Sadly, this blog is a bit sleepier than I'd like these days. Pop over here if you'd like to know why.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Zombie Cookies

Not much says "Happy Halloween" better than zombie cookies...

Zombie Cookies

...at least that's what I decided after some setbacks in cookie making the other day. I decided to halve the recipe, but didn't really pay attention. So... some ingredients were halved, others not. I remedied the situation, but when it came time to break out the cookie cutters, we couldn't keep the ghosts and pumpkins together. Limbs were falling off all over the place.

Zombie Cookies

The solution: Zombie Cookies! Frosting can put anything back together.

Zombie Cookies

And if you need a disgusting scary movie to help you celebrate the holiday, you could go here.

Monday, October 27, 2008

A Fetching Birthday

I knit these little mitts in early September when I had far too much time on my hands. But, it's always nice to have a birthday present taken care of a month and a half in advance.

Thumbless Fetching

The pattern is Fetching. If you haven't knit a pair of these up yet, totally do it. So easy. Super fast. And they look pretty. I made a small change in that I decided not to knit out the thumbs. If you bind off loosely, it's not a problem.

The mitts were to match last year's birthday gift, the Irish Hiking scarf.

Happy Birthday Taune!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Those Who Peep: Year One

Have you ever noticed my ClustrMap? Down there on the right hand side? Those red dots? It's about to reset and wipe clean.

Here are my visitors for year one:

Pilliebee.Handmade Map
(click to view larger)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Fancy Magnets

I went to a basement sale the other day. I fought the urge to buy more chairs. Instead, I walked away with just a few little treasures... a new cookbook, a scarf, a jar opener, and the makings for fancy magnets.

The ladies putting on the sale must have had a thing for old fashioned brooches... personally, I don't. Still, I had to hold myself back from buying all the pieces up. I attached magnets to the backs and voila:

Fancy Magnets

Quite a bit fancier than our alphabet magnets.

Fancy Magnets

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Warming Houses in Absentia

Circumstances beyond my control kept me from two very fabulous house warming parties this weekend. But, I still like to think I warmed the shit out of those houses... even two hours away.

I sent up some house warming packages to spread the cheer I couldn't bring. The same circumstances beyond my control prevented me from fully realizing my original concept, but I still would have been pumped to receive what I ended up pulling together: homemade jam, tea, and handmade cloth napkins.

House Warming

My favorite piece is the napkins. Now, if you've ever talked with me about sewing, you are probably well versed in my complaints. I hate sewing. My mom and my sister always talk way over my head which utlimately leads to very dramatic sewing projects. But not really this time. Of course, I was only sewing squares. But still. Even more, I can now officially thread the needle and the bobbin... and I've only been shown roughly 25 times. Here they are:

Cloth Napkins

I bought the fabric at Bolt, next door to where I got my haircut last week. Probably my new favorite neighborhood in Portland, as mentioned here.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Crackers Are Expensive...

and I love them. So I made my own. I was so excited to make these all week. And being excited about making your own crackers is something you can only share with certain people. Sometimes it's a lonely existence.

For my first time, I'd say they are pretty good. I need to roll out the dough a bit thinner next time. A few were too thick so they didn't turn out crunchy enough.

Vegan "Cheese" Crackers

I used this recipe, but used nutritional yeast for flavor instead of the cheese powder to make them vegan. (And the dough was way too crumbly so I added a bit more water).

A box of crackers can run you about $3. For these I only needed to spend $.70 on instant yeast. All of the other ingredients are so basic, you're likely to have them on hand.

Vegan "Cheese" Crackers

It's so exciting to have to buy one less item now at the grocery store. Crossing crackers and shampoo off the list.

Here's the no-shampoo update: It's been a week. No shampoo. 6 washes with baking soda. 2 rinses with vinegar. 3 separate touch tests. 2 separate smell tests (1 sober, 1 drunk). All positive marks and one inquiry of "Your hair smells good. How do you grow that smell?" Another question raised, "Does your hair absorb smells like baking soda does?" Still investigating.

Throw out your shampoo people!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sunshine Sunflower Nest Tote

Nest totes are pretty fun to knit. Pretty fast, pretty easy. (But they look kinda involved and complicated). So when Julia requested a tote in exchange for the beautiful fall themed masthead she designed for me, I was more than happy to pull out the needles.

Sunflower Nest Tote

I actually knit this up in August during a Planet Earth marathon / blueberry feast and mailed it down to her in sunny California. I hope it's getting some good use down there!

Sunflower Nest Tote

Thanks again for the masthead.