Sorry for the delay in getting today’s post up for you (I’m sure you were giddy with anticipation!) But when there’s a foot of snow on the ground, mama simply MUST subject the littles (and not-so-littles) to some serious snow snapshots. I had grand plans to pepper today’s entry with adorable pictures of my youngest rascal puffed up like Randy. Unfortunately, I dropped my camera card somewhere between the snow fort and the front door. I’m sure I’ll find it sometime during the spring thaw 
so, we’ll have to do with imagining Rusty-as-Randy.
After a long morning-turned-afternoon of snow play, there’s two things that my boys require. Hot Chocolate, in vat quantities. Usually, the second thing is Tuna Noodle Casserole (I have no idea how that became a snow day tradition, but since it’s one of my favorite easy meals, I’m certainly not complaining!) Since we’ve got an abundance of turkey left (that’s what happens when you procure a 21 pound turkey when you’re only feeding 8 people – I love leftovers!) So, today’s Christmas {Crafting} is my grandma’s Tuna Casserole, adapted for turkey (in other words, all I did was sub turkey meat for the tuna) I’m not a gambling gal, but if I were I’d bet that there’s more than a few of you with turkey sitting in the fridge and a few wee folks who don’t want another turkey sandwich. This is a great way to use it up in a way that your kids will most likely love!
Tuna Turkey Casserole
2 tablespoons butter
3 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup milk, half and half, or light cream (if you’re feeling decadent!)
1 cup chicken stock (or turkey/veggie stock, or water)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (swiss or cheddar)
2 cups chopped cooked turkey (or 2 can solid white tuna)
1 pound wide egg noodles (or any other pasta you’ve got on hand – we’ve used elbows, penne, rigatoni, rotini, etc)
3-4 cups broccoli (frozen or fresh, doesn’t matter!)
2 t kosher salt
pepper to taste
paprika (about 1 T)
Put water on to boil (for noodles + broccoli) while you prepare a bechamel sauce (really, it’s not hard!) preheat oven to 350 degrees. You’ll add the broccoli to the water once it’s boiling, and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add noodles and cook until the noodles are al dente. Drain and put into a casserole dish.
melt the butter on medium heat in a medium saucepan, then sprinkle the flour in slowly while stirring the entire time (you don’t want the flour to clump) Continue to stir for a few minutes, until the butter and flour are lightly browned. Add about a 1/4 cup of the milk, stirring continuously. It will form a gel-like consistency when mixed; continue slowly adding the milk while you stir. Once all the milk has been added, switch to adding the stock/water in the same manner until it’s incorporated. Turn the heat down to med-low, and stir frequently until the sauce thickens a bit. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cheese, and add the rest to the sauce, stirring well to incorporate. remove from heat and stir in the turkey and seasoning. Pour sauce over the noodles/broccoli, and top with remaining cheese and paprika. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and nicely browned on top. Enjoy!
Today’s Pattern is the Picky Pants, in honor of my friend’s shrieking voicemail this morning that she’s (finally!!!) pregnant. I’ll be knitting up quite a few little pickys for her in the coming months!
There’s over 1600 Picky Pants projects on Ravelry, so go take a peek for some fabulous inspiration. Normally $12, the Picky Pants are discounted 50% today, so they’re a steal at $6!
We’re gearing up for a wicked Nor’easter today, bringing blizzard conditions and up to 15″ of snow! It’s the perfect weather to accompany my intentions – reading and crocheting. Reading (on my new Kindle, thanks Husbter!) The Girl Who kicked the Hornet’s Nest, and crocheting some fingerless mitts to sooth my cold, ache-y hands. In between, I’ll be bringing some of the flurries indoors, cutting snowflakes with the boys. We’re certainly nowhere near talented enough to make these, but it’s fun anyway! Maybe you can find a few moments to sit and craft some of your own snow magic?
In the spirit of staying warm in a blizzard, the 2nd Day of Christmas {Crafting} pattern is the Earwarmer.
Earwarmer on Ravelry It’s a quick worsted weight knit, with shaping at the base to offer maximum coverage of the ears and back neck. Perfect for the designated shoveller (that would be the Hubster in my house) His preferred use, however, is for long runs on the Schuykill River Trail (yes, he is a bit nutty!) He says it’s the best hat he’s ever worn running!
Day 2′s Earwarmer sale is over, but stay tuned for more crafting + discounts!
it’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!
I hope that your Christmas is magical, blessed and full of all the things that make you happy. On this First Day of Christmas, i’ve got a gift for each of you, my lovely friends who take time to visit this little space and my place.
The work of the day is done; the gifts have been given, the meals planned and prepped, and now we enter into my very favorite time – when we can each sit, pull out some yummy wool, and knit something for ourselves with reckless abandon! Perhaps you’d like to knit yourself a little sweet something? Quick, pretty and lovely to wear; the Pewter Cowl is just the thing to knit right now!
Download available Christmas Day only.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!
Right now, if you’re anything like me, you’re in a frenzy to finish up last minute gifts, wrap the straggling presents, and bake/cook/prep enough food for a feast (and at least a few days’ worth of leftovers, so you won’t have to cook afterwards.) Each year, in the days leading up to The Day, I get through the mayhem by promising myself that I’ll cast on something lovely and perfect and destined to be mine sometime in the hours after Christmas dinner has been devoured enjoyed. In talking with several of my crafty mates, I’ve realized that I’m not alone in this. In the spirit of comraderie and giving that epitomize Christmastide, I’d like to invite you on a crafty journey with me over the next 12 days, ending with the celebration of 12th Night.
Each day, I’ll post a gift to you, my lovely friends, here on the blog. It might be a tutorial, perhaps a new pattern (or two), a recipe, a (non-knitting) crafty something, a story, or something else entirely. Along with whatever goodies are on the blog, I’ll also announce a discounted pattern – a different one each day, that will be 50% off for that day only.
I’d love it if you’d leave a comment and let me know if you’ll be joining the journey through the 12 Days, and please grab a button for your blog/facebook/website/wherever! The first Day of Christmas Crafting will be Christmas Day…
Christmas Break officially began an hour ago in our house. Christmas breakfast this morning with The Brain at the middle school, followed by lots of errands and then a Sing-a-Long to end the schoolday at the elementary school. Christmas gifts have all been delivered safely into the arms of the saints teachers, and I have to admit that I’m awfully happy with how our elving worked out this year. Here’s a quick picture I snapped this morning of the last batch just before it was carted off to school; imagine approximately 9 times this amount and you’ll have a better picture of how many treats we crafted + assembled over the past week. (4 kids’ worth of schoolteachers+ sunday school teachers + and a Hubster who thought they looked so good he decided to gift these to all his employees = a LOT of candy crafting!)
In the wax paper wrappers are some to-die-for yummy salted caramels. They’re rich, chewy, gooey little lovelies – and dead easy to make. Seriously. You can whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes. You know you wanna make some Salted Caramels for yourself. The other treats are Buckeyes (which never fail to send my die-hard Penn State fan into fits) and again, embarrasingly easy to make. the boys and I made about 10 batches of each of these recipes over the past 5 days, and none of us have been reduced to stuttering, rocking-in-the-corner sucking on our thumbs messes (yet – I’ve still got wrapping and knitting to finish, which may push me over the edge. But still, it won’t have been from these treats!) Pop them in ziploc bags, with some pretty scrap paper toppers tied on with angel or star ornaments, and they’re lovely little gifts that won’t break the bank or your sanity. (the bird ornaments were from Michael’s, purchased several years ago AFTER christmas. The stars are salt dough ornaments made two Christmases ago for an ornament exchange I didn’t make it to because I was ill)
These are great last-minute gifts to put together, that don’t feel like last minute gifts. What are your go-to quick-and-dirty I need a bunch of gifts for tomorrow ideas?
So, I’ve been miserable all day because my face and fingers hurt from the cold, dry air outside and the hot, dry air inside (I swear, my next house is going to have old fashioned radiator heat-I still miss that warm, moist air we had in our Boston apt, and it’s been 12 years since we lived there!)
Anyway, I was cleaning up after dinner and spotted the coconut oil in the pantry and had a spark of an idea. Remembering a post from Amanda earlier this week, I was inspired to whip up some balm-y loveliness. Her concoction was for lipbalm, but I wanted a bit more of a body bar balm, so I played around a bit with ingredients. I just slathered it all over my hands and face and I’m in heaven! thought I’d share in case anyone else is suffering with nasty, gnarly dry skin.
Lavender Honey Balm
5 T beeswax pellets
6 T coconut oil
3 T raw honey (I used some from the Hubster’s Uncle, with the comb still inside)
2 T shea butter
10 drops lavender EO (you can sub with any essential oil you want, I think sweet orange is what I’ll do next)
Combine all the ingredients up to the EO in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over a pot of water on the stove (or, do the quick and dirty method I did, which was to dump it all into a mason jar and melt it in the microwave for 45 seconds, then increments of 10 seconds until it was all melted). Add the EO, and then stir continually until it cools and starts to get opaque (I put the bottom of the mason jar in a bowl of ice water to speed this process up) Pour into tins if you’ve got them. I poured into my silicon mini-muffin pan, and set it outside in the cold (under a towel so no snow got in) until it was set (and pretty much frozen) and then popped them out and stored them in some tupperware until I can figure out a better better storage solution.
My hands feel better already, and prepared to tackle the (long) list of knitted gifties still waiting to be finished!
There’s a boy I call The Brain. He’s always been an amazingly brilliant, insightful and sensitive soul. I’ve been awestruck at the poigniant observations he can make with (what seems like) even a cursory thought. do you know what happens, though, when all of that fabulousness hits the hormonal tween years? All that blinding insightfulness gets turned on to one very specific point.
You (er, me in this case)
I can barely withstand his leveling (and annoyingly accurate) insight into my few several myriad faults. I thought the teen years were bad for my self-esteem the first time around; I’m quickly learning that their ventures through are surely going to do in my frail ego.
But then there are moments like this, breathtaking beauty where not only do I tell a joke that actually makes him laugh, but I capture it forever. I’m printing this one, framing it in my favorite antique frame inherited from my Gramma (who had a crazy large soft spot for this particular lad) and every time I see it on my dresser I’m going to remind myself that no matter what he says to me, I know that I can still make him laugh. (and knit him hats he loves – that one he’s wearing up there is debuting this week. Perhaps it might inspire some love + laughter in one of your own brood?)
Will you join the cause?
Y’all, Columbus is where it’s at. Once a year, the yarn industry people descend on the Ohio muggles in the most awesome exhausting exhilirating and inspiring weekend of the year: TNNA’s Summer Market. For those of you who live under a rock and haven’t already read the awesome recaps, this is the industry’s biggest event of the year. It’s a trade show, education session, networking and bonding extravaganza! I can’t even begin to list all the fabulous people I have “known” online that I was finally able to meet and have face to face conversations with. But, of course, I’ll have to mention just a few highlights:
- Ysolda’s tea + cake every day. Need I say more?!
- Kate: my partner in crime walking the show floor; it was so comforting to have a fellow first-timer to learn the ropes with (here’s me, Kate + Ysolda in the photobooth)
- Allegra + Brandy (and LG!): love the energy these two had! Seriously, screen printing in their room on Friday night, and then pounding the concrete show floor with seriously cute Petite Purls media kits (and even more adorable baby-in-carrier). Brandy even forgave me when I gave away her drivers license and credit cards (and yay for Ysolda, who promptly returned it!)
- AKD -from finally meeting the Board members I’ve worked so closely with (Jill + Kim) to the thoughtful and thought-provoking AKD Panel (“Achieving Mutual Goals in the Yarn Industry”) and getting re-energized with some strategic planning meetings
- Seriously considering babynapping the most adorable carrot-topped baby from
Stefanie (who, despite being about 14 taller than me, could possibly be my long lost twin sister according to about a dozen TNNA attendees; including one very sweet Mission Falls guy) - delicious tapas after an exhausting first day, with my roomates-turned-new-friends Chris + Jenny, their friends turned my new friends (and yarn pushers!) and friend-turned-new-test knitter Mary Catherine (rumor has it that she’s a super speedy knitter!)
- testing my AKD “elevator speech” out on Laura Nelkin (who, for real people, I want to be when I grow up! Her designs are lovely, no less than 8 people told me how fantastic her classes were at both TNNA and Squam, plus she is design director for a yummy yarn company, and is gorgeous on top of all that. If she weren’t so nice, I’d hate her)
- Stitch Cooperative – those gals know how to paartay!
- Amy Polcyn might be the most prolific designer I’ve ever met. Walked hte floor with her, and seriously – every other booth she’d point and say “That’s mine!” “That’s my design” “I did that” I swear, she must not sleep.
The booths were all so colorful and inspiring, it was hard not to get sensory overload! Ysolda’s booth was a sea of tranquility and comfort (couches! Cupcakes! fun little toys!) in which to rest, getting energized to go back out and see the sights. Blue Sky had a bed that I wanted to curl up and sleep in, surrounded by that scrumptious yarn. Amy Butler’s new yarns – oh, my, they’re divine. Madelintosh and Dream in Color right across from each other – ever which way you looked, it was YUMMY YARN! New-to-me yarns like Mountain Meadow, Bijou Basin, and Pear Tree Yarns have all found a place on my to-be-knit shelf.
It was a whirlwind few days; I arrived Friday morning around 10 and was back home in Philly by 11 Sunday night. Next year I’ll stay longer, and most importantly – wear more comfortable shoes! My poor toes were brutalized by Friday evening, and there were still two l-o-n-g days of walk, walk, walking the show floor. Seriously folks, if there’s one lesson I don’t need to learn twice, it’s that if you have to choose between the gorgeous shoes and the comfortable shoes; go for comfort. Your feet will thank you!
Have any of you been searching for the perfect tubular cast on? One that can be worked in the round, without the tightness of the “cast on half” methods. One that actually looks great, has great stretch, and doesn’t require starting on straights and then seaming up that little bit once your join the round? I know I have! I like the Italian tubular cast on, which this one is obviously very similar to, but I always despised that half the stitches were mounted wrong and needed to be knit through the back loop. I also really wanted to be able to join the round immediately and not do that wee bit of fiddly stitching. So, since I haven’t been able to knit for a while, getting this cast on just right i’s all I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been imagiknitting it in my head for days, but never quite getting it right. This morning, the pieces all came together and the needles in my head clicked. I was so excited, I actually took off the wrist immobilizer and risked the pain to try it out.
Verdict? Wrist didn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would, and the cast on rocks. Totally worth the twinge! Check it out and decide for yourself (I suggest watching the video first before trying to wade through the written directions. This is definitely a “read a hundred times and still not get it; watch it once and know it forever” kind of things!)
For your wordy learners, here’s the written directions!
- Make a slip knot, with long tail (roughly equal to the tail length if you were doing a regular long-tail cast on) and place it on your circular needle with the working yarn (attached to ball) over left index finger, tail hanging between index and middle finger. This yarn will be called the “index yarn”
- Place the long tail yarn over your thumb, with tail hanging on outside of thumb. This yarn will be called the “thumb yarn”
- With yarn positioned as outlined, hold both tails loosely at the base of the palm with the remaining three fingers of the left hand. Hold the working needle with the right hand. This is your “base position”
Step 1
Bringing ndl clockwise over the index yarn, under both, and up counterclockwise to catch the thumb yarn (forming a loop over the ndl with the thumb yarn), then under the index yarn counterclockwise, return to base position
(one “purl” stitch made)
Step 2
bring ndl counterclockwise under the thumb yarn, and then clockwise over the index yarn (forming a loop over the needle with the index yarn), then counterclockwise around the thumb yarn, returning to base position
(one “knit” stitch made)
Repeat these two steps until the desired number of stitches is cast on, ending with a “purl” stitch (step 1) The slip knot will be a knit stitch.
If working in the round, carefully stretch the cast on around your circular needle, being sure that it isn’t twisted.
Place a marker to note the beginning of the round and work as follows:
Rnd 1: *knit 1, bring yarn forward, slip one st, bring yarn back, repeat from * to end of rnd.(check once again at the end of this rnd to be sure that your work isn’t twisted around the ndl; if it is you can untwist it now, letting the twist fall between the needles into the yarn from the join. Once you knit the first stitch of the second round, the twist will be set and there’s no way to fix it except for ripping out!)
Rnd 2: *bring yarn back, slip one st, bring yarn forward, purl 1, repeat from * to end of rnd.
If you plan to continue with a 1 x 1 ribbing, the cast on is complete at this point. If you wish to continue with a 2 x 2 ribbing, work the following round:
Rnd 3: *knit 1, right twist (knit second stitch on ndl, purl first stitch, and then remove both), purl 1, repeat from * to end of rnd. Your 2 x 2 ribbing is now established, and you may continue in your pattern.
That’s it! It’s really a lot easier than these complicated instructions make it sound. Watch the video a few times, and I’ll bet you’ll be hunting down projects to use your nifty circular tubular cast on!
