October Craftings

I have totally lost count of how many items I have made this year, how many balls of yarn have been used, bought etc. But it doesn't really matter. I have reached my goals, and so all of these are extras

Cardi, Snuggly Bunny and Hat

Chocolate and Raspberry Chunky Hat

Started: 27th October 2018

Finished: 28th October 2018

October Goals - Review

Continue to re-grow fingertip 

Yup, my fingertip is regrowing nicely. Normal sensation has returned to most of it, but there is one patch that is oddly sensitive and not, at the same time. I think when the scar tissue is depressed, it is distributing the pressure across the area. It doesn't feel as if I'm touching things directly, but via a layer of protective clothing.

Keep the kitchen clean and tidy every day

This has been happening almost every day, and I'm loving it. It has not become second nature yet, so it will be transferred across to November Goals.

Declutter dining room

The room has been decluttered back to a level I'm content with. More work needs to be done, but that's for a different time. It looks clean and tidy. Things are organised, and that's enough.The piles of donations have gone, France and Greece (refugees) and the remainder to a local charity shop. It's good to have a lot less visual clutter in the room. I have been using the room far more, and each time, I return it to it's previous state. This is a big step forward.

Exercise each day

It was going so well, until the point when needed dental work, and was told not to exercise until the wounds had started healing. Perhaps the most I can say is that I've been exercising more this month than last. As long as there's an improvement, I'm happy. This will also be a goal for November

Start work on Christmas presents

Work has started, but it's in the 'let's decide what to make' mode rather than putting hands to yarn or fabric. For rather obvious reasons, I shall not be detailing my thoughts or progress on this blog. After Christmas, I'll put up images of the items made.

On a birthday front, the Doctor Who scarf is continuing, and will be ready for the November birthday.

Almost Finished Mitred Square Blanket

Four years ago, I started work on a mitred square blanket. It wasn't a main project, just a little side one to use up lots of little bits of sock yarn. The coloured yarns are random sock yarns, and the cream is King Cole Merino blend, 4ply. 

As I look at it, I think "Oh. those are the socks I made for the Elder Offspring going off to university." "Those bright little rainbows, that was used to make a border on a baby jacket." The variegated purples - my favourite socks."  There's lots on knitting memories tied up in this blanket.

My intention was to wash and then block it on the floor in the bathroom, but my blocking mat is not large enough, and I don't have enough pins. Then I thought to steam is, but I can't get things straight. The new plan is to dry it on the radiator today, and then on Saturday, I'll new pins, and block it on the floor of the guest room. When it's been blocked, I'll take a photograph.

It feels great to get another long-term project completed, well, apart from blocking.

E and É

Un piccolo passo avanti! I now have the difference in my head between e and è. The former means 'and' and the later is 'he/she is'. E is 'ee' and è is 'eh'. For the last few months I have known there is a difference in pronunciation, but I have failed to really grasp it. Now I know. It's there, it's a part of my working knowledge of the language.

One little step forward, and more are needed. Other areas where work is needed is nel/nella, sul/sulla, del/della, and questo/questa, qui, quella, quanta. I want to learn the 1000 most frequently used words in Italian.

Lui è italiano. (eh) He is Italian.
La mela e l'arancia (ee) The apple and the orange

Lavender and Old Lace

I was watching How to do a crazy quilt patch work square  by Arne and Carlos (Scandinavia designers), and was inspired to take various wedding clothes and make them into a beautiful quilt.

Pictured above is my wedding dress (ivory and lavender satin) and the lace jacket I wore over it. There's a lace collar I bought on my honeymoon. The year after we wed, I made a lilac skirt for my brother's wedding. It is showing a little blue in the photograph. Also included is the Elder Offspring's prom dress, a deep purple dress I made for a friend's wedding, and some lacy ribbons I found in my craft room.

My plan is to use the various fabrics and lace, make squared using a method called 'quilt as you go'. The squares will be trimmed to a uniform size. They will be abutted and zig zagged together. Then, I use some tartan ribbon to cover the edges of the squares.  The Beloved was wearing the Flower of Scotland tartan. It was his first time in a kilt, and we hired it for the occasion. Since then, he has bought his own kilt, but it would not be a good idea to cut up his kilt for this quilt!

But, not until after Christmas!

Woollies for Lesvos 2018

This is the second of my contributions to the donations going from the Isle of Man to Lesvos. The refugees come from many countries, but all are fleeing from terrible situations. They arrive often with only the clothes they are wearing. My hope is that a handmade gift will remind people that they are valued, as well as helping to keep them a little warmer.

Pictured above are 2 baby blankets, 37 hats, 4 baby cardigans, a pair of bootees, a toddler sweater and a snuggly bunny.

Three More Finished!

 

When I decluttered and tidied the dining room, I came across ten unfinished projects. My idea was to try to finish them all before Christmas. 

These are three items I finished this morning, a snuggly bunny, a hat and a cardigan.  

The other items will require more work to finish, but I'd like to get them done. 

Habits Are Hard to Break

After the success of yesterday’s experiment with ‘no phones, no internet and no television’, and the realisation that my problem was ‘faffing around on the internet’. I decided not to try a new thing, and not use the internet on weekday mornings.  (Standard ‘sensible clause’ should be added. If I need information, and it would not be sensible to wait until after lunch, then I can use the internet for that specific reason.)

This was all set in my mind, I  picked up my laptop to write a list of things I would like to accomplish today. That’s when my fingers betrayed me! They automatically took me to Facebook! That wasn’t the objective! This is going to be a hard habit to break. The intent is there, and I each time I notice an ‘oopsy’, I will rectify the situations and get back on task. So, write the list!

One of the items on the list is ‘knit three days of Doctor Who scarf’. It is the longest of the three scarves made for Doctor Who, and I wanted to have an idea of how many rows I would need to knit each day to finish the project in time for the Offspring’s birthday (28 rows). With illness and tooth-hurty stuff, I had fallen 10 days behind. Yesterday's activity meant I caught up by three days, and I’m hoping to do the same today.

To Do

knit three days of Doctor Who scarf
fold towels
put towels away
make dinner

Ta Da

make lunch for the Beloved

make breakfast for Ava

put away dishes

wash clothes

dry clothes

fold clothes

put away clothes

sweep bedroom floor

dust bedroom
wash towels
dry towels
a bit of weeding

No Phones, No Internet and No Television Day

On waking at 7am, the first thing I reached for was my Kindle to check emails and facebook, but then I remembered, it’s No PhIT Day. Instead of playing on the internet, I played a few games on the Kindle.

Then it was time to get up and make breakfast for Ava, and lunch for the Beloved. Ava had chicken goop, biscuits and broccoli. The Beloved will be having pumpkin and parsnip soup, and prawn and egg salad for his lunch. The soup was started last night, and finished off this morning. The areas I was using this morning have been tidied and cleaned, but there’s now a pile of pots, trays, utensils and a blender over by the sink.

I’m still rather delicate following last week, and I need to take things slowly today. This resulted in sitting down and playing 2048 (5x5 version) on my laptop. I don’t know if I quite getting the hang of No PhIT Day. Technically, I’ve been obeying the rules, but I wonder if I’m really into the spirit of it all.

It’s time to sit down and plan out my day. Instead of spending lots of time on my computer, Kindle and the internet, I want to do other things. I want to do things differently. The plan is to use these things as tools rather than time-wasters and entertainment. ... I’ve just realised, I have a 20% off voucher for Marks and Spencer. Today is the last day I can use it. There are definitely things I need, and it would be silly to wait, and lose the discount. The mantra will be ‘tools not time-wasters’.

Whilst turning ‘To Do’s into ‘Ta Da’s, I realised I need a list of things I want to investigate or respond to tomorrow: 

• how to care for French lavender, 
• pumpkin soup – I’m a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting far more taste, and colour. I’ll stick with butternut squash, 
• how to make cauliflower ‘rice’

And, a few things I want to make: 

• Lavender and Old Lace quilt
• rainbow needle case

It’s noon, and time for a little reflection. I don’t have a problem with my phone. It’s used to phone people, take photographs, or send the occasional text. It’s not something I use a great deal. Similarly, the television is used to watch DVDs of an evening, and to watch Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who.

The internet is where I spend a lot of time. Some of it is social interaction, some is educational, but most is low-grade entertainment. I’m beginning to wonder if I should be trying to go without the internet each week day morning. Without a doubt, I need to become more mindful of how I spend my time on line.

That’s it. I’m ditching No PhIT Day, and I’m moving over to ‘tools not time-wasters’. That will suit my needs so much better.

Ta Da

make soup

make prawn and egg salad

tidy and clean 2 kitchen counters

fold laundry from tumble dryer

hang out wet washing to dry

wash laundry

sweep rug in bedroom

a little weeding

a little more weeding

work on Doctor Who scarf

put away laundry from tumble dryer

hang out another load of washing

wash towels and a blanket

wash bathroom window

sort donations for refugees

hang out towels and a blanket

another little of weeding

bring in washing

tumble dry the not quite dry washing

fold the rest of the washing

fold the now dry washing

clean hob

make dinner

start tomorrow’s dinner

Unplugged Monday

Today's post is brought from the past, well, present, as I write it, but the past from the point of view of time of publication. It's currently Wednesday afternoon, around 5pm, but the post won't appear until Monday morning.

The plan is not to use my phone, television or the internet. I will be able to use to my Kindle to read/listen to books, and to play music, as that's where my books and music is stored. And of course if there's an emergency, I will naturally use suitable means of communication. 

Monday is a day to largely unplug, except for my sewing machine, I may well plug that in. It's a day to read, write, cook, craft and declutter.

Nasty, Hurty, Don't Like

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were almost blown out of existence by not just one, but two abscessed teeth. A trip to the dentist sorted the problem, but resulted in two extractions. I've no idea why they didn't hurt before they got to that state! Thankfully, I am able to sleep again, and things are healing up. 

But, this episode has taken quite a toll on the ordinary things like cooking, cleaning, decluttering and crafting. It was almost all put on hold. It's amazing how being free from pain and able to sleep makes so many more things possible.

On Monday, I'm going to have a little bedroom declutter and 'spring clean'. I'm also going to make one of my favourite meals, Pecorino chicken, and try to get back on track with laundry and crafting.

The Castle and The Dragon

Yesterday was all about the baking. My fruit cake recipe bakes for 3 hours! 

And today it was all about decorating the cake. The castle is a deep, rich, moist, dark fruit cake. Well, I say fruit cake, but really, it's about a kilo of fruit held together with a little matrix of spiced cake. The towers are flapjack, and the conical roofs are marzipan. But, don't eat the red dragon. It has toothpicks in its neck!

It was a wonderful moment when the Offsping and the Beloved came home and let out a 'Woah. That's brilliant!'  However, the real magic is that the dining room has been in use for hours, and it has been returned to its pre-decorating state.

Dining Room Decluttered

The dining room is a dining room again!  No longer a craft room (well, apart from the stuff on the left of the photograph), and no longer a dumping ground. Although, I will of course be using it for crafting and storing things before they leave the house, but the resolution is to enable this room to serve in its primary function.

Eight bags of clothing, blankets, hats and gloves have left the room this week for refugees in France and Greece.  Four bags of stuff are going to a local charity shop. Things have been decluttered, tidied and ordered. And, it's looking a huge deal better than it has done in the last few months.

Just as I was finishing off, The Beloved came home with two more bags of donations for refugees in Greece. My piles have re-started. The collection finishes at the end of October. 

Autum is in Full Fall

I saw this gorgeous illustration on The Fynoderee Distillery facebook page, and fell in love. What a fantastic little faerey, surfing the air currents on a fallen leaf. It looks like great fun.

The artist is Julia Ashby Smyth. She sells cards, limited edition prints, and also hand coloured prints.

WIP Club

Whilst decluttering and tidying the dining room, I realised I have a number of Works In Progress (WIP). Some of them have been set aside for good reason, eg the mandolin accident has prevented me from working on them. Some have been set aside for very poor reasons, eg I couldn't be bothered to get up and find a darning needle to finish them off, or I couldn't find a button of the right colour.

Here's my list of WIPs from the dining room:

• lilac baby cardigan: needs three buttons sewn on, and ends woven in
• lilac baby snuggly: needs facial features sewn on
• Muppets baby quilt: finish quilting, and add binding
• Ducky quilt: finish hand quilting
• City Slickers quilt: join blocks, quilt, and add binding
• Never be Cruel cross stitch: remove some stitching, finish quote, add TARDIS, and frame
• several hats: add pom poms, and weave in ends
• socks: finish knitting, and weave in ends
• gloves: finish knitting, and weave in ends

There will be more projects elsewhere, but that's enough to be working on!

Dining Room: Part 2

The dining room is looking so much better!

There's a couple of hidden chairs to the right of shot, and they have stuff on them. The table needs more clearing, and the top of the piano needs a tidy up.

Beyond the grey chairs, there's two boxes, and there's stuff on top of them. Those will stay where they are for now, but will be sorted at a later date. 

The Grand Dining Room Declutter

As is clearly obvious, the dining room is in need of a serious declutter. It has been where I have been tossing random declutterings from the house, partial projects, and clothes and blankets for refugees. (I act as a local collection point for donations for refugees.)

A couple of hours work, and the donations have been sorted into two groups, the items doing to Greece, and those going to France. The former is in the sitting room, bagged up and awaiting collection at lunch time. The blankets and games are heading to France. They are in the hall just now, and will be disappearing on Friday morning.

Later today, I'll clear the piano, or the table, or even both! The Offspring has friends coming over on Friday evening for a games night. The room needs to be sorted by then.

Warm Orange Chicken Salad

Ingredients

3 tsp olive oil

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

2 oranges

60ml cider vinegar

2 Tsp wholegrain mustard

300g salad leaves

4 green olives, pitted and quartered

50g goats cheese, crumbled

Method

Zest one orange, and then juice it. Segment the second orange.

Fry the chicken cubes in two tsp of oil. After two minutes, add the garlic and cumin and fry for two more minutes.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard and remaining tsp of oil. Stir well.

Arrange the salad leaves in a serving dish. Spoon the chicken mixture over the leaves and top with olives and goats cheese.

Notes
I really like the segments of orange in the salad, the beloved did not. He had no objection to the zest and juice in the dressing though. Next time I make this, I'll leave the orange segments to one side and people can add them if they desire.

Soup for Colds

It seems I have managed to catch the Offspring's nasty germy-thingies. My throat is now feeling rather tender and ickky. Thank goodness for French-ish Onion soup! It is so soothing for a sore throat.

I wasn't too impressed with the flavours when I made it yesterday morning, but having had a good 20 hours to mature, it's so much better! Onions and garlic have a reputation of soothing and healing sore throats, and this soup has a kilo and a half of the good stuff!

It might be unusual to have French-ish Onion Soup for breakfast, but it really hit the spot. I can see it reappearing in my future several times today!

Monday Morning

David Mustard often says "Mondays, when all the possibilities are possible." This is a saying I have embraced.

The daring deed done have been:

• made bacon and chive frittats
• made lunch for the Beloved
• made French-ish onion soup
• washed clothes, and hung them on the line to dry
• swept the kitchen floor
• put away last night's dishes

After lunch, I'll do a spot of decluttering and tidying in the dining room. It has been used as a dumping ground (by me) again.

French-ish Onion Soup

Our normal lunches are now soup and salad. The previous soups have been chicken and veg, and Cheddar and cauliflower. I decided it was time for a change, and made French Onion Soup.

This is traditionally made with beef stock. I have no love of beef flavoured things, so have substituted chicken stock instead. There was no wine in the house, but I found a bottle of cider. That was sloshed in. 

The other very traditional thing is to toast a slice of bread, top it with cheese, melt the cheese, and then float the cheesy toast on top of the soup. I'm avoiding mixing fats and carbohydrates just now.  The cheesy toast has floated on down the river.

Ingredients

1.5kg onions, sliced

4 Tbsp Olive oil

30g butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2,000ml well-flavoured stock

120ml dry white wine, or cider

0.5 tsp dried thyme 

Method

Heat 3 Tsp of olive oil on a medium heat. Add the onions and toss to coat with the olive oil.

Cook the onions, stirring often, until they have softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and the butter. Cook, stirring often, until the onions the onions have caramelised, about 20-35 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Deglaze the pot with the cider. Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves. Season to taste. 

Pecorino Chicken

Ingredients

mini chicken breasts, cooked

pecorino (Italian sheep cheese)

asparagus or green beans

bacon or prosciutto

Method

Cut the pecorino into slices. Place a slice of cheese on the chicken breast, and then place asparagus spears (or green beans) on top. Wrap in prosciutto or bacon. 

Place in a pre-heated oven at 200C. Cook for 30 minutes.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients

240ml natural yogurt

1 Tsp lemon juice

2 tsp medium curry powder

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

900g diced chicken

Butter sauce

60g butter

1 Tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 Tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

200g diced tomatoes, canned or 2 medium-sized tomatoes diced

120ml chicken stock

120ml double cream 

2 Tsp gluten-free flour

Method

In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, turmeric and cumin. Stir in the chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or up to a day. 

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent. Add in garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. Continue to cook until onions are browned, stirring frequently. 

Add in tomatoes, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. 

Add in the chicken with the yogurt marinade into the pan. Cook 5 minutes. Pour in stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Then lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the cream, and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Mix the gluten-free flour with a little water, and use to thicken the sauce. 

Season to taste. Serves 6.

Notes

This morning I read, "Butter chicken might just be the most famous curry export from India, wow-ing palates wherever it goes."  I'd never heard of it before. There are plenty of other curries I can name (Jalfrezi, Rogan Josh, Madras, Korma, Tikka, Tikka Masala) but 'butter chicken' would never have made the list. 

I do like fragrant spices, but I can't handle the hot ones. Chillies bring on migraines.  This means my version has omitted the chillies. they have been substituted with 2tsp of medium curry powder.  If you like heat, add it.

----

This freezes well.

Week 2 Menus

I'm trying out three new recipes this week, chickpea burgers, butter chicken and warm orange chicken salad. Recent additions to my repertoire are frittatas, Caesar salad, pecorino chicken, prawn and egg salad, and brown rice risotto. So many new things to try!

Tidy Kitchen!

One of this month's goals is to keep the kitchen clean and tidy. So far, it's working! 

I love walking into that space and seeing empty, clear surfaces, nothing on the draining board or by the sink. It makes preparing food so much easier when you don't have to wash up before starting work.

I'm finding I'm cleaner in my cooking too. As each part of the meal is prepared, I clean up after myself. 

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients

1 cauliflower head

250g cream cheese (eg Philadelphia)

1 vegetable stock pot (concentrated stock)

boiling water

150g Stilton

Method

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets.

Beat the cream cheese until light and smooth. Cream in the concentrated stock. Add in the boiling water, little by little until the sauce has the consistency you desire. 

Mix the cauliflower and sauce together and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Add crumbled Stilton to the top.

Bake for 40 minutes at 200C. The cauliflower should be tender, and the top a golden brown.

Notes

This makes a great vegetarian main dish, and is also brilliant when served with roast chicken and steamed veggies.

Caesar Salad

Ingredients
olive oil
chicken fillets
bacon
1 large clove garlic
60ml lemon juice
1 egg
half a tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 anchovy fillet
300ml olive oil
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
pepper
2 romaine lettuce

Method
Fry the chicken fillets in a little olive oil. Cut the bacon into cubes.

Whilst the chicken is cooking make the dressing. Place the garlic, lemon juice, egg, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy fillet into a blender, and mix well. Gradually add the oil. Stir in the cheese. Add black pepper to taste.

Remove the chicken from the frying pan, and cook the bacon until crispy.

Shred the lettuce and arrange in a serving bowl. Add the sliced chicken, and then the some of the dressing. Top with the crispy bacon.

Doctor Who Scarf

The Doctor has had some pretty iconic looks over the years (centuries), but I think that the Doctor's scarf is one of the best known. There were three different scarves, and the Younger Offspring has requested the scarf from Series 18.

It's a very simple knit, all knit, but there is a huge amount of it. The original was almost 7 metres long. I will not be knitting that much! Perhaps about 2-3m will be enough for me.

It can be difficult getting the right colours. These yarns are the best that I could find.

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: aubergine
Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: wine

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: paprika

Pattern: Doctor Who Scarf, Series 18

Size: Adult

Needles: 4mm

Started: 3rd October 2018 

Finished:  5th November 2018

Cast on 42 stitches in paprika. Knit all rows, slipping the first stitch purlwise. Two rows makes one ridge. On the row before a colour change, knit to the penultimate stitch, switch colours and knit the ultimate one.

There is a dead link on Pintrest to the pattern, but no pattern. Thankfully, there is an image on the dead link. I've copies it, and this gives the order, number and colour of the ridges. 

When the scarf has been knitted, make seven tassels for each end. Each tassel should contain all three colours.

It was a tad difficult to keep track of exactly where I was up to with all of the colour changes. There were several places where I 'personalised' it. And, I only made half of the scarf, even then it's about 3m long!

Knitting half of the scarf used up just a fraction more than 100g, and I used yarn from the second balls of yarn to make the fringe. Later, I'll be using some of the leftover red and purple yarns to make some wrist warmers. The red ones will be for The Offspring, and the purple ones for a friend. The orange yarn will probably end up as hats.

Clean Eating: Days 4 and 5, Cabbage and Bacon

Day 4

Breakfast: Bacon and cabbage (recipe below)

Lunch: Veggie soup and leftover risotto

Dinner: Cumin chicken with veggies

Day 5

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs cooked with spinach, and served with bacon

Lunch: Chicken Cesar Salad

Dinner: Chicken stir fry

Bacon and Cabbage

Ingredients 

olive oil 

100g bacon lardons 

1 onion, sliced 

1 clove of garlic, diced 

1/2 cabbage, finely shredded 

Method 

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the bacon lardons and onions for 3 to 4 minutes over a medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Add the cabbage. turn the heat right down, and cover. Leave until the cabbage has been heated through.

----

The Beloved was saying he has found it very easy to stick to the diet, and how simple it is when all your food is simply placed in front of you. I'm glad it has been easy for him. It's taken quite a bit of work on my part to achieve this. The smile on his face as he had to tighten his belt was very rewarding.

My Fantasy Workroom

This photograph makes me so happy! The giant balls of merino yarn make the place look like the set of the Borrowers.

But, the most wonderful part of it is it's clean, it's clear, it's clutter-free, there's good light, and lots of room to work! 

The lovely light is great, and the sofa looks so inviting. Very quickly the floor could be cleared to create a large space to lay out quilts, or lots of other larger projects. I like the kitchen area off to the side.

In my imagination, the area beyond the kitchen is a laundry room -  a place for a washer, dryer, brooms, cleaning supplies etc. You can set things running and then close the door.  I would like this in the house I am vaguely designing. I'd be happy for the space to be a corridor between the car entrance and the workroom. I'd also like a smaller, cosier space to sit at night.

October Goals

October Goals:

• continue to re-grow fingertip
• keep the kitchen clean and tidy every day
• declutter dining room
• exercise each day
• start work on Christmas presents