Knit iPhone Case

Just posted this iPhone case tutorial on How.Do! 

KNIT IPHONE CASE a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

For Easter this year I made a simple (but delicious!) Gluten-Free Carrot Cake.

I based this recipe off a recipe for carrot-cake cupcakes which you can find here: http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a small cake pan (I used a spring form pan)
*If you want to make this a layer cake then you'll need to double the recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar (I used a little less than this)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (I used Trader Joe's mix)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of finely shredded carrots

1) Mix together the eggs, sugar, butter, coconut oil, and vanilla
2) Mix together the dry ingredients
3) Combine the wet and dry ingredients
4) Mix in the shredded carrots
5) Pour your batter into the greased cake pan
6) Place pan in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean)

Frosting

5 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 tablespoon butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

*Put ingredients into a mixer and mix on high until everything is well combined
*Add more sugar or cream depending on the sweetness or texture you desire

Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top to finish!

Spring Scarves

Happy Easter!

Here are the rest of the lovely Spring scarves I've added on Etsy!

First Tour of Ottawa

As many of you may know, I recently moved to Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. I haven't been here over 2 weeks and yet I feel like I've experienced so much. I thought I would share with you guys what it's been like to move from the U.S. to Canada.

Canada has turned out to be more different than I first thought! Here are some of the differences I've come to notice:

1. It's not just a joke. Canadians really do say "eh" and they say it often.
2. All the stores and brands are different! So I really have no clue what to buy anymore haha!
3. Everything seems to be maple syrup flavored or scented. If you smell something sweet here and you don't know what it is, you can probably just assume it's maple syrup.
4. Canadians pronounce more things different than I thought. It's been entertaining just to listen to them speak.
5. Everything here is in both English and French. In school you don't take Spanish, you typically take French.
6. Like everyone recycles here. Also, containers in stores are often made with less materials/plastic. I found this out the hard way when I grabbed a yogurt cup and completely crushed it like Superman.
7. No one here discusses their favorite football team, they discuss their favorite hockey team.
8. In Chicago you can find a Starbucks on almost every street but in Ottawa you can find a Tim Horton's on every street.
9. Canadians are obsessed with two foods I had never heard of before: Beavertails and Poutine. Beavertails aren't actually beaver tails! They are just like Elephant Ears. Poutine is pretty much loaded fries covered in gravy.
10. Speed limit signs go by kilometers, not miles. They also go by celsius rather than fahrenheit. I asked a friend what the temp. was the other day and she told me it was 8 degrees outside. I freaked out for a second until I remembered I was in Canada!

Here are some pictures from my first tour of the city.

Purple Infinity Scarf

Just added this lovely scarf on Etsy! I think it's the perfect Spring accessory.

I also added a few other scarves on Etsy! I will share the pictures with you tomorrow.

Knitting Basics: How to Increase/Decrease a Stitch

Knowing how to increase or decrease will help you accomplish more tricky knitting patterns.

HOW TO INCREASE/DECREASE a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Knitting Basics: How to Cast Off

Now that you've seen how to cast on, knit, and purl, you'll need to know how to cast off!

HOW TO CAST OFF a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Knitting Basics: How to Purl a Row

Here's my next Knitting Basics video on purling a row!

HOW TO PURL A ROW a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Knit Bows

It's starting to feel more like spring outside and it makes me want to knit with lovely spring colors!
Since I'm still getting settled in my new home, I've just been doing simple knitting projects like these adorable bows!

KNIT BOW TUTORIAL a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Knitting Basics: How to Knit a Row

Now that you've seen my tutorial on casting on, you're all ready to knit a row! 

HOW TO KNIT A ROW a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Knitting Basics: How to Cast On

Need to brush up on your knitting basics? Here is the first video of my Knitting Basics videos on How.Do

I'll be posting one a day for the next few days but if you want to watch them all now just go to my How.Do profile.

HOW TO CAST ON (KNITTING) a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

How.Do Blog Feature

I'm so excited to share my interview with How.Do! I've absolutely loved making tutorials for this app!

Here's the link: knitty-gritty-arm-knitting

Also here's my Arm-Knitting Tutorial!



ARM-KNIT INFINITY SCARF a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do