Pop! Blanket Progress

I am now done with housesitting and back at my parents house.  I have recently been trying to organize my knitting projects.  Instead of always starting a new project, I have decided to try and finish up my in-progress projects.  This week I am concentrating on my POP! blanket.  I started this blanket back in August and sadly it has been dormant ever since.  What is neat about this blanket, is that it is done in small squares and then sewn together at the end.  That means that I can carry a square at a time with me and not have to carry the entire blanket along.  Hopefully now I will be able to get it finished within a reasonable amount of time.  The picture above shows 18 squares using 2 skeins of the noro (the colored yarn).  I have 3 skein left, so I figure the finished size should be perfect for a throw/couch blanket. 

Pop Blanket

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli

I have been spending a lot of time lately reading blogs about homesteading, homemaking and being frugal. One of my favorite blogs is Down to Earth by Rhonda Hetzel. I was catching up on back posts and came across a recipe for pumpkin ravioli. Not having any dinner plans, I decided I would try my hand at pasta making (without a pasta machine or attachment). Instead of a pumpkin, I used butternut squash. These turned out great! I did make one huge mistake with the dough. The recipe said to let the dough sit for 30 minutes before kneading. I let it sit alright, but then completely forgot to knead it. Ha! Come time to roll out the dough I couldn't figure out why it was so sticky. Next time I will knead the dough and maybe it will be a little less dense. Regardless, the ravioli was great and the filling to die for! I had extra filling, which I combined with some heavy cream to make a sauce.

I will definitely be trying my hand at this again!

A Garden Apron

In keeping with the sewing theme this week, I made an apron.  I have had this fabric and pattern in my sewing box for a while, I was just too scared to actually cut the fabric.  Being holed up housesitting, I finally sat down to start cutting.
  I made Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirt in sewing class (we got to pick our own projects) last fall.  The apron pattern is included in the skirt pattern, so I didnt have to buy a new pattern.  I didnt realize that the pattern is reversible making it double the work.  But I love it now that everything is said and done.  Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures, its all I had while housesitting.

The apron is done in two separate pieces and reminds me of chaps.  I am considering sewing this closed, but am not sure how it will affect mobility.  I have decided to use it as is for now, and I can always sew it shut later.

The back side.  Love the ties!

The reverse side matches the ties and band in a simple green gingham.

Sewing in the Kitchen

Here are some examples of what I have been working on kitchen wise this week.  

Sandwich baggies

Ruffled tea towel

Pot holder- I couldn't figure out the binding, so it has binding on one side and not the other...

Black napkins- I am hoping they get more of the black in. Otherwise I might have to make 3 white for a total of 6

Make it do... or do without

After yesterday's post on failing in frugality, I thought I should spend more time working on my new motto.  I recently embroidered this sampler with the old saying
"use it up,
wear it out,
make it do,
or do without"
I always love the "idea" of something.  I had convinced myself that I would follow this mantra to the core.  However as exampled in the un paper towel episode, I haven't quite got it down yet.  If I needed towels in the kitchen, I could have used regular dish towels that I already own- making them free.  I could have used an old t-shirt, or flannel shirt.  I could have even sewed those towels from yesterday, but using materials I already had.  Instead I ran to the store and bought cute fabric.  Apparently I don't understand the "or do without" part.  I am no where near claiming to be perfect, and hopefully by acknowledging my short comings, I will be able to work on them.  I know that when I repurpose something I already own, or that is given to me, I feel so much more accomplished.  I am more proud of "making it do".  Until then, I will frame my embroidery (in a frame I already have) and try to take the mantra to heart.  Otherwise its just a pretty embroidery hanging on my wall, which is not what I want.  But it is pretty...

Failing in Frugality

I love to read books about frugality.  To read blogs on saving money.  To make budgets and watch the numbers work magic.  I love to think that I am frugal...  However if being frugal were a class, I would have got an F this week.  I was browsing on etsy (mistake numero uno) and saw these super cute "un" paper towels.  I am not a fan of disposable paper products when they are not absolutely necessary.  So automatically I loved the idea of "un" paper towels.  I added a bunch to my cart (mistake numero dos) in my usual fashion.  Typically while on etsy I will add a ton of items to my cart and then narrow it down to one or two.  The average cost for a set of towels was over $50.  I thought that was ridiculous.  $50 for paper towels?  I can make that for less money!  So off I went to the fabric store (mistake numero tres) without a plan.  I figured 2 yards of the print would be good.  Then I bought terry cloth for the reverse side.  I decided my towels needed to be like the ones on etsy complete with snaps.  So I bought snaps.  And snap pliers.  When I went to check out, my bill was over $70.  Yikes!  I had to pay since the fabric was cut already.  So much for trying to do it "cheaper".  My consolation is that now I won't have to buy the snap pliers again, so that cost should be factored in at less.  And 2 yards was waaay more fabric than I needed.  I was able to make a bunch more projects and even gained $20 by selling two of my sandwich bags (which I did not intend to sell but gladly did).  So that brings my total down to $50 which is what I would have paid on etsy, and I got way more than one etsy listing.

  All in all it worked out ok, but the most important frugal lesson here, was that I should not be allowed to browse etsy or pinterest without locking up my debit card (good thing I don't use credit cards or I could have got in serious trouble!).  I would have saved the $70 if I never thought I needed "un" paper towels in the first place.  Hopefully I have learned my lesson (and I have some cute towels!).

Granola Recipe

I got this recipe from my friend via an email, and I feel its ok to share, since it is just a base recipe and I have no real original source.  I have included her original recipe below.  I used cashews (it was all I had on me and I wasn't going to go to the store for a different nut).  Instead of all raisins, I did half craisins and half raisins.  Talk about yum!  Come time to bake it, I spread it out on 3 cookie sheets so that everything would turn crispy.  Oh and I doubled the recipe...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In one bowl, dry ingredients:

3c oats

1/2c roughly chopped nuts 

1/2c raisins 

1/2c wheatgerm (oat bran works here too, or you could skip this)

1/4c powdered milk

1/4c unsweetened shredded coconut

Stir with fork or clean hands

Another bowl (microwaveable), or pot:

1Tbsp honey

1/2c brown sugar

1/4c butter

1/4c H2O

Heat up all these last ingredients till all is melted, stir, then pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread out on cookie sheet and put in oven. I check on things every 5-10 minutes, stirring as needed. The edges cook faster so I bring that stuff to the middle, you know mixing it. Usually takes 15-20 minutes. Cool completely before putting in a jar. If its still warm and you close the jar, the granola won't be crunchy.

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!