Food For Grown-Ups and Babies: Part 1 - Fried Asparagus with Pasta

Hello everyone, last night for the first time we cooked something our little man could eat with us...mashable, low on salt, easy on babies stomach!

you need
Tagliatelle, enough for Two and a little extra...(you know best how big your appetites are). Boil them according to the back of your package.
Then wash your
green asparagus (500gr) and cut off any dried and woody looking ends. Cut them length wise in half (thicker ones even quarter!) and then cut the halves into 3 cm long pieces.

Melt
80 gr butter in a frying pan, add
half a teaspoon of sugar and caramelise it in the melted butter, then add
1 tablespoon of olive oil, add the chopped asparagus, and fry on medium to semi-high heat for 10 minutes, keep stirring. It doesn't matter if they get a little brown. After the time is up taste one to make sure they are done! Add
a little black pepper,  and
100 ml fresh cream, let it simmer until the cream starts to get thick, add about 2-3 table spoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and
4 leaves of chopped fresh wild garlic, just before you serve the dish.

After taking out a portion for your littlest family members (blend before serving) you can add
a little salt to the portion left for the grown-ups.

Happy Easter Egg Hunt...

Baby Chuck-style shoes

Our apartment has mainly stone tiles. For that reason our little man needs warm foot wear! I am always on the lookout when I am at car boot sales and flea markets for soft baby shoes, but our son is crawling on biiiig feet for a man of his size! He is a size 21 now at the age of 8 months. That means soft soled shoes are getting scares. I came across a crochet pattern for new born chucks, and thought I might be able to adapt them to his feet.
They did turn out a good bit bigger than I thought they would though, so now he can still grow into them...

I will try to explain how you can figure out how to make them fit your own munchkins. First you need a shoe that fits well (for size comparison). And of course two colours of  wool and a crochet hook (should be maybe a little smaller than advised, that way you will get a shoe that's a little bit warmer).


For the sole: (here in grey wool, or if you want to make them the proper chuck style, use white?)

I started with 8 ch (=chain) and then start with first round (You do not close it to a loop you simply go around it from both sides).
1. Rnd (= round): start with 2 ch, then make 2 hdc (= half double crochet) into the first s (= stitch), then one hdc into the next 6 s, the next s you put 4 hdc's in and then into the next 6 s 1 hdc, the last one you double again with 2 hdc finish off round with a ss (= slip stich).
2. Rnd: 2 ch,  double the next 2 s with 2 hdc, then next 8 s are simple hdc, next 4 s double with 2hdc in each s, then single hdc into next 8 s, double next 2 with 2 hdc, finish of round with a ss.
3.  - x-th Rnd: 2 ch, double next 2 s with 2 hdc, then simple hdc until you are at opposite end, then double next 2 s with 2 hdc, then simple hdc, until last 2 s of round, those you double again, finish off round with a ss. You make the amount of rounds until you have your oval shaped sole at the size of a fitting shoe, or maybe a little bigger ?! -> see above pic ;-)

y-zz-th Rnd: 2 ch, then one hdc in every s finish off round with 2 ss, this is the
side of the shoe that starts to come up and not really the sole anymore. Very small shoes would need 3 rounds, bigger ones 4-5 rounds.

Finish off!


toe cap: (also in grey)

1. Rnd: You start at front middle of sole (see picture for orientation)
with 2 sc (= single crochet) in a small shoe a bigger one would need 3 - 4 sc
2. Rnd:  1 ch, double all s
3. - x-th Rnd: 1 ch, double first and last s of each round, others in between all sc.
A small shoe would need 4 rounds altogether a bigger one may 2-4 rows more.

At end sew the sides of toe cap to side of sole (for orientation look at picture)

bootleg: (here in red wool)
first 3 to 5 Rnds depending on size of shoe: start on right hand side right behind toe cap:  1 sc in each s until you reach the left side right behind toe cap
next 4-8 Rnds, depending on size of shoe: decrease first and last two s, all others in between  1 sc per s.
next 3 - 5 Rnds. 1sc in each s
finish off with grey rim once around the whole bootleg (see picture for orientation)

tongue of the shoe: (in red wool)

start from one end of bootleg over the toe cap towards the other end of bootleg (see picture for orientation)

in the smallest version you probably don't need one at all, in bigger ones
first 1-3 Rnds: 1 sc in each s
Next Rnds decrease first and last s, in between those normal sc,
last round should be just one decreased sc.
finish off
Now just find some pretty shoe laces or you can take wool, but that wont last too long once your shoes are in use. If you have any questions, shoot me an email, or just post a comment.

Fast-made Hat for Babies

I just couldn't make up my mind which one to post....


I tested a sewing machine today. One my sister handed me down, because my old 1950s model I normally use, just can't handle the material. The transport seems to fail, and then my needle brakes. It got very frustrating... But still, I just love this old Lady!


I took a well fitting hat and traced it onto an old T-shirt, having the material in 2 layers!

Cut it out adding an extra cm for the seems.

If you like the little knot on top just add a little extra strap to your pattern, as seen above.

Next, sew the 2 layers together. Don't sew the top bit under the strap as you'll have to pull them out, when turning the hat to the other side.
Finally just knot the 2 laces and your hat is finished.

I just added a little smiling spider for the wee man, so the hat wouldnt be too boring looking.

Because the T-Shirt material is so soft, this happend to be our first non-tear hat experience! Now I only need an inspiration for a non-tear winter suit and/or coat. Have you got any ideas for me?

Puck sleeping bag for infants

When I went to ante-natal classes, my midwife expressed many times how much she preferred those type of sleeping bags for esp. newborns. As my son was born last summer, a very hot one may I add! I attempted to sew a very light and thin one myself out of an old cotton cushion cover and some left over cuff material. The pattern I made myself: You basically pick the length and width you think your baby will need, add a little for baby growth. And draw it on some old newspaper or packing paper, cut it out , fix it with needles to your material and cut it out four times (allow a little extra for seams). Make it into 2 sacks. Inside and outside sack have the same size. I then doubled the cuffmaterial, and sewed inside sack to one and outside sack to the other, then stuffed the inside one inside the outside one, and stitched the bottom. Bar the cuff bit the whole lot was very easy.
I really liked the old needlework I integrated. It used to be at the front of the cushion case I used as material.

 But all in all I have to admit, I used that sleeping bag only in emergencies, when all the others where in the washing machine or in the dryer. I happened to find it impractical. And I don't think the wee man really liked the cuff bit around his belly as he was suffering a lot from colics at the time. I prefer the ones with buttons over the chest, no arms and a zip around the legs for fast access to the diaper at night.  So all in all I can't really advise you to go through all that trouble, but I thought I would still make a post about it, just in case you have a midwife similar to mine, this might save you the trouble and work. :-)