Sunday, November 30, 2014

Infinity scarf

Very easy, quick knit, great for last minute gift giving..


I was watching tv a few nights ago and saw this really cool infinity scarf ( a old Twilight Zone )... and decided to make a few..... looked like it was made with size 1 or 2 needles very wide and long, fingering weight... loved it and maybe some day I'll have the time to make one just like it, but with Christmas right around the corner... now is not that time lol
I still thought it cool enough to give it a go... using much thicker yarn and needles I was able to make 2 so far and a few other things... I did like how long it was.. long enough to wrap around the keck / head or let hang in front like a traditional scarf...

gauge is not essential for this project

any sized cable needles will work but the larger sizes will speed things up, I used size 15 US

same goes with the yarn any size will work ( as long as you adjust your cast on number and needle size accordingly ) for the first one I used 2 strains of Playful by Yarn bee, Glittering Ombre ... the yarn is discontinued now but I had it in my stash and the colors worked...

The one in playful I cast on 128 stitches, joined in the round being careful not to twist them

knit 2 rows
purl 1 row
I repeated these 3 rows until I got the thickness I wanted... I think I did 3 repeats.. bind off weave in ends..

it's about 5 inches wide and 30 long




 
Using Yarn bee's Icelandic Jewels in Black Pearl
I cast on 150 stitches join twisting the cast on stitches twice
I did 30 rows in knit stitch as I wanted it to curl in... showing the purl side
this one is about 9 inches wide and 34 inches long 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Thick and easy head wrap

Nice and warm, comfy...easy and quick to make... great for gifting
 

Size 15 US needles
40 yards worsted weight of each color
Gauge 5 stitches by 6 rows per 2 inches

One button ( about 1 and 1/2 inches in size )

k = knit
k1 tbl = knit 1 through the back loop
k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
p = purl
yo = yarn over needle

Cast on 8 stitches, using both yarns held together through out the pattern

1 ) k2,  p4,  k2
2 ) knit 
3-4 ) repeat rows 1 and 2
5 ) k2,  p4,  k2
6 ) k2,  yo,  k4,  yo,  k2
7 ) k2,  k1 tbl,  p4,  k1 tbl,  k2
8 ) k2,  yo,  k6,  yo,  k2
9 ) k2,  k1 tbl,  p6,  k1 tbl,  k2

10 ) k2,  yo,  k8,  yo,  k2
11 ) k2,  k1 tbl,  p8,  k1 tbl,  k2
12 ) knit
13 ) k2,  p10,  k2
14-51 ) repeat rows 12 and 13
52 ) k2,  k2tog,  k6,  k2tog,  k2
53 ) k2,  p8,  k2
54 ) k2,  k2tog,  k4,  k2tog,  k2
55 ) k2,  p6,  k2
56 ) k2,  k2tog,  k2,  k2tog,  k2
57 ) k2,  p4,  k2
58 ) knit

59- 62 ) repeat rows 57 and 58
63 ) k2,  p4,  k2
64 ) k2,  k2tog,  yo,  k2tog,  k2
65 ) k2,  p3,  k2
 bind off, weave in ends sew on button  
 
 
 
 

 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Just got done making a ruffle scarf.. love the colors of this Patons Pirouette shimmer in deep wine


Find the free pattern at
ruffle scarf pattern

Monday, November 17, 2014

my take on Salisbury steak and baked potatoes

 
This post has been edited on 11/18/14
I forgot to add one ingredient to the Salisbury steaks... green chillie.. I was pretty tired is all I can..
they can be made with out them but around here it's a must in most dishes lol
 
 
I love getting dinner ideas from friends and web posts.. this one was inspired by a few posts and chatting with friends..
one friend shared a photo of her dinner that include mushroom gravy... loving the stuff and not having it in awhile I started to plot out a dinner menu that didn't include my usual main dish for mushroom gravy.. steak ..  my jaw is still giving me issues from cracking it in a fall a while ago.. I have been adding more foods to my diet again but there is no way I can eat steak yet, truth be told we don't eat much red meat even when all is going good... but that mushroom gravy sounded too good to pass up.. the deal I found on jarred mushrooms at the dollar store didn't hurt, even though I normally use fresh.. 
 
not long after the gravy photo was shared... a slow cooker Salisbury steak recipe was shared .. followed by a talk at a party of baked potatoes...
 
 
 
To start off I pre -cooked whole washed and pierced potatoes in a pot of water with a good amount of garlic and some sea salt... after they get almost tender enough to poke to the center with a fork.. I wrap them in aluminum foil lightly coated with both garlic powder and sea salt... bake until done at a medium heat ( 350 )
 
 
not having a large slow cooker, I decided to go with pan frying my own recipe of Salisbury steaks.. 
 
about five pound of ground round or low fat hamburger, one box of turkey stuffing, low sodium type ( cuts down on the red meat ), 3 fresh eggs, about a pound and a half of medium heat chopped green chillie a bit of onion and garlic powder to taste ... mix together and let set for a few minutes before pressing into patties.. cook over a low heat covered, turning as needed until done ( lightly browned ).. this makes over a dozen good sized patties... I only used one pan layering them and repositioning top to bottom as needed, draining the grease as I did so
 
for the gravy I used a 32 oz. box beef stock ( low sodium and MSG free ) with about half a box of added water and heated to almost a boil.. added a bit of cayenne powder, sea salt with a touch both garlic and onion powder...  some flower to thicken it close to the texture I wanted.. then a touch of corn starch.. until thickened to liking, in a separate pot from patties  .. 
 
 
by adding the garlic powder ( not garlic salt ) in the start of cooking you get a nice mild flavor.. ( I use a mix of iodized sea salt and Himalayan pink sea salt )
some frozen veggies on the side and it was a huge hit...
 
 
it was such a big hit no one minded having leftovers the next night, I placed the patties in a glass baking dish with the gravy smothering it, covered.. on the top rack of the oven, with the potatoes still in foil on the bottom rack at a medium to low heat.... we had run out of frozen veggies so we sliced a few freshly ripped tomatoes ( taken off the vines while still green before the first freeze ) and sprinkled the with parsley flakes and white vinegar.. another take on a wonder recipe shared by a good friend who is a great chef ...

I forgot to take a photo before starting as it too hard to wait having already tasting it the night before lol

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Pylmouth yarn free hat pattern


A friend asked if I could make a hat like this.. turns out this is a free pattern from Plymouth Yarn... while I would have liked the pattern to include the increases instead of just increase evenly until such and such number of stitches, it does make a nice hat..
the pattern can be found here at Plymouth Yarn
f346

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Redheart toe-up slippers

 
I'm in need of house socks/slippers again..... after making dozens of knit pairs I wanted to give crochet a go on a few pair.. I found this simple free pattern on Redheart.com
not a big fan of pomp-pomps I just added a few extra rounds of the main color.. other than that I followed the pattern.... quick to make, comfy and I learned how to make one style of after though heels in crochet..
toe- up slippers