Diversions

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Three new cookbooks have been added to my permanent cooking library this past week. Didn't plan it that way, alas I'm in heaven:

Cookbook-heidi

I still remember getting Heidi Swansons first book "Super Natural Cooking" about 3 or 4 years ago and virtually reading it cover to cover. I'm an avid follower of her blog 101 Cookbooks, and of course had to get her new book the week it came out. She did not disappoint with this follow-up book..

 

Cookbook-plenty

Plenty I saw a few weeks ago in my amazon recommendations and after a quick peek through put onto my wishlist. Didn't want to rush it… then I saw the book, leafed through it and went straight home to order it.. I already made the sweet-potato cakes (pg. 32) from it and wow.. they were absolutely delicious… I'm planning on making the cover-picture egg-plants for our easter lunch. A gorgeous book, unusual recipes and just vegetables.. 

 

Cookbook-jam 

The Blue-Chair Jam Cookbook promises to be a great inspiration during the jam-ing season. There are a lot of marmalade based recipes, with lots of citrus fruit, probably a few to many for my taste, however, the book just looks so wonderful on top of my Hoosier cabinet that I will still make many of the recipes from it. Must read it thoroughly when I have a chance, as it has lots of in-depth information on fruit cooking in general.

Yummy! yummy in my tummy!…

 

Here a little something we like to make:

1. Organic Hazelnut butter (or almond, macademia, walnut, peanut) (about 250 grams (half a large jar)

2. A handfull of chocolate chips (depending how chocolaty you'd like it)

3. 1 teaspoon Virgin Coconut oil (this is our magic ingredient)

Put into microwave oven for about 2 minutes (or heat in water bath on stove-top) 

Stir vigurously

Put into fridge to let set – Bingo.. homemade Hazelnut-choclate spread, also known as Nutella

 

Enjoy and do let me know how you like it…

 

 

Giddy…

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… and humbly said also darn proud…

Challenge: medieval day at my nieces' school

Her wish: to be a jester

Total cost $5

Time: about 1.5 hrs.

Materials used: 2 long-sleeved mens t-shirts, some bells.

Tools: 5-thread serger, scissors, niece on hand to keep trying it on.

Skills needed: not much.. but willingness to try, to cut, to have fun.. and then to giggle like crazy… who would have thought that half a long-sleeved shirt worn on your head sideways could so easily turn into a jesters' hat.. not me.. 

Jester-scream

Jester-smile

Jester-stance

Jester-perplexed

Jester-strong

Finally!

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Today it happened! I've arrived at a chippy that I'm truly happy with. I also drafted the pattern for him and hope to do the detail photos for the instruction sheet by next week. 

But here he is in all his chippy-glory…

Chippy-final-portrait

I couldn't resist and had to make him a little tiny acorn…

 

Chippy-final-sitting

Chippy-final-whole-branch

Chippy-final-whole-sniffing

Chippy-final-whole

The pattern will be suitable for immediate/advanced knitters/needleworkers I think. Would you be interested in testing my pattern for me? If so, please leave me a comment with your e-mail and in a bout 2 weeks I will e-mail you my instructions for your feedback. 

Knitting the "hide" of the chippies is not that difficult. You'll have to be able to cast on, knit, purl, cast on within the knitting, cast off,  knit an I-cord. The shape of the chippy becomes apparent through "sculpting" with needle and thread while sewing him together. 

When the pattern is finalized, I would like to offer it for free as a pdf file here on the Olive Sparrow Blog. I might also sell an extended instruction sheet that has additional animal instructions on it.

Do you like my final version?

Chippy

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The "Hide" from last week has been sewed up and this is the chippy resulting from pattern #2. It's not bad, but I wasn't fully happy with it. I also experimented with the way to add the stripes to the side, but don't think it is successful.

Chippy-2-on-cast-4
There is also a new cast on my finger with new art – Egyptian inspired me thinks.

Chippy from Pattern #3, as pictured below has an extremely long tail (about 14" long), per Huxley's request and since making hand-made goodies for boys is so much harder, I indulged him.

Why the long tail? It makes "Tail" as he was named better able to fly (i.e. swing the tail and launch), also, the tail can be wrapped around Tail's body, or around Huxley's hand or finger.. so much potential. 

Chippy-trial-3

I also switched the needle size down and made the front paws a bit smaller than the hind paws – Hubby's idea. The tail is also sewn up-wards, so that Tail can more easily sit on his behind and look more chippy-like. The body is a bit longer too, as chipmunks tend to have longer bodies (hard to see when they are sitting upright).