Holiday Elf

This is a free pattern from the Knit Picks website. I had some stash Palette and thought I would use it up. It does use very little. I put bells on instead of pompoms. A good project for an afternoon of bad weather movie watching. They are fun and took me about 4 hours total to make one. I will make more.

Einstein Jacket

So third time is a charm. While I did not get a good picture of the jacket, it is done finally. I used Vanna's yarn from my stash in the purple colorway and buttons from Knit Picks that look like the Harmony needles. It took me 16 days to finish and now it is getting cold I can wear it. I did wash it and it stretched a bit but I wanted a longer coat like jacket to wear.

Fairies

Can these get any cuter? Susan B Anderson has done it again. I wish she would quit creating, I can't knit all her stuff fast enough. I finished this in 2 days but there are so many small parts, it is like sewing Barbie clothes. I plan on making several of these along with some mushrooms and put them in Easter baskets for next year. I know I have Christmas knitting to finish but they are small easy projects for when you need something to occupy your time.

BTW you can find the pattern in KnitSimple Holiday 2011.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Never buy them again, you must make them because that is the only way to have them.

The recipe calls for:

60 maraschino cherries (drain really well and de-stem if necessary)
3 T butter ( do not substitute)
3 T Light Corn Syrup (the clear kind)
2 C Powdered Sugar
1 package (14 oz) Wilton Candy Melts

Before I get into the making of the cherries I used a large jar I got at Sam's. They are bigger and sweeter. The label says 170 but I had 162 cherries in the jar. For all of them I used 2 sticks butter, 2 lb package powdered sugar, and a small jar of syrup. I used 2.5 bags candy melts in Light Cocoa flavor. I find candy melts make a much prettier and better cherry than almond bark.

If you don't have one of these Wilton candy melt melters, get yourself one, they are $20 at Walmart and are so much better than a double boiler.

I also like the spoon in the Wilton candy maker set it works perfect for the cherries.

Get out your cookies sheets and line with waxed paper. Make sure you have room in the frig for them to sit for about 30 minutes twice.

I like to use tins rather than any other container to keep the cherries in while they are making. I line them really well with wax paper and put a layer or two of wax paper in between each layer. Store them in the attic or garage or anywhere where it will be about 35-40 degrees. You don't want them to freeze but they need to be cool to juice up. It takes about 3 weeks to juice. Do not put them in the frig they wont juice up.

You need to drain the cherries really well and de-stem if they have the stems still on them. It does not hurt to drain them overnight, they will have more juice in them than you think.

Mix the powdered sugar, butter and corn syrup until you have a kind of clay, marzipan consistency. It helps to let the butter sit out overnight and get soft.

Take a bit of white dough and wrap it around a cherry, cover as much as possible. This will turn to the liquid juice. Put them on the cookie sheet. When you get a sheet full put them in the frig for about 30 minutes to set.

When you are working on your last sheet of cherries put the Candy melts in whatever you are using to melt them and get them started. If you are using the Wilton melter you can let it sit and stay melted for a long time.

Cover the entire cherry and make sure every bit of it has chocolate on it and put it back on the wax paper lined cookie sheet. When you have a sheet full put it back in the frig to let the chocolate set and take the next sheet out. Continue til all cherries have been covered in chocolate.

Once the cherries have set in the frig for about half an hour take them out and make sure the chocolate has set. Then pack them in containers to set for at least 3 weeks. I usually try one after a week and then two weeks and then three weeks to make sure they juicing and then they are ready.

Bet you can't eat just one.

Make Your Bed Or Not

There is a letter in the paper today about making your bed. This "person" says children spend 3 minutes a day making their bed and that amounts to 18 hours and 15 minutes a year wasted when they could be sleeping. Seriously I don't think 3 minutes a day will matter. She also says that a lack of sleep is a major problem in our world, again we are talking 3 minutes a day. She goes on to state that when teens are up late studying, a made bed is too enticing. They tend to desire sleep instead of completing tasks essential for being successful in the future. She says whether you make your bed or not could determine whether you find a cure for cancer, solve world peace or even end proverty.

As my friend Mike McPhee says shes smoking dope and she votes.

My parents made me make my bed, thanks mom and dad I could have cured cancer but you made me make my bed instead.