Look what I can do!

Oh, Brother!

So, I got a new sewing machine for my birthday and I love it. It's the Brother CS-6000i. It makes me feel a little guilty because the machine basically does everything for me with the push of a button!

Start, back up, raise needle

I don't even have to use a foot pedal. I can set it to three different speeds and 60 stitches and it'll even thread the needle for me if I ask it to!

Stitch options, so many!

I picked a small project to begin with, just so I could learn my machine. I picked a little goblin from Plush-o-Rama. He's a little rough around the edges (in hindsight, fleece was not the best starter fabric), but I think he's got a certain charm. :)

My beloved monster

Once I felt like I had the settings down, I picked up a few fat corners and tried out some bags. The Origami Pouch was an easy little project that really let me experiment with the stitch settings (and work hard on keeping a straight line!). I need to redo the drawstring for the pouch, I just knitted up some i-cord, but it looks kind of chintzy.

Here's my latest completed project. It's by far the most difficult sewing project I have taken on, except perhaps for my cherry bag - with zipper pouch. I learned how to add a snap AND pleats! This was made using the Buttercup Bag pattern. I am really happy with this baby, but it is quite small, so I'm not sure if I will ever use it or if it will become a gift for someone littler.

Finished Buttercup bag

Fancy pants pleats

Oh, snap!

And a lip gloss pocket!

So, there we go. I am getting such a kick out of the new machine. I already have my next two projects planned out (a summer bag with handles and a batik quilt). Unfortunately, my knitting projects have taken the back burner. I still have two sat little half completed projects waiting patiently in my drawer....

Slippers, finished!

edit: i wrote this in January and neglected my blog for 3 months...

I'd been wanting to make these puppies for quite some time. In fact, I started on them once realized that I didn't actually have enough yarn to make a pair! Got any need for ONE pink, yellow and green house elf slipper, anyone? I didn't really like the color scheme I had started with anyway, so I started anew. I went with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes . I love the color selection and it felts up wonderfully! These slippers were for my momma who also thought the pattern was pretty cool when I posted it, so I hoped they would be a hit.

I really wish I had taken a picture of them pre-felting. Those suckers were HUGE. I was worried that they were still going to be boat-like after the felting. The pattern reassured me, however, that if they were still large after one round in the washer, I could just toss them in again. The pattern did not lead me astray :)

Awkward self-portrait of my foot - it's bad perspective, not freakishly huge ankles!

I was down at my parent's last night and my mom let me borrow these slippers to wear around the house. They're very warm and cozy. She confided that she wore them for a solid week, between Christmas and New Years.

Simon, in a scarf again

I didn't post any of my December creations because mostly they were gifts. I would hate to ruin a surprise! But, I had a very prolific month in knitting and have had to give my poor hands a rest for the past couple of weeks before diving into the next project (Super Cool XBox Scarf for Nick).

This is a scarf I made for Shannon, Wavy Orange (in my case pink) scarf, I hadn't really used Lion's Jiffy yarn before and was thrilled by how fast and easy it worked up. And it's sooo warm! I think she appreciated it much more than my model did. Also, apologies to Shannon for any cat hair left behind :)

The was long enough, I could probably have wrapped the entire cat.

Ooo wavy!

Take the cake

My good friend celebrated her 27th birthday earlier this month. I'm usually pretty horrible with gift ideas, but this one was easy. I few months ago, I was reading Pioneer Woman's blog, as I'm prone to do, when I came across this recipe. I was blown away by the delicious moistness of the cake, but when I shared the link with Lauren, her first response was, "I want her cake stand!" Good thing my brain was working that day, because I took that as an opportunity to get her a kick ass birthday gift this year. I did some searching around and found that the cake stand is made of milk glass and it comes in several colors. The manufacturer is Mosser and it's made here in Ohio! How cool is that?

Anyway, I was a little worried that she wouldn't remember my inspiration for the gift if I gave her the cake stand by itself (plus, that'd be kind of lame anyway, wouldn't it?), so I of course *had* to make the cake as well. Not to mention, I really wanted to taste it and I figured she'd share.

I don't think I had ever made a cake from scratch before, except for chocolate upside-down cake, which makes up for in taste what it lacks in looks. I have to admit, I was a little nervous that my cake would fall in the center or not rise or crumble to pieces or any of the other nightmares that are associated with baking disasters. But guess what? It didn't! And it was quite tasty. And look! On that cake stand, it almost matches Pioneer Womans!!

Note: Make this cake if you:

• Love the taste of coffee
• Can handle an overdose of caffeine from time to time
• Like loads of butter cream frosting

Do NOT make this cake if you intend to wash it down with grape juice and vodka. You can ask Lauren if you don't believe me.

But, I'm still not a yarn snob.

Way back when I first started knitting, I don't think I could have told the difference between natural and synthetic fibers by look, nor by feel. I was (and still am) very turned off by those knitters who would ask "What are you knitting with?" and then snear at your Lion or Red Heart yarn. All that aside, there is something to be said for using nice yarn. When I'm working with something that feels good, I find it hard to stop! This is particularly useful when it comes to completing projects. I finished my shawl last night, only three weeks from when I started (I am not counting the two weeks I struggled with this pattern before scrapping it and starting over).

I used Imagination from Knitpicks.com, which is a wool, alpaca and nylon blend. It feels SO good! And, the colorways are so much fun, I'm trying to choose my next project which can feature it. My only concern is that it does shed a little bit, so I will probably be picking pieces of wool off of my sweaters all winter, as I intend to use this shawl if and when the office gets too chilly!

Pattern: Revontuli Shawl, from Ravelry (which I really need to update, I suppose)

My lovely new shawl

No dropped stitches!

Detail

Goes great with pajamas, don't you think?

What begins with "S"?

Apparently, everything I've knitted lately!

Socks!


Sweater!

(and overly long Sleeves :))

Scarf!


Simon! (I didn't knit him, but he's darn cute)


And, my work in progress, Shawl!

Hot, cold, yum!

It's my favorite time of year again. Even though it's been drizzly and gray these past few days, it's still beautiful out there with the leaves changing and flying. And it's also pumpkin and apple and pear time. Pear time? Oh, yeeeeah!

Last week, I got a chance to try my hand at making pear riesling sorbet. My goal was to replicate my favorite of Jeni's flavors. Mine turned out pretty different, but very delicious! I used this recipe I found in Ice Creams & Sorbets by Lou Seibert Pappas. I was surprised that the recipe called for heavy cream, but I was patient and followed the instructions and for once my sorbet turned out just like it was supposed to! The only disappointing part was that it froze up pretty hard, so it was best right out of the Cuisinart. Next time, I will find the recommended pear liquor to add in the end, which would keep it from freezing so much. Also, next time I think I might replace the pears with apples and the nutmeg with cinnamon. Yummy!


My favorite kitchen appliance!


Churn, baby, churn!

Tonight, in honor of the cold weather, and because I had a pile of potatoes that were about to turn ugly, I made potato soup. This was my third attempt at making potato soup for Nick and I think it was the most successful. I found the recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and since it called for both bacon and sour cream, I knew it would be a winner. It was. And, it made a ton, so we'll get to have it again soon!