Vegan calamari

A few months ago I bought some vegetarian squid from May Wah just to see if I could make vegan calamari. Since then, the packages have been sitting in my pantry just waiting for me to feel adventurous. That feeling came to me last night so here is my recipe for vegan cajun calamari with a chipotle aioli sauce. Enjoy.

Vegan Cajun Calamari

2 packages vegetarian squid
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
5 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
oil for frying

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oil is heating mix the flour, nutritional yeast and Cajun seasoning together in a bowl. Open the packages of vegetarian squid and rinse. Dip vegetarian squid pieces in flour mixture and thoroughly cover them. Then, place the pieces in the oil for 3 minutes of until golden brown. Serve with aioli dipping sauce.

Chipotle Aioli Sauce

1/4 cup Veganaise or the vegan mayonnaise of your choice
3 Tbsp. chipotle mustard
Juice of half a lime

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Makes 4 servings.

There's no turning back now

I am officially signed up for level one of the master knitters program. Now the fear sets in.

I want to be the master of something

It's been a few days, somehow I managed to get sick which rendered me useless for two days. I am all better now so time to do some catching up. Last week I bought a woman's entire yarn stash off of ebay. It came to me in a big box yesterday and I already have plans for most of the yarn. The yarn came pretty tangled, all the more reason for me to buy the yarn baller this weekend from AC Moore.

On Sunday I broke my first Brittney needle; it was a sad sad day. I was working on the back of the accidentally on purpose sweater and snap, my needle was in two pieces. I called Brittney for a replacement needle which will be here in 2 weeks, but to hold me over I put wood glue in the break and taped over the seem for stability.

In other news, this weekend I am going to enroll in TKGA's master knitter program. I have been thinking about this for awhile and everyone I talk to say they learned a ton doing the program, of course none of these people completed it. The materials should arrive by the middle of May and I'll post my progress and frustrations just in case anyone else is interested in doing the program.

Cold arms and half a sweater

I finally started the back to accidentally on purpose today, but I have a feeling it will be a pretty slow project. It is getting warmer here which means the evil AC comes on at work and I start freezing at my desk. I've decided to make a shrug to keep me warm at work this summer, but I haven't choosen a pattern yet. I want to use some of the Manos cotton stria that I am hoarding, I should have just enough for a shrug. Since I have nothing exciting to post, here is a video about the dangers of knitting.

I've heard of second sock syndrome

If there is such a thing as second side syndrome, I have it. I finally finished the front side of the accidentally on purpose vest from SnB Nation and now I don't want to start the second side. The pattern is really boring, just stockinette stitch, for 150 rows. Then, at the veery end you get to drop a bunch of stitches which is fun, but didn't make up for the boredom as much as I had hoped. Instead of jumping into the back I am working on itsybitsy from the new Knitty, a pretty involved pattern. I am hoping all of the herringbone craziness makes me long for the simplicity of the accidentally on purpose.

I'm just a girl...or am I?

The average sex reassignment surgery costs $30,ooo- that's more money than I make in a year! Luckily, I found a crafty alternative to surgery. Introducing the boy suit...
With the knitted boy suit you can be girl one day and a boy the next- no need for hormones or expensive surgery, plus it is completely washable. I think my favorite feature of this suit it that you can go out in public 'naked' without getting into trouble. I just see this girl sitting at a bus stop or getting her morning coffee in this outfit. What if she had multiple boy suits? She could have a different one for every day of the week.
I wish I could offer more information on this design or the designer, but I have none. If you know who is responsible for this wonderful creation please email me, I would really like to give them credit.
For now, if you are interested in making your own version of this fabulous creation, you can find patterns online for almost any anatomical part.

A very productive weekend

After much procrastination, I finally got around to making my womb for the wombs on Washington protest on April 25. If you are interested in represing your womb you still have over a week to get it in the mail. The pattern is pretty easy and takes about 2 hours to go from a ball of yarn to reproductive organ.



Another project that I finally finished is the square peg hat from the SugarCubed blog. I made it using Lion Brand Jiffy, the grey was leftover from my dad's Christmas scarf and I bought a cordinating skein of pink just for this hat. I still have a ton of pink left so I'm thinking about using it to make a fuzzy version of the womb.

New Spun is up!!!

Just a quick note to let you know that the new issue of Spun is up.

Singapore Steet Noodles...yum

Philip and I make a special meal every Sunday, something different than our usual fare. Today's dish was Singapore Street Noodles, PF Chang's style. We got the recipe from PETA's veg cooking site and we made a few modifications to fit the contents of our pantry. If you don't have the majority of these ingredients on hand (especially the sauces) you would be better off finding a Chinese restaurant that serves this dish; luckily we had almost everything due to our monthly expedition to the Asian market. Below is our modified recipe. Enjoy.

Singapore Street Noodles

2 gal. water
1 lb. package rice sticks (available at Asian markets)
4 Tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. extra firm tofu pressed dry, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
1 cup cabbage, julienned
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup Singapore Sauce (see recipe below)
1 bunch scallions (just the green part), cut into 2-in. pieces
1/4 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 lime, quartered

Bring water to a rolling boil. Place rice sticks into boiling water for 2 minutes (just until soft), then drain into a colander. Immediately rinse under hot water for 1 minute. Drain well (the noodles should still be slightly warm). Toss with 2 Tbsp. of oil and set aside. In a hot wok stir-fry faux “shrimp” and faux “chicken” or tofu with 2 Tbsp. of oil until just done (approximately 2 minutes). Add garlic, cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add rice stick noodles and stir-fry for one minute. Add Singapore Sauce and stir-fry until all ingredients are well mixed (approximately 2 minutes). Add scallions, cilantro, and sesame oil and toss briefly. Sprinkle with fried shallots, then garnish with a lime wedge.

Singapore Sauce

2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 cup Madras curry powder
1/4 cup shoyu sauce
1 cup vegetarian oyster sauce
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup ketchup

Combine vinegar and curry powder. Mix well until powder is well dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Makes 8 servings.

I forgot about my petition square

I forgot to post a picture of my square for the Nike blanket petition created by the fine people at microRevolt. This is my second square and it is going to have Philip's name on it since he can't (or won't) knit. The squares, or signatures, are a really cool project and since they are only 4x4 they are quick and easy for any level of knitter. If you have a little extra time and care about labor issues you should send in a square. If you lack the time or skills to create a square, but really want to participate, you can sign the virtual petition on the microRevolt site.

My one hour sweater and more...

Last night I made a sweater in one hour. Okay, it was Barbie-sized, but it still sounds like an accomplishment. The sweater is for the Red Sweaters project and will be part of a public art display. If you knit or crochet and haven't heard of this yet I suggest you check out the site and consider submitting. The final project will have one red sweater for every American soldier killed in the Iraq war. Each sweater must be knit from the same type of yarn for consistency- the irony is that the artist chose red acrylic yarn, a petroleum product, to represent the blood shed.



I also recently finished the sushi toilet paper cozy from the first issue of crochet me. This pattern is actually uses crochet, knitting, and embroidery so it is pretty fun.



And finally, here is my hat with a giant heart. I can't explain it, I just wanted something really big on the side of a hat and I chose a heart out of laziness. I still think it's pretty cool.

Slave to the Needles, issue 2

Last week I received my copy of Aimee Hagerty Johnson's Slave to the Needles, issue 2 from October 2004. I love this zine, it's jam packed with fun stuff including comics, interviews, patterns, and reviews. Slave to the Needles is so fun that even my boyfriend, a non-knitter, read it. Aimee interviews several rockin' women including Tegan & Sarah, Sasha Bell, and Kathi Wilcox about all things crafty. The zine is filled with illustrations and stories about Aimee's knitting experiences and her magical pegasus, Kamilla, who sweeps her up from bad situations. The patterns include a flowered bonnet (on the front cover), a toaster cozy, and a pair of super cute pixie underpants. I can't wait to see what issue 3 has to offer.


If you want your own copy send $3 cash money to
Slave to the Needles
PO Box 260224
Madison, WI 53726-0224

Manos yarn in the paper

This is a crochet entry so knitters beware. On Wednesday the Virginian-Pilot ran a full-page article on how to crochet a bag. While I know this isn't rocket science, it is nice to see this kind of thing in the newspaper. The most exciting part of the article was the yarn they decided to use to make the bag, Manos del Uruguay cotton stria. I love Manos yarn, it is soft, beautiful, fabulous to work with, and socially responsible. Manos del Uruguay is a non-profit organization that gives job opportunities to women in rural Uruguay. There are so many bad things that go on in the textile industy that it is really nice to find a good company from time to time.