art, etc.

Today I visited Art in Bloom at the MFA. The museum commissions florists to create arrangements inspired by works of art. Here are some of my favs:

I also loved this gold bead door way in the new contemporary wing. 

We also visited the new Alex Katz exhibit, which I really enjoyed. If you are in the Boston area this summer, be sure to check it out!

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WHEN I'M NOT HAPPY WITH HOW A PROJECT TURNS OUT

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WHEN A FIRST TIME KNITTER SHOWS ME THEIR WORK

On the outside I'm like:

On the inside I'm like:

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anna knits - small bag

I decided to give the needlepoint iphone case I made away as a gift, and since the person I am giving it to loves little knitted things, I decided to make a small bag to put the case inside instead of using wrapping paper.

The pattern is available for free here. It is meant to be a make-up bag, but I adjusted the pattern to make it fit an iphone snuggly by taking away the edges of the pattern, thereby decreasing the width by 6 rows. I used Noro Kureyon rainbow yarn, which my Aunt gave me, on size 7 needles. It took less than 1 skein. I made the handle using an icord. 

I fist saw the pattern on Ravlery, and you can see my Ravelry post about it here. I really love some of the other projects Ravelry users put up for the make-up bag. Here is one of my favorites:

photo by © marialaine

The knitter used a used a Fair Isle Knitting and size 3 needles. What a great idea! 

I hope to make a smaller version of this bag with a cotton based yarn to use as little gift bags. They would be great for putting a gift card inside. Here is an example of a Ravelry user's work with a cotton yarn. 

photo by © HelenKnitting

It is always a struggle to find knitting projects for the summer, but this is an easy (but not too easy) and fun one! Do you have any ideas for summer knitting? 

anna cooks - dessert

I got in the mood to make some madeleines after watching this video from the new BBC show The Little Paris Kitchen.

I read about Rachel Khoo a few years ago and have been dying to go to her in home restaurant -- but alas it is now closed. You can read more about her at her website.

I modified her recipe, found here, for American measurements, and to make it a bit easier. I left out the rasberries and lemon curd, because I didn't have the right ingredients on hand, but I hope to try it soon.

Lemon Honey Madeleines - makes 18 cookies

What you need:

- 3/4 c. unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1.5 tbsp. honey
- 1 tspn. vanilla
- 3 tbsp. milk (I used half-and-half bc I had it on hand)
- 3/4 c. flour
- 1 tspn. baking soda
-1/8 tspn. salt

What you do:

1. Melt the butter and let cool.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and frothy.
3. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the lemon zest.
4. Mix the honey, vanilla, and milk with the cooled butter, then add to the egg mixture.
5. In two batches, fold in the flour.
6. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.

7. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven 350F.
8. Heavily butter and flour a 12-shell madeleine tin.
9. Fill the tin with the batter so that each mold is almost filled to the top (you may want to use a pipping bag).
10. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on top.
11. Transfer to a cooling rack.


~enjoy~

I'm thinking of adding lavender to my next batch, or maybe creating a salted caramel version!

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anna cooks - lunch

What's for lunch? A Photo Recipe.

Spaghettini Aglio Olio with Last Night's Broccoli

What you need:

What you do:

What you eat:

Yum.

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Jumping on the craze of the tumblr #whatshouldwecallme, which features a series of GIFs with hilarious commentary, I've created a knitting inspired version: #whatshouldweknitme.

WHEN I KNIT SOMETHING FOR MY BOYFRIEND

He's like:

I'm like:

And for my Brown peeps, check out the Brown inspired tumblr #whenatbrown.

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anna facebooks

New cover photo at the anna knits, etc. facebook group! Like us:

anna needlepoints - update 2

So I finished the first round of the pattern for my needlepoint iphone case from Connect Design.

I made a few mistakes, and the thread the kit came with ran out about halfway through, so I had to switch to a thread of a slightly darker hue (notice the color change). All in all though, I'm happy with how it turned out. 

Now I have to decide if I want to fill in the blank spaces with cross-stitch of a contrast color. I'm kind of leaning against it, because I don't want there to be too much thread on the back of the case so that it doesn't fit the phone properly. 

Here is the pattern from Connect Design I used (different colors, of course):

Since I really enjoyed this cross-stitch project, I started looking at patterns online. I found this Downton Abbey inspired pattern from the Etsy shop The Cottage Nest. BTW check out my new "watching now" tab on the right hand sidebar of this blog to see my current tv obsession. Right now it is Downton Abbey Season 2.

Here is another Downton pattern from the Esty shop Book Pilgrim. It made me laugh...

 

anna gifts - birthday party in a box

Finding the perfect gift is both a talent and an art. In this blog post I wanted to share a birthday gift I recently made: A Birthday Party in a Box. I got the idea from the blog You Are My Fav. It is a great present to send to a long-distance friend. You can customize the contents with whatever party items you think s/he will enjoy. Here is the one I made:

I bought all of the party contents at iParty, except for the box itself, which is an old lettuce container I washed out. The sign reads: Birthday Party in a Box! Just add friends. The total cost for the party contents was under $15. 

Content includes:

- Blank business card that I turned into a mini invitation

- Blue crate paper

- Noise makers

- Confetti popper

- Solo cups

- Electronic candles

- Balloons

- Happy Birthday banner

- Beaded necklaces

I packaged it with a homemade card and the real gift (custom stationary from the Etsy shop Honizukle Press, which turned out wonderful!) on top.

Thank you You Are My Fav for this great idea. I look forward to putting together some other themed boxes.

anna etsys

Check out my new Etsy listing: READY TO SHIP // spiral top tea cosy

This spring inspired, hand knit tea cosy makes a great gift for Mother's Day! It snuggly fits a small, 2 cup teapot. Measures 5 inches wide and 5 inches tall (height excludes non-functioning top and bottom roll). Made of Cascade 220 100% wool. 

Knitted in a smoke-free home.

ENJOY FREE SHIPPING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES!

rose, etc.

While bright colors have been the dominate trend this season, the color "rose" is one of my favorite spring hues. It is a nice transition into the warmer weather, and it looks great on us pale folks who are not ready to pull off bright reds and pinks.

This is a sweater my dad bought for me from j. crew a few years ago before my first internship. I still love the color and wear it with grays and whites. 

Below are a pair of loafers I bought last summer, also from j. crew. I love the mix of the pastel shoes with the bright, red nails. 

Another trend I'm loving this season is rose gold. This rose gold ring from Gabriela Artigas would be great for stacking.

And when I'm super rich, I'm going to buy myself a rose gold Rolex.

Another rose trend for spring, is rose in foods and drinks. Today I had a delicious rose flavored fro-yo from Berryline near the Porter Square T stop. If you are in the Boston area, you must try this!

organizing, etc.

In this post, I wanted to share with you my knitting needle organizer. My mom made it for me back when I was in high school, and it has held up beautifully!

My mom got the pattern for this organizer from Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller. It is a great book for patterns, as well as to learn basic knitting techniques. 

If you are looking to make your own organizer, check out this DIY guide from the blog Made by Loulabelle.

There are also some adorable knitting needle organizers on etsy. I'm particularly loving this one from sarahkincheloe -- even though this one is for crochet hooks :).

I took some time to organize my yarn today, which I keep in this great basket (another gift from my Mom!)

Notice the tea cosies, available at my etsy store, chilling with my yarn stash!

anna sells

Mother's Day is around the corner and the anna knits, etc. pink raspberry tea cosy is still available on etsy! Pair it with a small tea pot for a gift your mom will adore.

Get it while you still can! And feel free to email me directly at annaknitsetc(at)gmail(dot)com to place a custom order!

anna needlepoints - update 1

Here is an update on my iphone needlepoint case from Connect Design.

It is slow going but definitely getting much easier. I hope to fill in the pattern with a light blue, though right now I am enjoying this bubble gum pink. It is a color I saw in flowers throughout the Boston Public Garden today.

Pink and green is such a beautiful color combination. I need to start wearing it!

anna cooks - dinner

Ok, I'm going to brag a little bit -- I made a wonderful dinner tonight. I wanted to share the recipes, because the meal turned out so well. Plus it was easy to make and easy on the wallet.

The main dish was Braised Chicken with Shallots, which is available as a free recipe on the Martha Stewart webpage. I initially found the recipe in the book Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day. I bought my book at Marshalls -- best place to buy cook books!

I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of my meal because my boyfriend and I gobbled it up so fast, but this is what it looked like. (Really it did!)

When I made this meal before, I served it with french bread or rice, but this time I made popovers. I had never made them before, but they were super easy and delicious! Luckily for me, my roommate has great popover cups that are stick-proof. I just used a recipe from All Recipes. It had gotten a bunch of positive reviews, which I've found to be a reliable way to  judge recipes online. 

We finished the meal with some chocolate covered orange rinds my boyfriend brought back from Paris when he visited a few weeks ago. If you find yourself over there be sure to pick some up at Un Dimanche à Paris: Le Concept-Store tout Chocolat, located at 4-6-8 Cour du Commerce Saint André - Paris 6ème.

I'll definitely be making this meal again!