February Craftings

Ribbed Wrist Warmers 

Start: 1st February 2018

Finish: 18th February 2018

Super Chunky Hat
Start: 18th February 2018

Finish: 18th February 2018

Colinette Hat
Start: 19th February 2018

Finish: 20th February 2018

Colinette Hat
Start: 21st February 2018

Finish: 22nd February 2018

Red and Black Hat
Start: 26th February 2018

Finish: 28th February 2018

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Items made this month

5 knitted

Items made this year

2 sewn, 7 knitted

Yarn this month

bought: 1 (100g of black DK)

finished: 6

Yarn this year

bought: 1 (100g of black DK)

finished: 6

De Quervain's Syndrome

After just a few days, my thumbs and wrists have improved!  My back has not though (time for a sports massage)!

I have been following some of the exercises for De Quervain's Syndrome as shown by Doctor Jo. They are really helping. I need to do more of them, and increase the repetitions.

Red and Black Hat

Yarn: random acrylic DK
Composition: 100% acrylic 
Colour: black
Yarn: random DK 
Composition: probably acrylic with wool
Colour: red
Pattern: Super Chunky Hat 
Size: Adult 
Needles: 10mm 
Amount used: 
Started: 27th February 2018 
Finished:  February 2018

Start off with 4 rounds of rib, and then switch to 2 rounds of rib, alternating colours. After 35 rounds, start the decreases for the crown. 

Cooking and Cleaning

A friend is coming round for lunch tomorrow. The idea was to have a little gathering as a couple of other friends are having a rather hand time just now. However, those two can't join us, for different reasons. But, we are going to have a lovely lunch.  We'll start out with tomato and bean soup, served with cheesey-chivey scones, salad, cheeses and prosciutto. For pudding, we will have chocolate pots. 

The soup can be made today, as can the various elements of the chocolate pots. Tomorrow I'll make the scones, and assemble the chocolate pots. The family liked the wibbley-wobbley chocolate pots the first time around I decided to buy some ring moulds I could use to make the chocolate collars. Hopefully, this time they will be rather less wibbley.

----

Ah! B has just been in contact to say she is still full of the cold, and has suggested we meet on Friday instead. The ganaches can safely be stored in the fridge for over two weeks. That's 'safely' from a food safety angle. Whether they will be safe from family members dipping spoons in the bowls is another matter. Time to be lay down the chocolately law!

----

And a further update, family circumstances have developed, and B needs to be off-island at the end of the week. That's a bit of a bummer.

Ah well, the family will have to put up with some chocolate pots this week. A bit of practise is not going to do any harm.

Ta Da!
make milk chocolate ganache
make white chocolate ganache
wash dishes
wipe down worktops
sweep hall floor
sweep sitting room floor

Magic in Movement

So many exercises to do just now. There's a dog to be walked, cycling to be done, squats, body twists, pelvic tilts, and physio for my hands. I'm having a hard job remembering to do them all. Thankfully, Da Hound is rather good at reminding me when she needs to go outside! 

The good news is there's a little improvement in my back, and greater improvement in my hands/wrists. The worst thing I can do for my body is to remain still. Movement (controlled movement) seems to lubricate things. It reduces inflammation and pain. I just need to be careful about what I do, and when I do it.

Calling Dr Frankenstein

My body is falling apart, and I need Dr Frankenstein to put me together again! The bits that are annoying me the most are the pains in my hands, and the muscles in spasm in my back.

My hands were really sore about 20 months ago. Then, any pinching/holding movement was too much for me. The physio was less than helpful and told me the problem was I was knitting too much, and that if I stopped it might sort itself out, but until then, they couldn't do anything to help. It was a load of rubbish. Some time spent on the internet revealed a whole raft of exercises I could do that would ease the pain, and improve the situation. Needless to say, I'm back to those exercises again.

There's a muscle in my back, one of the long ones that curves from the back, round the side and to the front, that's causing problems. It's not behaving itself, and is tense so much of the time. It likes warmth. It like massage and it likes slow, gentle twists. However, it doesn't like many other things, and shouts and moans when it's not happy. The gentle rocking movement of cycling helps once I'm doing it. 

I wish Doctor Frankenstein could come work his science on me, and give me a better body. I'll keep my brain though.

City Slicker Quilt

A while back, I tried to make a Jelly Roll quilt in blues, with a block of sunshine yellow between the strips. It was an attempt at letting go of my need for control. However, the need for control won out! 

The stitching is being unpicked, and I'll re-assemble it into the City Slicker quilt. At the moment, the plan is to put a yellow block at the centre of each block. This will give a very well organised quilt.

Five Monthly Minimalist Tasks

I was reading a list of nine month minimalist habits. Almost half of them weren't applicable to me. Here's my list of minimalist habits I want to do at the start of each month.

1. plan my goals for the month ahead

2. empty out my handbag

3. clear out the unwanted food from the fridge and pantry

4. delete from my phone the photographs I don't need 

5. get back to inbox zero

A Little Excitement in Life

It was getting way too boring to be posting near-identical lists of the things I have been doing around the house. Thankfully as routines become established the need to think about them becomes less and less.

Instead, I'll speak of today's excitement. It is a striped chocolate cheesecake. The recipe is a variation on my vanilla cheesecake. Everything proceeds as normal until the cheesecake mixture has been made. Split the mixture in half, into two bowls. Add powdered drinking chocolate to one bowl, and stir really well. Next, pour some of the chocolate mixture onto the centre of the biscuit base. Then some vanilla, and alternate between the two until it has all be used. Bake for 35 minutes. Let it cool for a while, and top with chocolate ganache. I used 170ml of double cream, and 170g of milk chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. 

The other tiny bit of excitement is I have started my preparation for IronMay. This year, the whole family has decided to join in. We will be entering the team category. Previously, I have been entered as an individual. The Elder Offspring regularly walks a couple of miles each day to and from work. The rest of us are walking more since the arrival of Ava.  The Younger Offspring and I will be responsible for the cycling portion. I have done no cycling in months, and a plan has been devised to prepare my 'little botty' for the hours I would be sitting cycling. I started off with one minute of cycling, morning and evening, followed by one squat. Today is the 5th day, and both are getting easier, and botty is not complaining. At this rate, I'll be cycling 42 minutes (morning and evening) each day by the the end of March. According the IronMay organisers, 4 minutes equates to 1 mile. This will give me 21 miles each day! I don't know if I'll be able to keep this up, but I'm going to try. April will be the swimming month. I'll see about going swimming twice a week, and build up to swimming one mile at a time. The Elder Offsping regularly swims about half a mile a week. She is going to try to increase this to a mile a week. My goal is for us to be able to complete 4 slow triathlons within the month.

Colinette Hat

Yarn: Colinette Yarns Point Five

Composition: wool

Colour: greens
Amount used:  50g
Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: probably 100% acrylic

Colour:  black (48)
Dyelot: 616689

Pattern: Colinette Hat

Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm

Amount used:  

Started:  19th February 2018

Finished:  20th February 2018

Holding the black yarn tripled, cast on 48sts. Work in 2x2 rib for 10 rounds.

Switch to Colinette yarn and work in stocking stitch for 13 rounds. 

Decrease for crown:
1. K6, k2tog, to end.
2. K5, k2tog, to end.
3. K4, k2tog, to end.
4. K3, k2tog, to end.
5. K2, k2tog, to end.
6. K1, k2tog, to end.
7. K2tog to end.

Break off yarn leaving an end. Draw through the remaining stitches, making them secure. Weave in the ends.

Make a pom pom in black, and attach it to the hat.

Super Chunky Hat

Yarn: random acrylic

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour: green
Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: 100% acrylic

Colour:  black (48)
Dyelot: 616689

Pattern: Super Chunky Hat

Size: Adult
Needles: 10mm

Amount used:  

Started:  18th February 2018

Finished: 18th February 2018

Holding the yarn tripled, cast on 48sts. Work in 2x2 rib for 35 rounds.  Switching yarns every few rounds as it pleases the knitter.

Decrease for crown. 
1. K2, p2tog, repeat to end.
2. K2tog, p1, repeat to end.
3. K2 tog, repeat to end.
4. K2 tog, repeat to end. (6sts)

Break off yarn, and draw it through the live stitches. Weave in the ends.

First Yarn Purchase of the Year

Here is my second craft purchase of the year, a 100g ball of DK yarn in black. It was needed to complete a pair of ribbed wrist warmers for the Beloved. He has a pair of black wrist warmers in the pockets of his every day jacket. When he was called out to help with a search for a missing person, he retrieved the wrist warmers from his jacket, and popped them in his kit bag. I suggested he might like a second pair that he could keep in his kit bag. This was met with approval. The wrist warmers will be finished later today. 

My next project will be a charity hat, and this black yarn will be used to make the be ribbed band. 

And on the Seventh Day, Maghouin Rested

Nah, not really. Life continues, a dog still needs to be walked, everyone needs to be fed, and laundry needs to be dealt with.

To Do

• quick tidy of the kitchen
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• fold laundry
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• prepare dinner
• lay out clothes for the morning
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Ta Da!

• get dressed
• make bed
• walk Ava
• make breakfast for Ava
• put on a load of laundry
• dry laundry
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• plan menu
• make shopping list

Day Six!

Look at me! I've made it to Day Six! 

TA DA!

• get dressed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• hand laundry on line to dry
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• make bed
• quick tidy of the kitchen
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• decluttered handbags
• decluttered scarves
• frogged yarn
• lay out clothes for the morning
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Lasagna Roll

I saw this recipe on Tasty and decided to make my own version. It was rather lovely, but it does take quite a bit of time to make. It would be quicker to make it up as a standard lasagna, rather than rolling it up.

The actual recipe can be found at Tasty. My deviations are quite numerous. Instead of making Alfredo sauce, I used a jar of Dolmio Carbonara sauce. The pasta was gluten-free, and I totally forgot about adding cheese! Stilton would be great in this dish. 

My brain is currently thinking about making this into lasagna pollo, with a bacon top and some layers of Stilton and spinach. Dinner tonight was meant to be takeaway pizza. It would well be lasagna instead.

Oh My! Day Five!

Ta Da!

• get dressed 
• walk Ava 
• make Ava's breakfast 
• strip bed 
• make bed with fresh bedding
• put on a load of laundry 
• dry laundry
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner 
• check calendar for upcoming events
• wash dishes
• put dishes away 
• quick tidy of the kitchen 
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes 
• declutter pantry, sorting out items for the foodbank, and any out of date items too
• quick tidy of the sitting room 
• fold laundry put away laundry 
• lay out clothes for the morning 
• get in pjs 
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again 
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

May the Fourth Be with You

It's good to have a clear head! Brilliant in fact!

Work has started on painting the garden walls. A section has been given a first coat. It's a wonderful brilliant white, but I'm not happy with how uneven the wall surface is. I can see rendering lessons in my future!

TA DA! 

• get dressed 
• walk Ava 
• make Ava's breakfast 
• put on a load of laundry 
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner 
• check calendar for upcoming events 
• quick tidy of the kitchen 
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• declutter and organise the sink area
• declutter kitchen utensils, knives and gadgets, and then organize the rest
• declutter and organize cutlery drawer
• wash dishes
• paint garden wall
• dry laundry 
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner 
• check calendar for upcoming events 
• prepare dinner 
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• fold laundry 
• put away laundry
• clear off kitchen counters
• declutter tea towels, kitchen towels, aprons and tablecloths
• declutter and organize ziplock bags, foil, and clingfilm
• make bed 
• lay out clothes for the morning 
• get in pjs 
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again 
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Day Three, for a Third Time

Another migraine day, another light day for tasks.

Ta Da!

• get dressed 
• make bed
• walk Ava 
• make Ava's breakfast 
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• walk Ava
• walk Ava
• make Ava's dinner

Day Two Again, Again

A migraine can put a damper on things. Therefore, I decided to keep things simple today, and only do the absolute minimum.

Ta Da! 

• get dressed 
• walk Ava 
• make Ava's breakfast 
• walk Ava again
• make bed 
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• lay out clothes for the morning 
• check my calendar for upcoming events 
• quick tidy of the sitting room 
• walk Ava again again
• get in pjs 
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket

Chocolate Pots

This recipe is less 'recipe' and more 'construction' guide. 

I made a batch of chocolate brownies. The chunks of chocolate were omitted, as were the pecans. Instead, 100g of very finely chopped roasted hazelnuts were added. When the brownie was cool it was cut into discs.

Milk chocolate was melted and tempered. This was spread over strips of acetate printed with a coco butter pattern. The acetate strips were formed into cylinders around a drinks glass wrapped in baking parchment. (I really need some non-tapered cylinders!) The chocolate was left to set. Afterwards, it was slide off the glass and the parchment gently removed. Then the acetate was removed.

The disc of brownie was set in place and the chocolate collar placed over the top. Next a layer of fresh raspberries were put on the brownie, and the collar filled with chocolate ganache. A raspberry was placed on top, and a few white chocolate stars added. 

It was the first time I have successfully tempered chocolate. I used the grated chocolate method from Ann Reardon's Chocolate Secrets. I'm very pleased with the tempering, and the coco butter transfer. The over all taste was well balanced. It needs to be made a few more times to work out the kinks. 

And Back to Day One!

Well, here we are again, back at Day One. It would be easy to become discouraged, throw up my hands, and shout "That's it! I can't do it!" But that's no help to man nor beast. Instead, I can see that the house looks better because of these days of cleaning and tidying. Mondays are good days to start or re-start, so here I am, re-stating my restart. 

Today we have a guest over for dinner, and for some reason, I've decided to make two new recipes, chicken and bacon lasagna roll, and chocolate pots.  (I've just found out The Offspring does not like things wrapped in bacon. ... There will be a choice of main course, the lasagna roll or pan-fried salmon.) There's also stuff to be done around the ground floor to be guest-ready. It's in pretty good shape, but a bit of redding is required. The plan is to write a list of tasks, and to order them in terms of importance/timing.

Ta Da!

• get dressed 
• make bed
• walk Ava 
• make Ava's breakfast 
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• make chocolate brownie
• make lasagna roll
• put away dishes
• put away jigsaw
• walk Ava
• make chocolate pots
• wash dishes 
• sweep sitting room
• straighten sitting room
• sweep dining room
• dust dining room
• dust sitting room
• dust hall
• sweep hall
• clean hob
• clean microwave
• empty sitting room and kitchen bins
• make ganache 
• lay dining room table
• assemble puddings
• make dinner

Day Five of Routines Restart

To Do

• quick tidy of the kitchen
• fold laundry
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• prepare dinner
• lay out clothes for the morning
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Ta Da!

• get dressed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• make bed
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• dry laundry
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• visit Markwell house
• return shoes for a refund

Extra To Do

• sweep and steam mop kitchen, back vestibule and hall
• walk Ava again
• finish wrist warmers

Day Four of Routine Restart

Yeah, that went well! Not!

I could post about how I managed to pull an intercostal muscle whilst out walking the dog, and whilst that did have some bearing on the situation, it did not account for the meh! attitude.

Ta Da! (what a pitiful list)

• get dressed
• make bed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• walk Ava again
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• get in pjs

Day Three

After the Procrastination (yes, it does deserve a capital letter!) of yesterday, I decided to get the sitting room tidy in right before breakfast, to get it done and out of the way.  A few minutes each day is adding up and improving the situation.

To Do!

• 
  
• fold laundry
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• 
  

Ta Da!

• get dressed
• make bed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• dry laundry
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• quick tidy of the kitchen
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• go to doctor and on to hospital
• mend shawl
• walk Ava again
• prepare dinner
• lay out clothes for the morning
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed whilst listening to an audio book

Day Two of Routine Restart

Oh boy! Some of that was way, way harder than it should have been! I procrastinated for hours over giving the sitting room a quick tidy. I spent 5 minutes moving mugs and plates into the kitchen, plumping up a few cushions and removing some flowers that were past their best. The room looked a chunk better.

Hours I procrastinated, and a few minutes made a difference!  This is why I need it to become second nature to me. It needs to be something that happens without any conscious thought.

Ta Da!

• get dressed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• hang laundry on line to dry
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• make bed
• dry laundry in dryer
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• quick tidy of the kitchen
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen 
• fold laundry
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• prepare dinner
• lay out clothes for the morning
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Extra Ta Da

• sweep and steam mop kitchen and back vestibule
• make granola
• walk Ava again

First Day Back at Routines

With the help of The Beloved, everything was done. 

TA DA!

• get dressed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• hand laundry on line to dry
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• make bed
• quick tidy of the kitchen
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• fold laundry
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes (managed about 7 minutes)
• prepare dinner
• lay out clothes for the morning
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

Extra Ta Das!

• sweep and steam mop back vestibule
• hand wash CD trousers
• walk Ava again
• and again, this time it was a bigger walk
• weekly-ish food shop

Getting Back on the Horse

I don't know quite what has happened. I've never really been able to get routines to stick, and I do so need them to stick. It would be wonderful to live in a house where things are normally looking rather presentable. Currently, things start slipping, and when they have really slup, THEN I do something about it.

It's time to climb back on that horse and start doing the very basics again. For me, these are:

• get dressed
• make bed
• walk Ava
• make Ava's breakfast
• put on a load of laundry
• quick tidy of the kitchen
• check the menu to see if action is needed for dinner
• quick tidy of the sitting room
• dry laundry
• fold laundry 
• put away laundry
• declutter/organise for 15 minutes
• prepare dinner
• take dirty mugs, plates and glasses through to the kitchen
• lay out clothes for the morning
• get in pjs
• put dirty clothes in laundry basket, and air clothes that can be worn again
• check my calendar for upcoming events
• sit in bed and craft whilst listening to an audio book

My plan is to follow this routine every day for the rest of the month, and probably next month too. I've managed it before, and I can do it again. These things need to be second nature to me, It needs to happen without thought or consideration.

Warm Wrist Time Again

Yarn: King Cole Pricewise DK

Composition: probably 100% acrylic

Colour:  black (48)
Dyelot: 616689

Pattern: Ribbed Wrist Warmers

Size: Adult
Needles: 4mm

Amount used:  30g

Started:  1st February 2018

Finished: 18th February 2018

A little ball of black yarn was hanging around and needed to be used up. These little wrist warmers/fingerless mittens are quick and easy to make.  They are very stretchy, and can fit a huge variety of hand sizes. They will be added to my pile for refugees.

Story Keepers

At Short Stories and Ludicrous Tales, there were many interesting stories. The one that struck me the most was a tale of trees falling in love. It was written from the perspective of trees. They want to live a long life, and then go to tree heaven, however, humans have made life on earth very difficult and some trees want to have a shorter life and skip ahead to tree heaven. 

That was, until an apple tree was transplanted into their midst and this perked up the sap of a number of trees. They wanted to get to know this tree a little better, and perhaps have a go at a bit of branch intertwining, and even pollination!

One tree, in it's quest to win the affections of the apple tree managed to undermine the roots of a beech. This brought it crashing down in the first storm, and straight into the waiting boughs of the apple tree. Both the apple and beech had to be cut down. 

Interesting what a story about trees can say about sabotaging relationships and making life worse for the people around.