Simply Handmade-along | Maximus March

March 13, 2016

March is here and I can't believe how fast the month is going! Are you ready for our new Simply Handmade-along project? I fell in love with this hat the second Libby released it and I've been itching to get in on my needles... Maximus by Truly Myrtle !

MARCH | MAXIMUS BY TRULY MYRTLE | THROUGH APRIL 4TH

"Maximus is a stylish hat for the men in your life.
Featuring a cable panel reminiscent of strong iron helmets worn during misty battles, Maximus appeals to the smallest of boys, the largest of men and all the warriors in between."

Maximus is indeed a handsome hat and will be perfect for my handsome Mr. Yarnista as a small "thank you" for all he does for me and our family. You see, it's busy at Firefly Fibers year-round, but the cooler months are exceptionally busy and this year has been even more so. Yes, it's fabulous and it makes me so very happy, but it means that I ask for more help with shop tasks and I have less time to contribute at home - Mr. Yarnista to the rescue!

As if he doesn't do enough for me, this past month he tended the shop on a Saturday so I could spend a (much needed) weekend away with a friend in Door County, WI. It was a wonderful weekend and I have photos and details to share on that, but back to the task at hand... this hat!

Do you have a special guy or gal in your life than you want to say "thank you" to? As handsome as Maximus is, it's equally suited for us ladies and I may just have to knit one for myself, as well - wouldn't it be fun in a bright pink? Using a 100gr skein of worsted weight yarn, this is a great project to whip up before the weather warms too much (in our hemisphere, that is) or for getting ahead on holiday gifts.

So, as always, for our 'along' you are welcome to stashbust or get some fresh new yarn - Malabrigo Rios or Tosh Vintage would be lovely (special offer on Rios below). I'll be using Rios for my hat in Coco (after all, it is Malabrigo March) - my yarn is all wound and I can't wait to cast on!

AND... through Saturday, March 19th....

PATTERN :: Libby is very generously giving us 15% OFF Maximus - enter coupon code 'MAXIMUSKAL' before you check out on Ravelry.
YARN :: Firefly Fibers is offering 15% OFF one skein of Rios - use code 'HandmadeMarch' when you check out (or just mention the Handmade-along to us at the shop).

Want more Truly Myrtle? You can find Libby here...

WEBSITE :: FACEBOOK :: INSTAGRAM :: RAVELRY DESIGNS

I hope you'll join in this month - if you haven't signed up officially to be eligible for the giveaways (one is coming up very soon), you can do that right here! Many thanks to Libby for (again) offering our knitalong-ers a discount on one of her gorgeous designs!

CHEERS!

RECIPE | Homemade Refried Beans... in the Instant Pot

February 14, 2016

A couple weeks ago I shared in this post and on episode 25 of our podcast, that I was testing out batch of homemade refried beans (vegan & gluten free) in our new favorite kitchen addition, the Instant Pot. I was *almost* successful that night, but wanted another run through before sharing with you.

The first time around, they tasted great, they were a bit dense because I underestimated how much they would thicken up. The second run though was much better and I'm happy to report that we have a nice stash of these delicious homemade refried beans in our freezer. The recipe is for the Instant Pot (an electric pressure cooker), but you could adjust for the stove top or slow cooker - the great thing with the Instant Pot is cooking time is dramatically reduced and in an hour, we went from dried to delicious refried beans.

RAPID REFRIES IN THE iNSTANT POT

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds dried pinto beans - sorted and rinsed
3 tablespoons + 1/4 cup coconut oil
1 large onion - chopped
6-8 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
1 jalapeno - seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro - stems and leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
9 cups of water
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse and sort beans and set aside.
Set Instant Pot on the saute setting. When hot, add 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, add onions and sautee for 5-10 minutes until softened.
Add garlic, jalapeno and roughly chopped cilantro stems. Saute another 3-5 minutes until aromatic. Mix in cayenne, chili powder, cumin, beans and water.
Cover and set Instant Pot on Bean/Chili Setting for 35 minutes - unplug when time is up. After 10 minutes, release remaining pressure. Check beans to make sure they're tender at this point - if they're not, close it back up and set for another 5-10 minutes.
Heat a large pan over medium/high heat and add remaining 1/4 cup coconut oil.
Strain beans (reserving liquid - you'll need this later), add to hot pan with oil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as needed to keep from sticking to the pan.
Begin alternating adding liquid (more to begin with) and mashing beans (I use an immersion blender, but a potato masher will work, too) until you reach the desired consistency - we like ours to have just a bit of texture, so we don't blend completely smooth.
Add salt to taste and mix in lime juice (you can microwave a the lime for 30 seconds and get a lot more juice with little effort).

Garnish as you like (queso fresco and cilantro is a favorite at our house) and enjoy!

Cheers!

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase an item through that website, I may make a small commission - this is at no extra charge to you. Thank you for helping support Alisa the Yarnista!

SIMPLY HANDMADE-along | Baa-ble Love!

February 10, 2016

Are you ready for a new Simply Handmade-along project? Do you like sheep? I hope the answer is an enthusiastic "YES" to both!

Since February is the month of love with Valentine's Day, it seems fitting to knit a project that I think everyone will love - say "hello" to Baa-ble!

FEBRUARY | BAA-BLE HAT BY DONNA SMITH | THROUGH MARCH 7TH

It seems that everyone fell in love with these wee sheep hats last year and they're still going strong. Donna's original version is knit in an aran (heavy worsted) weight yarn at a dense gauge of 23 sts/4", so a slightly lighter weight yarn can easily be substituted. I previously shared that I fell head-over-heels in love with this version Courtney Kelley of Kelbourne Woolens knit up in Cumbria and that had me not only casting on in October...

but, it also had me assembling Baa-ble Hat Kits for the shop. Have you ever made kits? They're a lot of work. Like, A LOT. But these are very much worth the effort and they've been getting gobbled up. Maybe you have a kit from the shop and haven't knit it yet... here's the perfect incentive!

Are you new to colorwork? Colorwork is a lot of fun and very addictive, but it can be intimidating. This project would definitely be easier if you're familiar with colorwork, but if you're feeling courageous, just dive on in - after all, it's only yarn. Also, there is time, so if you want to baby-step into this, we use (and love) the Clayoquot Toque for our beginning colorwork class at the shop and the Tin Can Knits ladies have a great blog post here with some helpful colorwork tips.

After knitting the first version above for our shop sample and kit model, I was anxious to try a different, and less traditional, color combination. So, this last weekend, I cast on with some new colors...

Again, this is Cumbria and the new combo uses Cowberry and Buttermere - I'm loving knitting this one! This is another for Firefly Fibers (I'm still on the fence about adding the pom this time around) and I'll share FO pics when it's off the needles and had a good bath.

So, what do you think? Is this a project that you'd like to knit? Like I said, I love the worsted weight yarn for a slightly less dense hat - no matter what yarn you choose, just check your gauge.

What do you need? The pattern is available for free via Shetland Wool Week right here, and you'll need 4 colors of yarn... if you want to stash dive, a safe estimate is 50gr of each main color, 30gr for the sheep body and about 10gr for the sheep legs/faces (this includes the pom and allows for plenty of wiggle room).

I hope you'll join the fun this month and if you have questions about or haven't signed up for the Simply Handmade-along, you can do that right here!