What I'm Making Now

First of all, I don't know what's up with my old photos. I may be switching host sites soon.

Second of all, it's been awhile! I have a lot to catch up on, but I'm going to start off with what's going on right this second. My husband and I both came down with a nasty cold/flu/fever thing this weekend, so we're not doing much other than lounging on the couch and listening to the rain. I don't like working on gift projects while I'm sick, so I'm crocheting for me. A co-worker gave me some yarn for my birthday, and now I'm making a sweater.

Cozy Classic Pullover


Lion Brand requires a login for their patterns, but it's free and I highly recommend their database as well as their iPhone app. I'm making this in Homespun "Marble" which the site describes as a painterly (striped) cream with light orange and taupe. I can't wait to post the finished product, and I'm looking forward to being quite comfy in those generous bell sleeves.

While browsing for that pattern, I came across this beauty. It just might be worth digging out the knitting needles for, in spite of the intimidating "experienced" skill level.

Midnight Glamour Pullover

Holiday Runner

My blog app ate my last post a few days ago, so I'll try this again...

And here's my Sunday morning, crocheting with Marmalade. Life is good =)


It's already time to take down the fall decorations and put up Christmas! Of course I needed a new mantle scarf/shelf runner. This was a quickie, in fact it's just pieced together, but it looks good for a decoration.


I'm still learning how to piece quilts together while thinking ahead to the next step, but I'm having a blast doing it :)


The last pic shows the true colors, as that shelf is in a corner with poor lighting.


You may recognize the green fabric from my Zim pillow awhile back.


-- iPhone post

Mouse in the House

Oh Blog, I have a very cute and fluffy excuse why I've been ignoring you. At least for the last couple of weeks, I do =)

Meet the newest furry member of our little family: Mouse

Mouse is a grey-flecked shorthair 4-month-old kitten from the rescue project I've been volunteering with, AFRP. I'm really excited about this organization and what they do, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

Lil' monkey in her basket =) You can see how little she is, and her tiny shaved belly from being spayed.

She's adapting very well. I was hoping she'd be a good playmate for Casper, and so far the introductions are going well. Marmalade quietly tolerates her, as she does the other two. Spook doesn't seem too, well, terrified, and they've even sniffed noses a couple times. Casper initially treated her like a toy, and chased her a bunch, (he's over 11lbs now!) but seems to finally be more accepting of her. I even caught him grooming her a couple times :)

That's right, we're a 4-cat household now! The older greys are inside/outside, and so is Marmalade when we're home. She doesn't like the fancy RFID door, so she won't use it even though she wears one of the key tags.

That door is a complete lifesaver. No more waking up at 2, 3, and 4am to chase out raccoons or the odd skunk. Also, it made bringing in a new cat that much easier. Mouse doesn't get a key yet, so she doesn't get to go outside until she's older.

Here's Mouse on the first day I saw her, trying to get a clear shot to take home and show my husband. Fortunately, he didn't need any convincing to come down and meet her ;)

I can't take credit for this caption, as I saw it on I can has cheezburger, but I thought it was just too adorable =)

In crafty news, I have tons of projects going at the moment, and am gearing up for the holidays. I'll try to post sooner next time!

Punkins!

More adventures with quilting =)

I'm definitely in the mood for autumn.

The pumpkin was fun. I just drew it out and figured out which pieces I would need. Might tweak it a little bit for the next one, but so far I'm happy with it.



I posted the pictures for this mantle (shelf) scarf, and here it is pieced together. I'm pleased with how it turned out, especially since I just planned it as I went along. I'm almost over the Ohio Star design now =)



Of course, I can't sew without my trusty assistants / fabric warmers.





Casper's doing his best to keep the page open for me ;)

Pumpkin Muffins

I'm so happy it's finally cold enough to feel like autumn, and that means baking time!

Black & white photos are brought to you by it's-too-dark-to-get-a-good-color-balance-on-my-phone. Just imagine a rich pumpkin color and you'd be spot on.



I made 2 1/2 dozen muffins and a heart-shaped mini loaf.

Recipe is from BigOven, Lynn's Pumpkin Bread. As some of the reviewers suggested, I added a bit of allspice, and also ginger. I cut the oil down to 1/2 cup and substituted about 1/4 cup each brown sugar and molasses for 2/3 of the sugar, and added a pinch more baking powder to make sure they wouldn't be dense. That's how I cook, but I made sure to remember this time, just in case it turned out well =)

Verdict: YUM



My Captain Obvious moment: when sprinkling the cinnamon-sugar on top, use a little tiny strainer or a small jar so you don't get any on the tins between muffins. Burnt sugar stinks in the oven! And if it gets into the sides, it makes that poor muffin look horribly burnt.

As my husband said: "Organic muffin liners!"

The stuff in the middle is still just as tasty :)

-- iPhone post

Fall Projects

I love this time of year... holidays right around the corner, fall scents, spiced everything, and a crisp touch to the air.

Well, right now we're having a bit of a heat wave, but I'll be happier once it cools off.

In the meantime I'm getting my house decorations ready, including these panels for my shelf quilt.
I have a couple quilts in progress and I'm planning more. So far I'm doing smaller projects because I'm still learning just how precise and patient you need to be.

I have a newfound respect for all quilters, including my mother-in-law :)

*sigh* Like I needed a new craft obsession... =)

-- iPhone post

Quilting and Garlic Chicken Pizza

For my sewing group today, my friend R and I started learning about quilts. I've never done any kind of quilting other than the Tetris wall hanging for my dad, and a little doll blanket as a kid. So I was very excited about it.

We decided to start simple, with squares rather than anything diagonal or fancy.

R had a couple of fascinating fabrics, which contrasted well together. I love how the duck sits in the middle. This is going to be one snazzy cat bed.


I went to the fabric store, which happened to have a sale on fat quarters. I picked up a few to make a fall scarf for our "mantel" (a long narrow shelf which serves the same purpose,) and a few fun blue/grey/green ones just for fun.


Neither of us planned out the finished projects, we just dove in and started learning the basic techniques.

This is a first draft of what I think may turn out to be a lap quilt. I'm planning on putting black narrow strips between them.


For dinner I made pizza from scratch, all with ingredients already in the house (sometimes hard to do when I don't plan ahead.) The crust is from my Fannie Farmer cookbook, with a simple white sauce dressed up with garlic and a few spices, and grilled chicken marinated in worcestershire sauce and spices. Tasty, easy, and quick (aside from the dough rising).


-- iPhone post