Linkage

I know I usually only post feminist-related links, but today isn’t Friday and I feel like posting some a little more blog-related.  So here are some other things I’ve been reading recently:

Cook:

• Paula Deens cheese-stuffed mushrooms. Its recipes like these that  make me wish half my host family weren’t on a diet.
• The great debate: which direction is best to cut a sandwich? Ah, NPR.  You make me smile.
• Talk about deliciously elaborate Christmas dishes. The Christmas rocky road at the bottom looks particularly delicious.

Hook:

• The patterns at Monster Crochet make me feel lazy and/or untalented/uncreative.
• Look at how cute the squirrel is! And other things.
• Ignoring the poinsettia on last weeks post (I don’t like poinsettias,) this blog is also pretty cool.

Book:

• From Sweet: “Three Lyric Essays“
• From Sunsets and Silencers: “The Trouble with Dream Interpretation” and “Words for This”
• From Sugar House Review: “Our Last Christmas Eve,” “What Any Stone Can Tell You,” “Side Effects May Include,” “Handling Your Audio Media,” “Sinflower,” and “But in Chinese Yellow Is Erotic”

Flower Hats

My latest crocheting project is hats for my host kids and host mom.  I found the flowers in ‘The Happy Hooker” by Debbie Stoller, so if you want the pattern for those you can find them on pages 242 & 243.  That hats are super easy, I made each in a day (I have a lot of free time.)

Flower Hats

(Using a J hook, worsted weight wool, and working in spiral rounds)

1. Chain 4
2. DC 8 in loop. (8)
3. DC 2 in ea st. (16)
4. DC 2 in ea st. (32)
5. HDC around (32.  To prevent ruffling and because I like changes in texture.)
6. *DC 2, DC in next 3* rpt. (40.  For the kids I stopped increasing here.)
7. *DC 2, DC in next 2* rpt (48)
8. DC around
9. HDC around
10. Continue DCing rounds alternating every 2 or 3 rows with a HDC round until it covers the tops of the ears of the person it is for, ending in a HDC (even if it isn’t an even count.)  I’m pretty sure both of my hats ended up being between 16 and 18 rounds total.

Oh, and the flowers are safety pinned on, not sewn on (though you can do as you like, of course) just in case they aren’t feeling the flower at any given time.

-Ariel

Stuffed Bears

These bears are my latest crocheting project for the girls I watch.  The skein next to them is to get an idea of the size.  The pattern is NOT mine, I found it online at http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31654 The only changes I made (outside of the colors) were to use an H hook, and on the last round in the arms I did 4 sc st, turned, then did the remaining 4 sc in the previous st’s causing the top of the arm to be longer.  I feel this allows the arms to hang a bit more naturally on the bears.  I’ve decided to let the girls choose whether they want button eyes and nose for the bears or not, as I think it’s cute both ways.

I’m thinking about making some mittens or finger-less gloves next, what with the weather changing and all (the other morning it was 5 degrees celsius out!  I don’t even know what that is in fahrenheit, but I was cold bicycling to the kindergarten!)  Anyone have any good patterns to suggest?

-Ariel