At Play

Hi! Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? We went Back East (I love that expression) and saw one of my favorite people.

The play was spectacular. If you're a fan, I can't recommend it enough. And of course we dressed up for the event. I was going to wear my Halloween dress (as it was very Miss Yvonne), but at the last minute decided to just don my hair accessories and go a bit more conservative. Mr. Jones wore his appropriate attire, too.

After the show, Mr. Reubens came out to tell us how honored he feels to be so loved, and how much he appreciates all of our smiles and attention.

And speaking of smiles and attention, Mr. Jones proposed, and we got engaged. Surprise!

And then a huge Italian guy grabbed our camera, took a photo, told Oliver he "set it up real good. Perfect". And congratulated and hugged us while everyone else cheered. Whoa!

Pendleton Teepee Jacket

I've started to sew my Christmas gifts, and this one is really exciting. It's a baby kimono jacket, made from Pendleton wool purchased locally at the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store. I only peripherally knew about Pendleton wools before I came to live in Oregon. Then I found this shop and I can't stop thinking about the place. I just love it there.

They sell remnants of Pendleton's amazing fabric, on big tables, for a discount. This piece was .44 yards, and I was able to get one tiny jacket out of it. I made up the pattern from a few different ones I had around the house, and edged the whole thing in bias tape. After cutting it out, there are some extra bits left (including a few extra teepees!) that I plan to make into coasters. Who could leave even a square of this fabric behind? I made this Oliver and S playsuit, from scraps from my shirt, to go with the jacket.

Together, I think they make a very smart outfit for a very small person. There's something about remnants, isn't there? It's like a puzzle, to fit the right project to just that amount of fabric, and make it look like you planned it all out from the very beginning.

I might make more of these little coats. Maybe I'll even put a couple in my shop (I have a shop? what the..?) or do a giveaway. I'm always on the lookout for things to make/buy the baby boys I know, as crafty clothes are sometimes hard to come by for little boys.

This, I think, is a nice little getup for either gender. As for Pendleton, I'll be exploring the company in it's different locations, in coming months. I'm officially obsessed.

PS. Have a lovely holiday week, everyone. We are going East to see family, a show that I could not be more excited about, in one of my favorite cities. Hope your week is safe, and fun!

Workday Special

At his request, I made this apron for (my, you know, fella) Mr. Jones. Out of the few things that I've crafted for him over the years, this one is getting the most use. Here he is in his workshop (as you might know, we work in the same place), looking pretty cute in it.

I live in Portland, Oregon, but I work in a (god-forsaken) suburb of Portland. It's populated with industrial estates, strip malls, and fast food restaurants. One exciting day, I saw a nutria crossing the road, but that an anomaly. This week, however, I was greeted with this:

Not as special as a new apron or a real live nutria, but lovely all the same!

PS. You can find more of Mr. Jones here and here. And watch some films we made together here and here.

On and Off the Trees

The autumn here is very different to where I go grew up on the East Coast. You hear a lot about the Pacific Northwest rain. It's all very true. There is a lot of rain. So Autumn here is a lot more damp.

The leaves have almost all changed color now, but on hikes, things are still green under the tall tree tops.

The light shines through the trees in the most spectacular ways, reflecting off a lot of the moisture all around.

It's different to the crunchy leaf piles and dusty roads made from dry foliage, that I'm used to. Autumn here is more quiet, and calm.

It's different, but I like it a lot.

Gingerbread Spice Cake!

This cake came to work with me yesterday. I also brought it to Craft Club with me last week (not the same exact cake, mind you, another version). I also made it for Mr. Jones' birthday last year. You get the idea...it's a favorite. If you make it, I know you'll enjoy it.

Gingerbread Spice Cake

adapted from The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook

1.5 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
.5 tsp ground nutmeg
.25 tsp ground cloves
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup unsulphured molasses
2/3 cup boiling water
4 TBS (.5 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
.5 cups raisins (optional)
.25 cups minced candied (crystallized) ginger

Citrus Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
.25 cup (or less/more) lemon or orange juice

How-to:
1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Grease a 9 inch square pan, or bundt pan.
3. Sift together flour and spices into a bowl. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together sugar, molasses, boiling water, and butter.
5. Beat in the baking soda, eggs, and raisins (if adding).
6. Add the dry ingredients, beating until just blended. Do not over beat. Stir in the candied ginger (if adding).
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted to middle, comes out clean.
8. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out cake onto a wire rack. If you're using the 9 inch square pan, turn cake again so right side is up.
9. Prepare the glaze. Whisk confectioners sugar with just enough citrus juice of your choice to make a thin glaze.
10. If desired, use a wooden skewer to poke some holes in the top of the cake, then drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Alternately, wait till the cake is cool, make a thicker glaze, and drizzle that over, slowly.
11. Decorate as you wish (I love these sugar men), slice, and enjoy!

Featherweight Cardigan

I was about 80% done with a sweater for me, when the Holiday Knitting Panic set in, and I put it down start my gifts. This is the smallest sweater I've ever made. It's from this (free) pattern, knit up in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino yarn.

I call it the Featherweight Cardigan because it's named after my favorite sewing machine. I own one, in "white", which fellow Featherweight Fanatics will know is not white at all. It's ever so slightly blue green. And just as precious...

...as I'm sure the Recipient of the sweater will be, come Winter!

My Granola

I like to eat granola on yogurt in the morning. But the stuff you get at the grocery store is just too sweet for me. So I devised this granola of my own, and boy, am I lovin' it.

I started with this recipe, but I knew I wouldn't like the bars, with all that honey needed as a binder. So I omitted the coconut, which I hate, and added only a quarter cup of honey and about 3 tablespoons of oil. Instead of pressing it into a pan, I baked it again on the baking tray I used at the beginning of the recipe. It came out great! In this version I used raisins, cranberries, and dates for the dried fruit. Next time, I'm adding nutmeg and cinnamon. And the next time... well, you get the idea.