Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Make: (I'd Go The) Whole Wide World Blanket
(press play)
Oh how I love finished projects and and love sharing them here almost as much! This cozy little zig-zagy number is a gift for my niece Emmylou and was made to match her nursery. But it is easily one of my favorites. Okay, let's dig into the details of this petite cutie.
The Yarn:
Lions Brand Wool-Ease in Ranch Red, Grey Heather & White Frost
Wool-Ease is not my favorite yarn, but it works well for baby blankets because it is both soft and washable. Also the white was kinda weird and fuzzy, so the next time I am working on a project with white yarn I will be looking for something else first.
The Pattern:
I use a very basic peaks and valley pattern for my ripple blankets.
Foundation: Chain multiple of 17 (ei: 170) then 15 to finish foundation. Chain 2 turn.
Row 1: hdc into 3rd chain from hook, hdc into next 6 st, hdc 3x into next st, hdc into next 7 st, skip 2 st, *hdc into next 7 st, hdc 3x into next st, hdc into next 7 st, skip 2 st* repeat from * until last 15 st then **hdc into next 7 st, hdc 3x into st, hdc into next 7 st chain 2 turn**.
Row 2-end: repeat * until last 15 st then repeat from **
Chang colors between rows as desired. For this blanket I changed colors every 3 rows for the gray and white stripes and the red stripe was 6 rows.
As for the name/song. I named blanket after the song I listened to/sang around the house the most while I was working on it. My love for the Monkees knows no end!
This is just the start of my baby (blanket) boom, so get ready for more small looped and hooked projects to come!
Want more: Baby Blankets from the past (with crummy pictures)
All Day & All of the Night Blanket
Daisy, Daisy Blanket
Baby Love Blanket & Sweater
Other Blankets
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Make: Works In Progress - Baby Blankets
It occurred to me the other day that it has been about a million years since I shared any of my crochet projects. So I thought it would be fun show you what I've been lugging around in my yarn bag.
I try and only carry around smallish projects with easy to memorize patterns. Baby blankets are exactly that small and easy and with the major baby boom happening among my circle of friends and family I have plenty of reasons to hook away!
Today I'm just going to give you a peek at what I'm working on and once I've finished up I'll fill you in on all the details - it is going to be super exciting! No really it is! Get ready!
Pink flowers on a Cream field. This one is going to be really pretty when it is done.
The start of a Lemongrass, Navy and Cream blanket for a yet to be born little boy.
Finally an almost finished Gray, White and Red ripple for my bestie Emmy.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Inspire: March
Woohoo another month, another chance to share a few of the good things I've found around the internet. Ready? Okay!
Listen: The Joy the Baker Podcast - so fun, I feel like Joy & Tracy are like the big sisters I never had.
Change: See Something Say Something by A Blog About Love - share the love, help someone have a better day.
Live: The Six Types of Friends Everyone Should Have - how many of these types of friends do you have?
Celebrate: My Party Closet by Oh Happy Day - be ready to throw a party at a minutes notice.
Decorate: Amazing Printable Vintage Prints - did I mention they are free!?! I am equal parts fascinated by & creeped out by this octopus print.
Make: Crochet Llama - so adding this guy to my to hook list.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Live: Let's Get Personal
I've been trying for write a post for the last few days and nothing seems to come to me as worth spending the time to sit down and write, but then I started thinking about what else is filling my mind these days and then this post sorta wrote it's self. Lately I have been thinking a lot about the way I spend my time, the things I enjoy and the lifestyle I want to have. Naturally this little blog was part of those considerations and I realized that I wanted to make a few changes around here.The biggest way I want to changing things, is to be personal.
So what does that mean? There will be a slight change of tone (I've actually never really settled on a good tone in my writing, so this is a good thing), you can expect less "here is something pretty" posts and more "here is what I have been doing/working on/loving/using/making" posts. Basically I want to put a little bit more me in this blog, really turn it into how I'm working on Building Something Good. (If you've ever wondered why I named this blog Building Something Good, check out the up dated About page for a quote from the poem that started it all.)
Now in the spirit of getting to know you here is a little list of 5 little facts about me:
1. I have never used an eyelash curler, I have fairly curly eyelashes naturally and those curlers creep me out!
2. I don't like avocados.
3. My freshman year of college was the first time I ever shared a bedroom.
4. I'm a big fan of car dancing, love to do it, love to see others doing it.
5. I can watch movies that I love over and over and over again. Most of my favorites I have seen at least a dozen times.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Eat: Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats
Sometimes you make a mistake while cooking/baking that results in a way tastier end product than you would get from the original recipe. That is exactly how this recipe modification came about.
What you need:
6 & 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 Bag (10 oz) Marshmallows
1/4 cup of butter
1 table spoon vanilla
Other than adding the vanilla this recipe comes together exactly like a regular Rice Krispie Treat recipe.
1. melt butter in a large pot on the stove
2. once butter has melted, add marshmallows - stir until melted
3. add vanilla to butter & marshmallow - incorporate into mix
4. pour rice krispies into mix, stir
5. put mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan
6. let sit until completely cooled
While you are waiting for the treats to cool you should let your helpers eat the left overs from the pot. They will need spoons and to wash their hands.
Other fun ideas:
put sprinkles on top before the treats cool
mix chocolate chips, dried fruit or crushed up pepermint candy in
add food coloring to the marshmallow mix for pink, blue or green treats
dip the cooled treats in chocolate
** keep the treats in an airtight container if for some reason you don't eat the entire pan in one afternoon.**
Friday, March 8, 2013
Eat: Fish Fry
Even though the ground is still covered in snow I had this feeling today that winter is ending. Yes March can be snowy and it will definitely be cold, but still I know our days together are numbered. So I am trying to embrace winter at every turn. Otherwise these last few weeks can end up feeling dull and gray.
Two weeks ago on one of my favorite kinds of winter days, when we have snow in the morning, but it warms up in the afternoon so you get a wonderful misty fog by early evening, we had a family fish fry. Days like that make me extra glad to come from a big, close family. About twenty of us gathered at my Aunt and Uncle's house for a time of family fellowship. My dad and my Uncle Steve spent the evening frying fish on the patio with everyone else contributing in there own way (making salads, baking cornbread muffins, walking to the corner store for pop and beer, bringing babies).
A couple of cuties in their makeshift kitchen; my uncle and my dad!
Yum!
Pete, like everyone else, liked watching the action outside.
Some cousins meeting for the first time.
Things moved fast and everyone had more than their fill of fish and it was a perfect way to spend time together enjoying a warm (for winter) Friday night and a wonderful meal. It is fun to celebrate holidays together, but I love this kind of casual, low key, relaxed family times most of all!
Do you have casual get togethers with your family? Is your dad really into cooking in his new deep fryer? No, just mine? I'd love to here about how you get through the inbetweeny times of life!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Listen: Get Up, Get Down, Get Moving
I find March to be one of the hardest to get through. It is that wishy washy time when winter has started to end and spring has begun, but neither are fully there. With that in mind I thought that the perfect play list for March would be one that makes you want to get up and dance. So here are a few of my favorite foot tapping, hand clapping, booty shaking jams. What are your favorite tunes to groove to?
P.S. You can find the top photo on etsy at CassiaBeck.
P.P.S. Honorable mention for Meg & Dia's Unsinkable Ships, I couldn't find it on Grooveshark, but it makes me wanna dance and clap my hands whenever I listen to it.
P.P.P.S. The play list is growing, you can get even more music to dance the night away to here.
Celebrate: Happy Birthday Naomi (I think you're cute and I stole this picture from your facebook)
** Oooops this post went up early, so Happy Early Birthday Naomi! **
Today I am wishing a very Happy Birthday to my fabulous cousin Naomi! I am increadablly lucky to have a bunch of cousins that are also great friends and she is most certainly among them. She is smart, fun and stylish! I'm so glad I "saved your life" all those years ago so that we could be grown up friends today!
Monday, March 4, 2013
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