Smorgasbord

After seeing deviled eggs on Lisa's blog not too long ago, I've been itching to make (and more importantly, eat) them. So Sunday I decided to make them for dinner. Then I couldn't decide on an entree, so I just went with more hors d'oeuvres. We had crackers, crudites, Oriental Dip (yes, that's what it's called in my old copy of Joy of Cooking), olives, really excellent dill pickles, and very ripe honeydew with ham. I had planned to make my Avo-Bean Glop too, but then I realized we already had the perfect amount of food for a warm summer evening.

What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre?

Edited to add: Apparently someone else had deviled eggs on the brain as well. Though her way of keeping the yolks from turning green seems pretty convoluted to me. Joy of Cooking just told me to run the eggs under cold water after I simmered them for 15 minutes, and that seemed to work fine.

The hat that started it all

This was the first hat I ever knitted, about a year and a half ago, and I still adore it. A friend gave me a little guidance and let me borrow her size 6 circular and double pointed needles. I made it with no pattern, which is true of every hat I've made since then as well.

Less than a year after making my first hat I started selling my hats at a local shop, until it recently closed. Now my hats are available online! Please visit my new Etsy shop and check out my handknitted hats and other goodies. I am still adding to the shop, so check back for updates.

I also do custom hats and other knitted items, so let me know if you'd like to order something. I can work with you to find the perfect yarn and pattern, and I can work with your budget as well. You can contact me at monsterhatrally [at] gmail.com.

Thrift report

My thrifty finds from earlier this week. Great Gardens of the Western World from 1963 (I don't need this book at all, but I love coffee table books and I do enjoy looking at other peoples gardens), Better Homes and Gardens Crocheting & Knitting from 1977 (yes, plenty of granny squares, but also some patterns I like for placemats and rugs, among other things), oh so cheerful striped Vera napkins (2), and a pair of white linen capri pants (I don't wear white pants, I will be using the fabric for something else). Grand total: $3.72. Not bad.

Corners of my home

Two corners of my bedroom:
My side of the bed and my various piles. Items I'm especially fond of include the white polka dotted lamp (on sale at Walmart for $7), the red cowgirl hat (thanks, mom), and the green felt bag with flowers on it (purchased at the Boston Bazaar Bizarre).
A hand me down plant, Target tray, and milk crate for pants storage (no dressers in this apartment!). And my red and gold sparkly Mary Janes to the left... they are a children's size and just fit me, quite snugly. I am saving them for the right outfit or costume, or perhaps I will pass them along to a smaller person if I meet any with size 3 feet.

More corners here.

A new/old crafty hobby

Another thing that I brought back from my visit to my parents:
A drop spindle! Most of the yarn on the spindle was spun many years ago (by me)... but I have added a little to it since I brought it back. I'm doing it completely from memory, and I think my technique is slightly off (sometimes the loop of yarn holding up the spindle flies off and the spindle completely falls over), but I guess I'll figure it out through trial and error. I was also informed by someone in my knitting group that the roving I have is rather crappy and not the easiest to work with. At least it's a start.

I'm also making plans to go to the Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY with my mom, which I am super excited about! Maybe I'll check out spinning wheels there and forget about that silly spindle. (Just kidding spindle, please don't take that the wrong way and decide to not cooperate with me even more. I love you spindle. Truly. Just please be nice.)

Also while I was in NY, my mom and I visited a couple of yarn stores, and she treated me to the lovely yarn above. It's hard to see what's going on in the photo, but I am making a scribble lace scarf/shawl loosely based on a pattern in Mason Dixon Knitting. (I say loosely because I looked at the book in the store, saw a photo, and glanced at the pattern briefly. Most of it has been trial and error.) Scribble lace consists of a very fine yarn knit on very large needles with occasional rows of a somewhat thicker yarn spaced throughout. The thicker yarn stands out from the thinner yarn, and you see the scribbly, zig-zag line that it makes. (You should just be able to make this out if you click on the photo above.)

A new addition

Look what came home with me from my recent visit to my parents!
It's my old sewing machine that was in storage - all tied up from being brought on the plane as a carry-on.
And here it is set up in my living room. (The table the machine is on is a bit shaky because I pulled it off the street, but it seems like it will work for now.) Not sure if you can tell in the photo, but I cleared off one of the shelves and put fabric and some notions on it. I'm hoping having all of it out and ready to go will encourage me to use it often.

A knitting update will be coming soon, plus another craft that was in storage at my parent's house.