Simple Striped Winter Hat Pattern

October 7, 2012 alaskaknitnat 13 Comments

Last night an anonymous viewer commented on an old blog post for a winter hat I made a couple of years ago. I didn’t provide a pattern, but now I will. This is my basic pattern for every winter hat I make without earflaps. (For my earflap hat pattern, click here).

I don’t decide on stripes til I get there on the hat, but my general rule for stripes is to start the first one after I’ve knit the same number of rounds that the ribbing is. So, if the ribbing is six rows, I knit six rows regularly and then start the color change.

Normally I make my hats about 32 rows tall including the ribbing before decreasing, so I try to leave the same number of rows as I did the ribbing after the stripes are over. This creates better balance with the hat. So as an example, my ribbing is six rows, then I knit six rows regularly, then do my stripe pattern for about 14 rows, then knit my original color for six rows, then decrease.

Also, this pattern is for a medium adult hat. To make it larger, add eight stitches. To make it smaller, subtract eight stitches and follow the pattern the same way. If you want it to be a baby hat, use lighter weight yarn and smaller needles. I will use the same pattern for a baby but use worsted yarn and size 7 needles, for instance. For instructions on how to change colors while knitting, just do a YouTube search because I’m sure there are good lessons out there.

Ok, ok here’s the pattern.

Simple Striped Winter Hat

If you’re wanting to knit this pattern with a different needle size and different weight yarn, I am unable to adjust the pattern for you. This pattern is written for a specific needle size and yarn weight.

Materials:

Chunky weight yarn

Size 10 circular and double point needles

darning needle

Abbreviations:

K2,P2 = knit 2, purl 2 ribbing

k2tog = knit two stitches together

Directions:

With your circular needle, cast on 72 stitches with your main color. Knit into the first stitch, being careful the stitches aren’t twisted. K2, P2 for six rows. Knit six rounds regularly. Add in second color. Alternate your stripe pattern for 14 rows. Switch back to your original color and knit six rows. Your work should be about 6 inches tall before continuing (for an adult size).

Decrease as follows:

Round 1: Knit two together, knit 6. Repeat for one round.
Round 2 (and all even rounds): Knit
Round 3: K 2 tog, K 5 for one round
Round 5: K 2 tog, K 4 for one round (this is where you should probably switch to the double points).
Round 7: K 2 tog, K 3
Round 9: K 2 tog, K 2
Round 11: K 2 tog, K 1
Round 12: K 2 tog
Gather remaining stitches with a darning needle and fasten off. Weave in all tails.

Pom-pom: I use a pom-pom maker I purchased from a fabric store, but I found a neat idea on Pinterest, here.

Cooking

Creamy Tortellini, Sausage and Mushroom Soup

September 22, 2012 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

Winter’s a-coming and that means it’s soup and stew season. Gotta stay warm, especially when we’ve been having these unusually early El Niño-like windstorms lately. Here’s a great recipe to hunker down with. I found it on Pinterest and as usual, added my own little flair (i.e., meat).

I wasn’t sure what the blogger meant by “white sauce mix.” Normally, I’m averse to using prepackaged stuff in my cooking, but I thought I’d try it out and I used one dry packet of alfredo sauce mix. It turned out to be a delightful soup base and boosted the other flavors quite well.

Creamy Tortellini Sausage and Mushroom Soup

Serves a whole bunch of people — like 12?

Ingredients:

1 packet of dry alfredo sauce mix

4 cups water

2 cups chicken broth

1.5 cups crimini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 an onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. or so dried basil

1/2 teaspoon or so dried oregano

some sprinkles of cayenne powder

salt and pepper

one 8-oz package of dried tortellini

1/2 package of frozen spinach

4 Italian sausages

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

Directions:

Combine the sauce mix, water and chicken stock in a large Crock Pot. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper and set Crock Pot to low for 4-5 hours.

Stir in the dried tortellini. Cook on low for another hour. Meanwhile, heat the frozen spinach in a small pan with water till it’s thawed. Strain and squeeze out the water. Set aside. Cook the sausage thoroughly and slice up.

Add the spinach and sausage and continue cooking till tortellini is al dente. Add the evaporated milk and cook till soup is hot again. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and crusty bread.

Cooking

Benihana-style Fried Rice

September 22, 2012 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

I sometimes have to remind myself why I started this blog in the first place. I can never remember how I made something and I need a catalog of all my creations. That is my excuse for the poor photography for this post.

I grew up in a gourmet kitchen. We ate pesto, caviar and porcini mushrooms. You’d nary find a casserole on our dining table. But for some reason, my father could never master fried rice. It was always too much oyster sauce or something didn’t seem right.

I just assumed it was impossible to make tasty fried rice at home unless you have some sort of Asian granny teaching you her family secrets.

I was wrong. I CAN make yummy fried rice, and although the secret ingredient is not traditional, I have to say that Benihana knows what’s up — butter. Mmm…besides bacon, butter makes everything amazing.

I guess it’s not much of a secret since the chefs make it right in front of you, but I found a great copycat recipe and decided to try it out. You, too, ought to try it.

My recipe is a little different from the one I found, but I ate about six servings worth. It’s carbalicious!

Benihana Fried Rice

Serves about 6

2 cups uncooked rice
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
1 onion, cut up small
7 tablespoons butter
4 green onions, chopped
2-3 eggs
2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
toasted sesame seeds (if you’re up to it, but I didn’t bother)

Directions:

Cook the rice according to the package’s instructions. While it’s cooking, heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and swirl around with a spatula thus scrambling them while they cook. Once fully cooked and slightly brown (I like when it’s like that), remove from pan and set aside. Let pan reheat and add a couple of more teaspoons of oil. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly till browned a little. Remove from pan and set aside. Reheat the pan and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions, carrots and green onions and cook till carrots are tender to your liking. Add the rice, eggs and chicken to the wok. Sprinkle the soy sauce all over the rice till everything is thoroughly coated. I’m assuming it’s about 1/4 cup, but I eyeballed it. Next, lightly sprinkle the rice with fish sauce (maybe about 1 teaspoon). Toss everything thoroughly and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steak and lobster à la Benihana.

Uncategorized

10 Ways to Help New Parents

September 12, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s baby season. In my circle of acquaintances, babies are being born left and right. Although it’s always thoughtful and nice to give a cute baby outfit to a new mom, there are lots of better ways to show new parents you care.

When we had Jack four months ago we had more support from our friends and family than I could have ever imagined. In addition to the adorable baby outfits, here are some of the other things you can give or do for new parents that will mean the world to them.

1. Bring Dinner

Fact — newborns require every fiber of attention in a new parent’s body and sometimes she doesn’t have the mental or physical capacity to feed herself. During the first few weeks of parenthood, my best friend organized a group on Facebook of friends and acquaintances to bring us dinner three times a week. This was quite a feat. Now with sites like mealtrain.com, it’s simple to organize meals for people who need them. We had so much food that there were plenty of leftovers for the days people didn’t bring us anything. Sometimes people didn’t have time to make us dinner so they brought us a hot pizza or Thai food. The best was when a friend made stuffed Italian shells and brought them to us cold so we could pop them in the oven whenever it was convenient for us.Word of advice — if you value your Tupperware, use disposable containers or you probably won’t see them again (although I was very diligent and wrote everyone’s name on the bottom of each container. They were eventually returned).

2. Bring Snacks

Again, I found myself too tired in the beginning to make anything for myself to eat and when our family friends brought us a huge basket of grapes, oranges, bananas, mangoes and apples I was really appreciative. If the parents are meat eaters, an antipasti platter of salamis, olives, crusty bread and olive oil makes for a tasty snack or lunch.

3. Hire a Housecleaner

One of the best gifts we got was my mother hired a woman to clean our house one day. With round-the-clock feedings and diaper changes, cleaning my house was the last thing on my mind. It was a refreshing feeling to find my kitchen clean, my living room tidy and my carpets vacuumed.

4. Do the dishes

My house was abysmal when my son was brand new and I didn’t feel guilty in the slightest when a visitor would come to meet the baby and then do my dishes, take out my trash or fold my laundry. Listen — new moms and dads are too tired to do this stuff. FOR REAL. If they have any sense in them they will let you do these things for them because it simply can’t be done while caring for a newborn 24 hours a day. If you come to meet the baby, take a look around and nonchalantly take care of a household chore. Wipe the kitchen counters, ask where you might find the broom and sweep the floor. Believe me, this was something that helped me relax better in my own home.

5. Don’t Overstay Your Welcome

I loved showing off my new baby boy. We had lots of visitors in the first few weeks. I would just let individuals know when I happened to be awake or cognizant and if they made it over, fine, and if not, we’d work out another time. Lots of people were anxious to visit, but please keep in mind that new parents are exhausted and as much as they want to hang out with you, they may be too tired or just want to be with one another. If you’re visiting and you notice them looking glazed over or not too social, take it as a sign to leave. It’s a little hazy, but in a couple of instances, I may have just left my guests by themselves in my living room because I was just too tired to even ask them to leave. I wasn’t trying to be rude and neither were they, but be sensitive.

6. Babysit for an Hour

If you are closer to the parents and feel comfortable caring for newborns, offer the new parents an hour of babysitting time. New babies need to eat every two hours around the clock so it can be very hard for a new mom to find time for herself. Once a newborn is fed she usually just sleeps, so come over for a couple of hours and once you see mama is done with a feeding let her take a break for an hour or so. If baby wakes up, just bring her to mama. As long as she is fed and being held lovingly you shouldn’t have too hard of a time babysitting a newborn for a short amount of time. These little pockets of free time were awesome, even if I didn’t get any sleep.

7. Run an Errand

If you find yourself at the grocery store with some time to spare, call up the new parents and ask if there is anything you can pick up for them. This was something I really appreciated because I probably shouldn’t have been operating a motor vehicle in such a sleep-deprived state. There were quite a few times were I needed a few more diapers, some burp cloths or wet wipes and not having to get them myself was pretty much the best thing ever.

8. Endure a Baby’s Cry

Hearing my baby cry in the beginning made me anxious. I had fed him, changed him, rocked him and still he’d sometimes cry. Every so often I just needed a break and I really appreciated it when a visitor would take over for even a few minutes. Let mom and dad take a breather from their crying babe, but only if they feel comfortable with it of course.

9. Be Flexible

Did you set up a time to meet your friend’s new baby and she cancelled on you? Don’t take it as a personal insult. When helping out new parents, go with the flow. If you planned on bringing over a meal, don’t stick around — just drop it off and let the parents have their own time. Follow the parents’ cues and don’t feel bad if they don’t follow typical social graces.

10. Send a Card

Call me old-fashioned, but I love receiving mail. If you don’t have the ability to visit or spend much money, then send a congratulatory note to the new parents. It’s an easy way to show you’re thinking of them. I loved each and every card we got in the mail. Being the crafty type, they have been cut up and collaged in Jack’s baby book.

What are some thoughtful things that people did for you when you had a new baby? Leave a comment!

-Nat

Uncategorized

New Blog!

September 8, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Hey y’all, just wanted to let you know I’ll be continuing my blog at www.alaskaknitnat.wordpress.com so come visit there and say hello!

Thanks,
Nat

Cooking

Potato, Beet and Chèvre au Gratin

September 1, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Yesterday my best friend Jess, Jack and I went to a farm in Palmer where you can pick your own produce. They had all kinds of yummy stuff, but we decided to pull up some orangey beets. Jess had previously found some purple potatoes at the state fair and we reconvened at dinner time for a lovely spread of salmon fillet, brown rice, homegrown green salad and a beet and potato au gratin with chèvre. It was positively amazing.

Potato, Beet and Chèvre au Gratin

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 small to medium beets

6 small purple potatoes

Olive oil

Blackberry balsamic vinegar (or just regular)

salt and pepper

Chèvre cheese

Directions:

Clean and peel beets and potatoes. Boil them till they are fork tender. When they’ve cooled enough to touch slice them 1/4-inch thick. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small rectangular baking dish, layer beets and potatoes in an alternating fashion. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle chèvre on top of the slices and bake until the cheese is melted to your liking.

Tutorials

Tutorials From the Past

August 26, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Reupholster a dining chair

Sew your own diaper wet bag

Baby pants from a long-sleeved shirt

Sew your own fitted crib sheets

Sew a onesie from a t-shirt

Sew a printer cozy

Upholster a padded stool

Turn a dress shirt into a tote bag

Sew a pin cushion in just 30 minutes

How to make salmon caviar

How to sew a tea wallet

Make a thread and scissor rack

How to make a boutonniere

Sew a quick fabric headband

Knit & Crochet

Knitting From the Past

August 26, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Cooking

Cooking From the Past

August 26, 2012 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

alaska, Flowers, weddings

Late Summer Alaska Wedding

August 25, 2012 alaskaknitnat 2 Comments

My little sister’s best friend from childhood got married last Saturday in Talkeetna, Alaska. Talkeetna is considered “the country” of south central Alaska. They have a bluegrass festival each year. People have cabins and fish in the Susitna River. As my dad describes it, “It’s a funky hippy town.”

It was a last-minute wedding and the bride asked me last minute to do the flowers on the cheap. That’s my specialty, so it was my pleasure to see what I could whip up. Her colors were blue so I decided on orange and white for the floral arrangements.

But before I made it to the floral shop I decided to stick to the bride’s Alaska roots and gather the flora and fauna of our childhood neighborhood. I decided on wild yarrow for arrangement filler. Alder and birch sprigs and wild ferns were the greens. The mountain ash is setting into fall mode with clusters of bright red berries.

The biggest treat was the pink yarrow that has grown in the same spot every year across the street from my parents’ house. Nowhere else have I seen wild pink yarrow and it was perfect for the bridesmaids’ bouquets and mother corsages.

I snagged wild forget-me-nots from my parents’ back yard and little sprigs of plants I don’t know the name of from around the street we grew up on.

The biggest benefit to using wildflowers? Free! I saved the bride a lot of money by using plants in our back yard.

At the flower shop there weren’t many stunning blue flowers that were sturdy and affordable, so I decided on orange and white carnations with orange roses. Orange is complementary to blue so it’s really a great combination. An unusual combo is orange and pink, but I really love them together in the bridal arrangements.

For $90 I got 26 roses, 60 carnations, a bunch of spray roses (the mini ones), and a bag of flower petals for the flower girl. Keep in mind we live in Alaska so prices are higher.