I Have a Confession to Make

by Melissa // September 26, 2013 // 6 Comments

So, I didn’t just crochet that little pink dress for fun. I did it because we’re expecting a baby – a baby girl – in January. I’m so excited! And the little girl crochet train is just getting warmed up.

I took a break from the baby blanket (really, really tedious at this stage) to make another dress, this time of my own design.

I think it’s gorgeous. Even Greg is impressed. I mean, he was really taken aback by this little frilly, lacy thing that I could create. You would think that with all the cool things I’ve designed over the last few years that I couldn’t surprise him that way, but I guess lace is different. Crochet really lends itself well to some beautiful lace, too, so I’m looking forward to exploring that some more than I’ve had the opportunity to do before.

I took notes. If I can figure out the sizing I’ll get this little dress into testing as soon as I can so that I can make the pattern available for anyone else who’s in the mood to hook something frilly!

A Little Piece of Crocheting

by Melissa // September 2, 2013 // No Comments

I’m feeling a lot like crocheting, lately. Crocheting fun, fun things.

Pattern is the Angel Wing Newborn Pinafore from Bev’s Country Cottage – and it’s free, my favorite price. I don’t have much yarn in my stash appropriate for a project like this, but I found a ball of Lion Brand Recycled Cotton in Rose Coral which I thought would work. And it did…just not very far. I decided to redo the yoke with some plain ol’ white kitchen cotton and then worked the skirt with the Recycled Cotton until it ran out. Fortunately, the white at the bottom looks cute.

By the way, the Recycled Cotton? Not my favorite yarn. It’s made of a bunch of small threads plied loosely together, which meant constant splitting, AND it gradually untwisted more and more until about halfway through the ball it wasn’t plied at all. I had to retwist by hand until I had enough to work with. I read on Ravelry that some people experienced their yarn twisting up until it was gnarled into unworkable knots; I don’t know if I had the opposite happen because I’m left-handed or because I was crocheting rather than knitting. Either way, it feels nice enough, but it’s a pain to work with. I probably won’t buy it again.

Crocheting, however… I’m already hard at work on my next project, which is, unfortunately, large and boring. At least, at first. Stand by for updates!

How to Make an Easy but Awesome Pirate Cake

by Melissa // August 26, 2013 // No Comments

(with things you have in the kitchen!)

Someone turned seven around here.

He asked for a pirate cake one day in advance. Not much time to plan – or shop! I looked at the store for inexpensive pirate figurines: nothing. I checked for chocolate coins. Nope. Time to improvise! He specifically said he wanted fish swimming around and a pirate ship on top, so those were the hard lines. Everything else would just have to line up.

You Will Need:

1 batch cake batter (mix or not, your choice)
frosting
food coloring
paper, black marker, skewers
coconut (optional)
1 graham cracker (optional)
goldfish crackers (optional)
mini marshmallows (optional)
sprinkles or decorating sugar or whatever you have

First, divide cake batter between a greased 11″ x 7″ pan and greased muffin liners. I made five cupcakes, but only ended using four, so use your judgement based on what you want to do.

Mix up some blue frosting: use some to attach the cupcakes that will be your island (you can see I sliced one in half) and then crumb the rest of the cake in blue.

Sloppily. This is the ocean, after all.

Next, mix up some green frosting. I tossed in coconut for a shaggier ‘grass’ look. Cover your cupcake island with it. Crush a graham cracker; sprinkle around the edges of your island for a beach.

Now it’s time for the ship. Slice and splice two cupcakes into a vaguely pirate-ship-shaped mass.

Mix up some brown (I added cocoa powder) and smooth it over the ship. Make the sails: they’re not hard, they’re just squares of paper on skewers broken to the right height. I made a pirate flag because I knew he would want it.

To finish off, add another layer of blue frosting and whatever embellishments you like. We edged the bottom with mini marshmallows and goldfish crackers. Charlie helped.

I added blue sugar on top for fun. Or because I tried to make some powdered sugar when I ran out and it turned out grainy and I wanted to mask it. Either way.

Happy birthday, buddy!

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