Knitted BunniesAmigurimi Toys

This knitted stuffed gray bunny girl in a pink sweater is a wonderful doll for children and not only children.

This bunny is almost 6" tall

 You can buy her here 

Cat Claw Knot for Donut Pendants

You have a nice donut bead/stone and want to wear it as a pendant but do not know how to present it better?
Today I will show how to make a Cat Claw Knot . 

 The lenght of the cord you will need to cut depends of the size of the donut/bead you have and the thickness of the cord you use. This knot can be made with any type of cord or thread that is flexible enough to be folded - leather, hemp or other fiber cords.

If the object you are tying the knot on has a front or back, decide which side you like best.
Turn the donut so the back side is facing you.
1) Fold the cord in half. Pull the folded loop through the donut  hole as shown.

2) Slip the cord ends through the loop. Pull the ends. Make sure that cords are not crossing.

Turn over the stone so the top of the loop is facing you now, like on the photo below. Now, you will hold your donut this way, front side facing you:

 3) Take one cord end (right on the picture) and pass it to the right, back through the loop. Leave a small loop on top, big enough to fit a cord. Make sure all cords are parallel as shown:

 4) Repeat the same step with the left cord end. You knot has to look like this:

5) Pick up the right cord end and pass it through the left loop as shown:

 6) Pull the cord. Notice, the cord is crossing the horizontal cord on the top of the stone:

 7) Pick up the left cord end and pass it through the right loop as shown:

 8) Tighten the cords:

The result will look different with different cords. I like the leather cord better, but this is my personal choice :) 

Cranberry-hazelnut Upside-down Pie

This is my favorite upside-down pie. I made it today with my daughter (so, next time she can make it all by herself :) )

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Spread 1/3oz of butter on the bottom of the 9" baking pan (I used a round silicone form).
Combine 1 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of nuts (hazelnuts are the best :) ) Spread these ingredients into a single layer.

For batter:
Mix 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2/3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 4 Tbsp of sour cream, 1 tsp of vanilla.
Pour the batter onto the baking pan covering the berries with nuts.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Cool pie in pan for 5 minutes. Place serving plate over pie, and carefully flip to invert.
Allow to cool for 1 hour.

 

 

Knit Lace Boot Toppers

Today's must-have accessory lets you create layered looks that showcase your favorite boots. Knit boot toppers look like socks but without the bulk inside your boot. You can wear them over jeans, tights or thin socks for dimensional style.
Knit these unique Boot Toppers, that you'll love.
Make several and give them as gifts!

These toppers fit almost all because the stretching capability of the yarn and the pattern.

Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
Materials:
Yarn worsted - 1 ball
One pair of needle size 4.5 mm/US7
Tapestry needle

Pattern 

Christmas Santa Cat Stocking Ornament

It's almost Christmas time :)
Time to take out the stockings too:)
I got a Custom order the other day to make a stocking similar to this one.
So, this was Mama Kitty, 21" long...

My customer wanted an ornament to hang on the Christmas Tree.
Well, see what I made :)
This kitten "Cat" is 8" long

But wait! I also have baby kitten, 5.5"

Russian "Korean carrot" salad

Russian "Korean carrot" salad is a marinated salad with fresh carrot as the main ingredient. The dressing is a simple vinaigrette spiked with the mandatory fresh garlic and paprika.

 You will need about 1 pound of carrots, cleaned and peeled, the longer the better. Use a mandoline to slice them into thin, spaghetti-like strands. Place in a large bowl. Add 2-3 Tbs of salt, mix and leave the carrots alone for 10-15 minutes... Rinse the carrots very well and squeeze the liquid. 

Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 3 Tbs of vinegar to the carrots, mix well.

Heat the pan and add 4-5 Tbs of olive oil. Add 1 Tbs of paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add half of onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent (4-5 minutes). When the onion is done, pour the oil through the strainer into the carrots and mix well. You can also add some coriander seeds.
Refrigerate 4-5 hours; preferably overnight.

Painting Terra-Cotta pot

In this DIY art project, I show you how to create an eye-catching painted Terra-cotta pot that even your kids can help you with.

Tape the pot with painter’s/ masking tape. We used thin 0.125" for the first pot. Trim off the excess tape with scissors.

 With a paintbrush, paint over the tape to create your diamond pattern. Don’t use too much paint, cover the the first layer and apply the second after drying. My daughter even used old nail polish for some diamonds :) .

 Remove the tape, touch up any imperfections and enjoy!

Rag Rug with Fabric Strips

I did not stop making rag rugs :)
Now, I wanted to make an oval one.

At this time, I used fabric strips: I had three sheets and 4 pillow cases that I cut - mine are about  1 1/2" wide. You can cut them, but I found that tearing is much faster.  To do this, just cut  the starts to your rip lines, then rip the rest, as shown.  Then wind up the strips into balls.

My cat Masha loves this rug :)

I used a big hook- size Q (15 mm). The most challenging thing was to keep the "roundings" even. My rug is not perfect, but we love it! And it is not small - 52" x 31".
And the cost of a rug is only  $3 or so! I had to buy only the hook. All my sheets were free- I had them for years in my closet and never used them. Now, they have a new happy life:)

Upcycled Crochet Rag Rug

Let’s make something new, that’s useful from old and unwanted.
My rug is crocheted using strips of old T-shirts. I needed something for my apartment patio, so I could walk with bare feet and not freeze (or burn) them:).

Materials you need:
- T-shirts: I recommend same materials (cotton works the best) and same thickness... The bigger rag you want to make the more T-shirts you need. I collected all old t-shirts from my closet and asked my friend for "donations" too :)
- Scissors (bid and sharp)- you will need to cut a lot :)
-Big crochet hook ( I used 10mm, but bigger will work too)
-Needle and thread to sew the ends of Tarn (T-shirt+Yarn).

 

I used the same technique as for making my Wash Cloth.
To finish my rug, I used black tarn to crochet two rows of border.

 

Important: Variations in fabric content and thickness can make your project uneven. I have places (see red arrows) where Tarn is made of thin t-shirts with some elastic, so my rug has its "character" :)

Christmas Stockings

This season I have different stockings available at my shop.
The stocking is about 7 inches across and 21 inches from top to toe to hold lots of goodies on Christmas morning!

I made one for my nephew in Russia with his name.

For the cat-lovers I have special stockings too:)

See all stockings here 

If you want to knit my Santa Stocking design, you can buy a pattern too!