pasta incognito

Posted on September 4, 2004 by mariko

There’s something about orzo that I find captivating. I don’t know if it’s because it is pasta disguised as rice, the whole yin-yang/carb-carb thing, but I just like it.
orzo salad.JPG
This orzo salad is adapted from a recipe from Bon Appetit. Since nearly half of the ingredients are different, I figure it is a salad in its own right.
Read on for the recipe…

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Posted in cooking | 2 Comments

miniature donuts

Posted on September 2, 2004 by mariko

I’ve been getting some nice little packages in the mail lately, thanks to my blogging buddies (Joanna, Carolyn, Thuy, Jennifer, to name a few). Today I got some items that just blew me away, so you’ve got to take a look. Here’s the beautifully decorated package:
amy package.JPG
The package is from Amy, who JUST launched her blog. Not only did she draw those luscious donuts, but she also made the rubber stamp that is used on the card! And inside that little box?
amy donut.JPG
Cutest stitch marker in the world. Not only that, but she also included 2 donut charms for earrings and a donut charm for a necklace or bracelet. And NOT ONLY THAT, but she freaking MADE the donuts out of clay! She makes miniature food out of clay!!! She is a genius! Anything miniature is good (unless, of course, it’s chocolate. It’s always better to have giant chocolate).

Posted in other crafting | 9 Comments

embrace the lull

Posted on September 1, 2004 by mariko

I think I might start knitting one of my ArtFibers projects next, but in the meantime, I’m just enjoying the In-betweenness of Knitting. Besides, it’s too hot to start a project right now (if that makes any sense).
So last night I made this:
scrubbie.JPG
I know I’ve gone on and on about these Japanese scrubbies, but can you believe this is the first one I’ve made? I kind of messed it up, but it should be functional enough. It seems like Japanese acrylic yarn is different from US acrylic. My Japanese scrubbies seem to have more texture, while the American acrylic yarn is more slippery or something. But you know, I should have better things to obsess about than the scrubby factor of handknit dishrags.

Posted in knitting | 11 Comments

random acts of striping

Posted on August 31, 2004 by mariko

Will wonders never cease? It’s a finished object! Here’s Stripes Go Round:

striper.JPG

You know, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this sweater, what with the scoopy neck and all, but I really like it. It is very comfortable (the Classic Elite Star is nice and stretchy), and I added an extra round of decreases plus additional rows to the top to curtail the scoopiness. The pattern is from the summer 2004 issue of Interweave Knits.
I usually work on one project at a time, so now I am in that Bermuda Triangle of “in between projects.” I have plenty of projects on hand, but which to select? It’s still too warm to knit a fall or winter project? Does anyone else get a slightly lost feeling after completing a project?

Posted in knitting | 21 Comments

wire wrapper’s delight

Posted on August 30, 2004 by mariko

I’ve been doing more beading lately, and I have to say I am not very skilled. It takes a lot more practice than one might think! Anyway, here is my first attempt at a wire wrapped bracelet:
bracelet.JPG
Sorry it’s kind of an extreme closeup and therefore slightly scary. I think it’s possible to spend more time in a bead store than in a yarn store, but I’m not quite sure. Maybe we should test out that theory?

Posted in other crafting | 16 Comments

hey kool-aid!!

Posted on August 29, 2004 by mariko

I saw some Kool-Aid totes on Stella’s blog (see July 29 post) and thought it’d be fun to make one. I envisioned not a tote but a mini duffel, and here’s how it turned out:
koolaid duffel.JPG
It was pretty interesting sewing on these foil wrappers. The worst part was bleeding the bladders of the blue Kool-Aid (my arms turned blue) and cleaning the wrappers. It sewed up fairly quickly, but the foil wrappers don’t perform well under too much handling, so hidden seams and turning things inside out probably wasn’t such a great idea. Still, I think it came out pretty cute (cutely?), and it’s waterproof!
Specs: I basically made up the pattern as I went along. I used one case of juice (9 packages). I sewed 3 together for the front, and another 3 together for the back. For the bottom I cut one package in half and sewed it into a long strip. I then sewed the front and the back to the bottom strip, sewed the webbing on (one long piece), then the zipper. I then kind of guessed on the size of the circular side pieces. It was necessary to cut one more package in half and sew the half to one full piece to make it wide enough for the circles. Sew the side circles on with right sides together. It will be messy, and you’ll have to use pins, which will leave holes. Contact me if you have questions!

Posted in sewing | 10 Comments

bing bing!!

Posted on August 27, 2004 by mariko

This blog is quickly degenerating into some big candy fest, isn’t it? Well, hopefully I’ll have some crafty things to share later this weekend, but in the meantime, it’s all about CANDY. Check out what came in the mail today:
twin bings.JPG
Yahoo! These were very generously sent to me by Jennifer*, aka Major Knitter. Twin Bings are made by Palmer Candy in Sioux City, and Sioux City happens to be Jennifer’s hometown (she lives in NYC and has been setting up knitting gatherings, so you New Yorkers should get in touch with her!). I love the Twin Bings! Jennifer also included an article about CEO Marty Palmer.
*Talk about a small world. I “met” Jennifer through my friend Melissa, who was in the Marines with Jennifer long ago. And I met Melissa years ago via an ultrarunning listserv (yes, a time before blogs).

Posted in candy/chocolate | 2 Comments

you say tomato

Posted on August 26, 2004 by mariko

I am suffering from a serious lack of blog fodder today, so I guess I will just show you these tomatoes:
tomatoes.JPG
We belong to a CSA so we get fresh, organic veggies each week. Today I marinated some tomatoes with locally produced olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil. Later I threw in some beets that I roasted yesterday (wrapped them in foil and grilled them on the bbq for an hour). That, along with a baguette and brie, was dinner (though I have to confess that after dinner I nearly went to Jack in the Box for curly fries and those chocolate malts with chocolate chunks in them, but I didn’t have any cash, and I don’t know if fast food joints take credit cards?).
Thanks for your interest in the candy swap (and thanks, too, to those of you who signed on to help me get a free iPod!!). I have a Yahoo group set up already, but I haven’t done anything with it yet. I don’t want to step on the toes of the Candyalong, so I thought I’d wait until October or so (why October? I don’t really know, but it IS the ultimate candy month, and I just love Halloween so much it makes me crazy, and I just want to touch all the bags of Halloween candy and roll around in them). I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, keep your candy eyes peeled.

Posted in cooking | 11 Comments

keep the candy coming!

Posted on August 25, 2004 by mariko

How much do I love the Candyalong? Just take a look at the sweet treats MJ sent me!
candyalong candy.JPG
She was very brave and included chocolate in the package (we are both in warm parts of California). YUMMY. I tore into that Ritter bar pretty quickly, but first I had a “pudding marshmallow.” It was so soft I had to rub it against my face!
All this candy love has inspired me to start a candy swap group. I probably won’t really get it going for a couple of months, but when I do, I’ll let you know. I have all sorts of ideas for it (random candy swaps, gourmet chocolate swaps, seasonal swaps, regional candy swaps).

Posted in candy/chocolate | 18 Comments

discoveries are waiting to be made

Posted on August 24, 2004 by mariko

Sometimes life can get a bit mundane, but when it does, it’s nice to focus on the little things that make each day different and unique. Oh, do I sound like a cheeseball? Anyway, I was at the grocery store, which can be a drag, especially when the store is full of bitter and unhelpful employees and baggers who like to throw cans willy nilly into your bag ON TOP of your lettuce. I needed some dishwashing soap, so I ambled down that aisle and found THIS:

ajax soap.jpg

Behold, GRAPEFRUIT-SCENTED dishwashing liquid! The aroma that makes me dizzy with glee! I didn’t even know Ajax made dishwashing liquid. Heck, I didn’t know anyone even SOLD Ajax anything anymore! It was really quite exciting.
And now for a free iPod update: Thanks to everyone who offered to help me out. I have since discovered that once you have an account on freeipods.com, you can no longer be used as a referral for someone else! This means I cannot swap referrals. It is a bummer. I guess this is basically a pyramid scheme. Anyway, I think I have enough referrals, but I’m not positive. If you still feel generous and wish to help, here is my referral link.

Posted in General | 9 Comments