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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Hard at Work

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

Hey guys! Gosh, it feels like it's been a while since my last post! How has everyone's week been?!
I have been busy making modifications, and test knitting the designs. There's going to be a lot more of that in the next couple weeks, as well as some new designs coming up in the near future! 
Some exciting news...It looks like I will be opening up my Etsy shop sooner than later! I will keep you all updated.
Back to work for me! 

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Brain Freeze



Brain freeze. I am not talking about the kind of brain freeze you get when you eat ice cream...I wish I had that kind of brain freeze, right, now.
The temps here in Ottawa have dropped  to a degree where I am scared to go outside. My current winter hat is no longer keeping my ears warm enough...the wind sneaks in through the sides of my hat, giving me that not so nice kind of brain freeze. :P
I think it's time to make a tighter fitting hat, leaving no room for the angry wind chill to get in!

Hope everyone else is staying warm on this cold Wednesday! 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Monday, January 21, 2013

Hedgehog Mitts

Photo by: Caylee Schoonbaert

Can you barely stand this cuteness?! One of my many adorable nephews, modeling 'Sweet's Hedgehog Mitts'
I have to give a shout out thank you to Caylee, for taking the time to take some great photo's of the little ones in Jellybean Woolies! Thank you! xo 

Agenda for this week: Making modifications on Jellybean Woolies, so that they fit the  little ones in your life, more comfortably. :)

Happy Monday!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Jellybean Woolies

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

So far, here's what I have for the itty-bittys in your life! I also have a hat on the way, which is almost finished. There are several more ideas brewing for more knits, which will come in due time. For now, off to a good start! 
I still have to make some modifications on some of them, as well as making some adjustments, making different sizes available. 
I want to bring classic, modern, unique, colorful, fun, and most of all warmth and smart functioning garments to babies, infants, and children. All of them hand knit with great care and love. 

For the future Etsy shop I have been playing around with some names, so far I am liking Jellybean Woolies. :)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

How To: Macro Bubbles

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

What You'll need:

  • clear glass cup
  • 100mm Macro Lens
  • tripod
  • dish soap
  • olive oil
  • a flat colorful surface
  • plenty of light

To start, make sure to find a spot that has plenty of natural light coming in. 
Set up your camera, tripod and settings. I used  f/stop 5.6 with my ISO set at 100 and a shutter speed of 1/6 of a second. I also had my timer set for 2 seconds, to reduce any camera shake. 
Fill the glass with some water and place cup over a flat colorful surface, or any type of flat surface you would like. I used one of my husbands Engineering text books, hehe, it has quite the colorful cover. 
Add a couple drops of dish liquid and then olive oil to your glass of water, and your ready to go crazy with picture taking! 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Unravel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

Having to do some unraveling today, but that's ok. I don't have to undo too much work, plus  I wanted the garment to have more garter stitch in it, so it's totally worth it! :)

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

Friday, January 11, 2013

Potato and Leek Soup

Chicken and leek Soup, potato and leek soup, you name it, if it has leeks in it I like it. Leek soup is my absolute favorite! 
Last night I made some potato and leek soup, and it was creamy, hearty, deliciousness! A perfect soup to make during a cold winters day. 

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

For all you Potato and Leek Soup lovers out there, here is the recipe...


Makes about 4-6 servings

3-4 Leeks 
1 small yellow onion
5-6 medium-large sized white potatoes
2 Tbl spoons of all-purpose flour
a few pinches of thyme
olive oil
4 Tbl spoons of butter
salt and pepper
about 6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup of whipping cream 
2 slices of whole wheat bread



FOR THE CROUTONS:

Cut slices of bread into cubes and let sit out on plate for a few hours, until hardened. 
Later on, once the soup is almost done simmering, drizzle the bread crumbs with some olive oil (I used a infused olive oil I had made recently, you can find the recipe here.) Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to a pan, let heat up. Add the bread, toast on a medium heat, stirring a few times until golden brown. Set aside. 




Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes, rinse, and place in a large bowl of cold water, making sure the potatoes are completely covered. Add a pinch of salt, set aside. 

Cut leeks in half lengthwise, slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Rinse leeks in cold water very thoroughly. 
Chop up the small yellow onion. 

Add butter to dutch oven or large pot, let melt. Add the leeks and yellow onion and saute until soft, about 6-10 mins. Add flour and stir in well. Pour in the stock. Drain potatoes, and add to pot. Add thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on a low to med setting. Simmer until potatoes are soft, 30-40 mins. 

Add 1/2 of soup mixture to food processor, puree until smooth, add 1/3 cup of the whipping cream, pulse. Do the same for the second half. 

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, top with a few croutons, and enjoy! :) 















Thursday, January 10, 2013

Dwindling

First of all, I just want to sent out a big thank you to all you guys, who have been supporting me and my blog! Also a thank you to those who have been stopping by! :D I couldn't do it without you guys! 
When preparing for the designs I was only able to get a few skeins, so I am now on my last skein, so sad, I know. :( I am going to milk this one for all it's got! 

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard


I have designs in mind that require more than 1 skein, so those will have to wait a bit, but in the meantime I will be resorting to my stash and working with what I got. I also have some bits remaining from these few skeins, as well as some others. I will somehow get creative! Maybe a mish-mash?! Hmmmmmm...




Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Just Lovely





Images from The Daily Purl

Happy Wednesday everyone! 
I just stumbled upon this lovely blog, and had to share. :) 


Monday, January 7, 2013

Heffalump

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

Say hello to Heffalump. It's a little weird, but like I said in my previous post, there is something endearing about it. Heffalump was knitted in a tweed wool. I wanted it to have a simple, classic look to it. I think it's going to be an inspirational addition to my work space. :) 
If you are interested in making your own Heffalump, or whatever you would want to name it, you can find the tutorial here. I made some modifications to mine, as I was using a different gauge. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday! :)

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Some 'Me' Knitting

Today I have decided, I am going to knit myself one of these Waldorf Lambs. They are very simple and kind of weird looking, reasoning why I find them so endearing. I know what you are thinking...yes, I am knitting myself a softie. I am going to make it my desk buddy! ;) You can never be too old for a cute knitted softie!




Friday, January 4, 2013

Sweety's Mitts


© 2013 Heidi Chouinard


Sweety's 'Waffle Mitts'




Sweety's 'Hedgehog Mitts':


© 2013 Heidi Chouinard



























Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Roasted Garlic Infused Oil

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

Garlic. Mmm, it adds so much flavor to a dish, aaand can be pretty lethal with your breath. :P Roasted Garlic doesn't make your breath as stinky as fresher cooked garlic does. 
I have been wanting to make some infused oil for some time, so here we are. 


Preheat the oven to 400

Chop tip off the garlic bulb so that the tips of the garlic cloves are exposed. Also remove any access layers of skin (you want to leave a couple layers to hold the cloves together). 

Season with olive oil, cracked pepper, and coarse salt. 

Wrap up in tinfoil and place on baking sheet. 

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard


Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins 


While that's roasting, producing wonderful aroma's, I picked out my seasoning and herbs for the oil. 

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

I used some cracked red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and dehydrated onions. 
Now we need a bottle. My husband had been saving these bottles, perfect for storing infused oils in.

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

Mmm...wish you could smell what I'm smelling. I think the garlic is ready!

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

I do recommend putting about a 1/2 cup of olive oil at the bottom of the bottle before adding the garlic and seasonings. Add your garlic, herbs and or seasonings (I didn't add the seasonings first and that is why they are floating all over the place, rather than sitting nicely on the bottom). Fill the bottle with desired amount of oil. 

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

© 2013 Heidi Chouinard

I roasted 2 heads of garlic. That second one (in the photo above) got turned into a paste and was added to a delicious meatloaf. : ) 










Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Looking back on 2012 :D

Happy New Year everyone!!! What an amazing year it has been...















I am so grateful for the many blessings God has poured upon me and my loved ones this past year. So excited to see what is in store for 2013!