Warm Fuzzies

T.V. Jake

I've been working on some pretty time-consuming knitting projects lately, and needed a little change of pace.  So I picked up the crochet hook and whipped up a little something.

A remote-control holder!  Who said stuffies couldn't be practical?  T.V. Jake used to be a free pattern that was downloadable from here, but it looks like it's no longer available there.  But in case anyone's interested in the pattern, the bottom of my printout says that it was originally published in Crochet Home Magazine No. 58 in 1997.

I didn't have the plastic cat eyes called for in the pattern handy, so I just cut some goofy-looking eyes out of felt and used a glue-gun to secure them.

Now that we have Jake handy, our remote control now has a designated guardian, and Kyle and I will no longer have to waste time looking for the remote.  Well, theoretically.  We didn't have much of a chance to test things out.  It didn't take Oscar long to get jealous of the attention we were paying to Jake.  He took a sudden interest in the remote.  He wanted to guard the remote, too.  Or so we thought.  Enter Exhibit A:

Oscar attacked all of the buttons.  Okay, nearly all the buttons.  He was kind enough to leave the "Enter" button unscathed.  Who'd have thought that rubber was so tasty?  Needless to say, the remote is significantly harder to use now.  It's now permanently resting in Jake's grasp; we aren't going to bother with it anymore.  It gets pretty frustrating when you have to push the volume button more than a dozen times to get the volume to go down by one bar.  But you know what?  Getting up off the ole bottom to walk a couple of feet to change the channel isn't even that much of an inconvenience.  It's actually pretty refreshing to get up and stretch your legs once in a while. 

Perhaps Oscar really did know what he was doing all along...

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with Almond Glaze

Ugh, is it Monday already?  This is what I feel like:

    

Oscar's not ready to begin a new week, either.  But there's a big difference between being a rabbit and being a human...the human must get out of bed.  Spoiled little rabbits like Oscar can just go on and sleep the day away, while his human runs around getting fresh food and water for him, cleans his litter box, and gets ready for a full day of work.  Ah, what I wouldn't give to be cute and cuddly for a day.

But Oscar's human had the foresight to make a little pick-me-up this morning.  They almost make her forget that it's Monday.  Almost.

Raspberry Shortbread Cookies with Almond Glaze (makes about 36 pieces)

A few ingredients go a long way with these buttery little thumbprint cookies.  While the glaze isn't an essential addition to the cookie, it brings out the almond flavor from the background, and makes for a pretty presentation.  Although I'm very fond of the combination of raspberry and almond, you can fill these cookies with any of your favorite fruit jams.  Apricot works well; so does cherry. 

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam

  For Glaze:

1 cup powdered confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 to 3 teaspoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the almond extract.  Gradually mix in the flour until the dough just comes together.
3. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, placing them 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.  Fill with raspberry jam.  Note: be careful not to over-fill, as the jam may bubble over as the cookies bake.
6. Bake for 14-18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden.  If desired, top off the filling with a bit more raspberry jam.  Allow cookies to cool completely on the sheets.
7. Mix the powdered sugar, almond extract, and water to make the glaze.  Spoon glaze over cookies, creating a zig-zag pattern.  Allow glaze to set.

    

A New Beginning

So, it's official.  I started my new job this Monday.  I have to commute all the way to the southern tip of Brooklyn, which takes about 90-100 minutes for me each way.  I figured that I would be able to sit down and get a bit of crafting or reading done during my commute...boy was I wrong.  The trains are incredibly crowded in early morning, and moreso in the evening.  I'm lucky if I get a seat during the last 30 minutes of the commute.  Haha, that pretty much throws my plans right out the window.  Oh, the things I would have made!  These things happen.  So...my hunt for some good audiobooks begins.

The people that I worked with previously got me a card, which they all signed, and flowers on my last day of work.  Many people came to me personally to wish me well.  The gesture made me a little misty-eyed.  I will definitely miss all the wonderful people that I was able to meet and work with.  Truly.

During the weekend, I went down to Union Square and purchased some organically grown herbs and planted them in a window box.  Guess who they're for??  Hehe.

Although I'm definitely excited about having fresh herbs on hand for cooking, I'm more excited thinking about how happy Oscar will be when he has a variety of fresh organically grown herbs to eat.  He frequently visits the kitchen in anticipation of getting a little taste of the herbs in addition to the other greens that have been gradually introduced into his diet.

Meanwhile, the lazy little bunny's been keeping me company by my feet when I use the computer in the early mornings, before I leave for work.  I know he doesn't look all that excited about the herbs right now (given my lack of a green thumb), but believe me, he's dreaming about them!  =)

Bunnies from Knitted Squares

My household has no shortage of bunnies, but I couldn't help myself.  Oscar needed friends.

Meet Susie and Moe.  Can you believe that they're made from a knitted square/swatch?  It's true.  Here's how.  While watching a DVD, I knit two little stockinette stitch squares from a mohair-blend yarn that I had purchased quite a while ago for a project that I had dreamed up, but never took the time to actually start.  I enjoyed the mindless knitting; it was perfect for a lazy weekend.



As you can see, Susie and Moe have a penchant for books.  Oscar does, too, but not so much for reading them as chewing them up with his razor-sharp bunny teeth.  But he's only doing what's natural for rabbits, and he's just so darn cute that I can't get mad at him.  It was my fault, anyway, for having books on a shelf low enough for Oscar to reach.  Nice bunny.  Bad human.  Poor The Red Tent.  I liked you.  But I digress.  Back to introducing our new knitted bunny friends.



Susie and Moe have been neighbors since childhood.  Moe's had a crush on Susie since forever, but he was never brave enough to do anything about it.



So Susie did.  Moe realized there was no reason to be shy.  It didn't take long for him to propose.

Susie said yes.  And so many, many more little knitted bunnies are to come.  The end.

*The bunnies are knitted with Lily Chin Greenwich Village on #7 needles, and I used pompoms for their tails.

Whew. I'm back.

I'm still alive.  Sorry about the long, unannounced hiatus.  Truth is, life had me a little stressed out, but the worst is over.  There was a death in Kyle's family.  Our wedding was postponed.  Funding for my position at work would run out soon.  I interviewed like a madwoman.  Went on a trip.  Won a prize from the Whiplash recycled crafts competition.  Celebrated a birthday.  Interviewed some more.  Led a team effort in a project for the first time.  Worked my butt off.  Pleased the people on top.  Received an offer for an interesting position elsewhere.  Got a call from my current employer.  Was offered a different position and a raise.  Couldn't figure out what to do.  Lost sleep.  Finally decided.  I think.

But I haven't yet mentioned the most significant thing that happened to me these past few weeks.  Kyle and I are now proud parents!  Meet our baby, Oscar.

He was gifted to us as an engagement present from some friends of mine.  And I love him so.  How can you not love him?  He's a ruby-eyed Netherlands dwarf.  He used to be about half this size, but alas, we never had a chance to take baby pictures of him.  He grows so fast!  Just days after he joined our family, we went on a previously planned trip to Minneapolis (the top picture of the frozen lake was taken there), leaving our little bunny in the care of a friend.  We came back to a, erm, slightly bigger bunny, hehe.  But that means all the more bunny to love, right? 

At any rate, it's good to be back.  I've a lot of catching up to do.  Can't wait to see what everyone has been crafting these past few weeks.  As for me...I see a lot of bunny-inspired projects in the future.