My mom made these stuffed jalapenos last weekend. She makes them for most family gatherings. I have a hard time not consuming the entire plate. They are so easy to make and always delicious.
Then, last Saturday, Elliott and I made Chicken Souvlaki using this recipe.
It, and the accompanying grilled veggies were perfect for a hot summer day, along with the homemade Tzatziki sauce.
What's your favorite grilling recipe?
Giveaway one is all about the knitting.
One winner will receive this skein of Malabrigo Sock in Eggplant (here's where Project Spectrum comes to light, since August's color focus is pink and purple). The winner will also receive an electronic sock or shawl pattern of his or her choosing.
I think the easiest way to do this will be a gift on ravelry for the pattern. If the winner doesn't have a ravelry account, we'll work something out to make it fair.
How does that sound? Any takers? I've sung the praises of Malabrigo before. It's lovely, squishy stuff.
International entries are welcome.
One entry per person.
I'll take entries until Monday, August 1st, 8:00 PM CST.
If you are a no-reply blogger, PLEASE leave your email address so I can contact you.
ETA: Comments are now closed.
I'm so pleased with my Wonky Bee quilt. The coolest part is that five other crafters contributed to it. Now, it's this fun collaborative quilt that I get to enjoy in my home. Each time I look it, I can remember the process, and the people behind it. Sara really deserves the biggest thanks, since she came up with the Wonky Bee group over on flickr. She, along with Carrie, Melissa, Nicke, and Jessica, are all part of this finished quilt.
They each sent me two spiral log cabin blocks, based on the amazing Julie Frick creation found here, which is the ultimate inspiration behind this quilt.
To make this type of block, you use the same process as a log cabin, but you start with a five-sided piece of fabric in the middle, rather than a square.
I sent a bundle of fabric strips to each member, which consisted mostly of the Moda Sugar Pop line, as well as some coordinating prints and solids (Kona Tangerine, Kona Eggplant, Hope Valley Canyon Stripe in Fiesta, Mendocino orange Kelp Forest, etc.).
I decided not to sash the blocks, and I really like to craziness going on here. I used two borders to give the quilt a better size.
For the back, I took some inspiration from my good friend Jules, and made a selvage block. The back makes me very happy.
Again, I give heartfelt thanks to my fellow bee members!
You can read previous entries about the Wonky Bee Quilt here and here.
Please click through the photo for sources!
I'm hoping for a mini-quilt or a laptop cover, and some half-square triangles or other strong geometrics would really make me happy.
It should be a fun challenge to only use solids for this project, and I have plenty in the stash, thanks to the PCF Solids Club.
It's awesome. She used some beautiful fabrics to craft this for me, and I couldn't be more thrilled. She also sent me some scraps, consisting of Mendocino, Joel Dewberry and Echino. I have coveted the blue Mendocino, which is the most difficult to track down, so that alone was worth the swap we made!
I first noticed her camera straps during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day in May. I didn't win, but then Gabrielle loved the Buttercup Bag I made for Jenny. I offered to make her one in exchange for a camera strap, so here I am, with my very own!
Thanks, Gabrielle. I love it lots!
P.S. Check out the bag she made for the Goodie Bag Swap. It has rivets!
When I first started playing with my charm pack of Sherbet Pips fabric, I didn't know what I would do with the finished project. Then Weezalana posted that she was pregnant. I knew it would be a good gift for her, so I volunteered to send her something homemade. I just got word that she has received the quilt, so it's safe to blog about it now.
This was my first time working with half square triangles. They're pretty versatile. I loved rotating the triangles around, trying to pick a layout. I like the Kona Medium Gray with the bright Pips fabrics. It provides a little balance, I think.
To keep things simple, I decided to do some diagonal quilting in just one direction.
I had one difficulty when I was quilting (a little bit of bunched up backing), and the unfinished project sat in time out for a couple of weeks. After unpicking a few rows of quilting, I got back on track.
For the binding, I chose this Paula Prass print that I've had in the stash for a few years. I think it's a great binding choice (dots always work!).
I don't have a picture of the entire back, but it's mostly Kona Medium Gray with some of this Amy Butler Honeycomb print, which I used up making this backing.
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this quilt, and I hope Christine and her new little girl enjoy it.
Elizabeth sent me SIX jars of jam.
Six. Different flavors.
Peach with pineapple sage.
Triple Berry.
Strawberry Lemon Basil.
I die.
And then, to top it off, she sends me an amazing skein of her own handspun. The colors are gorgeous, the yarn is so soft. It took all of my willpower not to immediately cast on with this yarn.
I cannot say thank you enough, Elizabeth. You're an awesome friend. Sometimes the blog world makes me a very happy girl!
If you'd like to see what I sent Elizabeth, here's her post.
I picked up a FQ stack of Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley line. It wasn't a line that grabbed me right away, but now I love it! Perhaps it's all the amazing finished quilts that made me think twice!
I also picked up these three AMH prints last week. The two on the right are from Good Folks, an out of print line, and the left is a favorite from Innocent Crush.
I love the whimsical It's a Hoot! line by Momo for Moda. Rumor has it, my one and only sister likes it too, so this might become a quilt for her someday soon!
And a few random flickr faves for you:
Laff cat
Amazing quilt by Summersville with her hand-printed fabrics
I love this birdie mug rug
Lindsay's finished Bottled Rainbows quilt is beautiful!
The ever-inspiring Chawne is spinning some beautiful handspun lately!
I love this zig zag solids quilt
Have a great weekend, all!
There are some new kittens at the farm right now.
My mom rescued one who got abandoned in a pigeon coop. Liz is considerably smaller than the other kittens, but is gaining strength and eating plenty.
I texted Elliott while I was there to say, "I'm bringing home some kittens!".
He did not acknowledge my comment.
He knows me well.
This is Golden Boy. I wish I could have captured the cuteness of these two playing together, but all I got was some blurry shots. They are quick!
I recently finished up my do.Good Stitches July blocks.
Spiderweb blocks are so beautiful, but they are definitely time consuming. This is a perfect bee block, because it takes a lot of patience to make just one block, let alone enough for an entire quilt.
That reminds me. I'd like to do something with these blocks I started back in January.
By the way, I finished my Wonky Bee Quilt. However, this is a crazy work week, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to post pictures. I can't wait to show you!
I want to start this small project for a gift. I've already picked out my fabrics and started ironing. I think the cutting will be the most time-consuming part.
I'll be quilting my Wonky Bee Quilt.
I've actually already started the quilting and I'm so excited to finish this project! It will definitely be happening soon-ish.
I hope to knit more on my new sock.
I get to see an amazing concert tomorrow night with Jiller.
Also, thanks for sharing your favorite cast-ons in my last post. I'm definitely going to have to give Judy's Magic Cast-on a try, as it seems to be a favorite.
Have a great weekend, all!
I had concerns about how saggy this sock was on my foot, and I finally frogged it last week. The lovely MadelineTosh Sock yarn will go back into the stash, and I'll try again. It might have been the needle size, or maybe I'll try casting on with less stitches, but it just didn't work out.
It was pretty calming to rip this baby apart and rewind the yarn cake. I would rather destroy progress than be unhappy with the finished sock.
I also cast on for a new sock on the 4th of July. While my boyfriend watched some soccer, I worked on this beauty.
This yarn is The Plucky Knitter's MCN Fingering in Nautical Mile, a perfect way to start July's Project Spectrum focus on blue. It's the perfect blue and just slightly semi-solid. I'm using a pattern from Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up called the Trilobite Sock. Kind of a perfect match, I think. [Side note: It's hard to get your hands on Plucky Knitter yarn, but damn, is it ever worth it. It's so soft and vibrant.]
The stitch pattern is really lovely so far. I'm hoping to get an actual sock completed before the end of July. Whoa. That would be amazing for me. If you're new to sock knitting, Wendy's book is a great resource. There is a section at the front dedicated to explaining the various cast on and bind off methods for socks, as well as some variations on the heel.
I love the Turkish Cast-on best, and that's what I'm using here.
If you knit socks, what's your favorite cast on for a toe-up sock, or do you prefer knitting from the cuff-down?
I'm not sure of the designer of this pattern, as it was something I found online a few years ago. If anyone knows, please tell me, so I can give credit where it's due! This little squirrel is so cute, and I enjoyed stitching him.
Here are the four blocks I made before they were mailed off to their new homes. I really enjoyed the embroider-bee!
I haven't received my blocks yet, but I know they're on their way to me! Here are links to the blocks made for me:
by ams2010
by TinyAcorn
by LittleLoops
by Scruffycat1970
Thanks, ladies!
First up, (and I must admit, I'm painfully late in getting around to posting this first one), I won a beautiful knitting pattern book from the lovely Nova!
As part of her annual Novakkah celebration, she gave away this Rowan Purelife pattern book. I just love Nova's blog, and she's so generous to turn her birthday into an event of giving!
Thanks, Nova!
More recently, I won a fun new pouch from McIntyre Girl.
She let me pick any pouch I wanted from her shop, and I chose this Aviary 2 version. I love the pleats, and Aviary 2 is definitely a favorite!
Thanks, Caitlin!
Finally, I won a new photography book from the Sometimes Crafter!
I cannot wait to peruse this, although I'm going to have to prevent my sister from stealing it! You can read Christina's review of the book here if you'd like more information.
Sunday night, I made this seared tilapia for myself. Elliott doesn't really enjoy fish, but when it's just me for dinner, it's a favorite. I added some of my recently made tomato jam to the fish as it finished cooking. I love roasted broccoli, but since I didn't have any fresh, I just used steamed broccoli to go with it, along with some couscous. Man, I love couscous. I grated a little fresh parmesan over everything, because, yeah, why not?
I recommend giving the tomato jam recipe a try. It's the perfect way to use up a giant pile of tomatoes. It's a smoky, sort of sweet thickened sauce, and is also delicious on ciabatta.
I will definitely make more before the summer ends.
