Best Bread

A little bit of yeast, some flour, salt and water...and you get bread. This is the "No Knead Bread" recipe from the NY TImes. So easy a kid could do it.

My first 2 batches were great. The 3rd didn't rise. I think because the nights here have been pretty cool and you need the bread to sit overnight at about 70 degrees. When it warms up again, we're back on.

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water

knit 1, purl 4, kick that knitting out the door

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbeGkovaXQ

Oodles of Noodles

So I had a kids cooking class to do and I hadn't thought of a menu. Then I remembered that I own a pasta maker.

Most fun I've had in a cooking class. The kids loved it. We made home-made meatballs and sauce to go with out noodles and it all tasted great.

So now I've decided that the only way to eat spaghetti is to make noodles from scratch. I've tried a few different recipes, but here is the best combination:

2 cups flour (1/2 semolina, 1 1/2 cup all purpose)

3 eggs

1 tsp salt

Won't go back...its so much easier than I thought.

The Force is Strong with this One

Axel in his Yoda hat. I had to knit this for my nephew. When we were kids, Axel's dad (my brother) and I played Star Wars all the time. He was a big fan.

Newest Project

Ok, I said no more new projects unless I get some unfinished things done. So I did. I finished off a lot of things in January, plus I did 3 rooms full of drapes .

That's why I started this...

A 1968 mod cape. I have some vintage wool plaid with hunter green satin for the lining.

Even if I never get a chance to wear it, I've always wanted to make this pattern.

Finally Done and Finished

For the last 2 weeks, I've worked on nothing but these drapes for a client.

I hung them this morning (with some help) and they turned out beautifully. I fought against adding the fringe (totally not my thing), but I have to say that it works in this case.

The pictures don't do them justice. The fabric is from Calico Corners (pattern name is "Fantasy Garden) and was $20 a yard. It took 20 yards for the drapes and the valance. The drapes are 95" long and the valance is 120" wide. Too big to fit in my car. I sawed the wood in half and then had to put it back together once I got to her house. That alone added an hour and a half to the whole installation process. In total, it took 3 hours to put up the valance and the rod.

So glad they are finished and everybody is happy. Now I'm working on my vintage wool plaid cape tomorrow before I start some cushions for a lady.

11 Years Later...Sadie's Baby Quilt is Done

Sadie just celebrated her 11th birthday. Here is the quilt that I started before I was pregnant with her and then worked on during most of my pregnancy. Yup, I finished it last night.

It's a Dresdan Plate quilt...very popular in the 1930's. It's hand pieced and hand appliqued. That means no sewing machine and lots of hours of work. I cheated and then machine quilted it. Then it sat in a box for about 4 years before I put the binding on. Then it sat for another 2 years until last night when I finally finished hand sewing the binding.

There's a stain on it where I spilled Chinese food on one of the blocks when I was working on it. For some reason I couldn't get enough Chinese food when I was pregnant with Sadie. Since we were living in Germany at the time, it was a frozen Chinese dinner from the commissary. I washed the quilt today, but the stain didn't come out. Oh well. It's done.