Sweet Baby Hats

Like so many parents with school age children, I spend a lot of time in the car waiting.  Dropping off and picking up the kids are part of my daily routine in this season of my life.  I try to have portable projects to work on while I wait, and that usually means something yarn related.  These last few weeks I have been working on some knitted and crocheted baby hats for a local charity.  It’s fun to use some of the vintage patterns in my stash that I have picked up here and there, and also to hunt down free patterns on the internet.  I especially love Crochet Pattern Central and Knitting Pattern Central.  Both are such great resources! 

Last week I donated two knitted hats as well as three sewn hats made from some soft stretchy terry. (I squeezed in a little night-time sewing at the machine for those!) This week I switched it up, and traded my needles for a hook and have been working in crochet.  I’ve got two made and another on the hook.  Baby hats are so tiny and sweet.  They just make you feel good - to make them, to look at them, and especially to gift them.

In keeping with an “orange” theme, I will leave you with an orange cake recipe I am thinking of trying out for Easter.  If you decide to try it out too, let me know what you think!

Orange Coconut Cake

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoon grated orange rind

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup grated coconut

1 cup chopped dates (optional)

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar and add eggs.   In another bowl, combine flour and baking soda.  Add flour/soda mixture to creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour into greased tube pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until tests done.  Can sprinkle with powdered sugar or use topping below.

Topping:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup orange juice

In saucepan, mix sugar and juice.  Bring to a full boil.  Remove from heat.  With a table knife or chopstick, puncture top of cake in several places.  Pour topping over cake and let stand, covered, overnight.

With Sweet Thoughts,

-Elizabeth