Simply Rurban

Make A Knitted Felted Bowl

Posted on January 25, 2012 by simply0637

I am really liking both needle felting and knit felting, so I decided I would try my hand at a knitted felted bowl. I have looked at this pattern for several years and to tell the truth have been a little intimidated by the pattern and the whole felting process, but I think I have overcome my fear!

Knitted Felted Bowl (pattern thanks to 101 Designer one-skein wonders, Storey Publishing)

Items Needed

1 skein wool yarn (super bulky – which I did not have, so I used another size yarn)
1 pair #13 circular needles (24″)
1 pair double pointed #13 needles
Darning needle

Gauge: 11 stitches = 4″ in stockinette stitch

Size after felting” Approximately 17″ circumference and 4″ tall

Size after felting: Approximately

Knitting the Rim

1. Cast on 108 stitches

2. K1, *bind off 4, K1; repeat to last 4 stitches, bind off 4. You should now have 36 stitches

Knitting the Bowl

1. Place 9 stitches on each of 4 double pointed needles. Join into a round, being careful not to twist the stitches. (I was careful, but I still twisted and had to start over, ugh!)

Rounds 1 – 6: Knit

Round 7: *K6, M1 (with the left needle, insert tip underneath the strand of yarn between the two needles and place the lifted strand on the left needle, knit the lifted strand, twisting it to avoid leaving a hole); repeat from * (42 stitches)

Round 8 & 9: Knit

Round 10: *K7, M1; repeat from * (48 stitches)

Round 11 & 12: Knit

Round 13: *K8, M1; repeat from * (54 stitches)

Rounds 14 – 25: Knit

Start Decreasing

Round 26: *K7, K2tog (knit 2 together); repeat from * (48 stitches)

Round 27: *K6, K2tog; repeat from * (42 stitches)

Round 28: *K5, K2tog; repeat from * (36 stitches)

Rounds 29 – 32: Continue in this manner, knitting 1 fewer stitch between decreases, until you have 12 stitches remaining

Round 33: *k2tog; repeat from * (6 stitches)

Cut the yarn, leaving at least a 10″ tail. Thread your darning needle and draw through the remaining stitches, twice. Pull up snug and fasten off on the inside. Weave in ends.

Bowl before felting

Felting the Bowl

1. Place the bowl 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.

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

Bowl before shaping

6. Shape the bowl and allow to dry

Posted in Crafts | Tagged knitted felted bowl | 2 Comments

Kids Craft Corner – Make A Draft Catcher

Posted on January 24, 2012 by simply0637

The monthly knitting and potluck get together turned into a kids craft afternoon instead. With the weather and everyone’s busy life and that one mom and her daughter came – we changed things up a little. It was fun afternoon of making draft catchers. We all pretty much started with the same thing, but we all made very unique catchers. We even commented how we took ideas from each other, but then made them our own. The girls were all giggly and having such fun. The girls take a theater class together, so they performed the whole afternoon, accents and all!

Draft Catcher

Items Needed

Old kids or adult tights
Rice, beans or nut shells
Needle and thread
Rubber bands
Decorations (beads, felt, yarn, pipe cleaners)
Glue (Elmer’s or fabric)
Scissors

1. Cut the leg off of an old pair of tights or you could use the arm of an old sweater and sew up one end. The girls thought it was very funny when I asked them if they wanted a leg or an arm!

2. Fill the tight leg with rice, beans or nut shells (pistachios work well). Cut out the bottom of a cup and use as a funnel. If you are using rice, make sure that where you put your draft catcher is not also wet – the rice will absorb the water. Once the leg is filled either tie closed with a not or use a rubber band.

3. Have fun – the girls certainly did with their filled legs!

3. Now it is time to decide what kind of creature you want to make and start decorating. We used yarn, felt pieces, glass beads, pipe cleaners and some furry puff balls.

We ended up with some very different draft catchers!

A Dog

A Fish

A Dolphin

A Caterpillar

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms with Nutritional Yeast Gravy

Posted on January 23, 2012 by simply0637

I love nutritional yeast – it is loaded with B vitamins, but it will only have B12 if it is added. B12 is from animal products. I sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn, in stir-fries, over veggies and pasta – the list is endless. I love this nutritional yeast gravy recipe and wanted to use it – so I thought it would taste great over stuffed portabella mushrooms.

I prep the mushrooms and while they are doing the first cook I make the stuffing. While the stuffed mushrooms are cooking I then make the gravy.

Nutritional Yeast Gravy

Ingredients

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup oil
2 cups water
1 T soy sauce or Tamari

Since it was just Stella and me and you can’t really heat the gravy back up – I halved the recipe. 1/3 cup equals 5 Tbl + 1 tps so half of that would be 2 Tbl and 2 tsp. 1 Tbl is 3 tsp – so half would be 1 1/2 tsp.

1. Toast the flour over medium-low heat, until you begin to smell it. Stirring often.

2. Stir in the yeast, then the oil. Cook a few minutes until it looks crumbly.

3. Add the water and cook, whisking until it thickens and bubbles – add a little more water if too thick.

4. Add the soy sauce or tamari. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Ingredients

Large portabella mushrooms (2 per person)
Oil for coating and cooking
Shrimp, cooked and cut up
Crab
Garlic
Spinach

1. Wash, de-stem and scrape the inside out of the mushrooms. Keep what you scrape out.

2. Coat the inside and outside of the mushroom cap with oil – I used truffle oil. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 5- 10 minutes at 350 degrees. You do not want the mushrooms fully cooked, but partially.

3. Cook the shrimp and cut up.

4. In a saute pan, add some oil (coconut or olive). Add the shrimp and crab, stirring until it begins to brown slightly.

5. Add the mushroom scrapings, spinach and garlic. When the spinach is wilted – it is done.

6. Stuff the mushrooms with the shrimp/crab mixture.

7. Bake for another 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Once the mushrooms are tender – it is done.

8. Place 2 stuffed mushrooms on a plate and ladle the gravy over the top.

Bon Appetit!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged stuffed portabella mushrooms | 3 Comments

Another Monster Doll – It’s A Girl!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by simply0637

I made this one a little differently from the earlier one that I made. I had been thinking about one with braids and then it all came to me this past weekend. While Stella was skating the hat she was wearing kept riding up and we decided that it was not one that she would wear again – so of course I started thinking how could I use it! I figured I could use it for the arms of the doll and I would use old children socks for the legs. So with scissors in hand I got to work.

How to Make A Monster Doll

Items needed

Old sweater, preferably one that can be washed
2 pairs of old socks
An old hat
Multi-colored yarn
2 Mis-matched buttons
Stuffing

1. Whenever I am at goodwill or a yard sale, I keep an eye out for old sweaters (wool or colorful ones). I found this one at the local goodwill and I think I paid about$2 for it. It is a child’s sweater, so I could not use the arms for the body of the doll – I had to use the body. Wash the sweater before using for any projects. I cut off the bottom ribbing, cut one side of the doll with the strips going vertical and the other side of doll with the stripes going horizontal. The measurement of the pieces is about 6″ x 9 1/2″.

2. Taking two mis-matched buttons, sew on for the eyes. I also used different thread for each eye. If you are making this for a child under three (3) do not use buttons for the eyes – they are a choking hazard – please refer to the monster doll post from November 29, 2011 (http://simplyrurban.com/?p=1504)

3. I found some mismatched socks in Stella’s sock drawer and I sewed them, following the shape of the sock. This was to make them a little narrower. Sew, trim seam, turn right side out and stuff.

4. Using the hat – I cut two arms. Sew up the seams, trim seams, turn right side out and stuff.

5. I wanted this doll to have braided hair. Using multi-colored yarn I cut 24 pieces and divided in half. Taking 12 strand, fold in half and tie a knot, making sure to keep the yarn the same length on each side. Divide into 3 sections, braid and tie off at the end. I also wanted some bangs – cut some yarn strands – as many as you want.

6. Putting the doll together – take the sweater pieces and face right sides together and pin. You will need to leave a spot open to turn right side out and to stuff – I usually do this on the side where I will be sewing on an arm. Open up the top of the doll and place the braids and bangs where you want them – pin back. I place the tied part of the braid at the top, it is not as thick as the knotted side and easier to sew. Sew around the sides, making sure not to sew the “hair” into any other seams, trim seams and turn right side out – stuff.

7. Fill the doll with some stuffing – not too much and then sew up the opening.

8. Sew up the ends of the legs and arms and then sew onto the body of the doll. Your monster doll is now done – or name it whatever you would like. I chose to keep the knot on the end of the braid, but you could cut and then tie the end and leave some fringe.

This one is a keeper and she sits on our couch – Stella named her Kristina!

Posted in Crafts | Tagged how to make a doll | 4 Comments

It Has Arrived – The Common Cold

Posted on January 19, 2012 by simply0637

Our winter weather this year has been anything but normal. We received our only snow fall, thus far, in October with about 10″ and have only had an occasional flurry here and there. We have had days in the 50’s & 60’s and then the very next day the temperature has plummeted to the teens. We have had A LOT of rain and A LOT of wind, yesterday we had wind gusts up to 50 mph. With all the fluctuation in temperature, you never know what jacket to wear or even if you will need hat, gloves, and scarves. I have seen the wind blowing, thinking that it is cold out, bundling up to walk the dog to come back sweating!

Stella walks to school, has recess and then has to wait for the bus after-school (outside, no matter what the weather) – I have to say I am grateful that they started letting the kids wait inside in the auditorium before school in December, instead of outside. Stella is hot blooded and when I am cold, she is usually hot. With all her activities and play dates, she is in and out, jacket on and jacket off, playing in the wet grass and climbing wet trees!

It started Monday night – I could hear it in her voice – the nasal sound, by the next morning, the runny nose. I am not one to use the tylenol or over the counter cold medicines, that really just hide the symptoms until the cold has run its course. My belief is when you get sick you have let your body run down and you need to re-charge. Which means more rest, taking care of yourself and pumping yourself with vitamins from food. I am not saying that I have never tried some of the common medicines that others use or that is advertised, but I don’t like them, on principle, and Stella DOES NOT LIKE THEM and will NOT take them!

So what to do to help with the discomfort of the common cold? We have been doing steam to loosen up the congestion in her sinuses – I wish I could get her to use the neti pot – I love them and they work really well! I even got the sinus aid, which sort of allows you to squirt the saline up your nostril.Washing of hands, more often than already done and Stella is using her homemade hand sanitizer (http://simplyrurban.com/?p=1943). We have cut sugar and dairy out of her diet, well almost all of it – she has to have her smoothy in the morning! She is eating more vegetables, and she eats a lot of vegetables already and plenty of fluids. I wish I could get her to have some soup and hot tea, but that is a no go, so far. Going to bed earlier than usual and propping her head up higher with an extra pillow. We have upped her dose of Sambucol, which she is not too happy about. But, I think the thing that makes the most difference is the vapor rub. We have a vapor rub that is made from Little Moon Essentials, an acquaintance of mine when I lived in Colorado started this company and all her products are fabulous. As Stella is getting ready for bed, we rub some on her chest, on her feet and then place socks on ( your feet have the highest absorbency rate of your body) and then a smear under her nose – it loosens all the congestion up and allows her to breath easier – there was no snoring last night and I think she went through about half a box of tissues – it definitely loosened stuff up! If you get a chance check out their website and all their wonderful, natural products, you will love them all!! http://littlemoonessentials.com/

As she was leaving for school this morning, yes the cold is not keeping her from her studies – she LOVES school, she told me she does not like having a cold – then I thought, this is the first time she has really had the common cold! I agreed with her and told her that it is no fun and we decided that I would get her after school and she would not go to her after school program, which she loves – they have singing class every day and she loves to sing! So I will pick her up early, early dinner, game of Boggle and then to bed!

Posted in Life | Tagged common cold | 7 Comments

Kids Craft Corner – Butterfly Mobile

Posted on January 18, 2012 by simply0637

Stella is getting quite crafty and she is very artistic – so we have decided that we will do a project together, hopefully on a weekly basis. With winter here, we decided we wanted a touch of spring in the house and what better way to think spring than to have some butterflies flying around.

Butterfly Mobile (idea from FamilyFun website, with changes http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/winged-wonders-670394/)

Items Needed

Old magazines (we don’t really have any magazine, but we had a pad of paper we use for projects – you want the paper colorful)
Stick or maybe two (we went for a walk and found some that we thought would work)
Pipe cleaners
Fishing line or clear thread

1. Decide how many butterflies you want. For each one you will need a 5″ square and a 4″ square. Measure and cut all your squares.

2. Starting at one corner, accordion fold (like for a fan) the squares on their diagonals, the folds should be about 1/4″.

3. Fold a 12″ pipe cleaner in half, making a loop at the fold and twist.

4. Pinch the center of the folded squares and place the smaller square first and then the larger one in the center of the pipe cleaner.

5. Once you have your wings situated twist the pipe cleaner above and below the wings – to hold them in place.

6. With the ends of the pipe cleaner, curl at the end for the antennae.

7. Tie the sticks together, with a long string in the center for hanging. We used hemp string to tie together.

8. Using clear thread tie around each butterfly and then attach to mobile, placing them so that the mobile hangs even. We had to put a weight on one side.

This was a fun craft to do. I think the magazine paper would work better than the paper we had. I had to help Stella with the folding of the paper – it was hard for her to keep it even and she got frustrated – I ended up starting each one and helping her with the folding.

Posted in Kids Crafts | Tagged butterfly mobile | 2 Comments

Ice Skating – Anyone?!

Posted on January 17, 2012 by simply0637

Stella has been asking me to go ice skating for about 2 months. I remember when I was growing up we had a lake behind our house and we were always out there ice skating with family and our friends – we would stay out there for hours. As an adult I don’t think I have skated except for a couple of times when I was traveling in South Africa – no I really did ice skate while I was there. The family I was staying with would go to the indoor skating rink and so I went with them several times. So this past Saturday I took Stella skating. I had gotten a great deal on Living Social – skating and skate rentals for 2 and it was only $10! Stella had only been skating twice, neither one of those times was with me.

We headed out and found the skating rink – it was next door to a middle school. The middle school also had an outdoor and indoor swimming pool – Stella decided this would be a school she would like to go to. We got our skates, put them on and hit the ice. Stella was not so sure in the beginning – hanging on to the wall as we made our way around the rink. She then got a little braver and held my hand as we went around, grabbing the wall every so often. Then she got really brave and decided she wanted to skate on her own – she was doing great and then there was the first fall, then the second, rubbed her knee a little, take a little rest and then back to skating. She was doing great – figured out how to do a twirl and almost took me out on the first one. Now she was even going faster and faster and I was having a hard time keeping up to her with all the people.

They called a break so the Zamboni could come out and re-water the ice – Stella had never seen this before and was mesmerized! We also had some time to get a hot chocolate – yummy.

The break was over and it was back to skating. By this time my feet were killing me – the skates were a little too small, but the next size up was too big. I made a deal with Stella that we would skate for another hour, since that was about all I thought my feet could handle. There seemed to be a lot more people now and falls by one person were causing falls by many! Stella had a bad fall and I could not get around her so I used her to keep myself up instead of falling on top of her – she was hurt, but she did not want to admit it. She got up shook her foot a few times and went back to skating – I could tell that she was hurting – I reminded her that soccer was starting the next day – her favorite sport – and that if her foot was bothering her maybe we should stop – we could always come back – she agreed.

We had the best time, laughing, smiling, spending time together and getting some exercise. When we got home we had some dinner played headbands. Headbands is a really fun game – you wear a headband with a card on it and then you ask the other players questions trying to guess what picture is on the card. I really want to wear the headband around town and see what kind of conversations it starts. Then we decided to play Boggle – a new game she got for Christmas. I love Boggle and remember playing often with my grandmother. Then to top the day off we watched a movie and then Stella was allowed to sleep in my bed (mistake on my part – I ended up in her bed!) I can say for myself that I get caught up in life and all the activities that need to be done, but I am always happy when I put it all aside and spend the day with my daughter – having fun, experiencing life, sharing memories – I never regret it and always wish that I would do it more often!

Posted in Outings | Tagged ice skating | 6 Comments

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Posted on January 16, 2012 by simply0637

I love sweet potato and kale and wanted to make a soup with both. I found one recipe, thanks to http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/nutty-vanilla-sweet-potato-kale-soup , but since I am not a huge fan of peanuts and I also wanted some beans in the soup so I made some changes to the recipe. Another reason I chose this soup recipe was so I could use my immersion blender I received for Christmas! The original recipe says to microwave the potatoes, but since I do not own or believe in microwaves I added the step of cooking the sweet potatoes prior to making the soup.

I have been adding more and more coconut into our diets, with coconut oil, milk and pure. I love the aroma it adds to the house and the flavor to the food. Last year Stella had strep 5 times (knocking on wood), at this point last year she had had it twice and I had gotten it once. When the winter comes I start Stella on 2 tsp of Sambucus, last year she refused to take it, but this year there is no discussion – it is part of the morning routine. I am not sure if it is the combination of the Sambucus and coconut oil, but I think it just might be. The previous winters she had had strep at least once and she was only doing the Sambucus and I did not use as much coconut oil. You might find this video interesting and then you might also add some more coconut to your diet! http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients

2 pounds of sweet potato, cut into 1″ inch pieces
3 gloves of garlic, minced
1 can coconut milk (can use lite)
1 cup milk
1 can cannellini beans (or you can use 2 cups slow cooked), drained and rinsed
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups kale, washed and torn off the stem, small pieces (really pack the measuring cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup salted peanuts for garnish (I omitted)
Shredded coconut for garnish

1. Peel and cut sweet potato, place in a pot of water, boil until starting to get tender, but not fully cooked, drain and set aside.

2. Heat a large pot on medium high heat, add some coconut oil and let it get hot. Add the sweet potato and garlic, cooking until they begin to brown – stirring often.

3. Add the coconut milk, milk, garam masala, salt, pepper and flakes – stir.

4. Add the beans – mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, puree/mash to soup. I blended it some, but left some chunks of potato and some whole beans.

6. Add the raisins, kale and vanilla and cover. Allow to cook until the kale is bright green about 10 minutes.

7. Ladle into bowl, sprinkle with coconut and serve!

Because I added the beans, this was more like a stew – I guess I could have added some broth, but I liked the thickness. This was also spicy – so if you don’t want it spicy leave out the pepper flakes.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged sweet potato and kale soup | 2 Comments

Chocolately and Oh So Delicious Brownies

Posted on January 13, 2012 by simply0637

Chocolate – what can I say – divine, decadent, delicious, healthy, indulgence… I used to make these brownies at a restaurant I worked at and they went fast. One day around lunch time this gentleman walked in and asked for 2 brownies, I told him that we were out- that is how I found out he was driving 45 minutes for these brownies, he ended up staying for lunch. As he was leaving I told him the next time that he had to have the brownies to call first and I would put some aside for him! These will go fast and you can easily cut the recipe in half.

Best Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup cocoa powder (use the good stuff)
1 cup flour (yes you can use whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts or a combination (this is optional, but chocolate chips are HIGHLY recommended)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2″ baking pan and set aside.

3. Melt the butter.

3. In a large mixing bowl put the sugars and vanilla, add the melted butter and mix.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition.

5. Add the cocoa, slowly stir and fold it into the mixture. If you mix to fast you will get cocoa everywhere! Mix until well blended.

6. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Again, mix and fold the flour slowly into the mixture. Mix well, scraping the sides and the bottom to make sure everything is mixed in fully.

7. Add the chocolate chips and/or nuts – fold in. Pour into the pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until brownies pull away from the sides of the pan. Place pan on rack to cool.

8. Cool completely and then cut into bars. ENJOY!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged brownie recipe | 7 Comments

Adding More Storage

Posted on January 12, 2012 by simply0637

My home was built around 1930 and there is very little storage and closets. My kitchen is especially small. For Christmas, Santa brought me some cooking dishes and I also was the happy recipient of some other cooking items, but for the past several weeks the items have been sitting in the boxes on the floor of my kitchen, being moved around to get into cabinets. I have racked my brain, trying to figure out how to make more space. Looking around the kitchen – I noticed that above the entrance was a nice size of open wall – perfect for some shelves. I figured that in one of my hutches the whole bottom shelf, plus some more is filled with cookbooks – if I moved the cookbooks to the shelves I would have space for all my new kitchen gadgets! I went to ebay looking for a shelf made from old wood, a week went by and then another week – and I had yet to find what I was looking for… then I realized that I had some shelving in the basement, leftover from some shelves that I hung in my living room. Now this is not old wood, but I figured I was not going to use them for anything else, so why not, they had been sitting in the basement for 2 years.

Off to the basement I went, back to the kitchen for some measuring and then to get my drill out of the closet and some screws. Now I am not a builder, so I designed these shelves so they were easy to put together and pretty much mistake proof. Holes were drilled, screws screwed in, cookbooks taken out and placed and YES – there is enough room for everything, with a little space left over!!!!!

Shelf Cubbies

Items Needed

Wood
Drill
Screws
Wall anchors
A friend to help hang them!

1. Using 4 pieces of wood