My First Arm Knit Afghan

I watched a few videos (click here for one example), read a bunch of instructions (like these) and looked at diagrams (another example here) all online - there are lots to pick from! I started this blanket, and then ripped it back out,  a few different times before figuring out the technique, once I got it tho this was quite easy to do.

My only beef with most of the directions is they say it's going to take about 45 minutes to make a blanket... and pretty much once you start you can't stop because your arms are the knitting needles so there's no "putting it down for later"... I waited until after lunch and 2 iced teas (important to the story line haha) when I knew there was an open window to start it, figuring I'd have it done in an hour. Somewhere around the 3 hour mark and I wasn't done yet but needed to use the bathroom (thanks to the iced tea!) I had a bit of a dilemma - 45 minutes my a&$ LOL!! I waited until all of the loops were on my left arm so my right arm was free and wrapped the long blanket around my neck like a scarf in order to do my business hahahahaha. My advice is to start this after you've eaten, don't drink a lot, use the bathroom first,  and don't need to do anything with your arms for about 3 hours!


I think this turned out really good for my first blanket, I'm definitely going to make more because c'mon - a knitted blanket in 3 hours is sweet (perfect for gift giving!), and it's just about the softest, fluffiest, cosiest blanket ever. I wanted to curl up and just stroke the softness (my dog hates to be pet so I could use this blanket as a replacement for something to pet haha) but I made it for a gift and had to let it go. Sigh.

Brooke picked out this pretty chunky pink yarn at Walmart - I used 6 skeins and the finished blanket is 3' x 27' (yep you read that right - it's 1 yard wide by 9 yards long, it's big!). Because my arms were the needles it has big loopy holes for the stitches - it looks so much like a big net that Dave asked if I was going to catch fish with it; once folded at the foot of the bed tho I love the texture and how it looks.

one year ago: salad in baked meat cups
two years ago: pineapple upside-down cake cocktails!

Club Salad in Baked Ham Cups

This is such a great idea - baked ham cups filled with salad that you can pick up, no fork needed! Cathy's neighbor brought these to a party and they were a big hit, this is totally going to be a go-to dish for me now (and not just for parties, this is a great everyday idea too!)

You can do this with thin sliced ham or turkey, and whatever fillings you want. Start by greasing muffin tins, then layer a slice or two of meat into the cups (you are creating a cup that will hold the salad so arrange the meat accordingly), top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Bake at 400' about 10 minutes until the meat holds it's shape and the cheese is melted. Remove from muffin tins and cool.

Mix together mayo and dijon mustard and add a dollop to the bottom of the cups. Top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado...or whatever you like! Then stand back and watch them be devoured :)





















one year ago today: pineapple upside down cake cocktail