Purple Cow

 We have recently discovered smoothies. The daycare kiddos won't eat frozen blueberries, so one day on a whim my Mom made a smoothie. They devoured it and asked for more! This is now a snack time staple and is on our menu every week. You can substitute all the ingredients for other types. Greek yogurt or regular yogurt instead of Swiss style or maybe use different berries. Along as you keep the amounts the same it ought to be a hit for your next snack time!

Purple Cow

Ingredients:

2 Cups Swiss-style yogurt

2 Cup 1% Milk

1.5 Cups Frozen Wild Maine Blueberries 

1.5 Cups Fresh strawberries (chopped)

Blend with an immersion blender or other blender. Makes approx 6 6oz servings

Yarn Along

Still working on the same books from last week. Reading is slow going since I have a deadline for a pair of turtles for the end of the month. 

As promised I have finishes! This week-end I finished my beret. I stretched it out on a dinner plate on the pellet stove over-night. It has the proper amount of floppiness now. The turtle below is one of two, I just started the second one last night.

Linking up with Ginny today.

Baby Talk

I was sitting at the table during lunch listening to my little guy babble on and I thought to myself, I'm going to miss his little voice when he gets bigger. I love how he says "One More" with his little pointer finger up in the air. It sounds like "One Mur", but his meaning is always clear. The other word he says that tickles me is "fork", he calls it a "cork". We attempt to correct him by having him mimic our over exaggerated "fff" sound, and the result is too cute for words.

Today my Mom taught him the correct way to say "more" and it comes out crystal clear.

Just one more sign he's growing up.

Week-Ending

What I wanted to happen and what actually happened this week-end were very different.

I had visions of hibernating in our 'apartment' with needles and my two boys. Instead we went to the in-laws to do some house sitting. I still had my needles and two boys so all was not lost.

I took my camera, but didn't take any pictures.

We had a good time. I got a lot of knitting done and the boys got a lot of snuggling accomplished. I also got to watch The Smurfs which I've never seen and Stomper fell in love with The Muppets.

Have I mentioned his recent fascination with Elmo? To give you the full scoop on how this happened (I am not a big Sesame Street fan and less of a fan of Elmo) I must give you a picture of our morning.

Stomper usually wakes me about 7:00 with "Mommy. Mooommmmmmy." over the monitor. Blearily I rise from my slumber and stumble to his room. I greet him and open his curtains, and this wakes me enough to carry him downstairs to his grandparents. My parents are sitting at the kitchen island watching the morning news on the computer, as they do every morning. My Dad, Stomper calls him "Grandfather" is already searching for an appropriate something or other to show him on youtube. I hand the boy over to Grandfather, trusting that he won't show him anything questionable, as I go get a shower before all the daycare munchkins arrive. One of these mornings, after watching the new Muppet Movie, my Dad went on a youtube search for the Mahna-Mahna song to show Stomper. That led to Cookie Monster and Cookie Monster led to full episodes of "Elmo's World." 

Stompers love of the red guy deepened after a friend gave us some hand-me-down toys and not only was there an Elmo book with lift-the-laps about his blanket (Stomper has a blanket called "Froggie") but also an Elmo that gave kisses. My son was smitten.

My guess is that when Stomper saw other Muppets on Mimi and Bumpa's giant TV it was toddler heaven. I guess there are worse things he could be interested in.

I have knitting photos, but you will have to come back Wednesday to see them!

Year of Projects :: Slow

I feel like I'm moving at a snails pace.
No motivation whatsoever to knit. None.
I should have plenty, I have a deadline.

I am dutifully pecking at my projects, one stitch, one row at a time.

I talked about most of my projects on Wednesday, and for fear of repeating myself, I will just kindly ask you to pop over and take a look. Two of the three projects I am working are on my list: my beret and the kitty.

I hope had a more successful week than I!

Little Rabbits

In the fall we attempted to produce a couple litters of kits (rabbits) to have some fresh meat through the winter. We weren't successful. The first litter perished due to our fault and the second litter due to the death of the mother during childbirth. (You can read that post here). A couple of months ago Jason tried once again to breed a litter, then three weeks ago we celebrated success. The mother, Una, gave birth to eight healthy little kits. The runt eventually died, but the remaining seven are doing awesome.

Once they are big enough Jason will process them and we will freeze, share, eat, and sell some. We are so excited to get some fresh rabbit meat for our freezer.

Tasty Failure

For the next few months I will be republishing some of our kitchen posts. This post was originally posted Oct 2012. 

Yesterday I set out to make my husband a treat for his upcoming birthday on Monday. I made caramel popcorn a few weeks back and he requested that I make it again. We just so happened to have movie day with the daycare kiddos and I "accidentally" made too much popcorn so I would "have to" make caramel popcorn.

Here is the problem. Did you know that one stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup not 1/4? Well, I momentarily forgot that fact and instead of putting in 1/2 cup of butter I put in 1 cup. Then, still not realizing my mistake I decided to increase the amount of caramel by 1/2 and so added what I thought was 1/4 cup of butter--another whole stick. As the third stick is melting in the pot and I am adding in the karo syrup I realized my mistake--I put in to much butter.

By now though I'm flustered and not thinking clearly. I run through my head, is 3 sticks 4 times the recipe or 3? How much should I increase the other ingredients? 3 times? 4? Oh no, I will need more popcorn! I dump in what I hope is enough sugar and karo as I simultaneously air pop more popcorn. Did you know that when you air pop popcorn that there is a cover to put on? What didn't pop out of the popper burnt just a bit, but I managed to not totally destroy it.

The caramel on the stove is looking rather thick and bubbly. More so than usual and I wonder if I am cooking it too long. I measured out quadruple the amount of baking soda and vanilla to be on the safe side as I am still not certain how many times extra I am making the caramel and hope for the best.

The popcorn manages to make it safely into the oven with way too much caramel over the top and I start the clean up. As I am cleaning up I do the math and realize that I tripled the recipe and that there is way too much sugar, caramel, vanilla, and baking soda in the mix versus the amount of butter. But, I reason, you can't have too much of a good thing and sugar in caramel is a good thing--right?

The first time out of the oven the caramel is super soupy as I mix the popcorn around. The second time out of the oven the baking soda is making the caramel very foamy, and the third time the caramel has foamed up and over most of the popcorn.

I taste the goo and though it doesn't look right, it sure does taste yummy! I decide not to worry.

I spread it out over the wax paper on the counter and allow it to cool.

When I come back to taste it, it is like caramel candy with popcorn in it. I have failed at making caramel popcorn, but succeeded in making something yummy! I put most of it in a gallon sized ziploc bag, pu the bag of corn in a decorated a paper bag with the words "Happy Birthday", and gave it to him anyway.

Long story short: I made a mess of caramel popcorn for my hubby, but he loved it anyway!

If you would like to try and make it the right way, here is our recipe (remember 1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup)

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 8-10 cups popped corn
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Make:

1. Butter 9x13 pan and fill with popped corn
2. In sauce pan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to boil. Boil 5 mins (lower heat but continue to boil)
3. Remove from heat and add salt, soda, and vanilla
4. Pour caramel over corn and mix thoroughly
5. Bake @ 250 for 45min, stirring every 15mins
6. Pour onto wax paper, spread out to cool

Yarn Along :: Three's Company

Last week in my post about my project list I mentioned that I might cast on a toy or three. I came close. I started a Soft Kitty and a turtle. Soft Kitty is for a friend and is based on this pattern by Linda. I think my vision and yarn availability are not matching up. Not sure yet what I will do, I might turn it into a fuzzy monster for Stomper or pillow or something, because it's not big enough for a kitty. If that is the case I will just cast on again for the kitty, if at first you don't succeed....

Yarn: Homespun by LionBrand

I also cast on a turtle, one of two, for a friend of my SIL. Do you recognize the yarn? The pattern is one of my favorites from Susan B Anderson. So simple and cute it doesn't take me long to make a pair. You can find my rav notes here. I made a crazy amount of these turtles a few years ago and I highly recommend the pattern.

The third thing on my needles is my beret. Gosh how I wish it was finished! There have a been a few times when I could have used it, but alas I must wait. I got a lot done while I was at a friends house last week. I probably would have finished it, but I ran out of one of my yarns. Not to worry I have more of it!

I went to the library this week and got some new books. I just couldn't get back into the Princess Academy. Maybe I'll try again in a few weeks. I got one from the series, A Series of Unfortunate Events and #8 in the Rangers Apprentice. I am really enjoying them both, the humor is so perfect in the SoUE, so spot on. Rangers Apprentice there is only a few books until the series end and I'm sad. It's been a really great journey.

Next week I hope to show you some epic finishes!

Linking up with Ginny today.

Farming & Knitting

I have been deliberating on what to do about the other blog I maintain. Last year around this time we moved in with my parents and started a small hobby farm, Hamberg Family Farm. For the first part of 2012 and most of the summer I attempted to keep multiple blogs thriving. This fall I realized that it wasn't working out writing three blogs (Knitted Together, Hambergs in the Kitchen, and Hamberg Family Farm) so I focused my efforts where I had readership--here.

Starting today I will be posting all three blogs here on, Knitted Together. I have formulated a plan to keep me focused and give me direction. Most of my posting will still be about knitting and mothering, but you will also see more cooking and farming related posts. The following list is not set in stone, but a guideline. Some weeks I may post on all the days listed, on other weeks only a few.

• Monday or Tuesday :: Weekend Wrap-up
• Mostly photos like this post
• Wednesday :: Yarn Along 
• Books, knitting, yarn, and designing. On this day I link up with Ginny at www.gsheller.com
• Friday :: Farm Friday
• Updates on what is going on at Hamberg Family Farm
• Thursday :: From the Kitchen
• Recipies, failures, and food photos
• Sunday  :: Year of Projects Update
• Knitting and planning, this is a way to keep myself focused on specific things I have been wanting to knit. You can find my list HERE

I have a short photo journal of the farm HERE so that you can get to know our little farm.

Year of Projects: Joni's Mittens

After my last update I managed to locate 3 dpn's in the correct size and one circular in the right side. When I saw them I remembered using them for the first mitten I made. The knitting went much smoother. Again I reiterate that stripes and mittens in the round are not a good idea. Next time I am possessed to make striped mittens with out self-striping yarn I will knit them flat.

All I need is to send them off to my teacher, I hope they were worth the wait!

This is the right hand mitten pre-magic. The sparkly yarn is removed and stitches picked up to make the flip top. It's really clever. I like the construction of these mittens and I would make them again, just not with stripes. Any issues I had with the pattern(s) I was using was all self inflicted. You can read my Rav notes here.

I am so happy to happy to have these mittens off my list and out of my brain. Next UFO I will start will be a sock for the hubs and a toy or three.

Photography: Framing

When I was taking my photography class there was one assignment that called for us to frame our subjects.I was able to take a few, but none really great. In honor of finishing the mittens for my teacher I have finally been able to fully complete my framing project.

Proud

I am a proud Mama.

My little guy is such a big helper.

Sunday we do shopping for the daycare and house. We bring in the groceries and put them all away.

Sunday Stomper was down and running around and saying "Me? Me?" as he dragged the bags of groceries across the floor. I let him put the canned goods away, haphazardly of course, but they were away and the door shut. Then he handed me other canned goods for me to put in higher shelves and in the freezer. Today we had to move items from one freezer to another. He happily carried bags of green-beans and peas from one room to the other for me.

This little guy of mine is growing rapidly. His little hands are growing stronger, dexterous  adventurous, confident, and careful. He is speedily becoming less of a baby, despite my efforts to keep him little.

Some day these little hands will be bigger. They won't need my help any more. For now I will enjoy these chubby fingers and their growing independence.

Yarn Along: January Snow

We are having a little snow squall today. Just a few inches, just enough to make the world beautiful and quiet. The kids played outside for an hour, two little snow people. 

Inside again I my knitting goes slowly but surely. The mittens I am making for my photography teacher are nearly done. Just a little bit of magic and they will be finished.

Beside my bed my book gathers dust, but I keep current with my favorite bloggers: Ginny at SmallThings, Amanda at SouleMama, Sarah at Crafts from the Cwtch, Svenna at Stitch and Purl, and Ashley Ann at UnderTheSycamore. I really enjoy my invisible blogger friends. They encourage and bolster me. They make feel part of something bigger, an unseen community of knitters, mothers, crafters, wives, daughters, and photographers keeping a running memory of our lives.

Year of Projects: UFO #1

I have started my first UFO, a mitten, and I am having problems with it. At first I was knitting it using the two needle method, but that wasn't working out quite right with my stripes so now I am knitting it flat. My advice: self striping and variegated yarn for mittens if you want your life easier. My next option it to locate dpn's in the correct size and give that a try. My fear is that if I knit them flat the size will be off since I knit tighter in the round.

the first mitten

I polished off three very cute projects for a baby shower, you can check them out on my pinterest board, and so I haven't really worked on my beret. I managed a few rounds while watching Total Recall (the new one) with the hubs and it is quite possible that I'll have it finished in time to not need it.

I forgot to add a few things to my list. I want to write a sweater pattern (for a baby) and a toy. I already knit the prototype for the toy. It is a little bunny rattle (perfect for Easter Baskets!). I have the rough draft of the pattern worked out I just need to reknit it to make sure I got it right and then I'll test it on rav. If you are interested in testing let me know (message me on Rav: DeliaMae) and I'll tell you how testing works. Here is a link to the bunny toy and a video of her sweet "song". I am having issues getting my vision of the sweater onto the needles. I think I may need a few designing books: suggestions?

Belle Bottom Bunny

My other projects are beckoning me in my list, but I still only have the two hands. I think I'll accept a little startitius and cast on a sock and some Easter stuff next.

Vinnie's Basket

Usually the blanket basket behind the chair looks like this (minus Elmo):

A certain little doggie likes to snuggle in where the sun reaches him during the day and in the evening his favorite human sits near-by. However, one afternoon he left his basket unattended and a little boy took it over.

Stomper climbed up into Vinnie's basket and pulled out his favorite book "Where is Elmo's Blanket" that was in with the recently handed down books. Elmo is a recent buddy. Grandma put on a video of Elmo's World the other day and ever since that he sees Elmo where ever he goes. Then we received a bunch of handed down toys and in it was an Elmo. So who better to snuggle with in Vinnie's basket than Elmo and a book about Elmo. 

Then it was Vinnie's turn once again to claim the basket and have a little  nap.