I Have Seen the Light

I started working on a new baby blanket at the beginning of the week using some new bamboo yarn. This time it is a 80% bamboo and 20% cotton blend. Let me tell you, if you have never felt this stuff for yourself, it is as soft as the proverbial baby's bottom. This stuff is so luscious I want to unravel all seven balls and roll around in it like a puppy. Like all previous bamboo yarns I have worked with it splits with a great - but unwanted - efficiency. If I didn't like the feel of it so much I wouldn't use it. But then I get my hands on some new balls and just can't help myself.

So there I was, happily hooking my evenings away and I got this far -

- and was decidedly less happy with myself. I tried and tried to convince myself that it was okay but even I am not that much of an fool optimist. No, it would not do. I hate when that happens. So unravel it I did. Now it looks like this -

Can't you see the difference? I can.

I had a good friend come over on Thursday to sit and chat and do not much of anything as she is recovering from an operation. She is the professional to my amateur in the ranks of crocheting. I showed her my poor first effort and she saw what I did wrong right away. She showed me how to fix it - and it only took me three attempts before I finally caught on. Some days I more resemble a goldfish swimming in circles than a functioning human!

Not only did my friend show me the error of my ways but she gifted me with a crochet book. I never, ever look at these things because they are pure hieroglyphics to me. This one is good though, and I know that because it makes sense to me. How fantastic is that?! And it isn't full of patterns that boggle my mind. It is just a book that explains more crochet stitches than I am ever going to require or attempt in my lifetime. I am set. Only problem is I won't be able to plead ignorance any more.

So what looked like this -

Now looks like this -

Ah, now you see the difference! No big gaping holes where there shouldn't be any. I am quite happy with how it is now and continue on apace but having read the crochet book - really I did! - I now think I would try another way again the next zigzag crochet I do and compare the different methods. To make myself feel a little better, my first effort was actually listed as one of the ways to accomplish the pattern I am doing so I am slightly vindicated. But I would not recommend that method to anyone unless the multiple holes in blanket look was the one they were going for.

On a completely different note - I had a dig through my two freezers looking for some ground pork. I found the pork, and I also found not one, not two, not even three, but four chicken carcasses. They were swiftly removed and whacked into a stock pot with the carrots, celery, onion, etc. Now I am reducing a vat of stock that is making the house smell wonderful. Also steaming up all the windows but that is only because I cleaned all the kitchen windows yesterday and it is sod's law that I would do something within a day to undo my good work.

The pork is going into something I refer to as 'that Chinese pork dish' because I can't ever remember the real name for it. Also because I have bastardised the dish to such an extent that I would probably be ridiculed by anyone who has a purist's love for Chinese food. That being what it is, I like the results I get. It is full of flavour, very moreish and loved by the other three that live here. That's all I am going to tell you about it because I have been taking photos and I am going to blog about it tomorrow. Recipe and all.

Emily devoured almost half of the cheese and onion foccacia that we bought yesterday. She slathered it with Ardennes pate and rhapsodised about the combination. What on earth would I have done with kids who were picky? Poor blighters would have starved to death in this house!

Susan

One Thing Led to Another

Today I was thinking of talking about this bit of crochet and why I pulled it all out -

But also wanted to mention my impulsive online shop a couple of nights ago which arrived so, so swiftly -

But then I had to think about what to make for dinner. And I decided on prawns. I have a huge bag of wondrously big ones in the freezer that my Mum had brought from her local fish market at Christmas and I keep saving for 'special'. Yeah, and like there have been days that screamed today is a special prawn day. I gave myself a shake and made today special. I browsed through some of my cook books and after much hum-ing and ha-ing I landed on a simple recipe for a Thai curry. Which led to the need for shallots.

John had to go to town for a dentist appointment so I went along to go to the Chinese supermarket. And that was when the day went from good to unexpectedly great. Himself headed off for his appointment and I exited the car park towards the town centre. Before I had gone more than a few steps my nose informed me that there was something different happening around the corner.

Woohoo! There was a European Market in town. These are wondrous occasions because you get all these vendors selling temptations that I am unable to resist. Usually it is a French Market and I come home laden down with cheeses and charcuterie that tends to run to the expensive but I still buy by the bushel load. Today was mostly cooked foods. Tapas and paella, crepes and pastries, kangaroo burgers (not sure where they fell into the Europe remit), Polish stews, Italian breads, and lots more.

Needless to say I had no idea it was on and didn't have my camera with me. So no photos of the humorous Germans with the huge barbeque laden down with the best bratwurst I have ever had. Crispy skinned and full of flavour. We talked to the nice gentlemen and they kindly agreed to sell us a packet of ten sausages so that we can slap them on our barbeque this summer. Yippee!

We came home with -

I LOVE cassoulet. I will happily confit duck legs myself in the process of making myself some cassoulet. Homemade may be better fut some days you want easier (and good) rather than better. These tins sell for about £10 usually in the UK and were only £5 in the market. I am sure that some clever clogs will be able to tell me what they sell for in France - but I am not in France, do not have a trip planned. I was in the market though and I grabbed a couple of tins all for me, me, me. Okay, I will share with the family but I will not invite anyone over.

And here are some of our giant French coconut macaroons purchase. We ate some before the camera could record them. The ones that remain reside by the remains of the marble cake under the dome -

Then we stopped and bought a few nibbles at the stall selling all sorts of olives and other things preserved in brine - the man was very insistent on letting everyone know that no oil was involved in the preserving process so I am passing on the info. All his foods shone like little jewels.

Just so you know, we got sun dried tomatoes, preserved shallots and olives stuffed with peppers and garlic. Finally, we got this cheese and onion focaccia to go with everything. I don't think that the photo even begins to do it justice. Really need smell to be transmitted too.

So I have things to tell you about my crocheting and sewing, but I'm not going to. I have had too good a day. One of those marvellous days where one things leads to another and unexpectedly happy things happen. Just having the sun blazing down another day was just about enough to make me grin like a fool. It was about 17C out there today. No need of a jacket at all. Marvellous!

The world continues to do its thing around us. In the back corner of the garden we now have blossoms -

And the trees are coming to life, soon to be green once again -

Happy, happy me. Such a good day and a bag full of new yarn. How lucky am I?!

Susan

Random Acts of Daffodils

We've all heard about Random Acts of Kindness. Those little things, nice things, unexpected things you can do, usually for strangers that makes them happy and, consequently, you happy too. Things like indicating to a driver in an overcrowded car park where you are already parked that you are leaving so they can be ready to get your soon to be vacated space. Helping someone pick up things they have dropped just because you can. Flashing your car lights at someone to indicate that you are allowing space for them to pull out into traffic. Giving up your seat on a bus to someone who needs it more. All those little things that make everyone's days a little bit nicer.

Well, I am in love with random acts of daffodils. Not those daffodils that have been planted with purpose in someone's garden. They are very nice and appreciated, but those little clumps of daffodils that appear in odd places and make you wonder who planted them there and why. Those sunny bobbing daffodil heads brightening up a hedgerow, or a vacant piece of land. There is just something about seeing daffodils in these odd places that makes my day.

Whoever planted those bulbs, thank you.

And now on to some fabric. Here is the new fabric that I got from Etsy a couple of weeks ago. With it are charm squares that I have sorted out that I want to use with the feature fabrics. I am hatching a new quilt in my mind.

This is going to be a major girlie quilt. Couldn't be anything else with these one it -

Ideas are fermenting. Some fussy cutting will have to take place. My hand is itching to get cutting but other things have been taking priority. Never mind.

I forgot to show you the fat quarters I picked up when I was in the quilt shop on Tuesday. It was love at first sight. Well it was for me. Not sure about the fabric. I have no plans for them yet. I just want to sit and adore them.

Maybe I should come up with a project for Easter for these lovelies. Any ideas?

Well, there is dinner to be cooked, children needing attention and life happening all around me so that's it for today.

Susan

Marble Cake

The Chocolate Flapjacks are finished and there will be two extra girls for dinner here tonight. That meant baking. I can go without dessert without a qualm but when the girls have friends around I always like to produce something nice after the main course. It strokes the ego when young voices express their appreciation.

I flipped through my recipe box. Great recipes but it is always my first port of call for baking. Felt jaded about the same old things today. I looked at my cook books - I shall tell you about them at some later date - and I grabbed the very first cook book I ever bought myself off the shelf.

I don't think that it was my first ever cook book. My mum gave me that. A wonderfully useful edition of the Good Housekeeping Cook Book which is a staple here in the UK and has everything you need to know about everything for someone starting out in cooking. It was so good in fact, that my brother nicked it! Can't say that I blame him though as in my life as a nomad he has taken the role as the person who has stored my things for years at a time, repeatedly. A cook book was a small price to pay.

When I no longer had that book to rely on I went out and bought the North American equivalent - The Fanny Farmer Cook Book.

As you can see, it is showing it's years. A sign of a well used cook book, say I. What good a pristine cook book that you are afraid to have in the kitchen environment?

So I sat on the floor - as you do - and perused my book, finally landing on this page -

So that's it, today's recipe sorted. A Boston Favourite Cake. Not one to do things by half I went with options two and three listed below the recipe. Marble Cake - always more fun than a regular cake. A richer cake? Well it would be silly not to.

What a faff!!

If you don't have a dishwasher (like I don't) then brace yourself, this one will have your hands in the suds for a good long while after the cake is placed in the oven. Bowl for beating the butter and sugar, and adding the other ingredients. A bowl for the dry ingredients. A measuring jug for the milk. Then another Kitchen Aid bowl for beating the egg whites that have been separated from the yolks - involving yet more (smaller) bowls. Good thing doing dishes doesn't bother me too, too much!

So I beat and I mixed and I folded in. And then I had two batters.

I delicately whacked alternating spoonfuls of batter into the pan, and then drew a skewer through several times -

Cooked, then cooled -

And sampled.

Well, it would be rude of me not to make sure that it was up to par before I served it to anyone else - wouldn't it?! It might be a faff to make but this cake is fantastic. How many people make marble cake any more? Time to change that. Good old fashioned recipe from a book that was first published in 1906.

So cake made, and pasta sauce too. Laundry put away. Quick trip back to the school to remove a (rather large) splinter from Helen's finger - because school aren't allowed to do these things any more. Who makes these rules? Please!! But splinter was duly removed, finger cleansed and plaster applied (band aid for the North Americans amongst you).

Now it is my time to play. Not a lot of time left before school lets out but what time there is is mine. Fabric, here I come.

Susan

Sherbet Pips Finished!

Woohoo! A quick trip out to the quilt shop today to find an appropriate fabric for the binding for my quilt, a mini marathon of hand sewing to finish it and I AM DONE. Not a lot to say other than that. It has been a nose to the grindstone sort of day - in a good way. I am very happy with the finished result. When you are working without a pattern and with new fabric you just have to hope that what you can visualise in your mind will be the same in actuality. For better, or for worse, what I wanted is what I got.

There are nine eight and a half inch squares, each featuring either the girls on swings, the scootering children or the puppies. These are joined by a Moda Solids grey. Surrounded by two inch squares and more grey. The backing is the grey but the stippling is done in a contrasting red thread to add interest and bound in red with a white dot - also from Moda.

Ah, enough of the details. Just have a look at it and I hope you like it.

Nine squares -

Some grey sashing and small squares -

And as a whole -

Finally, on my favourite little bit of fence to photograph things right now -

Oh, and with a look at the binding and how the quilting looks in the red thread on the grey backing -

And that is that. The first quilt I have ever made AND blogged.* (please see below) How nerve wracking to show people and then cross all fingers and toes that they think I have done a half decent job.

Tonight I shall sit and think, 'What next?' I have more Sherbet Pips I could play with. Or the new fabric I ordered from Etsy and finally received. Or the Heather Ross fabrics I splurged on. Or...

Yeah, yeah, I know. You get the drift, but as a quilty sort of person I have to say it is a nice dilemna to have.

Susan

*Edit of post: I am really sorry to everyone I have confused. I never thought about my wording in the post until I suddenly had people who didn't know me reading my blog. I did word it poorly and I am in the wrong. This was the first quilt I have ever made and then blogged straight afterwards. Not even sure if that works for wording. I have officially made about 10-12 baby quilts prior to this and made lots of mistakes on them. It was a steep learning curve. I did not blog until two months ago and you probably would not want to see the original bodge job quilts made before that. For anyone who thinks that I somehow managed to get it right first try - I so wish I was that good.

In fact, I am not even clever enough to word things properly at times. Sorry. I will try harder next time.

Susan