My family loves to sleep in and then have pancakes for brunch on the weekend. Yum ! But who wants to stand around flippin’ flapjacks while everyone else curls up on the couch with coffee?  Not me! Once again Mother Necessity bears an invention – an easy version of the oven pancake. Mix everything in one large measuring cup, pour it into a pan and cook it all in the oven -no kiddin’, no flippin’!

No Flip Flap Jack

4 T butter               1 1/2 C Water

2 C fruit*                2 Eggs

4 T sugar*              2 C Pancake mix

Spices*

Preheat oven to 425°F

To save washing up, measure water into a large measuring cup, add eggs and stir with a fork to break up the eggs. Add pancake mix and stir until moistened.

Melt butter over medium heat in an extra large (10 inch or more) OVEN PROOF skillet.  Add fruit, sugar, spices. Cook until sugar is melted and mixture just bubbles, then swirl up the sides a bit. Pour batter gently over butter mixture.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Sip coffee. Peruse newest patterns. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 10 minutes more.  Go work a few rows.  DING!

Be careful taking that pan out of the oven. I always slip a glove potholder right over the pan handle to avoid anyone grabbing it by accident.

I have never had any luck slipping it out onto a platter and serving all fancy-like. Not because it’s hard to do – the pancake just disappears when I turn my back to grab the platter.  Cut into wedges and serve with or without your usual pancake toppings.

*Fruit/sugar/spice combos taste tested at my house:

Bananas Foster: bananas/brown sugar/nutmeg/dash of rum flavoring

AppleJacks: apples/brown sugar or white sugar/apple pie spice

Blueberry Muffin: blueberries/white sugar/dash of vanilla   For this combo, melt the butter/sugar/vanilla, pour on the batter then add the blueberries over the top. They are so delicate that they turn to mush otherwise.

Nutty Chocolate Chip: (chocolate is a fruit on the weekend, right?) Chocolate Chips/chopped pecans or walnuts   Melt the butter (no extra sugar needed), add nuts, pour on the batter, and then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Probably not 2 cups of chocolate chips- but I won’t tell.

Introducing Delilah!  Here’s Delmont’s flirty and feminine girlfriend.  All the same simple, elegant shaping of Delmont with a sweet little button flap and the flipped brim winking over on the side!

Delilah is  worked flat in garter stitch with easy shaping to curve the flip up brim.  You then joined in the round for some simple decreasing of the crown. You can work the crown on DPNs, 2 circulars or Magic Loop, whichever method you prefer.  No buttonholes, just seam up the faux flap and tack on as many or few buttons as you like.  This hat looks amazing done in Jewel, a new yarn from Cascade that has a lot of texture and rich kettle-dye colors, but any worsted will work as well.

You’ll want to make more than one to show off all your great buttons!  The buttons shown here are from STUDIOSCHIEK.  She creates beautiful, one of a kind design designs that I use all the time.

Buy your copy of Delilah now using this coupon code DELINEW and receive one dollar off your purchase. Good until December 31, 2010 for this pattern only.   

Drum roll please!  Using the True Random Number Generator from Random.org the winners for the Delmont Cap give away are:

SHERMIE comment number 16 has won The Knit Circus Winter Issue Pattern Collection!

LIZ A comment number 28 has won a one year subscription to Knit Circus Magazine!

Would you both please email me via my contact page (see link above right hand corner) and I will have your prizes emailed to you ASAP.

Thank you all for your support and keep coming back for more pattern news, recipes and fun.  Check out the Meet Delilah post for a discount coupon on this new pattern just for my blog fans … I have lot’s of stuff on the needles and can’t wait to share with you all!

• 2 new designs coming up in the next issue of Knitcircus, one knit and one crochet!
• a lacey knit scarf  that’s in the test/tech phase
• a  crochet shawl that’s in the writing up phase
• new recipe will be posted this Tuesday!

Delilah is jaunty little cloche that knits up fast and shows off your beautiful  button  collection!

MORE INFO »

This popular earflap style hat is fun to crochet and sized for the whole family.  You’ll be able to play with colors and stitch patterns as you go.

MORE INFO »

A quick and fun to knit cabled neck warmer that showcases a fabulous fashion button.

MORE INFO »

©Knitcircus2010

Knitcircus Magazine, Issue #12, Winter 2010-2011 is HERE!

And it’s jam packed with winter woolie wonderful-nes!

• Video Tutorial- Stretchy Rib Cast-on with Designer Sarah Wilson
• Play It Again Patterns
• Interview with Doris Chan
• Best Dressed Patterns
• Make it Fit! Adjusting Stitch Patterns for Sock Design by Wendy Johnson
• Brighten Up Patterns
• Kids Video Series
• Recipe
• MORE!!!

For the first time ever this issue features CROCHET and there will be more in upcoming issues!

There are plenty of small projects that can still be done in time for gift giving.

©Knitcircus2010

May I recommend the DELMONT Cap?

The Delmont Cap is a little twist on the traditional beanie with a button accent. Your choice of yarn and button can take it from classic to military to cute. It is unisex, easy knitting and sized for the whole family!

The brim/body of the hat is worked back and forth on a circular or straight needle, then the crown is worked in the round using your favorite method (Magic Loop, 2 circulars, or dpns). The hat begins with a center back cast-on and is work side-to-side in garter stitch. Increases and decreases along one edge create the gently curved fold up brim. Stitches are then picked up along the straight edge and piece is joined to work crown in the round. Purl decreases are used to add a little texture to the spiral crown shaping and make it easy to see where decreases occur without using stitch markers.  Feel free to substitute K2tog decreases if you prefer and then there’s no purling involved at all!

Want a chance to get Delmont and the entire Knitcircus Winter Pattern Collection for FREE?  Add a comment to this post.

On  Saturday November 20th midnight PST, I’ll pick one random winner of a free pattern collection and one random winner of a free 1 year subscription to KnitCircus Magazine!

On Sunday, I’ll post the winners, so you’ll need to check back and then send me an email via my contact page to collect your prize.

©DRGPublishing

It’s official!  I have a pattern in printed book! WOOT!

This book is pretty sweet, too!  14 really cute scarves in one book that retails for only $8.95!  There’s still time to knit a few for holiday gifts and a great way to stash bust.  There are plenty of yarn weight choices and styles from extra long and lacy to short and sassy.

©DRGPublishing

My contribution is Chain Male.  It’s looks tricky but is super easy. You work with only one color per row and it’s mostly knitting (only purls every 4th row or so.)  It is worked width-wise; a really long cast-on, but I give you tips for cast-on and bind-off that match so no curving tight side. And biggest surprise of all- it’s done in Berroco Comfort DK- 50% Superfine Nylon and 50% Superfine Acrylic (gasp!). I was so worried that this would curl into a crunchy tube – but guess what- it is fabulously soft and drapes beautifully. It was a little curly at first, but no more than a natural fiber yarn and when I steam blocked it with my iron, it turned into a gorgeous scarf!

I’m planning one now in girlie colors that will have each chain a different color! Don’t you think this would be great in  alpaca, too?

Right now Simple Hip Knit Scarves: 14 Easy Everyday Knits is available at Amazon

or at  Annie’s Attic in book or .PDF download.

Emerson Cod, P.I.,  is one of my fav knitters so I have spotted him a couple of times.  The first time was at his desk in the “Dummy” episode of Pushing Daisies 2007 (Season 1: Episode 2). If you haven’t watched this little gem of a show yet, I highly recommend it. Well written and full of eye candy!  The first two seasons are available on Netflix instant watch now.  I’ll be posting more of Emerson’s knitting antics in the future.

“During times of stress or anxiety, he liked to knit. Since the arrival of the dead girl who was not dead, he found the stockinette stitch to be especially relaxing.”