Weekend Makeup Bag

Weekend Makeup Bag, originally uploaded by bindakay.

This is part of the Bag Lady Series I'll be teaching this summer along with the Downtown Clutch. These two little bags are perfect summer projects, being that they are quick, light, and frothy. Nothing wool-laden for your lap, and you'll be using them before the week is out. And if you want to learn a quicky lining, the third class in the series will be covering that. I'll have a sewing machine at your disposal and you'll have new purse to use at the end of the day!

Ruched Clutch

Ruched Clutch, originally uploaded by bindakay.

I loved knitting this little bag! Knit from Ella Rae Merino lace with little cables forming the band, I used Addi Lace in a tiny #3. It was a good practice for cabling without the cable needles. The tonal terra cotta color makes it a bag to use all year. And the Bollywood burnished gold ombre printed silk I used for the lining turned out beautifully. This will be a class at Wild Purls this summer, so keep a look out for it, amongst a couple of other little bags to work on in the heat of the summer.

Charlotte's Tuckernuck

CharlotteTuckernuck, originally uploaded by bindakay.

"Tuckernuck" - Such a funny name for a sweater for a beautiful little girl named Charlotte Elizabeth. But I'm sure it will be just perfect for the cool spring and autumn weather she'll be experiencing for the first time in her life.
Congratulations to Eric and Karen.

Hat and Neck Scrunchy

MaddieBrioche, originally uploaded by bindakay.

This project was inspired by my daughter, Maddie - She learned to knit over the holidays, and knit a hat as her first project. Not to be saddled with the mundane, she moved on to another project that caught her eye, not realizing that neither she or her mother (her knitting teacher) knew how to make it. She was determined, and so in turn, I had to be. If she was interested, I wanted to make sure she stayed interested. I didn't want to lose this moment with her.

So she and I started knitting this brioche stitch project - a separate one for each of us. There were a lot of stumbling blocks and a lot of ripping out - for both of us. The Brioche stitch is challenging - starting with the "preparation row", and keeping your concentration focused throughout. Keeping this project two colors encouraged the right stitches on the right rows.

This is my cowl on her, and hers is just about finished.

PhoebePurple

PhoebePurple, originally uploaded by bindakay.

Here is one of my newest projects, Phoebe's Sweater. It is based on a childrens book of the same name and the pattern is in the book. It is the sweetest little coat - and even Jim wished our girls were of the age to wear this. He could really imagine both Maddie and Alice wearing this! Included in the book is a pattern for Phoebe the Mouse and matching coat and dress!
Sizes are 2,4,6 and is very generous, so it would be easy to fit even some bigger sizes.

Perfect soup for a rainy day!

Pork and Green Chile Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra

1 1/4 # pork tenderloin, 1/4" cubes

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 small potatoes, diced

3 small tomatoes, diced

5 or 6 green chiles, roasted, peeled and chopped

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 large can green chile enchilada sauce (medium)

2 teaspoons salt

3 large dollops light sour cream

Heat oil in large frying pan. Add onion , garlic and pork and saute until meat is browned. Put mixture in a crockpot. Add a bit more oil to the frying pan and brown potatoes and tomatoes. Add this to the crockpot. Add 1 cup chicken broth to the frying pan and deglaze for 2 - 3 minutes and add this and remaining ingredients to the crockpot, except for sour cream. Cook on low 5- 6 hours. Add the dollops of sour cream and stir well.

Serve with toasted tortilla strips and consume until crockpot is empty!

CorbinSweater

CorbinSweater, originally uploaded by bindakay.

Froggie Sweater for a little guy named Corbin! I knit Tasia's Sweater by Cabin Fever using Katia's Mississippi Tex Cotton/Acrylic.