Baking: Black Forest Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box devil's food cake mix
• 1 1/3 cups cherry soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 container cream cheese frosting
• 2 tablespoons cherry syrup
• 5 to 6 drops pink food coloring
• 24 (10 oz jar) whole maraschino cherries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine cake mix, soda, vegetable oil and eggs. Using a hand mixer combine all ingredients, batter will still be somewhat lumpy. Pour batter into muffin cups. Bake 19 to 22 minutes, turning the pans halfway through baking. Remove to a rack and allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl combine frosting, extract and pink food coloring. Add powder sugar is too liquidy. When cupcakes are cool ice with pink cherry frosting and top each with maraschino cherry

Review
I have baked with soda before and find it quite fun. The carbonation aids in the rising process creating a lighter cupcake. I personally found it light in the cherry flavor. Others seem to find it sweet but still can taste the cherry soda. Next time I plan to sub 1/3 cup soda for cherry liquor.

knitting for infinity

I decided to keep a project casted-on. I had a skein and a half of a dusty blue Vanna's Choice yarn. With no pattern, I grabbed size 11 needles (which are too big) and cast-on 25 stitches. I have been continuing a garter stich. Its great. I have a project I can pick up and put down whenever without worry. Its quite portable too. One day I will connect the ends and make an infinity scarf.

Rice Bag Neck Heat Pack

After having some sore muscles which I think are attributed to the Kinect, I decided to make a rice heat pack. Luckily for me I had some flannel left over from a project I made a few months back. The only lower part was not having flaxseed which makes for a longer lasting heat.

(It wont rotate)

Materials:
Rice, beans, or flaxseed (not instant rice)
Scrap material (cotton, flannel, towels, fleece, or other similar material that wont stretch)
Thread
Sewing machine or by hand


Instructions:
1. Decide how big/small you want you heat pack. I wanted one I could wrap around my neck and run the length of my spine (5x18). Measure for length and double for width plus seam allowances (10x20). My scrap was limited to 10inches in width.
2. Fold right sides together & secure.
3. I tend to be over cautious and used a double seam. I seamed 3 sides at 3/8-1/2 inch. Then I turned it right sides out and pinned the seams together again. I set my machine to a fine stitch and made my double seam close to the edge while still sewing over the turned in fabric. (See on bottom of bag)
4. Add rice. At this point you can add oils. You dont want to add too much rice that it wont mold to the body. I added 4 cups, held the open end shut and wrapped it around my neck. It was still too light so I added 1 more cup and decided that it was sufficient.
5. Make sure all rice is at the bottom and out of your way. Secure the opening. Sew & trim the edge near the stitch line. Push the seam inward creating the illusion of the other seams by having a turned in edge. I worked in small 1/2 increments and used a pin to push in as I pinched the folded fabric and pinned to secure. Sew final top stitch seam.
6. Shake to make sure all is secure. Top stitch any holes.
7. Toss in microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Knitting Loom Failure

I can make a founded statement saying loom knitting is not for this pixie knitter. I gave it a good try with different yarns on a rectangular loom. I prefer the creative repetition on bamboo kneedles. On my quest I did come across this resource...

http://isela.typepad.com/loomknitting/

She has great pdf instructions of different cast-on and knit/purl techniques achievable on a knitting loom. I was unaware of the potential that the loom is capable to create.