Erika's Crafts Corner

Knifty Knitting

2011-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I decided to try something new and different for me. A couple of weeks ago, I bought myself the Knifty Knitter Round Loom Series while on a trip to Hobby Lobby to get some more luscious Yarn. I started simple with a child's hat. It is worked on the red loom, with two strands of yarn held together. It's not that it is hard to do or even very complicated, but to me it seems to be easier just to knit regularly. I think I am also faster knitting on a round knitting needle or two regular needles. The other thing I noticed is that my hands seemed to hurt faster holding on to the loom. Now that might just be me, maybe because it was more awkward to me. Well Uncle Arthur is letting me know that I might not want to do that again anytime soon. But here is the finished product. What do you all think? Did it at least come out ok? I call it Mr. Halloween (haha so original).

It got a little to stretched on the stayre-head, but I didn't have a child's size. I also think now that I should have made the bottom border wider. Oh well, it was my first try after all.

My second project for the weekend was another scarf. Once again knitted with Deborah Norville Everyday soft worsted, color "Moss". It took two skeins.

The pictures were taken outdoors in front of my employers house. Don't you just love the deer? Well it made a good model for the scarf and the hat. Even Deer need to stay warm, right?

I also did a little browsing through this book: 400 Knitting stitches. There are some very beautiful stitches in this book, but to me some look very complicated. I plan on trying out a few of them in the near future. Wish me luck. I might improve my knitting skills yet.

Well for today I bit you all Farewell. See you next time!

Scarf Frenzy

2011-10-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am still here. Been working hard on finishing a bunch of projects (and I mean a Bunch of Projects). Not only did I have quite a few orders that needed finishing, but I also managed to sit down and sew in the ends of many items that have been put on the back-burner. I don't know about the rest of you, but sewing in strings is still and most likely always be, my least favorite thing to do. I can knit or crochet for hours, but sew in a string.....I make a big circle around it and avoid it like the pest. But as we all know, that if we want to ever show it off or maybe give it as a gift, we have to finish it. And this time I was determined and did it. Felt much better afterwards too. I had that feeling of satisfaction. You know that feeling don't you?

Seems I am still on a scarf kick. I think it has something to do with it getting cooler around here and more Fall-like. Got to be ready for the cold to come, as much as we might not like it to. Have a few more I need to finish. Maybe than I will move on to some shawls.....haha, what you think?

Here now what I have finished:

For now have a wonderful day and we will see each other again soon or so I hope!

Something New

2011-09-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Don't we all like something new for our homes? I think the answer will be a resounding YES. Well I am certainly one of them, even if it isn't anything big. For that reason I want to share my little something with you. Hope you like it as well!

Happy over the HUMP day to you all!

Just a little Note....

2011-09-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

Does anybody else share these inflictions????

German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)

2011-09-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since I don't seem to have much to share regarding my crafting front (except I did another 3 long rows on my giant granny), I thought I would share another German recipe with you all. Personally I could eat cucumbers any which way, but this is certainly one of my favorites. Since I live by myself, it is a quick snack that I can whip up in minutes. Luckily I had some nice gardening friends that shared some of their loot with me. Lucky girl I am, right? Well hope you try it sometimes.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber
1 teaspoon salt
1 /4 cup red onion strips (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh herbs chopped
such as dill, parsley or basil (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar, wine vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
2 - 3 tablespoons sugar *

*Splenda can be substituted to lower calories or carbs.

Directions:

This salad can truly become something that folks will comment on at a dinner and request over and over. It has been handed down from generation to generation in our family as a favorite. Also most major cuisines, be they German , French, Asian or Africa or South America , cucumber salad is a favorite. It adds a refreshing contrast to rich foods.

This recipe goes through some of the techniques to achieve two important things in marinated cucumber salad;

1.Crisp and Crunchy

The right crunchiness of the cucumber slices because as there is a natural enzyme in the cukes that breaks down the structure and it's activated when the cucumber is cut.

2. Tart and Sweet Refreshing Dressing

Keeping the dressing from being diluted by the water leeching out into it. I have often eaten bland cucumber salad because there is so much water in it, and it also leeches out and thins the dressing.

I find that if you take part of the skin off they are still very colorful but not as tough So I peel the cucumbers but skip a row as I go around the cucumber.

Slice the cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick. I find that if they are too thin they get soggy fast..

I use a channel cutter that makes nice groves. You can buy them at kitchen
tool stores.

A fork works nicely to make groves also , You can either peel the cucumber or leave it
unpeeled if you want.

If you have an older cucumber you can it in half , and then scoop out the tough seeds.

Then I cut in half and slice wedges.

Ok on to removing some of the moisture from the cucumbers and making them crisp.

The usual way to get water out of the cucumbers is to salt them and let them sit for awhile.

After 15 to 20 minutes you can see the board is soaked. The problem with this is that it is easy to over
wilt the cucumbers and they can become soggy. There is also an enzyme in the cucumbers that tends to break down the structure of the cucmbers that is activated when you cut them.

Cook's Illustrated Test Kitchen did a bit of research and found that you can put the slices between paper towels and let the water wick out of the cucumber. This is also a good way if you want a slat free cucumber salad. If you want you can salt these cukes just a bit and it will hasten the process.

You can see the wet paper towels after about 20 minutes even without salt.

This is the difference with salt and no salt. the one on the left is no salt and the one on the right has been salted. The same amount of slices, but the salt breaks them down much more.

I started out with half a cup of apple cider vinegar

I simmered it, NOT boil as this tends to dull the taste of the vinegar.

I reduced it by half , but 1 / 3 would have done just fine.

Then add the sugar

Add the oil

Add the onions and herbs if you want and taste. You can add salt and pepper if you want and let it sit
in the fridge a bit. I think you will be happy that the slices have a really great texture!

Just another Scarf

2011-09-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Good Morning my lovely Ladies! How are you all doing today?

Personally am doing well. Just love the current temperatures around here and am hoping they stick around for a while. It is so nice to just be able to open the windows and let the air blow through the house. It's so refreshing.

As I said yesterday, after looking at Pinterest and Craftsy I wanted to start a whole bunch of new stuff, but I've been good, so good and held back on my first instincts. So last night I went back to working on my Giant Granny Square. Right now I am on round 60 and I tell you, it is starting to go a lot slower. Just one round seems to take forever. But I promised myself I will do at least 90 rounds and therefor I will just be patient (not an easy thing for me) and continue trucking on. I WILL FINISH IT.......(speaking loud encouragement to myself).

Here now is the scarf I just finished, which was a special order. And with that the person who ordered it, got to model it for this post herself. How fun is that?

Ok, now on to doing a few more rounds today. Have a good one!

Pinterest and Craftsy

2011-09-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yessss, I spend hours roaming around Pinterest, as many of you probably have done so already. Just couldn't help myself. There are just to many beautiful things to gawk at and to admire. The other site I've been looking at is Craftsy, which made me gawk at even more things. I kept thinking, I want to make this and than of course that and so-on and so-on. When would I possibly find all the time that I would need to make even 1/8 of all those beautiful things. At this point I need to remind myself how many unfinished projects I still have and I know I need a reality check. Buuuttt I can look, can't I?

Ok here are a few of the things I really love:

Ok.....I really need to get busy and get back to what I am working on. Have lovely day my Friends! In the meantime check out those two sites and let me know what you think.

Tuesday Question

2011-09-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful morning, the temps are just right (for me anyway) and the sun is shining. What more could I want?

This is what I have been working on the last couple of nights. It's slow progress, as my eyes just don't want to see the smaller stitches, but I really like it so far.

Sorry.....a little out of focus

Now to my Tuesday Question: So far so good on the pattern. It came without scamatics, which I prefer, but just the written pattern. Up until now I understood what I was to do, but now the written pattern doesn't make sense to me anymore. What would you do at this point? Keep playing with it until you figure it out or would you make up your own pattern to make it fit, or maybe would you just leave it alone at that point? I am just really not sure would I should do. I think I would like it a little bit bigger. Your opinions would be appreciated!

See you all later,

Link-Up Monday

2011-09-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Seems like I am a day late, but as the saying goes, better late than never. I had wanted to post for 9/11, but didn't get a chance. So here a few pictures to the Memory of the Victims and their families. My continued prayers are with their families.

Last friday I baked some german bread and I must say it was absolutely delicious. I just love it slightly warm and with butter on it, or sometimes with swiss cheese and salami. Now doesn't that look good?

German Goulash Soup

2011-09-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Since we been having cooler weather in our neck of the woods over the last few days, it makes me think of making soups and other hearty dishes. This is one of my favorite comfort foods......Goulash Soup. My grandma would always make this soup in the fall and winter month. Hope you will enjoy this recipe as well.

2 lbs. Beef, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 oz. Tomato paste
1 tbsp. Caraway seed
Beef bouillon
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 c. Sour cream
2 med. Onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 lg. Potatoes, chopped
3 tbsp. Paprika
3 cans beef broth (may need more)
1/4 c. Flour

Brown onion until transparent. Add beef and brown on all sides. Add garlic, tomato paste and spices. Add broth and simmer 1 to 2 hours. Add peppers and potatoes and simmer 1 more hour. Add sour cream. Make a paste of flour and broth from soup and dilute slowly to prevent lumps. Add back to soup. Simmer to thicken and let the flavors blend, about 15 to 30 minutes. Makes 6 to 7 quarts.

Enjoy!!

Tuesday Question and a little Crochet

2011-09-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hallo all you lovely ladies out there! How was your Holiday weekend?

It's been a few days since I been here, as I worked and didn't have much time for much else. But I wasn't totally without my crocheting needle and worked on coasters for my house. I chose red, white and black to go with my Coca-Cola collection and they are made out of "I Love This Cotton" from Hobby Lobby. I made 4 from each color and still had most of the ball of yarn left for more in the future. Am thinking about making some potholders to go with it.

Today is a wonderful sunny and cool day. It makes me think of fall, warm colors, falling leaves and apple pie. A new season is near.

So with that in mind our Tuesday Question: Are you crocheting or knitting with the seasons coming up and are you all planning on projects for the holidays ahead? Do you make a list of things to make or with a person in mind?

2011-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon ladies. Hope your days is going well so far. Here we are having a beautiful late summer day, not to hot for a change. It's nice to be able to walk outside for a while and not break out in a sweat. And the last few evenings have been just right enough to go out, sit on the porch and enjoy the sounds of nature around. Been watching the hummingbirds come and go, and noticed that instead of 2 of them like I had for a while, there are suddenly a bunch of them, twittering around and arguing amongst themselves. The can be so feisty, don't let their size fool you. But I have enjoyed them all summer long and will miss them when they move on for the winter.

Yesterday, a friend of mine and I went to Hobby Lobby. A Treat, as you imagine. Personally I could just spend hours in that place, spend a fortune and never get enough. Does that happen to you? But ohhh shock, they already had isle and isles of Christmas stuff. How scary is that? Isn't it still August? And what happened to fall and Halloween? Are we skipping them this year? That would be a royal shame. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, it is my most favorite holiday of the year, but now already? It is getting earlier and earlier each year. Lets at least wait till the end of September or something. Well, as they say, it is just one persons opinion.

On the crocheting front.....I now made it to round 52 and I got to say it is taking longer and longer to make even one round. Not sure how many I will make total. I guess I will decide as I go along and see how big it is getting. How many rounds does the biggest one have in this crochet-a-long challenge? Have to see if I can find the answer.

For today I see Bye Bye. Have a lovely afternoon and we will see you again soon!

Trivet / Hot Pad

2011-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I took a little break from my Giant Granny. Every so often we need to do that if we are working on something bigger. Will continue working on it some more this evening while watching a movie or two, with my feet kicked up in the easy chair and doggies by my feet. Can it get better than that?

So last night than I crocheted this little Trivet I found in the last Crochet World Magazine. There are a few other things I am planning on making from this issue. So expect to see more coming up in the future. So what do you think? Personally love this color. It's pinkish/orange cotton yarn.

Giant Granny - Part #2

2011-08-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last night was so nice and quiet around here I did manage to actually crochet on the Giant Granny to round 30. Feeling mighty accomplished after that. Yay.....it always does feel good when something is moving ahead.

Have you all noticed the nights are starting to feel cooler.....oh happy days, or should I say nights. Will personally be so glad when this heat goes away some. I don't think I would want it to be quite Fall already, but I would really like to enjoy some outdoor time before it gets plum cold again. How you feel about that?

Giant Granny Square

2011-08-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yes my Friends, I am actually here a second time today. Hard to believe huh? Well I guess I am really getting back into the swing of things and getting back to enjoying creating something new. It's been missing a while, but I am glad that it is making a return.

Making a Giant Granny is nothing unusual around here at the moment as there was a crochet-along. Most of you have already finished theirs as I am jumping in at the back-end of it, but better late than never, right? So far this morning I have crocheted 10 rounds, not much but a beginning. Hopefully by this evening I will have doubled that. As it is a rainy day outside and I actually don't have that much to do today, that is a good possibility, if not more. Will keep you posted on my progress.

A little Something

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of nights I got to work on this little scarf, nothing fancy mind you, just a plain knitted one. But I did love the yarn I worked with. It's Plymouth Encore Colors, colorspun #7. It's a self striping yarn and I do love the way the colors came out on this one. I know I will use this yarn again in the future. I noticed, I seem to like the yarns that come from Turkey, as they always seem very soft, cuddly and easy to work with. Think I need a direct line to where they make these yarns, lol.

Thought I also show of my two little critters. The Yorkie is Gidget and the Shit-Zhu is Seffi. They really are good company.

Now you all have a good day.....Until next time.

Nook Cover

2011-08-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I managed to have a little hooky time. A few weeks ago I bought myself a NOOK color so it would be easier for me to read. Yes my eyeballs are getting terrible bad and the bigger the words on a page the better. The Nook had different reviews, some good and some not so good, but personally I love it. It gives me everything I was looking for and I am once again with my nose deep into the book world. But I decided I wanted a cover for my tablet and so last night I came up with this little cover. Mind you it is nothing fancy, but for now it serves its purpose. After finishing it I decided that I need to make another one in the future, one that has more protection in the front for the screen. So I will go back to the drawing board and figure out what I can do better the next time.

So what do you think of my little cover?

So now I hope you all have a great weekend. Enjoy!!

A litte Scarf

2011-08-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hallo my lovely ladies, hope you are all having a wonderful day so far.

Over the last three days I worked on a little shawl, which I think turned out pretty nice, even if I do say so myself. As knitting is not my first love, it always seems to take me longer to complete a project. But lately I have been wanting to get those knitting needles between my fingers and to learn new fancier stitches and to find out more about lace knitting. Now mind you, the scarf that I just finished has no fancy stitches involved, only a yarn over at the edges, but it is a start, don't you think?

Well here is the finished product:

Crafting Mojo

2011-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yes.....I am actually here. Hard to believe huh? The last time I was here was in May and I know that is just way to long not to post. But sadly I have to admit that I seemed I had lost my crafting mojo for some time. Part of it I think was because my life just got way to busy and at the end of the day I just couldn't sit down and crochet or knit because I was just to tired. Things are still kind of hectic but they also seem to be getting better. I feel the crafting itch coming back, slowly but surely. Have you ever been in this spot, not wanting to pursue your otherwise favorite thing in the world? Well hopefully the feeling will stay and I can find my way around slowly once again. I want you all to know so, that I have been reading your lovely posts and enjoyed them very much. So Friends, Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope to see you all again often.

So here is my first project starting up again. I love this little hat and it didn't take very long from start to finish. I used Jaeger Ascot yarn, about 75g. Got to say I loved working with this yarn. It is soft and it stretches well.

Hope you like my little hat, as I will surely enjoy it this coming winter.

For now I bit you all farewell and hope you have a great day!

A Quick Hallo

2011-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today just a quick Hallo as my day turned out busier as anticipated, but that's alright as I enjoyed it very much. I got to spend the morning with a friend in her gardens. We sat in the beautiful sunshine, watching the butterflies and birds, listening to the frogs doing their little song and of course enjoying the wonderful flowers making their appearance to the new world. The coffee wasn't bad either.

I did managed to work on a little project today. I had some old picture frames and I am trying to turn them into something that fits into my current theme of my household. Well here is the first one that was dry enough to hang up. What do you think?

Before

After

Hanging on the wall....Had planned on putting a picture in it, but my sometimers set in and I couldn't find the cord to the printer. so that will have to wait for another time.

I am not sure why my pictures are not turning out very good lately. I know one of the problems is the lighting in my house, but maybe it is also the camera I am using. I am thinking I would like a little better one. But than again it might just be the operator, lol.

Here are a couple more bad pictures of the other project I told you I was working on. I have just bought the bedspread for my guestroom. It's very colorful, but that is not showing up very good on these pictures. Now I am making a few granny square pillows to go with it. Maybe one in stripes as well. Also thinking about adding some little flowers for accent. Will try and get better pictures when they are finished. As I am spending the whole upcoming weekend with my patient, I am planning on finishing them and also going back on working on my afghan. Hope to show you more soon.

Well, will see you all later.....Bye for now!

A few good Tips

2011-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few good tips:

A good way to clean steel crochet hooks is to soak them in rubbing alcohol from time to time and dry them with a soft cloth. They'll sparkle and give you a better and smoother stitching experience.

Kids are bound to get stains on those handmade items. For grass stains, apply ammonia and hydrogen peroxide alternately, followed by a cold water rinse. Just remember to do it as fast as possible.

Use a shoebox for your knitting and crochet yarn on trips. You can easily cut holes to feed the yarn without getting tangled. Works well at home also.

Keep a creative album of all your works, including pictures, yarn used, patterns and everything else that was important to your project. It's nice to have a record later.

Recycle old Preserve Jars for needles and pins or any other small objects you use for your daily crafting.

New Addition

2011-05-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Good Morning my Dear Friends. Hope you are all doing quite well!

We finally have a gorgeous day around here, with plenty of sunshine. Yeah, we are just plain happy about that. Hope we can dry up just a little to go do some digging in the yard. So ready to get my hands dirty, and my Tomatoe plants are waiting to be set out.

This morning I had planned to show you some of the work I did while waiting out the Tornadoes, but I must have been dingy or something, because when I tried to download the pictures of my camera, they were nowhere to be found. Yuk, don't know what happened there. Now I will have to retake them, but my little project is at my patients house and I am at mine. So I will have to retake them this evening when I go back. Sorryyyy.

But I am so Happy this morning. I got to buy myself a Sewing Machine, finally. You all don't know how badly I wanted one. I finally saved enough and here it is.

I am so excited. Already have fabric for curtains for my apartment ready to go. Looking so forward to finally being able to sew all the things I have dreamed off. So pretty soon I will share not only Crochet with you, but also some sewing. There are also a few ladies around here who quilt and I am planning on joining them to finally make my own first quilt. Did I say I was excited?

Finally I thought, since I couldn't show you what I have made, that I would show you a few pictures of my still unfinished appartment and my little coke collection. A lot of things are still looking for a place to go and I will add some storage containers as I go along, but I have a good start. I guess the fun of a new place is that you can start over with new design, new colors, etc. Will share more with you in the future.

This closet will have built-in shelves soon for all my containers of yarn and fabric.

Some Craft Containers

My new shelves for my collection and some of my many books.

Coca-Cola Collection

My office / Guest Room / Craft Room

In this room there is still a lot of work to be done.

Next week I will get my desk / sewing machine table and bookshelves

built in. Can't wait!

Now that's it from me from today and thank you all for stopping by to my little world. Have a great day!

What a week

2011-05-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Wow what an eventful week. But first I would like to say Good Morning and wishing you all a good upcoming week. How was your weekend? Did you all get any crafting done?

Here in my neck of the woods it continues to rain and I will be so glad when that is done with. It feels more like fall with these temperatures and all this wet weather. But lets look on the bright side, they say " April Showers bring May flowers". Well ok than, lets get started, because I would sure love to see some beautiful flowers and would also like to get new flowers set out and the veggies planted in the big garden.

Well last week we went back to Alabama to pick up my stuff that I have still in storage there. Sorry to say we came back empty handed due to the Tornado's that hit the area hard. We did get to witness it all and it wasn't a pretty site. Here a few images of what we saw:

The above pictures is after, when we had to stand in a long line for gas. We got lucky after 3 hours to get enough to leave Cullman to head home.

Arriving home, we were surrounded by flooding, including some main traveled roads. The town of Pocahontas was under water, only the roof showing from the local Wal-Mart.

Needless to say we will be very glad when things get back to normal arround here as well. I had a call from Alabama, where at least some of the areas once again have power and are able to get the food they need. I keep thinking about all those poor people in Tuscaloosa, who have lost so much and will have years of rebuilding. They need a lot of help and many volunteers.

Tomorrow I will return with some crafting news, because as bad as it was, as long as we had daylight we got to do a little crocheting. For now I will say Good Night and see you soon.

"Happy, Hoppety Easter"

2011-04-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hope you have an Easter holiday that turns out egg-xactly the way you want.

Hip hop, hippety hop
My “Easter Bunny” went off to the shop,
He bought me an egg and lots of chocs
And packed them into a cardboard box.
Then he wrapped it with paper and shiny string
It really was such a pretty thing.
Disaster struck when I opened the door-
He slid across the parquet floor,
He went round the corner and past the stairs
And finished up in a pile of chairs.
Of the Easter goodies not a trace,
He’d thrown them into my fireplace!
So a warning before you go opening doors
Make sure your “Bunny” has non-slip paws!

Tuesday Question and a Crafty Update

2011-04-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hallo my Dear Friends,

Hope this Tuesday morning finds you well.

Over the last weekend I did manage to get quite a bit done on my new afghan and it has cheered me up that I have had a little more time to do so. Can't wait to finish it and display it in my new apartment. Which reminds me, I need to take some pictures of it to share, so you can see why I am going with these colors.

I did finish the pillow as well, but can you believe it, I totally forgot to take pictures and have to wait for a better time with better light.

Here now what I have finished:

First one.....

Than Two.....

Than Three.....

Than Four.....

Than Five......

Five squares across and Seven squares long. Here another view:

After that I started to add the black round and have most of them done. Than three more rows of white around and putting them together. Progress.....how exciting! Really am looking forward to finishing this one.

Here now to the Tuesday Question, which is related to my current project:

I have made many striped afghans, but have never made a granny square one. Hard to believe, huh? Ok, when having to block such a big piece, what is the best way to do so? Is it best to do it one stripe at a time or do I block the whole piece at one time? Hope somebody can send me an answer. Thanks!

Well that is it from my neck of the woods for today. Hope you all have a wonderful day.