Knit A Helmet Hat

After a fairly mild, snow-free December, we are having a bitter cold start to January 2015.  Below zero temperatures are common throughout the area today and many schools are closed.  My middle grandchild, Sam, asked if I would make him a knit helmet hat.  I needed a project for our car trip to Michigan, so I grabbed my knitting needles and some yarn.  I put the supplies in the front seat with me and started to knit shortly after we began the trip.  Knitting in the car makes it easier for me to travel.  I am not a good traveler.  If we listen to a book and I knit, I can handle it.  I get car sick if I read, but for some reason I can knit.  A while ago, I blogged about making a skull cap.

 http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/03/ribbed-knit-skull-cap.html

I took the ribbed skull cap pattern in the child size and modified it a little.  With a worsted weight yarn, I cast on 92 stitches.   I used a size 8 twelve inch circular needle but four double pointed needles would work.  I put a marker at the beginning of the row and knit 2, purl 2 around for seven inches, slipping the marker when I came to it.  You can adjust this length depending on how far you want neck coverage.  Next I made the face opening by knitting 30 stitches, binding off 31 stitches and finishing the round by knitting 31 stitches in the rib pattern to the marker.  The next row, I knit in the rib pattern the 30 stitches after the marker, then cast on 31 stitches (the same number I just bound off) and then finished that row.  Again I knit round and round on 92 stitches keeping in the rib pattern for about five more inches.  The piece is about twelve inches.  Now it is time to decrease for the top of the head.  This is not ribbed, it is just plain knit.  If using a circular needle you may have to switch to double pointed needles to finish the decreases as the number of stitches becomes less.

Row 1: Knit around
Row 2: Knit 2 together, knit 21, knit 2 together, knit 21, knit 2 together, knit 21, knit 2 together, knit 21. (4 decreases-88 stitches)
Row 3: Knit around
Row 4: Knit 2 together, knit 9, repeat across row (80 stitches)
Row 5: Knit around
Row 6: Knit 2 together, knit 8, repeat across row (72 stitches)
Repeat in this manner knitting one less stitch between decreases until 12 stitches remain.
Knit three together across leaving four stitches.  Cut yarn and pull tail through those 4 stitches and secure.  

This is NOT my grandson, but it is a really cool dude.

Side view of the helmet hat

Here Sam is modeling his helmet hat.  The reason he wanted it was that he was invited to a fisheree birthday party.  The term Fisheree may not be a familiar term for those who live outside Wisconsin.  A Fisheree is an ice fishing tournament.  Many communities who have a nearby lake host fisheree's in the winter when the ice is frozen thick enough to be safe.  They cut holes in the ice and fish.  I guess this kids birthday party will be an ice fishing fisheree party.  Sam is very excited about this and now his face will be warm.

Baked Chimichangas and Chicken Pockets

I admit it, I have been a blogging slacker.  I took the last week off.  In fact, I have written only two blogs since Christmas.  This is the third in two weeks.  We were busy most of that time, and I am lacking in subject matter.

My dad spent the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with my sister in Michigan.  He was happy to visit with them, and it gave him a change of scenery.  Then, on New Year's Day we went to bring him back to Wisconsin.  The trip there was great.  I was a nice day with no snow and very little traffic.  The trip home was another story.  We had some pretty icy roads and blowing snow.  Going through Chicago is a challenge for us country bumpkins no matter what, so snow and ice made it miserable.  I could have blogged about that but I was so nervous, I didn't even think about taking pictures.  I will try to get back on track now.

Today for supper I made a recipe similar to another I have blogged about.  Many of you probably missed that one as it was included in another post, and it wasn't on a Tuesday.  It was a recipe for Baked Chimichangas.   http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/08/where-has-summer-gone.html

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded (I used Mexican blend cheese)
1 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded (I used browned ground beef)
8 flour tortillas (Don't use the extra large ones or you will have too much tortilla to fold and they will be dry).  I tried all sizes and I liked the small to medium size best.
cooking spray
shredded cheddar cheese
green onions, for garnish
sour cream
salsa

Stir together cream cheese, pepperjack cheese and taco seasoning.
Fold in chicken.
Divide among flour tortillas.
Tuck in sides, and roll up each tortilla.
Lay seam side down in a sprayed 9x13" baking dish.
Spray tops of the tortillas with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Turn the chimichangas over, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, and salsa.

 
Tonight's recipe was also made with cream cheese and shredded chicken.  I didn't make my own biscuits, I used crescent rolls.  My husband thought they needed more filling and less crescent roll.  I will have to figure that out, if I ever make them again.  I didn't try them and have never made them before.  I took some of the filling and added some noodles and peas.  I thought my version was good, but I like that type of thing.  I'm a noodle-holic. I like anything with noodles or rice.

Chicken Pockets

6 oz. softened cream cheese
4 T. melted butter
2 cups of cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 T. milk
2 T. chopped onion
Homemade biscuit dough or 2 packages of crescent rolls

Mix all of the ingredients together except for the dough.  Roll out the biscuit dough into 5 x 5 inch squares or divide the crescent rolls into rectangles, sealing the perforations.

Spoon chicken filling in the center of the square and seal the dough.  I didn't do a very neat job.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brown.  These freeze well.
Recipe is from http://moneysavingmom.com