Beyonce Coundown Cupcakes

First thing first, if you haven't seen Beyonce's Countdown video, you should watch.  Seperate from the following post, it's just a great video.

This video was the inspiration for my friend's cupcakes that I made yesterday.  Using a basic chocolate cake recipe and store bought frosting, I focused my energy on the design more than the cake itself.

Here's the finished product with a step-by-step after the jump:

Interesting Cupcakes

One of my favorite things to do when it snows - like it is today - is to bake.  This blog has so far focused on knitting quite a bit, but among the topics I intend to showcase here is baking.  To me there is something wonderful about taking ingredients and creating something that is both beautiful and delicious.

The last time it snowed I didn't have any convenient excuses to bake, but today is a good friend's birthday.  I spent some time this morning trying to decide if I would make her cupcakes that are interesting (i.e. unusual flavors of the key lime, Guinness chocolate, or fig-filled varities) or that look interesting (i.e. like a lion, Wonder Woman, or a spaceship).  I'm falling into the latter for this project given the person in question.

I have yet to gather my ingredients, but I figured I would show off some previous cupcakes of the kind I intend to make and tomorrow do a post on what I actually made and how.  For now, enjoy these photos.


First, for my cousin's birthday.  Since she works at the Bronx Zoo and majored in Fish (well, close, but not exactly), my sister and I made lion, elephant, fish, and giraffe cupcakes for her:

I made these for my own birthday a couple years ago.  My favorite animals, from the left, ladybugs, elephants (again), koalas, and turtles:

Etsy Shop Is Open!

Quick Announcement - As of Wednesday evening, my Etsy shop is officially open for business! 

I'm working on adding more items over the coming week, but I'm quite proud of what I have for the site so far.  I made some replicas of the earrings that I've made for myself for years now.  More will be coming soon and I am working on new ideas as well as expanding my color palate.

Also, I created Kindle, iPad, and iPod covers.  These beauties were inspired by the following very manly Kindle case I made for my husband after he received a Kindle from his father for Christmas.  I've made other versions with stripes, owls, and fair isle patterns in the shop. 

   

While most things that I've posted here aren't on the site, the objects here and there share a similar design aesthetic.  So, if you enjoy this site, you'll likely enjoy what's to come over at Etsy.

Owl Scarf

My cousin loves owls.  So when I drew her name in our Christmas swap, I came up with this quick scarf project for her.  I created this chunky scarf with Tahki Yarns Montana.  It has two owls with button eyes on each end with k1, p1 ribbing for the middle. 

Below are instructions to make your own.

The Baby Sophisticate

Sometimes this blog will be a place where I tell stories.  Sometimes I will try to teach you something to do at your home.  Sometimes, like today, I just want to share someone else's great idea. 

Our cousins started having babies this year.  For me, this means it's a great time to practice.  No, not on my mommy skills, but on smaller projects, baby-sized projects.  I made the above sweater a couple months ago for one of our cousin's new baby for Christmas. 

I've wanted to try knitting a sweater in one piece for a little while now, but wasn't ready to take on such a project on a me-sized scale.  The newest baby on my husband's side benefited from my learning on the Baby Sophisticate Pattern. 

I used Classic Elite's Sprout Yarn - which is soft, eco-friendly cotton and also machine washable - for this top down project.  After completing this short, but satisfying project, I think this may be my new favorite way to knit a sweater.

The Stash-Burning Project of 2010

Last winter, craving something chunky and warm to knit, I engaged in an epic stash-burning project.  One of my favorite wools for thick and quick knit scarves is Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride.  I don't love this wool only for the quickness with which it knits up, but also due to the vast array of colors available.

As you get to know me, you'll learn that color is something I crave.  Rich, vibrant colors, like those offered in the Lamb's Pride wool is exactly the kind of thing that excites me about new projects and over the years I managed to accumulate quite a number of not-quite skeins of this wool.  I kept buying it for scarves, hats, and other projects and the leftover yarn sat in my closet waiting for the right project. Last winter that project came.  After all my Christmas sweaters were complete I was looking for something with a shorter sense of gratification and started this granny-squares blanket project. 

Hello World!

Welcome to my new place on the inter-webs!   

This blog and my future Etsy shop have grown out of my hobbies. I have taken pride in creating beautiful objects for myself. Over the years, I've shared my talents with friends and family and have recently decided to take the next step and offer my work on Etsy as well. I would like to use this space as a place to track my work and tell the stories behind the pieces.

I'm a self-taught jewelry and knitting designer.  I've have recently settled in New Hampshire after traveling and living in many parts of the country.  I've always enjoyed writing and this may very well be a great opportunity for me to marry that love with my love of craft. 

I will be adding more over the coming days and weeks, but in the meantime, here's a quick glimpse at the type of knit projects (among others), that you can expect to find here:

Creating the items here has brought me great joy. Joy that I hope to share with you. 


Always,
Ali