Eyelet Yoke Cardigan for Zoe

On the long journey to Da Nang, Vietnam (how is is that it is so close to Jakarta, and yet I had to first fly to Singapore and subsequently stop off in Siem Reap before arriving in Danang?), I was able to turn out this cute little sweater for Zoe (don't tell her, it's for her 1st birthday!!!).

 It's knit in 5 parts (2 sleeves, 2 front sections and 1 back), which are then connected together by the eyelet yoke... Not very difficult, but something tells me it could be even easier. Somehow there has to be a way to knit the front sections and the back in one piece to eliminate some of the seaming (which I suck at). I haven't quite figured out how yet, but perhaps it will come to me in time.

My work in action!

Here are some action shots of some of the pieces I've made recently... Looking good, if I do say so myself! 

Meghan told me she loves her handmade batik t-shirt (made using Grainline's Scout pattern) and received 2 compliments on it from coworkers. I'm glad that the money I wired them made it all the way to DC:

Meghan looking quite cute in her batik!

I also enjoyed wearing (and inevitably sweating through) my Scout tees whilst jaunting around Vietnam:

Rocking my wearable muslin Scout while making the steep climb up the Marble Mountains.

Digging into some pho in Ho Chi Minh City while wearing my red flowered Scout.

Standing in a beautiful ancient gateway in the imperial city of Hue, wearing my plaid Anda top.

Roasted and Mayo-Free Potato Salad

This potato salad is a winner for those folks who don't like mayo.  Full of flavor from stone-ground mustard, garlic and coriander seeds, made creamy by Greek-style yogurt, and garnished with parsley and thinly sliced green onions, it's really the anecdote to boring old potato salad.  

Satu Lagi Batik Scout

I swear, for the first 4 months we lived in Jakarta, Tim only knew 2 words, "satu" and "lagi," which are conveniently useful for obtaining another beer when used together, as they mean "one more" or "another."

Well, it's satu lagi version of Grainline's Scout Tee for me... like some of the others I've made recently, this one is also made from batik from Jogjakarta.  I made it for Erin as a going-away gift (she and Mr. Ben just left for Bangkok this morning... sniff sniff...). 

Big Crumb Coffee Cake with Malang Apples

Tim's had a rough week at work, so I baked him his favorite, a big crumb coffee cake, to bring to the office to share with his colleagues.  Based on Smitten Kitchen's recipe, I just substituted the rhubarb with some local apples from Malang.  Pretty good!

Scout Making Machine

Seriously, I am a machine.  A Grainline Scout t-shirt making machine.  

I am my own sweatshop (minus the sweat because Tim insists on keeping the AC set to arctic).  

These batik babies are for Liz and Meghan, for dragging a ridiculous amount of random crap across the world for me.  Also because it's difficult to find pre-made bule-appropriate batik clothing here in Indonesia that a) fits and b) doesn't have a tragically located ruffle or comically large sleeves, I gotta make stuff myself.

This flowery, flowy number is for me, for our upcoming trip to Vietnam:

Batik Quilted Placemats

Erin and Ben are leaving Jakarta (boo-urns!), so I made them a small going-away gift with a little bit of Indonesian flair.  

They recently had a new dining room table set made and Ben had remarked that they would need to start using placemats, so I decided to make them some from Indonesia's national fabric, batik.  

To make the placemats I used this tutorial, although rather than cut 2 18 x 13" pieces to serve as the front and back, I cut one 18 x 13" piece, one 15 x 13" and one 13 x 4" in a second fabric for each placemat. 

I also didn't quilt the whole placemat, but partially quilted each one differently, using the diagonal batik pattern as a stitch guide because the fabric was bunching up a bit as I quilted.

 

They came out pretty cute, I think!