August 2009 – Page 2

August 12, 2009

blueberry buckle cake

If this post makes you hungry, you can blame Sarah. The other day we were up by Russ’s Market and I remembered her blogging about blueberries on sale. Bella and I bought some and then came home and made this:

blueberry coffee cake

It took me awhile to find a recipe that didn’t include a whole stick of butter. I settled on this one for a few reasons: it made two small loaves instead of one big cake and it said “freezes well.” Awesome way to spread out those calories! We cut into the frozen loaf today and it’s just as tasty as the first.

modifications: I used Light Smart Balance instead of butter. I also used a half whole wheat/half unbleached flour mixture instead of all white bleached.

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new on julie-k: twinkle, twinkle little chromium star

August 11, 2009

twinkle, twinkle little chromium star

I won’t tell you how long it got me to get to this point in the Chromium Star blanket pattern. I’m not sure why I had a hard time following the instructions because when I look at them now, they seem so straightforward. It helped to put stitch markers at each adjacent dc stitch. Now that I have the hang of the pattern repeats, this is really addicting. I find myself sneaking in a few stitches whenever I get the chance.

stash: I went shopping for this yarn in my stash. It’s Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and originally was going to be a sweater for my daughter. Too bad I didn’t get it done before she outgrew the pattern. I think it will make a lovely blanket. Pattern from The Kidney Bean.

August 10, 2009

the namesake

I haven’t written about any books lately because life got busy and I didn’t make reading a priority. The last few months I’ve tried to read at least one chapter a night before going to bed. That’s how I re-found The Namesake. I started this book months ago. One day my daughter decided she wanted to play with my bookmark. Afterward, I couldn’t find my place so I just shoved it into my nightstand and forgot about it.

The Namesake movie has been at the bottom of our movie queue for awhile. I wanted to finish reading the book before I watched the movie. When we switched over to Netflix from Blockbuster, I remembered about the book and quickly finished it so we could rent it.

The book is incredible. Jhumpa Lahiri writes with such amazing detail that you almost feel like you are in the same room with her characters. I’d like to think that I learned a little more about my husband’s culture, but I’m not sure how similar Bengali customs are to Punjabi customs. I’m not sure he knows, either.

T watched the movie with me and enjoyed it, but didn’t think it was as good as I did. A lot of the story gets lost when you try to fit it into two hours. Don’t get me wrong, though. The movie was very well done. I’d recommend seeing it without reading the book, but in this case, the written version is definitely better!

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new on julie-k: twin baby locks

August 10, 2009August 10, 2009

twin baby locks

I did a really crazy thing this weekend. I bought two sergers. Yes, I said two. They were $25 each. The models are older, but they’re all metal inside, not plastic. (I had issues with plastic parts in my first sewing machine.) I also decided to buy additional supplies for $50: eight brand new blades and over 50 needles. Not bad for $100? I hope so.

vintage babylock serger

I originally planned to buy just one serger. My husband convinced me to get both because they were so inexpensive. They are the same model, so I’d have an extra if parts were hard to find. Same goes for the supplies. I have the original manual, tool kit and even the original receipt!

vintage baby lock serger

I get the impression that these have been well used and loved. They’ll need a bit of surface cleaning, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to jump right in and start using them once I learn the basics. Anyone up for a few lessons?

August 8, 2009

crochet tote finished!

crochet tote bag

I was so excited to finish this last night. I really love it. I plan to use it for my next big project: my Manos del Uruguay blanket. I’ve been squirreling away sale and ebay Manos for the past two years. I finally have enough to make a blanket. Now I just need to figure out which pattern. I want something that can be done in blocks rather than in one piece. Suggestions?

project notes: Garage sale yarn (still have quite a bit leftover). Vintage buttons from my stash. Attic24 crochet bag pattern.

August 6, 2009

my creative space

What’s in my creative space today? I’m working on my crochet tote! All of the little bits are finished. The handles have been blocked. Tonight I’m going to watch some Battlestar Galactica and sew everything together. I’m so excited that this is almost done. I’m totally in love with it!

Visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.

p.s. My daughter picked out the buttons. Didn’t she do a good job?

August 6, 2009

twitter was down?

It’s unbelievable that I didn’t know twitter was down until the evening news. I rarely spend so much time away from my computer during the day, but it was too beautiful to sit in front of the keyboard.

I have a book due at the library tomorrow that I was hoping to finish up today. The weather forecast was nice and cool (for August) so I took Bella to the zoo. She loves to sit in the big sand area and play forever. I figured I’d let her play while I’d sit in the shade next to the parrots and read my book.

You know what happened, don’t you? She was totally NOT interested in the sand area. Not one bit. I think I read two paragraphs before she was ready for the next thing. Oh, well. We had tons of fun. I can always read when it’s cold out, right?

bella caterpillar

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new on julie-k: oversized swatch becomes cute wool clutch

August 5, 2009August 5, 2009

oversized swatch becomes cute wool clutch

Last weekend my friend Jennifer drove up from Kansas City to hang out. It had been over 20 years since the last time we’d seen each other. We had a lot of catching up to do. She wanted to learn how to knit, which is a great way to spend your catching-up time. I cast on some wool to show her how to start. We kept talking and I kept knitting. Without realizing it, I had knit all of my yarn. What was I going to do with this gorgeous rectangle?

Hand Knit Wool Clutch with Denim Lining and Zipper Closure

I folded my oversized swatch in half, whip stitched the sides and added a lining. The result: super duper cute clutch! The good thing about me finishing this so fast is that I got to show Jennifer how to bind off. She caught on quickly and is doing awesome with her first scarf. Another person successfully converted to the fiber arts. Yay!

Visit my etsy shop for close up pics of those lovely garter stitches.

stash: This is a great stash busting project. Yarn was gifted to me by a friend who was ironically destashing it. Denim lining from my garage sale stash. Thrifted zipper.