Me-Made-May

I have decided to join a blogging pledge this year--Me-Made-May--wherein I have pledged to wear two items that I have made each week and create one additional item by the end of the month.

For those of you close to me, you know I haven't sewn anything except my son's christening gown since his birth--it's not just a lack of posts about things!  I'm kind of excited to have a real reason to buckle down and get sewing especially since I've been lamenting my lack of handcrafting lately.

So here's my first entry--a dress I made at least two years ago.  Sorry for the less than stellar photos, but it's all I'm capable of while solo.

 

I LOVE this fabric, but am not too keen on the waist placket as it literally adds at least an inch to my waist (many layers of a heavy fabric=a bad BMI).  I'm pretty sure this was a McCall's pattern--any interested parties are welcome to inquire and I'll try to dig it out.  It's really nice despite my comments.  I just used the wrong weight fabric for this, though it was awesome whilst preggo and post for covering up/accomodating the belly.

Let me know if you're participating.  I'd love to have some MMM '13 love!

Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?

I had to share this blog post from a blog I randomly came across months ago. 

Now, I don't have a pressure-canning system so I can't can meat, but this is a great example of how great home canning can be!  And don't forget to read the comments.  Some are great!


Rural Revolution: How long will home-canned food last?: I was cleaning out my pantry a couple days ago when I came across some home-canned jars of meat: beef and ham, as well as lentil soup. No...

Cleaning Sophie

I do much of my best thinking in the shower--the same location where Little Man does most of his best playing.  This morning, I noticed that his bath toys were a little less than sparkling and I realized that a lot of people probably have NO idea how to clean their children's toys without potentially poisoning them.

Rubber, plastic toys:  You can either immerse and/or wipe down with a water and vinegar solution.  If you can handle it, I recommend using 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water and then either rinsing in wiping down with clean water.  For squeezy toys (rubber ducks, Sophie the giraffe, etc.) squeeze under the vinegar water to get some inside and then shake it around before squeezing the water out.  You may want to repeat that a few times.  Some funky stuff can grow inside those guys--especially the bath toys! 

Fabric, plush:  Spot clean with warm water.  If that doesn't work, try a little clarifying shampoo (nothing moisturizing!). Don't rub if at all possible, especially on the plush.  Pat dry and let sit until completely dry or it will look worse than when you started.

Stuffed Animals: If it's just general ick on the stuffed animals (great to do post-cold, too) get a big paper shopping bag (plastic works, too but not as well) dump in a hefty amount of baking soda (about a cup) on top of the toy, close it up (folds, tie, etc.) and then shake it.  And I mean SHAKE it.  For 30 seconds to a minute depending on how gross the toy is.  Remove from bag, shake and pat (outside or over a clean garbage pail is best) until you get all the excess off.

Just a note: I highly caution against using baby wipes for "cleaning".  A lot of them have moisturizers in them that can discolor plastics, stain fabric, and flatten pile on toys.

I'd love to hear how others clean their kids' toys. Any suggestions?

Cold Weather Makes me Want to Knit!

Next week we're leaving on a week and a half journey across the Great White North--and considering it'll be February I'm assuming that Canada will live up to its nickname.

Little man just turned one, just started walking, and and just lost his only pair of mittens.  So in preparation, I've been trying to find a pair of baby mittens at stores, online, in patterns, etc.  It's harder than you'd think to find a pair of mittens for a small toddler with thumbs!  As in impossible so far.  All the mittens with thumbs were for kids at least twice his size (2T-5T was the size), and his hand swam in them.

After quite a bit of internet searching, I found some knitting patterns for 12 months sizes and also discovered some really fun places with free knitting patterns!

The first I stumbled across was straw.com, which appears to be a yarn wholesaler named Crystal Palace, and has a HUGE library of both commissioned and user-created patterns for free.  Not all of their "indie patterns" are free, and none seem to have any user comments or updates on them directly, so one can't be sure how well they've been vetted.  But I guess what you pay for.

The mittens I'm considering making from their site are their Baby-Toddler Mittens.

The other site that I came across while looking for these mitten patterns is Pickles.no.  This Norwegian yarn artisan company has a TON of free patterns, and since the pattern section is made in a blog format, there are some comments about where users ran into any issues which the Pickles folks use to actually update their patterns.  From my browsing, most of the patterns are really fashionable and current, and since they're in Norway, you know they have to be warm!  I'm going to make the kindergarten mittens for Little Man, and if time permits this cute hat, sweater, and booties babykit for my best friend's own impending Little Man.

The Pickles site actually has an online store, too, so if you fall in love with some of their yarns, you can buy them immediately.  Just make sure you find the little British flag at the top right corner so that you you can actually tell what you're buying!

I'm going to make Little Man's mittens with an appropriate yarn that I already have in my stash--I'm not convinced that he needs to wear Merino wool yet.  I'm hoping to start them this weekend, so maybe I can post them next week!  Fingers crossed!

Knitted hat

I finished my first project that involved knitting in the round and I'm pretty proud of it. It turned out nicely, but I have to admit that the pattern wasn't the easiest to follow at the end, though.  I've got a bit of a conehead... Also, the band around the head is too loose (even after washing) on everyone. My plan is to remake it using smaller needles for the headband section during our long road trip to Canada in February, but we'll see if the little man cooperates with that plan...

So, for my first giveaway, I'm offering this hat for the masses.  Just follow my blog (button's at the right) and then leave a comment telling me whose big head this hat will keep warm this winter. I'll announce the winner after the new year.

Merry merry, all!

Venison Tenderloin Roast

I'm a lucky girl in many ways, but I am definitely lucky to have to step-father who shares the spoils of his hunting expeditions.  And last year, he got two deer, so there was a lot of sharing!

Since deer season is set to begin again in his area, I'm in a mad dash to finish all of the wonderful cuts of meat we got last year and this tenderloin is actually part of a larger roast I made into stew a few weeks back.  It was a small roast--maybe one pound tops--so it was perfect for a quick and yummy weeknight dinner for two.

Plus, once it was defrosted, it only took 10 minutes to prepare--start to finish! 

Pan-seared Venison Tenderloin
1 lb. tenderloin (whole)
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. cracked black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil

Heat a frying/sautee pan over high heat.  Add olive oil.

Pat dry tenderloin with paper towels, and evenly apply garlic, salt, and pepper.

Once the oil is shimmery and just starting to smoke, add the tenderloin.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side--probably 4 sides--for a rare center and medium rare ends.  It should be dark brown but not burnt.  Turn off heat and remove loin to carving surface and tent with foil to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving.

*You can use a similar preparation for a beef or pork tenderloin as well, if you finish it off in the oven since they are generally much larger than 1 lb.

Knitting in Round

A while back, I posted that I was planning to knit a hat.  After a few consultations with some of my knitting helpers and an Amazon purchase of double-sided needles, I started knitting. Now that I'm about halfway through, I wanted to share the lessons I've learned so far.

Before we get started, please keep in mind that this hat is my first attempt at a few things:
1. I'm knitting off of a chart for the first time
2. I'm knitting in the round for the first time
3. I'm knitting a hat for the first time (I've crocheted hats, but never knitted one)

When reading a chart, make sure you read the accompanying instructions.  I know this sounds incredibly obvious, but sometimes there are things written in the directions that affect how you use the chart (i.e. change of needles).

Make sure you read the chart from right to left--the opposite of the direction in which you are currently reading this post. Charts are put together in the direction (most) people knit, and I'm finding it really helpful in visualizing my project as I knit.

Another cool thing about the chart--it's very easy to keep tabs on how many stitches you're supposed to have, and that you've made the right stitch in the right place, too.  I'm really wondering why I haven't used charts before now and what I was so afraid of! 

Which leads me into my next learning curve topic:  When knitting in the round, MAKE SURE YOU DON'T LOSE ANY STITCHES off the ends of your needles.  I don't know if I just have a stick management issue or what, but I just about had a breakdown yesterday when I started my cabling work and lost about 2 stitches off the ends of each needle in the process.  In order to combat this (and the 30 minutes it took me to locate and re-attach each lost stitch), I "MacGuyver'd" it.

I put hair elastics over the stitches at the end of each needle so I can keep them on while working other needles.  It's a bit rudimentary, but I knit a few rows like this last night, and it seems to be working really well.


I've been making myself knit at least one row a night, so I will get this done by mid-January at the latest (40 rows to go!) though I'm thinking I should be able to finish before Christmas for sure.  Pictures will be posted of the final project for sure, so keep an eye out.

Any other knitting tips you'd like to share?