Lacy Child's Top

Little Miss Lexi recently celebrated her seventh birthday, and I wanted to make her a special handmade present to celebrate her big day.

The free crochet pattern I chose to make was the Lacy Child's Top in the size Child 7-8. (Sizes for 24 months/2 years, Child 4, Child 5-6, and Child 7-8 are included with the pattern.) I used a size I hook with Lion Brand Yarn Pima Cotton in the color Caberet to complete the project. I substituted the yarn for the project because Lion Brand Organic Cotton (the yarn the pattern was originally written for) is no longer available. I used about 2 1/2 balls of the Pima Cotton yarn to make the pattern in size 7-8.

Pattern Notes

I kept a few notes while I was working on the pattern, and I hope these will help you too:

Several times throughout the pattern, it says to work Ch-3 mesh. What it really means is to kind-of-sort-of work Ch-3 mesh while simultaneously decreasing on one side of the pattern. You're just going to have to figure that out on your own. It's not that difficult, it's just not exactly as written.

In the section for Shaping the Cap Sleeves, the second to last row instructed to "Repeat the last 3 rows" (which was supposed to leave you with 11 ch 3 spaces). Considering that there were only 2 previous rows any way you sliced it (either rows 1 and 2 of the original part of the pattern or rows 1 and 2 of the Ch-3 mesh), I wasn't really sure what it was getting at here. I opted just skip this part and move to the next line, which was to repeat row 2 until 3 chain 3 spaces remained. (If you repeated row 2, the next count of chain 3 spaces would be 11, which was what you were trying to get to in the directions that were confusing, so this seemed to work for me.)

In the next section for Sleeve Edging, to get 45 SC evenly across on Row 1, I put 1 SC in each ch and 2 SC in each ch space across for the size 7-8 pattern.

Pattern Modifications

At the end, I chained 35 to create the ties. I also single crocheted back across the chains to create thicker, sturdier ties. Instead of using snaps to fasten the insides, I also created ties for the that part too. (I thought that would give a little more ease to the pattern if needed.)

Also, the pattern seems to suggest that Row 1 single crochet should stop before moving down the left  placket to the bottom edge and that Row 2 picots would only go around the neckline portion. I opted to single crochet around the entire front placket and neckline for Row 1 and to complete the decorative picot trim of Row 2 all the way around as well. Even though the left side of the sweater is covered when it is closed and the picots are not necessary for this part, I felt like it added a nice finishing touch to the sweater.

Pattern Rating

All in all, I would rate this pattern a definite intermediate to difficult in terms of pattern clarity/difficulty. In addition to some challenges with the how the pattern is written (noted above), it also includes quite a bit of seaming. The only finishing notes included in the pattern are: "Sew shoulder, side, and sleeve seams. Sew in sleeves." So you will need to look up how to correctly sew in sleeves if you've never done that before to ensure that they line up correctly on the sweater.

You can definitely make this one yourself, but you will have to dedicate time to figuring out parts of the pattern.  

You can add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here:

Lacy Child's Top

I hope my notes are helpful to you!

Lexi looks great in her birthday present, so I am definitely happy with the outcome!

If you're looking for other free crochet patterns for a special little girl in your life, give these patterns a try:

• Idlewild Girl's Dress
• Strawberry Tote Bag
• Color Block Dress

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Lemon Velvet Cake

We recently made this cake for Easter lunch, and it did not disappoint. This old-fashioned recipe for a lemon velvet cake hits the spot with not only the lemon flavors in the cake but also a creamy lemon cream cheese frosting. I cannot begin to tell you how delicious this cake was.

If you're looking for a new springtime dessert recipe now that warm weather is upon us, give this made-from-scratch cake a try.

Lemon Velvet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Velvet Cake

2½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1¾ cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon pure lemon extract

1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest (from 1-2 lemons)

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1/3 cup hot lemon water (hot water mixed with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)

6 drops yellow food coloring

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

2, 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese, softened

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons pure lemon extract

1 ½ heaping teaspoons lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

5 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

5 drops yellow food coloring

Lemon Velvet Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Thoroughly grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, and shortening.
4. Mix in eggs one at a time.
5. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
6. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.
7. Mix together the distilled vinegar and hot lemon water and mix into the batter.
8. Mix in the food coloring until you reach your desired shade of yellow.
9. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and shake pans to release any trapped air bubbles.
10. Bake for 25-35 minutes, checking it at the 25-minute mark and adjusting the time, if needed. (See note below about timing.)
11. When moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, remove cake from oven. Let cakes rest in the pans until pans are cool enough to touch. The cakes will continue to cook in the pans as they cool.
12. Once cooled, carefully remove cakes from pans and place on cooling racks to cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and butter.
2. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
3. Mix in powdered sugar until creamy, adding lemon juice one teaspoon at a time to thin it out (if needed).
4. Mix in food coloring.
5. Place frosting in the refrigerator to allow it to firm up a bit before frosting the cake.
6. Stir the frosting until it's creamy and spreadable. Frost the cake.
7. Decorate the cake with additional lemon zest if desired.

Notes

The batter for this cake is thinner than many cake batters. This is because of the addition of the hot lemon water, which adds to the lemon flavor of the cake.

Don't overbake the cake. The key is to take the cake out of the oven when moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the center and allow it to finish baking as it cools down in the hot pan. This timing will vary depending on your oven, which is why it's best to check the cake at the 25-minute mark.

Wrap warm cakes in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. (This step is optional and is not specific to this cake!) The plastic wrap traps warmth and creates a moist and tender cake. When the cakes are warm but the pans are cool to the touch, wrap them in plastic wrap for a few hours as they continue to cool (or even overnight if you can't frost the cake right away).

If you're looking for other tried and true dessert recipes for spring, make sure to give these Harris Sisters' favorites a try:

• Toasted Coconut Sour Cream Cake
• Williams Sonoma Lemon Pound Cake
• Coconut Layer Cake
• Pineapple Coconut Strawberry Cake

Enjoy!

Springtime Asparagus Tortellini

Now that spring is here, I like to take advantage of the window of time when there's an abundance of fresh asparagus. This recipe makes a quick pasta with a creamy sauce and fresh asparagus. In about 30 minutes, you can have this vegetarian meal on the table, which leaves you more time to enjoy the nice weather that spring has to offer!

 

Springtime Asparagus Tortellini

2 packages three cheese tortellini, 9 oz. each 

1 small yellow onion, diced 

1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced 

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste 

Oil for cooking 

1. Cook tortellini according to package instructions, drain, and set aside.
2. Preheat a pan over medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of oil. 
3. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
4. Add chopped asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes or until desired tenderness. Add minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
5. Mix well and cook for about 5 more minutes.
6. Pour in heavy cream while stirring. Add shaved Parmesan cheese and stir until cheese is melted.
7. Stir in tortellini until completely mixed and cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy.

If you're looking for other simple asparagus recipes for springtime, give these tried and true Harris Sisters' recipes a try:

• Roasted Asparagus Risotto
• Asparagus Couscous
• Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Enjoy!