Wednesday, August 31, 2011

O,T. Easy Recipe For No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

This has got to  be the easiest, quickest cookie recipe on the face of the earth.  Another plus is that in this hot weather we're all having, you don't have to heat up the house by using an oven to cook these cookies!  Here ya go:






Recipe:  No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies


In a heavy sauce pan, mix:
1/2 cup milk
2 C sugar
Cook on high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to boil.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  (that's all the cooking you will have to do)


Add:
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 C peanut butter (I used creamy but chunky would be great too)
3 C quick cook oatmeal

Mix together well.
Roll into 1 " balls or you can drop by the teaspoonful onto waxed paper or parchment paper.
It only takes one cookie sheet as you can place the cookies close to each other, they will not be spreading at all.

My daughter likes them best when they're still warm.  When cool they have a fudgy quality that is very good - and somewhat good for you too.  ;-)


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Crochet News: Free Pattern; Toddler Ballet Beret

When I missed my great-niece's third birthday party I felt so sad I had to do something constructive and creative to make myself feel better and to give my little niece a handmade gift by Great Aunt Cyndi.  (Emphasize the GREAT!  j/k)

Since Emma wants to be a ballerina (along with my grand daughter Madison and about every other  toddler out there!) I decided to make her a pair of ballet leg warmers (pattern coming soon!) and this little beret to match the leg warmers.  Winter IS coming, it's just around the corner and that means CHRISTMAS! (Let me be the  first to be so mean as to remind you how close Christmas really is, especially if you hand make all your gifts.)

Here's the pattern for the beret, as I said a leg warmer pattern to match is on it's way.

Make It In A Day:
Crochet Toddler Ballet Beret
copyright 2011
by Cynthia J Luciene

PDF download for this pattern is here
*Note:  You don't have to download the file, it is possible to just open it to view using Adobe Acrobat Reader.   (Choose the "view" option when the download  window pops up)
The file is hosted by Mediafire which has turned out to be a very reliable and stable file host for me...  And it's free, you don't have to register to download my files.

Have fun, send photos of your completed Ballet Beret projects to me HERE 

I can't wait to see my little great-niece wearing her beret and leg warmers with the ballet dress and tutu my mother got her for her birthday this year!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Crochet News: Bikini Top Pattern Finally Here

Finally, now that summer is almost over, I finished writing the pattern for the lacy bikini top, what I call Booby Traps.  heh, heh.  I'm trying to think of what to call the bottoms?  Butt hatches?  Not.  I dunno.  Anyway, here's the pattern for free, for the yellow top by request.


As I said in an earlier post, I don't recommend wearing the top like this, with a tee shirt underneath but I'm too bashful to show anymore skin than you see here.  heh heh.


(pattern is also available free of charge as a PDF download on HERE)


Please link to this page when sharing this pattern, thank you.











Lacy Bikini Top Pattern
aka
Boobie Traps

crochet
copyright 2011 by Cynthia J Luciene
You may share this pattern but you may not sell it.
You can however, sell anything you make using this pattern
.

Materials:
1 Ball (less than 1) 100 % cotton crochet thread size 3 (I like Aunt Lydia's Fashion Crochet or Royale Fashion Crochet Thread because it has a nice sheen)
Size F hook

NOTE: Work in U-shaped rows
Terms: sc ; single crochet
dc; double crochet
ch; chain
dc group; 2 dc worked in same stitch
st; stitch
rem; remaining
Instructions: (Make 2)
ch 14
Row 1: sc in 3rd ch from hook and in next 11 chs across. 3 sc in 12th ch (end), turning work 90 degrees,
sc in each of the unused loops from beginning ch 14. ch 1, turn. (25 sc total in u-shape)
Row 2: 1 sc in each of next 12 st, 3 sc in next (middle of 3sc group in end), sc in each 12 rem st. ch 1,
turn. (27 sc)
Row 3: sc in next 13 st, 3 sc in end sc; sc in rem 13 st (29 sc) ch 1, turn
Row 4: sc in next 14 st, 3 sc in end sc; sc in rem 14 st (31 sc) ch1, turn
Row 5: ch 2 more, dc in same st as ch 3 – dc group made - , (skip 1 st, 2 dc in next – dc group made - )
repeat 14 times, dc in last st, ch 3, turn.
Row 6: (2 dc between dc in next dc group) 7 times, 2 dc in next space between dc group just worked
and next 2 dc group, 2 dc between next 2 dc, (2 dc between dc of next dc group) 7 times, 2 dc between
last stitch and turning ch 3. Ch 3, turn.
Row 7: sc between first 2 dc, (ch 3, sc between dc of next dc group) repeat around: 17 ch 3 loops. Ch
1. turn.
Row 8: sc in first ch 3 loop, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 loop) 17 times. Ch 3, turn.
Row 9: sc in first ch 3 loop, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 loop) 16 times. Ch 1, turn.
Row 10: sc in first ch 3 loop, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 loop) 16 times. Ch 1, turn. (16 ch 3 loops)
Row 11: 3 sc in first ch 3 loop and in each ch 3 loop around.
Turn work so you can make following row using ends of rows 1-11.
(This will be the bottom edge of cup)
Row 12: ch 3, work 29 dc evenly across the ends of rows 1-11. Turn.
Row 13: ch 4 -counts as 1 dc plus ch 1- skip 1 st, dc in next, (ch 1, skip 1 st, dc in next) across (14 dc
and ch 1 spaces) (This makes a “casing” for the tie that goes underneath the boobies.)
Row 14: ch 1, turn. Sc in first dc, sc in next ch1 space, (sc in next dc, sc in next ch1 space) 13 more
times across, sc in top of turning ch. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Ties
Measure your midriff and make a chain that long plus enough to make a secure bow tie in the middle of
your back. Everyone's trunks are different sizes, it's best to figure this part out yourself and to how
long you prefer the tie in back. I made mine quite long, which irritated me because the ends of the ties
tickled the small of my back. If they were too short the tie in back could come undone easily and then
your boobies would no longer be trapped! Yikes!
Once you've got a chain the length appropriate for you and before you weave the ends in, string one
end (single strand at end of your chain) into a yarn needle and use that to weave the chain length in and
out of the “casing” you made in Row 13.
Neck Ties:
Find the middle of Row 11 at the top of the cup (rounded side). This ought to be the space between 2
of the 3-sc groups.
Attach crochet thread with a slip stitch, ch 1, sc in same space and start chaining until you get a
satisfactory length to suit you.
Make a long enough chain that will reach from the top of the bikini cup, reach the middle of your neck,
and have enough to make a secure bow tie at nape of neck. I tried very hard to count how many chains
it took but was not able to keep track of my stitches, I am sorry. That's the way things are in my house,
lots of interruptions and needy humans and animals.
Repeat instructions above for other cup.
Weave in ends and you're done. Now you just have to be coordinated enough to get those ties tied
without help. Good luck. I found by putting the top on backwards, with the cups in back first, and
tying the bow for the middle of my back, turning the top around, placing the traps (cups) where they
should be, (and placing my boobies where they should be!) then I pulled the neck ties up and tied a
bow at the nape of my neck. Whew!
Enjoy your Boobie Traps! It is easy to make this bikini top larger (I”m SO jealous!) by adding rows
after row 11. Just keep working the chain 3 loops around in a u-shape as you'd been doing and you will
do fine. If you have questions about this pattern or any other I have posted on my blogsite, you can email me  HERE