latest F.O.s – two easy crochet projects
An update on two easy crochet projects that are perfect for summer.
Year: 2023
delicious lemon cake perfect for spring
At times I feel like I’m solar powered. That’s why I love it so much when spring finally arrives in Marin. The sunshine makes me feel happy and energized. Last Saturday, it looked like we were finally going to enjoy a little sunlight and warmth after what has been the rainiest winter I can remember — and just in time for Easter! On my Saturday “to-do” list was making dessert for the family potluck on Sunday. Sarah suggested making lemon bars from Tartine’s cookbook — one of her favorite desserts. Sarah has always made the lemon bars, but I thought it was about time I tried making them myself. Making the lemon bars turned out to be pretty easy; the last step was to place the tray in the fridge to allow the bars to set and cool overnight. I was proud of myself for getting everything everything ready a day early. Time to relax! The next morning, the lemon bars were ready, but Sarah was sick, so we thought it would be best for …
designing a hat in five days
About a week ago, I got an email from Clare from Sister Mountain announcing her new workshop: “Design a Hat in 5 Days”. I’ve been curious about knitwear design for a long time and signed up for Clare’s sweater design workshop introduction a few years ago, but decided not to go ahead with the full course, since I didn’t feel like I had enough time to design a whole sweater. But a small project like this one could be the perfect introduction I was looking for, so I signed up! Because we would only have five days to complete the project, our homework before Day 1 was to draw a quick sketch of the hat we intended to make and to knit, wash, and dry our swatch sample. My first idea had been to use a sport-weight yarn and to try to incorporate some pretty cables, but when I realized how long it was taking me to knit my small swatch, I changed plans and opted for a bulky yarn instead. I also picked a …
favorite pancakes with blueberry sauce
It’s Pancake Day, today. I only know this because I follow Jaime Oliver and he posted lots of pancake recipes on Instagram and his website this morning. Go on, take a look, some look amazing! I’ll take any excuse to make pancakes. I loved the ones my grandmother used to make for us when we were little. For years, my sisters and I have been trying to recreate her recipe, and after many attempts, I’ve finally settled for this version, which started out as Mark Bittman’s Everyday Pancakes. The goal here is to make pancakes that look more like crêpes, although not as thin. To accomplish this, I’ve increased the amount of milk in his recipe and I also make it imperative to use salted butter, just like my grandmother did. This recipe makes enough pancakes for two people, but you can easily double it to feed a few more. Ingredients1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder3/8 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled (preferably salted butter)1 egg1 ½ cups of milk (2%)more butter for …