boring manly scarf

this is the most boring pattern ever.

easy peasy (that looks misspelled no matter how i type it), but very tedious. so tedious, it took me two years to complete, because i was just so bored. in fact the person it was going to be given to is no longer part of our family. i really like the look of it - very tailored, almost like a heavy woven herringbone - so after all my bored suffering, i am going to keep it for my manly self!

the main thing is that it's done. finishing what i started is my new year's resolution for 2013.

and now the pattern is yours, free! if you're on ravelry, you'll find it here.

yarn: 2 skeins briggs & little heritage
needles: 5mm straights (n.b. i used 4mm because i always go down a size)
crochet hook
finished measurements: 6" wide by 6' long (not counting fringe)
cut 56 lengths of yarn, each about 9" long. i did this by folding a magazine (i used the guardian weekly) in half lengthwise, wrapping yarn around 28 times, and then cutting along one side. set these aside for later.
co 28 sts
rows 1 & 2: *k3, p1, repeat from * to end of row
rows 3 & 4: k1, p1, *k3, p1, repeat from * to end of row
continue working in pattern until you run out of yarn, or the scarf is as long as you are tall, or you can't stand the boredom. bo.
use the remaining 9" pieces of yarn to create a fringe at each end. easiest way is to fold a piece in half, use a crochet hook to pull a little loop through the end of the scarf, then pull the ends through.
obviously this is very easy to make longer or wider should you choose to. if widening, cast on extra sts in multiples of 4, and cut two extra lengths of fringe for every stitch you add.

sally stupid

p>another birthday survived! less effort put into this one; last year i near killed myself with painting decor, and games, cooking for 15 kids + assorted parents, and the whole nine yards. this time, i limited the list to 6 kids, and made it a 2-hour event at a distinctly non-meal time of day. cake recipe was the same as last year's lion (louise's party cake, plus a triple recipe of salted caramel frosting), and the cake was in the shape of two lego bricks.

but the real hit of the party was something called "sally stupid," a rich sweet yummy square that melts in your mouth. easy and kinda trashy but so yum. we call it "sally stupid" because the woman (sally) who gave the recipe to my mum forgot to write down the name.

sally stupid

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
350g butterscotch chips
roughly half a bag of mini marshmallows

melt together the peanut butter, butter, and butterscotch chips. pour in a greased 8"x8" pan.

when somewhat cool but still soft, arrange marshmallows in a single layer on top. chill in fridge.

when good and solid, heat the broiler, and brown the tops of the marshmallows. watch them like a hawk, you don't want to overdo it.

a word of advice on bay window seats

Ever since I posted about building my bay window seat, it’s been a popular search term here. More specifically, people have been searching for “bay window seat dimensions.”

You can't search for bay window seat dimensions.

Unless, of course, you are building a house from scratch, and wondering how big to make your bay window so that it will be right-sized for a comfy seat.

If however you already have a bay window, and want to build a seat in it, you need to measure what you’ve got. They’re all different, every last one. And if you have an older home—the kind more likely to have a big ol’ bay window just crying out for a bay window seat—your bay window is likely to be just a little bit wonky, due to the settling of the house over time and whatnot.

You cannot look this stuff up!

That said, if anyone is building a house from scratch and does want to know the particular dimensions of my particular window seat, it's 90” wide, 22” inches deep, and the seat is 22” off the ground. Each triangly bit is 30” wide, and the middle rectangly bit is 30” wide as well. If someone would care to drop off some high-density foam that fits these dimensions so I can finally make the cushion to go on the top, I’d be most grateful.

busy day!

after spending the holiday going back and forth between running around and sick in bed, this new year is going to be all about finishing what i've started, and putting the past - including past projects - behind me.

we'd given the kiddo a challenge: finish 200 chapter books by the end of the year. he did it! his reward, was to get lights back in his room (we'd taken his lightbulbs out of the ceiling fixture, as he kept turning it on and staying up late to read), and a new ceiling fixture to boot - one we'd bought a good year ago, actually, which had languished since then in the downstairs closet.

which meant digging in that closet, which got me in the closet mood, and taking on another half-started project: the kid's closet. used to be, we could put stuff in there, and it would have effectively disappeared from his life. now, he crawls through there, and because the curtain road was grownup height, he'd make a mess anytime he wanted a proper shirt. i'd measured, and tg had cut a couple of shelves down to size, but that's as far as we got. today: done!

here's his reading corner (i do need to cover that chair, i have the fabric and all, another project to finish this year):

his bed:

homework station:

and dresser with photos of friends & family:

the downstairs closet, meanwhile, got a bit of a re-org:

and most importantly, a new set of cupboard doors (built from some of the same leftover lumber from my old work bench that i used to build my bay window seat):

it used to be a real quagmire in here. coats would fall off of hangers and the kiddo would decide to "play" in there, and it would turn into a jumbly mess and you couldn't find anything. i'm hoping this will keep some of that at bay. i want to put a lock on it too to keep the beenster from getting back there!

and speaking of, i've put a new set of hooks at his height - no more excuse for not hanging up his coat and snow pants!

this was all done with stuff that we had on hand - lumber, hinges, knobs, the works. i do want to add extra hooks and a lock though, those will need purchasing. but i think the fact that this stuff could be built without having to leave the house for any supplies at all shows that i am too much of a packrat!

the big day is tomorrow!

i expect everyone is doing the same thing today - cooking, baking, prepping, wrapping.

i finished off my last gift this morning, a shirt for my father in law. stuffing is done, bread is rising, turkey is brining, cranberry sauce is made, chestnuts are roasted & peeled & ready for braising, and i'm just getting to work on the buche de noel (hallelujah for finding chestnut cream, which was sold out at a couple of places!) and the pecan coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow.

tonight, we will go to christmas eve service at first unitarian, then home for fondue by the tree, fruitcake, and egg nog. then, after we've hung the stockings and chased the kiddo off to bed, assembling the coffee cake for its second rise, doing a bit of calligraphy, and getting the table set for xmas dinner. i've already done the flower arrangement (in a vintage salad bowl, so it's low enough to talk over):

and then it will be time to relax!

a treat for all!

we just survived our annual tree-trimming party!

the biggest hit turned out to be the cross-cultural dessert: mincemeat (for xmas) hamantaschen (for purim). everyone was saying "wow, best pastry ever" and stunned to learn it was also vegan and gluten-free.

the chocolate-pecan balls (an accidental invention from last year, which i think will become a new tradition) and chestnut shortbread were also a hit.

mincemeat (n.b. this makes lots - make a batch of tarts now, and freeze the rest for more tarts later!

1 lb golden delicious apples, cored and diced finely, peel left on
1/4 cup hazelnut oil
12 oz sultanas
12 oz golden raising
8 oz candied orange peel
12 oz brown sugar
grated zest and juice 1 orange
grated zest and juice 1 lemon
2 oz almonds, chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

combine all ingredients. let steep together, covered, overnight.

spread in a glass baking dish. bake at 225f for 2 hours.

hamantaschen dough

2 1/2 cups jeanne’s gluten-free flour (and more for rolling out)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold shortening (i used a mix of 2/3 earth balance, 1/3 crisco, but you could use butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice (from about 1 large orange)

combine dry ingredients. rub in shortening with your fingers till it resembles fine breadcrumbs. sprinkle liquids over and stir in with a fork. chill 2+ hours.

when firm, roll out with more flour, till about 1/8” thick. cut in 2 1/2” circles, put a tsp of mincemeat in the middle, and fold up the edges to look like a triangle. pinch to seal. bake 15 min at 350.

chestnut shortbread

1 cup shortening (i used 1/2 crisco, 1/2 earth balance, but you could use butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups chestnut flour

cream shortening together with sugar, beat with a wooden spoon till fluffy. stir in chestnut flour. chill.

when somewhat firm, shape into logs about 1 1/2" diameter. chill again until firm.

slice into coins about 1/4" or 3/8" thick. bake 12 min at 350.

chocolate pecan balls

2 cups jeanne’s gluten-free flour
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening (i used 1/2 crisco, 1/2 earth balance, but you could use butter)
3/4 cup icing sugar (plus more for coating)
2 tsp vanilla

combine half the flour with the pecans & salt in a food processor & chop finely.

cream together shortening, sugar, and vanilla. stir in pecan mixture and remaining flour. chill.

shape into balls about 1" big.

bake 10 min at 350.

let cool for 2 minutes, then roll in icing sugar and cool on a rack.

skyfall: cardigan season

i grew up with james bond, loving the suavity as i imagined myself to be highly sophisticated despite being a kid in a small town (i remember quoting annie hall in my grade 7 class and being surprised that the other kids weren't impressed). so, i am one of those hold-outs who is not so keen on daniel craig. he's a rat-face thug, in my books. so i have not rushed out to see skyfall yet.

this could change all that.

this dries van noten cardigan worn by "q" is taking the internet by storm! and for good reason, there are some clever details: how the striping intersects with the assymetric zippered front, what looks like a garter-stitch stripe going down the shoulder and sleeve. and it looks like slash pockets on the side seam? i want to make this. i guess i'll have to drag myself out to see the movie, and take more notes.

in other news, our big tree-trimming party is tomorrow, and i am so not ready... between being sick, and workload craziness, it's a fiesta of bad timing. argh.