Stitch School

I started embroidering as a kid, probably age 10. My skill base really hasn’t grown much since age 10, however. Recently, I stumbled upon Primrose Design and from there, I found her new blog that is specifically for learning  stitches.  It’s called Stitch School and I am really liking the wealth of photos and clear cut directions.

This is the stitch I want to try first. Neatery Readers, meet Palestrina.  Say hello.

from Stitch School/Janet McCaffrey

I am beginning Mr. Lanigan’s valentine this evening.  I think Palestrina might make its first appearance there.  I’ll let you know how what works out.

On a side note, Mr. Lanigan and I make each other valentines each year.  He thinks the holiday is a card store invention and, therefore, refuses to buy a card at a store.  It’s very excited to see what kind of clever cards he comes up with.  He’s a crafty fella…if this year’s valentine is internet friendly, I’ll share.  (maybe)

 

National Embroidery Month

Turns out this is Day 2 of National Embroidery Month. News to me! Oddly enough I have been working on several embroidery projects recently, which will be featured soon. My goal is to post a couple links each week to celebrate a month of hand sewing. Here are a few to get you started…

I am constantly inspired by Jenny Hart.  She even has some freebies.  I just got this book for Christmas and look forward to trying a few patterns.

Have any favorite patterns or are you working on something lovely?  Do share!

 

Mashed Faux-tatoes

When Mr. Lanigan and I first started dating, he asked about my favorite foods.  I think he was trying to find out what I liked so he could make me dinner.  My answer was simply “potatoes.”  To this he responded that no one can call potatoes a favorite food because a person had to pick a style like mashed or baked or french-fried.  I explained that I love potatoes in all forms and have yet to meet a potato I didn’t like.  There was also a joke in there about how my thighs must be made of potatoes because they are similarly white and lumpy, but I digress.  We were talking about potatoes.

It’s important for you to understand my deep and abiding love for the potato, so that you can appreciate this recipe for how good it really is.  This is the year of the healthy diet in the Lanigan House, so we are trying to eat fewer carbs, up the fiber and eat more vegetables.  Cauliflower turns out to be a pretty good food to meet all those goals.  My attempts at mashed cauliflower have been mixed in the past.  Usually it turns out too runny for me or too gritty to be potato-like.

Mr. Lanigan came up with this version after scanning several recipes and concocting one that didn’t have milkcream or sour cream.  We’ve replicated it about once a week with similarly good experiences.  And without further ado, I give you Mr. Lanigan’s Mashed Faux-tatoes (as seen with rotisserie chicken and sauteed squash).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into chunks
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup Greek yogurt (we use Fage 0%)
• 1 triangle of Laughing Cow Light cheese
• 1 T butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Steam cauliflower.  We use a veggie basket over a pot of water, but you can probably microwave it too.
2. Once tender, put the cauliflower in a food processor with the other ingredients.  Process until smooth.

Serves 2, generous portions.

That’s pretty darn easy, right?   It’s a pretty basic recipe, so you can easily add in garlic or Parmesan or whatever you’d like.  You can also leave out the butter, but we both felt like it helped the flavor.  While they haven’t replaced potatoes as the all-time favorite food, this is a reasonable substitution that I can add to the regular meal rotation.

 

Craft Hope

As you can see The Neatery staff has been on an extended vacation. We’ve been down-right busy crafting, but just not too good about the posting. It’s a new year and let’s hope that brings a renewed love of sharing our crafty goodness.

In the meantime, consider dropping by the Etsy shop, Craft Hope, which benefits Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.

If Craft Hope isn’t for you, consider donating to one of the many trusted organizations offering relief to the citizens of Haiti. I went to Haiti for 10 days in 1995, and it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. While I have participated in charity work previously, this was such overwhelming poverty and corruption that is was difficult to be there. In my opinion, the people of Haiti deserve a chance to rebuild and a chance to thrive, an opportunity that will only be possible if the world community gets involved.

*steps off soapbox*

 

Apples Recipes, Please!

My mom used to tell me she loved me a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. Um, now I know exactly how much that is because that’s how many apples I bought in the mountains. Actually it was a bushel and two pecks, which is about 50 pounds. Holy moly.

I plan to freeze a lot of them, but I still need to figure out what to do with 50 pounds of apples over the next few months. I am requesting recipes! If you have a favorite way to prepare apples, leave a comment below. I look forward to trying them all out!

 

Ripple Blanket Complete!

After taking what seemed like forever to weave the ends in, my ripple blanket is finished!

 

ripple blanket - finished!

Thanks to those of you who commented on my color predicament.  After seeing it completed, I definitely agree that the orange was the best choice.  Now, on to a new project!  It’s rainy and cold here today – the perfect weather for curling up with a blanket and a crochet hook.  

 

ripples and ripples

 

Coming this weekend: Charlotte Yarn Crawl

For those of us in the Charlotte area, it’s rare and exciting to see a crafts event taking off.  For crafters of the knitting and crocheting variety, Charlotte is offering up a yarn crawl Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18 with 10 participating area yarn shops.  For more information, check out the article in the Charlotte Observer.

Here is a list of participating vendors:

Basket of Yarn (Charlotte, NC)
Charlotte Yarn (Charlotte, NC)
The Fibre Studio at Yarns to Die For (Charlotte, NC)
Yarnhouse Knits (Charlotte, NC)
Close Knits Knittery & Press (Gastonia, NC)
Things Remembered (Gastonia, NC)
Cottage Yarn (Mint Hill, NC)
Knit One, Stitch Too (Huntersville, NC)
The Needlecraft Center (Davidson, NC)
The Yarn Shop by Rainy Day Creations (Pineville, NC)

I can’t wait to visit these shops – some of which I’ve never heard of!  Hope to see lot of you out supporting this fantastic event!

 

The knitty knitty bang bang wreath / crafting under the influence

The final result:

It started with a sale on wreath forms at Hobby Lobby. I’d seen and blogged about some cool wreath ideas that used up scraps of fabric or ribbon, so I picked up a form.

Then I got a migraine that ended up lasting 9 days. Halfway through those days, my doctor tried me on a different medicine to alleviate the pain. All it did was give me the attention span of a hyperactive puppy. Like this one.

(thankfully I did not make that costume for him, or I would have been ticked that he ate it off of himself in 5 minutes flat.)

To pass the time between doses, I decided to craft. The wreath form looked tempting enough, so first I covered it with ribbon. Halfway through, I hated it and covered it with fabric. Halfway through, I hated it and tried another fabric. Halfway through, I hated it and drank some chocolate milk. Then I decided to knit a cover for the wreath.

I used Lion Brand Homespun yarn from my stash, and it was my first time using it. I’m not a fan – to hard to keep the stitches clean and the tension even. But it’s easy enough to adjust and fake that when it’s on the form. I cast on 28 stitches and knitted in garter stitch until I had a 3 foot long scarf. Then I used a kitchener stitch to join the ends, put it on the form, and stitched the edges together (and rotated the seam towards the back of the wreath so everyone on the internet could not see how rusty my kitchener stitch is).

Once on the form, it was nice but a bit bland. I used some scrap ribbon, a large button, some leaves cut from green velveteen cloth (leftover from this projecthttp://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=281303.msg3185864#msg3185864) and scrap yarn.

Why yes, I do have a close-up!

Hope you like it – thanks for stopping by!

 

Field Trip: Autumn Jubilee

This weekend Mr. Lanigan and I went to Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury, NC.  They hosted their annual Autumn Jubilee, which is a craft fair with some tasty food.  It’s an annual event, but this is the first year I have attended.  If you’re in the area next year, I recommend stopping by.  Such great deals and lots of interesting crafts that are locally made.

I came home with…

Handmade, all-natural soap and lotion from Back to Earth Products*

Extra Large Dog Collar from Haute Dogs* (Merry Xmas, Jack!)

NC State Quilted Christmas Ornament from Mary Ruth Owens*

Old-Fashioned Apple Butter from Rock Grove United Methodist Church

Framed Quilt from a very nice man with no booth name or card.  On the back of the frame it says, “Quilt square purchased in 1980 at an estate sale in the Trading Ford community. Fabrics date to 1930s/40s – some are feed sacks.  Quilted by Phoebe Nunn during the 1990s. Boards are from an old barn on Rock Grove Church Road in Rowan County.” Also this was only $14–such a steal!

Not pictured: Fresh Pressed Apple Cider from a Boy Scout Troop (sorry–don’t remember the number)

*I have business cards for these vendors, so email me if you want contact information for them.

I love looking at all the great ideas at shows like these, so I am excited there are a few more on the horizon.  Upcoming craft shows include:

October :: Charlotte, NC :: Craft Attack :: craftattacknc.com

November :: Raleigh, NC :: The Handmade Market :: www.thehandmademarket.com

December :: Asheville, NC :: Big Crafty :: www.thebigcrafty.com

Know of any other good craft shows?  Leave us a comment because The Neatery staff loves FIELD TRIPS!

 

Color Block (Help, I’m Stuck!)

 

With the recent success of the ripple blanket I made for my new cousin, I embarked on a new project for myself. I’m always cold, especially at work where a number of my co-workers seem determined to keep the thermostat set to just above freezing. I bought some fun colors of yarn and was really excited about my progress until it came time to add a fifth color. I had originally planned to mix up my blues with a nice citron, but once I started the new row, I wasn’t pleased. Then I tried a dark blue. Then an orange-red. And then I put it away because I couldn’t make a decision. So what do you think? Citron? Blue? Orange? Or something else I haven’t thought of? I wanted one more color to play off the blues, as I think just the blues and neutrals is a little dull.

with citron

 

 

with blue

 

 

with orange