Overbooked and Underpaid: Notes from a Yes-aholic

Tuesday Craft Tip - Calculating Yarn For End of Scarf

I often buy odd lots of yarn which usually means only getting on or two skeins of a particular yarn. I usually turn these odd skeins into scarves and it can be difficult when you are getting near the end of the ball to figure out how many rows you will be able to knit before you run out of yarn. I use the following simple method:

1. Knit one row in your pattern stitch.
2. Tie a loose slip knot in the yarn right at the edge of the row after you finish it.
3. Undo the row of knitting and measure how much yarn you used.
4. Now you know exactly how much yarn you are using for each row of your pattern stitch. You can use this measurement to calculate how many rows worth of yarn you have left in your ball and adjust your pattern so that you can "create" the final edge before you run out of yarn.

Happy Knitting!

Thought for the Week - April 29 2013

 

This is one for all my overbooked and underpaid friends:

It is possible to wake up and face the day without setting goals. It's called a VACATION.

(Contrary to the above photo, a vacation can be anywhere - even your own house. All you have to do is clear your calendar and take the time - I know it goes against your nature but try it!!!!)

Pic Of The Week: Lent is Over!!

 

OK, I know lent officially ended almost a month ago but I needed an excuse to feature a picture of delictible edibles! Go eat something sinful - you still have weeks before you'll be heading out in a bathing suit....

 

(Next Wednesday I'll post the recipe for these.)

Inspirations: Video - Fred And Ginger In Swingtime

 

I have become fatigued by today's movies. Too much shooting, too much stuff blowing up, too much loud music, too many people shouting. I cannot tell you if such movies are the reflection of a violent pop culture that already exists or a force driving that culture before it. I leave such discussions for smarter folks than I.

I just know that I find refuge in old movies, especially the black and white ones and, even more especially, the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930's and 40's. 

Enjoy this small clip from Swing Time and start your day off with a smile!

(PS - I love the way her dress moves in this. Also that she isn't wearing a ball gown and they just feel so happy and breezy.)

Overbooked Cook - Mock Bread and Cheese Souffle

I grew up on this dish - I think my mother got the recipe from a friend at her church. It's super easy!

The following recipe is for a 9 x 13 baking dish

Ingredients:

12 slices of soft bread (note, you can use the slices whole - with or without the crusts cut off - or you can cut the bread up into strips or even cubes depending on your desired final consistency. My family prefers white bread in this recipe.)

6 eggs, beaten

1 & 1/2 sticks of butter or margerine, melted

1 cup whole milk

2-3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (optional for "gravy"

Directions:

Grease the 9 x 13 pan. Mix the milk, butter and beaten eggs all together. Place a layer of bread on the bottom of the pan - if using whole slices you will be able to fit 6 slices all snugged up against one another. Pour the egg/milk/butter mixture over the first layer of bread. Next, layer 1/2 the grated cheese over the soaked bread. 

Create a second layer with the remaining bread, egg, mixture and cheese. 

You can either bake this right away or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. (It actually does come out better if you chill it for at least 2 hours.)

Bake at 350 until the cheese is bubbling, the top is golden but not burning. (25-30 minutes or so) Let stand for 10 minutes after removing from the oven.

While the "souffle" is baking, make the Mushroom soup following the directions on the can. Use as a gravy poured over individual servings.

Tuesday Craft - Easy Peasy Felted Purse

Felted purses are all the rage and many of the patterns I come across are extremely complicated. I designed these bags myself with the goal of keeping the lines clean and the pattern as simple as possible.

The gray purse is a sport wool from the 1960's that had horrible drape no matter what I made with it. Until I got the bright idea to try felting it. After washing in hot water the yarn took on a marvelous pearly luster completely absent before felting.

The black purse is made from alpaca wool which tends to get very curly upon washing. It gives it sort of a shearling finish that is very cool.

You can make this purse pattern two different ways:

Method 1) Cast on enough stitches that, when felted, the final purse will be about 72% smaller than the non-felted cast on. For instance, to make a bag 13 inches wide, cast on about 15-16 inches of stitches. The needle size will depend on the type of yarn. For sport weight use needles size 6-8 US. For thinner yarn such as alpaca, use needles size 4-6.

Next, knit a long rectangle of stockingette stitch that you will then fold almost into thirds. "Almost" because the front flap will be slightly shorter than a full third. Again, decide how big to make your rectangle depending on your desired height of the folded, felted purse. When you reach the desired size, bind off all stitches.

Once you have folded the rectangle into a purse shape (right sides together) sew the side seams and then turn right side out. 

To make the strap, pick up 3 stitches from the top right corner and knit an icord. To knit an icord you use two double pointed needles the same size as the needles you used for the overall pattern. Knit three stitches and then without turning your work, slide the stitches to the other end of the needle and knit them again. Repeat this process until you have the desired length of cord. Again, this will shrink when felted. Using a needle and thread (or a tapestry needle and matching yarn) sew the other end of the cord to the upper left corner of the purse.

Method 2: Same as method 1 only use a circular needle and knit the body of the purse all at once in an open circle. When you reach the desired height, bind off 1/2 the stitches plus 6. Knit the rest of the stitches back and forth in stockingette stitch until the flap is the desired length. Bind off remaining stitches and finish with icord as in method 1. With right sides together sew the bottom of the circle closed and then turn right side out.

Felt using your preferred felting method. I throw my knitting into the washing machine with a pair of old jeans and a small amount of detergent. I put the washer on the shortest, hottest setting I have and let the washer do the felting for me. Sometimes it takes more than one cycle, sometimes less. It helps to knit a swatch and test felt it before you make the whole purse. Then you will know how long to leave it in the washer.

Good luck!!

Paint Spill Disaster!!

After reading my "thought for the week" about speedball ink and sneezing, folks are reqesting pictures. Unfortunately, while we have had many speedball ink mishaps, we never took pictures :-(.

I do however have pictures of last year's paint spilling disaster. We were storing dark gray paint in our son's closet (for use in finishing up the trim in his bedroom - if we ever got around to it) when it fell out of the closet (which is really sort of a cupboard - the bottom of which is a foot and a half off the ground - the door in the photo is the hall door, closet is behind it) and spilled over a 3 foot square section of the very expensive carpet in that bedroom.

Foolishly, we tried for about 45 minutes to clean it up (what was I thinking?!) before we threw in the towel (threw away the towel, actually) and just cut that section out of the carpet. We bought a piece of similar carpet with which to patch the spot. Although we have cut the patch to size, in true overbooked fashion, we have yet to officially install it.....

Thought for the Week - April 21 2013

 

When holding an open bottle of speedball ink, it's best to put it down before you sneeze...

 

 

Pic Of The Week: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

Honest to goodness the cat does his begging by sitting at the table like a person. I can't imagine what he sees in green beans and mashed potatoes but c'est la vie.....

The Overbooked Cook - Fettucine Alfredo

My children have never had real macaroni and cheese. This is becuse we only eat two kinds of pasta with cheese in our house - fettucine alfredo or mac-n-cheese out of a box. Believe it or not they are equally easy!

(I grew up on fabulous macaroni and cheese with colby and cheddar - my mother has lost the recipe and I have never found one even close - hence, I only make the box kind or the recipe I'm giving you here.)

Quick Fettucine Alfredo

Ingredients:

Cream (heavy or whipping or light will all work, heavy is best) Use 1/3 cup per person you are planning to serve.

Grated Parmesian Cheese (you can use the kind in the can or grate your own fresh)

Fettucine Noodles (read package for measuring how many noodles you need for the number of people you are planning to serve.)

Directions

Following the instructions on your pasta, heat the appropriate amount of water to boiling.

In the meantime, pour your desired amount of cream into a saucepan. The sauce pan should be the proper size to hold twice as much cream as you are using - this helps keep the cream from boiling over all over the stove! Heat the cream over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and begin adding Parmesian cheese. Kraft parmesian is pretty salty so you won't want to add any extra salt. Other brands may not be as salty - season to taste. If you use freshly grated parmesian you will need extra salt and the texture will be smoother.

Continue adding parmesian until the sauce is thick but not too thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon. You should be able to see tiny grains of cheese inside the cream.

Turn the heat down to its lowest setting - you are just keeping the sauce warm while you cook the noodles. Cook your pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is done, drain, plate, cover with sauce and serve immediately.

Feel free to dress up with vegetables, cooked chicken, freshly ground pepper, etc.

The whole process should take less than 20 minutes - a must for us overbooked types!

Enjoy!