Cast-iron pan handle cozy

I came up with this pattern after my husband told me that our cast-iron pan handle became too hot to handle whenever the burner was on. He found it hard to touch the pot so I created this cozy based on the dimensions of the pot handle of our cast-iron pan.

Needles: US 9 (5.5 mm)
Yarn: Bernat Super Saver Worsted Weight Acrylic Yarn in Clay

Pattern:
Cast on 18 stitches. Knit for 23 rows.
Row 24: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 16 stitches.
Row 25: Knit.
Row 26: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 14 stitches.
Row 27: Knit.
Row 28: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 12 stitches.
Row 29: Knit.
Row 30: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 10 stitches.
Row 31: Knit.
Row 32: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 8 stitches.
Row 33: Knit.
Row 34: Bind off two stitches and knit the remaining 6 stitches.
Row 35: Knit.
Row 36: Bind off three stitches and knit the remaining 3 stitches.
Row 37: Knit.
Row 38: Bind off last three stitches.

Sewing:
Use some leftover yarn and start stitching the handle piece together starting at the smallest part where the first stitches were bound off. Do the mattress stitch all the way up, catching one or two stitches on each side with every stitch.

Once you reach the end of the piece, you will find that you have some excess knit fabric sticking up - this covers the bottom of the bulbous end of the pot handle. Sew this piece to the handle cozy on the left side with the mattress stitch.

 Then sew the last edge together.

Weave in all ends to strengthen the seam.

Estimated time for this project: about 40 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes to knit this up (perhaps less) then at least 10 minutes to sew this up.

Notes:

• I made two of these and I got better at it with the second one with the lessons that I had learned. If you bind off two stitches at a time, it lines up perfectly on this pot handle. 
• This cozy was custom-made for our cast-iron pot. Use your own pot and it's dimensions to determine if you need to add more stitches and such. I did this through trial and error, constantly wrapping the knit fabric around the handle to see if I had too much or to little. 

Ideas:

• Why not knit one of these up in a color that matches your kitchen?
• Or, this is a great way to use up leftover yarn. It doesn't take much yarn to make one of these, perhaps the leftover bit from making a dishcloth.

Stenciled cup towels

Yet another project that adds a touch of Christmas to every room! This time, it's my kitchen. I bought these simple white cup towels and stenciled them with blue paint, almost the same way that I did my shower curtain so I won't bother repeating the instructions.

Cup towel # 1:

Cup towel #2:

Notes:

• As these cup towels are now painted, I don't think that they can be washed -- even by hand. So, sadly, these are decorations only and cannot be used. They look nice though! I will work on an idea that is washable for next year.

Stopping static electricity in the winter

We have a problem in this apartment once the snow begins falling: static electricity. We pet the cat and we pass a static shock or when we sit down on the couch. It drives me crazy! So, we looked up ways to get rid of it. That's when we learned that it is caused from a lack of humidity in the apartment, most likely because we closed the windows and it's cold outside.

So, this is what we do come December until about March or April.

We heat up a pot of water on medium heat and add 2 cinnamon sticks and whatever else I have in the house. Great additions are anise pods, nutmeg, orange peels (or any citrus peels), apple peels and dried herbs. The house smells fantastic and this eliminates the static shock.

Notes:

• Do not forget about the pot of boiling water!!! I did that with my copper Dutch oven only to find it completely ruined. Fill it with water every hour or so. Sometimes I put a kitchen timer on for an hour to remind me to come and refill the pot.

• The water will turn darker with the addition of spices like cinnamon, anise and nutmeg. That's why the water in my pot is dark brown in the picture. Nothing is wrong with it, it's just been boiling down brown spices.
• This does eliminate most of the static in our apartment. We have an 800 sq. foot apartment and this works for almost every room. For a larger space or greater effect, you may need an actual humidifier.

Secret Santa Gift Ideas

Are you running a Secret Santa this year? Or, you can't think of anything to get for the event? Well, here are some gift ideas that may inspire you this year. These are also some great gender-neutral ideas if you are searching for gifts for relatives and friends as well.

1. Gift cards: this could be for the grocery store, department store, theatre, coffee shop or a restaurant.
2. Stainless steel coffee travel mug.
3. A coffee set with a mug and a bag of coffee beans. 
4. Box of chocolates, shortbread or candy: this one is harder as so many people have food allergies but you could ask beforehand if anyone objects. You could also make these at home instead of buying them. 
5. Office gift box: think of something that everyone in the office uses and constantly runs out of, like pens, pencils, card clips (if you need a pass that you clip to your clothes), silverware, etc. Just buy it separately and put it together in a basket or something like that.
6. Bottle of wine or other spirits.
7. Gourmet cooking set of flavored olive oils, vinegars and jams: If you are crafty, you can make this at home.
8. A USB key or SD card.
9. A nice photo album or photo frame.
10. A box of homemade Christmas cards with envelopes.
11. A fun new calendar for their desk. Perhaps one of those daily or monthly ones.
12. The latest best seller (hardcover or soft cover) on a topic that everyone enjoys or a book on a topic that everyone enjoys.
13. A holiday-themed candle (I'm always surprised how many men dig candles).
14. A sick kit: pack a basket with cough drops, Neo-Citran, and other things that you use when you are sick. 
15. A set of nice wine glasses (shot glasses, or bourbon glasses). 
16. A nice Christmas ornament. 
17. Any cooking or baking equipment: mixing bowls, baking sheets, cookie cutters, whisks or other utensils. 
18. Small appliances like a kettle, toaster oven, coffee grinder, power whisk, etc.
19. A nice throw or blanket for the house. 
20. A DVD of a movie or TV show that everyone enjoys or one that fits the season.

How to reuse a planter

Has your plant died recently? Or, perhaps you have planters lying around the house or garage just waiting for spring. Well, here are some ideas on what to do with those planters during the off-season -- or any time of the year.  

1. Use it to hold vegetables in the fridge: despite what your planter is made out of (plastic, terracota, ceramic, porcelain, etc.) it can go in the fridge. Clean it, and use it to store items like apples, oranges, onions, potatoes, peppers and such. It actually helps you to organize your fridge.

   
2. Use it to store cat or dog toys: every night, pick up the toys off of the floor and put them in the planter. Put the planter up high to store the toys and when you want them again, simply take it down and start tossing them around.

   
3. Use it to display ornaments for Christmas: fill a cleaned planter with ornaments, pinecones or leftover garland and wrap a long ribbon around it, tied with a bow. Display as a table centrepiece or on a night table. 

4. Use it as a transfer vessel: if you store potatoes, onions, pears, apples or anything else in another room, you need to put them into something to bring them to the kitchen. Clean a planter and use it as the transfer vessel. 

5. Use it in your home organization: if you have a shed or a storage room, use it to store smaller items like tennis balls, paint brushes, tools and/or nails, cleaning cloths, etc. This is a bonus if your planter is meant to mount on the wall.  

6. Use it to hold crafty or office items: this could be sewing thread, yarn, knitting needles, small bolts of fabric, embroidery floss, etc. It would be great for holding office supplies or scrapbooking supplies as well. Display it on your desk so that you items are within reach.  

7. Use it to hold scraps of yarn: put the leftover bits of yarn in here for whenever you need a small amount to hold stitches or other uses.  

8. Use it to hold small sports equipment in the summer: when you take the kids out to the park, use the planter to hold the baseballs, tennis balls, badminton birdies or other small items so that you don't loose them.


9. Use it to hold fabric handkerchiefs: once you have a collection of fabric handkerchiefs you need to put them somewhere. Decorate the planter with a ribbon, clean the inside and store them all rolled up in here. Take one out whenever you need one.

10. Use it to hold your keys or electronics by the door: everyday when you get home, put your keys, iPod, cell phone or other daily items here so that you always know where they are. Put the planter on a stand by the door and make a habit of always putting the items here. If you have a key ring, it's still perfect for the electronics. It's also great for holding gloves and scarves in the winter time.

Website discovery: Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow

I have just discovered the websites Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow and I have to share my favorite links of the moment. I love these three websites because the articles are written by people who have experience in how to do something thus they post it for all of the rest of us. I love knowledge-based articles!

These are my current favorite links on Essortment:

1. 25 Places to Meet New People
2. How to Make Your Own Facial Scrub or Mask
3. Uses for Old Coffee Grounds
4. The History of Root Beer
5. Do it Yourself: Fixing Scratches in Wood Furniture and Trim
6. Make Your Own Scented Body Oil
7. Making Homemade Milk Soap
8. How to Remove Sticker and Tape Goo
9. Burning Patterns into Wood
10. Laptop vs. Desktop

These are my current favorite links on Ehow:

1. How to Make a Brown Sugar Lemon Body Scrub
2. Sore Throat Pain Remedies
3. Homemade Bath Salts
4. Homemade Lip Balm - made from coconut oil!
5. Make Curls Overnight Using Rags
6. How to Live Thrifty
7. 20 Holiday Trees Gone Wild
8. Category: Sewing and Upholstry
9. Techniques for Stenciling Furniture
10. How to set Food Portion Sizes for Young Children

These are my current favorite links on WikiHow:

1. How to Stencil Fabric
2. How to Make a Glowstick
3. How to Make a Candle with Essential Oils - bonus! makes body oil
4. How to do Pranks with Garden Gnomes
5. How to Set up a Sewing Room
6. How to Make a Crop Circle
7. How to Go Green at Work
8. How to Avoid Workplace Flu
9. How to Stop Procrastinating (and, even better, the Category)
10. How to Get Rid of Junk Mail

15 Meals with leftovers

Do you want to eat that meal again? How can you remake it so that you are using up the leftovers but eating something new? These are 15 ideas that I had on how to remake leftovers and turn them into a new meal.

1. Hot chicken sandwich: Take leftover chopped chicken or turkey and add to a piece of toast. If it's Xmas or Thanksgiving, add a little dressing or cranberry sauce as well then cover with another piece of toast for a hot chicken/turkey sandwich. Chutney or homemade relish is another option. Cover with hot gravy (leftover or not). Eat with leftover veggies.
2. Pot pie: Make a chicken, turkey or beef pot pie with leftover meat, veggies and some thawed puff pastry. Great add-ins are peas, corn, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and cheese.
3. Chili spaghetti: Add leftover chili to spaghetti sauce and serve with pasta for a spicy kick.
4. Chili beans: Add leftover chili to baked beans (leftover or canned). You can also add this to hotdogs for spicy chili dogs while watching the game.
5. Chili cakes: Dethaw two packages of puff pastry. Grease one to two muffin tins and heat the oven up to 375. Cut the thawed pastry into squares and fit into muffin tins. Fill the cavity with leftover vegetable chili and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is golden and the filling is hot, about half an hour. Eat as many as you want!
6. Pasta cups: take any leftover pasta that you have. Toss with a chopped pepper, onion and shredded cheese. Stuff the muffin cups with the pasta mixture and bake in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Serve with a salad. You can probably do this with rice too.
7. Burritos: Chop some onions, red and green pepper, mushrooms and some tomatoes. In a warm skillet, sauté the onions and tomatoes, then add the peppers and mushrooms along with hot sauce, chili powder and oregano; cook until soft. Add some leftover chopped chicken or beef roast pieces at the end to heat it up. Add to a flour tortilla and add some shredded cheese overtop, roll up and eat.
8. Quesadillas: Chop up a celery stalk and some red pepper into small pieces and stir fry until done. Add chopped leftover chicken to this mixture then spread over a flour tortilla. Pour cheese salsa overtop, add another flour tortilla on top and heat up in the microwave until cheese salsa is hot, about a min. Another idea is to add leftover chili to the quesadilla.
9. Action-packed rice: heat up a saute pan with some oil and add some chopped onion and mushrooms. Add 1 cup of leftover rice and season with soy sauce. Add some chopped up leftover meat and scrambled egg and keep cooking until the rice starts to brown on the bottom (but not burn). Add some thawed, chopped spinach. Keep turning until everything is heated and mixed through then serve.
10. Hash: you can do this with almost any leftovers. Take leftover chopped meat, potatoes and veggies and saute in a pan with a chopped onion. Let it brown on the bottom and keep turning it over to let it cook together then serve. This is great with leftover sausages, potatoes and veggies or other ingredients like bacon, eggs and sweet potatoes.
11. Fajita rice stew: Chop up some celery and red and green peppers along with a large onion and 2 cloves of garlic. On a separate cutting board, chop up two to three beef steaks in strips about 1 inch long. In a warm skillet, add a little oil then the onion and later the garlic. Add the meat strips, cook them. While this is cooking, open a can of black beans and a can of corn niblets, both drained well. Add the beans and corn along with the peppers and along with a large bottle of hot or medium salsa (or leftover chili). Add spices like cumin or chili powder if desired. Add 1 cup of cooked leftover rice. Simmer it all down until the peppers are tender and serve this beef fajita stew (can be done with chicken also). Add chopped cilantro at the end if desired, or chopped green onions.  This can also be made in advance and served as a cold rice salad.
12. English muffin paninis: Chop your fav cheese and lay out on an English muffin. Add tomato slices, pieces of cooked leftover meat, and some cleaned spinach leaves. Put two halves together, and press into a George Foreman grill like a Panini press until golden brown and flattened a bit.
13. Tacos: use any leftover meat with some shredded lettuce and cheese to make tacos. All you need is a taco kit.
14. Creamy casserole: Add some pre-cooked brown rice to a casserole dish with 1 cup of chicken broth. Add sliced veggies (leftover or fresh) and diced meat (leftover or fresh). Add leftover pureed soup (instead of canned soup) and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. You can also add shredded cheese before baking, if you want.
15. Mashed potato cups: load up your leftover mashed potatoes with cooked bacon, chives, sour cream, cheese or whatever you want. Mix it up then add to a greased muffin tin (or you can use paper cups). Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until done. Eat on the side with your meal. Another idea is to mix leftover mashed potatoes with leftover chili and top with cheese to make these.

Ode to coconut

I LOVE coconut. Seriously. If it smells like coconut or tastes like it, I will eat it (or wear it). Sometimes both. But one thing that I have always wanted to master is making my own shredded coconut. That means successfully roasting a whole coconut. I have had many adventures with this during university (yes, I was the student roasting coconuts in my 1970s green stove while studying). So, I researched how to master this art and spent an afternoon with a coconut ready to master this skill.

How to crack open a coconut

I have done lots of research on the best way to crack open a coconut: by roasting it. To start, you need a hammer and a nail (sterilized, if possible). Take the three holes that are on one of the ends and place the bottom of the coconut down so that these holes are facing you. 

Take the nail and hammer it into these three holes. It helps if you have someone to hold the coconut while you nail into these holes. 

If your nail isn't thick enough (like ours), move it around the hole a bit to make it bigger. Drain out the coconut water into a glass and reserve for another use. If the water is sluggish, try nailing a hole in the other end of the coconut to create air circulation in the coconut.

My coconut had 1/2 cup of coconut water. I filtered it through a sieve and a cheesecloth to filter it out the pieces of shell, dirt and coconut flesh. 

For roasting, simply put the drained coconut on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the shell breaks.  

 

If the shell is not cracked enough, cover the coconut with tea towels and crack it open with a hammer. We also used a knife to loosen the flesh from the shell.

Fish out the coconut flesh from the shell and roast it for another 10 minutes to dry it out. 

How to make shredded coconut

After roasting the coconut and letting it cool, remove all of the loosened meat from the coconut shell. Whatever is not loose comes off with a knife. Take the back of the meat and peel with a vegetable peeler. 

I also cut the smaller pieces into very thin pieces with a sharp knife. The grater works but only if the coconut is dry.

The grated meat can be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag or container. I made three variations. The first (above) was simple shredded coconut. I added 1 teaspoon of sugar to 1 cup of coconut for sugared coconut:

 (I shook the closed container to cover everything with the sugar).

The third variation that I made was roasted coconut. I spread 1 cup of sliced coconut out in a baking sheet and baked it in a 375 oven. I checked it every four minutes and removed any brown pieces with tongs (not my fingers, it was too hot). 

Some of the smaller pieces were done within 9 minutes, some took 16 minutes. But this is definitely worth it! Roasted coconut is unbelievably good!

How to use coconut water

• Add to any Asian dishes that you are making like a Thai coconut soup, Indian butter chicken or shrimp stir-fry.
• Add to a smoothie for a great flavor. Perhaps this will work best with smoothies made with pineapple, cherries, strawberries, chocolate, bananas, mango and kiwi. Add a little rum if you want.
• Drink it after working out.
• Add to 1/2 cup yogurt along with some shredded fresh coconut and trail mix for a great breakfast.

How to make coconut milk

Add the coconut water to a blender along with 1 cup of grated, roasted coconut and 1 cup evaporated milk. Blend on high until it is fully processed. Strain if necessary.

How to reuse coconut shells

• If you are close to Hallowe’en (or a Polynesian vacation) you can create a coconut shell bikini top. Add a grass skirt and a pink scarf to tie back your hair and you have a Hallowe’en costume.
• I found these coconut drinking glasses on the Coconut King website. It looks like they took one coconut shell, husked it and cut it open about two inches from the top with a saw, probably the end without the three holes. Then they took the smaller half and cut the top 0.5 inch off with the saw. Then the smaller part is superglued (or adhered in some other way) to the bottom of the larger half to create a drinking glass.
• The above "drinking glass" can also be used to serve Thai coconut soup at your next dinner party, to hold homemade cloth napkins or cutlery on the table or fresh, grated coconut for adding to desserts.
• Take a hammer and smash them up as a stress reliever whenever you need a moment. Then, throw them into the compost.
• Smooth down the coconut shell so that there are no hairs on it and cut it into circles with a scroll saw. Drill two holes in the centre and use it as a button.
• If you didn’t drill holes into the coconut to drain the water, consider reusing the shell for dinner party presentations of drinks, soups or dips. This may require some creative thinking as coconut shells are round and can’t stay up on their own. 

Coconut calories (all for 1/4 cup or 1 oz):

• Dried coconut meat, roasted: 116 calories, 13g fat (12g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 10 mg Sodium, 12 g Carbs, 1g Protein.
• Coconut meat, raw: 99 calories, 9g fat (8g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 6mg Sodium, 4g Carbs (3g Fiber, 2g Sugar), 1g Protein. 
• Coconut water: 5 calories, 0g fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 29mg Sodium, 1g Carbs (1g Sugar), 0g Protein.
• Coconut meat, dried, shredded, sweetened: 140 calories, 10g fat (9g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 73mg Sodium, 13g Carbs (1g Fiber, 12g Sugar), 1g Protein.
• Coconut cream, sweetened: 100 calories, 5g fat (4g saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 10mg Sodium, 15g Carbs (14g Sugar), 0g Protein.

All of this data is from Nutrition Data. All in all, coconut is mostly fat and sugar and contains no good nutrients (unless you want to gain weight!)

Notes:

• Coconut shells have all sorts of uses around the world. In Indonesia, they can be made into boxes for wedding rings. There is also this soap dish and many other great ideas at http://www.ecoconvenience.ca/.
• Coconut shells are also used in jewelry in Thailand and many other South Asian countries.
• What are your feelings about robots picking coconuts instead of humans?

15 Quick, Easy Meals

Are you having trouble getting supper together? Or perhaps you stand looking into the fridge wondering what to cook for supper. Here are 15 ideas (enough for 3 weeks of week-day suppers) for quick, healthy meals from my recipe book.

1. Chilled lentil salad: Open a can of lentils, drain and wash well. Add to a bowl. Chop up some fresh coriander and a two chopped tomatoes, add to bowl with lentils. Sprinkle with a little chopped onion and a little garlic powder, the juice from a lemon, salt and pepper, and some Parmesan cheese. Toss together and put in the fridge for a couple of hours beforehand.
2. Moroccan couscous: Heat up two cups of vegetable or chicken stock in the microwave until boiling. Once done, add one cup of couscous, let set for five min. Meanwhile, chop up some dried apricots and fresh coriander. Have some chopped walnuts and raisins ready, along with a chopped fresh tomato and a little olive oil. Once the couscous is ready, add all of this and fluff. Add salt and pepper. Serve on the side with cooked lamb or pork chops.
3. Indian Chickpeas: Open a can of chickpeas and drain, rinse off well. Add to an oven dish. Pour a bottle of low-fat Indian Butter Chicken sauce over top and put in the fridge over night to marinate. Take out of the fridge at least one hour before cooking (if possible), then roast at 375 degrees for about 45 min and serve over rice with steamed broccoli. The chickpeas can be replaced with cubed, thawed chicken as well. 
4. Shrimp and Asparagus stir-fry: Break off the woody ends of asparagus, chop into one inch pieces. Heat up a skillet with a little oil, then add some onion and garlic, sauté. While that is cooking, take the tails off of shrimp from a thawed shrimp ring. Add the asparagus, sauté until bright green. Add shrimp just to warm up. Add your favorite stir-fry sauce (soy sauce, teriyaki, sweet and sour, mushroom soup, etc.) then serve over rice.
5. Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwiches: Toast a small multi-grain bagel, scrape some plain cream cheese on it while it’s still a little warm along with some fresh dill. Add a thawed slice of smoked salmon, two slices of tomato and a little lettuce on top.
6. Mexican bean salad: Open a can of black beans, drain and wash off. Add to a bowl. Do the same with a can of corn niblets, add to the bowl. Add a bottle of salsa (hot or mild) and some chopped coriander. Stir and let set in the fridge over night before serving, if desired.
7. Fusion rice: Heat up a skillet with a little oil. Add the rice and spice mix from a box of Dainty Indian rice with ¼ cup of water. Add chopped celery and chopped dried apricots. Sauté until liquid is absorbed, and if necessary add another ¼ cup water. Meanwhile, take the tails off shrimp from half of a thawed shrimp ring. Add the shrimp when ready along with some shredded carrot, sauté until shrimp is hot then serve.
8. Homey rice with ham: Open a package of Dainty chicken rice. Heat up a skillet and add the rice and spice pack. Add some frozen peas and chopped ham. Cook together, at the last minute add some shredded carrot and let that cook a little. Serve.
9. Calzone: Dethaw a piece of puff pastry. When soft, cut into two or three squares. Crack two eggs, but only keep the whites and have ready in a small bowl with a brush. Heat up the oven to 375. In the middle, add pepperoni, cooked sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc. your fav pizza toppings and cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and fold one edge onto the other to make a triangle package. Seal with a fork, brush the pastry with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 min in the oven.
10. Tomato-bacon pasta: Chop up an onion, a box of cleaned mushrooms, and about 7-10 chopped pieces of bacon (depending on your preference) on a cutting board. Clean a box of cherry tomatoes. Heat up a hot skillet, add the bacon. Cook down until reduced and starting to brown. Add the onions and mushrooms. Meanwhile, heat up water for pasta, one with nooks and crannies like macaroni or fusilli. When the pasta goes into the pot, set the timer for the cooking time. 5 min before the pasta is done, add the tomatoes to the bacon skillet and with a spoon, gently pop all of them. When the pasta is done, drain and add to tomato-bacon sauce. Toss well. Serve.
11. White pizza: Get a premade pizza crust and sauce from the grocery store. Preheat the oven to 375. On the crust, slather with Ranch dressing, except for the margin edges. Sprinkle lots of mozzarella cheese over top. Add some cooked crumbled bacon, sausage, chopped spinach and chopped tomato. Bake in oven until cheese is brown and the crust is golden brown around the edges, about 15-20 min.
12. Orzo Pasta Salad: Chop up some cleaned celery, tomato and a little onion. Add to a bowl of leftover orzo pasta, or any leftover pasta. Coat with some Greek salad dressing. Add chopped black olives and feta cheese if desired, stir together and let sit at least one hour before eating cold.
13. Mushroom beef, potatoes and veggies: Heat up a skillet and brown some thawed ground beef. While that is happening, chop up an onion, a couple cloves of garlic, and a box of mushrooms. Once the meat is mostly browned, drain off some of the fat and return to burner. Add all chopped ingredients and let soften. Add a can of cream of wild mushroom soup, mix together. Serve overtop of mashed potatoes and have something green like peas on the side.
14. Puréed vegetable soup: Boil a vegetable of choice (like cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, squash, carrot, parsnip, leeks, etc) in either chicken or vegetable stock with the addition of a clove or two of peeled garlic. Once the vegetable is cooked, add everything to a blender and purée until smooth. If it is too thick, add more chicken stock or even add some evaporated milk to make it a nice, creamy soup.
15. Sautéd Succotash: Chop up an onion. Heat up a skillet with a little oil. Drain a can of red kidney beans and dethaw 1 cup of corn. Wash the beans well. Add onion to skillet on medium heat, sauté. Add a little vegetable stock if liquid is necessary. Season with salt and pepper, let cook until the skins of the beans pop, about 10-15 min.

Drawstring lunch bag out of leftover pant legs

Back in August, I blogged about the capris that I created for myself as I had no shorts. Well, I used the leftover pant legs that were cut off the pants to make a drawstring lunch bag for myself. It is very easy to do as it is just a square bag with a drawstring.

I made this the same way that I made my felt gift bags (so the directions are there) with these small differences:

• I did a zigzag stitch around all of the inside seams to keep it from fraying.
• I folded the top under twice to create a seam at the top but with enough space to pass a ribbon through. Once this was sewn down, I cut two holes and passed a ribbon through the same way that I passed the elastic through my remade white skirt. The ribbon acts as a drawstring.

Estimated time for this project: about one hour. It took some time to measure out the fabric that I needed and to sew up the bottom (same as the felt gift bags). It also takes time to pass the ribbon through the top.

Notes:

• This could be made from almost any leftover fabric, I imagine. 
• If I had made this from new fabric, I'd make it out of oilcloth.
• To keep the ribbon in the bag, I knotted it at the ends but also close to the holes so that it didn't come out.

10 cheap, homemade present ideas for kids

I like making my gifts because I think that they mean more to the recipient. Of course, gift cards and toys are always acceptable and I am not saying that everything has to be homemade, but these are the gifts that they will most likely remember and keep.

1. Scrapbooks: I am making this for my nephews this year and I hope that they will enjoy it for years to come. I also plan to do this with my kids: each one of them can get a scrapbook detailing the past year for Xmas so that when they leave the nest they have these gifts. If you don't have time to make a scrapbook, a photo album always works too.
2. Re-molded crayons and coloring books: what a great way to use up old crayons! The blog notes that this works best with Crayola or another good name brand of crayons and perhaps not with cheaper Dollarama crayons.  
3. T-shirt tote bags made from their favorite t-shirt which was stained, too small or wore to rags. This way they can still have happy memories of that shirt for years to come, even if it doesn't fit.
4. Clothes: whether bought or homemade, they are always welcome, especially if their favorite super hero or cartoon character is featured. You can always take a plain t-shirt and buy some fabric with their favorite super hero or celebrity on it. Cut out an image from the fabric and sew it onto the front of the plain t-shirt for a custom shirt that they will love. This is even better if you make a pair of pajama pants to match.
5. Room sign: make a sign for the door into their room. I used to do this in camp on a piece of wood that we painted with our names and splattered our favorite shades of paint all over it. I still have it and I remember thinking when I was a kid that it was the coolest thing ever that I could display on my door.
6. Knitted or crocheted blanket: you can make kids a cozy blanket out of their favorite colors. I made one of my nephew and I made it big enough for him to use until he's in his teens. I did a subtle ribbing pattern on it.
7. Christmas ornaments: make one every year since your child was born with the date on it so that when they grow up and leave the house, they already have a small collection of ornaments for their own tree. This could be as simple as wooden snowflakes that you have painted white and wrote the name and date with a gold pen on the back. You could use that same gold pen to outline snowflake details on the front too.
8. Room decorating: all kids like to decorate their room. What about if your Christmas gift to them was a redecoration of their room? That means paint, wallpaper (maybe) and perhaps a few matching items for their room. You could wallpaper the back of the door or the back space of the bookshelves for dramatic effect.
9. Personal plates: do up their own place setting with a cup, mug, plate and silverware. You can buy these now in craft stores and paint them yourself then fire then in the oven or glaze them. Do a nice design on them so that they look forward to eating everything on their plate to see that design (we wish!).
10. A candy or cookie bag: make their favorite cookies or homemade candies, bag them up and put them in their stocking for Christmas morning. I can remember fudge, truffles and snickerdoodle cookies being my favorite and we only ate them at Christmas.

Using up leftover yarn

After all of those knitting projects, what do you do with the leftover yarn? I have been pondering this question for some time as I don't want to have small bits of yarn taking up space. So, I researched all of the possible ways that I could use up this yarn to get it out of the way.

The first place to look though is one of the One-Skein Wonders books.There are also some fabulous ideas on Ravelry and Knitting Pattern Central.

15 Projects (knit or crochet):

1. Reusable makeup remover pads or crocheted face pads. 
2. Dish scrubbers (or this one) or crocheted tawashis.
3. Dishcloths. Seriously, just visit this website and try them all. 
4. Bath puff.
5. Glasses case. Do a rib around the top to keep it closed.
6. Pencil case. Sew on a zipper or make buttonholes to close it.
7. Adult or child headband or ear warmer.
8. Ipod, phone or Blackberry sock.
9. Try knitted or crochet jewellery. 
10. Use it to test stitch swatches or gauge.
11. Make a sachet for smaller items.
12. Make shapes like hearts, flowers or squares. 
13. A coffee cup sleeve or mug sleeve.
14. Strips for a leftover blanket. Knit long strips for a blanket in all of the leftover yarn then use a matching colour to piece it together.
15. Belt for kids or adults! 

10 Other ideas:

1. If you have wool, try felted wool balls.
2. Use it as scrap yarn to hold stitches.
3. Use it as scrap yarn to sew up projects where the seam will not be visible.
4. Use it to embroider a small design (heart, flower, basketball, initials, etc.) on clothing or accessories, for example, a shoe on a fabric shoe bag. Or, to embroider the edges of pillowcases or other household items in a straight stitch to add a little bit of detail.
5. Use it to do a blanket stitch on the edges of a fleece blanket.
6. Use it as ribbon to wrap up Xmas presents.
7. Use it to create a crocheted neckline on a shirt.
8. Wrap the yarn around wooden or styrofoam letters to spell words on the wall like this project on homemade by Jill.  
9. Yarn wigs for dolls, kids or adults.
10. Pom poms. What about a pom pom garland?

Easy Dish Scrubbie

This is the easiest knit I have ever done, except for my Make-up Remover pads. These dish scrubbies take about 30 minutes and they can be washed over and over again.

Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton
Needles: US 9 (5.5mm)

Pattern:
Cast on 16 stitches. Knit for 31 rows then bind off on the 32nd row. Weave in ends.

Notes:

• When I knit these, I tend to count up the number of garter stitch rows so I am counting two rows together. There are 16 in total. When I am on the end of the 15th row, I knit one then I bind off on the next row. 
• You could knit these with a coarser yarn so that it is scratchy. There was an idea on Ravelry to knit each row with a cut strip of veil fabric which is a great idea.