The Knitted Scarf that Reignited My Desire to Master Tunisian Crochet

The beautiful knitted Sophie Scarf has taken the yarn art world by storm. This is a retro style scarf with a modern, knit pattern.  This scarf reminds me of fashionable women in the 1950's, women such as Audrey Hepburn, and has reignited my desire to build my Tunisian crochet skills. 

Knitted Sophie Scarf

As far as I can determine, the original Sophie Scarf knit pattern was created and offered by Petite Knit.  It is no wonder that this small scarf, with a pleasing shape, and I-cord edging became popular. It is a handmade item that many people would choose to wear. It is functional and pretty. 

Of course, with all things viral or popular, the copycat versions appeared overnight. 

If you are a knitter, or if you are a person who supports small business, I hope you will find Petite Knit and use her pattern or support her by interacting on her social media pages. I will include those links below.

Crochet Scarf Versions

I enjoy crocheting. There are many beautiful crochet stitches and a vast variety of patterns available from beginner to expert. There are some crochet Sophie Scarf (or skinny scarf) copycat patterns that I like. Some of those feature ribbing, thicker yarn, and bigger stitches. I have plenty of those patterns saved for later. They often have a more rustic look that would pair great with Carhartt, denim, or similar jackets and coats.

However, in my opinion, knit makes a prettier, more delicate, stitch and lends itself better to certain items; sweaters, socks, and many styles of scarves are handmade wearables that I think are often prettier done in knit.  

Tunisian Crochet

I think that Tunisian crochet is a wonderful blend between the knit and crochet outcomes. Tunisian crochet is created with one hook that is often the length of a knitting needle but with a crochet hook on the tip. Tunisian crochet, in my opinion, creates a more fine stitch than crochet. 

Don't misunderstand me. I love crochet. When making afghans, chunky hats, thick scarves and slippers I feel that I will always gravitate toward crochet. But now that I have decided to make 

The best difference between knitting and Tunisian crochet, for myself, is that when I drop a knitting stitch, or make a mistake, I can NOT successfully backtrack and fix the mistake or pick up the dropped stitch. With Tunisian, like crochet, each row starts with one loop on the hook. I can rip out the mistake back to the beginning of the row, and continue on with the project. 

But I Don't Wear Scarves

That is right, I don't wear scarves. Nor do I gravitate toward trends, especially fashion trends. So why am I head over heels with this scarf trend?

Gifts.  Gifts that I think the receivers will love. 

Over the past couple of months, I have focused on creating crochet items to donate to the local care home.  I feel that the elderly who live in a care facility are often overlooked. I am planning to donate lap blankets, hats, shawls and such.  As soon as I saw the Sophia Scarf trend I thought of women's fashions and the women who may have worn that trend in their youth.

While I recently wrote that I am learning knit, thanks to switching to wooden knitting needles that help me to control the yarn, I am very slow when knitting. I make many mistakes and I am not yet able to fix mistakes. I end up scrapping an entire project when knitting. However, when I am finished working on these projects with the self-imposed timeline, I WILL continue to practice knitting and WILL begin to make the knit Sophie Scarves by Petite Knit. They are just that pretty. 

I made a very brief video to show friends and family my newest project. You are welcome to look. I realize that I misspoke and named the wrong Hepburn in the video. 

Related Links:

I believe the original, knit Sophie Scarf pattern was created by Petite Knit. You can find that pattern on the website. 

For Tunisian Crochet inspiration, I highly recommend checking out HookLoopSarah on Instagram for beautiful photos of her talented yarn work. It is difficult to believe that her sweaters are handmade. But I believe it since I've followed her for almost 10 years now. I used her very brief tutorials on her YouTube channel for reminders and pointers with Tunisian crochet. You can also find her on her website.  

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That Point Where You Say, “I Can’t Do This the Same Way Anymore”

I wrote The Tango of My Life around 2009. I wasn’t personally walking away from my life at the time, but I know I must have been stressed. You know those moments — when life feels loud and heavy, when everything piles up at once, and you suddenly think, I just want my life back. That’s where these lyrics came from.

When Life Gets Too Loud

This song is an empowerment song, but not in a dramatic or rebellious way. It’s for women who feel overwhelmed. Not women who are necessarily trying to walk out on their lives, but women who reach that quiet breaking point where they say, Damn… that’s it. I need to find me again.

That’s where the lyric Destination Me comes from. It came from that internal moment when you stop trying to hold everything together for everyone else and realize you need to turn back toward yourself. Destination Me isn’t about leaving your life — it’s about returning to yourself within it. It’s the decision to choose yourself without knowing exactly what the next step looks like.

This song isn’t about running away. It’s about claiming yourself again.

Writing Was Always My Exit - Sometimes Saving Me From Heading to the Front Door!

For me, the exit was never leaving — it was writing. Some people journal. I write lyrics. I’ve been doing that since 1968 (yah, I was 8 years old). When life gets tangled, when emotions don’t come in neat sentences, I put them into a song or a poem.

The Tango of My Life came from that place. It came from needing to breathe. From needing to hear my own voice again. From realizing that sometimes the only way through overwhelming life circumstances is to stop and put the truth somewhere safe.

This song isn’t about quitting on people, and it isn’t about abandoning your life. I’m not saying that some people don’t need to leave certain situations — sometimes they do — but this song holds more than one truth. It can be a momentary feeling of get me out of here, or a long-standing knowing that something has to change. It holds both.

The Middle Still Belongs to You

The song talks about how someone else may have gotten the beginning of your story, but you still get to decide the middle — and ultimately, the ending. That part belongs to you. Always.

This is a song for people reclaiming their lives. It’s also for someone who’s just having a bad day and thinking, I’ve had enough. I need to pause. I need to do this for me.

If that’s you — even just for today — this song is for you.

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Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

 If you're looking to make a quick pizza for dinner or just a snack, this quick and easy pizza dough is perfect. This is perfect for one pizza and so easy to prepare.

Easy pizza dough reviewed

In the photo is a Fresh Tomato and Spanish Pizza I made using this quick and easy pizza dough recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups of flour
• 1 cup water (I always use warm water)
• 1 package of yeast (Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Instant)
• 1 teaspoos salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix together with a fork.
2. Add the olive oil and water, and mix until a dough forms. I always use my KitchenAid Stand mixer for this.
3. We are using Rapid Rise Instant yeast, so there is no need to proof it in water; just add it to the dry ingredients.
4. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes. You only need to let the dough rise once, and you are ready to make pizza.

For a thinner pizza, I use a greased 10-inch-by-15-inch square pan. For a little thicker pizza, I will use a 12-inch round pan.

If you're looking to make pizza for a crowd, check my Easy All-Purpose Dough Recipe. This recipe will make three 10" x 15" pizzas. You can also use the rapid-rise yeast in this recipe.

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Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast, 0.25 Ounce (3 Count)Buy NowWilton Silver Non Stick 12 in. Pizza Pan, Stainless Steel Bakeware, Made without PFASBuy NowOXO Steel 4Buy Now

 

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Fluffy Fleece Loungewear Pajamas for Women Reviewed

My mother has pretty much everything she needs or wants.  Buying a gift for her is rather challenging.  I spent some time searching Amazon products before Christmas, asking myself questions about each thing I considered and then rejecting it.  That is, until I found this really cute fleece loungewear outfit.

Mom and I are both always cold.  Seriously!  It can be 70° outside, but with the air conditioner on inside, we get cold.  It seems an odd dance.  We love air conditioning, but we also like to be warm.  This fleece loungewear will most likely be a year round part of our wardrobe.  

Oh, yes!  I did say "our" wardrobe.  I had put the outfit on my wishlist so I could go back and buy it for Mom once I decided on a color and size.  It was on the wishlist for less than 48 hrs, but that was clearly an important 48 hours.  During that time, my son checked out my wishlist to select a gift for me for Christmas.  Obviously, he liked the loungewear because he purchased it for me.

Christmas morning was rather humorous when Mom opened her gift first and he thought the wrong gift went to her.  She loved it so much, he was not about to open his mouth and say anything though.  It would be easy to mix up gifts when handing them out since I call Mom, "Mom" and my son calls me "Mom", but there was no mix-up.  When I opened my gift, he was greatly relieved to see me pull out the same fluffy blue outfit.  The rest of us were confused at why he was laughing, but a brief conversation between us revealed what had happened.  Turns out, the gift was perfect for both of us!

Since Christmas morning, we have run around looking like 2 blue polar bears.  Mom and I both wear the loungeware over our pajamas.  We even wear the jackets when going back and forth to each other's homes.  

The listing says they are pajamas.  I have not worn the outfit as pajamas, but Mom has.  She loves how warm and lightweight they are even when sleeping. 

If you can't stand the cold, I highly recommend this fluffy fleece loungewear, day or night!

 

Bedsure Fleece Women's Pajamas 

 Bedsure Fleece Womens Pajama SetsCheck PriceThe Bedsure fleece loungewear pajamas are 100% polyester and extremely soft.  Plus, they are very lightweight.  I love the pockets in the jacket!  They are perfect for my cellphone, keys, Kleenex, hair clips, etc.  

Mom and I are both short.  The ribbed cuffs at the wrists and ankles are great.  The ribbing keeps the fabric the right length without having tight elastic or requiring alterations.    

It is also machine wash and dry, which mean we don't have to be parted from our blue bear suits for long.  I have washed mine several times and it still looks as good as the day I opened the package.

• Very Soft
• Warm 
• Comfortable 
• Jacket and Pants included
• Button front Jacket
• 2 Pockets
• Currently available in several colors. 

 

 

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Refreshing Purple Cabbage Salad Recipe

I saw a video on YouTube praising the benefits of purple cabbage. I thought wow, I'll have to check that out. According to the AI results when I did a search on Google, purple cabbage supports heart health, bone health, digestive health, reduces inflammation, improves immunity, and even has cancer prevention properties.

Purple cabbage has Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, folate, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Sounds like a winner on multiple accounts.

I later saw a video where the person used purple cabbage in a salad. I was inspired by their recipe, but did not make their recipe.

Even when I looked for it in my browsing history, I couldn't find it. So I ad-libbed and made my own. Here is my version, which I call Refreshing Purple Cabbage Salad, because I thought it tasted refreshing when I ate it.

All measurements are approximate, as I just eye balled it for the total overall equality of the amounts.

1/2 of a purple cabbage, cut into slices and then sliced those pieces crosswise.

Around a dozen mini carrots - sliced lengthwise in half, and then slice each half into skinny strips, then cut the strips into halves.

One apple with peel on, sliced into slices, and then slice the slices into stripes, and then cut strips into thirds.

A couple of small boxes of organic raisins.

Around a half of cup of chopped walnuts, that I further chopped into smaller pieces.

Toss the above ingredients together.

I stirred in several Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and Marinade. This was dressing that I bought at the grocery store in the refrigerated section near produce, the Panera brand. I chose Panera brand as they are pretty good about keeping their ingredients on the healthier side.

If you want to make your own dressing, I would recommend a mix of the mayonnaise of your preference, with around a third amount of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, with a bit of honey to taste. Stir or whisk together. Adjust any amounts to your preferred taste.

With this type of salad, I prefer to store any leftovers in a glass bowl that has a lid to fit. Pyrex is my choice for this. I actually found an individual Pyrex bowl like the green one, in my local Kroger grocery store. The set is available on Amazon.

Set of glass Pyrex Bowls: Check price.

I stored my leftovers in the green glass bowl that I mentioned above. The salad tasted just as good the second day.

Have you used purple cabbage in a salad before?

Here's to your good health.

Cheryl Paton

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