New Year Resolution and Knitting FO

December is always crazy, why are we always surprised? This last month always been loaded with tons of works and deadlines.

Every deadline gives us lesson to learn: never delay doing your task; that we tend to forget again and again. Now here I am, try to calm down and wipe away my crochet and knit WIP, to make progress in this semester's final exam. I have two (advanced-level) papers, a final report, a proposal, and some middle-level college tasks to complete before the holiday season. And the holiday season will be coming in next week!

Oh just forget it. It is frustrating, really. Let's just have some minutes break, I've been sitting here in campus all day and only made some rows progress instead of some pages. But I will appreciate it since it is still called a progress, so I deserve a short break. Yes, I bring my knitting beginner project, but it would take a long time once I touch it, because I might have some difficulties to stop it. So just in order to refresh my mind, let's just doing a nonsense chit chat of what's already been going in this year, and what we could plan for next year.

This year is fabulous, literally. I finally was able to pass semester 2 in my college, the heaviest semester I ever had since my undergraduate years. I am so appreciate it, my self 😌. This year was also my handmade years, I even accepted some orders, I am so happy with it. One more good thing, I completed my goodreads reading challenge woohoo! Err... yes most of it are comics, and I even had to put my college text book as the last book I read to complete the challenge 😂

This year I finally learned (again) to knit and finished my first scarf *dancing*.

It was an easy peasy scarf made from one local big ply cotton cake, only used knit and purl stitches.

We're a week into January already, can you believe it? I have few resolutions for next year: finish my study, keep reading, keep making (and keep buying yarn, needle, fabric, and all that craft supplies…😄)

Well, whatever your plan, I wish you a great and happy upcoming year. 

Happy new year everyone!

A Scarf for Beginner

I've been falling for knitting since long time ago. I learned basic knitting from an owner of local yarn shop in the city where I spent my college years. She was a sweet, kind, talented old lady (she spoke Indonesian, Javanese and Dutch in mixed language), and she ran the only local knitting yarn shop that I knew at that time. It was just a short class, and I was able to finish a scarf. It was years ago. After that short class I was pushed to go back again to my regular yet under-pressured activities in the final year of my study, then forgot to practice knitting (she called it breien, it is knitting in Dutch). I never touched knitting needle again.

Then years later, I learned crochet. I learned with the help of a local crochet community in my town. The crochet habit and the fun in doing it last till now, I'm still crocheting stuff for me or for fulfilling orders. While crochet gives me a very enjoying and relaxing activity to do - and I love it, it is way different from knitting, especially the final result. Crochet makes bulkier stitches, and in some ways it creates "hole" more than knitting. Crochet, for me, is more suitable to make decorative stuff as bag, jewellery, rug, or blanket. Some crocheters made a very stunning and beautiful wearable stuff, but - for me again - it has different impression comparing to wearable stuff created by knitting. I love how knitters all over the internet made their clothes, or hats, or sock, or scarves. I befriend some avid knitters on instagram and impressed by their creativity. I am still curious and want to practice it again, like years ago. Oh, I tried to knit hat several months ago but it was frogged since I made mistake and didn't know what to do.

Then I tried again. I bought a needle from a needle craft fair. It was a circular metal needle in 3,5mm size, and it matched the requirements for big ply cotton yarn. I only have few cotton yarns in my stash, since most of my yarn are polyester (I crochet decorative stuff from polyester yarn). So with that circular metal needle, and a big ply cotton yarn, I started knitting again. A scarf pattern for beginner, very simple, only knit and purl stitches. I enjoy it so much. Some messy parts here and there, but just let it flow. Gotta start somewhere, right? At least I know I am on the right track. Just keep going.

Mrs. Ng SK Vanilla Butter Cake

Hujan rintik sepanjang Minggu di sini membuat saya males kemana-mana. Enakan di rumah menikmati sejuk hujan. Apalagi sambil ngeteh dan makan kue. Ditambah dorongan anak-anak yang juga pas minta emaknya bikin kue, saya browsing-browsing resep cake yang recommended plus barangnya ada di rumah semua :D. Males atuh hujan-hujan keluar ke toko bahan kue. :D Pilihan jatuh ke vanilla butter cake ini, yang ternyata pada masanya pernah ngehits (banget) di lingkungan para cooking blogger. Vanilla butter cake ini aslinya resep Mrs. Ng SK yang dituturkan secara lisan kepada Wendy Table for 2…. or more kemudian Wendy menulisnya di blog. Versi Indonesia-nya ada di blog Mba Hesti's Kitchen.

Bahannya gampang, cuma sempet ke warung depan bentar beli terigu karena stok di rumah ngga sampai 200 gram. Hasilnya beneran enak banget, manisnya pas, ringan, lembut, fluffy, tidak seperti butter cake pada umumnya yang teksturnya padat dan mengenyangkan, anak-anak suka sekali. Pembuatan butter cake ini mengocok putih telur terpisah dari kuning telur sampai kaku. Metode ini menghasilkan cake yang lembut. 

Versi asli dari Mrs. Ng SK harusnya flat dan tidak retak permukaannya, cake saya masih belum flat dan agak retak atasnya, mungkin karena proses mengaduk putih telur ke adonan kuning telur belum merata. Kocokan putih telur dimasukkan ke adonan kuning telur dengan teknik FOLD, namun saya kesulitan mengaduknya sampai rata karena ada pasukan krucil yang ingin ikut berpartisipasi aktif dalam proses pengadukan, jadi daripada over mix karena kebanyakan tangan, ya sudah saya masukkan saja ke oven :D Walaupun hasilnya tidak flat dan agak retak bagian atasnya, namun matang sempurna sampai dalam.

Metode pengocokan terpisah juga membuat saya lumayan rempong karena bolak-balik nyuci + ngeringin whisker, secara mikser cuma ada satu :D Tapi syukurlah pokoknya hasilnya wuenak, recommended ini resep untuk dicoba :D

Tampilan roti setelah dikeluarkan dari loyang, bagian atasnya agak retak, dan dicuwil sama anak-anak sesaat sebelum difoto -___- jadi bolong begitu, maafkan

Matang sempurna sampai dalam, empuk, lembut dan enak walaupun hanya menggunakan 4 butir telur

Mrs. Ng SK Vanilla Butter Cake

Sumber Wendy Table for 2…. or more dan Hesti's Kitchen.

Bahan :

230 gram salted butter (saya pakai 100 gram unsalted butter dan 130 gram margarin)

200 gram telur tanpa kulit (saya pakai 4 butir telur ukuran sedang)

50 gram dan 150 gram gula pasir halus

200 gram self raising flour (saya pakai all purpose flour ditambah 1 sdt baking powder, ayak)

60 ml susu cair

1 vanilla bean, keruk isinya (saya pakai 1 sdt vanilla bubuk)

Cara Membuat :

1. Panaskan oven 180 C (saya pakai otang alias oven tangkring, jadi suhunya kira-kira saja api sedang agak kecil). Siapkan loyang segi empat ukuran 8 inchi atau 20 cm (saya pakai loyang bulat diameter 19 cm). Alasi kertas roti dan oles mentega sisi-sisinya (tidak punya kertas roti jadi saya pakai olesan mentega ditaburi tepung terigu). Olesan mentega membantu sisi cake untuk mengembang dengan baik.

2. Pisahkan putih telur dan kuning telur. Kocok putih telur sampai berbusa lalu masukkan 50 gram gula pasir, sambil terus dikocok sampai kaku (jambul petruk). Sisihkan.

3. Kocok mentega dan gula pasir sampai mengembang dan pucat. Tambahkan vanilla bubuk dan kocok sebentar. Tambahkan kuning telur satu-persatu sambil dikocok sampai rata.

4. Turunkan kecepatan mikser. Masukkan separuh tepung dan kocok sampai rata. Masukkan susu dalam dua tahap, kocok rata. Masukkan sisa tepung, kocok sampai rata.

5. Masukkan separuh adonan putih telur, kocok rata. Masukkan sisa adonan putih telur, matikan mikser, dan aduk dengan teknik FOLD (teknik FOLD atau aduk balik pernah ditulis mba Ricke Just My Ordinary Kitchen).

6. Masukkan adonan ke loyang, ratakan. Oven selama kurang lebih 45 menit (saya karena pakai oven tangkring api kira-kira :D jadi sekitar 50 menitan) sampai tes tusuk gigi bersih tidak ada lagi adonan yang basah/menempel.

Resep ini beneran enak dan recommended untuk dicoba. Cocok untuk teman minum teh atau ngopi, apalagi di suasana hujan begini. :)