Christina Hobbies and Travels

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

2011-08-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Stumbled on this recipe last week and have now made them twice.

As it is, its lovely, I made only 1 substitution, Pecans instead of Walnuts.

Having a chat with a friend at work today though, I think maybe some more changes are in store to maybe make it a vegan treat too. I'm pondering upping the pumpkin for egg, and using applesauce for butter. (She also wanted more pumpkin just because its yummy).

Great recipe and way to use up a some delicious Quinoa.

WIC

2011-07-23T12:13:00.001-07:00

We know some people who are both young, and un-experienced cooks. They are soon to have a baby and qualify for wic... but were a little concerned with their limitations from the WIC menu... time for my favorite thing to do... research

Here's some really great things I've found to make the tight budget not seem quite so unfriendly.

Cooking with WIC

CA Dpt Public Health

Food Stamps Cooking Club

Military Wives Saving - Cooking with WIC Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5

The Bean Book

You don't have to give up the good stuff.

2011-07-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

My husband is lactose intolerant, almost severely so. I love ice cream - but feel guilty buying the delicious treat for just myself.

Then I realized his grandma left us an ice cream maker... and cow's milk is no longer the only choice.

So I went on a hunt for Chocolate - Coconut Ice Cream. OMG! I am so glad that I did.

We tried a Gnowfglins recipe for our first try... sorry, I didn't take any photos of this experiment. I used 2/3 cup of cocoa powder and everything else to the recipe. A little bit of user/mechanical error caused it to freeze a little too hard - but the taste was perfect.

Some other recipes I discovered on my searches can be found at...

Kitchen.m

The Nourishing Gourmet

Living Well On Less

Love and Olive Oil

I also did a little bit of math... while I really enjoy Coconut Bliss ice cream from my local freezer section... it costs over $6 for 1 pint... Making my 2 quart batch... I spent just a little less than double that amount. (2 quarts = 4 pints)

Family Cabin

2011-07-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a trip to see the family cabin. I've been a part of this family officially for a little more than a year and half... but on an unofficial part for just about 7 years. This is my first time to the cabin. We've been invited before, but some people don't like other people's driving... *sigh*.

It's a rustic, hand cut and built shelter up in the mountains south-east of Chico, (closer to a little town called La Porte) an area known as Strawberry Valley... but even still a ways up the hill from there.

It's wired for a generator - but if you don't bring one with you can have batteries or gas light.

The first floor has a table, a small futon and the kitchen. It's roughly 12' x 10' or so.

Second floor is really just a narrow set of ladder/stairs climbing through the rafters to a place for laying out a bed or sleeping bags.

There was a smallish amount of snow on the ground still, in a pocket mounds

And a creek running just behind. Super cold water so don't fall in.

Best part, while Sacramento was experiences temps in the 90's... we were chillin' out in the 50's. Looking forward to our next trip, this time hopefully with lots of family in attendance for Labor Day weekend.

Family Recipe

2011-06-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

There is this old family memory of Empanada's in Scott's family. Nobody has made them since his Great Grandmother Nettie passed away. We weren't even sure if anyone had the recipe, but we were able to get a copy of at least a part of it. However, this "part" was very vague, and wasn't even much more then an ingredients list... with comments like "3 cans sauce" and "1/2 dozen hard boiled eggs".

The list itself doesn't sound very cohesive, but after picking the brains of all who remember helping out in the kitchen, or even eating them, we THINK we got it pretty well worked out.

This past weekend, off to the store for some stew meat, and the few ingredients we didn't already have. Food scale, measuring cups, pen & paper in hand as we worked... we have come to a pretty good set of instructions.

As the first ones were coming out of the oven, his parents were able to stop by on their way home from a visit elsewhere, and after a minor bit of tweaking, believed we had it right.

So now, the only things we await... a picture of Gma Nettie if one exists, and a family event at which to share them with everyone else.

I'm so happy to have been able to make this family memory come to life again.

KnitPicks Community

2011-01-02T13:21:00.001-08:00

Visit Knitting Community

I discovered another knitters community, check it out.

Homespun Heart

2011-01-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

So I plied up my first skein of spinning wheel wool.

It yielded about 30 yards, of "super bulky" which isn't

useful for very much, but I still wanted SOMETHING

to turn it into.

With the help of SimpleKnits I found this great little

pattern for felted (really fulled) heart that I had more than

enough yarn for.

The pattern is free one called Heartfelt on Berroco's website

And worked up pretty quickly. Used

about half of my mini skein and now

I've got this cute little heart.

Stuffed it with some non-spinnable

wool and threw it in the laundry.

I'm thinking it's destined for a pincushion more than anything else.

New Hobby

2010-12-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Look what my folks sent for Christmas. An Ashford Traditional - Double Drive wheel, there are 2 width orifices and 4 bobbins to go with each and a lazy kate. 2 sets of carding combs, a giant niddy-noddy and a whole bunch of fiber. (They said 7 pounds, but the fiber content is an unlabeled mystery). Some of its natural creams to browns, others are dyed in blue, green & yellow. And a couple of books. I've got my work cut out for me in this new hobby, but I'm so excited to get started.

2010

2010-12-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm not so good at the blogging. I think really I'm not very good at creating lasting habits, but that's not to say I'm not staying entertained.

Matt Smith brings some new energy into Doctor Who. Then there are Haven, Warehouse 13, Eureka , Psych & Stargate Universe (which has apparently been cancelled) staying on our must watch list whenever possible.

Knitting, of course always knitting, gaming: Minecraft, World of Warcraft and a variety of casual games from BigFish Games)

Or maybe reading. I've just finished listening to the audio-book versions of the Terry Pratchett Discworld series, caught up on the most recent installment of Wheel of Time (a series I discovered by way of my favorite audio-book narrator Kate Reading) carried on by its second author in a nicely written way. I've read 2 1/2 of the 3 Mayfair witches books... so addicted to books lately. Oh, don't forget Thursday Next & Dresden Files are in there too.

Need help building up your print or audio book libraries? Check out Paperback Swap, and Audible . For access to some free classics, you may like LibriVox & Project Gutenberg

This year's we spent a little more time in the theater than usual too. In person watching my old highschool friend Phil Putnam sing. The movies: Despicable Me (oh how I wish I could spend more time with Eunice and the Minions), Harry Potter 7, Rifftrax, Tron (at IMAX 3D) and even Captain EO at Disneyland once again, the theater has been a lot of fun, you tube as well. Have you seen Up and Over It, they're amazing.

This year has also brought some new cooking experiments with new ingredients; playing with dairy alternatives, gluten free and new spices. Aarti Sequeira gave me the inspiration to use cardamom with her Huggy Buggy Bread Pudding & I Ain't Chicken Chicken, that spice is itching for more experiments. Then there was my Thanksgiving truffle experiments... yumm Vegan Truffles, Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Orange Truffles & my favorite, Sesame Truffles. Oh, and I almost forgot, carrot cake Cake Pops (those were frustrating to make, but still really fun), or my first Challah bread loaves.

I'm hoping for 2011 to bring me just as many new things, continuation of old favorite things,and maybe even some more time with my adorable nieces & nephew who I have spent entirely too little time with in their lives so far.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to all of my friends and family

See you soon.

Challah

2010-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

(3 strand & 4 strand)

So Saturday I really wanted to make something, and I decided it would be bread. Asked Scott what sort of bread he'd like and he said "Challah"; all because he found this:

Best Turkey Sandwich Ever

So I set out to find a recipe which I'll share later. Once I had, discovered we didnt have enough honey, I needed "bread flour" (which is quite the opposite of all the gluten free flours i bought last week) and most importantly, my yeast packets expired 2 years ago. So he offered to go buy them for me (and even changed the oil in my car while he was out, such a nice husband) He was going to buy a loaf while he was out, but the baker at the grocery store he chose had no idea what he was talking about or that a word could be spelled in any way like this one is.

So yesterday I did the baking bit. Most recipes I found called for honey instead of sugar, but then this recipe seemed the "easiest" to give it a try. There were a few that were really complicated and I'm sure delicious but we pretty much used the one linked up.
Only differences - sub honey for sugar (1 to 1). 6 c of flour was perfect. egg yolk went into batter, egg white was mixed with tsp honey for a wash before baking. I wasn't completely clear on the instructions as to how much it makes, but it turned out 2 loaves.

I also realized I had no idea how to shape my bread (thinking I remembered it was braided, so I had to learn how that is done).

I found these videos from Expert Village on You Tube
3 Stranded
4 Stranded
6 stranded

I chose a 3 strand & a 4 strand for my two loaves (though this morning I found another video that looks fun - a 1 strand braid.

So, after all that. The recipe says 375. My oven seems to think that is entirely too hot... so 10 minutes in, after a bit of burning started, we dropped it to 350 and cooked a total of 40 minutes.

Hooray for my very first, slightly dark but totally delicious Challah loaves.

Recipe Hunt

2010-04-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

Look at me way behind in many things... never reported back on my cookies, my website I manage is badly in need of update and I've got a long laundry list for today too.

But first stop was an experiment to find a new Aebelskiver recipe, in an attempt to solve a few problems. Ultimately, I would love an easy gluten & dairy free recipe.

My favorite recipe to try to match up to is linked up over here.

Buttermilk makes Scott feel bad though, and I think that Gluten might not be my best friend. Not serious celiac but not comfortable either.

Dairy Free accomplished...
http://www.maplespice.com/2009/01/vegan-aebleskiver.html
This Vegan recipe has the right flavors, and tastes really nice. The soy yogurt is a good flavor replacement for my regular buttermilk recipe that I love the most but makes us both feel ick.

I do see the need though to add back in the egg. Maybe 1 will be enough, only experimentation will tell. This vegan recipe is lacking the volume provided by the stiffened whites, and the added gooey/creaminess that comes from the yolk.

Next stop is a hunt for a good gluten free flour mix.

Though I did find this on my travels too..sounds like it would make a good "go to" recipe for breaded breakfast yummies... Recipes of a Cheapskate

Cookie Experiment

2009-12-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

So today I am going to try 3 new cookie recipes... I hope they come out yummy (they better)

First that looks yummy:
Martha Stewart's "Cranberry Noel's"

Then, I really wanted to make some Gingerbread cookies (because I've never done it). I chose Paula Deen's recipe from the Food Network site

Then Finally I chose this one for Gingersnaps. (no stock image I can show you)
I don't know how many cookies it will yield, but assuming it's 24, then these low fat, vegan coolies are only 53 calories a piece. These are for my boss who made a deal with her husband that, they could eat everything they want on Thanksgiving & Christmas, if they stick to Vegan only between then. I know she misses some of her favorite foods with this deal, and I wanted to give her a sugary treat that she can enjoy guilt free.

Married

2009-11-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

I am officially a Webster now. This last week has been so busy it's been really hard to keep track of what day it is.

Friday - we got married by the Silver Surfer (well really the Sacramento Marriage Commissioner). Repeated our vows before his parents and brother, my parents and youngest brother, then were officially hitched. The recorders office had a cute little archway with about 20 seats. This was easily the least stressful part of the week goes. He now wears a little black clay ring that I made for him, and I wear one that was inherited from my grandmother. It's beautiful and full of so much history and love.

Then on Halloween, it was time for our party. Overall it went ok. There were some timing issues that caused me to not get as much time with my new husband as I wanted, and nosey people constantly peeking behind the curtain managed to knock over my cake (how irritating). But we had enough chairs, enough parking & enough food, so everyone still had a good time.

That night I said goodbye to my parents who were leaving California the next day, back home to Michigan. It was nice to visit as I haven't seen them for 3 years. I miss them so much already that I'm having trouble being as happy as I could be. It's amazing how it takes only seconds of thinking of them to break out into tears again. Scott has a wonderfully large family that all welcome me in so easily and I love them just as much. But it's just not the same as having my own family close to me.

Our Sunday started out with a trip to Disneyland. We made it in time to see the Halloween fireworks, (which were totally awesome) and take some pictures of the last night for Halloween decorations. Monday was a beautiful lounge day, bought some legos from Downtown Disney, ate a nice lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and spent the rest of the day watching movies and just enjoying a day to ourselves with no schedule or plans. Tuesday was back to Disneyland. Able to see some of the decorations for Christmas (a little bit early for this to be complete yet) and had a wonderful time with my friend Josh & his Fiancee Johnna.

We came home Wednesday to a decorated apartment - balloons & streamers everywhere (thanks Mike & Ellen), many of which will stay up for a while because their kind of nice.

All in all, it's been a crazy but wonderful week, though I'm glad to be home and able to return to routine.

Crazy week.

2009-10-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

Well, I have less than a week to still be single. As Scott words it - my parents arrival starts the countdown clock. They arrived yesterday, just in time for my youngest nieces 4th birthday. The 3 kids are already really crazy, but add their best friends 2 more - out of control - children everywhere.

Poor little Gene, I had no idea there was so much spasticity in his legs (they are permanently curled under him, no stretching possible).

Today mom comes to join me and meet the morning knitting group and then I think we'll go to Ikea, since she's never been to one. After that - time to so do some serious shopping. (food for party)

Catching up

2009-09-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Last weeks Saturday with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was a really fun morning. She's very entertaining and a good teacher. Learned a new way to stitch an ssk. The wording went something like "in first stitch as if to knit, dig around to back loop of next stitch, then pull yarn through." I think I might try to make a video of it. It lies down nicely, slants nicely and is faster than slip slip knit.

Last week I was surfing ebay searching for a swift. Found lots of the 2 varieties I'm used to seeing a lot of - the big umbrella type, then the wooden cross/table top kind. Then I found the "Kay Yarn Reel Winder". Hadn't seen this particular version before. put in my bid, and 26.00 (with shipping) later I have myself a yarn swift. I love it. Here's a picture in mid process.

Then when not in use, it folds up really nice and compact... takes up less room than my Knit Picks ball winder

I know, I know

2009-09-18T21:20:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted much in a while. Keeping myself very busy these days, what with the planning of a wedding & all. But look at the super cute little kid picture I got from Scott's mom for our picture wall.

She tells me he used to love having his picture taken, and you can see it here - but now he really hates it.

My little garden has about had it for the season. We've decided not to plant this breed of tomato again too - almost candy sweet. But I found a really cool shop to maybe help us make a better garden next year.

I've also recently joined the local knitting guild and taken over management of their website http://www.stockinettes.org I'm not super happy with the colors & layout, but it was the first thing I built, still trying to work out something I like better. Even with the color scheme, the site is much improved (and more current) then its been in quite a while.

Tomorrow I'm off to my first non-regular guild event - a class by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot called Grok the Sock. I'm looking forward to it and maybe I'll have some good pics to share after.

Keep on crafting and photo taking - see ya later.

Garden Goodies

2009-07-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

This pretty mini-rose is the first flower of the plants second bloom. I was given this plant for Valentines day in sweet little coffee mug. We didn't do a great job of watering it first time around, but enough to keep the leaves alive. So excited to see new blossoms.
My little garden spider has returned with a new net
Did a better job with the camera this time and the spider was still nearby
These are the youngest of the tomato clusters I tend to
And here some of the oldestI pulled another from elsewhere in the plant that looked like it might be getting close to eating. Still wanted to hold on to the plant and could have used a few more days, but I get impatient sometimes. Me <-- girl who doesn't eat tomato's, even tasted it and liked it. Very sweet (but still a tomato)
I'm just very proud of my little garden, but that's not at all obvious, is it?

Ickle Baby Tomatoes

2009-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, they're growing up so fast now.
Taken 07/04/2009

Taken 07/02/09

Taken 06/28/2009

Garden Spider

2009-06-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

DSCF3787
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I keep wiping out their webs, and they keep rebuilding them. This one is hanging on between the Oregano & the Rosemary. Hopefully the one with stringers to my dill will eat the aphids.

For the photo - much more difficult than I expected. Remember, My camera is just a little point & shoot, with some limited focusing ability. I like my camera but it's not really cut out for this kind of photography I think. Took 20 shots, this is the only one that is in anyway clear. Limited focusing, shaky hands and a breeze - I'm glad I got this one.

Herb Garden - from the outside

2009-06-21T12:14:00.001-07:00

I've taken lots of pictures of my plants from my deck point of view. I was looking at them from the ground view today and though it was pretty enough for more pictures... so here we are.

WWKIP 06/20/2009

2009-06-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Time for the second WWKIP that I planned to participate in this year. Last week's was bigger, but this one was still fun. About 12 ladies and a beautiful little doggie. I imagine most people got their fill the previous week, but there were a couple who came today that were unable to make it the last.

We met some people from the "Friends Of Fremont Park" who thanked us for coming and using the park for wholesome as opposed to destructive activities in the park. This park is convenient for us because it's across the street from our regular Sunday meetup at Naked Coffee - beautiful day, beautiful park and lots of fun with needles and fiber in hand

Sweet ickle Tomatoes

2009-06-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Decided to take some pictures of my pretty little grape tomatoes There aren't many fruits, but there are some.. yay Next year I think a bigger pot will yield a better plant

06/13/2009 : WWKIP DAY

2009-06-14T08:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the first of 2 World Wide Knit in Public days I planned to be a part of. This one was held at Capitol Park and was registered by my new friend Shiela. Also, her friend at Chickoree Coffee agreed to open just for our group on this day. What a sweet little coffee shop and I'm grateful for their hospitality.
We had about 30 participants throughout the morning. Starting at around 10 am and lasting untli about 2:30. Very wonderful event, met some lovely new poeple and hope that many of them join us at Freemont partk next Saturday.

Garden update

2009-06-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

April 25th

I purchased planters and got most of them transferred to their new home. My basic plan is 3 plants per box - I know it's a little crowded, but that's really about the best I can do with the space I have to work

May 25th

This is their current layout around my patio, they got moved around after being home one day and noticing how the sun moves across the porch (in a diagonal manner from that post you see there, to the one behind me. This configuration seems to optimize the sun for each plant.

1 Chive
2 Cilantro
1 Mini Rose (white pot - not in bloom)

1 Fern Dill
1 Peppermint
1 Lemon Basil
1 White Sage (black pot in back)

3 Sweet Basil

1 Tarragon
1 Thyme
1 Oregano

These are newer plants, bought about 2 weeks ago

1 Flat Leaf Parsley
1 space (reserved for seeds to sprout, Curl Parsley)
1 Rosemary

We've also added a tomato to the party. This one is a grape tomato and is on our front porch to hopefully give it more light.

I would place this one as about 2 weeks (in our possession) as well.

Chilli Cookoff

2009-04-23T01:41:00.001-07:00

My company has had some personnel changes and we have a new President. Another co-worker of mine thought it would be a good idea to welcome him to CA with a Chili Cook-off... I am so excited (I hope my chili wins)

Here's my starter recipe "Ultimate Vegetarian Chili" (that I have of course tweaked a bit - tastes so good AND when I tested it for my honey's family - they finished the pot off - perfect)

I hope everyone enjoys this event and I hope the potluck sides portion goes well too.

So excited that I'm up way to early.

Well

2009-04-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

I've nearly killed them all a couple of times.

Left them on the porch ledge on a nice calm morning, only to have 3 of them pick up wind later in the day and crash to the ground 2 stories down.

Varying degrees of wilting, the worst on our surprise hot day earlier this week.

Basil bounces back the best, Cilantro the worst.
Chives are even hanging in fairly well.
Mint has been doing nicely and may even need a transplant here shortly.
Sage I'm having trouble keeping at the right soil moisture, the dirt its potted in lets water flow through too fast, overnight water soak helps, but I'm not sure how much is too much.

But so far so good.

How does my garden grow

2009-04-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have no idea.

I got the brown mug of baby roses for Valentines day - roses died (forgot to water) but the plant still has life in it and I'm trying to be more dilligent.

The rest we bought this past weekend at Costco - 3 Basil, 2 Cilantro, 1 Chive, 1 Mint & 1 Sage... we'll see if I can keep them alive.

Not so sure though - last night when I got home one of the basils was really wilted - watered it lots and it looks ok this morning, so maybe it'll be ok. (picture taken this morning)

Apartment Approvements

2009-04-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Scott says we're old now, because of the things which excite us.

I'm so happy that I finally have a china hutch - you see the china and crystal has been in storage for 7 years now - it finally gets freedom.

We bought it earlier this week and I had it put together, and loaded up before going off to bed that night. The fallout was a big storage corner of boxes, plus the packaging materials all over the place. Lots of trash to be cleaned out, and many other boxes relocated

We also bought (just today) a freezer, the one we have in our fridge was just way to small to be worth much more than an ice machine.

His parents helped us today with truck and muscle to get the freezer in. They also brought us a barbecue - just a little one, but perfect for us here.

We also recently got frames for some posters - his favorite movie:

And just because it's my blog and I can - here's some of my favorite art...
this one needs a home yet: (in case you can't tell - it's Yoda, knitting, fore a sign that reads "Home Sweet It Is")

And these hang in our hallway - pictures of my parents and I when I was still an only child...

CPSIA

2009-03-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act
Heard of it?

If you haven't I highly recommend you look into it.

My bear here will lead you to just some information but here is the government website if you're interested.

What it basically says is that anyone who sells products intended for children age 12 or younger must first have those products tested for lead content. This includes everything from clothes to toys. AND the expense is on the retailer. If the product you make or sell has an even slightly remote chance to contain lead (buttons, zippers, snaps included) then it must be tested.

Another example of legislation that is well intended but poorly implemented. I encourage all of you to learn more about this new requirement and help by contacting your congresspeople and senators.

There is some good information at the following places on the topic.
Senator Jim DeMint's Blog : CPSIA Improvement Act
Cool Mom Picks : Help us Save Handmade (they are the source of the cute little bear that's been added to the corner)

2009

2009-02-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

so the year started off a bit crummy with that stupid accident that totalled my nearly paid for car.

I now have a newish car - 2007 w/ 30k miles and a new loan to start over on. I was dissapointed that I ended up with the most boring of grey/silver colors - but now that I've realized that the "alarm" button is a pretty good "where's my car button" - and works at least as far away as I can hear the actual horn. So maybe I won't lose it :)

Couple weeks ago my honey finsihed a dialogue with himself that convinced him we should get married - YAY!! I'm so excited. So that means people, if I can get the planning in check the way I want it - things will go down like this...

Halloween - very small ceremony - just us, parents and siblings - plus an officiant of course. (until just a moment ago I thought Halloween was a Friday - but it looks like Saturday - this might effect the plans). Then we were planning to have our big public reception for everyone to attend. What do you think about attending a Halloween Carnival to celebrate with us? Details are fuzzy at just this moment, but anyway - think about saving that day - Halloween - to come and play with us. (and of course come in costume if you want)

Sigh...

2009-01-15T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's time to shop for a new car.

Was in an accident this most recent Monday and the adjuster chose total my car.

Good news:
not my fault
my old loan is getting paid off
the auto settlement is for more than I think I might have gotten for trade in.

Bad news:
I had only about 3 more months of payments on old car so now I have to start all over again with payments.
I have no idea what I'd like to get.

Oh well, that's life I guess.

Christmas ends

2008-12-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

Well the year is just about over.

We spent our Christmas with Scott's family. He got legos & chocodials. I also got legos and a blue tooth headset. We added to our movie collection with Wall-E & Bender's Big Game. We added to our kitchen collection with the George Forman G-5 (plus extra egg plates). All among other things as well of course.

Yesteray, I finished my first toe up socks - yay, i'm happy they're done and they feel really good.
Pattern from Knit Picks - their two at a time/toe up sock/magic loop - Learned a new technique and have plenty of warmth for my feet.

Today my brother came over with his family. Once they finished their tour, the kids went straight for the play table. Maybe no kids for us, but we have toys too (our toys of course).
Lucas to the Legos that Scott was playing with just a few minutes before their arrival - Ciara to Playdough left over from Halloween Trick-or-treating. They stopped long enough to open presents then it was right back to the toys at aunt Chris's house. There was a short transition for Ciara over to MoonSand but they had plenty of entertainment for a couple of hours (think Scott had some fun playing too.)

Christmas 2008

2008-12-07T08:27:00.001-08:00

I put up the Christmas tree early in December - strung it with lights and was excited to have a big enough place in which we could have a tree.

Last night we went shopping for a few ornaments, because that is one thing we did not have.

Once finished the tree looked a bit sad to have nothing atop it. Normally the tradition is a star or an angel - but what about a god?

If your curious about my FSM you can find more about him at these places.
The official website of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
My crafting of his likeness

Buttons

2008-12-07T08:17:00.001-08:00

DSCF3389
Originally uploaded by ssplam

So as I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post - I went to visit my Great Aunt Shirley. (The connection - Dad's, mom's, brother's, wife). We chated for a couple of hours, I had the opportunity to show her photos she wouldn't have seen, new family members she hasn't met and get caught up on all my little second cousins from her family that are all grown up now. The youngest - Melanie - she's a sophomore in highschool - I remember when she was a baby and the last time I saw her she was maybe 12? I've promised myself to try to visit them all more often, Turlock is less than 2 hours away.

So now for the buttons. When I was very small - we would visit often. My great grandmother lived there and I remember her house best from the visits, though even then not so well. What I remember most about grandma's Kirk's house was 2 things. The movie Charlotte's web - it was always what she put on the tv when we were there... and buttons. She had these 2 jars (that I remember as being much larger) full of buttons, different colors and textures. These became my "Inheritance". Nothing really was written down when grandma Kirk, but she knew I loved to play with them, and they were destined to be mine - whenever everything worked out. Many visits to Turlock have brought me home sans buttons - but this time - cousin Janice got warning I was coming (she lives in gma Kirk's house), was able to remember where she'd seen them last and have them ready for me at aunt Shriley's when I came to visit. I was probably a bit more excited than I should have been but none the less I'm happy to have them.

It is two very old jars of many different kinds of buttons, all of them old, some of them broken. cloth, plastic, cellulouse, crochet, huge & gaudy, cute & teeny. Some of them might find there way into projects, but really there just my memories that make them special.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-04T10:22:00.001-08:00

I know I know, I am so very behind on my updating here

img_0030
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Thanksgiving 2008 was wonderful. We started off in Livermore with Scott's extended family for a nice visit, and a delicious meal.

Marina State Dunes
From there we started our actual Vacation. We were staying in a little town called Marina at a resort on the Marina Sand Dunes.
This first picture here is the path leading down to the dunes just after first light. I wish I could have taken some more photos later in the day but this is about the most light I saw while actually in Marina.

Our first morning there, we saw about a dozen surfers, some small surfing waves and I even saw a few dolphins cresting just a little bit further out than the surfers. Such a beautiful place, I could have spent my whole weekend right there on the beach.


@Marina State Dunes Drop Box

Monterey - Friday, November 28th
After our first morning visit to the beach we were headed off to be tourists. It's Friday after Thanksgiving - Monterey here we come.

Spent the whole day in Monterey. After parking the very first stop is the fudge shop attached to the Parking Garage - I believe it was the Candy Baron. I bought a little square of Sweet Potato Fudge - oh really good. We asked a little about the recipe for sake of Scott's mom (food allergies) and she told us it's really their basic Vanilla fudge recipe with canned yam's later. So safe for mom which is great and I have a new idea for my holiday baking and sweets making (more on that later)

So - Monterey. If you've never been there before there are two major "touristy" sections. Cannery Row (where the Aquarium is) and Fishermans Wharf. Lots and lots of shops to sell you souveniers and a lot of walking. There is a nice little bike trail that connects the too You can walk this trail as well - probably about 20 minutes across the trail on foot, maybe a bit longer.

	Ray's are my favorite thing in the ocean - their large and so graceful. Graceful is something that I absolutely am not. This one is in the big tank at the Aquarium and if there wasn't so much more to do - I would have sat and watched it soar for hours.
Ray - Monterey Drop Box

Then there are the jellies. They have quite a few at the aquarium. Didn't have my ideal camera, but I got a few pretty decent photos - like this one here.


	Nettle - Monterey Bay Aquarium Drop Box

I didn't take too many photos in Monterey outside of the aquarium. There was a really intersting water fountain on the walk between the two piers though. It's an iron casting - but if you look closely, you can see they were molded to look like kelp wrapped up into a globe. Really pretty.


Kelp Fountain - Monterey Drop Box

Santa Cruz - Saturday - November 29th
When our long day of walking ended it was back to Marina. The next morning (Saturday) was to be Santa Cruz. The surf on the dunes Saturday wasn't as nice as Friday - at least not so nice for surfing but we made the walk every day, just because we could. Also, for some reason we were getting better wi-fi signal on the beach then in our hotel room. Great place to sit and check emails or whatever we needed to look up for our activities during the next day. - Oh how I love my I-Phone.

I had never been to Santa Cruz before - so this was a first for me. the Boardwalk was open but not so much of the rides. From my point of view, the boardwalk was mostly arcade and food, not so many shops really. We played video games for a couple of hours, then headed out to their Fisherman's wharf. Before we headed over, Rusty (Scott's brother) did take this nice little photo for us.


	My honey & I - Santa Cruz Drop Box

Here's a shot of the boardwalk from the wharf. Not a lot of things to show you at the wharf either. This is more of a true Fisherman's wharf, with places you can buy fresh caught fish and also places to eat. We had a late lunch/early dinner on the wharf before wandering back to the car to finish off this day.


Santa Cruz Boardwalk Drop Box

Here's a view off the edge of Santa Cruz Fishermans Wharf - with Rusty taking his own photos. There was really quite a lovely view here too. The weather was quite nice as well, not too hot, but just warm enough. Warm enough even for people to be on the beach in their bathing suits.


	Santa Cruz:Fisherman's Wharf Drop Box

Moss Landing (Saturday Continued)
We had made plans to make a stop for Rusty on the way back to Marina - town called Moss Landing. There's an Army Surplus & Paintball supply shop there. After we'd done that, Scott's mom spied an old ship out on the water that she wanted to try to see. We did manage to find it. When we did there appeared to be 2 of them - reproductions of old Spanish vessels. They were loaded with people in regular clothes, and a few docents with period dress. My guess is they were a touristy thing for Thanksgiving?


Moss Landing - Spanish reproductions Drop Box

Managed to get one more shot in Moss Landing before it was too dark. This one is just at the end of a little beach looking out over the bay. Such a beautiful Sunset to take with me for the end of a lovely day and our last day on the coast


	Moss Landing - Sunset Drop Box

Turlock - Hilmar Cheese Factory - Sunday, November 30th
On Sunday morning we were out of their early - too early to say "bright". Still dark even. We walked down to the beach still. Didn't go as far down as before because it was too dark to see. But from the top of the hill we could just see the white of the surf as it crashed down onto the beach. Got out of Marina around 5:30 am and started out toward Turlock. There was a swapmeet for the family to attend, and a great aunt for me to visit who I'd not seen in quite a while. Got to spend about 2 hours with her and upon leaving she found my buttons (more on that later too).

One last stop before coming home for an end to our vacation - the Hilmar Cheese Factory. They have a nice little lunch counter (really good cheesy potato chowder) - lots of cheese and other goodies to buy (including Orange or Cranberry Curd. Or how about Apricot/Bell Pepper Jelly - these 3 things came home with us).

for my photo op...These cute little cow tiles were in the bathroom.


Hilmar Cheese Factory Drop Box

Outside the factory there is a pretty little pond with a waterfall you can walk behind. Isn't it nice? The last bit of touristing I did for my Thanksgiving weekend.


	Hilmar Cheese Factory Drop Box

Thanks to Scott's family for letting me tag along. I had such a great time.

If you'd like to see more photos of any of these places - you can view my Flickr set: Thanksgiving 2008

Halloween

2008-11-04T17:59:00.001-08:00

DSCF3338
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Isn't my pumpkin so cute. He was grown in the boyfriends family garden. He was my clue to kids in our brand new neighborhood that we were a trick or treating house. I was so thrilled the first time the doorbell rang. Alas - it was a rainy night and we had only 6 kids come to the door but I'm still glad we had some.

Rainbow Sock - FINISH

2008-07-17T06:06:00.001-07:00

2nd Rainbow Sock # 5
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Yay, I finished the pair and I am so pleased. It's a bit warm just now to wear them too much but they are really comfortable.

Elephant

2008-07-17T06:03:00.001-07:00

DSCF3138
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I pulled this guy out of the closet where he's lived lately so that I could take his picture. He's made with a chenille yarn in "crochet on the double" style.

Beady eyes are kind of weird, but I think I'll leave them that way. :)

Here's the info on the book where I found the pattern:
Annie's Attic #873253, Easy Cuddly Critters

Remote Caddy

2008-07-17T06:01:00.001-07:00

Remote Caddy
Originally uploaded by ssplam

As our collection of remote controls continues to grow, I decided it was time to build something for them. Tore up a pair of jeans that had a few too many holes for patching (like the big long one that travelled down half the leg), grabbed out my Singer Simple and some pins and gave it a go. I'm so pleased with how it came out and so is the boyfriend. (The big pocket - that's for the xbox controller)

This was my first use of the new machine I bought and I'm so pleased with its output. As long as I could get the fabric height under the needle in the first place, it gave me no trouble pushing through the layers. (about 7 layers of denim seemed to be the max hight allowance).

yay & nay

2008-07-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Yay: I got my fleece from Scott's aunt so I have a new hobby to try out
Nay: I have to do the yucky skirting/cleaning part myself

Yay: I got a raise
Nay: I spent all of my raise and then some (quite a bit of some) on new tires, they cost 400 bucks, looks like I'll be a little bit short for a little while, Scott gets to buy groceries I think.

Yay: It's cooled down a little bit
Nay: My puppy and his family are probably going to have to evacuate their homes for a while. (Stupid Butte fire)

Finally a Yay: It's friday and time to relax for a few days.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

2008-06-21T11:20:00.001-07:00

KiP2008i
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I organized (really just made sure the park was open and made a few giveaways) a World Wide Knit in Public Day in Fremont Park for my Sunday morning knitting group. We invited Ravelry members from our area and one of my group invited the Sacramento Knitting Guild. It turned out that we had about 15 women present.

Couple of people stopped in to visit, the guy you see in the picture was (I believe) Jason. He chatted with us for a while and helped Cindy to win 2nd place in a sock/photo scavenger hunt.

A lovely Russian lady stopped by to visit and also helped Cindy in her contest.

We also received applause from another person walking by. It was a fun morning that lasted from 9:30 am to well past morning at 3pm.

Look forward to trying again next year.

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2008-06-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

FSM#6
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I finished him and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

My inspiration is from a Flickr Friend's (Pockafwe) creation of the same thing. Slightly different yarns but simple to work.

Pipe-cleaners hold up the eye and the waving appendage, the rest of it is i-cord in a feltable wool, and a free-form meatballs made out of a fabulous boucle yarn.

Rainbow Sock

2008-06-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I finally made it through this pattern one complete time.
I really like the sock. I used the designers suggested yarn (and colorway), however I had to add quite a few stitches to make it big enough.

I am really looking forward to these being finished, worked really hard on them and I really want to wear them.

CBE

2008-06-03T19:49:00.001-07:00

For some nicer things, and craftier things.

Been working on what is called CBE projects. This means "Character Building Exercises" and is a crafting challenge to use stash materials for assigned projects.

I've completed 3 so far.
CBE # 1 - Double Flower Cloth
A beautiful round dishcloth that I found worked up fairly quickly, and I really enjoyed it. Pattern here http://www.jimsyldesign.com/dishbout/kpatterns/dblflower.html

CBE #2 is a scarf.
This is not a pattern I would have chosen for myself, but it did work up quickly and it was surprisingly comfortable. Nonetheless it has been gifted to a co-worker who expressed an interest in having such a thing for herself. Pattern here: http://people.delphiforums.com/knit_chat/knitchat/patterns/bowscarf.htm

CBE #3 - simple sock
Again something I probably would not have chosen for myself (or even found I venture). But being worked in worsted weight yarn it moves pretty quickly, just a couple hours and the first one is finished. Haven't yet cast on the second sock, but will do that once I finish my Rainbow Sock pair. They are soft and mostly comfortable, not too keen on the heel. My changes to the pattern however, removed 2 stitches and used size 8 needles. 2 less stitches made for an easy 2/2 ribbing and the larger needles seemed to make the sizing right. I'm finding that "women's sock" in many patterns is not for big foot chicks like me. Pattern here: http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/joannesox.txt

I think I was 12...

2008-05-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

when I cut my finger. Washing dishes to do my part in the house, a glass that I had just shoved my hand inside of to wash had popped open and cut a flap of skin open on my pinky. I remember crying but not for pain but rather because I was bleeding quite a bit. Dad took me to urgent care and I got three stitches and 20 years later I have a little half circle scar right around the first knuckle of my pinky.

Today I'm 30 and I've done it again. Washing dishes last night cuz we haven't done it in a while and the kitchen needed cleaning. Same scenario, same finger, little further down and larger laceration. Again, not crying because it hurt, that part isn't too bad really, but crying because I was really irritated with myself for letting it happen a second time. This time 4 stitches and orders to find work that for at least 2 days puts as little strain on my pinky as possible. (That includes less typing...weird to be a tough typist who can't use her pinky.

Brian & Mel's wedding

2008-05-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Scott's cousin was married May 3rd. It was a beautiful day and we had a grand time, even though his aunt decided to mention in front of all the friends and family that we should be the next ones to be married.

We love you guys, congratulations.

My Hedgehog

2008-04-13T06:54:00.001-07:00

Henrietta #2
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I found a pattern on Etsy a few months back by Yvonne Boucher

The pattern is called Henrietta Hedgehogand she sells it for $3

Such a cute pattern and truly easily worked. All done on straight needles with very easy to work shaping then seaming at the back to make it round. The fur also works up super easy. Total project time for me was less than 4 hours. (I really think it was a lot less than that if I would actually have just worked on it and not stopped to eat lunch or other things at the same time.)

Shelley & Jasons house

2008-04-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

Shelley & Jasons house
Originally uploaded by ssplam

After our visit with Steve, we headed further south to Modesto to be there for Shell's birthday. Had cake with her family then her and her husband took us back to their house. Hung out with them for a while, had a bit of dinner and caught up on old times.

Happy Birthday Shelley

What a great visit.

(L-R -Shelley, Mike, Josh & Me - sorry J, we'll get you in the pic next time)

Steve's new place

2008-04-05T13:41:00.001-07:00

Steve's new place
Originally uploaded by ssplam

We had an impromptu and smallish Grange reunion last weekend. A friend was having her 30th birthday party so Josh came to my house from Auburn, Mike from Chico, then the three of us started off on our little road trip. Stopped in Stockton on the way home and visited with an old friend named Steve. The house he's staying in is beautiful and we had a great visit. (Picture L-R - Steve, Josh, Mike, Me)

My knitting Roll

2008-03-02T11:58:00.001-08:00

My knitting Roll 1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I've also made a roll for knitting needles. While I like the I received from my grandmothers stash, the slots weren't quite big enough to hold everything. I've also got quite a few needles I just don't plan to use. So this one has become my primary and is a little bit larger than the grandma roll. The grandma roll has become home to the misfit needles (those without mates) and the ones I just don't like to use (like the plastic ones that are all bent out of shape). I just used some remnant fabric that I got from a bin at Walmart, about a half yard. Had some ribbon left over from my crochet roll that made a perfect color matching tie. Also added one modification to make the fold double thick, mostly because its prettier than the "wrong side" of the fabric.

My knitting roll 3
Originally uploaded by ssplam

My knitting roll 2
Originally uploaded by ssplam

My DPN Roll

2008-03-02T11:47:00.001-08:00

dpn roll 3
Originally uploaded by ssplam

So I finished this one a little while back but never got around to posting "finished" photos. In my post For Robin I provided a link for where I found a pattern to make a DPN roll from some elastic and a store bought place-mat. Except for the part where my machine kept binding up on the elastic itself, it's an easy project. This other picture is of the roll all closed up, I used an iron-on dragonfly to decorate it and sewed an old button on with some elastic tied in to close the roll up.

dpn roll 4
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Crochet Hook Roll

2008-02-17T08:50:00.001-08:00

Crochet Hook Roll 2
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Two things with this post. First, all of these fabulous needles ranging from 14 at the smallest to K at the largest, I won on an ebay auction for twenty bucks and change. I had about a dozen assorted needles before this arrived, and all but one of them are in projects somewhere.

Second, I just finished this roll last night. used a bit of ribbon, some piped edging, and 2 fat quarters of fabric.

Found the pattern at Planet June and thought I'd give it ago. Since I have my grandmothers case for knitting needles, and the one I made out of a placemat for my dpn's(for which I just realized I haven't posted finished pictures of) and no solutions for crochet hooks.

Crochet Hook Roll 1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I'm not very good with a sewing machines mechanics... whatever settings it is at right now, are the settings it had when it was last messed with by my mom. Even still, I managed to make it come out like it was supposed to and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Birthday

2008-02-09T08:02:00.001-08:00

So Yesterday I turned 30. I had a fabulous birthday. At my work its typical that something happens, usually your cubie gets decorated and sometime in the afternoon there is cake and and about half the office comes to sing.

Birthday 01
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Well, my mom organized something different, from many states away. She called my work and spoke with my boss, organized a slightly larger event, and even had my brother and his family there. Everyone that was able to escape the phones for a few minutes was there and it was a little bit overwhelming, but fantastic. Even had enough cake to bring home a few pieces (usually there isn't enough cake to satisfy an office worth of people)

Then after work I went home to pick up my honey and we went out to dinner. Before that could happen there was another cake waiting for me from home.

Haven't had a bite yet but I'm told that it is super chocolate and its called a "Got Milk" cake. The cake is very tasty, Chocolate on the inside and chocolate on top.

Birthday 03
Originally uploaded by ssplam

We had reservations for the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant downtown. Everything that we ordered was so very tasty and I'm really glad that it was the place we chose to celebrate. Dinner for 100 bucks, and the chance to play with every bite of food before you eat it... completely worth it.

Birthday 06
Originally uploaded by ssplam

All in all, my first day of 30 was fabulous and I can only hope that it is a good year because it started out better than any other I can remember.

Jana's Beanie

2008-01-31T06:16:00.001-08:00

Hat 3
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I finished the hat I promised her before Christmas. The day that I brought it to her she was already having a really bad day, so I think it even helped lighten her spirit a bit.

Very easy to work pattern that can be purchased Here

Hating on 8 notes

2008-01-22T04:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

Do you have strong feelings about the song Pachabel's Canon in D?

Ever played an oom-pa instrument?

Check him out, he's funny.

Aebleskiver

2008-01-21T07:23:00.001-08:00

Aebleskiver I
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Made Aebleskivers this weekend. One of my very favorite breakfast treats. Easy to make too, as long as you have the pan to do it in. Mine is cast iron and I think that it is probably the best to use. There are others out there but it seems to me the nice heavy iron is the way to go.

Base Recipe
modifications: add your yolks and a cap-full of vanilla to the buttermilk (I hate to waste them). Then I use shortening instead of vegetable oil for each cooking well.

Knitting Needle Roll

2008-01-18T07:25:00.001-08:00

DSCF1179
Originally uploaded by ssplam

This is the needle roll I inherited from my grandmother. I believe she made it and it came with all her needles too. The top has a long piece of fabric that folds over then the whole thing rolls up nice and secure.

Googly FSM

2008-01-17T06:38:00.001-08:00

Googly FSM
Originally uploaded by oskay

These are awesome and I think I'm going to have to do some shopping to work out making them myself.

Edibly Googly Eye FSM

Xmas Gifts #2

2008-01-14T19:50:00.001-08:00

DSCF1936
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I got 5 pairs done. The first ones I gifted right after they were finished, so they aren't pictured here, but the people for whom they were made seemed pleased, this is all I could hope for.

Ok Robin, time to bring in your needles and yarn so I can get you started on them too.

For Robin

2008-01-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

So my friend Robin at work sees all the intersting things I knit or crochet or otherwise craft, and asked that I share links on where I found them.

First - Vegan Knitter - Pencil Topper Stitch Holders
(Just in case the right page doesnt carry over, look for the September 2007 page
Here's mine:

DSCF1992
Originally uploaded by ssplam
Second - Grumperina - Placemat Double Point Needle Holder
Here's mine as a WIP

dpn roll 1
Originally uploaded by ssplam
Third - Pie Knits - New-Sew Circular Needle Holder

I think I'm glad she did ask, cuz I still had them in recent history, otherwise I think I'd have a hard time finding them again.

My Monkey Haul

2007-12-26T06:21:00.001-08:00

My Monkey Haul
Originally uploaded by ssplam

We spent Christmas so far with my boyfriends family, the bit with my family will be this next weekend.

With Scotts mom I can be sure to get lots of little but fun things, this year she loaded me up with monkeys. Got a little bit of candy, Eeyore and Dragonflies too, but as you can see, bunches of monkeys. I also got the crockpot that was on my wishlist. Seems silly to be excited about it, but I am and can't decide what we should prepare in it first.

Office Christmas gifts

2007-11-24T08:27:00.001-08:00

KnitXmas1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Our office can get pretty cold and my cubie-neighbor and I were talking about our hands and she mentioned it would be nice to have mittens without fingers so we could type.

I told her I could make them and set out on my mission to prepare them. Gathering favorite colors, working up 2 size samples and traveling around the office to get sizes on the people I wanted to make them for.

They work up in a few hours and its a very simple pattern with a 6 stitch/4 row repeat.

Find the pattern at Wolf & Turtle

Grandma's Slippers.

2007-11-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

I found these on my morning web surf. They aren't exactly like, however they do resemble, the slippers my grandmother used to make for us every year. It was always nice to find our favorite color slippers under the Christmas tree, at just the right time for our old ones to not fit anymore.

If you're interested...I found the pattern here: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/maggieslippers.html

Weighted Companion Cube

2007-11-16T18:07:00.001-08:00

wcc
Originally uploaded by ssplam

So I had to invent a pattern for it, but it was fun. The inspiration is from a game called Portal.

A tissue box cover so that my honey would have to keep tissue at his desk. The bottom is meant to resemble a portal from the game. Some people feel it is reminiscent of the fire in which you destroy your only friend too.

Walkunder #1

2007-10-28T11:45:00.001-07:00

Walkunder #1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

There are so many beautiful things in my city and I try to remember to bring my camera with me when we walk around, but I don't always remember to use it when I do. This is the walkway underneath the highway in between Old Sacramento and the Downtown Plaza

UFO's

2007-10-21T13:36:00.002-07:00

UFO - in this instance I mean Un-Finished Objects.
What kinds of things do you have laying around? In my craft pile over here, I have a doll and her accessories, an Afghan (that will take me a long time to actually finish), a Flying Spaghetti Monster project (see an earlier blog post), a pair of socks, a cloth design. I'm so excited that I actually finished two projects today, I just mentioned those a few minutes prior... time to get more finished. I have so many things I want to make, but I am trying desperately to get others finished first.

FirstEver

2007-10-21T13:36:00.001-07:00

FirstEver
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Came across this one this-morning while pulling a blanket out of the closet. This is the first thing that I ever knitted... My grandmother taught me how to knit and taught me to increase and decrease at the same time.

Flower Hot Pad

2007-10-21T13:34:00.001-07:00

DSCF1659
Originally uploaded by ssplam

The pattern comes from Free Craft Unlimited

I like how it looks a lot better than I like actually making it. The beginning of the pattern is really easy, but when its time to start twisting and tacking it together its a little complicated. This one sat unfinished for about a month just because I didn't really feel like working it out.

Picasso6

2007-10-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

Picasso6
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Today is a day of finishing projects, well two, maybe I'll get work done on another, but the rest are too far away from completion.

This is the Picasso potholder that I found by Splyndaa couple months ago. I finally finished it. Had the front done fairly quickly, but kept getting bored of making the round for the back. It's finally done, batting inside and stitched up closed.

Yay, I'm so excited.

Rainbow Sock #2

2007-10-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

Rainbow Sock #2
Originally uploaded by ssplam

A little bit further along. Transfered it to a circular, its a bit easier to work that way.

Colors are working out very nicely.

RainbowSock 1

2007-10-07T07:35:00.001-07:00

RainbowSock 1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Working on a new pair of socks this weekend. The yarn is a bit different than what I found in the pattern, but it's coming out kind of neat anyhow.

Original pattern from: Pattern from MagKnits: www.magknits.com/Oct07/patterns/rainbow.htm

The yarn I'm using: Using Moda Dea - Sassy Stripe color 6997 "Lucky"

BDay Chair 1

2007-10-06T15:51:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is Scotts birthday and until today, I had no idea what to get for him. Today I got lucky. We went for a walk to our local thrift shop. I found some crafty stuff I was hoping for, some kitchen stuff we both wanted, and a chair he really wanted. His old chair was not a good computer desk chair and very uncomfortably. This one is very comfy and cost only $30. It needed a teeny amount of mending, but that's done and it is in otherwise pretty good condition.

Yay for finding the right present at just the right time.

Pastafarian Reflection

2007-09-27T05:57:00.001-07:00

Pastafarian Reflection
Originally uploaded by Pockafwye

My boyfriend would love this.

Confused? try this: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Soccer Game

2007-09-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've finally been able to make it to one of Genna's games. My sister-in-law sent the details so we could go visit. I honestly don't know what the final score was, but it was still fun. I finally got to meet Genna's other brother and sister too. This picture is Genna (tallest) and Myrie. Myrie is Genn's 1st sister and their shared parent is mom. Myrie is such a sweet little girl and super friendly. Within seconds of being introduced to each other she became my shadow. A lot of the pictures in the flickr group related to this one were taken by that same little shadow.

Knit Night Cupcakes - Yarn Balls

2007-09-22T10:17:00.001-07:00

Knit Night Cupcakes - Yarn Balls
Originally uploaded by teenytinyturkey

I came across this today... it's way cute and looks like fun. Something I"ll have to remember if I ever have an excuse to hold a knitting party.

Check out http://veganyumyum.com/2007/06/knit-night-cupcakes/ for more info.

Helixcloth

2007-09-19T06:18:00.001-07:00

Helixcloth
Originally uploaded by ssplam

This is my second ever cabling project. It was fun, but I did have to frog it a few times before I really got started:

The place I found it calls it simply "Square #1"

Source:http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/cables/cl1.htm

Bamboozled

2007-09-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

Bamboozled
Originally uploaded by ssplam

This one was actually a bit harder than I had initially expected. There are a lot of k1p1k1 bumps that I lost track of a couple times, but it still came out kind of neat.

Fun project.

Source: http://thingsstitchedmarketplace.blogspot.com/

Hemlock Ring Knit Doily

2007-09-12T22:39:00.001-07:00

Ever seen a doily blanket? Check this one out: BrooklynTweed

It's awesome - he started with an old vintage pattern, modified it, and turned it into a 4 foot throw blanket.

First Doily

2007-09-12T22:29:00.001-07:00

doily1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Found this today. I made it a while back and haven't attempted any others since then. This one has made a nice coaster at just over 4 inches across. If I ever figure out where I got the pattern from I'll source it.

Rag Relay

2007-09-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

Well, today I finished setting the official rules and sending out invitations for the relay. Its based off of another I found online that was happening on a much larger scale. This one is for a small group I belong to and there are about a dozen people playing. I also finished my contribution to get it started. Will post up pics of that later.

First Socks

2007-09-08T22:16:00.001-07:00

First Socks
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I finished another project. This one is socks. I started my first one a couple years ago, lost the pattern and made up a way to finish it. Then about 2 years later I found the pattern and decided to make its mate - learned the right way to finish it, frogged the first one back and finished it the right way.

I'm so pleased that it's finished.

Strawberries

2007-09-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

Strawberries
Originally uploaded by pezdiva

Look at these cute little strawberries that I found.
Go look at Pezdiva's site for the pattern. She also has created many other foods from salads and sandwiches to pumpkins and grapes.

California State Fair - 2007

2007-09-06T06:04:00.001-07:00

DSCF1262
Originally uploaded by ssplam

We went on Labor Day with the intent of watching the performer for that day 'Weird Al'' Yankovic. Unfortunately, all the seats for that show were claimed before we even arrived.

It was a cooler day then some of those just before it so at least it was a nice day to wander around outside. Could have been cooler of close, but not bad for a Sacramento summer.

If you'd like to see a few more pictures from the fair, click here. Some of the interesting things that we saw.

Did you know the CA State Fair is home to a 9-11 monument? There are pictures of that too.

Patricia Waller - Knitted Art

2007-09-02T08:18:00.001-07:00

I was browsing the net today looking for some clipart on various crafts, and stumbled across this page of knitted art.

I would like to warn you if you are disturbed by blood, violent or sexual images do not click on the link.

They aren't all gory, some are really quite neat, like this elephant:

All of her art is knitted.

Patricia Waller - knits

ILY Prototype 2

2007-08-31T19:20:00.001-07:00

DSCF1221
Originally uploaded by ssplam

This time I went for a straight edge without trying to model the thumb area. Came out a lot better, only complaint now really is that I made the pinky too long.

DSCF1225
Originally uploaded by ssplam

ILY Hand Prototype

2007-08-31T06:32:00.001-07:00

I saw these ILY hand bookmarks for sale at a place called "Creative Access">. They are cute but a little stylistic. I was thinking that I might be able to invent a better one. Below is my first go at it. It needs a bit of tweaking, but I think it's almost somewhere that I like.

ILY Hand Prototype
Originally uploaded by ssplam

Then I have to figure out how to write it down.

1st Cable

2007-08-31T05:38:00.001-07:00

my first Cable ever
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I joined a yahoo group for knitting - where there are "knit-a-long" projects twice a month in the dishcloth size.

This is the first one I've attempted and is also my first successful attempt at cable knitting. It has just enough rows in it to convince me I've figured out how it works (for this pattern anyway)

Here's a link to the related blog for the yahoo group. I think you'll have to join to have access to the patterns, but its free and they have lots of great designs.

Crochet Picasso Potholder

2007-08-31T05:35:00.002-07:00

picasso4
Originally uploaded by ssplam

I found this site one day. It's an old archived page that is hanging out there in the ether. Looks like someone at Splynda Took the time to deconstruct an antique potholder and build a pattern for it.

I thought it was pretty enough that I really wanted to give it a go. It's not quite complete yet, the front is done, the back is nearly done and then I need some padding to make it a nice heat resistant potholder. But the technique of it was really quite easy and I really like it. Already have plans to do more in other colors.

Illusion Knitting

2007-08-31T05:35:00.001-07:00

This is my first ever completed Knitting project. I first saw it on the DIY Show Knitty Gritty. What I like about it is that from a head on angle it looks as though its just plain stripes.
I had a bit of trouble with working it from the charts, so I spent some time and translated it on paper first. If you are like me - here's a link to a written out version of the chart. (pdf file) The Knitty Gritty link above will take you to the rest of the instructions.

Illusion1 Originally uploaded by ssplam
But if you look at it from an angle - there is a pattern hidden away. This one is based on a suit of cards. I didn't follow the full pattern, only the parts that relate to the suits of cards. This one done in a microspun yarn - so bright, also soft and warm.
illusion2 Originally uploaded by ssplam
illusion3 Originally uploaded by ssplam

First Felting attempt

2007-08-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever felting attempt. I found the pattern at Blue Goose Glen It wasn't terribly expensive, and I got all the tools and roving required to make this cute little bunny. I probably have enough roving left to make another smaller one.

If you've ever thought about felting but decided it was probably too hard, I encourage you to give it a go, its really quite simple and fun too.

felting1
Originally uploaded by ssplam

felting2
Originally uploaded by ssplam