Knitting on my mind

A years worth of updates

2011-02-08T17:19:00.001-08:00

I've started and finished many new projects since my last blog. It's just best if you checked out my Ravelry page for more info and frequent updates. But here are pictures of some of my recent FOs and WIPs.

Toddler Mittens (WIP)

Star Crossed Slouchy Beret

Purl Beret

Cabled and Fringed Beanie

Sexy G-String (WIP)

Hooded Waistcoat Vest (WIP) - Gotta sew on buttons and loose ends.

Sucky Thumb Mitts

Generic Toe-Up Sock (WIP)

Tanbark Hat

Eventide Scarf (WIP)

Marks & Kattens Kofta (WIP)

Soap Sack Sachet

Fiona's Top

Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater (WIP)

Parasola

Side Slip Cloche

See, I still have knitting on my mind. Just not blogging on my mind. Hey, knit or blog... Which would you choose?

WIPs and FOs continued

2010-03-13T05:20:00.000-08:00

BlogPress couldn't take the load on my last blog so here I am starting a new one. Now where was I. Oh, yes.

One Row Scarf (FO)

SIL was just starting to learn how to knit and this was one of her first projects. She asked me to help her and show her how it's done. And voilà. This is how it's done. This pattern uses a one row pattern and is really easy to do. Just knits, purls, and knitting in the back loop.

Merry Janes Moc-Soc (FO)

SIL wanted me to make this for her now newborn baby girl. Used w/ stash yarn.

Mittens (FO)

Started and finished this during my knitting retreat w/ Pacifica's SnB. They were originally mittens but made into fingerless.

Mini Skein of Yarn Bag Charm (FO)

Cute, huh?

Phannie (WIP)

It looks finished, but it's not. The final product was too small. I ripped twice and hooked it three times already. It ends up too large or too small. I've put it aside until it learns to behave.

Sexy Vesty (FO)

I'm a sucker for KALs. I was trying to entice my friend to start up her knitting again. She said she'd like to knit this up and we could do it together. She still hasn't finished, but my other friend saw that I was working on this project and started on this KAL too. She's done and now we're starting another project together. See below.

Baby Cardigan (FO)

Started this for a friends baby girl. She arrived before I finished. My friend said that she would still live to receive it. I wonder if it would fit her baby right now, at 5 months?

Parasola (WIP)

It's a tee w/ three holes in it. You pick up the holes to knit up circles.

And that's it for my WIPs and FOs! Wheew.

Many many many months worth of WIPs and FOs all at once

2010-03-13T04:48:00.001-08:00

So it's been a while. A long long while, since I've blogged on my knitting. I've FO'd a few things. Started a few too. Let's see. Where to start.

Motif Bolero (WIP)

Have I blogged about this one? It's been interesting but I made two then stopped. They both came out diff sizes and would've been too small for me anyways if made up. I've put it aside as a WIP. I do intend to finish it one day. It will look very pretty.

Baby Crossover Booties (FO)

One shoe is larger than the other. Ughh. These were quick to knit but a pain to sew. (Cuz I very much dislike stitching up.)

Allover eyelet (FO)

I'm pretty happy w/ the final outcome. Though it barely fit DD when I was done. She wore it once and haven't worn it ever since. Better pictures on Ravelry.

Crocheted Cap (WIP)

Instructions are in Japanese. Luckily, they have charts. Also, can't leave out the help of the www. The material is hard, raffia, and hurts my hands to use. I guess it's gotta be hard to hold its shape. I'm afraid it will be too small for me when it's all done. We'll see.

More to come.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FO! FO! Wahoo!

2009-08-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

I finished a project! Wahoo! I'd been on a dry streak for a while now, always starting but never finishing. Now here it is, Pi's Baby Crossover Booties. I went home after work and finished stitching the crocheted flowers onto the booties.

I got the itch for another one.

2009-08-17T12:38:00.001-07:00

You're not gonna believe this. I started a new project again. Ahh!! And w/o finishing any of my previous WIPs/UFOs. Ahh!!

Ahh!!

And wouldn't you believe it? I started it in the middle of the night. haha. It's so typical of me.

So, what is this new project? It's the Baby Crossover Booties. SIL bought the pattern and now that Pi's born I really need to make it before she might not fit it. Pi's mommy wanted the exact colors booties.

New project updates

2009-08-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in a long long time. Though, I haven't stopped knitting, and even crocheting. Here are some started and unfinished projects of mine.

Motif Bolero

It was just soo pretty when I saw it on Ravelry that I had to make it. So far I've made 2 squares and one is 4-1/2" and the other is 5". I think I'll go up a hook and aim to make the squares 5". Yes, that means I need to tear apart both of the the squares I've made. Ughh.

All-Over Eyelet Top
I started this on my trip to Vancouver. So far I'm almost to the armpit. I hope I actually finish a project this year. haha.

Merry Jane
SIL bought this pattern and really wanted me to make it. I've made one of them and haven't made the other one yet. Eek. She also wants me to make the Crossover booties. These seem like fast knits but yet I can't seem to get to 'em.

Secret Project for Lucy's baby
I've been working on this project for way too long. And baby's already been out into this world for 1-1/2 months. I just need to finish this. I need to.

Steeking. Whoa.

2009-03-02T00:28:00.001-08:00

What's steeking? I've learned a new knitting term. Whoa. It's a way of knitting in the round, then stitches up two columns that are next to each other, and then *snip*. Whoa. I first became intrigued when I saw this sweater and found out how she had done it by steeking. Whoa, I've gotta try this sometime. But it sounds so scary. Video link of how she steeked it is below.

http://knitknitfrog.blogspot.com/2009/02/owls-are-done-done-done-done.html

Finished DB's Yoke Detail Sweater

2009-02-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

I'm finally done! I seem to have a habit of finishing projects in the middle of the night. It must be 'cuz I can't sleep thinking about it. I'm pretty happy with the project, though I wish I had chosen to knit a size smaller than I did. Hm, I even knitted a size smaller than I originally thought I should knit. I wonder if bamboo will shrink in the wash.

Here is a closer detail of the yoke. The bobbles don't like to pop up. I'm guessing it's the issue with my knitting. I learned to knit backwards while making these bobbles so I don't have to turn the work back and forth. I like the curl on the neck.

Seaming was the pits. But I learned how to seam seamless. Cool!

My 2nd sweater

2009-02-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

So I've been knitting this sweater since the end of October but just haven't blogged about it. You'll find my updates on Ravelry. I'm almost done now but just need to sew all the pieces together. Ughh. I can't stand this part. I'm taking forever. But I can't wait 'til it's done. So far it looks like it's gonna be big on me. Hm, and I even went down a size when starting the project. The picture doesn't do it justice. I just take bad pictures. I'll post another one when I'm finally done w/ it.

Fa-Yeah!

2009-02-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

I really like this new yogurt I found. It's called Fage. Pronounced Fa-yeh!. That's what it says on the carton. But specifically, I only really like the 2% yogurt w/ honey. The yogurt is thick and smooth and creamy and the honey is in it's own separate compartment, so you can put as much or as little as you want. Me, I put it allll in. =D The honey is thick and not watered down like a few other honey yogurts I've tried. I can really taste the honey and it's little crystals. Word of warning: This stuff is really thick and may be pretty filling.

I also like Saint Benoît Yogurt in honey. The honey flavor isn't quite as strong in comparison to Fage, but it's still a good flavor. It's definitely lighter than Fage and is easy to swallow. Kinda like silken tofu w/ ginger sugar sauce. When I open the cover it smells like butter. heh. And the container it's in is cool: ceramic. I like that it's organic and that they encourage reusable containers. One little gripe I have is that it has a powdery feel in your mouth. I think it might be because of the skin that dries on the top of the yogurt.

Baby Super Mario

2008-11-03T15:55:00.001-08:00

My son as Super Mario. He's wearing jean overalls w/ huge yellow buttons, a long sleeve red onesie, a cap that I sprayed red, and white socks on his hands. I bought felt and cut out the M logo and the mustache. I initially bought a red cap online but it was on back order for almost a month. Needless to say I canceled and just bought fabric spray.

Fat jeans

2008-11-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

Last week I wore my fat jeans. It was time to change out of them and then I found that I had pulled it down w/o unbuttoning or unzippering it. Wahoo! My fat jeans are loose on me again! Now, on to fat jeans #2. I haven't been able to button that one yet. 'Can't wait 'til those are loose on me again too!

Sarcasm is...

2008-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I just had a fight w/ DH last night and at one point he used sarcasm. The fights over now and we'll get over it, but this morning I began to think...what type of ppl use sarcasm? What is sarcasm to you?

Sarcasm is for ppl that have nothing better to say.
Sarcasm is for ppl that just want to put others down.
Sarcasm is childish.
Sarcasm is a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.

Now I'm no saint myself. I've used sarcasm in the past too. I just feel that sarcasm gets you nowhere and is not very progressive. I just want to know, what is sarcasm to you?

Update on the health of my car

2008-09-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's doing just fine now. Last night DH fixed my phone and iPod problem. He restarted my phone and reset my iPod. Man, I'm really portraying myself as a stereotypical girl who knows nothing about fixing cars and gadgets. I probably would've eventually fixed it myself. I just haven't put in the time since I just go in and out of the car w/ no time to sit and fiddle w/ it. Bleah.

Harbinger of Car Death

2008-09-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

I am the harbinger of car death. Hear me roar. Raarrrr!

This year it seems that every car I touch breaks down on me in some way or another. :( This time my car's iPod connection stopped working. But before that the phone connection is acting up and when I click the phone to talk it's just a bunch of static. The gate opener had really good reach when it was first set but now I have to drive really close before the sensor can receive the message. The iPod no longer connecting was just my final confirmation that I'm a disease to cars. Ughh. Maybe I should just stop driving for the rest of the year.

Not nice

2008-08-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

So DS puked this early-morning. (2:40am) There's been a virus going on in my family. First DD had it about a week ago. Then DH, MIL, and SIL got it. Eek. They just came back from a trip together and Gro has it too. He puked up as well and went to the doctors yesterday morning. Welp, now DS has it too! I'm worried as he's only 3-months old. I called the advice nurse early this morning and she let me know that I needn't rush to the hospital and since I know of this virus circulating around the family just watch over him.

Speaking of sicknesses, um, Kaiser has a TB scare. Not nice. I get a call 3-days ago from my children's pediatrician telling me that DH, DS and I need to go in for a TB test. What?! Turns out that some nurse had active TB while working at the maternity ward from March thru August and anyone that stayed overnight could've possibly contracted it. Grrr. Not nice. My BIL and sis were worried for their son, as he's 3yo, because they visited us late in the hours. I was reassured by the Doc that they're fine and that the sick nurse began work at 11pm and if the TB lingered around the hospital it would've been for a couple or few hours after the nurse left, which is plenty far from when they came to visit. Though, if they wanted to get checked up Kaiser would do it for free. So far DH, DS and I have gotten a TB shot and it seems that all looks fine to us by the naked eye. We're going back to the hospital this morning to get it checked. In addition, DS had to get a chest exam too. Grrr. Again, not nice. He's young so he had to do the extra test. All the newborns did. They strapped him into this contraption that he had to be sitting up-right for and then encased in a shield. I was not happy. He was crying the entire time. There were other babies waiting too and I heard that the Radiology dept was quite busy the day before. Oh man. Kaiser's in for some real poo poo. Whether or not the TB nurse knew or didn't know she had active TB, Kaiser didn't do a good job of finding out. At least they're acting quick and getting everyone checked. Doc said that all appts had to be canceled to see everyone about this TB issue. She was probably bracing herself for many unhappy, and possibly angry, parents. On the bright side, DS gained another lb w/i a month! heh. Big baby. He's got the rolls to prove it. To date he's about 15-1/2 lbs.

Deleted "SIL on crack"

2008-08-30T03:24:00.001-07:00

We ended up reconciling and all is well now. Turns out, as often, there was a miscommunication. This situation was nothing compared to what it opened up. heh. Whoops. Sorry for DH 'cuz it seems it was more about him than me. Or so I was lead to believe. I don't want to get into details. 'Just want to say that things are well w/ me and SIL again and she's back to being one of the best SILs eva! Eek. 'Embarrassed that in a flash one can be on my sh*t list one day then the next day later you're back to being the greatest. Is it normal for others to have drastic emotions one day then completely regret it later?

Itchin' for new knittin'

2008-08-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

I love receiving pkgs at home! This time it's more yarn. :D I bought some alpaca yarn from Alpaca Direct to knit some hats for my sister. I promised her I would. I'm just itching to use it but I should really finish at least one of my WIPs before I go to another one.

Updates on baking, beading, and knitting

2008-08-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

And so goes the banana bread craze. I made the Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bread again and have concluded that it really isn't that great.

I've gone back to making the Maple Banana Bread one, which is so far the fav of the bunches I've made. For some reason it didn't work out either. Ahh! knitty nay has sent me her mom's banana bread recipe and I suspect it will be the last time in a long time that I will make banana bread again. Haven't made it yet.

Two nights ago I couldn't sleep and I finished off the other earring that I have been trying to have made for over a month now. Surprisingly, I made this second one in an hour. Geez. That was quick. I was showing off the earrings to my sis while in the car and clumsy me dropped one of 'em. It fell in the cracks between the seat and the center of the front two seats. I tried to get it out by hand but it didn't work. I moved the seat back and forth and I couldn't find it. It's gone! I don't know how I'm gonna be able to retrieve it back. I'll try to examine it again later. MIL had mentioned that she wanted me make one for her too so I'll need to get cracking on that.

I've also gotten quite some progress on the knitted dress for DD. All thanks to Addi Turbos. I was initially working on my Denise Interchangables but they were way too sticky for the stockinette part. It's great for projects where you don't want your stitches to fall off so easily, but for this project I need to work in stockinette for 16-1/2 inches w/ 300 sts/row. If I didn't purposely go out to my LYS for these Turbos I may've gotten carpal tunnel by now. Of which, Cottage Yarns gave me 10% off just by mentioning the knitting group. Wahoo!

Courtesy of Perle Stellar

2008-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

1. What time did you get up this morning? about 7am
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Iron Man
4. What is your favorite TV show? Um...I like many. Too many I like but none that I can't live w/o.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? jook 粥 (a.k.a. rice congee)
6. What is your middle name? Maria
7. What food do you dislike? Anything w/ mint in it. Yuck.
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't really listen to whole CDs anymore. I listen to my playlists on my iPod. My fav playlist is My Highest Rated music.
9. What kind of car do you drive? Audi Q7
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey w/ cranberry sauce, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a croissant.
11. What characteristic do you despise? stupidity (not ignorance), arrogance, know-it-alls...especially the ones that don't know it all, fakes and liars/white-liars.
12. Favorite item of clothing? Currenty, my maternity top that covers my fat, looks decent, and makes it quick and easy for me to feed.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? My first two thoughts were Thailand and France. But there's just so many places I'd love to vacation at. If we didn't have to worry about safety and friendliness I'd like to see the Middle East and Egypt too.
14. Where would you retire to? So far the Bay Area. I like it here. But you never know. Maybe I'll retire on a cruise ship and just sail w/ them for months at a time like so many of the previous generations are doing now.
15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Oh dear. I believe my most recent memorable bday was my 20th or was it my 21st bday when life was still simple amongst a group of friends and we were all happy and practically care free. No drama.
17. Person you expect to send it back first? What's it? This questionnaire? I don't like to send forwards to ppl 'cuz I don't like to bug ppl w/ spam.
18. When is your birthday? September 12
19. Morning person or night person? Morning
20. What is your shoe size? Ughh. Do I have to tell? On avg it's an 8. Sometimes 7-1/2.
21. Pets? None. I'm too lazy to take care of them. Even fish.
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Nothing new and exciting that I could think of.
23. What did you want to be when you were little? I had never had a yearning to be anything. I just liked candy. And I guess I had thought it'd be cool to own a candy shop. So I guess I wanted to be a candy shop owner?? Heh.
24. How are you today? I'm alright. A lot on my mind. Very disorganized about it. Internally I'm feeling rushed 'cuz I have things to do but am so good at procrastination and lagging.
25. What is your favorite flower? Sometimes stargazer lilies, sometimes gerber daisies, and currently cherry blossom and plum blossom branches.
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Not really a specific day but towards November and December. There's just so many holidays being celebrated around this time and that means more reason to hang out w/ friends and family. Since everyone's always so busy nowadays this is a reason it pushes everyone to get out of the house, out of work, and out of their monitors.
27. What are you listening to right now? Nothing. It's quiet and I hear the sounds of my computer.
28. What was the last thing you ate? Heh. Kellogg's Honey Smacks w/ chocolate milk.
29. Do you wish on stars? Sometimes. Haven't done it in a while though.
30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red. I just like red now. Or some variation of a warm yet bright red.
31. How is the weather right now? Bright, beautiful and sunny. I think it may be warm outside.
32. Last person you spoke to on the phone? DH
33. Favorite soft drink? Currently, I like drinking Vitasoy Malt Soymilk. Is this a soft drink? If you're asking about a soda then I say Orangina.
34. Favorite restaurant? So far I'm thinking Ti Couz. The best crepes I've ever had! I've even been to France to have crepes. Ughh, what a disappointment. I'll have to go to the south of France next time to see if it's made better.
35. Hair color? My hair color is black.
36. What was your favorite toy as a child? I loved Legos!
37. Summer or winter? I prefer Fall, but if I had to choose between those two I'd choose Summer.
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate
39. Coffee or tea? coffee
40. Do you want your friends to email you back? yeah
41. When was the last time you cried? Um. I dont' remember. A few weeks ago? A month or two ago? Prolly 'cuz I was so tired and overwhelmed w/ things to do.
42. What is under your bed? clothes, bedding and a diaper bag
43. What did you do last night? took care of the kids, watched TV, cooked, slept
44. What are you afraid of? I'm afraid of my kids getting kidnapped or being hurt by anyone.
45. Salty or sweet? Sweet, of course!
46. How many keys on your key ring? five
47. How many years at your current job? four
48. Favorite day of the week? Thursday. 'Cuz next it's Friday and that means the weekend is coming soon. Not Friday 'cuz the weekend will end soon.
49. Do you make friends easily? No. I do a really bad job of keeping in touch. I guess the real question is do I keep friends easily. heh.
50. How many people will you send this to? 0
51. How many will respond? n/a
52. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Oh yes, definitely. I like to know that I've been paying attention to little things about my friends and I like to know more about them.

Many Updates

2008-08-05T06:05:00.001-07:00

So a few things to update. I got a new car, didn't make banana bread, finished one pair of the earrings, and knitted up the bodice of a dress. Pictures to post later.

DH is cool and the best! It was the last day of the month and he pit two sales reps against each other. (Separate dealerships, of course.) In the end he got the car for $12k under ticket. Woo. It includes the winter pkg, towing pkg, and moon roof. I think that's it. I don't know how much mpg it takes. I look at how comfy it will fit as a family car and let DH know what features I would like in it and he thinks about the guy stuff in the car. So why a new car? DH wants to trade in the current car for an M3. Hm. He coaxed me into getting the family car so he could get his M3. Can you say pre-mid-life crisis?

The bananas that I was supposed to wait to ripen to make banana bread has turned black. Completely black. Not one single yellow spot. DH tossed it last night. heh. I've already bought more bananas that currently have quite a few black spots so hopefully I'll make them today.

I've beaded up one of the pair of earrings I'm making for a friend. It turned out nice. I showed it to MIL and she asked if I could make a pair for her. Cool.

On the knitting front, I've finished the bodice of the dress I'm making for DD. It knits from top down so I was able to pull it over her head to try it on for size. So far it's kinda loose. Good thing is that kids grow fast and this dress will last her for a while. Another thing is that when DD wears dresses the ILs like to put tops underneath that have long sleeves and are often times thick. So it'll be loose for now but still fitted because she'll have clothes underneath. I'm also supposed to put elastic bands into the bodice. Maybe that'll make the top tighter. Then I can take it off as her torso grows.

Another cool thing is that my knitting group has set together a field trip next weekend. Wahoo! It'll be fun. We're going to Petaluma for some yarn shopping and wine. Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay for the wine. I can't stay out for that long as I have to be back to watch over the kids. Bummer.

So I'm thinking about hinting to DH that I want a sewing machine for my bday. The thing is...I have no clue as to what type of sewing machine to get. What features do I look for? What else is there to understand about sewings machines that I should be aware of? I've posed these questions onto a friend who I find has great enthusiasm for sewing and she's given me some great advice, suggestions, and links to look at. If anyone else has some more suggestions, advice and such please give me some input. I am a complete newbie and have not even used a sewing machine to sew up a hole in garments.

Another episode of bana bread gone bad

2008-07-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

In my quest for the best banana bread, I made another banana bread this morning. It's called Chocolate Banana Cream Bread. The name of it really doesn't properly describe the bread so I've renamed it Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bread. Actually, you can't taste the cream cheese in it. I wonder if it's even necessary. The listed ingredients make it sound like it's a definite pleaser. I'm not really sure if the recipe tastes good though because I changed the recipe. I halved the amount of sugar in the recipe and left the bread in the oven 25-minutes longer than I should've. The bread is still moist but I'm not sure if it should've been even moister and it's not very sweet. Eek. I'm disappointed w/ what I've done but I don't know if I want to try this recipe again. I'd recommend the full amount of sugar or 3/4 cup. And to also add an extra banana or two for more banana flavor. I felt that was lacking.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
3 ounces Cream Cheese -- softened
1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
2 medium Bananas -- mashed
1 Egg
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 cup Flour
3/4 cup Miniature Chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Blend butter, cream cheese, and sugar in mixer until creamy. Add bananas, egg and sour cream. Stir flour with chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until just mixed.

Pour into buttered 5x9 loaf pan. Bake in 325 oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until edges pull away from pan. Turn bread on rack. Cool.

X-tremely X-cited about Q7

2008-07-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

To make a long story short, we're looking into getting new cars. DH has convinced me to look into the X5 so he can get the M3. I saw, I didn't like. K-dawg & V8-13 highly suggested the Q7. We went to the dealership today to look at it and test drive it. I likee and there's also a deal on it that ends in 4-days: $10k off MSRP on all cars. Whoa! We'll see if we get a new car by Thursday.

Making more bread

2008-07-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

I made that Walnut Maple Banana Bread, I didn't add nuts since I don't like nuts. It turned out to be a success. It has no sugar in the bread so it wasn't too sweet at all. (Sweetened w/ maple syrup.) The topping consisted of 3Tbsp of sugar of which I only used 2Tbsp. Ppl liked the extra kick of sweet. W/o the sugar topping the bread would seem bland. It was moist and had the perfect sweetness. I forgot to take a picture of the banana bread and there wasn't anymore left over to take a picture of. heh. I found another banana bread recipe that consists of chocolate chips and cream cheese. It sounds good. I already bought the ingredients today and will plan on making it soon. My sis really wants to try this recipe out. In fact, she called me to double-check to see if I had made it yet. Hah!

On the other hand, I made a lemon bread recipe today. It didn't work out. Sucked, in fact! Someone tossed out my lemon glaze accidentally so the recipe was missing something. It was really dense too so I'm not gonna make this recipe again. I'll look for another recipe w/ a moister consistency.

Here's the banana bread recipe. I tried to go back to find the recipe online but the link was gone. Hmph. Luckily I saved it on my computer.

Walnut Maple Banana Bread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
3 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons white sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

2.In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and maple syrup. Beat in the egg and bananas, leaving a few small chunks. Stir in the milk. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and stir into the banana mixture just until moistened. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Mix the nuts and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the batter.

3.Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

SnP Pics

2008-07-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, since knittynay has directed ppl to my blog here goes a link to the Stitch n' Pitch pictures. They're uploaded onto the yahoo group site.

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/pacifica_snb/photos/browse/a08c

Last night was a relaxing night all to myself to knit, chat, and just hang out w/ some knitting buddies. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Giants won! Unfortunately, I was so concentrated on my knitting I really didn't care to watch the game. I know my priorities.

Experimenting w/ cast-ons

2008-07-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

With some encouragement by knittynay I decided to create a new picot cast-on that would be more to my liking. Rather than having something protrude out w/ the picot cast-on I wanted something smoother, like waves. I call it scallop cast-on.

left: picot cast-on, right: scallop cast-on

It's made of short rows and yarn overs. I initially just made short rows but thought adding yarn overs would make a cute eyelet. Um, I'm no knitting designer 'cuz it didn't turn out as I planned. haha. But I'm learning. I then thought about how I normally make eyelets in my knitting. So I kfb, yo, k, yo, kfb. Then I turned around and k2tog, drop st, k, drop st, ssk. The final outcome didn't look any better than the other way I did it so I just stuck w/ adding short rows and yarn overs. I had tried just adding short rows but I like that the yarn overs made the scallops more pronounced. I wonder if there have been other ppl and patterns out there that have started cast-ons like this too, so it would create a scalloped edge. Or am I the 1st one?

Scallop Cast-on:
Using knitted cast-on...
*CO 5
k1, yo, k1, yo, k1
turn
p1, drop st, p1, drop st, p1
rep from *

This would be a good time to try to knit backward. It's interesting. I'll allow myself to do a few more and see how I get used to it.

Kids say the darndest things

2008-07-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

My DD's funny. Last night DD, DH and I were in bed ready to sleep. DH decides to take a fart and DD says, "Daddy *boot boot*." (the farting noise) Then she tries to push him off the bed and continues, "Daddy, go out. Go out." so he could go outside to the bathroom to finish his fart/poop. Kee kee.

More baking, I think.

2008-07-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I made banana bread today. It smelled sooo good coming out of the oven. DH's co-worker made a banana bread for him to bring home and I thought it tasted pretty good. It had good flavor and wasn't too sweet. So I asked him if he could get the recipe for me. She gladly forwarded it. The recipe contained pineapples in it. Interesting. I didn't remember that. It was a nice banana bread. Though maybe I didn't recall it very well because this banana bread was too sweet. It didn't seem like the same one I ate a while ago. Hm. Maybe he brought home a lemon bread that I liked. Hm. My memory fails me way too much. Ughh. I will keep searching for a better banana bread recipe. Or was it lemon bread?

Caved in

2008-07-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

I caved in and started on a new project w/o finishing the cardi wrap, as I had initially wanted. Oh well. It's aww goood.

My new project that I started is the Crumpets dress for Madz. Madz saw me stringing the beads onto the yarn one night and just had to help. It helped keep her preoccupied and quiet. She gets so focused when she's stringing beads. heh. I finished stringing the beads the next morning and began the picot cast-on. It's quite interesting how it's done.

I'm not really sure I like the look of the picot cast-on method that I found. I wonder if there are more out there? I'd like something smoother. I guess I could try and make something up myself. We'll see.

Some more pictures and updates

2008-07-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of taken since my latest blogs.

Peanut butter Chocolate Chip cookies.

We have some really ripe bananas on the counter top. I'll try to make banana bread tonight or tomorrow and post some pictures.

And here are the items of an unassembled pair of earrings that I have yet to put together.

On the right you'll see a pair of beads that have already been set up on the wire. There are bags in the front that also have these beads set up in wire. And in the back (aka the top) are the beads that are not wired. At the top and upper right corner are the chains, s. sliver beads, and earring hooks. Stay tuned for the final outcome.

Last night I also began stringing the beads onto the yarn for the Crumpets dress. DD helped. She loves to string things. Tonight I'm taking her to SnB and I've set up a bag for her to string beads. Now I just wish I had a tray of some sort to catch the falling beads. I also finished stringing the beads when she went over to the Grand's place today. Then I began working on the picot cast-on, which takes a long time to cast-on. It doesn't work up fast at all. No picture.

Itchin' to start a new project

2008-07-12T06:20:00.001-07:00

I finally received the yarn for the little girl dress pattern I've been eager to knit. I bought the yarn 'cuz it was on sale for 40% off. The color isn't what I would pick if I had more choices but for the money I'm ok w/ it. I had also been going back and forth as to what color beads I wanted to get for it. For some reason I decided on the clear rainbow trout look. Now I don't think I like it so much and would've liked to go safe and use a clear pink or lilac. I'm not about to return the beads as sending it back would cost as much as the actual item...maybe even more. I will just take it and see how it works out. My hands are itching for a new pattern to knit. And w/ all the materials ready for me to use on this new pattern I may just start on it w/o finishing my hairpin lace cardi wrap project.

Here you'll see the yarn I received as well as the beads that I've placed on top.

FOs of WIPs

2008-07-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

I finished the Clap on June 5th, started a mug cozy on June 12th and finished it the next day, and also finished knitting up Saartje's Booties on June 19th. It was a productive month! I'm so proud of myself for finishing so many projects. I'm also working on finishing the Hairpin Lace Cardi Wrap. I'm done w/ the wrap part and just need to do the sleeves. As for my 1st pair of socks, I don't plan on working on those for a while. I may never touch them again. But I'm still holding on to the thought that I may persevere and actually finish this boring boring sock, if not pair of socks. What was I thinking knitting all stockinette on size 0 needles? Ughh. Knitting socks-wise, I would like to try to knit up a new sock pattern that'll be out on the shelves July 22nd, by Knitscene Mag. It's called Kimono Socks. It seems like it'll keep my interest and it's worked on size 2 needles. There are also other socks I'd like to try to knit up too.

Yum...Cookies!

2008-07-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

In addition to knitting and beading, another hobby I've recently allowed myself to work on is baking! I love to bake and haven't done it for a while. On Sunday, to keep DD busy and to have some fun, we baked cookies together. I was looking through the kitchen cabinets and decided to flip through my Nestle Tollhouse cookies book. Decided to bake Chocolate Chip PB cookies. DD loved to help me put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Esp. the chocolate chips. That would explain why there weren't that many chocolate chips in the cookies. I'll have to add more later when I finish baking the rest of the cookies.

Randomly on my mind

2008-07-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a long time since I've updated my blog....as I've been reminded last night by Ms. Stellar. I'm actually surprised I even blogged at the end of May, as I gave birth 2-days after. Heh. I thought I hadn't touched this blog longer than that. Bleah.

So. What's up w/ me? I've decided I will update this blog today. heh. I'm going to be talking about other random things on my mind besides for knitting. Hmm...I think I'm gonna change the title of my blog to "Knitting on my mind...and random things".

First random thing...I received a pkg of bead accessories I ordered recently. Yay! I've been busy w/ taking care of two kids for the past two-weeks and hadn't had much time to work on the beading project I had in mind. It's a pair of earrings. My friend bought me a beading book for my b-day back in Sept and her b-day just past in May. We haven't seen each other in a long time as our group of friends have gone really busy as we've gotten older. As DH mentioned the other night, when we were younger we didn't have much money but had time...now we're older and don't have much time but are earning money. Ughh. I digress. Back to beading. So, she mentioned she liked one pair of earrings in the book so I had planned to make it for her ever since. I've bought the material and so far I've wired together all the individual bead groups for one of the pair of earrings and just need to attach them on a chain and attach the earring hook. I'll post pictures when I'm done. Hm...not sure when that'll be.

I also bought yarn and beads for a dress pattern, Crumpets, I plan on knitting up for my daughter. I'm excited! But first, I need to finish up one more WIP so I don't feel bad that projects are piling up but never done. I've done a really good job of closing up my WIPs even after birth and having to take care of a newborn. Well, it does help that we got a nanny. heh.

I'm almost done w/ the hairpin lace cardi wrap. Wahoo! Just need to do the sleeves now. I've been saying that for over a week now. I've just been really tired and out of time. In fact, DS is beckoning for my time now. I've gotta blog again later. Also, no pics available as I'm not on my own computer now.

Updates on all current projects

2008-05-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd just update my blog a bit. And add pictures too!

I currently have four projects on the needles/hook: (1)toe-up socks, (2)hairpin lace shawl, (3)baby booties and (4)Clapotis shawl.

The toe-up socks are on size 0 needles. Ughh! What a mistake. I thought I can deal w/ the repetitiveness of the stockinette but it's taking forever. I may just never finish it.

The hairpin lace shawl is currently on hold. I put it on hold when the Clapotis KAL began. I'm at the part where I crochet the long edging piece around the entire shawl. It's a little different and needs a bit more concentration while reading directions so I'll wait 'til I have the concentration for that.

I haven't touched the booties in a while. In fact, I think I lost my count and am not sure which row I'm on. Also, I need to buy or find some buttons for the booties. I'm almost done with them. 'Was working on this project while also working on the hairpin lace project. This was supposed to be a quick knit. And it is. I just lose interest faster than it knits up. haha. The momentum was lost after starting on the Clapotis. Other than that I think I would've finished it by now and would be working on finishing the hairpin lace shawl.

For the Clapotis shawl, what started out as a shawl has become a scarf. I substituted the needle from size 8 to size 4 since we're using lace weight yarn and I'm not much of a lacey person. The outcome is fine with me. I think it's something I would use. I told Mommy I would give it to her when I'm done. I have great momentum w/ the Clapotis. It must be because I'm knitting with other people. It keeps me up-to-date w/ homework. The scheduled date to finish this project is by June 2nd. It seems that I haven't been rushing into labor so I think I may be done around that time.

I hope I don't start anymore projects until I complete at least one more knit/crochet project.

Inspired

2008-05-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've gone through a few projects already but it'll take me a while to update. If you're on Ravelry you can see my projects on that site. But, for now I'm really excited to have made these.

They're stitch markers. I was inspired by McCall's stitch markers that she has on Etsy. I was thinking of buying stitch markers anyways. And I already have the materials. So why not use 'em. Currently their drying up so I don't know how well they take to use. I just made the jump rings, added beads, and closed them up. Then I added Tacky Glue. I hope that glue will work well. It was the only glue I could find around home. These stitch markers will be used for my Clapotis project. I need a ton of stitch markers for this project and I've been borrowing from others and finding whatever I can use as stitch markers at home. I tried to make stitch markers out of yarn but I don't like the fraying it leaves and the tails that I need to move out of the way whenever I pass by them.

New projects but lazy to post pics.

2008-03-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

My new project is the Bainbridge scarf. I'm almost done. I made the scarf 3-1/2" rather than the 4" suggested in the directions. I also used left over yarn from my SKB sweater. That was nice. And also modified the pattern to have eyelets so I could sew in an i-cord. Wow, it takes a long time to make an i-cord. Or so it seems cuz it's so repetitive. It's making the project much longer than it should be. I think the mods may work out just fine.

Sorry, but no pictures. I've gotten really lazy in posting pictures and links onto this site as it takes up a lot of my time. So I'm just happy to be writing something on this blog. If you're on Ravelry check out my projects! It seems easier to update my latest projects and post pictures on there.

KOMM Returns!

2008-02-29T04:29:00.000-08:00

I just went to the Stitches West Convention in Santa Clara. It really got me motivated to knit. I just finished a hat. Sorry no blog. I've been busy with uploading pictures on my Ravelry site. Love the site! I get to stash all my past/current/future projects, yarns, and needles. I get to check out others of the same interests. I get to check out how they did on their project. It's very cool. Anyways, maybe I'll begin blogging more again. It's just a bit troublesome blogging back and forth and having to upload pictures. Ughh. We'll see.

Failed attempt #2

2007-10-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

I tried my hand at crocheting a hat again with a japanese pattern my friend introduced me to. It turns out I don't have much luck with making hats.

The first time I tried making this hat I used the wrong type of yarn and hook so what began as a hat turned into a bag. After maybe 3 or so years later I was ready to tackle it again. This time I got the type of material it's "supposed" to be, hemp. Though I don't think I got the right hemp, 'cuz to start off it just seemed way too rough. My suspicions seem to be true. The resulting hat was rough to the touch and did not look like the picture in the book at all. Besides the point, the hat still turned out too large. I used the smallest hook I had available that could hold on to the hemp, size F/5-3.75mm. Now that I look at the pattern again I belive it was asking for a size 6/0 hook. What does that translate to in US hook size? *sigh* Maybe I might come back to this hat in another 3 or so years.

Started on: October 14, 2007
Finished on: October 19, 2007 ('Coulda prolly finished in less than 20-hours. And really didn't finish project as I still hadn't made the flower that attaches to it.)
Yarn: hemp (might be used for macrame)
Hook: Boye F/5-3.75mm

Knitting "not" on my mind

2007-04-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

After finding that the yarn I used to create DH's scarf was too scratchy for him my work on knitting has come to a halt. I'm still watching Knitty Gritty but I just have no urge to knit. I'm not finding the right yarn for the scarf and not finding the right pattern for a simple toe-up sock. (Yeah, I know that doesn't make sense that I can't find a simple pattern that's found everywhere but that's the case w/ me.) So now I'm stumped. I'll get back to it later. Currently I'm busy with setting up a baby shower for SIL. I've been doing research on how to plan a baby shower. How much should I expect to spend on a baby shower? This knitting-on-my-mind blog is starting to become a what's-currently-on-my-mind blog.

Low on Mo......tivation

2007-03-12T03:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I've actually taken a long rest from knitting. I've been pooped and have also lost some inspiration. But all isn't lost 'cuz I still have some motivation in me to knit a scarf for my DH and also to try my hand at some socks. I just started knitting the scarf somewhere around last Wednesday, I think. The pattern is called "Featherdown Scarf". Though I don't know what part of it resembles featherdown. It just looked like a nice modern and simplistic, but yet not too simple, pattern. I also added a special pattern to it that I've made myself. It's a monogram of a "W". I hope it turns out ok. You can't really see it very well with the diagonal pattern but I've decided to backstitch it and cross my fingers it blends into the scarf where it's not too obvious and not just a garbled mess.