Although we didn't get any snow, yesterday was a very grey day. Even by nine o'clock in the morning the skies still looked very heavy and made it see much earlier than it was. A day that needed to be spend inside the house. A fresh batch of scone (from a tried and tested Delia recipe) enjoyed with a cup of tea and catching up with the BBC Cranford series (how did I miss this when it was originally on TV?). Lovely. It also gave me time to make great progress with a second bootee, this time to match the version 2 one that I completed earlier in the week. The other thing ... read more
The moral of the story…
... is that if the knitting looks wrong and far too small then it probably is! Having started work on bootee number two it became quite obvious as to why my first attempt had turned out so small - I'd missed out part of the pattern. I blame pregnancy brain loss! Much more pleased with version two, and there's even enough yarn left to make a second one the same size. ... read more
Mushroom Bhaji
My first new recipe of 2010 to count towards my 52 in 2010 challenge was an accompaniment to a curry that I was cooking for Mr C. We had some mushrooms already in the fridge so I looked specifically for a side dish that would make use of what I had. This one that I found for mushroom bhaji fit the bill perfectly.It was found in the M&S curry bible that was providing the butter chicken recipe that I was making as the main dish and was a great accompaniment to the dish - and a necessary addition to my five a day! Despite the addition of a fresh green chilli it wasn't too ... read more
52 in 2010
Rosie drew my attention recently to a plan that she and some other bloggers have to try 52 new recipes in 2010. I figure that a challenge like that looks like a good one and it may also give me a good reason to make better use of the large number of cookbooks that are sat in my kitchen.I figure 52 in a year is only one a week and that shouldn't be too difficult, should it? I admit things may get a bit difficult come the summer, but I'm determined to give it a go. I'm not sure if there are any formal rules so to speak, but I plan to count any recipes in my tally - main meals, ... read more
Paintbrush in hand
That how I feel I've been for the last week or so. Paintbrush firmly in my hand - I was even dreaming about painting skirting boards the other night. The good news is that all the front room is now decorated, the new carpet is down and Mr C's dad has just arrived to help him return the sofa to where it should be! I'm looking forward to it no longer being on end n my kitchen!Funny how decorating just one room can disrupt things for a while. Normal service will be resumed very soon I hope. ... read more
Snow – how we used to cope
As today's the first day in a week that Mr C has made it into work in central London by train this film seemed like appropriate viewing. From the BFI National Archive it really does make you realise how much better we were back then at coping. I certainly can't see our local train company going to this sort of effort to get people to where they want to go.Enjoy the film - Snow (1963) - and thanks to Cornflower for making me aware of it in the first place. ... read more
First knitted bootee
It's taken a little while, but I've finally finished my first knitted creation for Baby C - a little bootee (yes I know they normally come in pairs, but I've just not got that far yet!)Knit in baby alpaca (buttermilk and duck egg) in the newborn size following a pattern from UK alpaca that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show last year (the day after I found out about Baby C in fact). Having completed one I have to say two things: 1) Mine doesn't seem to resemble that in their pictures too much; and 2) it was a real pain to knit! Lots of ... read more
Recycling Christmas cards
Whilst Mr C creates dust downstairs (or tries to dig out the old chimney as he describes it) I've brought myself upstairs and am doing one of those little jobs that I normally leave until much later in the year. I always hang on to all the Christmas cards we are sent with the aim of re-purposing them. Normally it takes at least 11 months to get around to it, but in a strange moment of organisation I'm ahead of myself this year.With a pair of scissors I cut out any interesting bits of cards we received, punch a simple hole in one corner and thread through a bit of brightly coloured ... read more
Snowfall
No, not another post about the weather, but the paint colour we're using to redecorate our front room! That's what's keep us busy this weekend as we need to have everything done before a new carpet is fitted next Friday. I didn't set out to find a paint with an appropriate name for the weather outside, but that's what we seem to have found. ... read more
Technical socks
Please don't think that I spend all my time at home with my feet up (despite what Mr C may say). I did have to sit back and admire this new pair of socks though. The yarn is Regia silk color in shade 0189 (nairobi color). Lovely to knit with and the socks themselves certainly have a silky feel to them when on my feet.I've spent the majority of today sat in front of my sewing machine, but sadly without much sewing going on. Sewing through a pin is never a good thing. It's even worse though when doing so somehow causes bobbin case and needle plate become misaligned so ... read more