Motivational Monday

Not much to say today. I'll just leave you with a quote that always makes me smile. Read it, remember it and use it :) and let me know how it goes.

"Ba-zinga"

-Dr. Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory

Pattern of the Week...with a twist

Okay, so this week wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. It has been very looooong, though. So, I'm glad the weekend is here.

Anyways, back to the "pattern" of the week. This week I decided to do something different and post a recipe...just because that's how I roll, ;). Today's recipe is pita bread, pita bread, pita bread!!! I LOVE pita bread. I'm a big fan of crusts so this is the best kind of bread for me :)

ROTW: Pita Bread (picture from about.com)

I found this recipe online and it is fabulous. The author, Dedemed, is very thorough with her explanation. You will get about 15, 6-7" pitas with this recipe.

I've made these pitas twice, once with 100% whole wheat flour and once with 100% all-purpose flour. The whole wheat version didn't puff up very much, but the all-purpose version was just beautiful and yummy with a warm, yeasty smell.

If you want to use whole wheat, I strongly suggest you mix it with all-purpose flour if you want the bread to puff up (I would say 1/2-1/2, but I haven't tried it yet so you might want to stick with a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio).

Here are some other pointers so that you can get the best pita bread possible:

• Yes, the oven has to be THAT hot (500°)
• You have to use plenty of flour to roll out the bread, because the dough gets very sticky.
  
• Don't leave them in the oven too long. I don't let them brown, because they tend to get brittle if they bake too long.
  
• Store them in a plastic bag to keep them moist. Make sure they are cold before you stick them in the bag...you don't want wet pitas.
  
• Fry them up. This recipe makes yummy pita chips.

That's it, guys. I must say it again: this recipe makes great pita bread. Don't be afraid of the yeast, just let it bubble up and it's good to go. Happy cooking!

p.s. If you have a problem with the link, let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Progress Report: Pattern of the Week

Hey guys! Like I promised here are some pictures of my Dolman-sleeve bolero. I haven't had much time to work on it, so it's coming along quite slowly :(. But, I'm going to make the effort to speed things along because it's getting quite hot, and I'd really like to use it for summer :)

Enjoy!

My progress so far. Slow but steady!

The long stitches I put in every nine rows. Makes knitting SO much faster :)

The two yarns that I'm using to knit. I had them both for the longest time and could never quite find the right project...'til now.

Motivational Monday

Man, this week is going to suck. I just know it. I have a deadline on Friday, and I just despise writing meaningless articles that have about as much truth as a presidential campaign.

Nevertheless, I try to stay focused and up beat about it. After all, I do have a lot of great things in my life that make that sacrifice worth while (for now at least). So here's Monday's quote:

"Perspective is the most important thing to have in life."

-Lauren Graham

Have a good day, Monday-haters...this week I am one of you ;)

This week has flown right by. I so do appreciate short work weeks, but I almost forgot it was Friday! Anyways, here's my pattern for the week. It's a dolman sleeve bolero. I love boleros, and I've been wanting to make something with a dolman sleeve ever since I found out what a dolmen sleeve was...ha! Without further ado here's the:

POTW: Dolman Sleeve Bolero

I pick two different yarns, 100% cotton. One is a gorgeous teal color and the other is variegated with light calypso and tan. I love the combination.

The pattern and instructions can be found here. I'm adjusting the pattern to my size so there's a lot of frogging and re-knitting going on. Aaand, I also tweeked the pattern a little by adding a long stitch every nine rows. Alas, that is the life of a knitter. I'm about halfway done with the first sleeve. I'll be sure to post a photo of my progress next week.

If you're a beginner, this is a great project to try. The website is in Spanish, but just follow the pattern mold and use the stitch you are most comfortable with. Have fun!

Motivational Monday

"No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined."

-Harry Emerson Fosdick

Pattern of the Week

This pattern isn't a new find. It's actually an old one. I subscribe to knitty.com, and they have some fabulous patterns for knitters. If you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, check it out.

POTW: Nob Hill Shrug

As most knitters, I started knitting scarves. That got boring really fast, so I started looking for more challenging patterns. Soon, I was making boleros and shrugs...the next logical progression, in my experience.

This pattern is slightly more challenging than a regular bolero or shrug just because of the shaping required. Even so, it is a very fast project to knit.

I made my own version of this shrug last year. It is very comfortable and stylish. :)

Motivational Monday

Hey guys! Here I am again. Wow, two posts in 5 days. That's some sort of record for me ;)

This post was inspired by all my friends who hate Mondays. I, personally, love Mondays. Yep, you can call me crazy, but I think of them as a fresh, clean slate for the rest of the week.

Anyways, every Monday I'll be posting a comment or quote to get your week going with a bit of humor and/or some motivation. Here's the first of many:

"The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale."

-Arthur C. Clarke

Enjoy your week!

Pattern of the Week

As you have probably already figured out, I've been really lazy about updating my blog. Well, I decided that that had to be fixed. So, here's my first post about the "Pattern of the Week" or POTW. Props to Kathryn W, because I stole this idea from her. :)

You can check back every Friday to see a new sewing/knitting/etc pattern or project that I find inspiring or note worthy.

POTW: Laptop Sleeve with Folk Embroidery by kuutydruk

I found this project on Etsy and thought it was just darling. I recently purchased a 17" laptop and have found it hard to keep it protected in a safe, but attractive way.

Both my sister and me liked it so much that we've decided to use a similar design with Chilean motifs for Cupernickel Crafts.

I'll let you know how the prototype goes.