Whimsical Hats: Part 4

  February Hatathon 2026 has come to a close!!

California - 29/26

• MinnieMay9 - 9/6

• tangodancer - 6/6

• LisaDP - 3/4

• majmlj - 5/4

• lizcf59 - 3/4

• landandwater - 2/2

• suchahappyknitter - 1 (last minute member)

Pattern: Jingle Jester Hat by me - Yarn: Baby Bee Sweet Delight Prints in 324 Sprinkles - Hook: 4.5mm

  I was able to get one more hat done for the hatathon when I was at my Saturday group on the 28th.  Everyone loved it and requested to see it on Miss Spud.  I made it sized for her on purpose, I just wish I could convince her to wear hats.  I was able to distract her with raspberries and the fact that it jingled long enough to get a few pictures.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I even have some charts made, but I want to keep messing with it a bit more before I put anything out there.

  I was trying to see if I could make the pattern easier.  A two row repeat is a lot easier to keep track of than a 6 row.  Though you could also say it is a simultaneous two and three row repeat happening respectively.  However, the shorter half-double crochets changed the angle of the increases, and I didn't like it as much.

Faux Black Caviar, made based off what you have:

Everything:

• 2 tbsp chia seeds 

• 2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil works as well)

• 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

• 3 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp kelp powder or 2 sheets of nori blended into a powder

 

Mix together and let sit at least 4 hours

No Kelp/Seaweed:

• 2 tbsp chia seeds 

• 2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil works as well)

• 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

• 2 tbsp water

 

Mix together and let sit at least 4 hours

No Oil:

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

• 3 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp kelp powder or 2 sheets of nori blended into a powder*

 

Mix together and let sit at least 4 hours

 

Pattern: Jingle Jester Hat by me - Yarn: Baby Bee Sweet Delight Prints in 324 Sprinkles - Hook: 4.5mm

  Since I got the urge to publish the pattern, I knew I had to finish this one so I could include the granny cluster option.  It makes the pattern easier since wedges 2, 3, 5, and 6 are the same for every row.  For an even number of rows, it actually ends up the same size as the more solid option.  I wanted to make a pony-bead star to show some other fun options for ear/horn decorations.  Getting them attached was an adventure.  I didn't want to buy jump rings I wouldn't use for anything else, so I went looking for what I have.  I still haven't found the package that Blue Moon had sent me.  I also thought of the chainmaille supplies I have but also can't find.  I have some random rings from bracelets I've made and a scalemaille flower kit that is also hiding.  The funny thing is that I remember finding the flower kit when looking for other things so many times.  I tried the keychain sets I got, but the ring was a tiny bit too small.  I ended up using two eye pins and wrapping the wire myself.  My round nose pliers were too small, but I made it work.

  Since I'm done with this hatathon, I'm back to working on my Radiata.  It's big enough that I both love how long the sections are and also getting impatient with them.  It wouldn't be as much of an issue if I didn't have to work around Spud's nap time.  I know she would love to help me with the project, but she's not quite coordinated enough to not make it more work in the end.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 10 (0)
Yarn Out: 11 (0)

Total: -1

Dip Recipes

  On our last trip into DC to pick up one of Bill's orders, I spotted something interesting.  I saw someone had taken one of those small standing electric scooters and attached two crates to it.  He was sitting on them and had his feet delicately sitting on the front.

Tandoori Greek Yogurt Dip:

2-3 garlic cloves, or 1/2 tsp granulated 

1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1-3 teaspoons garam masala spice (start with 1)

1.5 cups plain Greek Yogurt

Optional: 1/4 c lemon juice

  Combine all ingredients.  Can be eaten right away but will taste better if it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours to overnight.

Loops & Threads Baby Delight in Daydream - random white

  I've been wondering what to do with these fancy buttons for a while.  I didn't think they matched each other enough to go on a garment.  I didn't think the profile was interesting enough to go on a Worry Worm, so they sat for a while.  I had an idea to try and add them to the octopi.  I think that worked out perfectly.  In case you want to add some fancy buttons to yours, here's how I did it: button on stitch 4 or 10 of row 2, and eyes on stitches 9 & 13 of row 4.

Easy Pesto Yogurt Dip:

1 packet of Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix 

1 cup plain Greek style Yogurt

  Combine all ingredients.  Can be eaten right away but will taste better if it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours to overnight.

  I didn't think it would, but apparently brand of yogurt makes a difference.  The Wegmans Greek yogurt is very thick, like sour cream, while the Lucerne brand is more like a cup of flavored yogurt you would have in the morning.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 21 (0)
Yarn Out: 32 (0)

Total: -11

More Mazes and Pumpkins

Pattern: aMAZEing Dice Hat by Wyvern Knits - Size: D - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Bone and Yarn Bee Soft Secret in Navy - Needle: US 4

  I have been really liking the results I've been getting from the aMAZEing Dice Hat, but I was wondering if I could make the top seem flatter, so it would be easier to see if you can solve the maze.  I thought that working it from the top down might fix that.

  I worked the crown chart from the top down, but worked the rest of the charts from the bottom up.  I skipped the first two rows on the charts used for the first ones of the body since the last rows of the crown are main color rows.  I know I could have probably worked all the charts from the top down, but I didn't want to make it even more confusing than I already have with everything else going on.  I then added back the two main color rows before the ribbing.

Rolls I got for this hat: worked ~> and \/

  Chart number w/row for wraps for 12th row

  Crown w/17
2 w/4 - 6 w/6 - 5 w/6 - 5 w/12 - 2 w/8
5 w/2 - 2 w/12 - 2 w/6 - 6 w/6 - 6 w/2
3 w/2 - 3 w/2 - 6 w/8 - 4 w/4 - 5 w/2

1 w/12 - 5 w/8 - 5 w/8 - 2 w/2 - 1 w/2

6        - 5         - 6         - 4        - 4    
  Brim

  I used a M1L to do the increases.  They were pretty tight but I like how they looked.  I think I might try a yarn-over and knit it through the back loop on the next try.

  I also had to fudge the top because I was going to do size B, but didn't notice that I started with size US 4 needles and not the US 6 needles I had planned to use, so it was coming out pretty small.  I know I could have restarted it, but I really liked how the fabric of the hat was turning out.  I just added a few more rows from size D to the bottom to make it bigger.

  The brim also wants to flip, and I'm wondering if that is because I used the wrong size needle.  It might not do that if I had actually used the 6s for the body and 4s for the ribbing.

  I went back and tried to go to the post about The Best Damn Pumpkin Soup and found that the page no longer exists!  I used TheWayBackMachine and was able to get the recipe.  Since I had trouble finding it, I figured I would share it here.  I'm not going to put the entire post here, just the parts that matter to what I use.  Though to be fair, I usually use a smaller pumpkin and whatever soup ingredients I have on hand.  I also tend to eat it right out of the pumpkin instead of putting it into bowls.

The Best Damn Pumpkin Soup

Erin McDowell

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

One 3- to 4-pound cheese pumpkin

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 leek, halved and thinly sliced

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Using a paring knife, cut a tapered circle around the stem of the pumpkin (as if you were making a jack-o’-lantern). Remove the top of the pumpkin and trim any stringy bits. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds with a spoon and discard (or save, if desired).

3. Place the rosemary, thyme and sliced leek in the cavity of the pumpkin. Pour in the chicken stock and season with black pepper. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, then replace the top of the pumpkin.

4. Transfer the whole pumpkin to the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until the exterior of the pumpkin is golden brown and shiny, and the flesh inside is very tender, 1½ to 2 hours. (If the exterior is browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.)

5. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and take off the top. To serve the soup, scoop several spoonfuls of pumpkin flesh from the inside, place in a bowl and top with a ladleful of broth. Finish with more pepper and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

  We did Christmas at the cabin this year.  It is the first Christmas where Tank got to be with us for opening presents.  In past years we have gone to my parent's house and came back once we were done with presents and food.  Since we weren't going to be down for a long while, my mom decorated one of our outside trees and then we just had a live stream of a tree on the TV to put the presents under.  I was worried that Tank's bright orange harness wasn't going to fit, but it does, even though the part around his neck isn't adjustable.  I like this new tradition.

  My mom and I also made a drop-off of mostly hats at Lebanon Springs House Ministries.  They were very impressed by the items we brought them.  We also all sat down and had some tea and just chatted.  They are very nice and it was great to actually meet them.

Experiments and Katsucon

   I had a no bones day (A “bones day” means it's going to be a productive day) and I was all out of spoons (Spoon theory is a metaphor that is used to describe the amount of mental or physical energy a person has available for daily activities and tasks), so I decided to experiment a little.  All the clear glitter beads would have hard time showing up against the yarn for Worry Worms.  I didn't want to rule them out entirely though.  The light-colored transparent beads may also have the same problem.  I wasn't sure what paint would work best, so I figured I'd start with nail polish.  I'm worried that acrylic paint might not stick to the plastic and just peel off.

Pattern: Woven Lattice Hat - Yarn: unknown - Needle: US 8

  We got to Katsucon later in the day on Friday.  The at-the-door badge line was a lot shorter than the pre-registration line.  There were no panels we wanted to go to at the time, so we wondered around for a bit.  We saw some people we knew but everyone was heading somewhere.  We then headed back to the room where I finished the hat.

  Saturday was a blur of fun.  There were people yelling and slamming doors the night before, so I had a hard time falling asleep.  Bill was unaffected by these people.  The outfit I wanted to wear didn't fit because of the pandemic-pounds I have put on, so I just wore the fun t-shirt I brought with some leggings.

  We went to Bobby Mackey's Dueling Piano Bar for lunch.  I got the Katsu-Curry and it was really good.  Most of the rest of the day was spent going to some group photoshoots, wondered the hall to look at costumes, and we also bought some stuff in the dealer's room.  Dinner was with Jim and we had some good beers.

  I started to get a headache, so I didn't go to the J-Fashion show.  I was tempted to not go to the Lolita Roast and Toast either, but I went anyway.  I was so glad I went.  It was so funny and some of those dresses are very "interesting".  It needed to be a much longer panel because everyone was having such a great time making fun of the dresses.

  Sunday was a quick stop off in the Artist's Alley before a Critical Role group shoot.  I ate chicken fingers on the way home.

  For me, the After-Con blues can very real sometimes.  I have found that the best way to deal with that is to have fun things at home.  For lunch on Monday I made some really good butternut squash.

Butternut squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and cinnamon

The slices are coated in the olive oil and the spices are just sprinkled over the top on both sides 

Baked for 40 minutes at 400°

  I also looked into some really cute crochet patterns:

• Dumbo Octopus Amigurumi Pattern

• Mini Ami-Octopus

• Scraptacular Cat Amigurumi

   Also, for anyone who likes numbers: Happy 2/22/22 on a Tuesdays! (Twosday)

Happy Turkey Day!

Or for anyone who doesn't celebrate it: Happy Thursday!
For the NaNoWriMoers:  Only four days left!!!!

As you have probably read on here about a million times, I am feeling like my charity stuff has been suffering this month.  I would like to claim that my other blog is suffering too, but it has been suffering for a few months, so that's all me.  I have a new goal for next month and that will be to finally finish some of my projects that have been sitting around waiting for me to add that last step to them.  Some sort of ending the year and ending projects kind of tie in.  Everyone likes a good theme.

I also still plan on trying to do my work 50,000 stitches in one month in January.  I don't want any finishing work on old projects to get in the way of my goal.  It will be also very interesting because I will be working on some stuff for myself during that month in preparation for Katsucon the following month.  It will be happening over the Valentine's Day weekend, so I have something heart themed planned.  Yay for themes!

I still need to weight my owl mitts and get the last two bits of info onto my pattern file so I can get that put up.  I think I will see if I few people from one of my knitting groups wants to test knit for me.  I'm also still thinking of making a chart for the owl section, but I am still not sure about that.

In case anyone was wondering what to get me for *whatever winter holiday you want* this year, here is a hint.  I think it is a pretty awesome idea.  I was even surprised to find that I am not too far away from them. Only a bit more than a three hour drive.  This seems like an awesome idea because you get all the joys of owning your own sheep without all the hassle of having to clean-up after them.
I don't see them now, but I think they used to have pictures of the sheep so you could browse and see when one you might want would be available.  There was one I saw with a spot over one eye and I just loved her.  I wanted her but The Hubby didn't get me her last year.
They also have piglets for take-home-adoption.  I will be the first to admit that I want some very odd pets.  A pet pig is on my list.  Pigs are just so dang smart.  I think it would be fun to own one of them, even if they grow up to be one of those giant piggies.  The closest I can get are Guinea Pigs, which are also awesome pets, but not the same.
I've also wanted a pet cow too.  I love how soft their noses are.  I think I need to move to a small farm.  That way I would be able to own all of the creatures I want.  Most of these I can't own in my house because it isn't rated for agriculture.
Another odd pet I have always wanted was a skunk.  I just love their little waddly walk.  Though according to Skunks as Pets, it seems that is is illegal for me to own a skunk. Boo!

List of adoptable sheep sites: there are probably a lot more but here are the ones I look at.

• Owens Farm
• Woolly Manor
• Quaker Hill Farm
• Shepherd's Way Farm

Since I get so distracted so easily, I have found a few more knitting blogs that look interesting.

• Knitting to Stay Sane has some fun free patterns.
• The Left-Handed Crafter, I found because of this post.  I just love the colors.
• jiki knits has a very calming design.
• Karen's Krafts and Other Krap's name made me laugh so very hard.
• Bubble Gum for the Brain, I was not expecting this to have any knitting on it.  Surprise!

Since I like having pictures in each of my posts, here is a random one.  This little guy started out as three dimensional until he met me.  I put him in my cargo pocket and I figured he would be okay since the last time I did that the snowman stayed dimensional.  Well, I think I sat on this one or something because he is barely past being two dimensional.  Poor little dude.  At least I know he will still be tasty since he was made from Lindt.

So many pictures!

I was working on making my Owl Mitts into a sellable pattern when I noticed something odd I did.  Instead of calling the file "Owl Mitts" I saved it as "Bunny Mitts."  I also called the folder I put all the files I need Bunny Mitts as well.  Think I'm trying to tell myself something?  I think I need to try and design some bunny mitts to go with my owl mitts.
I'm also wondering if I should have some pattern testers try it out first or not.  I think I might put a shout out on Ravelry or something.

Oatmeal Update:  It was pretty perfect now.  I even microwaved it some to heat it up before eating.  Some of the blueberries became too warm and popped opened.  So the whole thing was super good and just the right amount of sweetness for me.

Pint Sized Overnight Oatmeal

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt (can use non-dairy)
2 tsp honey powder or sweetener of choice
1/2 cup Almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
fruit of choice 
Pint sized mason jars

Directions:

1. Mix together the yogurt, milk, and honey powder.
2. Add to that the chia seeds and oatmeal, stir to combine.
3. Add fruit to the top.  I usually try and fill the rest of the jar, it makes it a bit harder to stir together when ready to eat.
4. Let sit in refrigerator over night to let the oats and chia seeds soften.
5. Oatmeal can be eaten cold, room temperature, or after being warmed in the microwave.

I'm just going to warn you know that the rest of this post is going to be super pic heavy.

I didn't plan on making them so soon.

I got the owls done.  Not that it took very long and I technically got them done yesterday.  I was just on a roll and didn't want to stop.  I also had some Project Runway to watch and didn't want to get up to update the post from yesterday.  I was a bit worried about the fact that these and the Manly Mitts had the same number of stitches, so I had the Hubby try them on and they fit his big man hands.

This is about how far I have gotten.  Here are some of the changes I have done so far for the right mitt:

• added a Vikkel braid like I had planned after 14 rows for the cuff
• I worked on repeat plain before I started increasing for the thumb
• I started the thumb increases on the second knit of the first k2 column of the 2x2 rib
• I didn't increase to the 17 stitches for the thumb because I plan on picking up more stitches

I didn't change too much.  I'm trying to decide if I should add another braid before I go back to the 1x1 ribbing at the top.  I probably will.  The tentative plans I have for the left mitt have the same start but with the 2x2 rib being on the first needle and I was thinking of mirroring the chart so that way they match a bit more.  The thumb increases will probably be on the first knit stitch of the last column of the 2x2 rib.  If any of this confuses you I am thinking of making a more detailed list of the things I changed once I finish the pair.

Things in jars! Also more talk about fingerless mitts.

I thought I had decided what pattern I was going to use for my next mitts, but something I read on another blog has changed my mind.  I have been working on catching up on reading AmpuTeeHee and stumbled upon this post.  That braid is adorable!  I know man-mitts and adorable don't really go together, but I feel out of a manlier color they could add a fun dividing point between pattern bits.  Does this mean I have found a new pattern to make?  Not really.  That was going to be one of my goals for today.  I'm feeling these Manly Mitts, even though it would make it a bit more of a hit or miss if they fit or not.  I could also just do the diamond pattern on the back and the ribbing on the palm side to help with that.

My other plans for today are to weave in my ends on my owl mitts, maybe try formatting the pattern some, and to get started on the man mitts.  I am thinking of selling my owl mitts pattern for a few dollars to help fund the blog.  I know I don't pay for hosting, but if I make enough I might be able to quit my day job and make charity crafting my new day job.  Think of how many more people would get warm things if that happened.  I also wouldn't have to worry about organizing my yarn as much because I could just knit it up.  I would also have more time to spend spoiling the kitty.

*knock knock* Oh, you don't want to come in.

My neighbors have been having some stuff redone in their house, so the sounds of construction in the morning aren't too odd.  This morning it sounded oddly close though.  At one point I thought I heard someone knock on my door.
I went to a window and saw someone on a ladder with a guy right near my window.  Before anyone worries about me, he was banging on my front porch awning/balcony/thingy.  I had called and got a few quotes for it to be repaired and last week picked someone.  Turns out they are starting this morning.

 I had meant to get a good 'before' picture of what it looked like.  I totally forgot to do that.  I had thought I was going to get a call before they came out to figure when to start.  Seems I got a text message telling me they were on their way.  Oh well.  This gives you a better idea of how bad it was getting under the layer of paint.  The corner closest to us was just a hole.  At one point a bird had made her nest there.  You can also see the cute little weed growing out of my gutter... they are here to take care of that too.
Now we have not talked about what I want in it's place, but I'm hoping that when I said I just want to replace it that they will just make a new one that is very similar.  My main concern is that they keep the brick work at the bottom, I really like that part.  When I was talking to him before, it made it sound like we are just replacing all the wood bits.  There are some details in there that I like, but if I don't have them after this, it won't break my heart or anything.  At least, I don't think it will, I sometimes get overly attached to things.  Also, it would not match the other white long bits on my house.

From bunnies to pumpkins!

I finished them!  Here is one of the crochet fingerless mitts I was working on.  I tried to take a picture of both of them on, but my blue rope bracelet on my left arm didn't let the crochet go over it, so it looked odd and like it was trying to come off of my hand.

 I told you before about how my mom got a bunch of pumpkins for free.  Here is a small gallery of the decorative ones she found and I fell in love with.  I know they won't last forever, so if I share them here, we can enjoy them forever.
I got lots of odd looks from the guys working on the neighbor's house while doing this.  I'm okay with that.  I got an odd look from one of them before when I wanted to leave my house and asked them to move the toilet tanks they had sitting in the path of my driveway.  I could live without the guy smoking on their front porch as much.

I didn't want there to be a ton of pictures, like when I did the Luray Caverns thing, so I played with gif maker to condense things a little.  I set them to change every seven seconds so you would have enough time to look at each one.

This is my favorite one.  It looks like an elegant swan.  Everything about it is awesome, the dark steam to the wide ridges.

 I like this one because of all the fun colors.  It is like someone was painting it and just dipped its little bottom in some green paint.  They then added some white lines to make it more exciting, or even wiped away the paint to reveal the white below.

Watermelon pumpkin!  Okay, so it is a watermelon gourde.  It mixes both summer and fall.

The sun kept going in and out, so that is why most of these were so bright.  I like this one because it looks like someone got bored when painting it.  The bumps are also pretty cute on it.

The mini pumpkins are just super classic.  There is only one picture of them, so that is why it isn't moving.
They look like every picture of pumpkins you see, but they are easy to lift and you can put them everywhere in the house.  They are also nice to give a display or centerpiece a few different sizes and textures.

There is something about the white mini pumpkins.  They have the nice shape of the orange small pumpkins, but more unique.  There is something almost fake looking about them.  This poor little guy had a moldy spot on his side, so I only got one good pic.

From the state of a few of these I feel like today is going to be filled with a lot of pumpkin roasting.  Luckily I got a good tip on how to get it done:

First, I cut the big pumpkin in half, then baked them 1 at a time in a 375
degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

When the pumpkin cooled down a bit, it was easy to cut into big chunks and
placed into a baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven preheated at 500
degrees. The skin almost just peeled off.

This also means I bunch of pumpkin seeds for me to snack on!  I love those little guys.

I substituted white onion for the leek it called for since I needed it for something I am making later today.  It also got a little foil hat because the top was starting to go bad and I didn't think it was a good idea to put it back on in the shape it was in.

Here is the end result.  It took only about one and a half cups of broth to fill it.  I baked it for about an hour and a half.  It was soooooo good.  The Parmesan at the end made it perfect.
I will be honest and will admit that I ate it before it was cool enough to not burn my mouth and I was really tempted to bake the other one on the spot.

Where did the sun go?

I had some cute pictures planned for today, but don't worry, you will get to see them.  I had grand picture taking plans, but before I knew it the sun had set.  I had to finish some of the errands I forgot to add to my to-do list last night, and getting sucked into the Sims didn't help either.
I'm also making some progress on the fingerless mitts.  I thought I wanted to add one stitch per row for four rows, but turns out I really want to add 2.  I might have also wanted to add a plain row between, but I'm going to be doing some plain rows and we shall see if it looks pretty cool.  I am pretty proud that I figured out how to make it so that the beginning of row doesn't keep moving.  There is a bit of a spiral, but if I tug on it a bit they tend to line-up.
The one thing that makes me not a huge fan of crocheted fingerless mitts is the fact that crochet has so much stability.  It can be an awesome thing when used correctly.  Amigurumi and other toys are prefect uses for crochet's stability.  It can also use used for nice and lacy things that don't snag as easily.  With knitting, if a loop in lace gets snagged and pulled, you have to spend a while trying to fix it.  With crochet the stitches are locked within themselves, so they are harder to disrupt.
I feel like knitting is a bit better for things made for someone you don't know.  That way if it is a little snug, it can stretch out some and fit better.  I know there are a lot of hands out there and these will probably fit someone, but I'm still a bit worried.

It's coming-up bunnies!

I seem to have bunnies on the brain.  I also have pumpkins on the brain too.  This bunny is only about 95% complete though.  He still needs a little tail but I'm going to have to see if I have any white wool yarn to make a little felted one.  I know I have some wool blend yarn but that doesn't felt.  I used this tutorial to make him: Knitted Bunnies
The bunny is what I got the ring for.  It seems that I made the bunny too big for a one inch ring base though.  It just kind of got lost in there.  I pulled it out and I am going to try again on a smaller one.  Though before you point out that the pumpkin I showed before is fairly large so it would be no wonder this guy is too big, that is a new pumpkin.  My mom went to a few of the stands after Halloween and got a bunch of free pumpkins.  This means that I got a bunch too.  This pumpkin will become The Perfect Pumpkin Soup at some point this week.  There is even a video you can watch on how it is done.  I'm excited because there isn't as many steps as their usually is when making pumpkin soup from a raw pumpkin.  There is even a cheesy option that I might try with another one.  I found some sweet ones too, but I can get lots of sweet pumpkin things all over the place, it is harder to find any savory things.

I was just super distracted.  I wanted to do some research on different ways to combine beads and chainmaille.  Two things I love to do all in one place.  I was going to do a quick search... 20 minutes later.  Though the research does have something to do with this blog.  I had planned, back before I had typed a single word, that I would also have a charity Etsy account.  When (not if) the blog got big enough it would give a way for people to be able to donate money to me and also get something nice as well.  Like when you call in to a telethon and you get a tote bag, only better.  The best thing for these would be to find things that are both lovely and quick to make.  That way I wouldn't be taking too much time away from knitting/crochet/sewing items to donate.  While I am not to that point yet, it is just a matter of time.

It follows the same idea.

Today will be blocking day!  Yay!  Though this sounds like a lot more will get done than probably will.  It doesn't help me that I only have one dedicated blocking spot and a few large things to block.  We will try and make this work.

I have watched this video about Korean Shabu Shabu a ton of times, it helps they are both funny and adorable together.  Each time I see it I not only think it is a very good idea, but I also get very hungry.  You use all the broth but don't have just one type of food.   I always feel like the broth part of your meal at The Melting Pot is always wasted.  You cook things in it, make it more interesting, then they take it away.

So I am going to do my own version on Shabu Shabu/Hot Pot!  It is not going to be me trying to replicate what I saw, but more use what I saw as guild line.

I first made the rice and set that off to the side since I will be using the same pot again.  Do you like my rice holding bowl?

I then made broth and heated it.  I don't have any thinly sliced beef, but I do have some bacon that is getting old and needed to be used up.  They also had some veggies, so I threw in dried shiitake mushrooms.

While I did not have thick noodles like they had, I had a package of Ramen.  I did not use the seasoning packet because I knew that the broth base and the bacon would have made the broth salty enough and I didn't have to add to it.  I added some spinach at the end so it would wilt a little but not become bitter.
In the picture is also the beginning of a shawl.  It only has one stitch marker at this point because I thought I had two on me when I started it at the K&CC meeting yesterday but turns out I only had one.

I then added the raw egg and rice and stirred to let it all cook together.  Mine did not get as thick as theirs, but looking back on the video it seems I had more broth left than they did.  I didn't put a lot of it into my noodles when I ate them.  Next time I know I can share more of the broth with the noodles.

For anyone who wants something like a recipe ingredient list, here is what I used:

• 2 c water
• 2 tsp Better Than Bullion veggie
• cooked rice (1/2 c uncooked rice cooked in 1 c water)
• 3 strips of bacon cut in half
• a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms
• big handful of spinach
• 1 egg

This was so good and things cooked a lot faster than I thought they would.  I'm pretty sure the time it took me to cook the rice was longer than all the other cooking steps.

Another note: I know that Knitters and Crocheters Care meetings are usually the fourth Sat of the month and yesterday was only the second one.  We lost the old room that we were meeting in, but Uniquities said we could move to their smaller class room.  This is a pretty small space since it is also used as a storage area.  We will have access to the room when they do not have a Sat class during the three hours we normally meet.  This means that there will be no set weekend in each month for that space.  However, last weekend we tried meeting at Wegmans.  As usual, Wegmans is a fun place to meet.  It also means I wouldn't have to leave early to get food before having to run to work.  So our usual place will be Wegmans with a bonus weekend at Uniquitites.

Stuck for now.

The first project is still sitting next to me on its temporary needles.  I sent an e-mail to the company that made the broken needles(I don't want to say bad things about them until they have had a chance to make it better)
I've been working on Barbara's blocks in the mean-time.  If I still haven't heard back from the needle people or it isn't fixed once I'm done with them, I'm going to dig around for a pair of straights in the right size.  Hopefully I will have a pair in the same size made out of the same stuff so I don't have to worry about my gauge becoming too different.

I'm also fighting a bad cold that is really kicking me in the head.  I'm brewing some more medicene even as I type this.
My magic cold cure is a pot of tea containing:

• 1 bag Throat Coat 
• 1 bag Breathe Easy 
• 1 packet Air Borne -lemonade (I like the lemon with the tea)

I know both teas tell you to drink 3 cups worth for one day and that would mean using 3 tea bags, but I find a big pot made with one tea bag works well for me.  You can also adjust as needed.  Don't have a sore/raw throat?  Don't use the Throat Coat.  Not too stuffy?  You can leave out the Breathe Easy.  You can also change the flavor of the Air Borne.