SpiderWomanKnits

ice cream for breakfast

If you're on Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen the frozen banana "ice cream" pin by now. If you're not on Pinterest or have never made this frozen confection before I highly recommend that you promptly fix both of those things. Pinterest will make your life better, it will. And you can eat this dessert for breakfast. Case closed. 

I was delightfully surprised by how satisfying this simple dessert is. The original pin shows frozen bananas being placed in a blender and then whipped into a fluffy cloud. Well, my blender is broken and I didn't want to bother with freezing the bananas anyway. So, I simply sliced ripe bananas and whipped them with my handheld immersion blender until they were a fluffy cloud. It worked very nicely. So, if you don't feel like freezing the bananas or don't want to add stress to your machine by blending frozen bananas I say skip that step. 

A few things about this "ice cream". First, it's not ice cream. Don't even try to pretend it is or sell it to your kids that way. That being said it is delicious! It's in a category of it's own. If it's late at night and you need something sweet you can indulge in this treat and be just as satisfied as you would be eating ice cream but actually still feel good after eating it. Really, it's that good. But that brings me to my second point, you have to like bananas. It's made with bananas so it's going to taste like bananas. I love bananas. I've seen pinners comment that you can "mask" the banana taste with the other ingredients but I don't see how that's possible or why you'd even want to. Just eat something else. See, lots of bananas in there. 

Okay. Want to make some? Here's what you do. 

Gather

Four ripened bananas, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1-2 tspns of high quality dutch process cocoa or to taste. If you're gluten free just be sure your cocoa powder is too. You can omit this. 

2-3 tbspns peanut butter or to taste, I used an all natural, unsweetened peanut butter because i felt like it would offer a creamier texture. If you've ever tried to melt regular peanut butter and pour it on ice cream you know how it freezes solid? I was trying to avoid that. It worked. Of course, you can omit the peanut butter too. 

Blend all of your ingredients together in a blender, food processor or in a bowl with an immersion blender until light and fluffy like a cloud. Place in a freezer proof container large enough to hold a pint. Freeze for several hours. Done!

You'll have to allow it to thaw for a little bit before you can scoop it but the texture of mine was like gelato! So perfect. I can't wait to make this again. I'm going to be adding cinnamon and more peanut butter for sure next time but the add in possibilities are endless! Rum and raisins (not blended, obvs.)? Shredded coconut? If you're looking at bananas on your counter right now that are about to turn, you know what to do. Enjoy!

xo

Spidey

 

Free Pattern and New to the Shop: Textured Cowl

First, many, many heart felt thanks for your support of my farm and fibery endeavours. I shipped out the first batch of yarn today and have more going out tomorrow. I love knowing that Indy and Hayden are "out there" now, along with my daily chores and labor, love, laughs, time, good energy and everything else that goes into small scale fiber production. If you happen to be on the receiving end of a skein I'm really looking forward to your feedback. You can find indy hayden twenty twelve as part of the Rav database too. If you're in the market for some sweet alpaca yarn you can find some here. Yahoo!  

Ok, so, here we go again folks! I wrote up another addictive (warned) and fun cowl project for you that is sure to warm your needles and your necks. I'm calling it the Textured Cowl, because I am much more creative with my knits than my naming, and you can find it for FREE as a Ravelry Download.

I really love this cowl. I think it's suitable for a man or woman depending on the color you use and I also think that depending on color it takes on very different feelings. I can't wait to knit one in a sweatshirty gray. I am staring at an absurd amount of super bulky in my stash but, of course, not that color. 

I feel like such a bore being redundant but it must be said that I love offering patterns for free, in turn, I humbly ask that you direct people who are interested in purchasing a cowl to my Etsy shop, please do not sell any yourself. I'm going to try something new here. I want my patterns to be available to everyone (read free) but if you've knit (and enjoyed) my patterns before and feel that they are worth something to you or feel inclined to contribute to my design work I've added a PayPal donation button to the sidebar. I'll be sure to keep the patterns coming. Thank you so much! 

Whew. Now that I got that out of the way. I can't wait to hear what you think about this knit and look forward to seeing your creations on Ravelry. If you don't happen to be a knitter, this cowl is currently available in my Esty shop and ready to ship or you can choose your own color and let me knit for you, which I love to do. 

Enjoy! And many heartfelt blessings and thanks, 

xo Spidey 

 

Free Recipe for the InSPirATion Cowl

I designed this cowl as part of my InSPirATion Series of ooak hand knits for my Etsy shop but would love to share the simple recipe for this design here for knitters. 

Grab: Two main colors and one contrast color of Super Bulky yarn, I used Lion Brand Thick and Quick. Size 15 needles, circular or straight and a size K crochet hook. 

Make it: Cast on 42 stitches and knit every row, switching colors with your two chosen main colors on the right side row whenever you feel inclined and carrying your other yarn up the side. Continue doing this until your piece measures about 10" tall or however tall you'd like. Bind off leaving a long tail about 18 inches long. Using your contrast color and a size K crochet hook, single crochet along one edge. Break yarn and pull through loop. Seam your cowl using a mattress stitch and your purl ridges while taking care to line up your stripes. Weave in all ends. Wear and enjoy!

As always, with my pattern offerings, patterns are for personal use only. I ask that you kindly refer those who would like you to purchase a cowl to my Etsy shop and not sell any for your own personal profit. I hope you have fun making one! Can't wait to see all of the color combintaions! 

xo Spidey

 

Free Pattern: The Vermonter

It's getting to be that time of year! Time to put our wooly thinking caps on and start thinking about gift knitting. Well, I have an early gift for you! Another free pattern to add to my collection and this one is really fun. Meet The Vermonter. It's quick, straight forward, fun and easy to wear hat that uses one ball of super bulky yarn and just a bit of your time. 

In fact, if you happen to have a ball of super bulky laying around and some size 11 DP's you could whip one up this weekend and I really hope you do!

You can find the free pattern for personal use on Ravelry.

Or, you can purchase a license to knit The Vermonter for your own shop or craft fairs in my shop along with my favorite needles that I use to knit all my hats. Read more about pattern licenses here. 

Enjoy!

xoxo

Spidey

The Zucchini Post

You really have to love zucchini. It's been so hot and dry here in Vermont and my garden isn't the best it's ever been but those squash plants keep putting out without even the slightest fuss. I've learned to love the burdenous bounty and I thought I would share some of the ways that I preserve and use my zucchini with you. 

First up is the good old fashioned shred. If you have a gigantic zucchini or a pile of "average" size zucchini that are staring you in the face but you're just not in the mood to do anything with them, grab your coarse grater and just have your way with them. When I am grating I grate around the seeded part so I am left with a small core of seeds. That I just feed to my very grateful chickens. And now, from here, you can really go anywhere. 

Let's start with Zucchini Bread. Perhaps you have a favorite recipe? If it calls for 1 or 2 cup portions of grated zucchini just measure out those size portions, place them in a freezer bag, label the bag with the measurement and stick it right into your freezer. I love to flatten out my freezer bags so they are stackable. It makes me feel good to have a neat stack of measured out frozen zucchini, that's just the kind of girl I am. 

Speaking of Zucchini Bread. I love this recipe for Lemon Zucchini Bread.

Often times I will just bake up extra loaves, slice them, freeze the slices flat and then transfer the slices to a gallon size freezer bag. Then, you can pull a slice when you want it, anytime! And if you're the only one in the mood for zucchini bread it's no big deal. Alternatively, you can bake little mini loaves like the ones I did above and freeze those. Just be sure to reduce your baking time by almost half if you are using a mini loaf pan. While we're on the topic of zucchini bread. I also love this recipe for chocolate zucchini bread. It's just outstanding. You could make it in a cake pan, slap some frosting on it and have yourself one delicious chocolate cake as a matter of fact. It also freezes well. But, if you don't get around to baking extra loaves of bread and you have a hankering for some this winter, don't worry! Because you already preserved those perfect portions of grated zucchini in your freezer, right?! We're all feeling really smart now. 

Edited: To make either of these breads Gluten Free just sub in your favorite GF flour mix. I use Bob's Red Mill AP Mix. 

But since we have piles of zucchini that's all grated up why not can up some very impressive and super simple Zucchini Relish?

That's what I've been doing a lot of lately (of course, in the middle of a heat wave, hence my punchy tone). My kids really love this relish. Use it on burgers and hot dogs etc. all summer long. During the winter and fall add a tablespoon or two to tuna salad or slather your favorite sandwich with it. When I can it I use half pint jars instead of full pint but that's just my preference. If you do the same just make sure you process the jars for the same amount of time. This relish also makes a really special gift to pass out to teachers, friends, host/esses etc. Put some up. You'll be happy you did. 

Yet another way that I love to preserve zucchini is to just clean them and then slice them into 1/4" rounds. Freeze those flat on a parchment lined cookie sheet and then transfer to a gallon size freezer bag. The frozen rounds can be used in Zucchini Parmesan Casseroles or Veggie Bakes all year long. I don't defrost them first. I just layer them frozen as you can see in the picture below. 

To sum it up, zucchini freezes really well. You can cube it for stews and soups and freeze those. Grate and freeze it for breads, relish, omelets, fritters. Slice it into rounds for casseroles or the grill before your garden gets hopping next season. Whatever suits your fancy. Oh, and when I am pickling and I have extra brine I'll throw some sliced zucchini in a jar, pour the leftover brine over them and let them chill out in the fridge for a day or two. Zucchini makes great fridge pickles! 

If you happen to find yourself with a cup or two of extra shredded zucchini that you're not preserving do not hesitate to make some of these! 

I really can't stop making these. They are so good. You can find the recipe for Zucchini Fritters here. I've been eating these for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just squeeze the bejesus out of the mixture instead of waiting for it to drain like the recipe calls for. On one occassion I was clever enough to mix it up the night before and let it drain in a colander over a bowl in the fridge overnight. I feel like whipping some up right now. 

I'd love to hear your favorite ways to use or preserve zucchini. Please do share. 

Hope you're having a lovely summer!

xo Spidey

Free Pattern! Drop Stitch Cowl

Remember when I mentioned I had another freebie pattern to share? This past fall I knit up one of these cowls and it has become my favorite knitted accessory. I wear it all the time, with or without my coat! For knitters, it's a very simple and gratifying project using a conservative amount of your yarn and your time. Grab your size 15 circs, a ball of super bulky yarn and cast on! In no time at all you’ll have a stylish accessory that will quickly become one of your most treasured possessions. I've went ahead and written up the pattern for you. I'm sure you can whip one up this weekend and I really hope you do! 

You can find the pattern on Ravelry or purchase a License to knit this pattern for profit on my website. 

Enjoy!

xoxo

Spidey

preserving cherry tomatoes

I am getting about 1 gallon of cherry tomatoes every day. That's a conservative estimate. This year I planted Sun Gold Cherry Toms. We are really loving them. I always freeze a bunch whole to be used for fresh pasta sauces in the winter but this year I am also slow roasting them with cloves of garlic. Oh.My.Wow. These are truly amazing and will be a warm, rich and comforting companion in winter stews, soups or just smothered on a piece of toast.You will have to use all of your will power not to just eat these on the spot while you are filling your jars.

To slow roast cherry tomatoes (or any small tomato) preheat your oven to 250 degrees. I have a convection roast option on my oven which works wonderfully. Wash your tomatoes, sliced them in half and place in a roasting pan (or pans if you have a bazillion like me). Separate whole cloves of garlic from the bulb but leave the skin on and scatter them in your pan. I like to use one clove per jar and I always roast extra. Drizzle olive oil over your pan and sprinkle kosher salt to taste. Place in the oven and roast for approx. 1 1/2-2 hours. I like to set my timer at 30 minute intervals and just keep checking or rotating pans so they roast evenly. You want them to be slightly browned and almost dehydrated though there will be some thickened juices. Fill 4oz Ball jars, leaving 1/2", and add one clove of garlic squeezed from it's skin to each jar. Let cool, cover and freeze!

If you want to just freeze your cherry or grape tomatoes, just wash and dry them. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment in a single layer and set in freezer until they are solid. Transfer to zippered freezer bags.

Enjoy!

 

a very quick necklace or bracelet project

My love of fabric knows no bounds these days. Even the scrap pieces that fall to the floor are making themselves useful. I found myself with a few skinny lengths of vintage calico and decided to braid them together into a necklace. I love, love braided rugs and I feel like I am carrying that love with me when I wear this around.

All you have to do to make one is gather three pieces of any fabric you love. Cut them (or pull them from your scrap pile) into 1" W x any length strips but make sure they are about 1 foot longer than your intended necklace. Loosely knot the top and start braiding, evenly and tightly, until your necklace is the desired length. Un knot your top knot. Trim your two ends so you have about 1/2" on both sides. Hold your two ends closely together so they overlap just slightly and secure with a few back and forths of a zig zag stitch as close to the braid on each side as you can. Done! Wrap around your wrist a few times to wear as a bracelet.

You can use larger widths of fabric for a thicker braid or use more than three pieces. Mix colors or use the same. These lengths would be great for decorative trim on sewing project or bag handles or belts or pretend play horsey bridles, etc. Anything! What colorful fun!

PS. The scrappy, straggly piece around my neck is just a 'cutting room floor' piece from one of my pillowcase totes and please ignore the pizza boxes in the fireplace.

i'm back and feeling better than ever

{lots and lots of laughter, margaritas, great food, crafting, bananagram-ing, jelly beans, girl talk, sleeping, antiquing, strolling and even some goat cheese making}

Oh my gosh, my weekend was amazing! Really, I am still on Cloud 9. To say I needed this time would be an understatement and to say that the time I spent with my friends was just what I needed would also be an understatement. It was so much more than that. I just love these women so much, I feel blessed to call them friends and that my kids call their kids friends and that our husbands all made this trip possible.

The trip was months in the making and I honestly don't think a single one of us let out a breath until we were all in the car and on our way. The week before there was lots of sickness, some pretty crappy weather and anyone who has a family knows the 1,000,000 little things that could possible crop up that would keep a mama at home. So, even as the days approached and we started figuring out who was driving, who was bringing what food, what crafty projects we'd bring along and how long we'd actually let each other sleep it didn't really feel 'real' until we sunk into those bucket seats of my friends Alexa's and Michelle's cars and hit the road. (By the way, it turns out that none of us could really sleep in, years of motherhood have really re-programmed our bodies.)

But man, oh, man. I don't think there was even five minutes of 'decompression time'! As soon as we hit that road it was our road. And that made the weekend spectacular. My friend's are all blogless, so no linking, but they are all amazingly talented, sweet, funny, honest and stupendous mama's so I wish you could peek into their lives a bit.

The photos are all mine but that cheese in the making and margarita credit goes to Amy who made some goat cheese for us to snack on and served up margaritas (thank you!) during our games of Bananagrams, which I am now addicted to (the Bananagrams not the margaritas, don't worry).  Laura is responsible for that beautiful cupcake which I took over 35 pictures of. She is also a very talented quilter and a local bib maker extraordinaire. If your baby is wearing a handmade, quilted bib in our area (and even other areas) chances are she made it. I keep singing the praises of Etsy to Laura but honestly her bibs and quilts sell just about as fast as she can make them so the best place to check out her stuff is on her Facebook page. Alexa takes the credit for the fajitas in the making. Eventhough I can't take a picture of it Michelle has to take the credit (although I know she won't) for keeping us all grounded in a way that is immensely comforting, perhaps even more than she can know. And we are all collectively responsible for the unreasonable amount of jelly beans that were consumed over the course of two days.

These women all make me a better person and a better mom and it was a huge gift to get to spend this type of uninterrupted time together. We are already talking about doing it again.

On a totally different note, I am completely back-blogged (?) when it comes to my knitting posts! I am so excited to share them. I hope soon. In the meantime, it's starting to get spring-y around here and for me that means chicks! Over the next few months people start and add to their chicken flocks. If you are thinking about doing either make sure you check out the link in my sidebar (top right) which will take you to my Brooding 101 post that covers all the basics you need to know if you are thinking of keeping chickens. I hope you find it helpful!

FO: Free Pattern for Peekaboo Mitts

Just some last minute gift knitting.

And a wee bitty gift FOR YOU! Here's the pattern for the Peekaboo Mitts! I wrote it up and turned into a neat and tidy PDF.

  Download Peekaboo Mitts

or queue it on Ravelry

****PLEASE UPDATE YOUR PDF TO THE LATEST VERSION AS OF 10:30pm 12/16****

there were some wonky areas in the first one but they are all set now

These will fit basically any man or woman, use a wee bit of worsted, and take just a wee bit of time. Maybe you can whip up a last minute pair too? They are so basic but make a great unisex gift. These are going to Jorn's guitar teacher but in the past I've knit them for the postman, friends, and family.They are always appreciated. I always have a pair on myself. Let me know if you find any quirks in the pattern or have any trouble with the download. Enjoy and don't forget to let me know if you knit a pair!

oooxx

Spidey