Spring brings the String! - Lea's Strawberry Bib Pattern

I recently posted on Knit While He Naps's facebook page that I was seeking inspiration/suggestions for

new patterns to post to the blog. KWHN's facebook fans are a wonderful group of crafters that constantly fuel my motivation to get more patterns up here. I like to be sure that the patterns I take time to write up are projects that are actually needed or wanted, especially when it comes to patterns for beginners. I remember starting out and trolling the internet for cute free patterns because most of my projects were still wonky messes and no one wants to pay for supplies AND instructions when you're a newbie. And trust me, when it comes to enabling newbie knitters/hookers there's absolutely nothing I won't do! I want the whole world to discover the sense of accomplishment, creativity, and joy that I feel everytime a new FO comes flying off my needles. And if my patterns get them knitting for babies and family than my little crafters cup is just overflowing with pride because that's really the only reason I knit. Chances are that if you know me, and you aren't already absolutely addicted to string, I've already tried to get you stitching or spinning.
With that being said, I am happy to report that my sister-in-law Lea was finally bitten by the knitting bug this spring! I have been laying yarn traps for her ever since we met, so I'm overjoyed to welcome her to the world of handknits. She replied to my FB request for pattern ideas with a suggestion for a bib shaped like a strawberry, and I just thought that was such a brilliant spring inspired knitting project! I dropped all the other patterns I was working on and got to clicking those sticks.
So here it is, an adorable infant (0-12 months) sized drool bib, knit in wool and lanolized to help keep them dry through teethin' and talkin'. Written in row by row instructions with the advanced beginner in mind, all knit stitch with one purl row. This is a good pattern for practising/learning basic increases and decreases. It's knit flat and all in one piece for minimal assembly. Shaped like a strawberry with a vine tie, green leaves, and a cute strawberry blossom.
And now spring can officially begin because I've got my strawberry plants in the garden and this bib cast off the sticks. Thanks for the suggestion Lea and keep on stitching!

Lea's Strawberry Bib

Difficulty Level: Easy- Beginner

Size: Infants (0-12 months)
Yarn: Cascade 220 
- Bright Red and Spring Green for bib
-small amount white and yellow for flower
-Approx. 50 yards or less of red and 25 yards or less of green
Needles: pair of US 6 or 7 straight needles, 12"length should be fine.
(I used a US 5 but I knit VERY loosely, if you knit tightly use the US 7)
Gauge: about 5 sts per inch but gauge really doesn't matter here..it's a drool bib.
Notions: yarn needle and stitch marker. Crochet hook 3.5mm if you want to make the flower, or a small store bought felt or fake flower with thread and needle to stitch it on. Lanolin and wool wash if you want to lanolize* bib. 12-15 bright yellow seed beads if you want to make the strawberry seeds like the example in the picture.
Pattern Notes: Pattern feature basic increases and decreases- KFB and K2tog. Basic cast on and cast off. Knit in one piece. Basic crochet skills needed for flower. Very basic sewing skills for embellishments.

Strawberry: 
-Cast on 5 sts in Red. 
-Knit row

Increases:
- k1, kfb, k2, kfb, k1
-knit 
-k1, kfb, k3, kfb, k1
-knit
-k1, kfb, k5, kfb, k1
-knit
-k1, kfb, k7, kfb, k1
-knit
-k1, kfb, k9, kfb, k1
-knit
-k1, kfb, k11, kfb, k1
-knit
-k1, kfb, k13, kfb, k1
-knit 2 rows
-k1, kfb, k15, kfb, k1
-knit 2 rows
-k1, kfb, k17, kfb, k1
-knit 2 rows
-k1, kfb, k19, kfb, k1
-knit 3 rows
-k1, kfb, k21, kfb, k1
-knit 20 rows

Decreases:
-k1, k2tog, k19, k2tog, k1
-knit 
-k1, k2tog, k17, k2tog, k1
-knit
-k1, k2tog, k15, k2tog, k1
-knit
-k1, k2tog, k13, k2tog, k1
-k1, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k1
-knit 2 rows

Leaves:
15 sts should now remain. Switch to green color and cut red yarn.

-knit 1 row
-Purl 1 row (this makes a nice flat turning ridge to flip your leaves over the strawberry when you are done. That way the bib can be knit in one piece with minimal assembly!)
-knit 5 rows

Now we will be working only 5 sts at a time. You have 15 sts on your needles so we will be working a group of 5 sts for each leaf. You can either place each set of 5 sts on a spare needle or stitch holder or you can leave them on your needles and just remember to work only 5 at a time. It's up to you. The second option would have stressed me as a beginner knitter but everyone is different. 

So starting with the first 5 sts on your right hand needle, here we go...

Left Leaf:
-knit 5 sts
-turn, k5 sts
-repeat last 2 steps (k5 sts, turn k5sts)
-k2tog, k1, k2tog
-k3 sts
-k2tog, k1
-k2 sts
-k2tog
Break yarn, fasten off 

Middle Leaf:
-pick up next 5 sts on spare needle (the middle set of 5 sts)
-with the WS facing you, rejoin green yarn
-k5 sts
-k1, kfb, k1, kfb, k1
-k7 sts
-k1, kfb, k3, kfb, k1
-k9 sts
-k1, kfb, k5, kfb, k1
-knit 5 rows (11 sts should be on the needle)
-k1, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k1
-k9 sts
- k1, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1
-k7 sts
-k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1
-k5 sts
-k2tog, k1, k2tog
-k3 sts
-k2tog, k1
-k2tog
-Break yarn leaving a long tail (6-8"), fasten off.

Right Leaf:
-Pick up last 5 sts and rejoin yarn
-k5 sts
-k1, kfb, k1, kfb, k1
-knit 3 rows
-k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1
-k5 sts
-k2tog, k1, k2tog
-k3 sts
-k2tog, k1
-k2 sts
-k2tog
-Break yarn, fasten off

Leaves are finished! Flip them over the strawberry. 

If you are looking at the front of the bib you should see no red stitches at the top of the strawberry. That's how you know you flipped it over the right way. See picture below for back of bib. You need these green stitch bumps to be in the back so that you can pick them up later.

Ties/Vine/Cord:

Now this must be said here just to make sure everyone understands...please do not ever use this bib on a baby unless they are under direct adult supervision. The ties could pose a strangulation hazard as could the cords or ties on any bib, hat, or article of clothing. If you are concerned about this, keep cords to under 6" and continue to only use bib under adult supervision. Thanks for bearing with me through this safety announcement. Let's continue...

With GREEN yarn, Cast on 50 sts (40sts  for short ties, 60 sts for longer ones), I used backwards loop cast on but anything basic should be ok. 

Then pick up the 15 green loops on the back part of the bib (where the green and red yarn met- see picture here----> if you are confused) 

Then cast on 50 sts more. So on your needle you will have 50 new cast on sts, followed by the 15 green loops you picked up, followed by the 50 sts you just cast on in the step above...all in a row. 115 sts total.

-Knit 115 sts

-Cast off, break yarn. 

Assembly/Finishing:

- Fold green leaves down over strawberry. If you notice, that one purl row made a smooth stockinette/knit line to fold the leaves down over. You can use the loose end tail from the middle leaf to stitch these neatly down.

-Using yarn needle weave in all your loose ends. There are great videos online that show you the best way to do this. 

-Attach white flower to corner of bib using picture as a guide. If you do not know how to knit or crochet a flower (are aren't inclined at this point to learn) then you can buy a small white flower at a craft store, buy a small knit or felted one on Etsy.com (no bigger than an inch across), or make one out of felt and stitch it tightly on with thread and needle.
Instructions to crochet the flower are as follows....

White Flower:
You will need a small hook (3.5-4mm) and worsted weight yarn in small amounts of yellow and white.

Using yellow yarn and the magic ring technique, work 5 sc into loop and tighten.
-Switch to white yarn and slip stitch into first sc of previous round. Place stitch marker if you'd like to. 
Rnd 1: sc, 2dc, hdc, and slip stich into ea sc 

Slip stich to beginning sc of last round. You should have 5 small petals and a yellow center. Break yarn, fasten off, leave long tail to stitch flower to bib.

More ideas:

-Stitch tiny white or yellow beads on the bib or use duplicate stitch to scatter "seeds" across the strawberry giving it a more realistic look. See picture above. I used about 12 yellow seed beads and stitched them firmly with red thread. The first picture doesn't have seeds and it still looks great. So it's your choice.

-Once you progress in your knitting a stitch with more texture would give the strawberry more depth. Something along the lines of a bobble or moss stitch would give it that bumpy texture. 

-Knit short little i-cord or crochet chains, stitch to bib, and twist them around your finger to look like vines

-Add another flower of a small bee to give the bib even more layers and creativity. 

-Stitch a handmade label on the back

* Lanolize bib. Lanolization is a baby safe way to make wool knit items more water resistant. If done properly, water will bead on surface before absorbing giving you time to wipe off and avoid a damp soggy bib. Lanolization instructions abound on the web. All you need is a nickel sized amount of lanolin, the type sold and recommended for breastfeeding moms, and a no-rinse wool wash. If you need more help with this step feel free to message me on FB or email me at vania@knitwhilehenaps.com.

Abbreviations/Further Help:

FO: ravelry lingo for finished object
sts: stitches
knit or knit row: knit every stitch in the row, no purling.
KFB- knit into the front and back of the next stitch on your needle. This increases the number of stitches in the row by one by creating a new stitch. Videos and pictorials are all over the internet if you need a step by step demonstration.
K2tog- Knit the next two stitches on your left hand needle at the same time, or together. Insert right hand needle through the bottom of one stitch and then the one above it. Knit.
K_ (example: k3 or k5): knit the many number of stitches. So k3 means knit the nest 3 stitches.
Break yarn: cut yarn with scissors. Back in the day when scissors were scarce and expensive people would literally just break yarn off with their fingers...or teeth...or whatever was handy and sharp.
Fasten off: pull tight on the cut end of yarn and the stitch will knot itself 

Crochet abbreviations:
sc- single crochet
hdc- half double crochet
dc- double crochet
ea- each

---> Please keep in mind that this is a FREE pattern and I am not an infallible knitter. If you notice any errors I do apologize and hope that you will understand. Please email me with any questions or suggestions. 
Also, not that you need it, but you have my permission to make and sell items using this pattern- for small personal use only. We're talking craft fairs, fundraisers, and little etsy stores here, nothing mass marketed or mass produced please. Again, message me if you have questions. I only have *one request*, that you credit me as designer and note that somewhere on your display, description, or listing. You could also link back to this blog post, our facebook page (facebook.com/knitwhilehenaps) and/or my etsy store VMacJen-Knit While He Naps. And hey if you want to like us on Facebook or Etsy to just because you think we're awesome....that's cool too!
Please do not use or reprint parts of this pattern. But do feel free to make copies for friends and knitting groups. <------ b="">

THANKS SO MUCH!

DC STATE FAIR, and the winner of the Knitting Competition is.....

 This weekend I found out that I won the DC State Fair's Knitting Competition! Oh yes, I was excited. I did a victory dance, gave a few cheers....ok...so maybe I just smiled really big. Afterwards, I had a few people ask me where they could buy their own knit DC t-shirt or if I had a pattern available for them to make their own. I promised to write up my pattern notes and make the pattern available here on my blog, so here it is. If you interested in buying an already completed t-shirt knit by me. You can message me at vania@knitwhilehenaps.com or keep an eye out on our Etsy store where I will have a listing available for it soon. And just in case you missed my prize winning performance at the state fair here are is a picture....

Ooooh! A gift certificate to Looped Yarn Works...and a first place ribbon? 

Why yes please, thank you very much!

The entries on display at Looped Yarn Works, my favorite LYS in the city.
As you can see the competition was limited but fierce. :) Many many thanks to Looped Yarn Works for sponsoring the knit/crochet competition and the prize.

And since they did not let me make a winner's acceptance speech (darn!) Here it is....

I would like to thank the little shop on the corner of Florida Ave and Connecticut Ave for always displaying their souvenir shirts on the sidewalk and thus inspiring my design for the competition. I thought...cotton souvenir shirts? It's getting cold. Why don't they have their sweatshirts out..or even better....why don't they have wool knit souvenir shirts? That'd be awesome....OMG....best idea EVER!

Looped Yarn Works for sponsoring the knit/crochet competition at the fair and providing the fabulous prize AND for selling so many colorways of the Malabrigo Worsted and thus providing me with materials needed on a last minute notice. 

I'd like to thank the crafty people of the District for keeping handmade work alive and beautiful in a very urban setting. We make the craft revolution possible! And all the small business that brave the high city rent to make supplies available to us. 

But most importantly I'd like to thank my Grandmother and Mom for teaching me to knit and sew, my sister for teaching me crochet, and all of them for teaching me that the love and time that goes into a handmade item makes it infinitely superior and lovelier than store bought. 

And of course all this could not be possible without the support (financial and spiritual) of my encouraging and patient husband.

Let's also not forget as well that without my son (and all the other babies in my life) none of this fiber inspiration would even take place. Also, he makes an adorable model and it's just so easy taking measurements from him that I need to write my patterns! :)

And without further blah, blah, blah....here it is.

MADE IN THE DISTRICT- Toddler T-Shirt

Size: 2T

(More sizes coming soon….Message me if you need a specific size and I’ll see what I can do)

Guage:

5-5.5 inches per inch, stockinette in the round

Materials:

-400 yards of a Lightweight Worsted Weight yarn in a main color (MC). I used Malabrigo Worsted in Natural.

-approx. 20 yards of Worsted Weight yarn in a contrasting color (CC). I used Malabrigo Worsted in Ravelry Red.

-Thread, embroider floss, or light weight yarn in a color matching CC yarn.

- 18“ or 24” circular needle in a US size 6 (or whatever you need to knit to the guage. I knit very loosely so I actually used a US size 4)

- 10-12” circular needle of DPNs in a US size 6 for sleeves.

- 2 lengths of stitch holder cords or waste lengths of yarn (to hold sleeve stitches while working body)

- yarn needle (bent tip ones work best)

- 4 stitch markers (one in a different color  or size to mark beginning of round)

 

Pattern Notes/Techniques Used:

Recommended for Advanced Beginners, Intrepid Newbies, and Advanced Knitters with small children and in need of easy projects.

- Knit from top down, increases,  knitting in the round, duplicate stitch/swiss darning, tubular cast off (optional), basic sewing stitch

Let’s begin….Remember we are working from the neck down.

- Using the longer circular needles cast on 76 stitches in a stretchy cast on. I like Twisted German cast on but others abound on the internet.

Join for working in the round, placing the different stitch marker to mark the end of the round.

-Knit 8 rounds of 1x1 ribbing.

This is so your neck will match the tubular cast off edge which is usually done in a 1x1 rib. If you will be doing a regular cast off on the hem, you could work a 2x2 or other stretchy stitch  pattern here.

Set up for raglan shaping:

-Knit 12, PM, knit 26, PM, k12, PM, knit 26

Now you will alternate an increase row with a knit row to begin shaping the raglan shoulders/sleeves.

Rnd 1: M1, knit to marker, m1, slip marker, m1, knit to next marker, m1, slip marker, m1, knit to next marker, m1, slip marker, m1, knit to next marker, m1.
So basically sandwiching each marker with an increase.

Rnd 2: Knit 

Repeat these two rows 17 more times, until you have a total of 220 stitches.

-Knit one round

-As you work this round, remove all markers except the one marking the beginning of the round.

- Place the first 48 stitches onto a holder (you’ll be working on this sleeve later).

- M1,  knit to marker, M1, slip marker, M1, place the next 48 stitches on a holder (this will become the second sleeve),  M1, knit to end of round, M1, slip marker.

Knitting the body:

- Working the remaining 128 stitches in stockinette (knit every stitch, every row) until your t-shirt measures 13-15” from cast on edge. Mine was about 14” in length, my son is about 32” tall.

Hem & Casting off:

I am a HUGE fan of TechKnitting’s blog. HUGE. I especially admired their series on “Knitting better bands and cuffs”.  This inspired me to do a Cast off hem for my DC State Fair entry. I highly recommend it. If you are interested in learning a useful new knitting skill then knit 8-10 rows of 1x1 ribbing (I love a nice deep ribbing on the hem) and then proceed here

http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/01/tubular-cast-off-its-pretty.html

If you, like me at times, find yourself with way to much on your plate (kids, school, activities, work, LIFE!) I completely understand.  Give yourself a break and

-Knit 8-10 rows of 2x2 or 1x1 ribbing (whatever you used on the neck ) and bind off using a stretchy bind off. I like Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, Russian or Lace Bind off, or a sewn bind off for the patient knitters.

Sleeves:

Detail on inside sleeve and words

- Pick up the first 48 stitches on a holder, and pick up about 5 or so extra stitches where the body stitches used to be, underarm area, and place a marker if you would like to mark the end of the round.

- Knit 15 rows in stockinette.

-Knit one purl round (this will be the turning edge to do the facing hem for the sleeve)

-Knit 1 round, and then switch to your contrasting color for a nice hidden pop of color, knit about 5 more rows and bind off loosely and not with a bulky cast off edge.

- Fold sleeve edge inward (color should be on the inside). Using thread, laceweight yarn, or embroidery floss in a color matching contrasting color, sew bind off edge to inside of sleeve. Make sure you don’t pull sewing thread too tightly and that it doesn’t show through to outside.  You can do this by just barely catching the edge of the cast off and a little of the yarn on the inside of the sleeve.

-Pick up the stitches for the other sleeve and repeat.

Design:

Detail on DC flag on front

Words on back:

Using the letter chart shown below carefully embroider the words onto the back of the t-shirt. I used duplicate stitch (sometimes called swiss darning). It is like cross stitch but using the V’s (instead of little 'x's) made by the knit stitches. Tutorials abound on the internet. If you do a google search I’m sure you would get better instructions than I could compose here. Make sure you center the words to the center of the back of your t-shirt. Using the picture above as a guideline.

Flag on front:

Now turn the t-shirt over and over the right breast of the t-shirt (where a polo shirt’s logo would be) duplicate stitch a row of 10 “v” stitches in the CC.

 -Directly underneath it duplicate stitch another row of red “v”s.

-Skip 2-3 rows (this makes the white row between the DC  flag's red stripes)

-Duplicate stitch another 2 rows of 10 “v” stitches below this. You should now have the two wide red stripes of the DC flag.

- Above these two stripes embroider 3 red stars. I did this making a V then an upside now V, the a little stick I in the middle of the top V.  If you try to embroider an actual star shape it doesn’t seem to look right when it’s as small as this.

AND TA DA! You are all finished. Admire your beautiful handmade t-shirt and show off that DC pride.

I know some of these instructions can seem a bit complicated so please, please, please do not hesitate to email me with questions. I also have not had time yet to remake this t-shirt and check my notes with errata (for which I apologize in advance) so if you notice anything amiss please feel free to message me and I will check it out.

THANKS!

Not that you especially need it, but permission is given to make and sell items made with pattern. All I ask is that you please credit me as designer and link back to my blog (www.downtownvania.com), Facebook page (facebook.com/KnitWhileHeNaps), and/or Etsy store (vmacjen.etsy.com, store name Knit While He Naps) in your listing or in the displaying of your finished items to sell. Please feel free to print and share copies of this pattern with your knitter friends and groups! And if you feel so inclined, you can always "Like" us on Facebook.... because...well, just because you like us. :)

PM- palce marker

RND- round

M1- make one, use backwards loop or knit front and back-KFB, or any other preferred method.

MC-main color

CC-contrasting color

Halloween Knit and Run in the Capital

Team USA yarn bomb in front of
Looped Yarn Works during the Olympics.

It has finally happened, two of my favorite things have come together to make this October the best ever...Yarn bombing and Halloween! My LYS, Looped Yarn Works, in Washington DC is hosting a Halloween themed yarn bomb event to yarnify the capital. What could be better than giving the District a nice healthy dose of festive fiber?...only doing it in a costume while eating candy. Perfect!

I have volunteered to make some little ghoulish items to contribute and to reach out to all my fellow crafters to get some extra submissions to make this knit & run truly memorable. 

If anyone wants to send in a submission to be added to their project please email me, vania@knitwhilehenaps.com, for the address to send it too and be sure to get it to us by OCTOBER 15th. Anything Halloweeny (and not too gruesome or inappropriate) would be perfect. Message me if you have any questions. For example, I will be making a crocheted spiderweb and some spiders in sparkly black and orange yarn. Other good submissions would be little amigurumi ghosts, big candy corns, or pumpkins on a vine. Or even just black and orange squares to cover parking meters like the picture on the left.

And to make this interesting I am hosting a *CONTEST* for this. The person who submits the most pieces for the yarn bomb will receive a very cool project tote bag featuring our Ravelry group name and an amazing slogan. See picture below….
The first 10 people to contribute something get a pen, with the same design. Perfect for throwing into your knitting bag. 

I will also post plenty of pictures in a special blog post and will mention each contributor by name (or Ravelry handle). It would be wonderful if we could get crafters from all different states to help give our capital city a handmade look. 

FREE YARN!

Over 1,400 yards of beautiful summer yarn!

A Ravelry friend has sent me 14 skeins of LOVELY Casacde Elite yarn in a Tussah Silk and Pima Cotton blend. My fiber resolutions for the year absolutely forbid me stashing yarn just for the sake of stashing pretty string...and with 8 WIP (works in progress) currently cast on and 3 Etsy orders to finish up... I am afraid that I just can't give this beautiful yarn a good home. Rather than have it tucked away in my stash for another year or so (or 5 or 10) I have decided to offer it up for adoption to the readers of this blog. All 5 of you! haha I am so grateful for the people that read/make the patterns I write up and for the fans that friend us on Facebook. If someone other than me gets to knit this yarn up than I'm glad it will be one of my fellow internet stitchers.
If you have been searching for a great summer yarn for a shawlette, top, or lightweight cover up this is the perfect giveaway for you. Seriously with 14 skeins you could even knit up a summer dress.
So what is the contest and how do you enter?

Here are the details....
- Reply to this post, or post on our Facebook page, with a picture or a link to a picture featuring a finished object you have made using one of the patterns listed here on the blog or sold in the Etsy store.
-Final day to post is May 11th, 2012.
- Patterns that can be used include the LeLe hat, the Inca Trail hat, the newborn booties, Pirate Parrot hat, or the Cardinal cap.
- Make sure your name or email is included somewhere in your post so I can contact the winner.
- My favorite entry will win the yarn! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :)

Feel free to message me if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing everyone's
pictures.

Go REDBIRDS!

Photo is courtesy of the the very lovely
 and talented ladies of LeLe Photography.
Thanks Ashley and Alicea!

Baseball season is on its way (and a football fan's knitting is never done)! Our famous Cardinal bird baby cap pattern is no longer a secret. The pattern is now available in our Etsy store and our facebook friends have a special coupon code to get the pattern half off. Check it out.
This hat pattern is suitable for beginner/advanced beginner level crochet. It is worked up in simple, single crochet with basic decreases. Crocheted it 4 parts with simple instructions for assembling. Some yarns that I recommend for making this hat.
-Cascade 220 in 9422, 9522, 8895, 8414
-Stitch Nation- Bamboo Ewe in Lipstick
-Malabrigo Worsted in Vermillion or Ravelry Red

A different kind of fiber...the cheesy popcorn recipe kind

Occasionally I take a break from the needle arts and dabble in some amateur baking, sewing, cheesemaking, and serious food obsession questing. My latest food obsession is cheesy popcorn, a delicious and delectable way to get your dose of fiber (the edible kind). The only problem is it is extremely high in calories and saturated fat. The absolute best cheesy popcorn in the world is found at Chicago landmark, Garrett's Popcorn. I am absolutely addicted to it. I will even find excuses to travel to Chicago just to go buy some. Of course I could buy some online, but it isn't as hot and fresh and crazy good as when it's just made at the store. I won't even begin to speculate though on the diet setbacks a small bag of this popcorn could inflict on your weight loss efforts.  So I have been fiddling all month with several recipes at home to try to get a cheesy popcorn that's not too bad on the waistline, and just as delicious on the tastebuds.
My first breakthrough came when my husband gifted me a microwave air popper at Christmas.

It is only $8 and goes in the dishwasher to clean! Also you avoid all the horrible chemicals found in the lining of microwave popcorn bags. It makes a small, crisp, and oil free popcorn kernel. I found that Fireworks Popcorn was my favorite for this task. 

Well, I had the popcorn... now I needed the cheesiness. I tried about a dozen different methods...microplane grated cheddar in melted butter, boxed mac cheese powder, cheese grated directly on top of popcorn....all were a major fail. It was turning out clumpy with unevenly distributed cheese. The boxed mac cheese powder was the absolute worst. Totally unedible. And then one day, like a bolt of lightning from snack heaven, I get an email form King Arthur Flour advertising their Vermont Cheddar Cheese Powder. Heavenly! Not only was in recommended for popcorn but they also listed about 6 other ways the cheese powder could rock it out in your kitchen (pizza crust enhancer to homemade kiddie mac). It tasted authentically like cheese and was very VERY finely powdered. Also a little went a long way cheese flavor wise.

A few more attempts and I finally had a cheesy popcorn that was delicious and only came in at only 187 calories approx. for a  2.5 cup serving. A light calorie load for a hefty sized snack portion and it is wonderfully filling and tasty. 

Here it is listed below....let me know if you have any questions, innovative suggestions, or awesome cheesy popcorn stories to share. Next stop....the perfect low cal quiche.

Vania's Easy Cheesy Popcorn Recipe

-5 cups air popped popcorn (a high quality non-gmo kernel is best!)

-2-3 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Vermont Cheddar Cheese Powder

-1 teaspoon or less of Fleur de Sel or Sea Salt Flakes (the only salt light and fine enough to stick to popcorn and better for you than popcorn salt)

-Superfine Mustard Powder

-Cayenne Powder

Popcorn popper, Firework kernels, King Arthur cheese powder,
  and spices.

-2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter *

-Pop popcorn with no oil or butter according to the instructions for whatever appliance or method you are using. Set aside in a very big bowl.

- In a small bowl mix cheese powder, mustard powder, and cayenne to taste. I like mine a little spicy so I use more cayenne but anywhere from a pinch of each to a 1/2 tsp should be good.

-Melt butter in a small saucepan or carefully in a microwave safe bowl.

-Pour melted butter evenly over popcorn and toss to coat.

-Sprinkle cheese powder mixture evenly over buttered popcorn and toss to coat. I use a small powdered sugar sieve spoon and find that it really works the best.

-Sprinkle with fleur de sel to taste.

-Enjoy right away and in secret or you will be accosted by all kinds of popcorn thieves. 

*For an even more low calorie version (but admittedly less flavorful) you can use Olive Oil spray then sprinkle cheese mixture. If you are using salted butter taste before using fleur de sel, it might not need finishing salt.

Huffing and Puffing

Next month my son will be a year and a half and it's official....I can no longer use pregnancy as an excuse for being overweight. I have 15-20 lbs left to lose and it is time that I took responsibility. I can't even get away with calling it baby weight anymore...at this point it's just weight, baby. So as some added motivation, ok more like motivation/shame, I have decided to post a ticker on the blog with the amount of weight I have left to lose before I get back to my pre-baby number of 120lbs. It's embarrassing but it'll get me motivated because if a month from now the number hasn't gone down....I'll be twice as embarrassed as I am now. Hah. Well....not so hah. It's tough being a mom, and it tough going from a size 4 to a 12, and by tough I mean freakin' impossible and headachy. But health is the most important gift I can give myself and it's time for me to come out of my new mom shell and get back into shape. I'm absolutely petrified of showing up at my first yoga class in 2 years and barely being able to touch my toes. I hate that I'll be huffing and puffing in a cardio class I was once asked to teach. And the sight of me back on the treadmill will be laughable. But before I delve too much into desperation I'll try to keep in mind that some things have gotten better.
I have these newly buff arms, thanks to 30lb car seats and balancing diaper bags, shopping bags, and baby. I also have a new persistence to push past plateaus and block out distractions, thanks to wrangling my son through countless grocery store meltdowns while simultaneously trying to pay and smile. And most importantly I have a new found respect for the physical endurance my body is capable of...something that only pregnancy, labor, and post delivery complications could have taught me. SO I'm going to flex these awesome looking biceps, ignore the sad sight of my midsection, and get this booty doing squats all the way to the gym. I'm also probably going to have to start eating like a grown up again. Sucks.

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