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Pointy Knit Caps

  • Posted on September 26, 2011 at 6:08 am
"4 Pointy Knit Caps"

4 Poiny Knit Caps

Last week I came across a pattern that had my hands itching to grab some yarn and find my needles.  Because of work I didn’t get to do that until Saturday and by the time the day was done I had finished 4 hats. While I followed the pattern as written for the first hat, half way through the second one I was already figuring how to do things differently and by the time I started the third hat I had rewritten the pattern to my preferences in my head.

I found the original as a free pattern at www.littlehomeblessings.com and this particular is called “The Scrappy Gnome Hat Pattern”

I made my first had up in under 2 hours. Each of the rest took less than that once I had what I preferred all in one place. I haven’t written up my version yet, but at some point I will have a pattern section to my blog. For now I will just show what I got done on Saturday with more to follow.

 

"My First Pointy Cap"

Red, White, and Blue My First Poiny Cap

The original pattern called for using 1 strand of bulky weight yarn along with 1 strand of worsted weight yarn, but when I first started I wasn’t finding my bulky yarn stash so I improvised using 3 strands of worsted. It works for gauge, but be aware when you do that it creates a fabric that is stiffer than using just the 2 strands called for  due to the extra twisting that occurs as you work the yarn.

"My Second Pointy Cap"

My Second Pointy Cap Using a Varigated Yarn

When I knit the second cap I found some of my bulky yarn stash and paired it with a variegated worsted weight yarn so I didn’t have to change yarns to get color variations and create interest. (I consider myself to be a somewhat lazy knitter, preferring the yarn and technique do the work so I don’t have to.) By this point I had found my 16 inch circular size 13 needles to do the first portion of knitting.

"My Third Pointy Cap this one in Boucle"

My Third Pointy Cap in Pink and Purple Boucle

By my third attempt I had changed some things around in the working of the pattern as well as found some boucle left over from another project. I paired it up with some raspberry worsted as set off around and around. For some reason I find going around in circles addicting. (I have a simple rolled brim cap I’ve been doing for years just because I can do most of it on circular needles and I do not have to think or pay attention until I start to decrease. It’s one of my default patterns and you’ll probably be introduced to it at a later date).

"My Fourth Pointy Cap is Pink Striped"

My Fourth Pointy Cap is Pink Striped

My last cap of the evening was done using a heathered pink bulky weight yarn and then alternating a deep rose worsted with an off white worsted. I knew that I wouldn’t have enough of the rose to do the whole thing, so I alternated between them, carrying the unused yarn up as I worked so I could minimize the finishing work.

So there you have it. Instead of cleaning house, I spent Saturday playing with yarn and knitting hats. In looking at these pictures I think that next time I should probably do a some practicing in picture taking, but I just wanted to share these before they got given away or lost in the shuffle.

 

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My First Homemade Gluten Free Cookies

  • Posted on September 26, 2011 at 5:23 am
"Gluten free Cashew Butter Cookies"

Gluten Free Cashew Butter Cookies

Being able to have an occasional sweet treat is something I have always looked forward to, but since I started to pursue a gluten-free lifestyle it has been more difficult. No longer can I just wander down the Cookies/Crackers lane of the grocery store and just pick up whatever my taste buds are hungry for. And I better not even think of heading over to the Bakery department with its fresh baked rolls, specialty breads, and pastries. I checked out the “specialty” department of the store and found a few kinds of pre-made gluten-free cookies, but at $3.99 for a small bag they aren’t for everyday. I tried the Gingerbread cookies but can’t say I was overly impressed.

So l went online and started looking around at gluten-free recipes, saving the ones that interested me, and compiling a list of the various flours that must be mixed balanced for the recipes to work as a precursor to a shopping trip in Duluth at at the Whole Foods Co-op. I also looked online at various gluten-free cookbooks, at their ratings and recommendations. But even knowing the ratings makes me reluctant when buying a cookbook. Does it really have the recipes I and my family will eat?

I headed off to Duluth and did my shopping, first picking up most of the flours I had on my list. I came home with 7 types of flours or the grain to be turned into flour to try. I also picked up Xanthan and Guar gum, some of the more expensive parts needed for baking.  Stopping at Barnes & Noble I checked out the gluten-free cookbooks and came home with “The Gluten-Free Bible” by Publications International Ltd. It gives an overview of setting up your gluten-free kitchen – two different flour blends, one for recipes involving yeast, the other  for regular baking – and over 200 pages of recipes with pictures.

So now it’s time to make my first batch of gluten-free cookies. The recipe I tried was on page 244, for flourless peanut butter cookies, although I didn’t use the recipe as written. Dealing with thyroid issues I need to avoid peanuts and peanut butter. The other recipe on the page was for flourless almond cookies. With only 3 ingredients – sugar, nut butter, and egg – it doesn’t require alot of time or effort. The most expensive part is the nut butter. I had a jar of cashew butter that needed using so I modified the recipe. Baking in only 10 minutes and giving them a few minutes to cool, I had fresh cookies  start to finish in under 30 minutes from when I started heating the oven and pulling out the ingredients until tasting the first of my labors.

So here is the recipe with my modifications:

Flourless Cashew Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cashew butter

1 slightly beaten egg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the ingredients until well blended. Form into 1 inch ball, place onto an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes (or so until it is set). Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove and store. The original recipe said it made 24 cookies, I got 26 when I made these.  You could also add 1/3 cup of chopped cashews to the mix if you’d like.

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Discovering the Need to be Gluten Free

  • Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:22 am

Earlier this year I discovered that I have problems with gluten. It came up when during a check-up I mentioned the fact that I’m a second-generation American. My dad’s parents had come over from Sweden and my mom’s dad came from Ireland by way of Scotland. This sparked an interest in my examiner, causing them to check for gluten issues. Apparently people from those ethnic groups show a tendency to have problems with gluten. The result was a surprise to me in light of the fact that I didn’t think I had any problems eating bread, cookies, muffins, or anything else made of wheat, rye, or barley. I didn’t have any gastrointestinal problems that I was aware of. There were things going on, but I just put it down to eating broccoli, having a yeast infection, stress, not drinking enough water, etc. I did have issues with my skin and scalp, but I knew that a form of psoriasis ran in my family so no big deal. Up until a week or two ago my attitude was that this was no big deal. But I recently came across some information that let me know that I do need to take this much more seriously then I have.

A number of years back I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Recently I came across an article linking thyroid and celiac issues. In going to the first article I went on  a journey of several hours losing track of where I’d been. Apparently there has been some success in lightening the affects of thyroid symptoms when that individual actively chooses to eliminate all gluten from their diet. Just as someone suffering from candida albicans must eliminate sugar and yeast to heal their body so do I need to eliminate gluten. The difference is that once the candida is out of a person’s body they can add reasonable amounts of yeast and sugar back into their diet. For those with gluten issues the change must be lifelong.

While I don’t appear to have celiac’s disease I do need to give attention to eliminating gluten from all aspects of my diet. With over 250 symptoms that can be a part of many other diseases, you shouldn’t just assume that you are gluten intolerant. But if after being examined you find that you are, you do need to take it seriously. Gluten in the system of someone who does not tolerate it prevents absorption of needed nutrients.  Long-terms effects if left untreated include osteoporosis, bowel cancer, anemia and diabetes. Untreated food allergies can lead to small abrasions to a variety of organs creating a “leaky gut”. In my case the one symptom that caught my attention and made me understand how seriously I need to take this is DH, dermatitis herpetiformis. This condition shows up as little bumps under my skin with extreme itchiness, particularly in my scalp. In some respects this was a relief.

In the many pages I visited a number of them laid out the vision that being strictly gluten-free for even as short a time as 3 to 6 months can see a significant reduction of symptoms. While I know that living gluten-free is what I need to do for the rest of my life  I can look forward to reducing the effects of my thyroid symptoms. Chances are I won’t be scratching my head as often as well either. Or at least not because it itches.

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I’ve Been Knitting Dishcloths

  • Posted on August 16, 2011 at 10:38 pm

Seed Stitch Dishcloth

Mary Ellen's Seed Stitch Halfcloth

Well I’ve been knitting some dishcloths this week. They tend to be one of my default settings when I need to feel like I’m accomplishing something, but really don’t have a specific project I want/need to get done. I even managed to write up 3 patterns for different ones that I played with and will be sharing them along the way. If you knew me, you’d know that was huge, because usually I will either get into a rut of just doing seed stitch cloths or inventing new patterns, but not writing them down.

I have a philosophy about dishcloths. I think they are a great project for anyone at any level of ability. When talking to or teaching anyone who is starting to knit, I recommend they play around with dishcloths. I even recommend them to seasoned knitters learning a new technique. My reasons: Everyone can use a dishcloth even if you make a mistake. They make great gifts. Dishcloths are the perfect size to try out new pattern stitches or techniques on because they are big enough to see the general idea but small enough to not spend too much time on while mastering what it is you need to learn.

A few years back, while working at the bookstore/yarn shop, someone came in with a dishcloth that was half the size that patterns normally were designed to. Most dishcloths seem to be in the 8×8 to 10×10 inch range. This dishcloth was 9×4 1/2 – 5 inches. They didn’t feel too bulky when washing the inside of a glass yet they were plenty big enough to wash down a counter or wipe up a spill. I played with the original pattern, but as is always the case when you put Mary Ellen, yarn, patterns, and her brain in the same space for any length of time I started seeing a myriad of possibilities. The halfcloths pictured above are just one of the patterns I developed over the years.

The nice thing about using the seed stitch for a default pattern is that as long as you cast on an odd number of stitches you don’t have to really pay attention. You can be talking or watching TV, your hands and the needles in them just move along, and by the end of an episode or two you will look down to see that it is time to bind off.  And like potato chips, the next thing you know there’s another one in your hand.

As you might suspect I’ve got another wash cloth started. I’ve go 37 stitches cast on and have done knit one, purl one across. Where it is going to go from here I don’t know yet, but I think it’s time to go find out.

 

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Hello world!

  • Posted on August 10, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Welcome to Mary Ellen’s Making It Up.

This blog will be a conglomeration of three streams of thought. I tend to take original ideas and tweak them to my own. As I come across quotes I like or just random thoughts I will share my spin on them.

I love to knit and crochet. I look at different patterns and then combine them to make something basically the same, but ultimately completely different. Recently someone asked me about making a christening dress and I dug through my patterns and ultimately I am in the process of combining three different patterns to make the one dress.

I have also been dealing (or not) with hypothyroidism and recently found out that I am allergic to gluten necessitating a gluten-free diet. This means totally changing how I cook and how I eat. This also means that all my standard recipes have to be reworked or discarded. I will be sharing my triumphs and disasters along the way.

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