December Daily Book Progress

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So December isn't turning out to be too shabby!

I'm definitely in love with this project, although obviously I'm *not* a posh scrapbooker, I think I'm more of a "let's just glue this to this and add glitter" kind of documenter but that's ok. You can find my first thoughts on December Daily in this post.

Here are some things I've enjoyed about December so far:

  • working on my candy cane socks.
  • having sugar cookie lattes.
  • reading books by Scandinavian authors. I spent a full Saturday reading "The Keeper of Lost Causes". And I'm anxiously awaiting a Jo Nesbo paperback to arrive.
  • I made dollar store glitter stockings and hung lights in our bedroom. First time for both of those things in 5 years.
  • had an amazing baking day with my mom.
  • having gluten free ginattas that my mom made me for breakfast. (!!!! amazing !!!!)
  • discovered I don't like white mochas, but I'm pretty sure it's because the Starbucks here is hit or miss.
  • my mom gave me a bit of this pineapple vinegar and WOWZA! It's quite possibly my new favorite thing!
  • flannel sheets! It's hard to be sad when you are wrapped in cozy.
  • working on our newest club, Woodland Sampler! The Workroom has floss kits too! 
  • I treated myself to this & this! I'm aiming to turn both yarns into socks in January. I took a pair of socks apart a few days ago and I realized I *really* like the sport weight socks I made, so DK could only be better, plus she's from GRIDLEY! And then STRIPES! YES PLZ! I haven't knit a pair of striped socks yet and I'm dying too!

I haven't missed a single day yet with this project. I sat down on December 1st and put all the prompts in the order I thought I'd like to write about and added papers in the pages. Each evening at 5:30 my phone's alarm goes off, I sit down and make the page. I pick and photo from either my phone or camera and add it to my Rite Aid album and every few days I've gone and had them printed, then I glue them into place. It's not very fancy but it's working well for me!

I didn't take photos of all the pages, some are too personal but I love just stopping my day for a half hour and just THINKING. No pressure, just sitting and reflecting. It's shown me that I have a *lot* of little things each day to be thankful for! Perfect!

 

 

Satisfaction in Mending

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I love to mend.

I sometimes wish I had a time turner like Hermoine so I could occasionally  constantly punch my 18-24 year old self in the face.

Oh that torn garment? No biggie, I'll just throw it out and buy charge a new one. Embarrassing behavior that when I mull over it becomes horrifying.

I was grabbing my winter sweaters and saw a favorite old  wool J.Crew number had some holes in it. I almost started to cry. It's the perfect thinness that is great for layering, it has 3/4 length sleeves and is WARM. After realizing that I definitely can't afford a new one, I sat down with myself and thought "self, you are a dummy. fix it." It wasn't just the finances of it, I really didn't WANT a new one because this one is just perfectly cozy!

20 minutes later: glitter mending. cute sweater that isn't falling apart. 20 minutes of day dreaming, relaxing and watching thread sparkle.

I'm not pro at mending by any stretch, I recently repaired my favorite set of sheets that became snagged in the dryer by embroidering a teeny peach over a hole. I guess I feel like mending can either be a chore or something cute. I'm going with cute. Always cute. And when in doubt: add glitter.

I used Cosmo embroidery floss and their sparkle floss. It's SO smooth to stitch with, little to no snags and it's more puffy than standard metallic floss. Also, not itchy!

Here are some inspiring mending links:

I secretly want a darning egg. And more glitter floss. I'd love to put patchwork elbow pads on a worn out sweater, how cute would that be?!

Aurifil Designer of the Month Wrap Up!

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I can't believe this month wraps up the 2012 Aurifil Designer of the Month project!

Here is December's Block from Lizzie B Cre8tive!

Here is November's Block from Erin Cier!

Here is my contribution, October! Eep!

The designers did a blog hop with Christmas ornaments, unfortunately I couldn't take part in due to personal reasons but the designs are SO cute!!!

Thank you so much Pat & Alex for inviting me to take part in this project with the other talented folks! I can't wait to see the finished quilt :):)

An Obsession: Sugar Cookie Latte

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Yesterday Ashleigh & I had a Frosted Pumpkin Business Meeting. We are *so close* to finishing our new year long pattern, Monthly Woodland Sampler!

We always have breakfast at The Roost in Chico, I love the Chico Scramble, Ash usually gets a California Benedict and Chop got French Toast. Then we go to Bidwell Perk & work our butts off.

Last week we discovered the amazingness of The Sugar Cookie Latte. Yup. Crazy right? We couldn't stop thinking about them all week, so yesterday...again with the lattes!

The stars aligned and I had my camera in my weekender (which is the perfect bag for carrying a laptop, books, notebooks, cross stitch, etc) so I thought I'd share with you this crazy yummy drink!

Part of me wishes I had the recipe but then part of me is glad I don't...I'm pretty sure if I had it I'd drink it 24/7 and become giant sized. Instead I'll just have it as a little treat when I visit Chico.

They were playing bits from this Sigur Ros album and it sounded so winter-y, I'm debating getting it. I'm thankful for Shazam so I can subtly learn about new (to me!) music without awkwardly asking people around me if they know what music is playing ;)

:):)

WIP: Candy Cane Socks

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As part of my "let's try to enjoy December" plan, I cast on last week for some new socks! New socks make everyone happy right?!

I bought this yarn last winter, it was the second skein of sock yarn I ever bought. It feels so weird to type that. I've only been knitting socks for a year but it's such a big part of my life now! I can't imagine sitting in the car without sock knitting!

The yarn is called Peppermint Bark and it's from Cakewalk Yarns.  This is my fourth pair of socks knit with Cakewalk & I seriously *love* it. You can view my other pairs on ravelry.

I'm using size 1 Addi Turbo Lace which are my favorite sock needles, I'm dying to try Signature Needle Arts needles...they offer monogramming which makes my heart skip a beat, plus they look crazy point-y which I'd LOVE. Anyways. ;)

The pattern is from Wendy Johnson, who is basically my sock knitting hero. I have both of her books & had Staples spiral bind them together (best $5 I've ever spent!). If you want to learn how to knit socks, I really suggest Socks From the Toe Up! It has lots of good cast on methods, different toes and heels, plenty of pretty patterns and clear diagrams.

These are technically her On Hold pattern that I've modified. I've simply ignored the side details and the extra yo/ssk on row 7. They look like candy canes now! Fun right?! She has directions in the book for a picot bind off that I might try on these. I'm doing the slip stitch heel which is fun but I always forget how long it takes compared to the simple gusset-y heel.

I saw that Rose is updating etsy regularly with Peppermint Bark, I totally love it & hope you can snag a skein. She also has a cute ravelry group! I want another skein, mine is a little bit more of a darker beige/gray tint to the base and the newer ones look more white, either way, it's super pretty speckled yarn. She also has one that is fruitcake inspired. omg. adorbs! I really don't *need* anymore sock yarn, I have a pretty healthy stash but it's not like yarn has an expiration date ;)

Happy knitting :):):)

December Daily: Let's do this.

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Yesterday I received the hugest package ever from Toronto.

I've never actually been to Toronto. And I've only ever "met" the sender of the package, whom I consider one of my best friends once. She's from Toronto but we met in Salt Lake City.

That's crazy sounding right?

Well, thanks to technology I get to talk to Karyn daily. She'd been texting me, saying another Toronto friend included a treat in a package for me and they wanted it to arrive by December 1st. Oh! Oooo!

I just about died when I opened the HUGEST package of fabric from Karyn and then an AMAZING assortment of paper goodies from Agnes! I'm not sure she has a blog but her name is createsomething on IG and she is ADORBS.

I spent a good 15 minutes crying like a goober. It never fails to amaze me how *kind* people are.

So today I'm sitting in front of the fire, listening to the wind & rain and building a December Daily.

I have very mixed feelings about the holidays. I adore Halloween, Thanksgiving is nice because I love cranberries & who doesn't crave a giant vat of gravy once a year?! But Christmas?

Not so much. It's like once December 1st happens, overnight my body tenses up and I dread the entire month. If it was socially acceptable to sleep for a month, I'd do it in December. I might go as far as saying that I *hate* December. And that's a strong word coming from me! Also, a bad outlook that I'm trying to stop myself from having. Nice things happen in December, like Chorp's birthday!

But this year things have been a little less scary, we launched Kawaii Winter Sampler which is a little more winter than Christmas. It's been super fun to watch people stitch up these characters each day on instagram. As I work on my own, I've been listening to She & Him Christmas ($5!!!)...or The Hotel Cafe presents..Winter Songs which has been getting me in the spirit in my own way, plus it's hard to be grumpy when you are cross stitching things like yetis and hot cocoa. I have just a few more to do & I'll be done, I know it's something I'm going to frame and hang up each winter.

So this is the year that I'm going to do a December Daily. I have all the supplies given to me by Agnes (incredibly generous. Have I mentioned that?!) ;)) I'm not a Scrapbooker by any means but I do love to document EVERYTHING and I have a Smash Book about 1/2 filled since my 30th birthday in August. Having a mini book dedicated to December documenting Christmas at 30 just seems right.

I'm using the prompts on Annette's Blog, this way each day I'll have a specific thing to talk about & find joy in. I haven't picked what to put on the cover of my book yet, it's just a plain moleskine that so far I spray painted with Krylon Glitter. Because everything is perfect with glitter. And I bought this stamp from Tina, who is super inspiring and we know I have an instgram addiction.

If you need me, I'm sure I'll be covered in glue and bits of paper by the end of the day. ;)

ps: wait til I share with you the goodies Karyn sent...she always picks the best fabrics.

Harvest Quilt

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August is both my favorite and least favorite month of the year.

Favorite because it's my birthday (yay!), pumpkin spice lattes make their appearance (yay!) and least favorite because it's a zillion degrees (boo!) and the very worst part, I'm home alone for the entire month (boo!).

Porkchop works for Sunsweet...yup...PRUNES! He's basically gone the entire month of August. I know what you are thinking, "oh he's late for dinner". Or "oh, he's home on the weekends".

Double wrong!

He works 15 hour days, 7 days a week. He comes home to eat, shower and sleep. Ships passing in the night! There is no such thing as a day off. There is no such thing as coming home early. When fresh fruit comes in, the clock is ticking and it's pure madness. For a straight month.

I spend my days by myself, which I don't mind but I'll also tell you that in addition to Chop being my husband, he's also my best friend and the person who I want to spend ALL my time with. It's true, we joke sometimes that we will have surgery and have magnets implanted in our hips because we are attached at them. So generally after the first week of prune season, I get restless and if I'm being honest, incredibly lonely. I will sometimes go two days without speaking a single word out loud. Crazy right?

 

This prune season I decided I needed a TREAT. A present. For myself. To keep my mind busy and to create something cute.

I decided to make a simple cross quilt, plus quilt, improv quilt. Whatever you want to call this block, it's FUN.

I grabbed all my favorite fabrics in my very favorite colors, put on my favorite music and went to town. It kept me completely entertained for a few days. It's very much an instant gratification quilt!

The fabrics I used are mostly Heather Ross, Denyse Schmidt and Lizzy House. I really gravitate towards these colors and having them all together really makes me happy.

 

I pieced in a pumpkin spice latte, using Sew-Ichigo's Latte to Go pattern. Can we talk for a second about how flipping cute their patterns are? Seriously adorable. And perfect for anyone who wants to learn paper piecing. I personally *love* paper piecing, it's pretty much the only way I sew blocks!

 

Lindsay, who I absolutely adore, did the quilting for me. She's back from maternity leave & I'm happy as a clam with the job she did for me! She used Quilter's Dream Wool batting and stitched some crazy cute pumpkins on it for me. Adorable right?

The backing is a Freespirit Solid that I wish I knew the name of because it's quite pretty, it's like a dark cranberry. yum. I bound the quilt using an older Joel Dewberry woodgrain in a pale yellow. Raise your hand if you want re-prints of all his woodgrains?! ME!!!

 

Happy Tuesday!

It's a Kawaii Winter Wonderland!

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Ashleigh & I have been working on something really special the past few months and I'm excited to finally be able to press "publish" on this blog post.

We are just not ready for Dessert of the Month Club to end so we came up with a fun new secret project: It's a Kawaii Winter Wonderland Club! We seriously love surprising you and watching our designs pop up on flickr, facebook and instagram.

This is a mystery club, meaning it's a surprise what you'll be stitching up but we'll be posting sneak peeks through out the month on our facebook page. 

In November, once a week you'll receive an email from us containing a pdf. In this pdf you'll have 5 little blocks (these are numbered like days!) of stitching. By the time we finish sending the emails, you'll have 25 completed blocks!

This is a countdown to Christmas or Winter. It's completely non-denominational but of course if you wanted it to be an Advent Calendar it most certainly could be!

Some cute things you'll be stitching:

  • nature!
  • food! (a pickle!)
  • drinks!
  • creatures! (Shhh, there is a certain owl that is ADORABLE)

Once you purchase the sign ups, you'll receive a pdf with the complete color list and instructions, along with the stitching schedule! Woo woo!

For a limited time the signups are only $10 but they'll rise to $16.95 on the 10th of November. We are working on a few contests and some little bonus printables for the club! And of course we do gift subscriptions if you want to stitch a long with a friend!

Any other questions, feel free to email us directly at thefrostedpumpkinstitchery AT gmail DOT com. I'm away from my computer this week so I won't be able to answer any comments.

Winter! Winter! Kawaii! Woo! Woo!

Weekender Bag Chat: Part Two: Patchwork Version

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Hey! Welcome to Part Two of Weekender Chat! Part One can be found HERE.

Let me start this post by saying two things:

  • This is my current WIP and it's not finished yet, so I can only provide thoughts on the project thus far.
  • This is NOT my original idea. I was inspired by Elizabeth Hartman's patchwork weekender bag and then my two friends, Amber & Laura. Watching their bags progress on instagram was RAD.

Here is what I'm doing:

  • Scraps xten. I filled a laundry basket with all my neutrals, blues and pinks. Lots of fabrics I swapped for & presents from pals. Best!
  • Two lining fabrics: Tula Pink Nightshade left over from some sleep pants and then Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley.
  • I'm unsure on which fabric to choose for straps, I have two. A glitter tweed wool (uhhh $5 a yard at JoAnns on red tag clearance, it's hard to show the glitter but I promise, it's there!) and then a navy blue star print.
  • My "theme" is Frosty Woodland. Why a theme? IDK but I seem to like sewing projects better when I give them a theme and story!
  • I'm using the method Elizabeth explains, patchwork over a layer of thin batting with a piece of cotton duck but I'm not doing quilt as you go:

So in this photo I have a FINISHED POCKET laid over the MAIN BODY PANEL. I pulled the layers of the POCKET apart to show you how it looks, top layer is PATCHWORK, middle layer is COTTON DUCK and the bottom layer is the POCKET LINING. You can't see the batting because its cut 1/2 inch smaller than the patchwork and duck. The blue trees aren't attached, as that's my main body panel and it hasn't been piped yet.

Thoughts so far:

  • I can't seem to get a good grasp on Quilt As You Go! It's just not my thing I guess. What I've been doing is just patchwork, cutting it down to the shape of the canvas and quilting it all together. Don't forget to cut the batting a 1/2 inch smaller than the patchwork and canvas, it's essentially pretending to the Peltex piece in the original version.
  • I'm not sure I like how it feels! I might add interfacing to the lining. I'm not quilting it a whole bunch which might be why it isn't as stiff. But I also love the feeling of a super sturdy bag so this might just be me! I'll report back on this when I finish the bag!
  • My bag will not look even remotely as posh as the bags I've linked too. I'm very much not precise, instead using up strange odds and ends. It's not professional looking as theirs and as of right now, I'm ok with it. Although part of me wishes I was as nice and neat of a sew-er as those girls! (ok, a very big part! But I'm trying to accept who I am ;))
  • I love tiny patchwork and I added in a little star at 2.5 inches and some ribbon 1.5 inch hsts. It's hard not to fussy cut everything to death and I've noticed a real lack of blenders in my stash in blues!

 

 

I bought feet and metal magnetic snaps for this bag, I'm planning on using the snaps in the body pocket. As I used my other Weekender, I noticed the pocket would gap. Plus, I just like these! I got these at JoAnn's too!

 

 

Here are my strap choices so far! I wish my camera would pick up the glitter in the tweed! SO fun! One thing I'm going to do differently in this bag is make longer straps and most likely wider. I may add either cotton duck or Peltex to them so they are very sturdy, I tend to over pack on trips!

 

 

My biggest tip this far: mark where the pocket will sit on your main panel! How sad would it be to put your favorite scrap at the bottom where it would be covered up by a pocket?! I'd cry. I have that blue line as a reminder that nothing fancy should be pieced below there, unless I want it to be a secret hidden surprise. So far I've used larger scraps in that bottom half.

Ok! Those are my thoughts on both bags so far, once I finish the patchwork version I'll report back if anyone is curious!

 

:):):)

Weekender Bag Chat: Part One

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This week on instagram folks have been asking questions about my weekender bag, I thought it might be a fun blog post to share my thoughts and experiences. So far I've made two and I'm currently working on a third patchwork version. As soon as I publish this post, I'll post a Part Two which will be about my current WIP, the patchwork version. Sound good??!

 

This is the second Weekender Bag I've made, if you aren't familiar with the pattern, it's by Amy Butler and a pretty neat bag! It's sort of a crowning achievement bag, it says HEY I MADE THIS PROFESSIONAL LOOKING BAG. And it is rumored to be one of the hardest bags to make (it's not. I pinkie swear!)

I wanted to make a second one because I didn't really *love love* my first one, I made lots of mistakes, I substituted a fusible batting for the pellon, inserted the lining by machine, etc. I guess I shouldn't say mistakes, I should say, tried something new that didn't work. ;) So this time I was determined to follow the pattern properly from start to finish. I don't know about you but that is HARD. Sometimes I want to read ahead and ignore things.

But this time I didn't. I used the suggested interfacings. I used the correct zipper. I slip stitched the lining in. And I have a bag I crazy love. Like, love love love!!!

Here are my changes to the pattern:

  • I didn't use the end pockets. I felt like they made an already busy bag way busier looking. This fabric is LOUD and it was super noticeable where I wasn't able to line up the pattern correctly. I added the pockets and felt like the bag looked sloppy, I kind of wanted to cry. I let it marinate overnight and looked again in the morning with fresh eyes. I took them off (I hated doing that!) and voila! Much better. Sometimes less is more.
  • I bought piping! Yup! Two packages at JoAnns. I couldn't find a size cording that I liked, the piping foot for the Bernina I have is $70 (omg! >:() and this way if I didn't like the piping, I wasn't out a ton of time. Sometimes you can luck out and find a perfect match!
  • I was creative with my fabric cutting. Sometimes I think Amy Butler's Bag patterns have a lot of waste, like fabric can be laid differently to save fabric. I can't remember exactly what I had but I know my lining/handles are two 1/2 yard cuts. I had one blue and brown dots and then one the reversal. I shopped in my stash and used what I had. No one would know and I love how it looks.
  • I suggest cutting out the pattern pieces and play around with your fabric, do you have a bit that you want to display? In my case I knew I had to have that deer on the front, so I unfolded, refolded, pinned, unpinned my pattern pieces around until I could cut the required amounts from the fabric I had. I don't have a giant fabric budget so I truly believe in shopping your stash, making do with what you have and triple checking before you cut! You might find you need a lot less fabric. I didn't follow the lay out guide and I'm ok with that. Try other options before cutting.
  • Make friends with your walking foot. Truly. This bag is not HARD but there are layers of fabric and interfacing that make it stiff which creates an AMAZING finished bag but can be tricky to sew. I used a combination of Clover Wonder Clips and binder clips. Don't bother with pins. Seriously. You'll bend them and feel frustrated, especially if you are using the yellow & blue Clover Glass Head pins.
  • Mark on your sewing machine with washi tape (for cuteness!) or regular tape your 1/2 inch mark. My mind is constantly stuck in 1/4 inch zone and I struggle using any other seam. I need the visual reminder and the tape to butt my fabric up against when I sew.
  • Use a heavy duty needle, I used leather because I didn't have any denim. The needle will go through the fabric much smoother.
  • Don't try to do this bag in one day. No seriously. My biggest tip is to break it up into parts. I spent one evening cutting, another evening cutting interfacing, one afternoon making the pieces, an afternoon assembling it and an hour hand stitching the lining on. I know, it seems intimidating and you are thinking "BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME", trust me on this, set your phones alarm for ONE HOUR and just sit down and break it up into chunks. There are a lot of small details in the pattern that deserve your uninterrupted attention. For example one mistake I made was sewing all four sides of the bottom, you only sew 3 in order to place in the Peltex. Dumb move. Why did I do it? Because I was trying to rush before Chop got home. It's so worth it to read the instructions multiple times and just sit and FOCUS.
  • I think some people call this bag HARD because of the steps required and the amount of cutting/time. It's true, some parts are tedious (3 layers of interfacing on the zipper area about did me in. snooze fest 2012!!) BUT it's worth it for the end result. I'd say an intermediate beginner could make this bag, no problem, as long as they broke it up into chunks and took their time!
  • Do you have a 1/4 inch foot with a guide? If so, I suggest using it for the zipper installation. I basted the zipper into place, then put the guide of my foot in the zipper slit, this made my top stitching nice and neat!
  • Shop for interfacing with the JoAnn's app! Use coupons! The cost of interfacing, zipper and piping can add up fast!
  • This is a deluxe bag. In all my photos you can see, it is FIRM. It stands up on it's own. When I brought it to my knitting class & Starbucks, no one could believe it was handmade. I believe 100% that this is because how it's interfaced. I did use Echino fabric for both the outer and lining which is a home decor linen. I do believe it's worth using the suggested Peltex #70.

(contrasting lining! normally the handle fabric is the lining...not here, being thrifty with what I had in the ol' stash!)

Things I found challenging:

  • The number one thing I found challenging was slip stitching the lining in. Not because it's hard but because I had a hard time pushing my needle through the fabric and the zipper. I ended up stitching my lining in right next to the zipper. It's not super glamourous but it's ok!
  • I struggled with one corner when I assembled the bag, I kept being too far away from the piping. In the end I hand sewed that 2 inch spot. You can't tell the difference!
  • Getting the pattern on the fabric to line up perfectly with the pockets. It's not amazing, but I got it to work!

 

Things I'd do differently:

  • My next bag is going to have feet!
  • No outer pockets again!
  • But lots of inner pockets!
  • Adding magnetic snaps to the outer pockets!

I hope this helps! It's seriously not a hard bag & I totally believe you can do it. It's well worth the end result, I've found it's the perfect knitting bag!

September: an instagram wrap up

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It's October 1st today. Amazing! October is my very favorite month and I just want to relish every single second of it.

Something I'm bad at is blogging all the things I create in a month. I'm not sure why, I guess I just finish a project and start another, by the time I'm ready to blog about it, I've forgotten about the previous project or something?! IDK! Also, I realized I don't even have a blog banner! Clearly I am NOT a professional blogger. And half of the time I can't even find my camera or cord or my computer is being grouchy (which more often than not this is the case!)

Can I share with you guys some highlights of September?!

 

  • I did a lot of sewing! I finished up two quilts and started two more!
  • I made another weekender! And I have cut out a third but this time patchwork ala Oh Fransson & One Shabby Chick! Do I travel enough to warrant three weekenders? Nope, but they make AMAZING knitting bags! Here is mine in the car!
  • I got my Harvest Quilt back from Lindsay, who quilted the most beautiful pumpkins on my quilt! I'm going to do a photo shoot of this gem soon for SURE.
  • Prune season finally ended and I get to have Porkchop back! I'll write about this more when I blog the Harvest Quilt!
  • I knit myself a pair of bunny slippers! I'm so obsessed with these cuties!!!
  • I finished knitting Marin. I haven't had a chance to add this to ravelry because I took actual photos of it that need to be edited. Man, this was a FUN knit. Like, I want another one BADLY. I ended up having to buy a second skein of tosh sock but only because I accidentally used a size 6 needle. I think if I didn't go up a size I wouldn't have had to buy a second skein. Either way, this is definitely a FAVORITE and very FUN knit. Even just typing this I'm thinking I might want one in this skein of Plucky Oatmeal I got ;)
  • It wasn't ALL finishes though. This month I cast on for 4 projects and frogged them ALL! So now on my needles I currently have a pair of leaf socks which I tried on last night and they are not fitting well BUT I'm 3/4 of an inch above the ankle and I'm not sure I could bear to frog them this far in. And! I'm test knitting some color work for a friend! So two projects. I'd love a hat and a pair of fingerless gloves this month!

Speaking of frogging, I took apart my sweater! I just wasn't enjoying knitting it. As a result I have 5 skeins of well matched Tosh Sock in Firewood for sale! $120 which includes flat rate shipping in the US! If your interested, shoot me an email: frenchtoastcake AT gmail DOT com. (I'm keeping the 6th skein which is the one I'd knit with for a shawl, maybe Brandywine again?, so the skeins I'm selling are hanked and brand new!)

  • I did a lot of reading this month, my favorites were The Diviners, Lux Series and The Raven Boys!
  • I spent a TON of time in the kitchen. I refilled my pantry with staples like tomato sauce, salsa and sausages. I've become slightly obsessed with coming up with the perfect breakfast sausage recipe. I did two types this weekend, patties and sausages in casings. Today I smell like maple syrup. I love when breakfast sausage is maple-y, slightly sweet and has a nice texture. I even made curry for the first time using Shutterbean's amazingly simple recipe! DELISH!
  • I also participated in a project called 30 Days of Lists which I finished and now have a crazy cute little book! I think I might scan it and share it with you? If you'd be interested that is! ;)
  • I saw two movies, ParaNorman & Hotel Transylvania both I LOVED. And we went and saw Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan last Thursday. OMG. Great concert but I might be biased because Jason is my very, very, very, very FAVORITE! Total babe ;)

 

I guess I had a lot more to say than I thought! My goal for October is definitely to share more and use my camera a ton. And I'll have an embroidery pattern available from Aurifil Threads that I'm excited to show you! And The Pumpkin's are releasing a new sewing pattern and KAWAII WINTER SAMPLER CLUB! Yup! AMAZING right?!

:D:D:D

Single Girl Quilt Block

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Full Disclosure: I'm in the middle of a passionate love affair.

With my sewing machine.

Now all the snarky comments can stop, yes, I *am* quilting again. Although I'm not really sure why it's an "again", I only paused for a few months to catch my breath & gather my thoughts!

The past few weeks I've been finding old quilts & finishing them, I finished a new lap quilt & sent it off to be quilted by Lindsay, I've made 2 new Farmers Wife blocks and then I decided I needed a new pillow.

But now a pillow has turned into "wouldn't this be a cute little lap quilt for when I'm sitting outside this fall?" I'm going with it. I'm going to make 4 Single Girl blocks, kind of like how Tracey made 4 Swoon blocks & just have a cute lap quilt. And I'll ask Lindsay if she'll quilt something rad on it for me. And maybe...just MAYBE I'll hand stitch a little bit with some Cosmo glitter floss in it. Because that would be shiny & pretty.

I have lots of stuff to share with you as a result of this productivity but sadly, my MacBook needs a new power cord & it's the 5th one I've bought so I've been dragging my feet because I'm not super excited about that. A new one will be ordered tonight & I'll stop blogging from the Wordpress app on my phone, which is awkward.

Here is a Single Girl block :)

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Farmer's Wife Quilt Planning

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The background fabric I ordered arrived this morning! Last week I laid my blocks out on the bed similar to the book & I'm not going to lie, I hated it. I felt like the blocks were squished & awkward & muddy looking. Then I laid them on point with a blank space in between them & it looked SO much better!

Trying to figure out what went in the blank space was tricky but I went with a Sweetwater print from their line, Reunion. I had a heck of a time finding a lot (I got 5 yds) but Tracey saved the day & voila! Background fabric. Karyn originally sent me a fq of it & I fell in love, it's graphic & fun but not too modern that it could overwhelm the traditional blocks.

I played around in EQ7 this morning, putting the blocks on point (I learned how! I never knew until today!) but then I realized when I fussy cut all my blocks...I did it thinking they weren't on point. Ugh. So I redid the quilt & came up with a layout I'm super in love with.

I need 11 more blocks, Angela & I had talked about trading a block & this afternoon I'm going to mark in the book the rest of the blocks I want to add to it.

I'd love to have it finished this fall, that would be really neat! Woo woo!

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Knit Mason Jar Cozy & Coconut Chai

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Two of my favorite things in one post, knitting & cooking!

More like, blending, not so much cooking!

Last week I made a mason jar cozy using MisoCraftyKnits pattern! It was so fast & fun! It fits perfectly!

I used some tosh merino dk in vanilla bean and size 5 needles. I followed the ribbing for the convertible pattern but mine doesn't fold down since I usually only drink from the pint jars.

I think my fall treats are going to be a Cuppow & some David's Tea! I've never tried either, I wish I could buy David's tea locally so I could smell it and see which ones I like best. If only the internet had scratch and sniff....but on second thought that might be a rotten idea.

I love chai tea, it's one of my favorite fall treats, it's spicy and cinnamon-y and a little bit sweet. I like that! But it's still summer and it's too hot for hot tea! All summer long I've been playing around with making iced chai more summer-y.

Enter Coconut Emulsion! Fancy right? Not really! I think I've told you guys about this before. You can buy it online or at most cooking supply shops, I've never seen it at grocery stores but if you live in a larger city you might be able to find something similar there! This bottle will last you FOREVER. Trust me on this. Last fall I bought a jar of pumpkin so I could make my own pumpkin spice simple syrup and for some reason I thought two tablespoons would be plenty...in reality it's more like a teaspoon was needed. One sip and I thought I was going to die. Totally gross-town. Less is more with emulsions.

So what I do is make a bunch of chai concentrate, I make mine from scratch using this recipe as a base and I edit it, sometimes more cardamon or less cloves, always more orange and a heavy dash of vanilla bean paste, it really all depends what I have on hand & what I can beg my mom to mail me. She has access to better spices than I do. ;) I almost always make mine decaf, I rarely drink caffeine.

Sometimes I buy Trader Joe's brand chai latte mix which is good! But you can use Oregon or whatever you like. I make a few pint jars of concentrate at once, I'll either keep them in the fridge or freezer. After you strain the spices out (or have finished mixing from a mix!) I start to add coconut emulsion and start with a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting frequently, especially if you are making just one mug full. Then I like to freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays and add them in! My favorite way to drink it is to put it in a mason jar and shake the heck out of it, the chai will froth and be super cold and amazing. I drink Silk brand Vanilla Coconut milk, it has a smoothness I like more than almond milk.

Also, this emulsion is amazing in homemade pina coladas. Just saying! ;)

:):)

Cherry Christmas Giant Pillow!

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Cherry Christmas! Woooo!!!!

Aneela very sweetly sent me some fabric this summer to make something with her new line, Cherry Christmas!

I made the block a few months ago but a certain giant online fabric retailer (who shall remain nameless) keeps sending me the wrong size form! I broke down & purchased one in Chico last weekend because I felt bad that I hadn't finished it yet! I'm officially placing a bet that by Christmas it'll arrive. I guess that means I can have TWO Cherry Christmas pillows!?

and oh what a pillow is it! GIANT! HUGE even! 30x30! OMG!

I'm not going to lie, it was hilarious to be outside when it was 105 degrees taking Christmas photos! My neighbors must think I'm slightly crazy but I don't care! This fabric was so fun to sew with and I love that it's not "traditional" Christmas, it's fresh & very cute without being saccharine. I mixed it with linen I had in my stash, I'm mediumly confident its Sand but don't hold me too it. ;)

My new favorite thing is to lay on it and knit. Like a complete lazy bones. Something about pillows makes me want to take a nap and then sew a zillion more!

Thanks Aneela for sending me some Cherry Christmas!!!! xo

Food in Jars: A Book Review

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I won a cookbook! Neat right?! I never win things! Aimee happened to be having a giveaway the same time I was canning peaches so I tagged some instagram photos and woo! I won!

My book arrived on Tuesday evening, I spent the entire night reading it, cover to cover. Twice.

The book is called Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. She has a blog called Food in Jars that I super enjoy.

I love canning, love love love it. Last summer I canned over 250 lbs of produce, I teach canning in my spare time and I've won a bunch of ribbons at the fair for canning. Seriously, it's one of my favorite things to do on earth.

I own two canning books. I have the Ball Book which I use nonstop, it's basically my bible & go to guide. I have the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook which if it wasn't given to me as a gift, I would have returned. Harsh but true.

Here is what I love about Marisa's book:

It's approachable. I love the tone of the book, it's so perfect for people who want to try canning but are intimidated. It's very down to earth, with full color photos showing how to fill the jars and gauge a jam's set. The introduction is filled with the basics of canning written clear & concisely. You can tell Marisa loves to can and she's good at sharing that love in written form.

I really enjoy the conversational style of writing in the introductions to each recipe and chapter, that is the only down fall of the Ball Book, it has no personality! Recipes (to me at least!) need to have some sort of life behind them! The photos are in the book dreamy and the book itself is really quite beautiful, I love the weight of the paper and fonts used. I'm a sucker for anything well designed.

The book is broken down into categories:

Jams Fruit Butters Jellies Marmalades Curds & Conserves Chutneys & Condiments Pickles Salsas & Relishes Tomatoes Syrups Whole Fruit Granola in Jars (cute right?!) Nut Butters Other Foods in Jars

Basically, you could build your entire pantry with this book and I love that. The recipes are unique and inspiring, like Lime Curd, Gingery Pickled Beets (!!!!) and Bing Cherries in Red Wine Syrup. I've already book marked a whole slew of recipes I want to try next. For me, that's what makes or breaks a cookbook (or knitting book or quilting book!), I want to get a LOT of out of it, not two or three things. I want to try the Rosemary Salt, the Cultured Butter, Pickled Sweet Cherries and Cranberry Ketchup for sure! And! homemade Nutella! I use my moms recipe but the one in the book is really similar, so that's super rad!

The recipes themselves are really neat, I made the cranberry syrup (page 179) and I made it *exactly* as the recipe is stated. And it's perfect! I got exactly 4 half pints and the flavor is crisp & sweet! I'm super excited to make fizzy drinks & cocktails! Easy peasy! I like that she mentions to not be tempted to squish the cranberries while straining them...of course that was what I wanted to do, but I restrained myself and I have beautiful jewel toned jars for my cupboard!

I honestly hope she writes another book, this is going to be one that I for sure suggest to friends & students! woo woo!

:):):)

ps: I won this book but no one asked me to review it & I wasn't compensated, I did it because I think it's a rad book! :D The End!

Squirrel Sampler Mittens

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Phew!

This was my long term summer project and I can't believe I'm done! I kind of didn't want to finish these. I kept them in a basket next to the couch and I'd pick it up during the week, knit a few rows here & there in between other projects. They were incredibly satisfying to knit, it was fun watching the acorns grow and the squirrel have a face.

I learned a lot with these mittens:

How to do colorwork How to hem a knit How to picot edge How to Latvian braid How to weave in as I knit

The pattern has long floats of yarn, it's meant to be lined but realistically, I'll rarely have a chance to even wear them, it's just never that cold here! So I wove my floats about every inch or so, when I put them on they don't snag or anything. But I did buy a skein of hot pink kidsilk haze so if I ever change my mind or move somewhere cold! I loved seeing the photos on ravelry of the linings so there is a strong chance I'll line them just because it looks so nice!

I struggled with the thumbs and the outer edges. It's hard to tell from the photos but there is a yellow stitch that runs along the entire mitten, mine looks a little sloppy, no matter what I did. The thumbs were tricky, I'm not sure why but I just felt like they were hard!

Pattern Details:

Squirrel Sampler Mittens by Hello Yarn Gray sock yarn: hand dyed by me! Honey Wilkes Plucky Feet by The Plucky Knitter (absolutely dreamy!) Size 1 needles- 34 inch cord- I used magic loop for these I ended up with 53 grams of gray yarn left and 79 grams of honey wilkes left. I'm crossing my fingers I have enough left for some fingerless mitts!

This project REALLY inspired me. I want The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery to start designing colorwork charts so badly. I want to knit cute kawaii colorwork patterns!!!!

:):):)

How I spent my birthday morning & afternoon:

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Since my birthday fell on a Wednesday and Chop had to work, I really wanted to relax & spend the morning/afternoon doing fun things.

I sewed a farm block called hovering birds (new name: hey chickadee!) out of some favorite fabrics.

I listened to The King is Dead & worked on my autumn socks. Isn't this yarn dreamy? Plucky Feet in Sticky Toffee!

I wrote in my Smash Book about who I am at 30. This was kind of tricky! I realized this winter that my goals and dreams weren't really lining up with how I was living my life and the past 6 months I've been working my butt off trying to change that. So far so good! I made notes of my favorite books, foods, fabric & yarn, states and then general things like music I'm obsessed with and personality traits. Plus about a zillion inside jokes that I share with Chop.

My favorite part was spending the morning in the kitchen. I absolutely LOVE cream pies but I also LOVE salty & sweet together. I used King Arthur Flours chocolate cream pie filling recipe which was easy peasy. The only substitution I made was heavy cream and vanilla coconut milk instead of heavy cream and dairy milk.

Instead of a normal pie crust, I crushed some Newman O's and some pretzels together with a 1/4 cup of melted butter (no calories on birthdays ;)) and pressed it into a shell, then par baked it and then tossed it in the freezer until it was ready to fill. It was PERFECT. The whipped cream was soft and sweet, the filling with rich chocolate and smooth and then the pie crust was salty, sweet and crunchy! I could only eat a 1/4 of a piece, it's VERY rich.

I even wore a cat tshirt and had bed head all day! Perfect!

Thanks so much for all your birthday wishes! <3<3<3