Gluten Free Banana Muffins

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banana muffin, gluten free

I have been using a gluten free flour for my baked goods but this tends to result in what my family calls ” a gluten free after-taste”. I have wanted to try coconut flour but I feared my desserts would taste coconutty and I really dislike coconut.

But I decided to give the coconut flour a try. I started with the recipe at:http://sweetbasilnspice.blogspot.com/2012/12/paleo-banana-muffins.html.

I made a few changes as paleo wasn’t the goal.

I used 3 small brown spotted bananas instead of 2
I used 1/2 cup of sugar as my sweetner
I used 1/3 cup canola oil instead of coconut
I used only 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.

The rest of the recipe was the same.

This resulted in 24 mini muffins. I baked for 23 minutes but they might have been a bit overdone.

They were a hit and didn’t tase coconutty and didn’t have an after-taste. They texture was a bit rubbery but no one cared.

Baby boy easy crochet cardigan

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baby crochet, cardigan

I am trying to find some sweater and bootie designs I really like for a baby shower this November. Normally I make blankets but I thought I would try something different.

This is my first attempt at a baby sweater. I started with the pattern at:http://cre8tioncrochet.com/2013/07/abigail-baby-girl-cardigan/.

This pattern is called ” Abigails baby girl sweater” but I think the design isn’t particularly girly.

Some deviations from pattern:
I didn’t use soft yarn just because I have a ton of light blue worsted weight I bought on clearance.
Mine is probably bigger since I crochet very loosely so might be more like. sweater coat.
I skipped the color change trim.

Some observations on the pattern:
Says it takes 2.5 hours but took me more like 8 hours total.
The pattern was easy and straightforward except row 9 was a bit tricky.

This is what you have after row 9:

You have made the arm holes.

I have two more sweater patterns I want to try.

I may make a cardigan for me using this pattern. Definitely striped.

Crochet Edged Fleece Hat

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crochet fleece

I have made a fleece lined crochet hat before but I wondered what if I just trimmed a fleece hat-innovation or bad idea?

The hat was made using a sewing pattern.

I then used yarn and tapestry needle to make a blanket stitch.

I then crocheted into the blanket stitch.

It would be better with a solid fabric hat I think.

Definitely not as warm as a fleece lined hat.

Crochet Baby Booties

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baby booties, bcrochet

These are my first attempt at baby booties. I followed the pattern at:http://www.mooglyblog.com/loopy-love-big-baby-booties/#more

I ended up with extra stitches and a booties way bigger than intended. They don’t take long so I think I will keep trying.

If you are wondering about the blanket underneath, my mom whipped that doll size blanket up 16 years ago to try to get my daughter to quite dragging her “real” blankie around. As you can see, it is in perfect condition and unused. Real Blankie is still around too, a lot worse for wear, but still a member of the family.

Easy Crochet slippers

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crochet slippers

These slippers are from the tutorial at:http://www.mooglyblog.com/pozy-toes-crochet-slippers/#more-4654

I went with one flower. I thought this was a less is more situation. Also I skipped the trim in the second color.

I used soft worsted weight yarn. Not a good idea. Really soft but way too stretchy. They became too big after a short time of wear. Regular worsted weight would be better.

These only took an afternoon.

Candy Kiss Crochet Basket

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candy kiss roses, crochet basket

I wanted to create a Frozen-ish inspired basket.

I crocheted 5 squares using Hdc. This particular basket started with a chain 12 and crocheted 12 rows.

I whipstitched the squares together. I laid out one square and then the other 4 around it (to form a cross). I stitched the “cross” and then each side.

The handle is crocheted over a pipecleaner and whipstitched to basket.

I made a cardstock insert to keep the shape of the basket.The insert was made by cutting out 5 squares (slightly smaller than basket) and laid out and taped together following the same system as the basket.

I put some decorative floral stones in the bottom of the basket since the candy makes it top heavy and inserted a square of floral foam.

The tissue and ribbon were done in the same way as the NetFlix gift basket.

I used Candy Kiss roses to fill. Candy Kiss rose tutorials are bountiful on the internet.

Netflix Gift basket made with Dollar Store items

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gift basket

Here is my newest gift basket for a charity auction.Stuff looks so much more enticing in a basket, I think. Although Netflix speaks for itself. I love Netflix.

The basket is from the Dollar Store and is filled 1/4 of the way with decorative white stones ($ store) to give it some weight. I then cut floral foam ($ store) to fit basket stopping about 3/4 in from the top so my items could sit in the basket a bit.

I cut 6 inch squares of red and white tissue paper and 12 inch lengths of curling ribbon ( all $ store).
I took 4 pieces of ribbon,lined them up, and tied a knot in the middle.
I then took a square of red, two white, and the ribbon bunch I just tied and scrunched it in the middle. Then I used a floral pin (ok that was Walmart-$.89 for pack of 100)to push my ribbon/tissue into foam. I curled the ribbon once it was secured.

The candy (also $1.00 each) was taped on bamboo skewers ($.089 for 100 @ Walmart) and pushed into foam.

DIY Thread Storage using Stuff I had around the House

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thread organizer

I admire all the pretty thread storage systems I see on Pinterest with the pegboards and dowels but those require shopping at a hardware store and lugging stuff home and using a hammer and stuff.

I wanted my thread organized now with stuff I had. So what simulates a peg board and dowels? Pool noodles and bamboo skewers of course.

I started with a little 3 shelf organizer from IKEA that I had bought to organize paperwork but that system wasn’t working too well so it was kind of abandoned. Plus it takes me at least 2 tries to put stuff together and I broke the little plastic tabs off during try #1 and the drawers didn’t actually stay together.

Pinterest to the rescue. I learned cable ties can hold stuff together like so:

I cut pool noodles fit the drawers and in half lengthwise and skewered them together for some stability. I cut the skewers to fit using pruning shears.

I used the sewers for my bobbins as well. Turns out I have about 30 bobbins. I could never find them so I kept buying more. This is the same reason I have 5 spools of burgundy thread.

Maybe this isn’t a permanent solution but works great for now.

Tshirt refashion into swim cover up with crochet edge

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refashion tshirt

I was planning to get rid of this tshirt because of the rather obvious stain that I couldn’t remove. So I decided to experiement with a couple of techniques I wanted to try.

I have gone long sleeve to short before (using tutorial http://www.merricksart.com/2012/03/cardigan-refashion-tutorial.html) and liked the results.

Going to sleeveless is much trickier to get the sides even and hanging right. At first I as just going to remove the sleeve at the seam but those sleeves are in there pretty good.

I also wanted to add side panels to turn a fitted tshirt into an A line tank. I like to wear fitted tanks under A line,loose tanks because I like to think it hides my less than toned tummy.

The side seams are pretty hard to rip as well so I just cut them open and inserted two panels I had crocheted. I tried to make the panels triangular to to get the wider bottom.

I used the Edgit piercing crochet hook to attach to fabric. Not sure it is a good system since you are just poking/ripping a hole in the fabric and crocheting through the hole.
I also edged the sleeve holes this way.

I then created fabric flowers using the tutorial at http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/05/bouquet-t-shirt-tutorial.html.

Turns out this works perfectly as a swim cover up (especially with my zebra stripe swimsuit). I would prefer it a little longer maybe I will remake my husband’s tshirt.

Deco Mesh Wreath-Cheap Version

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deco mesh, wreath

There are many tutorials for these wreaths.
I followed them …mostly.

Instead of using a wreath form and working garland, I used a wire hanger and floral ties($0.89).

The wreath form has a couple of rows, so the wire hanger method isn’t as full.

The working garland has ties at fixed intervals so in my method you have to use your judgement as to where to gather and tie.