Knitionary

Mr. Bunny

Christmas

I have a very sweet little needlepoint bunny to share with you today.

He's just 5 inches tall and will be used as a Christmas tree ornament.

I'd like to show you an easy way to finish your small needlepoint pieces

and turn them into tree ornaments. The same process can be used for

small decorative pillows, pincushions, eyeglass cases, etc.

This is 18 mesh canvas using wool, cotton and metal threads.

Wash and block your finished needlepoint piece.

With sharp scissors, clip canvas to 1/4 inch and clip inside corners to, but not into stitches.

Finger press canvas to back.

Isn't he cute? Close up you can see after the stitching I added French knots and straight stitches.

Cut a piece of wool felt or ultra-suede for backing.

Pin or baste needlepoint to backing.

Snip away 1 inch backing at a time and whip stitch closed

with small, fine stitches using translucent monofilament thread.

Add hanger to top. Leave opening and stuff with polyester bat, whip stitch to close.

I decided he needed a few embellishments affixed with a bit of white glue.

Mr. Bunny!

Years ago I worked in a needlepoint shop and finished hundreds of needlepoint ornaments, pin cushions, Christmas stockings and pillows for customers. Finishing ornaments is one of the easiest things to do, so before you pay someone to do this, please give it a try.

Painted ornament canvases ready to needlepoint are found at any needlepoint shop should you be so lucky to live near one. If not, the internet has them readily available. I found some that knitters will love from Needlepoint.com, each with links.

Blue Alpine Cardigan.

Candy Cane Sweater!

Nordic Reindeer Star

Haha, look at this Jack O' Lantern pullover!

Gingerbread Men fair isle!

But if you really want to swoon over a mass of beautiful hand painted canvases,

go right here to the source at Needlepoint.com.

I know we are a half year away from Christmas, but I love it so much, I start to miss it in July!

Edited 4/30/15: Great news! This little bunny has gone viral! Even after two years, this particular post still gets several hundred hits a week. The little bunny has been pinned and repinned so many times I get quite giddy when I think of it; plus he's so popular on Facebook, he's called the Facebook Bunny! But this little bunny is my little bunny and I call him Mr. Bunny. The good news is, after getting so many requests, Associated Talents decided to bring back their Brown Bunny for a limited time. Edited 5/1/15. I'm so sorry, I heard this morning that they are sold out. I've called them and they are checking if they can order more. I'll keep you updated.

Knitionary

August 21, 2013
16 Comments

a colorful evening

entertaining

Tablecloth from Crate and Barrel.

Potted herbs down the table.

A view looking down to the vegetable garden.

Potted impatiens.

Norma found these dinner plates at Marshall's years ago.

Feta and Corn Fritters

Moroccan Chicken and Couscous

Rhubarb Fool

Norma and Geoff have had a busy spring and summer, visiting their 4 married children who are scattered all over the globe, plus hosting friends and family who love to visit California. Last week Norma said she was really sorry she wasn't able to have a summer party and was hoping to have a small dinner party before summer ended. I thoughtfully agreed and mentioned I might be a good person to invite, I am accommodating that way :)

So here we are, a Saturday night towards the end of summer, drinks in the garden and dinner on the patio, the weather is California perfect and the company, the table setting and food are all quite perfect too. Cooking and setting the table are truly where Norma's creative talents are showcased. I have to tell you that she is fearless while entertaining. She will try anything...no foreign ingredient, no unusual recipe nor exotic cuisine will intimidate this hostess. I have acquired some of my favorite recipes from this innovative lady.

MENU

Assorted Cheeses and Crackers

Feta and Corn Fritters with Geoff's Spicy Tomato Chutney

Moroccan Grilled Chicken with Moroccan Style Tomato Sauce (recipe below)

Lemon Chile Couscous

Rhubarb Fool

Moroccan Style Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. fine black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp cardamon seeds ground
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp. each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon
2 14 cans diced tomatoes or equivalent diced fresh
2 tablespoon brown sugar

salt to taste

Fry up onion, garlic and spices in oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and sugar simmer for 15 minutes. Seaon with salt to taste. Can be stored in the refrigerator up to one week.

Here are some links to help you recreate the eclectic look of Norma's gorgeous table.

Try these beautiful plates from Anthropologie.

And while I love the plates from Anthropologie, they are kind of pricey,

I think these from Target would give you the same look for less!

But I also like this inexpensive and easy care melamine set from Pottery Barn, below.

Her cloth appears to be no longer available,

but I love the print on this similar tablecloth from Crate and Barrel

Norma potted herbs in purple pots similar to these pretties from The Market Collection.

She popped nasturtiums in green glass mini vases.

I found these at Michaels, they come in many colors and I love them!

Get the look of Norma's gold glassware from Pottery Barn on sale!

I have some fun posts coming up.

In the works are a Christmas craft,

a baby sweater,
flower bouquets galore,

and a knitting book review.

See you soon!

Linked to Make it Pretty Monday!

Knitionary

August 19, 2013
2 Comments

green day

cooking

Last week I was seeing red, but this week it's all greeeeeen.

Our dwarf Bartlett Pear tree is fully grown at about 9 feet tall.

We picked about half our Bartlett pears last week, about 3 dozen. They are ready to pick when they are still hard, but come off the tree easily. Pears do not ripen on the tree! After chilling them overnight in the refrigerator, we put them in a paper bag with a ripe banana and let them alone for about 4 days on the counter where they ripened beautifully. I love this article about how to pick pears and how to ripen them. It's full of great pear info whether you either grow them or buy them. At the end the author got quite serious, and I quote, "After years of study, scientists have found that a really juicy pear is best eaten while naked, in the bathtub, so that you needn't be concerned about the abundant juice streaming down your chin." True. After these 4-5 days of pear prep, ours were perfectly ripened, sweet and juicy. We saved the best for eating fresh and sharing and then wanted to preserve the rest. My husband wanted canned sliced pears but I didn't want to pull out the canner and instead looked online for the best way to freeze slices.

Here's what we ended up doing, a combination of several ways.

1. Wash ripe pears. Peel, core and slice into wedges.

2. Pears turn brown quickly, so as soon as you peel and slice them, throw them into a pot of acidic water to keep them white: To each quart of cold water add three 100% ascorbic acid vitamin C tablets crushed into a small amount of hot water. Stir until dissolved. For 2 dozen pears we used 6 quarts of water.

3. Meantime, set water to boil to make a light sugar syrup: To each quart of boiling water add 1 or 2 cups sugar, we used one cup sugar per quart. Add three crushed vitamin C tablets, stir until sugar and vitamin is dissolved. Continue to boil liquid. Remove pears from acidic water in batches with a slotted spoon, and plunge in boiling syrup for one minute only. Remove with slotted spoon and put in freezer container. We used large 1 quart recycled yogurt containers. When finished with all your pears, pour hot syrup over to cover, place lid, label and freeze. Our 2 dozen pears made 4 quarts snowy white slightly sweetened sliced pears for the freezer.

As for the green beans, these weeks I seem to be picking a sink full every few days. This blogger saved me from hating my abundant green bean harvest. To preserve, just pick, trim and freeze, no more blanching in boiling water. She swears by it and I jumped at the chance to trust her.