New Dishcloth Pattern

Finished this new pattern up this morning. I used Lily Sugar and Cream, 100% cotton yarn for this.

2009 Syracuse St. Patty's Day Parade

Bikini Top

After several restarts and one major blunder, I've finally finished half of my latest project! Let's just say that I am now familiar with the practice of frogging. And if having to rip out everything and start over (more than once btw) isn't bad enough, it was nothing (and I mean nothing) compared to untangling the mess I ended up with after trying to make a center pull ball of yarn. Not quite sure where I went wrong, but it took me and my husband several hours to get the yarn rewound and workable again. Anywho, here's hoping that I can make the other side come out the same. ;-)

Sedge Stitch Washcloth

Another beginner project completed, yippie!! This is the free Bark Sedge Stitch Washcloth pattern from the Lion Brand website. I used their Cotton Ease yarn (50% cotton/50% acrylic) in the color stone instead of Organic Cotton like the pattern called for. Compared to the 100% acrylic's I've been working with thus far, it was quite a bit nicer to crochet with. Overall, I'm pleased with the result and think I'll do some up for Christmas gifts this year seeing how quick they are stitch up.

But for now, it's on to my next project... a string bikini top in lime green mercerized cotton. Hopefully I'll have it done before I take off for Florida in a few weeks. ;-)

Irish flicks to help get you in the spirit!

Last March, our local newspaper printed a list of what they consider standout Irish themed films. Even if you're only Irish for a day, why not expand your celebration beyond the parades, green beer, corned beef and cabbage and check some of these out. All of the films have an overall rating of 4 stars or better at Amazon. You can click on the titles to read the user reviews.

FYI - if you're in the CNY area and want to save some $, check out the Onondaga County Public Library before heading to the video store. All the titles I've seen so far came from there.

OK, time to reveal their list....
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Films that I've seen -

"Michael Collins" (1996)
"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (2006)
"In the Name of the Father" (1993)
"The Boxer" (1997)
"My Left Foot" (1989)

"Michael Collins" is my favorite of the bunch - very powerful and moving. The accents are pretty thick in "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" so I would recommend seeing this one on DVD where you can turn on the English subtitles. The last 3 films all feature the very talented Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead actor. I found "My Left Foot" to be a little tougher to get into compared to the others, but well worth checking out nonetheless. It is based on the real life story of the writer Christy Brown.
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The remaining 8 that I have yet to see -

"The Informer" (1935)
"Odd Man Out (1947)
"Bloody Sunday" (2002)
"Some Mother's Son" (1996) - I have reserved a copy of this one - hope to get it in the next few days!
"Into the West" (1993)
"In America" (2003)
"The Secret of Roan Irish" (1994)
"Dancing at Lughnasa" (1998)
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A couple other Irish related movies not on their list, but ones that I found entertaining are -

"Patriot Games" (1992) with Harrison Ford and
"Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959) a Walt Disney classic

If anyone else has any recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment.

Cheers,
Linda


PS - In case you're wondering, those are magnetic salt and pepper shakers in the pic. Aren't they just adorable? You can find them here http://www.funtocollect.com/mwahleprachaunandpotgoldsaltandpepperset.html

Small Crochet Shamrock

I've tried my hand at crochet several times over the years and could never quite get the hang of it... that is until a few weeks back. For whatever reason, I'm finally getting it. That's not to say that I'm proficient at it by any means as I still haven't got the tension thing nailed down. Hopefully in time, it'll click and then I'll be able to go a bit faster. Anywho, I've been tinkering with a few beginner projects and came across these super simple shamrocks. They take about 5 minutes to whip up and make cute little pins or fridge magnets. Thank you to Teresa Richardson for posting a You Tube tutorial on how to make them!! Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzh-wVHB1w

Christmas goodies

These sugar coated pecans are super quick to whip up and they are delicious. I've only tried this recipe with pecans, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work just as well with other types of nuts. Toss them in decorative tins or candy bags and you'll have nice little gifts for your nut loving friends, co-workers, etc...

Sugar Coated Pecans

You will need:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and vanilla until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Add the nuts to the egg whites and stir well until the nuts are evenly coated. Next, place the nuts in the sugar mixture, and toss to coat.
4. Spread the nuts out evenly onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake at 250 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!