March Craftings

Another Black and Green Hat

Start:  3rd March 2018
Finish:  5th March 2018

Licorice Allsorts (two gift bags and a handkerchief)
Start: 12th March 2018
Finish: 12th March 2018

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Items made this month

3 sewn, 1 knitted

Items made this year

5 sewn, 8 knitted

Yarn this month

bought: 16 (850g of DK)

finished: 2

Yarn this year

bought: 17 (950g of DK)

finished: 8

Reviewing March's Goals

My goals for March were to: 

• re-start cycling and squats from the beginning 
• start Nine Patch Madness quit 
• learn to render an external wall 
• start Italian classes 
• spring clean the house

Illness has blown my off course. The exercise was going well, as was the spring cleaning, and then I became ill. No start has been made on the quilt or the rendering of the wall. However, I've started Italian lessons and have been enjoying them. 

I'm going to award myself:

 

Drying Washing

Today is the fourth day in a row I've been able to hang washing on the line. I love it! 

Almost 20 years ago was when I first felt grown up. I looked out the window and thought "What a beautiful day! I'll be able to get lots of washing dried!" I recoiled in horror, and I ran through to the children and asked "Would anyone like a picnic lunch at the park?" That suggestion was treated with great joy. 

But now, 20 years later, I'm happy being happy about dry washing. I'm also very happy looking around my clean, tidy and decluttered sitting room and knowing that this is the time for me to sit and crochet.

Failure Transformed into a Game

We had a friend round for "dinner and games" last night. The dinner was roast chicken and roast veggies, with broccoli and cabbage, and onion gravy.

I tried to make a glamorous, show-stopping pud. The hazelnut brownie bases worked beautifully. The two ganaches were spot on and the raspberries and mini M&Ms were just wonderful. The problem was I had forgotten to put paper on the ring moulds I was using to make the chocolate collars. The choccy stuck to the metal and wouldn't budge. Instead of beautiful chocolate collars, we had curvy chocolate shards of random size. Well tempered chocolate random shards though!

Instead of fretting over cracked chocolate, we started off the games with 'build a stunning dessert'. It went over really well, and there a number of cries of 'This is fun! The verdict was original dessert would have been good, but assembling your own from tasty bits was more enjoyable.

Later we plated 'Concept' and 'Bananagrams'. Both are excellent games. Bananagrams is a great one to take on holiday as it's compact and can be played anywhere there's a flat surface.

Ending Door-step Deliveries

The milkman used be to a very common sight in many parts of the world, and over the years door-step deliveries have died off. On the Isle of Man, we still have these deliveries, and a wonderful service it is. So many things can be delivered; it's not just milk. However, I've just mailed the Isle of Man Creamery to say we don't need the service any more. This saddens me, and I do hope the service continues.

My consumption of dairy products has decreased dramatically. Lactose is not my friend. I've been finding other ways to cook rather than using milk. My tea is now Earl Grey with lemon. For a fish pie, I'll poach the fish in a chicken or veggie stock, and then add in lactose-free cream cheese for colour, taste and thickening. 

We will continue to use Manx milk, butter and cheese, as well as many other Manx products. The quality is very high, and the food-miles are fantastically low.

Plan Your Perfect Day

Reading Buzzfeed's tips on being more productive brought me to the idea of planning a perfect day. It's not about having a day when everything is perfect, eg a warm, sunshine-y day, a walk on the beach, picnic with loved ones etc. It's about scheduling your day to get a goodly amount from it. We can't control every aspect, so we work with that we have.

I'm currently battling with a cold, and that's leaving my brain rather fogged, and unthinking. It's also leaving my body rather prone to tiredness, and there's a horrible whooshing in my ear due to inflamed tube-y things in my ears. However, working with what I have, I can still plan, and count it as a win if I get the stuff done I want to get done.

To Do

make bed

get dressed

practise Italian

crochet blanket

fix The Beloved's sweater

make dinner

wash a light load of clothes

I realise I have most energy and brain power in the morning, so I shall schedule the Italian and dinner making as to be done before 10am. I'll prepare dinner and pop it in the fridge. Later it will just need to be put in the oven to cook.

Beware, the Snot Monster!

(cough) (sneeze) (sniffle)

I've dot a dold, and my dose keeps on running.

Yesterday was a pajama day, and I spent the majority of it in bed, on bed, or thinking about bed. Today, I'm a little better and have decided to do stuff. It's the sort of day when even things like 'shower' and 'get dressed' make it to the To Do/Ta Da! list.

I suspect I shall be having a little nap soon.

Ta Da!
shower

get dressed

make bed

wash towels

practise Italian

crochet

declutter old paperwork

wash socks and undies

make dinner

take dishes down from study

Clootie Dumpling

This is a very traditional Scottish dish - a boiled pudding/cake. A 'cloot' is a cloth, and it's used to wrap the dumpling in for cooking.

Ingredients

200g SR flour, plus extra for flouring the cloth

100g raisins

50g currants

25g mixed peel

50g sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

50g suet

1 tsp black treacle

milk to mix

Method

Put a large pan of water on to boil, about half full. Mix all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add sufficient milk to make a 'dropping consistency'. This might be in the region of about 200ml, but use your judgement.

Scald a large tea towel in the boiling water, then carefully lay it on a flat surface. Shake flour over the tea towel and cover well. 

Put the dumpling min in the centre of the tea towel, and gather the edges. Shape the mix into a sphere. Tie off the cloth with string, leaving plenty of room for dumpling to expand.

Place a plate in the bottom of the saucepan and sit the dumpling on top. The water should reach about three quarters of the way up the dumpling. Put a lid on the pan and cook for 2 hours. Ensure the water doesn't leave the boil. Top up with additional boiling water when required.

After 2 hours, carefully remove the dumping and cleave to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the string and cloth. Then turn it upside down onto a plate and sit it in front of an open fire for 30 minutes. Alternatively, place in a low oven for 30 minutes. This allows the skin to dry off and gain a glossy surface. 

Eat hot or cold. It can be served with cream, ice cream, custard, or a dram of whisky. 

Notes

My Mam has no idea how long it keeps for as she's never had a chance to find out. Clootie Dumpling doesn't last long in her house!

I think I've seen my Dad toast a slice of clootie dumpling and spread butter on it, toasted tea cake style.

Beetroot Relish

Ingredients

500g cooked beetroot

1 packet jelly (135g)

150ml vinegar

300ml boiling water

Method

Dissolve the jelly by mixing with 300ml of boiling water. Add 150ml of vinegar. 

Cut the beetroot into a fine dice. Add the beetroot to the jelly, and cool in the fridge. When the jelly is starting to set stir the beetroot relish well, and decant into glass jars with lids. 

Store the relish in the fridge.

Notes

This relish works particularly with cheese, cold meats, sandwiches and salads. There are sweet and sour tones to the relish.

Cooked beetroot can stain the hands, chopping boards, clothes etc. Be careful!

First Italian Course Work

The first unit of my Italian course has finished, and Anna, my tutor has marked it. 94 per cent! I'm really happy. Can't wait to get it back to see which ones I got wrong. Perhaps I should celebrate this evening with lasagne, salad and garlic bread?

Lasagne is an interesting word. Naturally, it came from the Italian, where it's 'la lasagna' in the singular, and 'le lasagne' in the plural. (It follows the regular pattern of feminine words ending in 'a' and changing to 'e' when pluralised.) 

However, in English, it's one 'lasagne, two lasagnes', this is with the exception of North America, where is' 'lasagna/lasagnas', unless they are Italian speakers. I've decided to go with the Italian spellings, and use 'lasagna/lasagne'.

Another example of the plural form being adopted in English is 'painini' (the Italian toasted sandwich). In Italian,  the singular is 'il painino' and 'i painini' in the plural. Also, it's just a sandwich, not a toasted sandwich. English has taken the plural, 'painini', made it singular and then when it wants a plural, it adds an 's' - 'paininis'.

Similar things have happened in the past. The word 'pease' was a mass noun, used to refer to an uncountable number of the little veggies, rather like 'rice, sugar and salt. The 's' sound at the end led people to believe a single little green veggie was a 'pea', and later an 's' was added onto make a new plural. Most people who have heard of 'pease' only know of it from pease pudding, often from the nursery rhyme 'Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold, pease pudding in the pot, nine days old. Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like it in the pot, nine days old.'

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

30g/ml butter or oil 

2 large onions

I large leek

3 carrots

2 potatoes

2 cloves of garlic 

1 litre of stock

30g plain flour (I use Dove Farm's Gluten-free Flour)

a little water

a handful of peas

a handful of sweetcorn

seasoning

Method

Heat the oil or butter in a large saucepan. Add the chopped vegetable and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for an hour. Mix the flour in a little water to create a thickening slurry. Slowly pour it into the soup whilst stirring. Check the seasoning and adjust as desired.

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I was searching for an image of vegetable soup that resembled mine, but couldn't find any. A crazy thought popped into my head, "Why don't you make the soup and take a photograph?" Given how cold it is today, this sounds like a really good idea!

The Laxey Wheel Keeps Turning

Laxey Wheel, the world's largest working waterwheel. It's big! The wheel is powered by water held in a cistern, fed by several streams in the hills above Laxey. It was built to pump out the mine in the hills. A wet day, like today, provides the raw material (water) for this wheel to keep turning.

The Zig Zag Blanket is coming on nicely. I would have been ready for a return trip to Laxey to buy more yarn on Saturday, but The Beloved has a training course. The Younger Offspring and I decided we would take the bus, and bring Da Hound too. 

It was her first time on a bus, and whilst she was well behaved, she was a little unsettled. She perked up during her walk in Laxey, sniffing the new smells and wagging her tail at random people. She also enjoyed staring at the de facto JJ Ribbons shop cat.  JJ Ribbons is a craft shop, curtain makers and little cafe. Many people think the cat is the craft shop cat, but she's really just a visitor. She belongs to one of their neighbours, and the cat keeps coming to visit. She likes the company. 

The journey back was interesting as the open spaces on the bus were taken up by a sleeping baby in a pram, and an older man with a walker. Their needs trump the needs of a crafty person with a dog. One of the passengers suggested sitting in the seats above the wheel arches. The seats there face each other. It worked really well. Ava was more settled on the second journey. We have decided to try to take her on a short bus journey each week. 

I can't quite believe I bought 10 balls of yarn today. In my very slight defense, they were only 50g balls. However, I would not have had enough yarn to keep me going until a week on Saturday, and I so didn't want to stop. Putting the work down can often mean it doesn't get picked back up, especially if another project has been started.

Peppermint Slice

Ingredients
250g digestive biscuits
50g butter
3 Tsp golden syrup

500g icing sugar
5Tsp water
peppermint essence
green food colour

100g chocolate

Method

Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the syrup. Boil for 2 minutes. Add the crushed biscuits. Flatten into a buttered swiss roll tin. Do not remove from the tin until the peppermint slice has been fully assembled.

Mix the icing sugar with the water to make a stiff paste. Add a few drops of peppermint, and as much or as little green colouring as you want. Spread over the base and leave to set for 1-2 hours.

Melt the chocolate and gently pour over the peppermint layer. When the chocolate is cool, but not completely hard, cut into squares or slices. Alternatively, add a little cream or butter to the melted chocolate to prevent it hardening completely. This gives a softer topping and allows for easier cutting.

Notes

This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free digestive biscuits. Other biscuits of a similar texture can be used, eg shortbread.

Decluttering Recipe Books

At the end of January last year, the decluttering task was to weed out the unused recipe books. This was done, but I suspect I may have some more that can leave the house. There are a few books I haven't touched since completing the task last year. 

I'm a good home cook, and I don't use recipes a great deal. Generally, I use recipes for baking (apart from pancakes, sponge cakes and shortbread). Getting the proportions right is vital for good baking, although I do experiment quite a bit. When it comes to savoury dishes, the exact amounts aren't generally so vital. The last time I used a recipe for a new savoury dish was a month ago, and it wasn't from a book, but on-line. 

Way back in 1991, I start compiling my personal cookery book. Twenty seven  years later, the book is falling apart. Some of the tried and tested recipes of a quarter of a century ago aren't tingling my taste buds in the way they were. There was a lovely dish, Orange Glazed Chicken, which used marmalade as the basis for the glaze (with added orange juice, garlic and ground coriander seeds). Sadly, it's too sweet now. It's time to edit and purge my collected recipes and move them on-line. It is also time to have a look at my recipes here and on Pintrest and whittle out the ones I don't want any more.

Zig Zag Blanket: Progress Report

A progress photograph of my Optical Illusion Zig Zag Blanket. I bought the yarn on Saturday and played around with various ideas. Then on Monday I actually started work on it. 

I'm working at about 5 rows per day, and this takes me through one cycle of colour. This is pace is to protect my shoulders, hands and wrists from being over-used. 

Each row is made of but one colour, and every tenth stitch dips down to two rows below. This gives a rather interesting optical illusion of zig zags where there are none.

When I started this blanket it hadn't fully clicked that I would only be working from right to left, and the yarn would be cut at the end of each row. This results in a huge number of ends. Thankfully, I've found a way to crochet in the starting end at the right hand side, so there's now only one end per row to deal with.

Mistakes from the past have been noted, and I have learned! The ends are being woven in very promptly. Three cycles of colour have been crocheted through, and there's only one end to be woven it. It will be easier to do this when it isn't the top row. I'll weave it in tomorrow when I've worked a few more rows.

Licorice Allsorts

On Saturday, we took a small jaunt to Laxey and visited the lovely JJ Ribbons.  In addition to the yarn, I bought half a metre of licorice allsorts fabric, and two metres of 20mm black satin ribbon. 

The results are a large drawstring gift bag, a handkerchief and a small gift bag. All of the ribbons and fabric has been used. 

Parli Italiano

Last week, I started learning Italian from a native of Rome. The approach to learning is quite, quite different! Instead of "Hello, my name is..." we learned about the sounds 'c' and 'ci' make. The sounds are different depending on the vowel that comes next. If 'c' is followed by an 'a', 'o' or 'u', then it makes a hard 'c'. The way to remember is 'cat, cot, cut'. With 'ci', there's a softer sound, like the start of 'church'. There's similar rules for 'g'.

Next, we learned of Italian genders, everything is either masculine or feminine. Usually, masculine words end in 'o' and feminine in 'a'. But, 'usually' don't mean the same things as 'all the time'. 'Problema' is masculine singular, but ends in 'a'. 'Foto' is femiinine singular - it's a contraction of 'fotographia', which is feminine and ends in 'a'. 

In English, a huge number of words can be pluralised by adding an 's'. In Italian, the general rule is words ending in 'a' are pluralised by changing it to an 'e' (if the word if feminine'. If it's masculine, it becomes 'i', along with the word ending in 'e' or 'o'. There's also a rule for when a word ends in a stressed vowel.

It was all feeling to be rather like decryption algorithms. In addition, I've started learning an Italian alphabet song. It starts "Cari bambini come sieta la lettra A". I've been listening and singing along morning and evening. When out walking the dog, I go through the alphabet and try to find a word for each letter. I'm trying hard not to use the same words over and over, but as I learn new vocabulary to include these new words in my alphabetic walk. As might be anticipated, I am desperately in need for new X-words and J ones too!

It's great fun to be out meeting some new people, and learning something fresh!

Goodbye Dead Trees

As a child I was taught to be very careful with books. Some children might tear pages, or scribble with crayons, not me. Never were pages dog eared. Books were almost sacred objects, treated with reverence and care.

When the Elder Offspring was in school, she had an art project to ... now I'm having problems, the only way I can describe it is 'deface a book'. It was cut, painted, moulded, scratched and abused. 

Eight years later, I'm still thinking in the same words, but my reaction is 'It's just an object, and something without intrinsic value.' We're not talking about first editions, but mass market, mass produce books. They are as unique as a bottle of Coke. I'm happily giving away my paper books (dead trees), and using e-books instead. It's not the object that's important, but the ideas contained within.

The books pictured above are rather lovely to look at. They are lovely in the same way old bobbins are lovely, or other antiques are lovely. There role is not functional, but to be beautiful and convey a sense of age. 

For me, e-books win hands down over paper. The typeface and size can be changed at will. The book can be read to me, or I can read it in the dark. It's so much simpler taking a library of books (a Kindle) on holiday than packing several kilos of paper. 

Optical Illusion Zig Zag Blanket

Yarn: Red Heart Lisa DK
Composition: 100% acrylic 
Colour: Violet (08303)

Colour: Glacier (08363)

Colour: Petrol (08195)

Colour: Pink Marzipan (08367)

Colour: Lilac (05691)
Pattern:  Groovy-ghan
Size: 1m sq
Hook: 5mm 
Amount used: 
Started: 10th March 2018 
Finished:  25th May 2018

My Mam and Grandma taught me how to knit when I was 4 years old. Everyone in my family could knit, and I do mean everyone. It seemed like an interesting thing to do, and obviously (well 'obviously' to my 4 year old brain) it was something I'd need to learn at some point. I would describe what I wanted to do, and my Mam and Grandma would teach me how to do it. It wasn't until I was about 12 or 13 that I learned to use a pattern.

Surprisingly, I was not taught to crochet. I'd pick up a hook and yarn, wibble things around, and make it up as I went along, and this worked rather well for me.

A couple of years ago, I tried to follow a crochet pattern, but it proved to be rather tricky as I didn't know the name of the stitches, and the one that fell under my fingers was a very rarely used stitch. Instead, the pattern of increases and decreases was explain and I ploughed on making a star-shaped baby blanket.

This is the very first crochet pattern I have followed. Through the wonders of youTube, I have learned single crochet (US) and double crochet (US).  It's working! The hardest part is counting to 10.

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

Ingredients

Broccoli

head of broccoli

Chicken

2 tsp rice wine or cider vinegar 

1 egg white 

1 Tsp cornflour

1/4 tsp soy sauce (I used gluten-free)

2 Tsp oil
500g cubed chicken

a little additional oil

Sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup of lemon juice

a little less than 1/2 cup of sugar 

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup of cornflour

1/4 cup of cold water

Method

Cut the broccoli into small florets and par boil. Set to one side.

In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, egg white, cornflour, soy sauce and oil. Then add the chicken. Coat the chicken well. Add the additional oil to a heavy bottomed skillet and cook the chicken. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and made the sauce.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and then add the lemon juice, sugar and zest. Return mixture to a boil. Blend together the cornflour and cold water and stir into the lemon sauce. Stir until the sauce is thick. 

Add the chicken and broccoli and heat in the sauce. Serve with rice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

International Women's Day Inspiration

The question was asked, "Who inspires you?"

It's the young woman above, Mhairi Black, the youngest MP in Parliament in a 130 years. She won her place in Westminster whilst studying for her finals in Politics and Public Policy, and gained a first class honours degree.

She is a woman who speaks clearly, in a strong voice and with authority. She explains the realities people live with, and works for a fairer, more equitable, more compassionate country. 

The world desperately needs more Mhairis - people who can point out the blinkin' obvious to those who have been trained not to see. 

A Blizzard of Hair!

This is not Ava, but a random Huskie and his 'shadow'.

Oh my! When I was growing up we had dogs, and I thought I knew that I was in for with regards to shedding. And I was wrong, totally and utterly wrong!

It started with a few more hairs than normal, then tufts started coming away. Currently, Ava's thick winter undercoat has mostly been shed, but it is being held in place by the longer guard hairs. Today, I have groomed her four times, and had to stop, not because the grooming had been completed, but to give her a rest from all of the physical attention. Each time there was the equivalent of a football-sie cloud of Ava-hair. Some of this has been stuffed into a net (formerly used to hold lemons) and it's now outside, ready for any nest-building birds to come and use for nest lining.

Tomorrow we start again. 

Writing Exercise: Painting

The task was to find a painting I wasn't familiar with, and then create a story around it. The idea is to take the image as a snapshot or a single still from a film. Then you start asking questions like "What lead to the moment? How is the person feeling? What's going to happen next?". 

The painting I chose was Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by CD Friedrich.

Working simply from the image, and without reading any of the analysis of this painting, I came up with the following story ideas.

Setting 1830s, Robert, a Scottish laird, out walking, trying to lose himself, contemplating his life, make sense of it. He is considering the option of throwing himself off the rocks. 

He had been married for 4 years, and his wife, Lizzie, died in childbirth, mother and baby dead.

His emotions reflect the blackness and greyness of the painting. He has climbed from darkest black, through the white fog, and is now standing in the clear air

The only sound is a mistle thrush singing in a minor key. It is a winter visitor in to these high hills. It's song is disjointed, halting, and seems to speaking of loss and sadness, but expressed in such crystal clear tones. Perhaps like this bird, he could be a visitor in this place of darkness and shadows. Perhaps he could be a visitor in the land of the shadow of death. 

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I started writing and ended up in floods of tears thinking about the depth of his pain. I will write the story, but not today. I need a little bit of time to let it sit.

Another Black and Green Hat

Yarn: James Brett Top Value  DK
Composition: 100% acrylic 
Colour: black
Yarn: random DK 
Composition: 100% acrylic 
Colour: green
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult 
Needles: 10mm 
Amount used: 
Started: 2nd March 2018 
Finished:  5th March 2018

Yet another super chunky hat. This time I used 1x1 ribbing for 10 rounds, then stocking stitch for the rest. 

To Buy or Not to Buy

In the Christmas sales I was able to buy a beautiful, soft, wonderful cashmere sweater for around £35, half its usual price. I have worn it and worn it, and it is so wonderful to wear.

The opportunity to buy one for £60 has arisen this weekend. Do I need a second one, and a second one at that price? My merino sweaters are now getting rather old, and all have been darned. I have been wanting to replace them, but at this price?

I keep looking at new clothes, but do I need them, or am I simply lusting after something new? Is the cold weather turning my thoughts to spring clothing?

One of my birthday presents last year was a fantastic Le Creuset skillet. It was very expensive, but it has been used, and used, and used. And, I can see myself using it almost every day for a very long time. 

"Buy once, buy well" keeps running through my head. Although, when I was looking at some clothes on-line, I used the "Price: Low to High" option. After years of very little money, it's hard to get used to the idea of buying more expensive items. 

It comes back to the standard three questions, "Do I need it? Do I want it? Do I love it?". It would be so much easier if I could answer with a wholehearted'yes' to at least one of these questions. "Need" is too strong a word. My current supply of sweaters and cardigans is sufficient for my needs. "Want", again too strong. I've having some lustful thoughts. And "love", again we are back to lust.

The Beast from the East

The Isle of Man is taking rather a battering from 'The Beast from the East' (a polar vortex) and Storm Emma. Here's a few of my favourite images from around the island.

And one from Rome.

Back to the Isle of Man once more, and also back in time, to 2010.

Spring Cleaning

March is here, and it's time for spring cleaning. The snow is also here, and it feels very un-spring-like. However, I'm inside in the warm and dry, and spring cleaning it is.

This list is adapted for my needs from the one at Stain Removal 101. The website it run by the same person who runs the Decluttering 365 one. I am not planning on doing all of these tasks in order, and it doesn't matter if it is all completed within the month of March. Some tasks are larger than others, and I will do them as and when I have the time, non-creaking joints and the weather allows. 

Kitchen 

(✓) cooker

2. kitchen cabinets 

3. small kitchen appliances 

4. fridge and freezer 

5. worktops and sink 

6. pots, pans and bakeware 

7. drains 

Bathroom 

8. sink and tiles

9. lavatory and drains 

10. shower and bath 

11. bath mats and shower screen

Whole House 

12. windows 

13. ceilings 

14. walls 

15. skirting boards 

16. curtains 

17. blinds 

18. dusting 

19. clean upholstery 

20. vacuum and shampoo carpets 

21. wash floors 

22. wash rubbish bins 

23. electronics screens and door nobs

Bedroom 

24. vacuum mattress 

25. wash duvet 

26. wash pillows 

27. soft toys 

Laundry Room 

28. washing machine and dryer 

Entrances 

29. front and back doors 

30. front vestibule 

31. back vestibule

March Goals

My goals for March are to:

• re-start cycling and squats from the beginning
• start Nine Patch Madness quit
• learn to render an external wall
• start Italian classes
• spring clean the house