All posts by alaskaknitnat

Welcome to Alaska Knit Nat! I was born and raised in Anchorage and have always had a passion for making useful things, whether they are eaten, knit, crocheted, sewn or randomly glued and assembled. I received my bachelor’s degree in French and journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage and work almost full time at a nonprofit and way over time as a mom.
Sewing

Gathered Clutch

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I ordered some fabric from Hawthorne Threads and it arrived today. I was really excited. It only took two days to ship. That’s some kind of Alaska record. Since I have a limited supply of this exquisite cotton I want to be sure I know what I’m making with it. Of course I’ll be using it for my headbands, but I wanted to try a purse inspired by the gathered purse at noodle-head.com.

I used some scrap fabric and came up with something a tad funky, but I like it. I didn’t use a pattern whatsoever and the lining is kind of shoddy, but it holds my phone and I could totally use it out on the town.

Sewing

Headbands — I can’t stop!

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After making my own headband the other day I was motivated to make a bunch at once, so I went to JoAnne’s and bought some fat quarters. It’s a great use for fat quarters because they are already 18 inches long, which is the length I use for the headbands, so less cutting! Here’s the pattern.

Sewing, Tutorials

Oilcloth Headband with Photo Tutorial

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Every time we go to Mexico I can’t resist buying oilcloth at the fabric store. All the bright colors, fruits and flowers just make me so dang happy.

Here’s a photo tutorial on how to make a lovely headband. It’s pretty easy and looks pretty profesh. Enjoy!
Sorry, my usual photographer was taking a nap.
Materials:
One piece of oilcloth, 1.75 in. x 18 in.
One package of double fold bias tape
One four-inch piece of 1/2-in. wide elastic
1. Cut two lengths of bias tape to run along the long edges of the oilcloth. Slip the edge of the oilcloth into the bias tape. It should fit snugly in there. Sew the bias tape in place, making sure you’re sewing through the top layer of the tape, the oilcloth and the bottom layer of the tape
2. Using a zig-zag stitch, secure the elastic to the raw edge of the oilcloth.
3. Fold in the corners of the band so it makes a taper. Sew in place with a zig-zag stitch.
4. Place the headband around your head and adjust the elastic so it’s comfortable. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other end of the band.
It’s as simple as that. Only took me about 10 minutes total. 
Sewing, Tutorials

Springtime Headband with Tutorial

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The apparel store I work at always gets fun headbands in this time of year. They are simple construction with bright, pretty fabrics, but they always cost way more than I’m willing to pay. Eighteen dollars? I could just make the same thing with materials I already have at home. That’s free!

Here’s step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own springtime headband. Enjoy!

Materials:
A piece of cotton, 18 in. x 4 in.
5-inch piece of 1/2-in. thick elastic

Directions:
1. Cut your fabric to a dimension you prefer. I wanted about a two-inch thick headband, so I cut my fabric to be 4 inches wide (it’s a little narrower than two inches because of the seam allowance). You also might have a different sized head from mine, so you could always measure the circumference of your head and subtract four inches.

2. Sew your fabric together on the long edge, right sides together. I use a very small seam allowance. I line the fabric up with the edge of the foot. You are essentially making an inside-out tube. Turn your tube right-side out and iron flat with the seam going up the middle. This will be the inside part of your headband.

3. Iron the edges in on each side of the strip so that no raw edges show.

4. Place the edge of the elastic inside one of the ends of the fabric strip so about 1/2 inch of the elastic is inside. Sew in place using a zig-zag stitch.

5. Iron in the corners of the same side of the strip so it makes a tapered edge. Zig-zag stitch the folds in place.

6. Now place the headband around your head and figure out how much elastic you will need to make it comfortable. Once you’ve figured that out, repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other edge.

Presto! I think I’m gonna whip out several of these for my friends.

baby, Crochet, Knit & Crochet

Baby Blanket

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I’ve been waiting to post this project because I didn’t want to spoil the surprise for my friend Lizzie. She is having a baby girl any day now. I just sent this out to her last week. It’s just a big, crocheted granny square with added trim and flowers.

breakfast, Cooking, recipes

Breakfast Skillet

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This is supposed to be a weekend breakfast skillet, but it’s so dang tasty and easy I’ve started making it during the week.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 eggs
6 Tbs. milk
2 slices of bread, cut into cubes
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
4 baby portobello or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 Tbs. butter
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. In a small frying pan melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute till they are lightly browned on all sides. Set mushrooms aside. In an oven-proof medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat till crispy. Set aside the bacon and reserve about a tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan. Add bread cubes from only one slice of bread and brown on all sides. Set aside with the untoasted bread cubes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, bacon, mushrooms and cheese. Add the egg mixture to the now empty pan and stir around for about a minute, till eggs are just starting to set. Fold in all the bread cubes and pat everything down with a spatula. Place in oven and cook for 7 minutes.

alaska

Beluga Point

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One of the best things about living in Anchorage is you are always merely minutes away from beauty and nature. After dinner last night, Stephen suggested we go for a drive. Fifteen minutes later we pulled off the highway at Beluga Point and enjoyed the scenery. Steve is convinced spring is on its way, but I’m skeptical. We’ve been blessed with clear bright skies for two weeks, but the low clouds have started to set in and I think we’re due for more snow. I can’t wait for break up!

Cooking, snacks

Homemade Granola

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My coworker Bryan gave me this easy recipe for homemade granola. Be sure to use rolled oats and not any kind of instant, quick cooking oatmeal. Also, I’d look for white chocolate that does not contain palm oil, as I’ve heard that stuff is really bad for you. I used Ghiradelli white chocolate in bar form, not the baking chips.

Be creative with this recipe. I used different kinds of nuts and dried fruits. Bryan originally had canned mandarin slices, which was really tasty.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup dried mixed fruit, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup mixed nuts
1 4-oz. bar of white chocolate

Preheat oven to 220 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats and apple sauce. Add the fruit and nuts and mix thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out the granola on the pan. Bake in the oven for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the chocolate finely. Place half of it in a mixing bowl. When granola is done baking, add it to the mixing bowl and top with the rest of the chopped chocolate. Mix thoroughly until chocolate is melted. Place in a gallon ziploc bag and store in fridge.

Knit & Crochet, Knitting

Blue Skies, Smiling at Me Scarf

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My sister-in-law just loved my recent Cotton Candy scarf, a pattern from pickles.no that she asked me to make her one. She loves blue, so I decided to combine a light blue acrylic from Cascade with a silvery grey mohair from Rowan. I call it the Blue Skies Scarf.