Simply Rurban

Cleaning and Seasoning A Cast Iron Pan

Posted on March 23, 2012 by simply0637

I love cast iron and use my pan almost daily! I also have a cast iron dutch oven and will slowly replace other pans with cast iron as the need and budget allows. My cast iron pan lives on the stove, I use it that often – there is no need for me to put it in the cabinet with the other pot and pans! I wash it with soap and hot water, once a week, after I make the pancakes for the upcoming week and then season it – the rest of the time after using I just rinse the pan in hot water and wipe dry with a cotton cloth.

I was recently visiting a relative and found a cast iron pan in their cabinet. The pan was covered in rust and that had to be fixed. If you read on the web it states to take a pan that has rust and wash in hot soapy water with steel wool, but I did not have steel wool, so I had to find another way. This is how I did it and it turned out great! Disclaimer – I had some technical difficulties with my computer and I lost most of the before pictures and some of the after, but felt I still needed to share the process – sorry!

Cleaning and Seasoning a Cast Iron Pan

Items needed

Olive oil or coconut oil
Very course salt
Paper towel
Cotton rags
Patience
Elbow grease

1. Heat the pan, take off the burner fill with oil and allow the oil to be absorbed by the pan. I let the oil sit in the pan for about an hour and then wiped with a paper towel.

2. Since the bottom and sides of the pan were also rusted – I started cleaning the bottom first. I place the pan upside down on newspaper and then sprinkled a very course salt all over the bottom and then poured oil on top. I let the salt absorbed some of the oil and taking a cotton rag I rub the pan with the salt and oil. The salt absorbed the rust and the oiled seasoned. I did this about 3 times before all the rust was gone – beautiful!

Salt added to bottom

Salt and oil on bottom

After scrubbing with salt and oil

After 1st heat and oil

3. Now that the bottom was done it was time to work on the cooking part of the pan. I followed the same steps as for the bottom.

Salt and oil in pan

4. The pan is clean and seasoned.

Bottom done and seasoned

Pan done and seasoned

Now when you see a rusted cast iron pan at the thrift store or yard sale, buy it and clean it yourself. These pans will last for generations if properly cared for. If you buy a new one – it comes with a coating on it – you need to get the coating off. To get the coating off either wash in hot soapy water with steal wool and then season or use salt and oil.

Some basic tips on keeping your pan in good condition. Every once in awhile you will need to wash with hot soapy water to get the oil build up off – oil does go rancid and then season. If you are using frequently, like me, you can rinse with hot water in between uses and thoroughly wash once a week or every other week.. NEVER put a cast iron pan in the dishwasher. NEVER let it air dry with the rest of the dishes – dry with a cotton towel and make sure it is really dry or rust will form. NEVER pour cold water into a hot pan – the cast iron can break. If your pan is well seasoned food will not stick, if food is sticking you need to season/cure your pan. If you have been afraid to use a cast iron pan, don’t be and go out and get one – cast iron heats evenly, doesn’t add any harmful chemicals to your food that you are lovingly preparing and it will last your entire life time – great return on the investment. Cheers to your good cooking!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cast iron | 6 Comments

How To Make A Cork Mirror

Posted on March 22, 2012 by simply0637

I loved the cork wreath I made and it is on my “to-do” list to make myself one, but as of yet that item has not been crossed off. I did find the time to make a cork mirror – was able to use corks and I love the way it looks. Taking away the time for the first layer to dry the total craft time is less than an hour and then you have a new mirror that is unique and handmade!

Cork Mirror

Items Needed

Corks (I used 71 )
Round mirror (I used a 12″ round)
Glass glue
Glue gun & glue sticks
Twine
Scrap piece of cardboard

1. Using glass glue attach the corks for the first layer. You want the corks ends to touch on the inside and outer edge to align with mirror’s edge. Allow to completely dry. I did the first layer in the evening and allowed to dry overnight.

2. If the mirror you purchased does not have a way to hang it on the wall – follow this step, if not go on to step 3. Turning the mirror over, carefully (I did knock a cork loose and had to re-glue) – glue (with glue gun) the twine ends onto the back of the mirror. I glued my ends on about 1/3 of the way from the top of the mirror in the center. Taking a scrap piece of cardboard, glue over the twine ends.

3. Using the glue gun, glue the second row of corks on the mirror. The second row of corks will align about 1/2″ farther from the center. You will be able to see the tips of the first row of corks. Really watch the 1/2″, there were a couple of times that I had to take corks off and re-situate.

Find some wall space and hang your new mirror!

Posted in Crafts, Recycled, Repurposed | Tagged cork mirror | 3 Comments

Kids Craft Corner – Make A Felted Eye Glass Case

Posted on March 21, 2012 by simply0637

Both Stella and I wear glasses. It is pretty recent for Stella – she had an accident in September at a play date, where a pick up stick was poked into her eye! She had never had problems with her vision previously, but this triggered something associated with astigma she had (was not aware of it) and her eyesight in one eye is now 20/70 and her other eye is 20/30 and she had to get bi-focals. She is still learning how to take care of her glasses – which was emphasized this past weekend by both me and her eye doctor. Stella has a habit of taking her glasses off and sticking them in her jacket pocket (with no case), I was just made aware of this habit as I was asked to fix the arm on her glasses – the metal piece had been bent and the screw no long fit in. I was not able to fix it and the doctor had some difficulty too!

Stella has a hard case that goes in her backpack, but she also reads each night for 30 minutes after getting into bed and then the glasses end up on her shelf, usually face down on the glass – so we decided it was time to make a case to keep at her bed.

How To Make A Felted Eye Glass Case

Items Needed

Felt (1 piece, your choice of color)
Felt scraps for embellishments
Buttons, beads, etc for embellishments
Template (we used a fabric glass case as our guide)
Embroidery thread
Sewing needle with large eye
Pins
Shearing scissors (optional)

1. Decide what color you are going to use and draw your pattern. We used an existing fabric glass case and traced. If you do not have one – measure your glass and inch, so if your glass are 7″ high and 3″ wide your template would be 9″ in length and 5″ wide.

2. Cut the traced pattern out, rounding the corners. We used shearing scissors to add a little pizazz!

3. Cut out a star, heart, diamond, etc with a contrasting color of felt. We did a diamond (Stella) and heart (me). Pin in place.

4. We had some flower buttons and decided to use them. Stella put them in the corners of her case and I put one in the center of my heart. I have to confess I did sew the buttons on – Stella was getting frustrated, since the kept slipping from her fingers when she was holding them in place.

5. Using embroidery thread, slip stitch your cut out onto the center of the front of your case. I was very lucky – at a yard sale I bought all the thread in the picture for $5 – I have not had to buy thread in about 10 years!! Each time we have a sewing project, Stella tells me that she is not a good sewer and I tell her the only way to get better is to do more of it and with practice she will get better. Then it goes, but my sewing is not as good as yours…. Well, I have a lot more practice and it does not matter, it’s wonderful because you made it with your hands on your own!

6. Fold your case in half, pin together and slip stitch the bottom and side to close – you are done.

Stella was so proud of herself and her project that she took it to school to show all her friends and even took it to show her art teacher!

Stella's eye glass case

My eye glass case

Posted in Kids Crafts | Tagged felted eye glass case | 1 Comment

Vegetable Masamba Recipe

Posted on March 20, 2012 by simply0637

The ghee was made, so all the ingredients were ready for the new recipe. This is an African inspired dish with nutrient packed kale as the main ingredient for this dish. I served this over couscous, if you decide to do the same just follow the cooking directions to prepare. It can also be served over rice or a wild rice pilaf.

Vegetable Masamba (thanks to The Kripala Cookbook)

Ingredients

2 Tbl ghee or unsalted butter (see blog post from March 19, 2012)
1 cup diced onions
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch ground paprika
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch black pepper (I used a combination of white and black pepper)
9 cups washed, dried and chopped fresh kale
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2/3 cups unsalted peanuts

1. Tear kale from the stalk, measuring 9 cups (jam it into the measuring cup). I tore the kale prior to washing instead of chopping. Rinse and let drain in a colander – tossing to make sure all of it dries.

2. Dice the onions, tomatoes and measure out the peanuts. Get all your spices out on the counter.

3. In a large skillet, I used a cast iron dutch oven, melt the ghee.

4. Add the onion and saute for 3 – 5 minutes or until translucent.

5. Stir in the coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, paprika, cinnamon and pepper. Saute for 1 minute.

6. Add the kale, stirring to coat thoroughly with the spices. Add the salt and fold into mixture.

7. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 – 4 minutes.

8. Prepare the couscous.

9. Tun off the heat. Add the tomatoes and peanuts, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

10. On your plate, scoop a serving size of the couscous and then on top add the vegetable masamba.

I loved this, but Stella did not and I did not think she would because of the spices and kale. She will pretty much only eat kale on pizza or as chips.

Posted in Dinner, Recipes | Tagged vegetable masamba recipe | 2 Comments

Ghee – Make Your Own

Posted on March 19, 2012 by simply0637

The new recipe that I prepared for this week’s blog called for ghee – what the hell is ghee you ask (I asked the same thing)! Ghee, or clarified butter, is made when the milk solids are separated from the liquid, leaving a pure, clear, amber-colored substance. It has been used for about 2,000 years in Ayurveda or the ancient natural healing system of India. So yes, ghee is very high in fat about 14 grams of fat per tablespoon, but no artificial additives, preservatives, or trans fats. Now don’t think you should avoid ghee – there are many health benefits to using ghee, but if you have high cholesterol or heart disease, yes – you should avoid using ghee.

Since you remove all the milk proteins during the clarifying process, ghee is lactose free, so a safer alternative for those that are lactose intolerant. Ghee has a very rich flavor and therefore you use it very sparingly, which makes it more suitable for low fat diets. You would use 1 tablespoon of ghee in comparison to 4 tablespoons of butter or cooking oil.

So what are the benefits? I was fascinated with what I found out – I think you will be too! So now I have 4 fats to cook with ghee, coconut oil, olive oil and butter – all offer a unique flavor – fabulous! Ghee is :

Known for stimulating the secretion of stomach acids to help with digestion, while other fats, such as butter and oil, slow down the digestive process;
Known in Indian medicinal practice to help with ulcers, constipation and the promotion of healthy eyes and skin;
Used in Indian beauty creams to help soften the skin and as a tropical treatment for burns and blisters;
Rich with antioxidants and aids in the absorption of vitamins and minerals from other foods, feeding all layers of body tissue and serves in strengthening the immune system;
Has a high concentration of butyric acid, a fatty acid that contains anti-viral properties, which is believed to inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors;
Contains conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) which aids weight-loss, especially stubborn belly fat, and
Is very alkaline for your body, which helps offset the overwhelming acidity of a traditional American diet.

Ghee is low in essential omega 3 fatty acids, which is good for brain health, make sure you get your omega 3’s from another source.

Ghee will not go rancid at room temperature and will keep fits freshness and flavor for up to a year without refrigeration.

How to Make Ghee

Items need

1 pound of unsalted, organic butter
Heavy bottom, stainless steel sauce pot
Time
Funnel (optional)
Strainer, line with cheese cloth, coffee filter or gauze
Air-tight container for storage
1. Place the sticks of butter in the saucepan and melt it slowly, about 10 minutes if straight from the fridge or 5 minutes if room temperature.

2. Get your container, strainer and cheese cloth/gauze ready on the counter.

3. Once it has melted it will started to boil, turn the heat down to very low and simmer form 30 – 40 minutes – DO NOT STIR!

4. You will have to carefully skim the foam off several times during the cooking process. You will also hear it crackle as it is cooking.

5. After about 30 minutes the crackling with get less and you will start to see the milk solids on the bottom of the pan.

6. Carefully strain and pour into your air-tight container (a canning jar works great). You will see the milk solids on the bottom on the pan. Cool and then use!

Here is a little snippet of how it is done.

Look at the color, beautiful!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ghee | 2 Comments

I Love This Felted Purse!

Posted on March 16, 2012 by simply0637

I love this bag, it may just be that I LOVE the color yarn I chose! I have looked at this pattern for about 4 years and have had great aspirations to knit, but am just getting to it – wish I had done it 4 years ago. I think this would also make a great Easter basket you could use over and over again and when the bunny stopped visiting your little one would have a great bag! The bag is knitted in one piece and then you knit the handles. May have to make another one with the top edge in a contrasting color from the main body of the bag. It knits up fast, which is an added bonus!

Felted Bag (thanks to 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders)

Items Needed

1 – 2 Skeins wool yarn
Size 15 knitting needles
Darning Needle
4 – 1″ buttons

Gauge: 12 stitches = 4″ in stockinette stitch

Knitting the bag

1. Cast on 34 stitches.

2. Knit 4 rows

3. Work in stockinette stitch (knit a row, purl a row) until the piece measures 13″

4. Bind off 3 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows. You will now have 28 stitches for the bottom of the bag. Continue in stockinette stitch until the bottom of the bag measures 6.75″.

5. Cast on 3 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows.

6. Knit the other side of the bag to match the first, remember to knit the last 4 rows. Bind off.

Knitting the straps (knit 2)

1. Cast on 4 stitches

2. Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 3″

3. Continue, but working in stockinette stitch until strap measures 18″

4. Continue strap, working in garter stitch until the strap measures 21″. Bind off

Assembling the bag

Pin the bag together, with right sides together, bringing the outer bottom edge points to the center of the bottom of the bag (this was very hard to photo – hope you can see what I did). Sew the bottom and side seams. Weave in ends.

Felting the bag

Before felting, almost 15" tall

1. Place the purse and handles inside a pillowcase and tie closed.

2. Set the washing machine for the lowest water level, longest washing cycle and the hottest water temperature.

3. Place the pillow case, a pair of jeans and a tiny amount of liquid soap. Start the washer.

4. Check the felting process frequently. You may have to do the wash again. Once the item is felted to my liking, I turn the washing machine dial to rinse and spin – then I don’t have to do it – if not follow the step below. I let it go through a whole cycle and it was felted perfectly.

5. When the purse and handles get to the desired size and felting, remove, rinse in cold water and blot dry with a towel.

6. Shape the purse and stretch out the handles and allow to dry. I placed the felted pieces on a towel and then when it was almost dry I place the purse upright with a glass inside the bag to make sure the bottom of the purse was flat.

Finishing

Measure 2″ in from the side seams and sew straps to bag with buttons (buttons will be on the outside of the bag). Make sure not to twist straps.

Fill your purse with your essentials and you are good to go!

Posted in Crafts, Felting, Knitting | Tagged felted purse, knitted felted bag | 5 Comments

How To Make Carrot Cheese Puff Crackers

Posted on March 15, 2012 by simply0637

I have been trying to find a recipe that I could make to replace the cheese puffs that Stella loves so much, but as of yet I have not been able to find one. I was sent a newsletter that had a recipe for Carrot Cheese Puffs and I thought well maybe this is it, but they really turned out more like puff crackers. After making them I would change up the recipe and add more carrot. The recipe calls for cooking time of 12 – 15 minutes and the first batch we did we baked for 12 minutes, but they turned out really hard – so I changed the cooking time to 9 minutes and they are puffy, soft and really good. You can taste the grain, carrot and cheese without any processed taste – wonderful.

These took really very little time, except for the time they need to chill. I made the dough before dinner while Stella was doing her chores and then they chilled and were ready for the next steps by the time Stella was out of the shower. Stella did the rolling out of the dough, the cutting of the dough and placing them on the cookie sheet – she is getting to be a very talented cook!

Carrot Cheese Puff Crackers (recipe thanks to To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co.)

Ingredients

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 jar organic baby food – carrot (I wanted to try this recipe before making my own carrot puree, which I will do next time)
1 cup sprouted flour (I used spring wheat)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
water

NOTE: Sprouted flour is different than the flour you would normally buy in the store. You can find it at Whole Foods and other natural food stores on on-line at amazon, To Your

Consult my favorites on Amazon.

Health Sprouted Flour or Blue Mountain Organics. You will pay more for sprouted flour about $8 for 2 pounds. The nutritional benefits of sprouted flour over regular flour are many: it is easier to digest, higher in Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Carotene and higher enzyme levels and sprouting neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which is a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.

I am on a food budget, which does not allow me to use sprouted flours for all of my recipes, but I do soak my flours and grains. If you are interested in learning more I highly recommend the book Nourishing Traditions and checking out all the information on the Weston A. Price Foundation website.

1. Mix baby food, flour, cheese and garlic powder together in a glass bowl. Stir until well blended. Should be moist.

2. Add additional water, one tablespoon at a time (I ended up adding 2 Tbl), until you get a moist, but not sticky dough.

3. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured flat surface to 1/4″ thickness.

6. Cut into the shapes you want. Stella opted for a hippo cookie cutter.

7. Place on a greased, parchment lined cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes (see note above) or until golden brown (which is hard to determine with the color of the dough).

9. Place on wire rack and allow to cool completely.

10. Will last at room temperature up to a week. Refrigerate for longer lasting treats. I don’t think they will last a week in our house!

Posted in Recipes, Snacks | Tagged carrot cheese puff crackers | 2 Comments

The Weekend of The Child (Stella)

Posted on March 13, 2012 by simply0637

This past weekend was more jam packed with Stella activities than normal. We started the weekend off my going to see The Lorax movie – LOVED IT! Highly recommend going, age does not matter – the message is powerful and needs to be spread and acted upon.

Saturday started with Math Madness!!! For three weekends the school is offering 3 hours each Saturday of math games! Stella loves math and recently was put into the math challenge program – so she has been all about math. They also get to win prizes, which she came home with several. She can’t wait for next Saturday.

Stella with her guitar teacher Chris, practicing

Then Saturday afternoon was her guitar recital. Each year her music school puts on a recital, but this year it was a little different. The owner of the school is pregnant and could not pull the traditional recital off – so she put together something else. Ten students were chosen to put a recital/concert on at one of the local retirement homes. It was wonderful! We met one woman who next month will be 101 – she looked about 80. The kids got to perform in front of family and friends along with the residents, which that is who it was for. The parents sat in the back or the sides and the kids preformed to the main audience and they all remembered to play loud – so everyone could hear!

Sunday was our St. Patrick’s Day parade – wonderful. The sun was shining and the temperature was about 65 – glorious!!! We helped with a bake sale – one of Stella’s friends older sister is on the soccer team that is going to Tennessee this summer for a tournament and money needs to be raised to get them all there. Stella and her friend Bella walked all over Tarrytown and then onto Sleepy Hollow asking for donations – they did not sell one baked good and they raised about $175 and walked about 5 miles!!! Way to go girls!!!

We ended the weekend having a birthday dinner for me with two very dear friends. For all those who are curious – I am 22 according to Stella and I of course don’t want to disappoint her!!!

Posted in Life | Tagged guitar recital, st. patrick's day parade | 8 Comments

Kids Craft Corner – How To Recycle Old Crayons and Make New Ones

Posted on March 9, 2012 by simply0637

Our crayon box seems to get fuller and fuller, but as far as I can tell the colors really never change. I remember as a kid just loving getting a new box of crayons – the sharp points, all the colors and the smell – heaven. I think most kids are the same and when the crayons start breaking and the sharpener does not really work – new crayons become essential – or how else are you suppose to color the corners, the tight spot and draw good lines – without that point the crayon loses some of its splendor! So as we accumulate crayons upon crayons, we also get quite the collection of broken crayons. It seems to be the new rave these days to see all the different shaped multicolored crayons – so why not make our own?!

We collected all the broken crayons from the crayon box and then took all the wrappers off – we were ready.

Recycle Your Old Crayons and Make New Ones

Items needed

Broken crayons (or ones that mysteriously get broken as you are sorting through them)
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Muffin pan or candy mold

1. Gather up all your broken crayons, take the wrappers off and cut into small pieces (an adult should do the cutting).

2. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

3. Fill a muffin tin or candy mold with the broken crayons. If you are using a muffin tin be prepared for it to stain – so use one that you do not care about.

4. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the crayons are melted.

5. Take out of the oven and allow to cool. You can speed up the process by placing the pan in the freezer.

6. Pop them out on a soft surface, you do not want them to break. If they do not pop out easily, place in the freezer for about an hour – that should do the trick.

We chose a star mold so that we would have a lot of points! Let the coloring begin now that you have new crayons. These also make great gifts that kids can make for kids, yeah!

Posted in Kids Crafts | 2 Comments

Garter Stitch Doll

Posted on March 8, 2012 by simply0637

When I saw the pattern for this doll – I had to make it. I loved the hair and that is what drew me to her. Stella was given a kids knitting kit for Christmas and it included a knitting book with patterns for kids and beginning knitters – but there were a lot of patterns that I want to make, this being one of them.

I started knitting her on a plane – so you will notice the different backgrounds of the pictures. I think the gentleman next to me thought I was a little crazy , positioning my knitting for pictures and then taking pictures of my knitting. Knitting is not the easiest thing to do on a plane, let alone from the middle seat (Stella always gets the window seat, but I think that is going to change soon!). I really liked seeing the doll come together in one piece, except of course for the beginning of the legs.

Garter Stitch Doll (Thanks to Kids Knitting, by Melanie Falick)

Materials Needed

1 skein bulk yarn (175 yards) (I used a wool yarn)
Bulky yarn in a contrasting color for the vest (about 85 yards)
Scrap yarn for the hair (wool works best) and face features
Size 8 knitting needles
Size 10 knitting needles
Stitch holder
Point Protector or rubber band
Stuffing or unspun wool
Buttons for eyes and vest
Sewing needle and thread
Crochet hook

1. Making the first leg: Cast on 10 stitches. Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for 5″. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail, several inches long, slide 10 stitches onto a stitch holder.

2. Making the second leg: Cast on 10 stitches. Work in garter stitch for 5″ (want it the same length as the first leg). Do not cut the yarn or remove the stitches from the knitting needle.

3. Making the lower body: Knit the 10 stitches from the second leg, then knit the 10 stitches from the first leg (starting with the stitch connected to the tail of the yarn). You now have 20 stitches on your needle. The tail of yarn from the first leg should be hanging in the middle of the 2 legs (remember I am making a girl doll – I know what you are thinking!)

4. Knit the 20 stitches in garter stitch until the piece measures 4″ from where you joined the 2 legs.

5. Once the main body section measure 4″, cast on 12 stitches, this is for the first arm, at the beginning of the row, knit across all 32 stitches. At the beginning of the next row, cast on 12 stitches, this is for the second arm, and knit across all 44 stitches. Work in garter stitch until the arms measure 2 1/2″ (I think the next time I would knit until it measured2″ – they were a little too thick for my liking). Bind of 17 stitches, do this on the side of the first arm, you will now have 27 stitches, knit across. On the next row bind off 17 more stitches – you will now have 10 stitches, knit to end of row.

6. You are now ready to knit the head. Work in garter stitch, increasing 1 stitch at the beginning of the next 8 rows. You will increase by casting on one stitch at the beginning of each row. Once you have 18 stitches, knit in garter stitch for another 12 rows. Now you need to decrease. At the beginning of the next 8 rows, decrease by 1 stitch – K2tog and then knit the rest of the row. Once you have 10 stitches left, bind off.

7. Follow steps 1 – 6 to make the other side of the doll.

8. If you are putting a face on the doll – this is the time to do it. I used buttons for the eyes, used the satin stitch for the nose and the back stitch for the mouth.

9. Thread the darning needle with the same yarn you kit the doll in and sew the doll together, leaving the top of the head open (for stuffing).

10. Stuff the doll and sew up the head.

To Make the Vest

1. Using the 85 yards of the same weight yarn as you knit the doll, but in a different color and size 10 straight needles, cast on 52 stitches.

Rows 1 – 8: Work in garter stitch (knit every row).

Row 9: Knit 2 stitches, K2tog, YO (yarn over), knit to end of row.

Rows 10 – 16: Work in garter stitch

Row 17: Knit 2 stitches, K2tog, YO (yarn over), knit to end of row.

Rows 18 – 24: Work in garter stitch

Row 25: Knit 2 stitches, K2tog, YO (yarn over), knit to end of row.

Making the left front

Row 26: Knit 15 stitches, then place the remaining 37 stitches on a stitch holder.

Row 27: Knit across row

Row 28: K2tog, knit to end of row

Row 29: Knit across row

Repeat rows 28 & 29 until there are 4 stitches remaining, bind off.

Making the back

1. Slip the middle 22 stitches on the holder from the left to right onto a needle. Place the other 15 stitches onto a stitch holder.

2. Starting with a new piece of yarn, knit 23 rows. Bind off.

Making the right front

Slip the remaining 15 stitches onto a needle, remember that your forth stitch is a yarn over, be careful that you do not let it drop off.

Row 26: Using a new piece of yarn, knit to the end of the row

Row 27: Make sure the start of this row is the side that the button holes are on. K2tog, knit to end of row.

Row 28: Knit to end of row

Repeat row 27 & 28 until you have 4 stitches left, bind off.

Finishing the Vest

1. Sew the shoulder seams together.

2. Weave in all ends.

3. Sew the buttons on. I found 3 leather buttons in my button jar that were the perfect size and I liked the way they looked.

Making the hair

1. Using scrap yarn, cast on 20 stitches – I used size 8 knitting needles.

2. Knit every row until the piece measures 4″. Do not bind off, just cut a long tail.

3. If need be, place a point protector or rubber band at the end of needles to keep the stitches from falling off. I did not, I just pushed the stitches closer to the end of the needle.

4. Wet the piece completely, gently squeeze out the water and set aside to dry.

5. Once it is dry, unravel the knitting – you will have one long piece of curly yarn.

6. Cut the yarn into pieces for the hair, the pieces should be twice as long as you want the hair.

7. Fold the piece of yarn in half, using a crochet hook, pull yarn through a stitch on the top of the dolls head, you are pulling where the yarn is folded in half, insert the ends of the piece through the loop and pull to tighten. Repeat this with all the pieces of yarn. Trim the hair to a style you like.

Your doll is done!

Posted in Crafts, Knitting | 4 Comments

Cleaning and Seasoning A Cast Iron Pan

How To Make A Cork Mirror

Kids Craft Corner – Make A Felted Eye Glass Case

Vegetable Masamba Recipe

Ghee – Make Your Own

I Love This Felted Purse!

How To Make Carrot Cheese Puff Crackers

The Weekend of The Child (Stella)

Kids Craft Corner – How To Recycle Old Crayons and Make New Ones

Garter Stitch Doll

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