heidimonkey.com

Welcome Home Archie

Heidi — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:28:04 +0000

We decided to adopt another dog on Halloween. His name is Archie and he’s settling in nicely.

Here he is with Poppy, aren’t they cute together?

Some New Bags For The Shop

Heidi — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:22:10 +0000

Hey everyone, I’ve been madly sewing and I have a few new bags for the shop. Enjoy!

This Bag Kicks Ass

Heidi — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:38:41 +0000

It nearly kicked my ass, but I managed to come out on top. It’s Amy Butler’s Weekender Bag. I adore it. It was not very easy to make, well the basic construction is simple but it’s so thick once you’re sewing it together that the joy is sucked out of the room and new curse words are invented.

I’ve been in such a terrible funk since Chico passed away, I wanted to challenge myself to try and learn something new and make something that might be hard for me to do. It was a good distraction and I love it.

RIP Chico, I love you.

Heidi — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:21:30 +0000

Mr. Cheeks Goes To The Vet

Heidi — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:31:50 +0000

Hey folks, Chico isn’t feeling well. I’m sort of freaking out actually. He’s going to the emergency vet this morning, if anyone wants to donate to the Chico fund, please click the donate button below.

Playing With Stripes

Heidi — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:27:57 +0000

I’ve been experimenting with some non-nylon fingering weight yarn in weaving. I am so sad that I destashed a few skeins before I was weaving, look how beautifully this self-striping yarn from RainyDays & WoolyDogs works up will you! It’s her asphodel base.

I’ll definitely be weaving up my gothsocks stash in the coming months!

Turns Out I Love Fava Beans

Heidi — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:23:47 +0000

We just got our first vegetable box today and it was like Christmas. I just kept imagining what I would make with this vegetable or that fruit and I knew what everything was but these:

In my kitchen they looked like giant alien green beans, they were the size of zucchini! With a little help from some friends and the internet, I discovered that they are fava beans and can be a bit of work but are so so worth it once they’re ready. You have to shuck them and then parboil or steam them to remove their inner outer waxy covering.

Once I got them all cleaned I decided to make a pasta sauce with them and I must say it was amazing. I found this recipe on theseasonalchef.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano (I used italian seasoning since I’m out of Oregano)
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked and peeled fava beans
3/4 pound dried fettuccine
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan . Add the garlic and saute until light brown. Stir in the oregano, then add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add 1-1/2 cups of the fava beans. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

2. Scrape into a blender and puree with the remaining 1/2 cup stock until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the remaining 1/2 cup favas. Simmer gently and taste for seasoning. Add salt and especially pepper.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl and add the sauce. Toss well and thin with the pasta water, if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and not sticky. Serve immediately. Grate the cheese over the top at the table.

YUM!

Making Stuff

Heidi — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 23:52:13 +0000

I’ve been seeing tons of cute little folded fabric bags around, so I thought I’d try my hand at one. It’s cute, a bit smaller than a project bag, would be great for notions though. It is fully lined with 3 pockets and a drawstring closure. I used this tutorial if you want to make one for yourself!

More spinning happening

Heidi — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:26:58 +0000

I haven’t been doing much crafting besides spinning lately. I was on a tear and weaving everything I could get my hands on, but it seems I need a little break from that. I did finish 1/2 of a pair of gorgeous knee socks at the beach a few weeks ago.

So lots and lots of yarns coming off of the wheel lately.

I’ve also been working in the garden a bit, it’s still dark and wet here so I can’t plant the good stuff just yet. It rained today and hasn’t been hot enough for tomatoes and that’s really the only plant I care about over the summer.

How are your gardens coming?

Yarn And Fiber Everywhere

Heidi — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:12:49 +0000

I had a great time at Madrona, I am not going to post pics of the yarn and fiber I brought home with me because, well, it’s mine all mine and I am still petting it.

Here’s a pic that my friend Bonnie took of me in the mittens she knit for me. The pattern is called memento mori and I just love them!

And then I finally got around to doing some more weaving.

Here’s something for Angela:

And one for Abbe too!

Just had a very successful first week at a new job. I’m really enjoying myself there. It’s weird, the employees actually all LIKE to work there. It’s crazytown I tell ya!

Hope you all are having a good time too!