Malon Costume

It's September, so you know what that mean... it's almost Autumn! That means it's almost my birthday which happens to be one of the coolest holidays! That would be the day before El Dia de los Muertos. Halloween! Three years ago I put together an ensemble I've always wanted to do (I have a list of costumes I must wear before I die including Harpo Marx, Weird Al, Dana Scully, and a Rubik's Cube). This is pretty much the best costume I've ever worn even though I've seen better versions of this, and I could have done better myself with more cash and time. I was still pretty satisfied with the result. What is it, you ask? Malon, the minor character from Lon Lon Ranch in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (I love inserting links for Link-related stuff). I love red hair, so I relished the opportunity to play a redhead for a day. Here is what she looks like in the game:

The first thing I worked on was the apron she wore.

I bought some brown canvas cloth and sewed the raw edges closed.

Then I free handed the design with pencil and painted over it with acrylic paint.

Here it is pinned to a purple skirt I found on ebay. I tried to find something the right color without having to buy fabric, buy a pattern, and sew a skirt... It has embellishments, but is more or less the right color.

I also had quite the time trying to find a ribbon color that was a matching shade (rather than indigo or navy or bright-arse neon purple) in order to make the design on her skirt. I pinned the ribbon in place and sewed it on. Unfortunately, I made the ribbon a little too tight and it tightened the size of the skirt.

I bought a plain white t-shirt at Target and used fabric paint to add the design. Above is a close-up of the design.

You may have noticed that the original Malon wears a Bowser brooch on her shawl/handkerchief. I used polymer clay and sculpted one of my own, then painted over it with metallic acrylic paint. The handkerchief was just some yellow fabric sewn in a V-shape to stay around my shoulders.

The Triforce belt buckle was made with the same materials as the Bowser brooch, in silver. I just made a superficial outline, then bought cloth belt material.

I dyed it dark brown from white, and sewed on snaps. Then I used a hot glue gun to add the Triforce to the uppermost flap.

Myself and my little sister (who was dressed as a butterfly whose wings were pulled off).
Below: The only full-body pic I have.

The wig was actually the closest thing I could find that wasn't $100. I was working on a very tight budget with the aid of my husband (who was my boyfriend of one year at the time). He just enjoyed seeing my handiwork enough to be my patron. The occasion was my birthday, so these were some of the pics taken from the party. I made a special cake for the occasion, and will post more on that later.

So, all in all the details are pretty accurate, but the colors/proportions are a little wonky. Malon wore her skirt much higher than mine, but since mine was much shorter I didn't want to wear it any higher! It's an "adaptation" from the concept of the video game, it's not supposed to be 100% accurate, right?
Coming soon: Another costume I helped make for my date. Hint: He's a mad scientist with excellent pipes.

Ribbed Shrug

Whenever I see a skein of yarn, it gives me the warm fuzzies and I get excited about the potential that it has. The more I knit, the more addicting it becomes. There is something so tremendously satisfying about turning yarn into something beautiful, giving it shape and purpose, watching it transform in your hands. December 2010, I started knitting again and there was no stopping me. Without considering what my skill level was, I started saving patterns and buying yarn to plan new projects. You saw my mom's scarf, now I was going to go one step further and make something fashionable for my sister.

I was confident that I'd figure it out. I finished college. I learned how to juggle. I can drive a car. I can use a computer. Therefore, I can learn to knit harder patterns. The old adage "if there's a will, there's a way" rings so true when you see how much power there is in human will. The human brain has amazing abilities to learn new tasks, so next time you think something is too hard, trust in your brain and give it a try! We're so good at learning things, sometimes we don't give ourselves credit. I'm not giving myself credit for anything more than being a moderately intelligent human being. So, like so many other tasks, I became determined to do it and saw it through. I'm no master knitter, but this was easier than it looks to the non-knitter. There were very few steps to follow in this pattern that I found on Ravelry. This was a milestone in my knitting abilities. I bought a set of circulars just to make this! It was a success, and made me want to try more difficult projects (and believe me, I already have as you will see soon).

I started one end with the cuffs in a 1x1 rib.

The bulk of it was the 2x3 rib for the sleeves and back (one long piece). I just had to measure for length when I was getting close, that's it. The transition between the cuffs and the sleeves were the only part here that really had any increase/decrease for shape. The last step was to sew the sleeves, but leave the hole in the middle, and pick up stitches with the circulars to knit in the round. If you crochet, it's just like going around and around in spirals but with needles. Same concept, different method. I would argue that this was the hardest part. When working with circulars, always use a smaller length than the circumference (unless you're doing Magic Loop, but that's another story). You need slack or you'll stretch the end product trying to make it.

There were parts were I had to really pay attention to what I was doing (and with other projects, where I had to re-read and research to make sure I was doing it right) and it all came together just fine. I'm teaching myself the harder stuff, I don't have a more experienced knitter to defer to for advice. Soon I will post about the first finished mermaid, and the second one I'm working on... soon...

Thai Chicken

On a lark, I decided to make Thai Chicken. Keep in mind that this is American Thai food. It's an exotic twist on familiar ingredients, just enough to push sissies out of their comfort zone (soy sauce? peanut butter? I know what those are but why are they together?!) I love how it turned out, and would certainly make it again in a heartbeat, especially with all the ginger I have leftover. I had leftover cilantro from the guacamole I made, and I was in a hurry to use it before it wilted. I'm really glad I added the cilantro, it goes wonderfully in this dish! This is what I came up with after mixing & matching recipes and ad-libbing. I never learn, do I? Well, good thing, because it turned out amazing. I'm making a note here: huge success. These pictures are from the first time I made them, but I included bonus veggies in the recipe from the second attempt.
Here's what goes in :

2 chicken breasts, halved (opened like a butterfly), then thinly sliced into strips width-wise
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced/grated
1/2 onion, chopped (it was supposed to be green, but I used what I have!)
sliced green and red bell pepper (about 1/4 pepper each)
2 cups of diced broccoli (I used frozen)
1 rib of celery, sliced
1 carrot, peeled & sliced
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Sauce:
7 tbsp soy sauce
5 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire
4 tbsp creamy PB
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp brown sugar

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, worceserchire, vinegar, peanut butter, curry, cayenne, and brown sugar. Add more or less of any ingredient to suit your tastes.

Mix until creamy (I found it hard to eliminate clumps of PB at first, but the texture improves as it sits... maybe the vinegar breaks it down?)

Cook your chicken, garlic, and ginger in a skillet or wok over med-high in the oil until the chicken is browned on the outside. Note: The chicken browns best in a dry pan.  That is, add the minimum oil and omit juices, otherwise it will look white like mine. Your choice!

Throw in your array of veggies as well as the peanuts. Cook for about 10 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are nice and soft.

Throw in the sauce you made (it should be the right texture now, give it a good mixing if needed) and mix everything up. Let it sit for one minute.

Add the cilantro and turn off the heat.

Serve over rice or rice noodles and enjoy! It's going to taste great! This should be enough for about 6, depending on how ravenous your family is. I tried feeding it to my brothers and this would have been about enough for two teenagers. Note: If you have teenagers, make triple and just throw it all in a trough. If not, just serve over a bowl of rice or noodles and they will get coated in that yummy sauce!

Constitution Stitch

So, I've apparently been so busy making things that I haven't kept up with the blog. Sorry. I've not only been cooking up lots of fun stuff, but have been planning craft projects, too. I'm planning out future knitting projects so I can adhere to the old addage "A stitch in time saves nine". I like to stitch while I'm doing just about anything else that occupies my ears. I could be (listening to a podcast and) keeping my hands busy while I wait for something, while I ride as a passenger in the car, or when conversing with someone. Pretty soon nine stitches in time will save 81!

I've started brainstorming for original designs for cross stitch, too. I tend to get carried away with one thing at a time to the neglect of all the other projects I have going on. I used to spend at least 20 minutes a day with my plants, but not so much. I'll update on that later. So. This was a project I undertook two years ago. I wanted to make a present for my mom's birthday, and saw a shirt I saw from Mental_Floss that I thought she would like (she's very patriotic, and I thought she'd love the cleverness). But I couldn't imagine her wearing a t-shirt like that a lot, and what if I got the wrong size?  I frayed the edges and attached some cardboard to the back to make it keep its shape.  

Yeah, so not the most impressive thing I've made (you'll see that coming up later). I just like the idea of capturing words like that in such a crafty way... it was an inexpensive handmade gift, can't beat that, right?

Perfect Tuna Sandwich: Creamy, Crunchy, Savory

I've always loved tuna sandwiches and have made it many ways. This is probably the default way I make it because I've found this formula to be fail-proof. It's creamy, it's crunchy, and it has a yummy, savory flavor to it. I love the lightly toasted bread, the melty cheese, and the lettuce and tomato (and occasional pickles). These are the quantities I used to make the tuna "salad", but if it seems like too much of something or not enough of the other, you make it to your tastes!

Tuna "salad"

1/3 cup minced onion (use a mild onion, or leftover)

1/3 cup minced celery

5 oz can of chunk light tuna

1.5 - 2 tbsp mayo

1.5 - 2 tbsp softened cream cheese

1/2 tsp Badia complete seasoning (I use this with just about everything)

Sandwich stuff:

Lightly toasted bread (once the tuna salad is done)

Slice of American cheese (or other- provolone sounds nice!)

Slice of tomato

Lettuce

I shop at Costco these days, so I'm stocked with cream cheese and mayo to last for ages.

Throw all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix with a fork until creamy and well- blended.

This stuff would go good on crackers.

There you are. Toast your bread to your liking (we used Oatmeal bread) and place the cheese slice between the piping hot toast to melt. After it has softened/melted a bit, throw your tomato & lettuce and pile on the tuna. I added pickles, too. It's a classic tuna sandwich in my book!

Fresh veggie egg skillet

Remember the cilantro I used in my Guacamole? I had to think of what I could make with the leftovers, and I came up with this dish that wafts up the aroma of fresh veggies while it cooks. This is my favorite way to make eggs. I love cooking with fresh veggies! Here's what I used, but you can ad-lib as you please. This is very veggie-heavy.

Fresh veggie egg skillet

2 small baby portabello mushrooms, chopped or sliced

1/2 large tomato (or 1 small), diced

1/4 cup diced red & green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced onion

2 small cloves garlic

1 tsp bacon fat, oil, or butter (butter or bacon fat taste the best)

4 eggs

cilantro, a couple of sprigs washed & chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp badia complete seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

One of the great things about making eggs is that you can throw in just about anything you want in any quantity you have on hand. Don't scrutinize quantities, it turns out great regardless!

Cook mushrooms, onions, bell pepper and garlic in bacon fat, covered over medium heat until veggies turn soft.

Throw in the tomatoes to heat for a couple minutes while you beat your eggs in a small mixing bowl.

Add the eggs by pouring slowly right into the center of the pan. Turn heat down slightly to just under medium. Now you're going to want to sprinkle on your salt, pepper, and other seasonings if desired.

Wait a few minutes for the bottom layer to cook, then scrape the egg off the bottom and sides of pan, allowing the liquid to take its place and cook.

Repeat until all your eggs are cooked.

When your eggs are all cooked, now you want to add the cilantro and mix it up (alternatively, use as a garnish).

Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover. Turn heat to low for one minute to allow the cheese to melt (it should be quick).

It should look like this when you're done. This should be enough for 4 people for breakfast, accompanied by toast if you like. We split it as a big brunch meal. It's best fresh, and we sure didn't let it go to waste!

Mom's scarf

I've been so productive lately! Last weekend we exhausted ourselves with yard work, and it seems to go back to chaos again in no time. Those weeds... My tomatoes are not doing well. I can't give up now, though. Must try again after the rainy season is up. The hurricane decided to veer east, so that's not a problem at the moment, but who knows what storms September will bring.
I also cooked a lot this past weekend. Coming up: a breakfast, an Americanized version of a Russian dish, an Americanized version of a Thai dish, and an ad-libbed (and Americanized) version of and Indian dish. They each turned out to be a huge success, and were pretty simple when all was said and done. More on that soon!

Back to the scarf: I made this for my mom back in January. It was a late Christmas gift, but in time for her trip in February. I will pretty much have to post gift items after the recipient gets it in case they might be tipped off by the blog :/
It was the second scarf I ever made, and it was the first time I made anything lacy (using YO, K2tog to create the holes).The pattern is very easy! I would recommend it for beginners who want to show off some skill. It took me all of 5 days to finish.  I could have planned it out better, as far as the colors were concerned. The yarn was so soft and beautiful but the beginning end of the scarf was all fuzzed by the time I finished the whole thing. I used Bernat Roving yarn (an acrylic/wool blend), and 8mm (size 11) needles. The finished size was 6' x 64". It is incredibly soft and comfy!

The pictures are pretty awful and don't do the color and texture justice.

That's my mom in her native MN in February wearing the scarf. I love the pattern and would probably try it again in a thinner yarn (it's hard to say because there are so many patterns calling my name, but only so many materials available). The pattern for this (as for most of the stuff I've made so far) is from Ravelry. Check it out!