The Slippery Stash Slope

For the first 2½ years of my knitting life, I managed to avoid accumulating a stash, even prided myself on it.

I only had yarn for my current project and you’d be hard-pressed to get me to select a yarn without a specific project mind (though it did occasionally happen - leading, for instance to the Honeymoon Mini-Cardi, but in full disclosure I probably made my brand-new husband nuts in my indecision to purchase that yarn while on our honeymoon). I even was obsessive about using up the leftovers of the yarn I had.

And then it happened.

I went into my local yarn shop to pick up some sock yarn and “lo-and-behold!” all the yarn in the bins on the floor was only a dollar. Even I couldn’t resist that bargain and so I grabbed these five balls of silk.

What am I going to make with it? Who knows! Though Ravelry has provided some intriguing options, namely this and this.

Not too long after I purchased the silk, I went back to the same store to buy some stitch markers for a sweater I’m knitting up and came out with these:

Granted, this is for a specific project, but one I likely won’t start for some time.

And then that same old yarn shop, in honor of Mother’s Day and Government Rebate checks decided to have a 25% off of everything sale. So I got this sock yarn that I was ogling when I bought the last sock yarn.

Now, I’m sure some hard-cord yarn collectors will scoff at my measly 9 skeins, but it’s a slippery slope I say! A very slippery slope.

At least I’m using some of my yarn…

But I’m fairly certain I’m going to have a ball leftover.

I think I’ll make it into a hippo. 

 

Busy Bee!

A few weeks ago somebody asked me if I really liked yellow. 

At the time I was a little confused, “Why do you ask?” I said.

“Every time I see you you’re wearing yellow,” she said.

At the time I passed it off as a good combo for the green I often consciously wear, but as I though about itI saw she was right  - yellow is creeping more and more into my wardrobe. Nor is it the first time. The first pair of shoes I ever really got excited about was a pair of bright yellow Adidas with blue stripes I had in high school  (the school colors at that!). 

Another case in point this apron:

This apron’s life started shortly after Christmas when a co-working, hearing I had made an apron for a Christmas gift, asked me to make her one before the summer was out. Being as this co-worker is the #1 best thing about my current job and I was given a long lead time, I happily agreed. Fast-forward several months later and I’m in my favorite fabric store where I discover this fabulous section I’d never looked in before: Ribbon. Spools upon spools of fantastic ribbon!

First, I spotted some lovely cherry ribbon, which I snagged a few yards of, then I saw this bee ribbon and it was all over for me. I practically had to run out of the store to prevent coming home with a car load of ribbon, it was all so wonderful. Of course I knew bees and cherries would make perfect adornments for that apron I had agreed to make and so I picked out the blue and yellow gingham you see above to complete the project. 

I will admit that when I started making this apron I fully intended to give it away, but being as this was my first designed-from-scratch piece, I made allotments for the seams, but not the hemming/edging, so my apron ended up being a little smaller than planned, so this one works as a lesson learned (and a little something pretty for my apron collection.)

 

The good news is that this apron only took me a weekend to complete (including finishing every seam so there are no raw edges - as inspired by Bitter Betty), so I should be able to make a new one fairly soon, though it’ll likely be a variation on this one, just to keep things interesting.

 

My Poufy Shirt

I don’t know what it is about the week leading up to a big to-do that makes me want to sew so much, but it seems like whenever would be the least likely time to whip out the machine is exactly when I choose to do so. 

 

I’m going to admit. I’m not an everyday stitcher. I’m not even an every-week sewer, but book me a plane ticket out of the state and I’ll set up the machine in the dining room.

I, of course, realize that some of this has to do with my need to show-off (seriously, I have a blog to document it all for goodness sake). Mothers and mothers-in-law are great audiences for showing-off my handmade stuff. 

For example, just before leaving for my bridal shower back last summer, I sat around hand-sewing the hem of a summer dress.  Just before I left for my wedding in October, I made this dress:

Just before I went to my mother-in-law’s for Christmas I made this one:

This time around, I’m doing crazy-tons of theatre stuff and I make a shirt. I know you were expecting “dress,” but I’m branching out. 

So yes, I made a shirt. The last time I made a shirt, I was in high school and it was a very simple, very boxy men’s bowling shirt and my dad got one of the folks at his work to stitch “Miss Leah” over the pocket. I still have it, and maybe after I add some much-needed darts to it, I’ll post it here.

But after a 7 year or so break from shirts, I decided to dive back in again. You see, I have this *crazy* idea about slowly crafting an entire wardrobe - except t-shirts and underwear, because I’m not that crazy.

Of course, about halfway through the shirt I realized that I didn’t have a clue how to make buttonholes on this machine.

Let me say, I love the buttonholer on my machine. Love it! It made the whole process so easy I just want to run around putting buttonholes on everything. Forget cute as a button, how about cute as a buttonhole? And the more I type “buttonhole” in a row the less it sounds like I should be typing buttonhole. Also - did you know you can sew on a button with a machine? I’m so excited by this development in my life!

This was definitely A learning shirt, between the pin-tucks and lots of curved seams. But I’m super-proud of the hem and it was the best go I’m had with sleeves recently. So it’s all to say I’m getting better - even if the collar on this shirt is a bit of a mess.

My other confession about this shirt? The contrast stitching was totally unintentional. I bought some dark blue thread for another project, which when I went to sew the shirt was the only blue thread I could find, so I assumed I got it for both projects. About halfway through the shirt I found the light blue thread. Ah well. As for that other project? I’m going to have to buy more thread, because this is ow much thread I had left at the end of this shirt:

 

PS - for those who are curious. The pattern was McCall’s M5322 version A without the trim.

 

Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

Karisa Bruin, Megan Faye Schutt & Tien Doman (Witches) with Dana Wall (Macbeth) in Greasy Joan & Co.’s production of MACBETH.  Photo by Michael Brosilow.

 

Tonight, after months of work, Macbeth is opening!

I’m really proud of this production, so if you’re in the Chicago area I’d encourage you to come down and see it.

 

Yellow + Blue = Green

With spring’s arrival, I start yearning for new springier colors - namely bright yellows, blues and greens. This yearning is particularly pronounced on grey days like today, when I need pick-me-up. And so some colors that have been brightening my days recently.

My “Andi” bracelet from Luxcharm on etsy. I have a thing for bracelets right now. I never used to wear them (though until about a year ago when it broke I always wore a watch), but now I think they’re great. This is the first in what may prove to become a bracelet collection.

My green ipod. Yep, we finally gave into the ipod revolution. They lowered the price, so Mr. Cleaver and I could no longer resist. Of course I have about 10 cds on my laptop, so the music isn’t too varied right now, but it does make the 45 minutes on the train go a little faster.

My blue sewing scissors. When I bought my sewing machine last summer I also bought a sewing starter kit with scissors, needles, measuring tape, chalk paper, etc and all the appropriate accessories were blue. And so is the shirt I’m currently sewing, though it is more of sky than primary blue. The needle and thread were for slipstiching the inside collar. I hate slipstitching. Actually I have a terribly small amount of patience with any finishing really. Once all the major seams are in place I start wearing the thing. Seriously, I have two dresses that I’ve been wearing for months that need some finishing done. Ah well…

 

I did, however, completely finish my Pomatomus socks, which hey - are yellow, blue and green! And considering the number of rows I had to rip back on these socks due to inattention, it’s pretty amazing that I finished them as quickly as I did. Then again, knitting also makes that 45-minute commute home much faster.

 

 

 

Marryin’ Mac ‘n’ Cheese

So good, if we weren’t already married, my husband would marry me for it.

Like pretty much all of America, I grew up on the Kraft “Blue Box” Mac ‘n’ Cheese. My first taste of the homemade stuff was when my brother attempted to make some while I was in high school. I not sure what happened, but it was notthe best, shall we say. I retrospect, I think it needed salt. 

Years later, I came across this recipe in Real Simple Magazine and thought I’d give it ago, but I was a little put off by the called for 6 cups (!) of milk, and using the full quarter cup of oil on the bread make my crackers waaaay too greasy, so I did a few mild changes, as listed below.

And its really good. This is maybe one of Mr. Cleaver’s favorite things I cook, and every so often (as with the Cherry Pie), he’ll just “happen” to the buy the ingredients and if I just “happen” to want to make it, it would “happen” to be swell. I love it too, so it’s not too hard to convince me.  

Mac ’n’ Cheese, adapted from Real Simple, Nov. 200. 

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter (plus some to grease dish)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3-4 cups whole or low-fat milk (I use 1% it turns out plenty rich and creamy)
• 14 oz.-16oz.  cheese of choice (I like cheddar or you could do a mix.)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt 

Herbed-Crumb Topping

• 1 cup or about ½ a sleeve of your favorite butter crackers (Ritz, Keebler Club) smashed
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• oregano and thyme to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 400°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.

 

Cook the macaroni for slightly less time than the package says, so it’s still a little firm. Drain and rinse.

 

While the mac is boiling, combine cracker crumbs, oil, herbs, salt and pepper. The oil should be just enough to coat and make the crumbs slightly stick together. 

 

In a saucepan, melt butter. While whisking constantly, add the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. The mixture will clump. Still stirring, add the milk and cook for another 7 minutes, the mixture will start to get thick.  Add the cheese and salt and stir until all the cheese is evenly melted.

 

Mix together the mac and the cheese, pour into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the crumbs.

 

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden and delicious.

 

It’ll sit like the brick of cheese and pasta it is in your stomach, but it’ll be so worth it. 

 

Reheats really well in the oven too! 

 

Too Lazy For Paragraphs: A Picture Post

Yes, I’ve hardly posted recently. So here’s a quick catch up via photos: 

My $15 dollar Easter Dress from White House Black Market. It was too cold to wear it, but I didn’t care.

I made it through all 47 days of Lent. I’ve worn jeans 3 times since then.

Spring is on its way!

I finally got my check from Northwestern, meaning I have officially done a paid/professional directing gig! 

$1.49 Daffodils from Trader Joe’s, maybe one of the best buys ever.

Speaking of daffodils, I’m currently at a sock and a half.

Later this week: a return to recipe-posting!

 

Cabin Fever? Jungle Fever!

So about 3 three weeks ago after about 3 weeks of not bothering to decide. Ms. Kasey and I decided on our next two-person book club selection.

A few months ago I picked up Worlds to Explore: Classic Tales of Travel and Adventure from National Geographic on a whim while browsing at The Book Cellar on Lincoln Ave. When it comes down to finding a specific book, I often find that independent bookstores don’t always carry what I need and Amazon is often best.

But when I want to find something I didn’t know that I wanted (some of which have become my favorite books - like Outta My Way: An Odd Life Lived Loudly and  The Essays of E.B. White, both picked up at Books Etc. in Portland, ME), I love the independent bookstore, especially when the staff post their handwritten reviews on the shelves.

But back to topic: I was reading the National Geographic book and somewhere at the head of one of the chapters they quoted a poem by Kipling, and then I read the section of India stories (oddly enough, not the section that quoted Kipling), and then a friend of mine sent Mr. Cleaver and I a beautiful yellow bedspread from her recent travels in India, and then I rented the Darling Limited.  All told -I had India on the brain, so of course, our next book had to be The Jungle Books by Kipling.

And as I was going through the stacks in the children’s library I spotted The Wind in the Willows, which neither Kasey or I had read, so we made it a double read book club.

Both books, but particularly The Jungle Book(s), are those books, like Peter Pan, that are such a part of our cultural consciousness (largely thanks to Disney) that I sometimes forget whether I actually had ever read the book. (For the record: I’ve never read the orginal Peter Pan, either.) I finished The Jungle Books on the train this morning, one stop before mine (whew!), and as much as I love  “I wanna be like you” and the “Bear/Bare Necessities” Disney doesn’t touch the original with a ten-foot pole.

I’m not going to say anything more, because we haven’t met about the books yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to The Wind in the Willows and the Indian food we’re going to eat when we do meet.

Did I mention that Kasey? We totally need to eat Indian food to discuss The Jungle Book. Does it go with The Wind in the Willows? Not so much. But I live so close to Devon Ave. and have never gone, so we need to get some Indian food.

PS - If you’re thinking about picking up some Kipling a note: The Jungle Book is the Mowgli story only, The Jungle Books (with an ’s’, and the original printed form) is the Mowgli story interpersed with other Human/Animal interaction tales, like Rikki Tikki Tavi (not to be confused with Riki Tiki Timbo- a wonderfully fun, if terribly inaccurate folktale). Mowgli alone is good, but if you can find the other version, I would recommend it.

And speaking of folktales, since i don’t have enough going on in my life right now, I picked up Just So Stories too.

 

Lent Week 6

Lent Day 37

Lent Day 36, 2. Lent Day 38, 3. Lent Day 41, 4. Lent Day 42

 

Only 5 Days left to go

 

Sunny Lemon Sorbet

It is 5:30pm in Chicago, sunny and 58°F. This is a cause for celebration.

And there’s no better way to celebrate good weather than by pulling out the ice cream maker - one of the many wonderful and incredibly useful wedding gifts Mr. Cleaver and I received. We use our ice cream maker at least once a month, even throughout the winter, so to those who think an ice cream maker is that wedding gift that gets used twice and never again, I prove you wrong in this instance.

Now in interest of full disclosure, I made this sorbet a week ago when it was 35°, but after a long Chicago winter, when it finally hits 35 people start pulling out their shorts.

I had previously made a dark chocolate sorbet from that most wonderful of food-centric websites, Chocolate and Zucchini. It definitely a make again, but the sorbet, I think is really suited to the lightness and sweetness of fresh fruit. So, to bring a ray of sunshine into my kitchen, I opted for a Sunny Lemon Sorbet.

Lemon Sorbet is maybe the easiest thing to make ever.

The ingredients:

• 1 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• That’s it! I love food with a small number of ingredients.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, again - I always let it sit over night before I put it into the ice cream maker. This will allow the sugar to dissolve and the mixture to cool, so the machine doesn’t have to work as hard.

Pour sorbet mixture into the ice cream machine and churn for about 30-45 minutes for a smooth, sweet and refreshing treat! Would pair well with shortbread cookies.