Ughck!

A weekend's worth of work


Tragically ended like this:



Time to read the pattern correctly and start again.

I won!

On Saturday, my friend Lauren and I wandered over to Knit Culture Studio for their customer appreciation event. I'm so glad I did! We got a copy of Debbie Bliss' Fall issue, and put our names into a raffle. While shopping around, they called my name for a sweet little prize of the Easy Baby Knits book, accompanied by three skeins of Sublime baby cotton in a poppy color. I'm not sure what I'm going to whip up with this yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out!



A few finished knits are right around the corner. Stay tuned.

Whoooopie!

Whoopie Pies that is. I recently got this book:



This book is Gobs of fun. They split the book into two sections - half for the cake part and half for the fillings, so you can mix and match however you please. For my first dive into the book, I settled on the Red Velvet with Classic Buttercream frosting.



I didn't have red food coloring, so I thought to a blue velvet cake Boyfriend and I love from a nearby cafe. This recipe called for a lot of cocoa, and I didn't really think of how that would mix with the blue...let's just say it wasn't too appealing. I kept adding blue and more blue and eventually got a really weird forest green color. I decided to call it quits at that color so as not to overpower the flavor with coloring gel. They taste great and were a great sweet treat to bring along to the Hollywood Bowl last night.

Me vs. The Macaron

You may remember a few months back, I took a French Macaron baking class. Shortly after, I made a mess trying them out on my own. My friend Sarah wanted to try to tackle these with me, so on Saturday, we gave it a shot.



We.failed.miserably.



It was a super mess. Perhaps too much egg white, and not stiff enough peaks? Who knows. Sarah (friend Sarah, I haven't started talking in third person) had a moment of brilliance and suggested perhaps we could use them as a berry crisp topping. So Sunday I set out to the Hollywood Farmer's Market, picked up lots of blackberries, and set about making a blackberry crisp. At about ten minutes left of baking, I put the macaron mess on top and let them keep baking.



I gotta say, it was delicious, and completely festive for a 4th of July bbq.

Stay with me - I'm not giving up on macarons yet.

My Crocheted Necklace

I crocheted this necklace a few weeks ago, but just got around to taking some pics. Halfway through knitting my sweater vest, I needed a little break, and this necklace totally fit the bill.



The magazine version includes beads, and was done in white for a bridal feel, but I like it even more in bright color without the beads. I think the pattern holds strong on it's own.



This was my first time working with crochet thread and a teeny tiny hook, but I didn't find it too difficult. I moved a little slower than usual, and had to really concentrate on the pattern/chart. Totally worth the heavy concentration - I absolutely love it.


(my parents made me this fantastic holder - thrift store frame + radiator grate from the hardware store, spray painted silver + s-hooks - works perfectly!)

The "Sexy Vesty"

I finally finished this darn sweater vest I've been working on for what seems like the longest time. Although it felt like the knitting dragged on a bit for such a small amount of stitches, I think it turned out great.



It fits perfectly, I love the yarn I used (Lions Brand Cotton-Ease), the color is fun and summery, and its a very workable piece in my wardrobe.



The pattern is free and available on Ravelry - the Sexy Vesty (because nothing says sexy like a sweater vest).



I'm happy to move onto the next project!

What To Do With Tomatillos

If you happen to come across a big bag of tomatillos at your local farmer's market, I would highly recommend making this most delicious Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho.



We were almost immediately in need of a second batch after tasting the first one. Super tasty and refreshing.