Adventures in Knitting; Checkered Cowl is finished!

Aynaria Leave a comment

I’m happy to say that a few minutes ago I finished knitting the checkered cowl.

Knitted - Completed Checkered Cowl_3-001
Knitting: I’ve finished the checkered cowl!

 

It seemed like this took forever to complete, but that’s because I was only able to work on it a few minutes now and again. So of course the time completing this project seemed to take forever.

This is one of the “playing with stitches” projects that I was knitting. I didn’t use a pattern I came up with my own. I decided to use my favorite stitches (stockinette and seed stitch) and alternate them throughout the entire project. I must say I’m pleased with the results. Eventually, I’ll make a matching hat and gloves to complete the ensemble. 😉 And who knows, I might even add a matching scarf, for the days for when wearing a cowl is not enough. No, this cowl isn’t for me. My hands love to stay busy, so I make things and set them aside to be given to someone at a later time.

The majority of the items I make are hats. I’m currently knitting and setting aside hats to be given to a local hospital this fall. I make hats for NICU and cancer patients.

Now that this project is finished, I’m itching to work on something else however I don’t know what I want to make. Part of me wants to knit an amigurumi… but what? This past May, I knitted an amigurumi voodoo doll for my daughter’s birthday. She loves that knitted toy. Then there’s another part of me that wants to work on a simple sweater for me. Perhaps it’s time that I start knitting the Sylvi cardigan. I adore knitting cable stitch.

Adventures in crafting: Knitting and sewing

Aynaria 7 Comments

If you were to make a surprise visit to our home (on a evening or weekend) you’d find our home buzzing with creative activities.

Daughter sewing tablet case_2
This is my computerized Brother PC 420. You don’t have to use the foot peddle with this machine, you just press a button and the machine will sew for you, but my daughter loves the foot peddle!

 

Naturally, I’m one proud mamma! She handled my Brother PC-420 like a pro.

Daughter sewing tablet case_1

 

The most recent project my daughter completed was a case for her Wacom Splash tablet. You can see her sewing the fabric (the wrong sides are showing) in the above photos.

She’s been thrilled with how quickly she’s advanced with her sewing. I told her that her first “big project” could be leggings. She wears those a lot.

Jade-first sewn pillowcase_2
Guess who?
Jade-first sewn pillowcase_1
Sewing project: My daughter is proud of her pillow case!

 

Before sewing the tablet cover, she completed the above pillow case. Notice a theme? My daughter loves pink.

My daughter didn’t use a pattern for her two sewing projects. I had her measure the pillow and tablet, write the measurements on paper and then I helped her draft a pattern from that. She was thrilled with how simple it was to complete. I did tell her that pattern drafting can get complicated, but once you’re comfortable with doing them, it’s no big deal. It just takes practice and it’s important to not rush… take your time!

 

Knitting - Checkered cowl_3

 

She wasn’t the only one working on crafts. You could see me knitting the checkered cowl.

Knitting - Checkered cowl_3
Knitting: Knitting the final rows of my checkered cowl.

 

If I work on it today, I should be finished since I only have about six rows to knit.

Whomever is the recipient will have a nice cowl. I used my size 4 Hiya Hiya knitting needles with worsted wool. Because of the small needles used, it’s made the fabric dense. Which will be perfect for keeping out the cold.

Black Beans; quick black bean stiry fry

Aynaria 2 Comments

I love black beans…

Vegan - Black beans and vegetables_2
Vegan: Black Beans and vegetables

 

I only use dried beans, I’ve found them much more flavorful (and healthier) than purchasing canned beans. When I prepare dried beans, I normally cook a lot of them in advance, freeze the bulk of the beans and use as needed. It’s simple, and much better than the canned beans purchased from the store.  Black beans are delicious and are loaded with nutrients.

Black Beans: Health Benefits

  • Black beans are great for your cardiovascular health. They’re loaded with soluble fiber; this type of fiber is helpful in lowering your risk of heart disease.
  • Black beans are also great sources of folate (B6) our nervous system depends on this to create the amino acids that it needs to function.
  • Black beans contains several types of flavonoids. Studies have shown consuming these types of flavonoids can help reduce certain types of cancers.
  • Since black beans are a great source of protein and fiber it helps move the food through the stomach and large intestines. Which aids the digestive tract from working too hard.

I added carrots, cauliflower, onions and garlic to this dish. I also added some spices. The cauliflower and garlic came from the garden. I’ve found that fresh garlic tastes much better than the garlic you typically receive from the store. Fresh cauliflower, is amazing also.

I was going to add zucchini, that’s plentiful in our garden but I held off adding it to this dish. However, today, I’ll be using zucchini in a dish.This was a simple, nutritious and delicious meal and was prepared in minutes.

 

Resources:

  1. Cancer Letters: Inhibition of Caco-2 colon, MCF-7 and Hs578T breast, and DU 145 prostatic cancer cell proliferation by water-soluble black bean condensed tannins
  2. Cancer Letters: Consumption of black beans and navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) reduced azoxymethane-induced colon cancer in rats.
  3. Natural News: Research links eating cooked black beans to lowered risks of cancer
  4. Department of Health: Folic Acid The Vitamin that Helps Prevent Birth Defects

Adventures in Knitting: Signature Convertible Needles

Aynaria Leave a comment

I haven’t been on Ravelry in a while. There’s been so much going on in my life that I really haven’t had the time to add that to the equation…

 

Signature convertible needles
Signature convertible needles

 

This past weekend, I logged onto Ravelry, and learned that Signature needles were now offering detachable cables. Unlike the “interchangeable cables” that can be swapped between needles sizes. The only changing you’ll be doing with Signature knitting needles, is swapping cable length. Signature needles are calling these needles “Signature convertible knitting needles.”

To be honest, that’s a whole lot less appealing (at least for me) than the  interchangeable cables but I might pick up one needle size since I do love the Stiletto points. I will say, that the Signature points are a tiny bit sharper than my Interchangeable Hiya Hiya Steel Sharp needles. But I don’t see myself replacing my Hiya Hiya Steel Sharp set. I love the quality of my Hiya Hiya’s and use them exclusively for all my knitting projects.

Signature knitting needles are a bit pricey, purchasing one will cost me a little over $40. But I’m perfectly happy with spending a bit more for a quality item. After all, the items I choose for the various crafts I do are expected to last a long time.

In other news…

I’ve almost completed the “checkered cowl.”  This is my own pattern, I think I have about twelve more rows to do. I’ll definitely post pictures once it’s complete.

Raccoon watching; unexpected surprise

Aynaria 6 Comments

“Mom come quickly,” said my daughter standing by the door.

Raccoon_2
Raccoon cleaning its paw

 

Here’s what we saw

Raccoon_3
Raccoon cleaning its paw

 

We went outside for a closer look. I think this raccoon was sick.

  1. This raccoon was stumbling.
  2. It’s behavior was similar to rabid animals that I’ve observed.
  3. A car came down in our community and the raccoon didn’t move. The car had to move around it or it would have run it over.

We watched it for a while and then eventually went back inside. A few hours later we heard a loud bang. This raccoon was on our neighbors property. He shot him with his shotgun. It was a clean shot and the raccoon died instantly. My daughter was upset, but I reminded her that this raccoon was sick and it didn’t have long to live.

Adventures in Gardening: Eliminate harmful garden pests with homemade neem Spray

Aynaria 3 Comments

I forgot to post the recipe I use for my Neem garden spray. I use my spray in the early morning or after 6:00 p.m. by that time most of the beneficial insects have stopped foraging and I don’t have to worry about dousing them with my spray. It’s a natural way to gradually remove unwanted pests from your garden.

 

All Natural Neem Spray

2 tbsp Neem Oil
2 tbsp liquid/grated castille soap
2 gallons of water

Fruit bearing Neem tree

Neem Tree bearing fruit

How to Blend Neem

Neem is extremely hydrophobic (very hard to mix with water). You could use a high powered blender, but I’ve found that the neem/water blend will eventually separate. You need to kick it up a notch.

Off topic, but I do mix my water based essential oil blends in my Vitamix before adding to a spray bottle.

You’ll need some chemical assistance, and that’s where using real soap (not detergent) is effective. I use homemade castille soap, however if you aren’t interested in making your own, you can purchase it online or at health food stores.
Real soap works by breaking up oily masses and polarizing the droplets so they don’t cling together. Which makes it perfect for this formula. Another benefit to soap is that the fatty acids found within soap tear away the insects natural coating. This causes them to dehydrate.

 

How does Neem oil work?

Neem oil doesn’t kill garden pests outright. The insect has to eat the plant treated with neem. After it’s consumed the plant material then the properties found within neem starts to take effect.

Neem works through hormonal disruption. If you do one treatment you won’t see results, it takes time for the insect to stop laying eggs and for their digestive system to break down. It is not a broad spectrum poison, however it is extremely effective. I apply my neem solution every four days for a total of six applications. Afterwards I will drop down to once every seven days or after it rains.

Dyna-Grow Neem Oil

The brand of neem oil that I use is Dyna-Grow, I like it a lot and have been using this brand for seven years.

My sprayer of choice, it my recently purchased Stanley Lawn & Garden sprayer. I wrote about my Stanley sprayer a few weeks ago. It’s made of steel. I love it, before I’d been using my trusty plastic sprayer that held one gallon. We have about an acre of garden, spraying all the plants takes one or (sometimes two) refills.

 

Knitting: Work in Progress; Cowl

Aynaria 2 Comments

I’m still knitting that “checkered cowl”. I haven’t had too much time to knit, but I try to knit a few rows weekly.

Knitting: Checkered cowl I'm making, no pattern used.
Knitting: Checkered cowl I’m making, no pattern used.

 

The stitch pattern is stockinette and seed stitch.  It’s simple, but I really like how this knitted cowl looks. If you look closely, you’ll see metal rings. That lets me know that I need to swap my stitch pattern. I’m almost finished. I think I’ll do one more “section of blocks” before I tuck it away. I still haven’t decided on who will receive this handcrafted item, but I’ll make sure the person actually wants something like this.

Since I used size 3 knitting needles, the stitches are tightly woven together and will do a great job blocking out the cold winds that might blow.