I’m really into zig-zags lately and have been wanting to make a crochet new tote bag. I came across this pattern for a Crochet Yoga Bag by Hanri Shaw and thought it would be the perfect way to use up some extra gray and white yarn I had on hand from another project. I actually started & finished crocheting this bag back in February, but life and constantly catching sicknesses got in the way, and I didn’t get around to sewing in the lining until today.

The pattern is quick and easy to follow, but I did notice a few mistakes, which I go into detail on my Ravelry page. Basically, in the starting rows 1-7, my “total stitches per round” was not matching up with that of the pattern. I also made a few modifications which are all mentioned in my notes. In case you’re not a Ravelry member, I’ve included my notes below as well.

Hook: 5.0 mm (H)
Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable (worsted weight); 1 skein True Grey, 1 skein White

Notes/Modifications:

Row 1: Used a magic loop starting method instead.
Row 2: NO CHANGE Starting row, make 8 sc in loop.
Row 3: NO CHANGE Increase to 16 stitches as stated.
Row 4: NO CHANGE Increase to 32 stitches as stated.

Row 5: SHOULD END with 46 stitches. If following the instructions 3ch (2dc into next dc, 1 dc into next dc) – repeat until end sl st into chain, you will end up with a total of 48 stitches. Instead: ch3, (2 dc into next dc, 1 dc into next dc) 14 times, then (1 dc into next dc) 4 times, total 46 stitches.

Row 6: NO CHANGE Increase to 61 stitches as stated.

Row 7: Pattern states “same as row 5” (total 82 stitches). SHOULD READ same as row 6. This actually gave me 81 stitches, so I inserted an extra increase at the end.

Row 8: Pattern states “(Sc in each of next 5 st, 2sc into next st) repeat 13 more times (96 stitches)”. Instead: ch1, (sc in each of next 5 st, 2 sc into next st) 13 times, 1 sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc. This should provide the required 96 sts.

Strap Modification:
I don’t like to make separate pieces and stitch them on. So I modified the straps to continue working in the round after the chevron pattern + 3 rows of sc.

Strap Row 1: Chain 60, skip 20 sts, then 1 sc in next 28 sts, ch 60, skip 20 sts, then 1 sc in next 28 sts.
Strap Rows 2-5: Even rows of sc for the next 4 rows.

The other night, I made a Hawaiian pizza for dinner using dough and sauce from scratch, Canadian bacon, and canned pineapple slices. We didn’t use the entire can, and I didn’t want to waste the juice so I decided to use it in a recipe I had saved on Pinterest a while back for Hawaiian Sweet Rolls from Yammie’s Noshery.

Yammie’s Noshery has some great recipes, especially for tasty looking bread; see Peeta’s Stuffed Cheese Buns. However, I sometimes find that I’m not getting consistent results and have to modify the recipes by either reducing the yeast or adding more flour.

This time, I followed the recipe exactly (using bread flour, not all-purpose flour), except I used pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapple, and crushed up a slice or two and mixed it in. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, using only extra flour when kneading and forming the rolls of bread. During the first mix, the consistency was “sticky, but not gooey” just as indicated in the recipe. I punched down the dough, and thought it was fine, until I started to separate the dough into twelve equal pieces.

I had a difficult time forming the balls because the dough began to stick to my fingers and the surface, both of which I dusted in flour. I ended up kneading a little more flour in to make the dough workable, but still had a hard time forming evenly shaped balls. I didn’t want to add too MUCH extra flour since the recipe already calls for four cups, which I thought was a lot! I had been looking over some pan de sal and pan de leche Filipino recipes, and they usually only call for three cups when making about twelve rolls.

I finally managed to form twelve rolls and spaced them evenly, covered them, and let them rise. They more than doubled in size when I checked on them after an hour! And they continued to grow even more during the baking. When I pulled the bread out of the oven, I was afraid I had ended up baking one big tray of bread!

Luckily, I was able to still pull apart the bread, but not without guidance of a butter knife. The rolls are soft and airy, yet dense at the same time. They don’t feel heavy while holding them, but once you start to eat them, you realize that one roll alone is extremely filling.

In the end, a tasty recipe, although I’m not sure I will make these on a regular basis. If you’d like to try it yourself, you can find the recipe here at Yammie’s Noshery.

I know that stews are generally eaten in the winter, but today I am sharing a recipe for a Korean dish called sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개 in Korean, or スンドゥブチゲ in Japanese) because I love it so much that I can eat it any time of year. Sundubu jjigae is a stew made with meat, seafood, vegetables, and uncurdled (extra soft/silken) tofu.

(I know in my picture it looks more like a soup… and that is because I embarrassingly added MUCH more liquid broth to last night’s dinner than I intended to, resulting in a soup rather than a stew. The recipe below has the actual measurements required to make this Korean soft tofu stew.)

I first ate sundubu jjigae with my sister-in-law at a Korean restaurant here in the Bay Area, just before I left for Japan. Then when I moved to Japan, there was a Korean restaurant in our AEON mall food court called 韓菜（ハンチェ）”HAN CHE” which served bibimbap and sundubu jjigae, and I fell in love, and ate there regularly. They served their sundubu jjigae with a bowl of rice and salty, toasted seaweed, which is now the only way I can enjoy this dish.

Today, I will show you how to make sundubu jjigae! This recipe is pretty flexible, in that I’ve seen a variety of recipes online, and each calls for different measurements of different ingredients. When I made this dish for dinner last night, I was simply putting together a meal using only ingredients we had on hand, and so you won’t see any green onion in my pictures, even though the recipe calls for it (and you should use it). I also like to add enoki mushrooms, beech mushrooms (white and/or brown), and clams. In today’s post, you will see that I used thinly-sliced pork loin hot pot meat (frozen leftovers from another night, when I made nabe) and some frozen mussels. You can also add beef, shrimp, or a seafood mix.

Also, the recipe I adapted mine from calls for gochugaru (고추가루, Korean red chili pepper flakes). I actually couldn’t find this in our large Asian supermarket the last time I went (either they were out of stock, or it was labeled in a way that I couldn’t read it… ^^;;;;). I did find gochugaru at a small Japanese market, but it was quite expensive… Around $6 for a small bag, and I’m sure it was marked up, as were all the other items the shop was selling. So, instead I opted to use Red Chile Pepper from Trader Joe’s which is probably not the same thing. If you can get your hands on the real thing, go for it.

Also, while you’re out shopping for ingredients, if you can find barley tea (麦茶 “mugi-cha” in Japanese, 보리차 “boricha” in Korean), grab this too! Mugi-cha is one of my favorite teas and I drank it everyday, all summer long, while I was living in Japan. I bought this big bag of ITO EN (伊藤園) brand mugi-cha at a Japanese market in San Jose, but since I’m really the only one who drinks it, it is lasting forever…! Any brand of mugi-cha is fine, but I like the ITO EN one because 1) it’s the one I always drank in Japan, and 2) I love the mugi-cha man on the packaging and from the commercials!!

Barley tea is grain-based and caffeine-free. It is brown in color, and a little earthy in taste; some people think it has a similar taste to weak coffee, or to ほうじ茶 “houji-cha” (roasted green tea). Some studies say there are some health benefits to drinking barley tea. I’m no expert on the health benefits, but in Japan, it’s a very popular drink in the summer because  it tastes very refreshing and has a cooling effect on the body.

The tea can be enjoyed hot or cold, but in the summer time, I recommend cold-brewing. These bags I bought are “1-liter tea bags”, so you just toss one bag into a 1-liter pitcher, add cold water, and stick it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Now that your tea is prepared, you can start to prepare the anchovy broth required for the stew. You will need dried anchovies and konbu (dried seaweed). Although the Asian supermarket I shop at has a “dried seafood” aisle, I actually found the dried anchovies in the fresh food section near the produce. It was in the same aisle as tofu, packaged sprouts, fish cake, etc.  Konbu is not the same as wakame, which is available in markets both fresh and dried. (Click the links to see pictures on the Wikipedia pages!) Konbu is thick, and usually sold in flat strips or sheets.

Anchovy Broth
Recipe adapted from Korean Bapsang
Makes six cups of broth.

Ingredients

• 10-12 medium to large dried anchovies
• 2 pieces of konbu (about 3-inch squares)
• 6 cups of water

Directions

1. Pour the water into a pot. Soak anchovies and konbu in the water for at least 20 minutes.
2. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a gentle boil. When the water reaches boiling temperature, reduce heat to medium and boil for about 10 minutes. Leave the pot uncovered to let the fishy aroma escape. Do not over-boil, otherwise the broth may become cloudy, and the flavor may change or even become unpleasant.
3. Drain the liquid to remove anchovies and konbu. Discard anchovies and konbu.
4. Leftover stock can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, or frozen for future use.

The embarrassing part that I will share with you is that while cooking and taking pictures for this blog, I wasn’t paying attention and I accidentally poured all six cups of broth into my stew, even though the original recipe only calls for one cup of broth… and so, there you have it. That is why I ended up making a soup instead of a stew. Oops! Be careful not to do what I did, because the flavor will become diluted and you will need to increase the seasonings in order to make the soup taste flavorful. (ﾉω＜；)

Meanwhile, during the 20 minutes that the anchovies and konbu are soaking, you can begin preparations for the stew. Wash, chop, or dice your ingredients. Then put a pot on the stove so you can begin making sundubu jjigae!

The original recipe on Korean Bapsang only uses sesame oil and gochugaru to make a flavor. This is what I used to cook the meat, garlic, and onions. However, to flavor the broth, I also added a big, heaping tablespoon of gochujang (고추장, red chili paste), which you can see in the photo second picture above. I did this because, as I mentioned earlier, I accidentally used way too much broth… you can probably omit the gochujang, or maybe you can substitute it for the gochugaru and sesame oil… or go ahead and add both, if you want it to be spicier. Feel free to experiment! I will experiment the next time I make this dish, too.

Sundubu Jjigae
Makes about 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 package sundubu (extra soft or silken tofu)
• a few slices of beef or pork (rib eye, sirloin, pork loin, or pork belly)
• a few pieces of seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams, or oysters)
• 1/2 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• green onion, diced, for garnish
• 1 tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. garlic
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• a pinch of pepper
• 1 tbsp. gochujang
• 1 cup anchovy broth
• 1 egg (optional) — not necessary, but tasty! Also, if your dish is too spicy, the egg helps cut back on the spice.

Directions

1. Prepare your meat and vegetables: Cut the meat into small thin strips. Clean the seafood. Slice zucchini into round pieces, and then slice in half. Dice the onion. Chop the green onion and set aside a little for garnish.
2. Add the gochugaru and sesame oil to a pot, then place over medium heat. The gochugaru will burn easily, so do not preheat the pot and oil. Stir well until you make a paste, then add meat, onion, garlic, and soy sauce. Stir fry until the meat and onions are almost cooked.
3. Pour in the broth. (Be careful to add only the amount you need! ^_~) Boil for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add zucchini. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Scoop out the soft tofu into the pot. Cook for two minutes.
6. Add seafood, green onions, salt, and pepper.
7. Optional, but recommended for tastiness: Break an egg into the stew while it’s still boiling hot.
8. Serve with white rice and toasted seaweed.

Yum! Still enjoyable, even though I ended up making a soup. I promise to update with more accurate photos next time I cook this dish!

I have been munching on this handmade banana granola with Trader Joe’s vanilla yogurt and frozen raspberries all week long. I had a taste of some delicious banana granola from a farmer’s market, but it was expensive and I thought it would be easy to make some at home myself.

Making granola is as simple as mixing together a few essential ingredients in a single bowl, and then popping them into the oven. Unfortunately, I learned after the fact that homemade granola can either come out crunchy or chewy, and the recipe I followed made a chewy granola rather than a crunchy one, which is what I was trying to go for.

However, since this granola  is homemade and doesn’t contain any preservatives, I stored it in the freezer to keep it from spoiling. Straight from the freezer, the granola does get a bit of crunch back to it. Next time, I’ll need to try another recipe though! I read it might be the honey which adds to the chewiness, though I may be incorrect. Anyone care to share their own granola baking tips?

This recipe was originally adapted from The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl, but adjusted while taking into account the ingredients list from the farmer’s market granola, and also reviewing a recipe from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop.

Homemade Banana Granola

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 overly ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients (rolled oats, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, and shredded coconut).
3. Blend together banana, water, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
4. Add the blended banana into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in grape seed oil.
5. Lay out the mixture in a single layer on a baking tray. (I do not recommend using parchment paper as the granola may stick to the paper and go to waste.)
6. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the oats turn brown in color. Check the granola every 10 minutes or so and stir to ensure granola is cooked evenly. It will look soggy even when done at 40 minutes, but will crisp up as it cools.
7. Remove from the oven and let granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

The New Flickr

Flickr just announced their big changes and a new look to boot. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the changes and am contemplating whether to maintain my Flickr Pro status or revert to the free account. There are loads of changes, but in summary, the biggest difference now between being a free user and a paid user is that free users get 1 TB of storage space (and ads, boo!), and paid users (~$50/year) basically get an ad-free experience with no difference in storage space or bandwidth. As for Flickr Pro, Flickr is no longer offering new Flickr Pro accounts. They are, however, grandfathering the existing Flickr Pro users — same benefits as before (unlimited storage and bandwidth), for same pricing of ~$25/year. I’m included in the grandfathered accounts, but I still don’t know if $25/year is worth it now. I was basically paying for the space, and now they’re just handing it out for free.

But moving along, this is not a post about Flickr. Although if you’d like to take a peek at my Flickr, it’s here: { mmmfruit on Flickr! }

Expired Lucky Color Film

I spent some time today learning more about VueScan and my scanner, and I was able to get better, and more consistent, results with the scans from my test roll. Also, upon closer inspection of my film, I discovered that the purple spots are in fact on the negatives, and not a problem with my scanner. (Phew!) I’m not too worried because, well, it is a test roll, and they aren’t my best shots anyway. So, don’t mind the purple spots, dust, or scratches; I didn’t bother to remove any of them.

I was happy to see the few images which did come out though. I got a bit of that 懐かしい nostalgic feeling seeing pictures of my old home.

An improved scan from the neighborhood sale in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka. I’m much happier with this one than the first one I shared earlier this month.

These two are from a hanami party at Hamamatsu Castle in Shizuoka prefecture.

All of the images in this post were photographed using a Diana F+ with 35mm film adapter, using Lucky Color film 200 ASA expired in 2007, developed and scanned in 2013.

A snapshot from my life in Japan, captured on 99-cent only store Lucky Color Film from China several years expired and badly stored through extreme changes in temperature. From a test roll using a 35mm adapter in my Diana F+.

Will re-scan after I have time to inspect my scanner. Am getting strange purple spots which I don’t see on the scanner, or on the film. Also, color and quality of scans is completely different using same scanner (Canon CanoScan 8800F) but different programs, so I am going to have to do a few more experiments before posting the other shots from the roll.

This photo makes me miss my former life in Japan.

This project is still on-going and she is looking for participants from Korea, Taiwan, and Tokyo. If you are interested, her contact information can be found on her website.

Cecile 1987 & 2010 France

Male Sil Flor 1983 & 2010 Buenos Aires

Nico 1986 & 2010 Buenos Aires

Mechi 1990 & 2010 Buenos Aires

See more from the project here:

• Back to the Future
• Back to the Future 2 2011

In the two years I lived in Japan, I visited the city of Kyoto about six times. Next to Tokyo, it is probably the city which I visited the most, and one of my favorite cities in all of Japan.

Completed in 1997, Kyoto Station in particular is also one of the most beautiful stations I have ever passed through. It contains elements of futurism architecture, yet it is the main hub of one of the least modern cities.

The architect who designed Kyoto Station is Hiroshi Hara (原 広司). He is also known for designing the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, the Yamato International building and the University of Tokyo’s Komaba Campus II in Tokyo, and the Sapporo Dome in Hokkaido.

“You can’t always get what you want…” Except for today because it’s your birthday! My nephew just turned two and this is what we wrote on the inside of his birthday card. For his gift, I decided to make him a beanie of one of his favorite TV characters: Brobee from Nick Jr.’s Yo Gabba Gabba! Even though he’s a spring-time baby and we live in “Sunny California”, evenings are still pretty chilly, even into the summertime. I made this hat a little larger so he could still grow into it, and since it’s loosely crocheted, it’s also a little stretchy. Questions or comments? Please leave them here on my blog, or on Ravelry to help other crafters!

Brobee Beanie Hat

Required skills:

• crocheting in the round
• forming a ring using double-ring or magic-ring method
• slip stitch (sl st)
• single crochet (sc)
• single crochet increase (inc)
• half double crochet (hdc)
• half double crochet increase (hdc-inc)

Materials:

• Size G (US) 4.00mm crochet hook (7/0 Japanese)
• 1 skein Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice® Baby Yarn, Sweet Pea (or equivalent light green worsted weight)
• 1 skein Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice® Yarn, Olive (or equivalent dark green worsted weight)
• 1 skein Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice® Yarn, Orange (or equivalent orange worsted weight)
• Tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)

Notes:
I created this pattern to fit a 2-year-old male child. To adjust this pattern to fit smaller heads, omit rounds as necessary which increase up to 60 sts and skip to crocheting in the round until desired length. To adjust for larger heads, do additional round(s) of increases to make a larger hat, then crochet in the round to desired length.

This pattern uses the double loop or magic ring method. I prefer this method when working in the round because it does not leave a  hole at the beginning of the pattern. Feel free to use your preferred method for crocheting in the round. This hat is crocheted in the round without joining and turning the work. Start the next round by crocheting into the first stitch of the previous round.

Hat (make one):

With sweet pea (light green) yarn, form a ring.
Round 1: 8 hdc in ring. Tighten ring by pulling on the end.
Round 2: 1 inc in each hdc. (16 hdc)
Round 3: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next hdc**, rep from * to ** seven times. (24 hdc)
Round 4: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next 2 hdc**, rep from * to ** seven times. (32 hdc)
Round 5: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next 3 hdc**, rep from * to ** seven times. (40 hdc)
Round 6: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next 4 hdc**, rep from * to ** seven times. (48 hdc)
Round 7: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next 5 hdc**, rep from * to ** seven times. (56 hdc)
Round 8: *1 hdc-inc in next hdc, 1 hdc in next 13 hdc**, rep from * to ** three times. (60 sts)
Rounds 9-18: 1 hdc in each hdc. (60 hdc) At end of Round 18, switch to olive (dark green) yarn.
Round 19: 1 hdc in each hdc. (60 hdc)
Round 20: 1 hdc in next 58 hdc; 1 sc in next st; 1 sl st in last st. (60 hdc) Finish off.

Horns (make three):

With orange yarn, form a ring.
Round 1: 4 sc in ring. Tighten ring by pulling on the end.
Round 2: *1 inc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc**, rep from * to ** once more. (6 sc)
Round 3: *1 inc in next sc, 1 sc in next two sc**, rep from * to ** once more. (8 sc)
Round 4: *1 inc next sc, 1 sc in next three sc**, rep from * to ** once more. (10 sc)
Rounds 5-6: 1 sc in each sc. (10 sc) Finish off at end of Round 6. Leave a long enough tail to sew horns to top of head.

Disclaimer: This pattern is provided for free for personal use only. You may not sell this pattern, or any items made from this pattern, for profit. This pattern is not to be reproduced, except one copy for an individual’s personal use. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owner. Pattern, instructions, and photographs are courtesy of Sharleen Morco.

Brobee and Yo Gabba Gabba! are the property of GabbaCaDabra LLC. I am not associated in any way to Yo Gabba Gabba!, GabbaCaDabra LLC, or Nick Jr. This is a fan-created hat and crochet pattern, and is not officially sanctioned by Yo Gabba Gabba or Nick Jr.

A while back, we noticed a hole in the screen of the bedroom window. It looked as if someone had punched a hand through the screen, or somehow ripped it open. We shrugged it off, and didn’t think about it again until the other day when my husband heard a loud tapping noise. When he opened the blinds, he discovered there was a little bird thief pecking away the screen and stealing it away for its nest!

We’ve tried to shoo the bird away several times, but he keeps coming back, no matter what we do. On the one hand, it’s really annoying because the hole in the screen just keeps getting bigger and bigger. But on the other hand, the little fella is so cute, it’s hard to get mad!

Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I’m not really sure how to keep the birds from tearing the whole thing apart.