Crocheted Bird Nests

Last year, just before I retired, a friend showed me a bird nest she was knitting for a local bird rescue organization. I thought it was cool, and a good way to have something to do during retirement. But, knitting isn't my thing -- I like to crochet. So, I went hunting around for a crocheted bird nest pattern, but couldn't find any that appealed to me. I still wanted to help the bird rescue so I decided to create my own pattern. And, as a way to encourage others to help their local bird rescue organizations, I'm sharing the pattern

Hook size: G

Yarn: 60 g of medium weight 4-ply yarn. Cotton (Lily Sugar ‘n Cream, Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, Bernat Handicrafter Cotton, etc.) works best, but any yarn can be used. You may have to use two strands if the yarn is lightweight.

Notes:

·      Make sure your yarn is machine washable -- baby birds are messy.

·      Use a size G hook or one that allows for the correct bottom (5-6 inches) and side (3-4 inches) measurements.

·      This is a time when crocheting tightly is encouraged since you do not want any gaps that might allow a bird to hurt itself.

·      The ch 1 at the beginning of each round does not count as a stitch.

·      This project is a good way to use up odds and ends of leftover yarn. The birds don’t care what or how many colors you use.

 

Bottom:

Rnd 1: Ch 2; 6 hdc in first ch; slip stitch to first hdc. (6 st)

Rnd 2: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *2 hdc in each stitch*; slip stitch to first hdc. (12 st)

Rnd 3: Repeat Rnd 2. (24 st)

Rnd 4: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next stitch, 2 hdc in next st*; 1 hdc in last stitch; slip stitch to first hdc. (36 st)

Rnd 5: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next 2 stitches, 2 hdc in next st*; 2 hdc in last 2 stitches; slip stitch to first hdc. (48 st)

Rnd 6: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next 5 stitches, 2 hdc in next st*; 1 hdc in last 5 stitches; slip stitch to first hdc. (56 st)

Rnd 7: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next 13 stitches, 2 hdc in next st*; 1 hdc in last 13 stitches; slip stitch to first hdc. (60 st)

Rnd 8: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next 19 stitches, 2 hdc in next st*; 1 hdc in last 19 stitches; slip stitch to first hdc. (63 st)

Rnd 9: Ch 1; 2 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in next 20 stitches, 2 hdc in next st*; 1 hdc in last 20 stitches; slip stitch to first hdc. (66 st) (bottom should measure 5-6 inches in diameter)

Side:

Rnd 10-21: Ch 1; 1 hdc in same stitch as slip stitch; *1 hdc in each stitch*; sl st to first hdc. (66 st) (side should measure 3-4 inches tall)

Finishing:

Weave in all ends.
 

 

I hope you enjoy making these nests and donate them to a bird rescue organization. You are also welcome to sell any items that you’ve made from this pattern. Please realize, though, that you may not use my photos to sell finished items under any circumstances.

Download a copy of the Crocheted Bird Nest pattern. 

©2016 Cathy Anderson (cathys.cornucopiea@gmail.com)
 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Growing up, I always loved my Mom's banana bread. Her recipe was a simple one, found in her 1946 edition of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Her one change (after discovering that her great-grandson was nut allergic) was to swap the walnuts for chocolate chips. Needless to say, at the family picnic where this change was first introduced, it went over big with all my young cousins, and we adults didn't get much of the bread. Since discovering that I have Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, I have been wanting to modify this recipe. Finally, last month, I managed to get my own copy of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book and have worked to update this recipe to be gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas (4 if they are small)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
2 cups (325 g -- yes, you should weigh it) Maninis Multiuso Multi-Purpose Flour or Namaste Perfect Blend Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup Enjoy Life Foods Megachunks chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease/oil a 5x9 inch bread pan*.
2. Crush the bananas with a potato masher or fork.
3. Add the eggs (beaten light), sugar, salt, baking soda and mix well.
4. Add the chocolate chips and mix again.
5. Add the flour and mix well.
6. Fill the pan.
7. Bake for 60 minutes in a convection oven or 60-70 minutes in a regular oven.
8. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Slice and enjoy!

*My bread pan is only 4.5x8.5 inches and it works fine. Also, a trick my Mom does is line the pan with foil and oils the foil.

Saying goodbye

On Saturday, September 3, 2011, we chartered a boat at Ilwaco, WA, to take us to the waters at the base of the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse so that we could scatter Dad’s ashes. Dad had always said he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered at a lighthouse. The weather was perfect (beautiful blue sky and no clouds), and after a 45 minute boat ride, we arrived at the perfect location. Dan Schenk, the skipper of our boat (the Nauti-Lady), dropped anchor and shut off the motor so we could have some quiet. Dad would have loved this spot (he never got to see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse from the water) and it was the perfect spot to scatter his ashes. After Craig said a short prayer and Mindy read the poem she wrote for the funeral, we scattered the ashes – Mom first, followed by Cathy, Phil, Mark, Linda, Casey, Corey, Dylan, Jordan, Colby, Brynna, Craig, Tamara, Mindy, Melinda, and then Mom again. Linda also chose this spot to scatter some of her Golden Retriever Mason’s ashes so that Dad and Mason could be together. And Mindy tossed in a quarter for Dad to find – he always had a good eye for finding change when he and Mom went for walks. After scattering the ashes, we also scattered some red and white carnations on the water; the drifted out to sea, forming a beautiful arc. September 3rd was a significant day to scatter the ashes for two reasons: first, it was seven months ago that Dad died (almost even to the minute), and second, September 3, 2011, would have been Mom and Dad’s 57th wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad loved visiting lighthouses, both before and during their retirement, and they traveled around the United States and the world photographing them.

Vegan options for gluten-free apple cake recipe

Okay, so after talking with a friend who has to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, I decided to try converting my Cathy's Gluten-Free Apple Cake recipe to a vegan version.

So, here are the changes I made:

• Instead of using semi-sweet chocolate chips (yes, I know you can get dairy-free chips), I used 1 cup of unsweetened, flaked coconut.


• Instead of 2 eggs, I used the following substitutions:
  
  
  
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce + 1 teaspoon baking powder.
  
  
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons hot water, mixed together, and let sit for about 10 minutes or so.
    
  
  

I didn't make any other changes to the recipe, and brought some to work today to share. Some of those who tried it had dietary needs (like my gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free friend), and others are real foodies, but all agreed that Cathy's Gluten-Free, Vegan Apple Cake was very, very good.

What's next for my apple cake recipe? Well, I would like to reduce the amount of refined sugar so I may try just using less or trying a couple of different kinds of sweetener (maple syrup and/or agavee syrup have been suggested as possibilities). I also thought I might try using some chopped crystaline ginger in place of the coconut. It seems that the sky's the limit, and this is how you make a recipe your own.

Gluten-Free Vacationing

Being gluten-intolerant certainly can make vacationing interesting. But Craig and I were looking forward to seeing "To Kill A Mockingbird" in Ashland, OR, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, so we figured we would have to make the best of it. It used to be that you could order a steak and potato from a restaurant and be assured of dining gluten-free. Unfortunately, many restaurants are now getting their steaks pre-seasoned in vacu-sealed packages, and the seasonings quite often contain soy sauce or some other seasoning (such as MSG) that we cannot eat.

I recently purchased The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide from TriumphDining. Knowing that our travel route would take us through Portland, OR, and that we would be staying in both Grants Pass and Ashland, I checked the book for gluten-free restaurants that we could visit. After making my list of places to eat, we finished packing and got on our way.

We had a great time, in spite of off-and-on rain. We were in Grants Pass Thursday evening to Sunday morning, and then went to Ashland Sunday morning. On the way down, we stopped at Shipwreck Beads (of course...) and then at Bob's Red Mill in Portland. This is where a lot of my gluten-free flours come from. The store (it's huge, mostly with flours that they mill, not all GF) also has a café in it, and will substitute GF bread for any sandwich, so we had Reuben sandwiches -- it's been a long time since I had a Reuben on bread. We also stopped at the factory store in Woodburn just because it was an outlet store. We finally got to Grants Pass around 7:00 PM and then went over to the Fred Meyers to pick up a bit of gluten-free food, just in case the restaurants didn’t pan out.

On Friday and Saturday, we drove around town, shopped (antique shops, The Glass Forge, Savannah Faire), and generally had fun. We also ate at a place called The Vine -- the owner's wife is gluten-intolerant, too, so almost everything either is or can be made gluten free, including pizza, onion rings, and calamari. We didn't try the pizza, but we went twice and had both the onion rings and the calamari. I also had fish tacos and Craig had a burger -- all very good. The Vine is where we ate lunch on both days, and we went to G Street Bar & Grill for dinner -- the waitress at The Vine told us they have the best sushi -- apparently, G Street B&G also include Shiki, which is a Japanese restaurant. And yes, the sushi (especially the maguro and sake nigiri) was excellent.

On Sunday, we headed for Ashland, but stopped in Medford first -- no Starbucks(!) in Grants Pass, so we needed to get Frappuccinos. We also stopped at Costco and Fred Meyer, and got to Ashland around 12:30. We wandered around a bit and found another restaurant with a GF menu (and listed in the book). At Greenleaf Restaurant, I had a Mediterranean quesadilla with chicken. They use rice tortillas for the GF quesadillas -- very yummy.

Our hotel (the Ashland Springs Hotel) was about a block and a half from the theater, so it was easy to walk to the show. "To Kill a Mockingbird" was absolutely fantastic. It was no surprise that it is nearly sold out and very difficult to get tickets. If you're lucky enough to get more than one ticket for a show, you most likely won't be sitting together. I'm glad I bought ours in January -- and even then, I had to really search for a day that had two seats together and in a good location.

We left Monday morning and hit heavy squall lines pretty much all the way up to Portland. On the way up, we stopped at the Grave Creek Covered Bridge (you can see it from I-5). We only stopped long enough for a few pictures since the rain was threatening us again. We then stopped for gas and Starbucks in Roseburg, and made it back to Shipwreck Beads by around 4:30 (yes, I had forgotten to get some things).

We stopped at the Mayan restaurant nearby to get some dinner. This was one restaurant not listed in the book that we thought would still be okay to eat at. Sadly, they marinate their fajita meat in a seasoning that includes soy sauce and their corn tortillas may also have wheat in them, so we left without getting any food. Before stopping at home, we went to SushiLand for dinner (although not listed in the book, we’ve had good luck avoiding gluten at this restaurant). And then we went home, tired but happy after a very enjoyable vacation.

Two Hands to Help Fight Breast Cancer

I finally finished up and sent my contribution to Jeanette Shanigan's 2011 Bead Quilt project.



I'm not much for getting out and doing the long walks and other breast cancer fundraisers, but Jeanette's bead quilt project gave me a reason to get out my bead loom and create something for a good cause. This year's theme is “Caring hands beading together to help find a cure for breast cancer,” and Jeanette has been doing the "Bead It Forward" project since 2006, making bead quilts and auctioning them off with the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

The beaded portion of my quilt squares each measure 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches, and the design is all mine, based on Jeanette's 2011 theme. I got back into doing beading not quite 2 years ago after more than 10 years away, and after nearly 25 years away from doing any bead loom work. As much as I love doing my bead work, it is even more enjoyable to have a reason for making something. I'm looking forward to seeing how much Jeanette's quilts make this year, and to participating again next year.

Ainsley M. "Dix" Dixon 1931 - 2011

If’n

“If’n my frog If’n hadn’t stopped to croak, he would have caught that fly.” This (or some variation thereof) was one of my Dad’s favorite quotes, usually told to one of us when we started in with an “If I had done ….” of our own. This was Dad’s way of reminding us that the past was just that – in the past. His view was that you should live in the Now and look forward to the Future -- those were the things you could change. And this was Dad’s view of life -- I don’t ever remember hearing him talk about things he should have done differently. You pick your path, make your choices, and you live with the consequences.

Stories

Dad may have been in the Navy for only 4 years, but he had a lifetime’s worth of stories to tell. We all heard (more than once) about his ruptured appendix and having it removed while he was stationed on Guam. Or, how about the time that the tree crab nearly met its end -- Dad was on sentry duty, and the crab would not halt and identify itself.

And then, there were the stories about living on Cape Cod and roaming the cemeteries at night. Or, while living in Macon, GA, working in the loft/attic of the peach packing plant and dropping peach fuzz on everyone below. And then there was the time he and a few of the other teenage boys in Macon went out frog hunting and brought the frogs back to his sister, Ruth, to fix frog legs in the middle of the night.

Memories

And the memories keep running through my mind -- too many to ever list fully. But some include:

• Dad carrying a 95-lb piece of petrified wood at least a quarter mile from where Mom found it to where the car was located.
  
• When he found our Beagle, Tony, gnawing on a huge carrot from the neighbor’s garden.
  
• When he brought home what had to be truly the world’s ugliest dog -- its skin was saggy/baggy like an elephant’s skin, and it had no hair. (No, we didn’t keep it.)
  
• All the ladies on the cruise ship (we did an Alaska cruise for Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary) had to come watch him play the coin pusher machine in the casino. They just loved his silver hair.
  
• When we would go antiquing, he would point to an open salt and ask me if I had it. When I started answering “Yes” most of the time, he just started pointing to larger and larger dishes, proclaiming them (with a twinkle in his eye) to be the largest salt dish he had ever seen and he was sure I needed it for my collection.
  
• Playing games on Saturday nights: Hand and Foot, Mexican Train, or Yahtzee were our favorites.
  
• Seeing the joy in his eyes with his grandsons and later with his great-grandkids.