Sunday, November 22, 2009

When Unemployed People Knit



Originally uploaded by destroysodexho
I finally finished my master's degree. In August. I have no job, and it might be a while. I've been watching a lot of True Blood (mmm Alexander Skarsgard) I have been trying to knit lots of things with yarn I already have, which isn't that big of a challenge because for a person who lives in a small apartment I own A LOT of yarn.


Most recently is this awesome headband, which stays ON MY HEAD and doesn't give me a headache. With hair like mine, headbands are a must for keeping the crazy in line.

So what is next? I am knitting ALL my Christmas presents this year. Photos to come!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

recipe for delicious

A few days ago I was at work starving, when a co-worker (a godly saviour of a young man and perhaps an architect in the making) offered me some granola his mom had made for him. It was unbelievably good, and as I had never realized there was a such thing as "homemade granola" I immediately decided to make my own.

Inspired by several internet recipes and still in waiting for the copy of this young man's mother's recipe, I created my own.

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecans (mine were candied but to be fair I was using up old ingredients)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 cup oil
ground cinnamon

eyeball all of these:
1/6 cup real maple syrup + 1/6 cup brown sugar +1/6 cup honey = 1/2 cup sweetner

dried fruit pieces (mine are a mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries and dried blueberries and dried cherries)

1. Put the oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sliced almonds, pecans and coconut into a bowl. Add the oil, and then measure the sweetner in the same cup you used for the oil. The honey mixture will slide right out of the cup, no scraping. Mix all of these together. Place on a flat cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and sprinkle with cinnamon per your taste.

2. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Stir carefully every 10 minutes or so, especially if you don't want granola baked into your pan I did. The granola will still be slightly sticky and smooshy when you remove it from the oven, but it will harden as it cools.

3. After the mixture is cool, place it in a bowl or in a baggie and mix with about 1 cup of the fruit. You can, of course, add more or less per your taste. Store in one of many airtight ways.

4. Enjoy as it is or add some milk or yogurt. Die happy.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Maneki Neko




If you have a chance to pick up this book, I highly recommend it for anyone who has extra socks. The sock creatures in it are adorable, and would be great for small children, or anyone who needs cheering up. I made this "maneki neko" style cat with just a pair of socks, stuffing, and some embroidery floss.

In addition to sewing up some adorable friends, I finished my first sweater over the holidays. I'm just getting around to posting it now because I've been pretty busy. The pattern is the "Hela" sweater, free from Istex's website. However, I made it with Reynolds, instead...I'm told its the same yarn. It is EXTREMELY warm, suitable for the coldest days of winter. I wear it under my jacket, and it completely blocks the wind. I end up sweating outdoors in 10 degree weather sometimes.

Here's the Ravelry link!