Category: Crochet

Rarely do I purchase bananas in large batches due to my short attention span. Fresh and green, they will wait patiently on the counter with every intention of becoming a lovely yellow snack. However, by the time they finally reach that point, I’m either no longer in the mood to eat them, or I completely forget that I had bought them altogether until the entire house is filled with their pungent aroma. By the time I hunt down the source of the smell, a pile of fruit so dark brown that it’s practically decomposing will inevitably await me. Of course, they would still surely be salvageable if used in some sort of baking operation, but if I encouraged this idea, I would end up eating nothing but banana bread for months on end.

Passing through the produce section of the grocery store one day, I promptly forgot all of this sound reasoning upon spying the most vibrant bright green bananas I had ever seen. Just from the visual appeal alone, who could resist? So I defied my general rule and bought a huge bunch right then and there to sit in the kitchen until peak sweetness had been achieved.

For once, I actually did notice them at just the right time for consumption, but for a reasons other than recalling the fact that I personally left them there at one point in time. Please – that would be logical!

Rushing into the kitchen to prepare some quick meal, I was startled to see that my luscious bundle of forgotten fruit had been commandeered by what appeared to be a common snail. What on Earth was going on? I abruptly stopped my flurry of activity to question him as gently as I could, but received a confused response from the out of place creature. What was I talking about? Couldn’t I see that he was simply a banana slug, and it was simply acting on his natural instincts?

The poor thing! After so much time slinking across the lonely dirt floor, envying all of the hip, young slugs with no shells to weigh them down, my friend here must have been experiencing an identity crisis!

Despite my desire to shoo him away and inform him of his grievous error, I couldn’t find it in my heart to break the news to him. He seemed so happy, so care free and at ease as a “slug,” I figured it couldn’t do much harm to allow him to perpetuate this new lifestyle atleast until he tired of it and returned to his natural place in the world. Seeing as there are very few places to find bananas growing outside in this section of the world, I agreed to provide him with nourishment for as long as he needed.

I guess I’m going to be eating banana bread a lot more often from now on.

Although most fortune cookies are bland and distasteful, (Forget about even not being vegan) I still think that they’re great fun to play with. Whenever these shaped pieces of dough are brought to our table after a meal at any standard Chinese restaurant, I always rush in to grab one first, not because I want to eat it, but because I want to pick the “best” fortune.

I don’t know what you think about this, but it seems to me that fortunes these days are a) not actually fortunes, and / or b) completely ridiculous. It used to be fine to use painfully generic pieces of wisdom such as “You will be facing a challenge in the near future,” but lately they don’t even make any sense. I swear, I once saw one of these tiny rectangles of paper originating within a crispy cookie bearing the powerful statement of “Tastes like chicken.” How I wish I were joking.

Anyway, when I saw the little video posted on One Hour Craft of a person making a simple crocheted fortune cookie, it looked like a very simple but fun thing that would sooner or later end up on my to-do list. Luckily it was extremely easy so it only cost me about 15 minutes or so, only distracting me from my other tasks at hand.

So on that note, I thought I would leave you with one of the most deep, profound pieces of wisdom I have ever personally received from one of the fore-mentioned edible gurus. Take these words to heart; It may be very important to remember one day when you find yourself in a bind.

As far as receiving mail goes, I tend to be the loser in the family. True, most of what arrives in our mail box tends to be bills or junk mail, but I’m finding that even some deceased relatives are still getting more mail than me. The most I can ever really hope for when opening that small black box at the mouth of the driveway is another issue of VegNews to which I recently subscribed. I’m certainly not complaining about that, because it’s a damn good publication, but it only comes ever 2 months, leaving long stretches of pulling everyone else’s mail out of the box.

The other day however, luck smiled upon me and the post man brought a medium sized manilla envelope with my name carefully spelled out on top. How exciting, I love getting packages, especially they come much earlier than I would have expected. Tearing apart the thin vessel without any sort of delicacy, I was overjoyed to hold in my hands my very first apron, hand made by Vania, no less!

This picture doesn’t really do it justice, as the colors are some what dulled by the early morning light. In real life, it’s everything I could ask for in an apron and more! The patterns are work perfectly together, in a very inviting color scheme. Gathered slightly at the top, it’s somewhat flouncy and very cute, finishing off with a large front pocket. I honestly love it so much, I’ll probably end up wearing it to school as an accessory more than in the kitchen to keep clean! It was be a nice change to not wear flour-encrusted jeans around all day though. Thank you so much for my very first apron, Vania!

In exchange, I sent to her another crocheted lace choker like I had featured on my blog some time ago, but this time in a light blue / turquoise.

I had a wonderful time doing this mini swap! If only I wasn’t so swamped trying to work all of my holiday planning out, I would love to jump into about 20 more right now!

Put that winter coat back in the closet and turn off the radiator before you melt – There’s been a streak of warm weather breaking through the area! Despite the fact that just yesterday there was frost thriving upon outdoors plants and roof tops, today I went outside wearing a short skirt and t-shirt without any discomfort! Admittedly, I have a fairly high tolerance for cold, but anyone around these parts will agree that the weather has been unseasonably mild for this time of year. I’m just as anxious as anyone to see the snow come down in fluffy white clumps, but I can relent for a bit while the sun is still so determined to prolong this summery climate. In any event, it gives me an excuse to break out the [soy] ice cream again!

I had some of my own plans brewing to make a similar frozen treat out of yarn, but Eva beat me to it! I’m not upset though – Her pattern is much better than what I could have even hoped to achieve. Everyone that saw it was impressed with how accurate it looked for something made of yarn.

With such a flawless guide to produce my faux ice cream cone, the hardest part was choosing a flavor. After a quick survey of the most appropriate colors available for the task, I settled on mint chocolate chip, complete with little bugle-bead “chocolate” pieces.

Luckily this makes a very small serving, so when the weather decides to turn frigged again without a moment’s notice, I won’t be stuck with gallons of ice cream for the next six months!

Turn on your tv and I guarantee that within the first commercial break you chance upon, you will witness at the very least three advertisements that some how relate to the holidays. Now that it’s November, nothing is off limits – Christmas is basically around the corner anyways, right? There is definitely a good deal if planning and crafting to start on for Thanksgiving, but if I try to even conceptualize what may or may not occur in December, I honestly fear that my head just might explode. With all the preparations to be done, I really don’t have time to clean that up, and I kind of doubt that brain goo will make a very attractive home decoration.

I have very poor perception of time, so when I see all these ads for Christmas gifts and such, my stress rises to about 20 points short of a melt down. We are entering my favorite time of year now, but there are many aspects that come with it which must be sorted through before the fun begins. All I can do right now is focus on one thing at a time, and since Thanks giving is indisputably fair game now, I think the time is ripe for us to talk turkey.

But of course I’m going to have a turkey at the dinner table! It’s his day after all, he should be the guest of honor! I’m sure we can both agree to have a tofurkey on the table as well. I have a feeling that my family won’t entirely agree with this proposal, but this year I’m putting my foot down. If there is any sort of dead animal present at dinner, I will not be. This is the time to be grateful for life, so I can’t possibly see how sacrificing another helpless turkey will really be the appropriate way in which to celebrate. I know tradition is very prevalent in the reasoning behind this approach, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s murder. This proclamation may just leave me out in the cold this year, but I know that I won’t be completely alone – My [acrylic] feathered friend over there plans to stick around for a while, especially during this dangerous time.

Now you can invite a turkey to your own veggie feast, how ever you choose to mark the occasion! They really do make wonderful, gracious guests, and you can rest assured that they will fully appreciate your decision to have a cruelty-free holiday. Just ask everyone you invite if they’d really want to eat a cute little turkey like him, and maybe you might change a few minds.

Head and Body:

Using an F hook and dark brown worsted weight, sc 5 into a circle
Sc twice into each stitch
Sc1, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc2, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc3, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc even for 4 rounds
Sc3, sc 2tog* around
Sc2, sc 2tog* around

-Insert eyes-

Sc even for 1 round
Sc2, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc even for 1 rounds
Sc3, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc even for 1 rounds
Sc4, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc even for 5 rounds
Sc4, sc 2tog* around
Sc3, sc 2tog* around
Sc2, sc 2tog* around
Sc1, sc 2tog* around
Sc 2tog* around
Break yarn, stuff, and secure bottom

Wing (Make 2)

With the same colored yarn as the body, ch 6
In second ch from hook, sc 1
Sc 1 into next ch
Dc 1 into each of the next 2 ch
Into final ch, tc 6 times
Dc into back of 2 sc
Sc once more into next stitch

Beak

In yellow yarn, sc3 into a circle
Sc2 into 1 stitch, 2 sc, 2 sc into 1 stitch (5)
Sc2, sc 2 into 1 stitch, 2 sc (6)
Beak yarn, leaving a couple inches to sew with

For the snood, simply ch 4 in red and attach

Tail

Beginning with the same dark brown yarn, sc 5 into a circle
Sc twice in each stitch
Sc1, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc2, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc3, sc twice into next stitch* around

-Switch to rust-colored yarn-

Sc4, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc5, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc6, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc7, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc8, sc twice into next stitch* around

-Switch to red yarn-

Sc9, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc10, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc5, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc6, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sc7, sc twice into next stitch* around

-Switch to orange yarn-

Sc8, sc twice into next stitch* around
Sk1, tc 5 into next stitch, sk1, sl st (Half way around, or 12 x)
Break yarn, leaving a very long tail

To assemble: Determine proper placement and sew both wings to the sides, and the beak between the two safety eyes. The only semi-challenging part is the tail, which is to be folded in half so that all of the scalloped edge is in front. Sew the two sides together so that the second to last row matches up on both pieces and the scallops protrude. Sew to the back using matching yarn. Bury in ends and start preparing for Thanksgiving!

Sure, it may look as though I’ve been cooking up a storm these days, bit in reality I’ve only been baking like a maniac. Lots of tasty treats and temptations, but very little of actual substance. With school and various errands or obligations, it never seems very practical to try preparing full meals from scratch. I’m lucky that frozen dinners such as those made by Amy’s exist so that I don’t have to resort to eating cereal for dinner [atleast every night.]

After returning home from another one of those grueling days, I dumped my bags on the floor and shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. Expecting to defrost one of the many miscellaneous packaged meals sitting in the freezer, you could imagine my surprise when I found a frying pan already sizzling away on the stove. That in itself was nothing, however, when you considered who was undertaking this task.

Hardly the size of most the utensils he was using, my miniature chef had quite an air of confidence nonetheless. Clearly trained to be a professional, he even understood the importance of cleanliness and presentation, donning an apron and toque that fit his personality like a second skin. I can’t even say as much for myself – I don’t currently own an apron, let alone take the time to merely consider wearing one!

Watching intently, no words were exchanged, as none were necessary to understand this act of kindness. I had given him a brand new frying pan about a week ago to encourage his blossoming hobby, and after having clearly enjoyed it, I suppose this was a gesture of appreciation. Not only that, but I was able to fully witness his greatly improved skills and newly acquired techniques.

I sat quietly at the table and continued to observe his mastery of the food he was hard at work on. It was not long before delicious aromas filled the air, and the only remaining task at hand was to eat. No objections on my part!

Together we enjoyed the fruits of his labor, and agreed that it is a lot of work to cook most new dishes, even without factoring in one’s busy schedule. I can’t depend on my rising chef here to always be there for my consumption needs, but it sure was nice of him to treat me this time! Maybe I can bribe him to atleast cook for me after I finish my Japanese SAT II’s today. (Wish me luck!)