August 21, 2010

Baked Project #6




Billy and I decided to make a three course meal tonight. Billy made the appetizer and the main (which were amazing) and I made the dessert. I opted for a shortcake with cream cheese frosting and fruit topping. I was going to make a blueberry pie but the timing for the main course and the pie wouldn't have worked out very well. And well we are in Scotland and shortcake is quintessentially Scottish.

I made the tarts in normal size cupcake tins which only made twelve. I had so much frosting left over it was such a waste. But overall it was a really nice recipe.

Embroidery Projects #1 & 2




I have spent the last week laying on the couch with a viral infection that made me nauseated every time I moved. So to fight the boredom I embroidered two projects from Sublime Stitching. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with them. The butterfly is for my mom and the rose will probably go on my wall somewhere. I really don't like leaving them in the hoop permanently as I think its a bit wasteful but it may just have to stay put.

August 13, 2010

Knitting Project #2




So this hat will look great on a 8 year-old. On me it looks like a small ski cap. But I really do like the pattern. I used US 9 double-pointed needles for the whole project. I will be making this hat again for me in the gauge recommended. I could see this hat in several colors so I might make many for the dark days of winter.

It is a super easy pattern to make. I used a cable needle instead of the stitch holder I have always used. Wow the difference is incredible! It is so much easier to knit straight off the cable needle. Why oh why did I not try this before?

August 9, 2010

Baked Project #5




I love blueberry muffins!! But what I love more is when there is a sugary crumble top and a soft and moist bottom. Enter the perfect recipe. The top bit is a cinnamon crumble that compliments the blueberries amazingly. I have never made muffins from scratch before and I am super pleased with the results. Best yet, my husband loved them and said he was impressed. Coming from him that was a great achievement for me!

August 4, 2010

Baked Project #4




One of my favorite baked good ever is Zucchini Bread (or courgette bread if you're British). My mom's coworker used to make one for me every time she did a batch. I didn't used to like zucchinis though I didn't like ANYTHING when I was a kid. I wouldn't eat anything that I didn't know but somehow this treat snuck through my tasteless barrier. And thank goodness for that. I know eat EVERYTHING! Well maybe not everything. I won't eat Lamb because they are cute or bunny rabbits.

Anyways, I love this bread and I have made it with several different recipes trying to get it right. I'm not in love with the recipe I used as the mix was quite dry and I had to add milk to it. I also was low on ground cinnamon so it wasn't as tasty as it usually is. I think I will continue on my quest to find the perfect zucchini bread recipe.

August 2, 2010

Knitting Project #1




So, I know it is summer time and the last thing I should be doing is knitting a winter hat, but after a long hiatus with my needles I found myself really wanting to make something. I don't like supper slouchy berets because they make my head look weird, so I found this tutorial on the Purl Bee website.

My hat is a bit different because I only had one skein of wool to use. Last year for our anniversary, Billy and I went to the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. There I found the most remote knitting shop I had ever seen. We drove for miles on single track roads stopping for the highland coos (cows) and finally came to Shilasdair. I could only afford one skein as it was a bit pricey and well my husband was there so I couldn't sneak a few more. So this hat is my remote isle anniversary hat!

I am going to make it again with red wool that I have a ton of. I had to cut so many rounds out of my Shilasdair hat that it doesn't really resemble the tutorial hat. It was super easy and a nice relaxing project.

Sewing Project #7




Saturday was the 30th birthday of my husband's best mate who is a drummer in Belfast. I decided to make him a roll-up case for his drumsticks using this tutorial.

It was pretty straight forward. The only thing is that I would add a handle to the top so that when its open it can be hung from a drum. I used two different fabrics from Ikea that were the manliest I could find (it really isn't easy to find cool fabric for guys!).

I think I'm going to make one for my knitting needles.