles.

CO 66 stitches (to make smaller or larger, subtract or add 11 stitches from casting on)

K1 P1 around for 5 rows across

Knit last two stitches of ribbing together

K3, C4 front, K4, knit 4 cable stitches, repeat across

Stockinette two rows across

K1, make 1, knit 2, make 1, knit 8 across (for 78 stitches)

Stockinette three rows across

C4 back, K4, k 4 cable stitches, k 5 across

Stockinette five rows across

K5, C4 front, K4, K4 from cable across

Stockinette five rows across

C4 back, K4, C4 back, K4, k 4 cable stitches, k 5 across

Stockinette five rows across

*K5, C4 front, K4, K4 from cable across

Stockinette five rows across

C4 back, K4, C4 back, K4, k 4 cable stitches, k 5 across

Stockinette five rows across*

(If you want the hat shorter, DO NOT do the part between the **. If you want it longer, DO the part between the **. Each part between the ** is about three inches).

K2tog, K1, K2tog, C4 front, K4, K4 from cable across

Purl across

K9, K2tog across

Purl across

K8, K2tog across

Purl across

K7, k2tog

P2tog, P6

K5, k2tog

P2tog, P4

K3, K2tog

P2tog, P2

K1, K2tog

P2tog

K2tog

Cut a long tail and pull through the remaining stitches. Use tail to sew up the side.

Made while

Watching: Miss Congeniality for the millionth time, episodes 1-4 of Firefly (also for the millionth time)

Playing: Bejeweled Blitz

Also, I recently made this hat. With earflaps! Go me.

Hermione hat

2010-01-04T14:26:00.008-05:00

I really love this hat. I'm one of those people who sees movies/shows/whatnot and thinks whether or not they're handmakeable. This, thanks to JL Yarnworks, is. And I LOVE it.

A lot. Obviously. I made one for my friend Megan for Christmas, and I'm now making myself one sort of similar. Same general pattern. Ish.

Here's the pattern, but it's knitted in the round. And because I don't knit in the round, here it is on straight 5s, knit with Threadless Burgundy.

CO 110

K1P1 ribbing for 12 rows

*K6 P5 across

P6 K5 across*

Repeat between ** twice more

{K6, P1, YO, P2tog, P2 around
P6, K5 around
K6, P2, YO, P2tog, P1 around
P6, K5 around
K6, P3, YO, P2tog around
P6, K5 around
Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front of work, K3, knit stitches on cable needle, P5] around

*K6 P5 across

P6 K5 across*

Repeat between ** twice more}

Repeat from {} three times

P6 K5 around

K6, P2tog, P3 around

P6, K2tog, K2 around

K6, P2tog, P1 around

P6, K2tog around

K5, K2tog around

P4, P2tog around

K3, K2tog around

P2, P2tog around

K1, K2tog around

P2tog around

Cut tail, pull tail through remaining five stitches. Sew the back up with tail.

NOTE: this pattern makes a long hat. So either decrease by one cable (only repeat between {} twice), rib for 6-8 rows instead of 12, or just leave it as it is.

Fried green tomato sandwich

2010-01-02T02:46:00.004-05:00

If you've ever lived in or visited Atlanta, especially within the last 10-15 years, you know about Mick's. I guess I was too young to really appreciate it when it was here. There was one in town, and one in our closest mall. Delicious American food. And it was the only place my parents could get me to eat tomatoes, even if they were fried.

About this time last year, I really started craving their fried green tomato sandwich. Seeing as they had closed their stores long before, it's not like I could drop in and get one. So I spent hours online, looking for a recipe. And this is the closest one I found. It takes a while to make, but it's so freaking good.

And even if you don't like tomatoes or anything else in it, try it. Honestly, I don't like 90 percent of the things this sandwhich is made of.

You need:

TOMATOES

Flour (a couple cups)

Oil

Salt (pinch)

Pepper (pinch)

Eggs (two)

Green tomatoes (three or so)

Rye bread

Mozzarella

SAUCE

Cream (1/3 cup or so)

Parmesan cheese (like, a handful)

Red peppers (one)

To make the sauce:

Cut and roast [?] the peppers on the stove. (Make sure you get all the seeds out). Meanwhile, mix cream and parm in a saucepan to make a alfredo-ish sauce. Put the peppers into the sauce, and put it all into a food processor. Process until the sauce is pinkish and there are no major pepper pieces. put into fridge.

NOTE: if you're either lazy, stressed for time, or don't have these ingredients, there's another option. Get some alfredo sauce and some canned roasted red peppers. Drain the peppers. Put it all into a food processor. Process, and you're done.

To make the tomatoes:

Wash the tomatoes, and cut into think (about 1/3 inch) slices. Dip into flour/salt/pepper mixture, into whisked eggs, and back into flour mixture. Repeat.

Heat oil in a skillet, fry the tomatoes. Do this slowly, turning them only once.

To serve:

Sprinkle mozzarella over rye bread, toast lightly in a toaster oven. Spread pepper-parm sauce over the bread, then put the tomatoes on. Cut in half, and enjoy!

After dinner cupcakes

2009-12-31T14:51:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, I made these. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, because I brought them to a friend's house and the ones I kept were kept only because I'm not a pro at icing. Hence crumbleyness. So no photo)(EDIT: Obviously, there are photos now. We're not going to talk about how I pretty much had a cupcake photo shoot. Not at all).

Things I love about these:

They're cupcakes. Which I ADORE. It's your own personal cake. Enough said.
They're chocolatey. And minty.
They're pretty light, not even remotely overwhelming, like a lot of chocolate cupcakes can be.
And they're super easy to make.

What you need:

Oven, bowls, spoons, the regular baking stuff. And a muffin pan, with muffin cups

CUPCAKES

1 c sugar

1 c sour cream

2/3 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mint extract (NOTE: you can replace either of the extracts with the other [like 1 full tsp of mint] for either a mint-free or super minty cupcake)

1 and 1/2 c cake flour

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1 and 12 tsp baking soda

ICING (Well, it's really more of a glaze...)

1 c confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp mint extract (NOTE: see above)

about 3-4 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

Whisk the sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and extracts together in a medium bowl. Sift in the cocoa, flour, and baking soda. Stir until blended, divide into prepared cups. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until knife/toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, stir the extracts, vanilla, and cream together. Make a smooth icing. Ice the cupcakes.

Honestly, that's all there is to it. It makes about 18-20.

(yum)

Not-so-Minnie Mouse

2009-12-30T22:18:00.008-05:00

I really like cute little stuffed animals. For a while, I was making some crazy knitted monsters, and I recently received a book full of patters for kids' toys.

Here is an adorable mouse, knit on size 5 needles (though pretty much any size could work). I used two contrasting grey yarns I had, but anything could work, from one color to all your scraps.

So, mouse:

BODY

CO 3 in MC

P around

Increase by 3 (6 stitches)

[K2, inc] twice, k2

K2, inc, K4, inc, K2

[K2, inc] four times, k2 (14 stitches)

K2, inc, K10, inc, K2

[K2, inc, K5, inc] twice, K2 (20 stitches)

K2, inc, K16, inc, K2

IN CC: Inc, K9, inc, K2, inc, K9, inc (26 stitches)

IN MC: K across, inc at the ends

IN CC: K

IN MC: K across, inc at the ends

IN CC: K across, inc at the ends

IN MC: K across, inc at the ends

IN CC: K across, inc at the ends

IN MC: K across

IN CC: K across, inc at the ends

P (38 stitches)

IN MC: K across

IN CC: K across, inc at ends

P (40 stitches)

IN MC: K across

IN CC: K across

IN MC: K14, slip knit pass over, K1, slip knit pass over, K2, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K14

IN CC: K14, slip knit pass over, K4, K2tog, K14

Cast off

STOMACH

(all in CC)

CO 13

Work 35 rows stockinette, decreasing at each end of the 9th, 17th, 24th, 28th, and 35th rows.

Slip 1, K2tog, pass stitch over

Fasten off

BACK

(all in MC)

CO 13

Work 16 rows of stockinette, decreasing at each end of the 9th, 12th, 14th, and 16th rows

Fasten off

EARS

(obviously, make two. both in CC)

CO 4

K row, increasing at each end*

Repeat between ** until you reach 14 stitches

*K row, decreasing by two at each end

Repeat between ** until you reach 4 stitches

Fasten off

TAIL

Cut three 7 inch long lengths of MC and CC. Braid together. Tie the end off.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Okay, bear with me here. You'll want to use embroidery thread for all the sewing.

Embroider the nose. Use buttons (or embroider) the eyes.

For the ears, fold the circles you made in half, so the CO side and bind-off side are opposite. (In other words, "hot-dog" style). Sew the two corners together, and then sew that to the middle part (where you stopped increasing and started decreasing). This should make a 3D half-circle.

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE DONE INSIDE-OUT

Sew this to the body, where the first CC stripe begins.

Sew the stomach to the body.

Sew the circular part of the back to the body. (This should leave you with the back end of the stomach and the bottom of the back open).

FLIP INSIDE-IN

Stuff! I'd recommend actual pillow stuffing stuff, but you can use anything from cotton balls, (unused) tissues, or knitting scraps (yes, this is actually what I used. I had a lot).

Now (finally), sew the remaining flap part closed, making sure to tie the tail in.

And, well, then you're done.

MEASUREMENTS

(Without tail)

Mine's about 6 inches long, 3.5 wide, and 2.5 tall. Or something close to that.

Made while

Watching: Bones season 4

Listening to: She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra

Striped nightcap

2009-12-29T11:45:00.006-05:00

So my sister's super picky. (I am too, I guess.) I made her a hat, which I still need to give to her. She wanted a really long hat, and I wanted to make her something she could wear with a lot of her clothes.

I got the pattern from here, but I knit really tightly and it just didn't turn out right. It was cute, but on size 7 needles knit exactly as the pattern she gives is, it was just way too small.

Knit on size 10 needles, Vanna's Choice Sapphire (107) and Silver Grey [?] (149). I used another blue (which I can't remember the name of or find) for one of the stripes, but honestly, any colors can be used. About half a skein of each was used.

Hat:

CO 75 in MC

K5P5 around for 24 rows in MC

In CC, knit 5 rows stockinette (K row, P row, etc.)

Still in CC *(on K side row), s1, ssk1, k until last three, k2tog, s1

P around*

Repeat between ** fifteen more times for a total of 20 rows

In MC, repeat between ** for 18 rows

In CC, repeat between ** for 14 rows

In MC, repeat between ** for 12 rows

In CC, repeat between ** for 10 rows

In MC, repeat between ** for 3 rows, or until there are ~5 stitches left.

Cut 2+ foot tail, bind off. Use long tail to stitch edges together.

Mirrored cable hat and scarf

2009-12-29T03:16:00.009-05:00

So for Hanukkah, I made pretty much everyone I know a hat or scarf or both. For my mom, I made her a nice scarf/hat duo, except I only finished the hat today. Seems as if big heads run in our family, so of course the one I made her from a pattern I had edited didn't work. Below is the second hat I made (which thankfully turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself).

Hat and scarf both knit in Lion's Brand Vanna's Choice Dusty Blue (108). Total, it was probably two skeins. Both knit on size 10 needles.

Hat:

(This is for big heads, so maybe decrease CO by 8 [average] to 16 [a bit smaller] for heads that aren't as giant as mine and my mother's. Also, it's a bit long, so if you want it shorter, decrease by one cable.)

CO 88 stitches

K2 P2 around for 10 rows for ribbing

*P2 K6 around

K2 P6 around*

Repeat between ** twice more for a total of 6 rows

P2 C6F P2 C6B around

K2 P6 around

*P2 K6 around

K2 P6 around*

Repeat between ** twice more for a total of 8 rows

[P2 C6F P2 C6B around

K2 P6 around

*P2 K6 around

K2 P6 around*

Repeat between ** twice more for a total of 8 rows]

Repeat between brackets three more times for a total of five cables

P2 K6

K2tog P6 around

P1 K2tog K2 K2tog around

K1 P2tog P2tog around

K2tog around

P2tog around (this should leave you with 7[?] stitches)

Cut a 1ft long tail and pull through remaining stitches. Sew edges together with long tail (I use a crochet hook for this). Tie off, cut remaining.

Scarf:

I stole this pattern. It was super easy to knit. I did it on the size 10 needles, not 7, and my Vanna's Choice yarn.

(Also, all the pictures above are of the exact same scarf and hat. The top picture is closest to the actual color.)

About me

2009-12-29T03:04:00.003-05:00

I'm just trying this out, so cut me some slack. Please.

So, hi. I'm Melissa. I live in a suburb of Atlanta, where there's not really much to do. The rest of the time, I'm at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, where I'm spending my time making, baking, and other stuff. Studying, some, too.

I really like to knit. I know it's silly and makes me sound like a grandma, but it's calming. And with how much television I watch, it gives me something to do. As for cooking, I don't get the chance to do much of it at school (except for some Easy Mac and ramen), but at home, I cook constantly. Honestly, expect a lot less cooking posts, unless I'm on break. But I've been entertaining the idea of opening up a bakery, but with all the ideas I have, I'd be lucky if just one of them turned out.

I actually have other hobbies besides knitting and cooking, but it's not like people need a recipe or pattern to learn how to do the other stuff. I read a lot, and watch way too much television. I write some, too, I guess. I was on my high school's newspaper, and am thinking about going into journalism (I'm also a NaNoWriMo-er, but I've yet to finish even one NaNo). When I'm home, I spend a lot of time at an art studio, throwing pottery on the wheel. During the summer, there's a summer camp there where I help teach kids how to make things with clay. Right now, I love it, but if you ask me the last week of camp, it's sort of excessively hellish.

I have absolutely no idea what I want to do for the rest of forever. Honestly. I'd like being an undecided major until I graduate, but it doesn't really work that way. Besides being a Sea Shepherd, or backpacking around the world for the rest of my life, I've been thinking along the lines of archaeologist-journalist-museum curator-book editor. We'll see.

But until I figure all that and everything else out, I'll be knitting to fill the time and cooking to put a pause on some boredom.

So, yeah. I'm not very good at this yet.