Crocheted FO!

I haven't knitted a thing since I finished the feather and fan scarf, but I have steadily been crocheting this blanket for a new baby, primarily while watching our Friday night DVDs. I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Blossom and a J hook. It's half-double crochet with a basic ruffled border. Great yarn. I think it will be my standard baby blanket yarn from now on. Now I'm itching to knit something, but I have some more small crochet projects I need to complete first. Details forthcoming!

Recipe: Banana Bread

I have loved Banana Nut Bread for as long as I can remember, and I have tried many variations of the recipe, but this one is still my favorite. It is an adaptation of a family recipe that I have modified enough that I am comfortable calling it my own. I have often substituted pecans for walnuts, but I prefer the walnuts. I give this to people for gifts, and they always rave over it. I often bake two loaves at a time. Enjoy!

Kathryn Estelle's Banana Bread

¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Peel bananas, break into pieces, and place in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Use mixer on low speed to mash bananas. To bananas, add sugar, canola oil, and eggs, and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Add the walnuts to the batter, and fold them in gently by hand. Do not over mix the batter. Pour batter into a greased (I use canola oil spray.) 9 x 5 inch metal baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before turning out bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Fiber Update

Since I finished knitting the feather-and-fan scarf, I haven't been able to motivate myself to knit anything, but I have several projects in mind. One is a Baby Surprise Jacket for my cousin's baby expected in October. Are you game, Happy Hands? I'm going to use the Cherry Tree Hill DK, I think.

I have been doing some crocheting. I made a washcloth for a friend's birthday gift, and I am working on a simple baby blanket. It is very basic, but I'm thinking of making the pattern available when I'm finished. It's the type of thing I was looking for when I was a beginning crocheter, and its the kind of mindless project I need for DVD viewing.

Knitting FO

I finally finished the feather and fan scarf that I have been working on for months. It is Wendy's pattern (No purling!) and the yarn is Brooks Farm Four Play. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and the recipient seemed to love it as well. Raveled here.

Hiatus FOs

I took a break from blogging for a while because once I got onto Ravelry, the intended purpose of this blog had been met through that wonderful medium. However, I eventually returned here so that I could document some new found creative interests. During my time off, I completed several knitting and crochet projects, as you can see in the photos above. For more info on these projects, visit my Ravelry page.

Post edited for clarity 7-22-11.

Put a Fork in Me...

...I'm done with the Umbilical Cord Hats. I don't think I could knit another one if my life depended on it. I don't know how some people knit or crochet the same thing over and over again!

This one was knitted in Cascade 220 Tweed #7608. I added the flower to cover up a mysterious hole. I have no idea what happened.

Can You Date This Photo?

Me and my first car: a 1969 VW Beetle Convertible. August 1987. University of Arkansas at Monticello.

I wish I still had that car.

Plodding Along

Another Umbilical Cord Hat for charity:



One completed sleeve on the Easy Baby Cardigan:

Itty Bitty FO

Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat from SnB

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool #021

Needles: Size 7 24-inch Addi Naturas

Modifications: None

Thoughts: Fast. Easy. Cute. Gauge came out to five spi rather than the called for four, but this is fine for a charity hat. You only really need five inches of I-cord for the top knot. I'm going to try to make several of these before the deadline.

I've also made progress on the Easy Baby Cardigan. More on that when I finish. Surely the sleeves will go quickly.

I'm trying to resist casting on for a Monkey. I started a DK-weight sock, but the larger needles seemed cumbersome after using twos for the baby socks. I bought some size two Sox Stix, and I'm chomping at the bit to use them on the Monkeys.

I realize that my posts lately have left a lot to be desired. My enthusiasm for blogging has waned since I joined Ravelry. It seems redundant for me to blog now because Ravelry accomplishes all that I intended for the blog to accomplish, and then some!

Introduction to Lace

• Pattern: Cabled Lace Bookmark by Sivia Harding, 2007 Knitting Pattern-A-Day Calendar (The calendar has been a great disappointment, on the whole.)
• Yarn: Claudia Handpainted Fingering Weight in Baby Girl (Look familiar?)
• Needles: Size 5 Lantnern Moon DPNs
• Modifications: None

What else can I say? Now I get the lace thing.