The Project I Just Can't Seem To Finish.....

In 2006 I knit a BUNCH of garter stitch scarves with Lion Brand's Homespun yarn. I just LOVED the colors and softness of this yarn. Since I knit these scarves on size 50 needles, they were REALLY quick. After I knit all those scarves, I had a lot of odds and ends of Homespun. A Granny Square Afghan seemed like the perfect way to use up those scraps. 

So, off and on, I began making Granny Squares. Along the way, I had to pick up more yarn to make more blocks and of course, the borders. In 2010, I decided I probably had enough squares to finish the blanket and began putting the blanket together. So, I sc around each block with my border color then began sewing the blocks together(trying to weave in the ends as I go). This has been a slo-o-o-o-o-o-ow, tedious process for me. It's the exact reason I can so easily abandon this project for something different. To begin with, while Homespun yarn is fine to make the squares, it's not as easy to sew together. I wish I had found this method for joining squares before I started! I wonder if it's too late to begin this method? Would it look too different from the section I already have done?I JUST HAVE TO GET THIS FINISHED! Maybe 2012 will be the year?

Berry Crisp

Berry Crisp

16 cups Frozen Berry mixture
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup Quick Oats
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar Splenda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
8 Tbsp. Cold Butter (or Margarine)

Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish (or two 8x8-inch dishes). Place frozen berries into dish (dishes). Combine Splenda, Cinnamon and flour. Sprinkle mixture over frozen berries. In a food processor combine oats, flour, brown sugar Splenda, baking powder, baking soda and butter (or margarine). Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden. Serve warm with yogurt (or ice cream) if desired. Yield: 10 TINY servings

YUM!

12" Squares for JCCF

Since about April 2011, I've been crocheting squares for Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. We make blankets for injured rodeo athletes to give them a little cheering up. It's been so much fun trying different crochet patterns, but I really wanted to find a pattern that I could just whip up without having to read instructions. Something easy that I could just REMEMBER. So, I found this little booklet One Square, Many Ways. Lots of different color combos using just one basic square and I could remember the instructions! I just had one little problem, all the rounds ended up changing in one corner. That one corner got a little globby.

Then, I found this pattern.....Unholey Granny Square! Really the only difference, is that the round changes take place just INSIDE the corner. So, the ch3 stitches are hidden BETWEEN the dc's. Well, they're hidden if I don't try to carry the previous color behind the current color. Sometimes, I just shouldn't experiment with things. This is my new go-to pattern!

Ham and Swiss Quiche

I actually posted this Ham and Cheese Quiche early on.....It was one of the posts I deleted when I was having issues with the fonts. I've been trying to find meals that I can freeze so that we have ready-made meals for the nights that we are just too exhausted to cook. So, here it is again:

Ham and Swiss Quiche

2 pastry shells (9 inches)
2 cups fully cooked diced ham
2 cups Swiss cheese
4 eggs
2 cups half and half cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place pastry shells in 9-inch pie plates or springform pans. Line unpricked pastry shells with aluminum foil. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes longer. Divide ham and cheese between the two shells. In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour into shells. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Or cover edges with foil and bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes on until a knife iserted in center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
To use frozen Quiche: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.

Option: I prefer to bake the quiches and then freeze. You cannot believe the mess I have made trying to get the quiches from my kitchen up to the freezer in the shed! Let's just say, you must carry the quiche VERY level to keep the liquid from running out the sides!

ENJOY!

Meet the "Verminator"

Tiel, aka "The Verminator"

Tiel loves the snow almost as much as she loves chasing vermin. She is a vermin chasing fool! Nothing is safe. She'll chase it all......moles, voles, mice, gophers, squirrels, pack rats and rabbits. Not to mention the occasional skunk. Which, of course, has consequences that she was not prepared for (including sleeping outside for the first time in her life). A neighbor shared their "recipe" for skunk odor remover. If you live near skunks and have animals jot this down and keep it handy.


Skunk Odor Remover

2 tsp. dish soap (citrus type preferred-lemon, lime, orange, etc.)
1/4 cup peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
MANY old towels

Mix together & use immediately wiping onto animal. BEING CAREFUL TO AVOID GETTING NEAR THEIR EYES! Using a clean towel often. Let set on animal for 15-30 minutes before bathing animal to remove. You may have to repeat this if the animal was sprayed really good! Dispose of all used towels when finished.

Citron Shawlette

January 2012, a Ravelry group I belong to decided to make the Citron Shawlette for their KAL/CAL. (see the forum here ). It's such a pretty shawlette and I already had yarn I had purchased for a shawl for my niece (no pattern had been picked out yet). I already had an afghan I HAD to get done, but, I like to have a "travel project"......So, I decided to knit this up! I'm about halfway through and it's turning out really pretty. I'm not sure I'll complete this by the end of the KAL/CAL or not. I should definately complete it before her birthday in August though!

Contest Afghan

Back in November (2011). I decided I should enter Vanna's Choice knitting/crocheting contest again. What should I knit? I decided on an afghan (which of course, since it's a contest I can't show you yet). I figured out my pattern and started knitting.....and knitting......and knitting. Fast forward to today and now 7 skeins into the afghan and PANIC has set in! The deadline for the contest is February 1st. 17 days left to complete this afghan. I still have at least 3 (possibly 5) skeins left to knit up to get this finished. That doesn't even include time to block and photograph. I BETTER GET KNITTING!

January 24th, 2012
I thought I'd better give an update on the afghan progress. Only 7 more days until the deadline. It's going to take all 12 skeins of yarn to make the afghan long enough. I still have 3 more skeins to knit before this will be finished. I think I'll be able to make it (barely). I have one small problem.....the garter stitch edges are folding up. It's VERY annoying. I tried blocking the portion of the afghan already completed (so I could get a few pictures). It doesn't seem like it helped. I'm not sure what to do? It's really starting to bother me......A LOT!

Blog Fixed?

Well, I've been blogging about a week now. This morning I discovered a tiny glitch. When you opened the blog, it switched fonts a couple of times before it settled into the one I chose to use. Strange. This probably comes from my habit of diving into things without really reading instructions. So, I deleted all the posts and all the customizations. Read and re-read help guides. Then, started applying customizations all over again. If I used the font I wanted to use, the switching began again. When I use the font I'm using now.....it stopped. I'm going with this font!

I've also decided what I want to include on this blog. So, here's what you can expect to find on my blog:

1. Links to my favorite sites and blogs
2. My favorite recipes
3. My ongoing projects (quilting, sewing, knitting, & crochet)
4. Possibly patterns and tutorials of my designs
5. Gardening Journals

I hope I can make this blog interesting for people to read and enjoy!