C in DC

Yes, I am one of those crazy people who bakes for the pets in her life. Today Raja, aka the Most Spoiled Dog in the Universe, turns two…

So I made a batch of these…

Comprised of whole wheat flour, flaxseed, oatmeal, cornmeal, and peanut butter, they’re healthy, delicious, and (unintentionally) vegan. I will admit to sneaking bites of the dough while I was rolling it out.

This argyle vest has been on my queue forever, and I finally cast on for it this weekend:

I’m really liking the color combination (the yarn is Knitpicks Merino Style in Cinnamon and Vanilla), and the argyle pattern is quite additive. My goal was to have this done by the time I go to Europe in late November, but it looks like it will be finished much sooner.

Hope you guys aren’t getting sick of these. These are my end-of-the-week bentos, in which I tried to use up things. A lot of the fresh veggies came from my parents’ garden.

This is the bento I made for S: Grilled terriyaki tofu over a bed of cabbage, stir-fried vegetables (carrots, celery, red and green pepper, yellow squash, ginger, and green onion), and edamame with a tomato rose.

This is the not-as-attractive but still delicious bento I made for myself: Tuna salad in a cucumber cup, cabbage tossed with lemon juice and sea salt, egg salad, and a summer salad comprised of tomato, cucumber, celery, green pepper, parsley, and basil.

So here are the contents of the bundle I posted earlier this week:

My good friends from college are having a baby girl that’s due in late October (possibly on my birthday, or Halloween!). The baby shower was last weekend, so I decided to make a little outfit for the baby.

Sweater: Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss, made with Debbie Bliss cotton DK.

My only complaint about this pattern is that it ran very big. I planned for this to be a summer outfit, so I followed the instructions for a 6-9 month baby, but it looks like the sweater would better fit a 5-year-old. Thankfully the parents are both very tall, so perhaps I can hope for a big baby.

The yarn, however, is absolutely fantastic. Light, soft, and breathable, it was a dream to work with and I got lots of compliments on the color.

Hat and Romper: I actually used a pattern for this sewing project (McCall’s M5648). I was very happy with how these pieces came out; the hat was especially easy and cute.

The fabric has some history behind it, as it was used to decorate my room when I was a baby. My grandmother gave me the leftover material– which there is quite a lot of– when I decided to take up sewing. Isn’t it adorable?

And finally… the bootees, made from the very popular Saartje’s Bootees pattern and more Debbie Bliss cotton. These were insanely fun to make and only took me a couple nights. I couldn’t get a good picture of the buttons, but they have little ducks on them.

I’m not terribly fond of babies, but I do like making baby clothes! I love how tiny they are, and how fast they knit up, and it’s a great opportunity to use cute fabrics that no self-respecting adult would be caught dead in.

Right Compartment: Nori and scallion omelet wrapped around carrot, cucumber, yellow squash, and red pepper.

Top Left Compartment: Egg salad in a tomato cup, edamame.

Lower Left Compartment: Yellow squash and cucumber tossed with rice vinegar and black sesame seeds.

Here’s my latest project, all bundled up and ready to be delivered to its recipient:

I will be revealing the contents of it soon!

I’ve always had an interest in bento boxes, as they combine my loves of cooking and visual art.

This is my first attempt at making my own bento boxes; I assembled these around 3 AM when I couldn’t sleep. They’re comprised of carryout leftovers (sushi, seaweed salad, and seafood stir fry) with vegetable embellishments I made myself.

On an unrelated note, I thought I’d remind everyone that the Perseids peak tonight. For those in the Washington, DC area, this should be a good year for it because the weather is perfect and the moon will be setting around 2 AM.

No real updates (yet), so I thought I’d share a picture of the birthday present I’m sending to a dear friend who lives on the other side of the country.

Source: Vintage Chick Designs

I wish I was talented enough to make such beautiful jewelry!