Orange Knitted Baby Vest

Previously, I knitted a blue baby vest, but because I used larger needles and yarn, it came bigger than expected.  I got the yarn and needles called for in the directions and made a lovely (smaller) orange vest.

 

 

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Green Organic Mushroom Hat

I used Lion Brand Organic Cotton Yarn to make this hat.  I really love how soft this hat is.

I got the pattern from Purls of Wisdom.  It’s called the Organic Mushroom!  I used sizes 10 and 11 circular needles.

 

 

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How to Make a Cover for a Microwaveable Heating Pad

Meet my heating pad.  I stick it in the microwave and it’s fantastic.  When I first got it, I sewed vertical lines on it to create pockets for the filler, because otherwise all of the rice (or whatever is inside) would drop to whichever end was hit the most by gravity.  Sewing the lines kept everything spaced out.

Anyways, the old cover (not pictured in the photo below) was falling apart, so I needed to make a new cover.

Below is the old cover turned inside out.  I put it on top of some fabric to cut out a new cover.

Below:  I cut out two layers of the blue material for the new cover.  The left side of the blue fabric is folded, so I didn’t cut that end.

Below:  Meet the old cover.  Pretty bad, right?

I folded over the open end of the new cover and ironed it down.

Then, I folded that edge under to make a hem.  I did this before sewing the sides, because it was easier to work with this way.

Below:  I sewed the hem.

Below is the new cover with the fold on the right side and the hem on the left.  The fabric is placed right sides together (inside out)

 

Below:  I serged the two long sides of the cover.

Below:  After serging, I went over the seam with my sewing machine to reinforce it.

Below:  Turn the cover right side out and you’re good to go!  I will note that I felt my new cover was too long, so I cut some length off the folded edge and serged that together.

 

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Knitted Cowl

A cowl is like a scarf, but it’s connected in a circle.  That’s my definition, at least.

I got this pattern from Purls of Wisdom.  I used Lion Brand Organic Cotton Yarn, which is quite lovely.  I used size 13 circular needles.

 

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Cooked, Chopped Chicken for the Freezer

I had several recipes that I wanted to cook that required cooking chicken.  To save time, since I want dinner done in 15 min. or less (if possible), I cooked up a big batch of chicken.  I had a bag of frozen chicken thighs (skinless, boneless), so I used those.

 

I put them in casserole dishes and sprinkled them with olive oil, garlic and herb seasoning (Mrs. Dash), and paprika.  Then, I baked them at 350 degrees until they were 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

 

Once cooled, I chopped the chicken, put the pieces in freezer bags, and stuck them in the freezer!

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Almond Cable Hat

This hat pattern is from a knitting pattern book called Celebrity Slouchy Beanies for the Family.  It’s called the Cabled Classic.  You knit the hat and make the hat band separately.  Then, you tack the band to the hat.  I used size 5 and size 7 circular needles, as well as a cable needle.  In order to sew the button on, I used a darning needle.

This is the view of the top of the hat.

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Snacks for Work

These are some examples of some of the snacks I’ve been taking to work.  If I’m still hungry at lunch, I’ll munch on these as well.  The fuller I am, the less likely I am to hit the chocolate stash in the school office.

In the picture:  green apple slices with peanut butter, red bell pepper, banana.

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