Welcome Our Newest Addition: Sophie!

As you know, our much-loved Bearded Collie, Maggie, went to the Rainbow Bridge in October. After she was gone, I really didn't think I wanted another dog. No dog could possibly measure up to her ... and could we possibly put ourselves through more loss??

As the days went by; however, the emptiness and loneliness I felt was really overwhelming. Randy and I started talking about getting another dog in the spring. In the meantime, I decided, I'd focus on cleaning the house and getting my new knitting designs finished.

As we talked about the possibility of getting a dog, Randy decided that, if and when we ever took that step, we should rescue a dog, instead of buying from a breeder, this time around.

So, without any warning, a week ago, on a quiet Sunday morning, I started looking at Petfinder. I stumbled across this photo:

The description read that this little pup was 6 weeks old and had been rescued from a shelter at 3 weeks old, along with her four little brothers. They were being fed goat's milk and were doing well. The Dad, as they understood it, was a cross between a standard poodle and a labrador and the Mom might possibly have been a beagle. Maybe. All the puppies had nicknames with Doodle in them. This one was "Doodle-Loo."

SO, to make a long story short, Amelia, Kent and I drove down to Aiken, SC in the pouring rain last Wednesday and brought little Doodle-Loo home. She is now known as Sophie and even answers to her name!

Sophie's first visit to our veterinarian's! She weighs 7 pounds.

She loves her bed and crawls up in here all by herself! She is such a good girl and doesn't even cry at night in her crate.

I have TONS of books on puppy training now and, seeing the joy Sophie is bringing to my elderly Dad, I have decided she is definitely going to be a therapy dog (if all goes as planned). She will start her first puppy class in January.

It's a fact that we will always miss Maggie and have a special place in our hearts for her. Do you know what? I think our hearts just get bigger as life goes on ... so we can make room for more.

Candy Cane Cozy Coaster Pattern: Free!

Knitted/Felted Canada Goose is all dressed up for Christmas! He and the Gingerbread Man like the new Cozy Coaster for their glass of eggnog. Why don't you give it a try, too? Click here for the free pdf download.

It's knit completely in the round on size US 5 (3.75 mm) double-pointed needles, starting at the top. I used a wonderfully stretchy cotton yarn, Cascade Fixation, held together with a thin, glittery strand from Huntingdon Mills metallic yarns. As you can see, there is a built-in coaster right on the bottom!

No seaming necessary! The pattern makes one about 3.5 inches tall by 3.5 inches wide before allowing for stretching. If you have shorter glasses, you can always knit fewer rounds and begin to purl for the bottom earlier. And, of course, you could change your yarn colors to coordinate with your own decor or party theme.

Mrs. Scotty Dog and her baby pup have decided to join the fun!

Here are some great Christmas books to read while you're sipping your eggnog!

Brightcroft Mystic Magpie "Maggie"
November 30, 1997-October 26, 2011

Our beautiful, brown Bearded Collie, Maggie, was diagnosed with Lymphoma on Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday morning, she could barely walk and was struggling to breathe. Do you know that feeling you get when an elevator drops suddenly? That's how I feel. I miss her so much.

Second Fall Project: PINS!

 Here is a really quick, fun way to wear a little bit of Fall! These 2-1/2 inch pins (acorns, above; pumpkins, below) are wet felted, then attached to the pins with a jump ring and a little bit of embroidery floss. Don't be fooled by how large these look on the jewelry mannequin stand! For the step-by-step directions, keep reading!

 For the pumpkin pins, first take a little bit of orange roving and an even smaller amount of green roving. Put the roving in the palm of your hand, keeping the green toward one end. Add a bit of dishwashing detergent and let hot running water thoroughly soak it. Vigorously rub the roving in between the palms of your hands until it forms a solid ball. You'll notice the green will want to stay on the end, just as it should. I guess it knows its place! If you'd rather make the acorn pins, do the same thing, only use shades of brown/gold roving. Use a darker roving for the acorn cap, just as you used the green roving for the pumpkin's top.
After you have the little balls, let them dry. For the acorns, shape them a little bit at the bottom end so they are not quite so round.

 Once they are dry, you'll need a bit of Number 3 perle embroidery floss in the color you want (or you could just use a double-length of thread), an embroidery needle and a pair of needle-nosed pliers. You'll also need your kilt pin. I bought mine from an eBay seller. You could also just use a safety pin. I also bought a bag of jump rings from Michaels. First, I used the pliers to attach the jump ring to the ring on the pin. If you are using a safety pin, just attach the jump ring anywhere on the pin.

 THEN, thread your embroidery needle and make a knot in one end. Run the needle and thread all the way through the pumpkin or the acorn, from bottom to top. You'll need your pliers to grasp the needle as it emerges at the top. Pull it out, letting the knot catch at the bottom.

 NOW, pull the needle and thread through the jump ring and back into the pumpkin (or acorn), this time from the top down. Pull the needle out at the bottom (again, using the pliers to help). Run it back through again from bottom to top, and again put it through the jump ring. Come back down and pull it out the bottom and, this time, go ahead and trim the floss as close to the bottom as possible. For the acorn, I leave a little bit of floss at the end, beyond my knot, so that it looks like the little point on an acorn. I trim it a little closer on the pumpkin, but the knot looks like the bottom of a pumpkin, so it fits right in!

 Here are some real acorns (very small) and one of my felted ones.

 Did anybody catch the cover of Southern Living this month? I love the display of pumpkins and cabbage and kale! So here's my mini version.

 Aren't the colors wonderful? I also like the variety of pumpkins you can get at the grocery store these days.

Enjoy! If you need any help with the pins, just jot me an email.

First Fall Project: Pumpkin Bread!

Okay, I know I've been a little bit slow on getting those promised Fall projects posted. I'm working on some wet felted and needle felted Fall pins ... so stay tuned for those (I think you're going to like them!!!) ... but in the meantime, here's a delicious Pumpkin Bread recipe that will definitely make your house smell delicious while it's cooking ... and then, when you taste this, you won't believe how moist and fabulous it is!
The recipe is Belle's Easy Pumpkin Bread from the Very Best Baking website. You'll find lots of other great Libby's Pumpkin recipes there, too.

 I sprinkled powdered sugar on top and, really, the taste was just fabulous, if I do say so, myself!

The recipe made two loaves. The only change I made was to reduce the oven temperature to 325-degrees F after an hour. It took about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes for them to be completely cooked. I used brown-tinted glass bread pans, which I know you're not supposed to use ... but still, the bread came out perfectly!

It's Official: Fall Has Arrived!

Just in case you were wondering: Fall is here! I'll be back with some fun Fall and holiday projects! Stay tuned!!

Cake Pops Part II ... Secret to Success!

Cake pop with coating that is way too thick, lumpy and bumpy.

If you know me very well, you know that I do not give up easily. If you recall, my first attempt at making cake pops a few weeks ago was a complete disaster in appearance (although the taste was still pretty good). If you don't recall, you can scroll down and read that entry below. Anyhow, I decided I'd give the project another try.

The worst part about making these little things is the fact that the Wilton Candy Melts simply will not melt to the luxurious, silky-smooth appearance that the "professional" cake pops have. I have purchased four different cake-pop books and not one of them addresses what to do if your candy does not melt to the right consistency. Believe me, consistency is the ENTIRE thing. If your pops are not dipped properly, you will not get the right surface to decorate. It doesn't matter how cute your designs are or how many sprinkles or colors or edible glitter you may have, if your cake pop is lumpy, bumpy and thickly coated, it simply won't look like the pictures. AND let me also offer this little tid bit, if you paint decorations (i.e., little faces) on your cake pops with cocoa butter as so many books recommend, be aware that the cocoa butter features will smear.

Poor, smeared cocoa-butter features

A blurry close-up of another smeared cocoa butter face.

After searching on google for what to do when your candy melts won't melt, I stumbled upon a discussion group on the Bakerella facebook page and VOILA, the secret is buried on page three of the discussion! The answer! This was posted by a very kind person named Cyndi Moore. Just scroll down the page for her entry.
Add two teaspoons of Crisco solid shortening to one package of candy melts. Add more, if necessary. I ended up adding almost two tablespoons' worth. IT WORKED!

Cake pops coated with candy melts that have shortening in them.

Admittedly, I still need LOTS of practice to get these little things to look like the darling photographs, but now there is hope! At least the candy coating is finally the right consistency.