Acornbread

Yes, I have the acorn cakelet pan. It's lovely to have friends and family who have fed my acorn obsession with acorn gifts including the Pan.

These little cakelets are Hawaiian style cornbread. The cornbread I grew up with was either the Jiffy kind or a sweeter, Bisquick, variety, like the recipe from the first volume of the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin cookbook. Unlike the cornbread served with beans I discovered in Kentucky, the cornbread is sweet and cake-like, and makes wonderful muffins served for breakfast with jam and more butter.

On the needles, the acorn socks are stalling. I think they are looking too large. I love the way the acorns pop out of the pattern.

Shadow Lace Capelet

Pattern: Adapted from Fluffy Lace Cardigan by Lois Young

from Knitting World, September 1993
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow, Colorway Sunset, Gifted to me by Chris
Needle: Size 8

I felt like knitting a bit of lace and only had one ball of the yarn. The yarn was a lovely knitting experience! I wish had more to make a whole cardigan with.

I won a contest!

I won a lovely pink wash cloth and sweet lavender soap from Rachel. Thank you!

How she finds time to have contests and do all that she does is always amazing to me. While I'd be pulling my hair out trying to keep up she manages to maintain an eye-catching blog and an Etsy store, can her own fruits and vegies, keep the diva in style and complete many FO's, all the while keeping her wits and humor about her. Very inspiring!

Totoro Pop Up Card Number 2

Just another day in the neighborhood.

My Stampin' Up order came in today. I had a 20% off coupon! Yay! I tried out the texture plate on the green portion and my new (second hand) corner punch. I wish there was an acorn texture plate.

My one knitting WIP is a capelet based on a 1993 pattern by Lois Young. I was gifted a skein of Knitpicks Shadow, colorway sunset, ages ago. The pattern is a cardigan knit top down and oversized like in the day, so I thought I would try knitting the yoke and then just keep going until I got a capelet. The yarn is very nice and I wish I had enough to make a cardigan of some sort.

A Texas cousin is in town with his daughter. One should not wait 59 years to meet a first cousin if at all possible. I really enjoyed catching up with another branch of the tree and hearing new stories about players in my life. His mother and my mother were the youngest in the family and their childhood was unconventional and hard.

A job opportunity came up, but I decided I'm much to busy to commit to a regular schedule even though paychecks are very nice. The Landcaster has saved me $20/year by having me turn off my coffee pot after the morning fix. How did I get such a smart kid? I better pull in the belt and go on a paper/punches/Sizzix die diet. Like sock yarn, glue dots and ink pads don't count. (I don't know if that is written, but I'm just saying)

Totoro Pop up Card

Totoro Pop up Card
Originally uploaded by acornbud

Blogless Melody got me started on the whole stamping, card-making thing by organizing 3 card making sessions, starting with quilted cards for Valentine's Day. Baby sister Rita enabled me further by gifting me some Fiskars scallop and flower punches. Then I "won" two silent auctions for The Bead Gallery's charity auction which was a Sizzix embossing machine and kit and a Stampin' Up coupon for 20% off. Then another blogless friend destashed some lovely paper, punches and brads at prices that I couldn't pass up.

There are so many wonderful tutorials on you tube on how to make paper flowers and pop cards, as well as how to use the Sizzix.

The bottom line is, I needed another hobby like I needed a hole in my head! My yarn, fabric, and bead/wire stashes now have to make room for punches, inks, papers, glue dots and Sizzix attachments!

My mom is threatening to have me star on the hoarding show.

I love making paper flowers! It beats working any day:)

Energy Bars

This recipe was given to my mom by Ruth Y. Brown rice krispies are really good. My sister makes her own marshmallows. I think some mini chocolate chips or mini m&ms would be really yummy.

1 block margarine or butter
1-cup creamy peanut butter
20 oz. Marshmallows
2-cup quick oats
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
5-cups RICE KRISPIES®
1-cup dried cranberries
1-cup crushed unsalted peanuts
1-cup chopped dried apricots
1-cup raisins
1-cup sunflower seeds

Spread oats and sesame seeds on baking pan. Toast 5-10 minutes in 300-degree oven.

In heavy pot over medium heat, melt marshmallows, butter and peanut butter together until marshmallows are all melted.

Mix rest of fruits, nuts and rice krispies together. Stir in marshmallow mixture. Mix and press into jellyroll pan. Using plastic wrap to press it down, or rolling over the plastic wrap with a rolling pin helps to flatten it out. Cut into squares and wrap each in a small square of waxed paper.

Not one, but two FOs

Pattern: Drop stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's book. This pattern has been written up as a scarf on Ravelry by Wohemel. For my version, I CO 40 stitches and included two end stitches.
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca worsted
Needles: Size 8

I used 3 balls and ended up with 51 inches, not enough for a red scarf project scarf.


Pattern: Creature Comforts Cardi by Madelinetosh
Yarn: Plymouth Jeanee. Needles size 7 and 8 as pattern calls for.
Comments: The oak leaf starts with creating 7 stitches in on, and it left a rather large hole. The Jeanee, being cotton and acrylic stretches them out quite a bit. My sister is modeling the cardi which is actually a shrug. I'm not sure why but on me the cardi doesn't sit straight and I'm sure why. I'm not going to count stitches to find out why. Maybe it has something to do with the way I sewed the side seams.
I washed it on gentle and threw it in the dryer. Aah, the beauty of easy care yarn.

It's definitely looking more like summer here already...the plover and turnstones have flown away to Alaska, the litchee and mango trees are loaded and the shores are full of schools of baby aholehole and such. The whales have also gone. The vog has alternated with trade winds. There is little rain even here in Nuuanu. I may have to start watering some plants.