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To Bead or Not to Bead

Lately I have been extremely into making earrings, as you can see…

All but one of these I've made in the last couple of weeks. I recently got back into bead weaving with seed beads, as you can see by the plethora of earrings done in a Native American-ish style. The one pair of earrings that I didn't make this week is the white and green beaded pair second from the right on the second-to-last row. I made those in high school, probably when I was about 15 or so. Obviously, classic styles never go out of style! That pair inspired several others, and I've really just been having a fun time putting colors together. 

Late last year, my aunt January decided that she wanted to get rid of her extensive seed bead collection, and my cousin Janelle, aunt Jane, and I were the delighted recipients of the collection that we divided up amongst ourselves. I wound up with a case full of beautiful colors. 

Yep, the motherlode. 

My aunt used to make beaded eggs with the seed beads, a very cool small sculpture using real egg shells. I have a few, two are characters I used to draw pictures for: 

Aren't they awesome? I keep them in my china cabinet for all to see. 

My aunt and cousin made necklaces for J out of the beads, and I have been sort of spinning my wheels for months trying to think of what to make, till I finally landed on the idea to make the earrings. And so, the proto-type craziness began. I've completed one pair so far, with two more to go, then I will send them off to her. 

Later this summer I will have my cousin over so I can show her how to make the earrings and also teach her how to use a bead loom. I haven't loomed in years, but it will be nice to get back to my beading roots. It wasn't until college and beyond that I developed my current style; for years and years I worked almost exclusively with seed beads. I recently found my collection of barrettes I made in high school – I will have to take pictures and show them, they are actually quite nice!

Anyway, so I have definitely been bitten by the bead bug this summer, no idea when the desire to knit will return. 

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Delicious Recipes, Tried & True

A week ago I had friends over for lunch, and I made carnitas and tomalito, two things I love but had never made before (I always seem to enjoy trying new stuff out on said friends, who have been victims of stuff like homemade sushi, etc. before).

CARNITAS RECIPE (from food.com)

3 lbs pork tenderloin
4 cups chicken broth, hot
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder, medium hot
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat up chicken broth on stove.
2. Add spices and lime juice to chicken broth.
3. Put broth into crock pot.
4. Add pork to crock pot.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for like 8-9 hours until broth is reduced and pork is delicious.
6. Shred meat and mix into thickened cooking sauces.
7. Be amazed you cooked something so delicious.

NOTE: I forgot the lime juice till the stuff was basically done. I added the lime juice afterwards and the pork was able to marinate in the newly limed juices overnight before my friends came over. So, I would recommend remembering the lime juice at the beginning because the citrus flavor really adds to the meat. Also add more salt. NOTE #2: the online directions say cook it on HIGH for 4-6 hours but I wasn’t going to be home while it was cooking so I just cooked it on low per some other recipe I found when I was looking.

CORN STUFF (aka tomalito from Chevy’s. From allrecipes.com)

5 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/4 cup masa harina
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons milk

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine, masa flour, and sugar until light and fluffy (use a hand mixer!).
2. In a food processor or blender, blend 1.5 cups of the corn kernels with the water and cornmeal just until smooth. Stir into the masa mixture.
3. Mix in the remaining corn, baking powder, salt, and milk until the batter is smooth.
4. Place batter in microwaveable container with a lid that seals so no steam escapes.
5. Cook in microwave on LOW (level 3 or 4) for 4 minutes, give it a good stir, then cook on HIGH (level 10) for seven more minutes.
6. Check to see if corn stuff is still soupy, if so, put it back in the microwave for another minute or so.
7. Stir up corn stuff so its texture is consistent and serve.
8. Be amazed that this is EXACTLY as delicious as the corn stuff from Chevy’s.

The directions actually call for the corn stuff to be cooked in a double boiler, but yeah, I don’t have one of those, nor did I have an hour for it to steam, either. The microwave method listed here worked just fine!

Anyway, enjoy. Right now I’m cooking another crockpot of pork, but I just did it regular with some seasonings. I will add mushroom soup and have it all gravylicious later. I like crockpot cooking, I’m glad I got over my irrational fear of it – there will be muchas pork tenderloin in my future!! I think real carnitas use a fattier cut of pork (shoulder or butt) however Trader Joe’s conveniently had tenderloin so that’s what I used.

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Enstriped

There is a finished object in the house. 

I know, it's been awhile since I've finished a pair of socks, hasn't it? (about a year)

 These are knit out of Knitpicks Felici Sport (Boutique colorway) on US 2.5 needles, 64 inches around. I was completely ridiculous about matching the stripes, and thus the second sock is actually bits and pieces of both skeins so they would match relatively well. It was kind of a pain. BUT I like stripes to match, it's how I roll. The second skein didn't start anywhere near the stripe sequence of the first, I wish they'd be a little more careful about that, it would make my life easier. 

These are the never-ending bluebell rib socks. They are so never-ending I can't remember what yarn they are made of. The colorway is "Peeps" though, and I do heart these socks. I only have 5 more pattern repeats before the toe, and when you are trucking along on the pattern, it moves pretty swiftly. 

Finally, another pair of stripeys:

Knit Picks Felici in what colorway I do not recall (Picnic or Summer or something – the colors are prettier in real daylight) but it is currently available. This one is ribbed and I am trying out a new-to-me technique: afterthought heel! I am interested to see how they turn out and fit because I don't really care for the fit of short-row heels. 

I am working on numerous other socks too, but I will photograph them another time. I am a half-repeat away from the heel turn on the second Bas-Relief sock and I actually turned the heel on one of Abby's rainbow socks, and a pink striped Jaywalker. I don't know when those pairs will be done, though. I'm trying to bust a move on the rainbows, and since I seem to be feelin' the stripes at the moment, I'm hoping to get going on those for real. There is a lot more stripey goodness in my arsenal too, so I'm trying to strike while the iron is hot.