Maybe I ought not to have put the word “bombs” in my blog title. Who knows what that will bring to my blog via the Search Engines. I don’t think I want to know.  But the title is appropriate, because these things are the bomb! The original recipe came from Tasty Kitchen, but I first saw the photo of it on Pinterest. (Pinterest – now sucking up even more time that I don’t have, but OH so fun. Sigh.)

Interesting to note – these bake up like cake donuts on the inside. The recipe says to dunk them in butter and roll them in cinnamon/sugar after baking. Well, that sounded like a bit much to me. I figured I’d bake them in cupcake liners, then brush butter on the top and sprinkle it with a dusting of cinnamon/sugar. Healthier, right? The problem with that is that the cake part is pretty bland and a light dusting of cinnamon/sugar didn’t cut it. So I said “the heck with it”, dunked them good, and rolled them in the cinnamon/sugar mix like they told me to. The result? Ohmyword good. Perfect. Some things you just don’t fight. Or “fix”.

Cinnamon Sugar Bombs

1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbl. cinnamon

Combine oil, 3/4 cup sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Divide into 12 well-greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 10 – 12 minutes. (Note: I had to bake mine for 20 minutes. Not sure why.)

While hot, dip in melted butter and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Let cool. Enjoy!

Now, on to the zillion other recipes I’ve pinned in Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest? Stay away from it if you can help it. Stay very very far away.

What did you decide to knit for Camp Loopy’s Project Two? Next Friday can’t get here soon enough, so that we can start in on our projects! I am knitting All The Water mittens (which we have now sold out of at Loopy, so pop over and get it from Kirsten if you’d like it) out of  Three Irish Girls Glenhaven Cashmerino Worsted (in Cara – the light blue color that matches my Winter’s Rhythm Capelet). I did finish my Project One Pamuya and it’s drying and blocking. I’ll show you that next week. Have a great weekend!

Sheri baking,despitebeingtakenoverbypackingboxes

I have been so inspired by all of the Camp Loopy Projects that you have been completing. I have not done a lot of two-color knitting in the past, but seeing all of your photos makes me think I have really been missing out. I find myself looking at shawl patterns and wondering what it would look like if I did the edging in a new color, or striped the main part.  I’m figuring out that this camping experience is giving me a taste of something new each month, and then supplying me with a whole “knit list” to work on throughout the rest of the fall, winter and spring. My “I want to knit this” list has exploded. You, too?

One of the two-color patterns that I like to knit is the Chevron Scarf. This is a simple Feather and Fan type of stitch pattern, but instead of increasing by doing YO’s, you increase my doing M1′s. (YO’s will give you a lacy, open scarf, like this. M1′s keep the fabric denser – no holes.) Pick two colors that you like, and jump in. You’ll knit down and purl back in one color, then pattern down and purl back with the other color. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Easy! Here is a new one that I finished up a couple of weeks ago. I used two skeins of Fiesta Boomerang, in Cloud 9 and Clematis. (You can find a basic Feather and Fan pattern here and here. Just remember to do M1′s instead of the YO’s, use Color A for rows 1-2, Color B for rows 3-4, and add a couple of extra stitches at each end that you knit on all rows, to keep the edges from rolling.)

I’ve also made them in: Lorna’s Laces Sport, and another Fiesta Boomerang version. (And in that last link, you can see that the one I just finished – shown here in this post – was started waaaay back in December of 2008, FPS!  Oh, well. At least it’s done now.) Since this pattern does such a great job of making the colors look inter-mixed, you really can pick wildly different colors and end up with a gorgeous result. Picking out two colors to work together into one project is kind of addictive. Good thing I have a whole list of two-color projects that I want to work on in the near future!

Here at Loopy Central – we’re still buried by your Project Two orders. I heard a loud crash earlier today and went out to find Dima just about buried in boxes. (Dima is our summer intern. We typically hire one college student each summer for this position, and this summer it’s Knitting Daughter’s friend Dima. He likes to make up the video-sized boxes ahead of time and stack them against the wall. Now we know that when it gets to head level, it falls over ….)

For those of you waiting - waiting on your Project Two orders to be processed, waiting for your Project One photo to be approved and show up – just know that we’re working on it. The elves have been working extra hours (because they’re just great like that) and we’re getting things done as quickly as possible around here. I just counted and there are 147 more Project One Photos that you have uploaded since last Thursday night, waiting to be approved. I’m on it. Wait until you see some of these beauties!  Check the Project One Gallery again on Friday for the latest additions.

Sheri beingextrabusyatLoopymeansWHishomealone
packingmovingboxes.Notsuchabaddealforme.

It’s time to unveil the specs for Project Two! Now remember, you can’t start knitting on it until July 15th.

* The knit time for this one is 7/15 – 8/15, with photos uploaded by 8/16. (Just one extra day for photo uploading, because this project won’t need to be blocked like Project One.)

* International Campers – due to longer shipping times, your project should be done 8/22, with photos uploaded by 8/23.

Project Two is called “Hiking in the Mountains”. Doesn’t everyone have to go on a hike when they’re at camp? I know that it’s not always in the mountains, but it always felt like you were dragging yourself up a steep hill/mountain, by the very end of the hike, waiting for it to be done. (Or was that just me?)

For this project, the challenge is to knit or crochet either a pair of socks or a pair of mittens or a pair of gloves, in an adult size. (No fingerless mitts this time around.) The other part of the challenge is that the pattern you use needs to contain cables, which are always fun to do!

Here are two blog posts (one, two) which contain more information on Camp Loopy and how the projects work. The first one is the original post about it, and the second one has the Q & A.

* Once again, we are offering you a 20% discount on the yarn for this project (limit one Project Two discount per person, you’ll need to leave an order note telling us which yarn is for Camp Loopy, and this offer expires 7/8). We’ll take the discount off when we print out your order. Make sure that the discount won’t take you under the $75 free shipping amount (for U.S. packages), if you’re going for free shipping.

* Once again, we are offering you double Frequent Shopper Benefits if you get the yarn from us during July’s Camp Store Week (July 1 through July 8th at midnight, Central Time) and complete the project with photo uploaded by the due date.

* Check your order form for the name of your Hiking Trail Guide. (It will be one of the Loopy Elves.) We’ll have a bit of fun with that this month, too.

So how about some pattern ideas to get your creative juices flowing? Here are just a few cable-y options to get you started:

For socks: Diamonds and Cables, Ribs and Cables, Basket Case Socks, Cables Galore, Twisted Celtic Cable Socks, German Stocking Pattern, BFF Socks, and Taglioni.

For mittens: Bavarian Tulip Mittens, Knitted Mittens with Cables, Glitten, Hugs and Kisses Mittens, Cherry Mittens, Aran Winter Set Mittens, and Wood Hollow Mittens.

For gloves: Knotty Gloves, Three Oaks, Brunnhilde, He’s Driving Me Wild Gloves, Knitted Gloves with Cables and Bobbles, and Lady Sunshine.

Of course there are a lot of beautiful fingerless mitts with cables that could be turned into mittens or gloves, with a little know-how. I’m not linking to them, because someone will then knit them as a mitt and say “but you linked to it in your blog as one of the ideas!!”.  Just keep in mind that you can be innovative and turn fingerless patterns into regular mittens and gloves by combining a favorite mitten/glove formula (construction and number of stitches) with a fingerless mitt stitch pattern that you like.

We have a winner from our Crazy Campfire Story! Congratulations to Deb from West Virginia who wins two skeins of Claudia Hand Painted Fingering Weight yarn, in her choice of color. (She picked Cabin Fever to remind her of Camp Loopy when she wears the socks). Thanks to all who helped to participate in the storytelling. What a fun time Loopy has had!

So back to Project Two – who’s in and what are you going to make? (And don’t forget to bring along your walking stick and your Deep Woods Off.)

Sheri stillsoimpressedwiththeProjectOnephotosthatcontinuetopourin

P.S. Happy Canada Day to our Canadian Loopies, and Happy Fourth of July to our U.S. Loopies! Have a great, safe weekend, everyone.