Whisk oil, vinegar, orange peal and remaining 3 Tablespoons orange juice in small bowl to blend. Mix in cranberries. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper (can be prepared 1 day ahead). Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. The beauty of learning a new technique on a hat is, well, because hats are small! That means sizing and shaping issues are minimal and the time commitment to finish is short. Which boils down to less risk of investing in an expensive project that you never finish because you find yourself bogged down with troubling sizing issues or complicated pattern instructions which invariably lead to a project that languishes for want of love and attention. Begin by soaking dried fruit, mixed peel and cherries overnight in brandy. I use enough to cover the fruit mixture entirely plus an extra 1/2 inch so that all the fruit is soaked well because, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I enjoy a strong brandy flavor to my cake. Almost all of it will be absorbed by morning. Drain off excess prior to using. A blogging friend, Tracy of Pink Purl recently featured this post reviewing the book My Dearest Friend, Abigail and John Adams, which is a closer view of this extraordinary couple. The only modification (really a substitution) is that I use plain whole wheat flour instead of "pastry" whole wheat flour. I also skip the coconut extract, simply because I don't have any on hand and never seem to remember to buy any. I'm pretty generous with the quantity of unsweetened coconut, which I love. It's hard to find unsweetened coconut flakes but you might find it in the organic food section.

Using A, attach with long tail to last row, Ch 1, working BLO, sc through both rows in each dc and 5 sc, FO. This creates an open collar. Of course, wearing an appropriately saucy apron while doing your holiday baking does help put one in the proper mood! As will listening to cheery holiday music. My favorite holiday CD is Martina McBride's White Christmas which was recommended by the lovely Renee of Renee Knits too last year. Thank you Renee, I love listening to this CD!With ends, knot 2 strands (one each of 2 colors from a section next to each other. This creates a v-shape. Rep around until all strand have been knotted. It has always been our tradition to take a family walk on Christmas Day. Once the turkey is in the oven we all bundle up and go for a walk on the beach. It's a nice time of togetherness. Coming home we are greeted by the smell of roasting turkey and the beautifully decorated tree. Below is a picture of me and sister walking on the beach on a Christmas morning that has long since past. Yet I still return home and walk on the beach with my parents every year.

Following her lead, I set about finding my own inspiration to make a brooch.... which led to Steve wanting to know why I was taking pictures of weeds. I patiently explained that these were not weeds, they were my inspiration! Row 2: With smaller hook, ch 1, sc BLO in next 20 sts; with larger hook, dc BLO in next 45 sts, FO A, turn. Prepare cake pan. Trace a liner in wax paper by using your cake pan as a template. Cut out forms to fit bottom of pan and strips to line sides. Use butter to moisten pan which will hold the wax paper in place. Set baking pan aside while you prepare your cake mix.If you’re new to making a capelet, it is a short cape that fits around the shoulders. This easy Christmas crochet capelet is size-inclusive and can be modified to fit anyone.

To emphasize the "caplet" nature of this shawl I added leaf ties reminiscent of what might adorn a cloak. My leaf ties are modeled after the leaf ties on the Cropped Cardigan a free pattern published in Knitty an on-line knitting magazine. I simply adjusted the pattern to a fingering weight yarn and to create a more rounded leaf shape. This beguiling crochet cape is an easy project that’s just the thing when you need a bit of warmth with dramatic flair! Simple to size, it also features a fun pompom tie for an enticingly playful finish! Free Pattern Cast on 2 stitches. Knit a 2 stitch i-cord to desired length. My i-cords for this shawl are 15" and 16" respectively. When your i-cord is desired length, form the leaf as follows: Instead I'll share the recipe I used this year. The pictures in this post are my cake from last year (except for the one immediately above). I did this so that you see could see what the cake looks like when decorated, because I will not decorate my cake this year until the night before Christmas. The recipe I used last year came from Denise of The Knitting Den who was kind enough to share her friend's recipe. It made a wonderful cake, but was a little vague on instructions and ingredients so this year I searched and found a very similar recipe here, that I've slightly modified and/or clarified to incorporate aspects of Denise's recipe. Rows 5-82 (84, 88, 90, 92) (96, 98, 100, 104): Changing the color at start of Row 3 rep and FO previous color, Rep Rows 3-4, turn. Color Change Chart FinishingSuper easy cape with tassles to crochet for adults. Available in One Size: Finished Chest 43 in. (109 cm), Finished Length 22 in. (56 cm). Free Pattern Using a macrame technique, the ends from the striping are knotted together for a fun finishing that doesn’t include any ends to weave in. Remove mixture from mixer. Add all purpose flour and ground almonds (alternately) and stir by hand with a wooden spoon. When mixture is well combined stir in dried fruit (drained). Kids will love dressing up as the characters in the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad Wolf for Halloween or for creative play throughout the year. Crochet them in easy care yarn and you’ll have them to pass down to many playful children. Free Pattern Crochet Cape with Hood Patterns Soften butter prior to using. Measure out all ingredients ahead and have ready to combine as needed. Eggs should be at room temperature.