Alpaca Cowl

The weather here is still on the cool side so I couldn't resist trying some of the new alpaca yarn that I bought from Prairie Winds Farm in Saskatoon, SK.  It knit up quickly into this Red Rasta Cowl that I found on Ravelry by Ewe Knit.  It just took one ball and is perfect for this in-between weather we have been having.  Thanks to my husband for taking the pictures.

Having a Hoot of a Time

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Mine was nice and relaxing and of course, full of love.  This past week here has been very cold (-40C) and snowy. This has made for lots of knitting time.  In honour of St. Valentine and my daughters love for owls I made these cuties to brighten their day.  They are similar to the green guy I made last year.  These guys are much larger as they are made with chunky yarn but the same construction.  For you knitters, they are like a little hat turned upside down, stuffed and sewn closed across the top.  The eyes are crocheted circles and the beak is just a little yarn stitched over.  Pretty simple and fun to make.  If there is interest I will work on an instruction sheet.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Update

Just a quick update to say that I haven't forgotten about this blogging thing. I think about things to write all the time but don't actually write them. . . hmmm . . . I'll have to try harder.

So know I haven't finished my projects but I have been working on them. I've been a little sidetracked by cooking meals for my family. Not that I haven't done this before but I'm trying to be more mindful of the things I make and try to make them from scratch. I'm happy to report that the number of boxes of processed food in the pantry is shrinking. Yay!

So I took a few cookbooks out of the local library to help with this. One that has caught my interest is Quinoa Cuisine by Jessica Harlan & Kelley Sparwasser.

This book has opened my eyes to things like quinoa flour and flakes. I had no idea! So I checked out my local grocery store and there it is quinoa flour, just sitting on the self! Of course I bought some to try it out.

I love baking . . . because I love deserts. How else does one develop a fondness for sugar? So of course the first thing I decide to make from the cookbook is the Maple Cake on page 163. It has a bit of a nutty flavour but as long as you don't talk about it, the kids love it!

When I make this again I'm going to try using my bunt pan as the centre of this cake sank a bit after I touched it to see if it was done. Not an issue though as it still tastes good. It's a very moist cake and we liked it when it was still warm even though the recipe says to wait until it is completely cooled. I see no harm in having it warm with some vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Also, I've been distracted by a parcel that arrived yesterday. It's some lovely yarn from a local alpaca farm, Prairie Wind Alpacas. I've been searching patterns trying to decide what to make from these lovely yarns. I just got a few balls to try it out so I'm thinking hat, mittens, cowl, something small. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The Year Ahead

I have been quite busy the last two years, too busy per say to do much in the way of creative pursuits. So I am declaring 2013 to be the year I make more time for creative endeavours. I am hoping that keeping track of what I am up to with this blog will keep me on the right track.

I have recently been interested in publishing my own pattern. I have had two ideas floating around my head this past month in regards to this. I spent the day yesterday going through my yarn stash and trying to come up with something cute that I wouldn't mind making a bunch of to get it right (and using up all those bits of left over yarn would be a bonus!). So I've come up with a cute little owl.

The first attempt didn't come out quite right but I didn't give up.

After stuffing him and putting his face on this morning I'm quite happy with him.

For now I'm calling him Hootie and hope to make some more over the next month or so. This will help me perfect the pattern which I hope to share.

Please be patient as I try to figure out this blogging thing. It has taken me way to long to try to get these pics uploaded. It's going to take a while for me to figure this out.