Knitting Kiwi

AWOL again

2011-07-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a really long time since I posted here. I've been in a real craft low for the past 8 or 9 months and I'm only just getting my inspiration and enthusiasm back again. I'm 8 months pregnant with my second child, so have to correlate the slump with the pregnancy unfortunately! And while I should be furiously knitting away on baby clothes, I've actually not started anything baby orientated lately! This is my most recent FO:

A lovely Rock Island Shawl as devised by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed (pattern to be found here - Rock Island Pattern ). I actually have to credit this shawl with giving me back my knitting mojo. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and just had to make it. I started way back in April and only finished a few weeks ago, so its been a slow process, but worth the effort! I knit it using Knit Picks Gloss Lace yarn which I was given in a swap ages ago and which has been languishing in my stash since, waiting for the right project.

So, now I'm working on my own design - it's a rectangular shawl/wrap with a lace design I'm calling 'Chained Diamonds'. I'm knitting it using Malabrigo Lace Yarn in Lettuce colourway and it's gorgeously soft and squishy.

Please excuse the terrible photo, but it gives an idea of the pattern anyway. Here's hoping I will finish it!

Happy birthday to me!

2010-10-06T02:24:00.000-07:00

There's not been a lot of cooking done around here the last couple of days, because it's my birthday today and last night I went out for a meal with a couple of friends and tonight, my husband is taking me out. Instead, I have some lovely new yarn to show you. I bought it as my birthday treat to myself!

It's a beautiful skein of Artist's Palette Smoothie Sock yarn in a really lovely colourway, that's quite hard to photograph. It's lovely purple and grey and a touch of blue. I love Artist's Palette Yarn's and I'm looking forward to knitting this one up. Unfortunately, that might not be for a while - I've just been inundated with requests to make some Christmas gifts for my mother-in-law to give to her friends!
Anyway, I should have some finished items to show you soon - I'm just completing a pair of socks and hope to have them done by tomorrow night - I'll keep you posted!

Tasty Tuesday - Mince Lamb

2010-09-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm back on track with my posts now, so here we are again with another Tasty Tuesday. I received my first subscribtion issue of 'delicious' magazine on Monday and it didn't take me long to identify a few new recipes to try. Thanks to my lovely friend Karen, for giving me such a great birthday gift!

Spiced Lamb Bake with Carrot and Parsnip Topping - 'delicious' Magazine, November 2010

I chose this recipe because it looked really tasty and simple and because my husband loves lamb! Ordinarily, lamb is pretty expensive to buy, but minced lamb isn't too bad, so it's always great to find a recipe that uses lamb mince, other than shepherd's pie!
Modifications: The recipe calls for Waitrose Carrot and Parsnip Mash. I don't have a Waitrose nearby (and probably wouldn't shop there if there was one, as it's too expensive!), so I made my own carrot and parsnip mash. This is pretty straight forward - just boil the carrots and parsnips until soft, then mash them up. I used a little butter in the mash to bind it and to give it a nice flavour. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.
Difficulty rating: 1/5 - nothing taxing at all - really straight forward and well written recipe.
Time: It took about 45 minutes and that includes the time it took to make the mash from scratch.

As you can see, I could probably have done with a bit more mash as there are a few 'holes' in the coverage, but it didn't affect that taste at all. I served the dish with some poppadoms and pashwari naans, but it really is a one pot meal.
Overall rating: 4.5/5 - went down a real treat in my house! Really tasty and delicious and pretty healthy too, I think. I'll definitely be making this one again!

Flash the Stash Saturday???

2010-09-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

I seem to be running a day behind this week! So, let's flash some stash today instead. This is another recent addition to my stash that I absolutely love. It's another yarn that I've been admiring from afar, so to speak - Sundara Yarn Sock Yarn in 'Earth Studies':

It's really hard to get a good picture of this yarn - it's a gorgeous deep purple colour with some gorgeous shades of green running through it. It's so soft and really pretty and again, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to use it for, but I'm thinking of a shawl of some kind. This yarn is really too special to be on your feet!

Tasty Wednesday???

2010-09-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone, Tasty Tuesday didn't happen this week for a very good reason - my husband, who has been away for the last 7 weeks, finally returned on Monday and to celebrate, we ate out last night. However, I did do a new recipe tonight instead, so here goes:

Recipe 2: Baked Beef and Mushroom Cannelloni - 'delicious' Magazine, October 2010
I chose another recipe from the delicious magazine as this looked so good in their picture, I just couldn't resist. Besides it looked really easy to do and luckily it lived up to this.
Modifications: none
Difficulty rating: 1/5 - nothing more strenuous than cutting up some onions and mushrooms, although managing to get the filled cannelloni into the baking dish took some maneuvering!
Time it took: About 50 minutes from scratch

OK, so my version doesn't look as pretty as the magazine picture (does it ever?!?), but it tasted pretty good. I possibly could have done with a slightly bigger baking dish, but it was either this one or a much bigger one, so I decided, in this instance, small was good!
Overall rating: 4.5/5 - a great recipe. Very easy and clear instructions - I'm forming a positive impression about this magazine, which is good because my friend has just bought me a subscription to it for my birthday! The ingredients were easy to come by - the most exotic thing being dried porcini mushrooms, but I think most supermarkets stock these nowadays. Would I make it again?: Yes, definitely. It was a hit in my household, with a big thumbs up from both my husband and daughter and I enjoyed it too!

Flash the Stash Friday

2010-09-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, here we are with the second of my new 'regular' features - Flash the Stash Friday!! The name pretty much sums it up - this is where I delve into the sometimes dark and dim recesses of my stash to show you some of the yummy goodness that is lurking within (for all you non-yarnies, basically I will be displaying some of the skeins of yarn that I currently possess). Like any respectable knitter, I have a sizeable stash that, in the unlikely event of an emergency, may well see me through many happy years of knitting. The term 'emergency' here covers such apocolyptic events as the demise of all yarn producing animals, the 'death' of internet shopping and the closure of all LYS's (LYS = local yarn store), thereby leaving me unable to 'enrich' my stash further.
Now, I would like to claim that all the yarn I possess has been bought with a specific project in mind, however this would be a lie. I'm afraid, that most of it has been purchased for no other reason than because it is pretty. So, without further ado, please let me introduce you to the first skein:

This little beauty is the most recent addition to my stash. I bought her from a fellow raveler in a destash operation. I have long coveted a skein of SweetGeorgia Superwash Sock, but living in the UK has some disadvantages, namely this yarn is almost impossible to buy over here unless you purchase it from Canada, where it was born, and therefore suffer the horrible consequences of 'import tax'. When I saw that a fellow UK Raveler was destashing this lovely, I couldn't resist. The colours are just stunning (the colourway is Rainforest) and I have spent many happy moments snuggling into it's squishy softness since it arrived. I have no idea what I'm going to turn her into yet, but I know that somewhere out there is the 'perfect project' for the 'perfect skein of yarn'.

Tasty Tuesday

2010-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

So, for the sake of actually having something interesting to write about on my blog, I've decided to 'launch' a couple of new, regular features, the first of which will be Tasty Tuesday. So, what is Tasty Tuesday all about, I hear you ask? Well, I've always been a pretty safe cook - I tend to use the same tried and tested recipes week in, week out. It's not that I'm bad at cooking, (I'm not great either), but I think most of us are guilty of sticking with the same things for convenience's sake. So, in the interest of variety, I've decided to attempt a new recipe every week and then tell you all about it, here on my blog. I'm going to be doing this on a Tuesday for no other reason than it's the one day in the week where I tend to have a little more time to experiment.
Obviously this is no where in line with the epic challenge that Julie Powell took on, when deciding to cook every recipe from Julia Child's book 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' in one year, but it's challenge enough for me! I will not be cooking great, gastronomic feasts or fancy, French cuisine, but rather will be sticking to good, family friendly recipes that use ingredients I can source easily (and cheaply) from my local supermarket. The tasters will be myself, my husband (when he's home) and my almost 2 year old, with the occasional friend or two thrown into the mix. So, without further ado, let's begin!!

RECIPE 1: THAI CHICKEN BURGERS WITH CUCUMBER RELISH - DELICIOUS MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2010

My friend subscribes to 'delicious' and after leafing through her copy and seeing this recipe, I decided to buy the magazine myself and try it out.
Modifications: I minced the chicken in my food processor rather than finely dicing it (my knife skill's aren't great!) and I used a bit less chilli for the sake of my daughter.
Difficulty rating: 1/5 - a well written recipe that was easy to follow and didn't call for any great culinary skills other than chopping.
Time it takes: the whole meal, including making the sweet potato wedges they suggest as a side dish, took me about 1hr 20 mins from start to finish.

Overall rating: 3.5/5 - My daughter loved the cucumber relish and didn't mind the chicken, although it wasn't her favourite all time dish. I thought it had nice flavours (lime, lemongrass, coriander and chilli), if a little bit dry. Perhaps that was due to me mincing the chicken rather than just dicing it - I don't know. I probably could have done with chopping the cucumber relish a little finer, so it could be used more like a sauce rather than a side dish, which it became with mine.
Would I make it again: yes, probably, although it won't become a regular weekly meal! I think it would be great done on the BBQ in summer.

AWOL

2010-09-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

I realise that I have been 'missing in action' for a while now, but there just hasn't been anything to blog about lately. I'm currently working on the Clapotis for my neighbours grandmother, but it's pretty tedious stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love the finished product, but the knitting isn't very exciting and I'm itching to get going on my Baudelaire Socks again, which I am loving! But Clapotis must come first or I'll never get it done. This is my progress so far:

Not much done, as you can see. I'm only one straight repeat into it (that means 11 more to go if I stick to the pattern!). I really should spend less time on Ravelry and more time actually knitting!
I've also been distracted buying material in order to make another couple of bags from my Sew book. I'm going to make another like the one from the cover of the book and, if I have enough material, a larger tote bag too. I spent ages browsing the fabrics at my local haberdashery, but finally went for these two Amy Butler fabrics:

The blue material is going to be the lining, with the patterned material on show. It's not as heavy as the cotton duck fabric Cath Kidston recommends, but it is half the price and I've bought some interfacing to thicken it up a little too. I'll post photo's of the finished product as soon as it's done!

A Case of Startitis

2010-08-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

I now have two projects on the go - there goe's my New Year's Resolution! Oh well, I managed to stick to it for 9mths! My meandering vines shawl is going slow, and to be honest, is a bit tedious. This is what I've done so far:

So, to keep my sanity, I cast on some socks - Baudelaire Socks to be precise (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTbaudelaire.html). I've admired Cookie A's designs for a long time and I have her book Sock Innovation too, but I've never actually knit any of her socks. In a fit of inspiration, I decided that I had to knit these, so I pulled out my Vintage Purls yarn in the J.O.Y. colourway and cast on yesterday. I've never made socks from the toe-up before and the figure 8 cast on was also new to me, but the pattern instructions are very easy to follow and I'm really pleased with the way they've started out. Here's my progress so far (not much!):

And now, it seems that I may be starting a 3rd project shortly. My friend came round today and asked if I would make a Clapotis (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTclapotis.html) for her Grandmother's birthday present. So we ordered some Malabrigo Worsted and I'll be casting on as soon as it arrives!
Well, they say good/bad things come in 3's!!

So much for determination!!

2010-08-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, my determination to finish the Woodland Shawl lasted all of a night before I decided that trying to finish it was crazy. No point knitting on just to keep a resolution, when the finished object probably wouldn't get any wear because it was too short. So I frogged it (all 5 rows!!) and cast on Meandering Vines (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/meandering-vines-shawl#) instead using some yummy soft Artist's Palette Cloud in an orange colour way.
It's a super easy pattern, but I can see it getting a bit tedious after a while. Never mind though - I think the finished shawl looks fab and it will be a great Christmas present for someone (not sure who yet). I think I'm going to use my Artisan Ap Yarn to make the Woodland Shawl at a later date, but I'll keep you posted.

A New Project

2010-08-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

I've been mulling over what project to knit next for a few days now, but my knitting mojo seemed to have temporarily vacated the premises! In sheer desperation, I cast on a Woodland Shawl last night (http://thriftyknitter.com/?p=219). I love this pattern and I've had it in my queue on ravelry for a long time, but have never made it. The sheer desperation part came when choosing the yarn to use. I just could not decide and in the end went for a very dodgy choice of Socks That Rock in Hobgoblin (http://www.ravelry.com/people/kiwichick1/stash/socks-that-rock---lightweight-3). Again, dodgy only because I don't know if I will have enough to make the shawl big enough and therefore do it's beauty any justice. Finger's crossed it will be ok! I could, of course, make it more scarf-like, but I really wanted it to be a bit wider, so I'm sticking to the pattern and hoping the knitting god's will be kind!

As is typical, this evening I logged onto Ravelry and was immediately bombarded with several projects I would love to make and know exactly what yarn will be perfect for each - oh well!! My New Years resolution this year was not to start a new project until I've finished the one on my needles and so far I have been pretty religious in sticking to this plan. Granted, I have only done about 5 rows of the Woodland Shawl, but I'm determined to see it through now. I'll keep you posted!

Finished Haruni

2010-08-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

So, I finished my Haruni a few nights ago. I have to say that I think it turned out great, although I wish I was better at blocking. I found it really hard to get the shape right and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I think it's about the best I can do. And here she is, in all her pink gorgeousness:

And a close up of the lace pattern:

So, now I'm left with the question - what to knit next?? This is normally not a problem for me - I usually have several things in mind by the time I'm half-way through the current project, but right now I seem to have hit a slump. So instead, I bought this book:

And last night I made this:

It's the bag from the cover, the material for which is kindly supplied with the book. I'm not the best sewer, but found the pattern simple and easy to use and I love finished product. I think I'll be making a lot more from this book, but particularly the bags - I love them!

What is it with RomComs??

2010-08-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

What is it with romcoms? I love them! I know that I'm probably not supposed to - that I should be into something more intellectual. I know that they are pure fantasy and escapism, but I guess that's what makes them so appealing. They are no brainers - easy watching and they make perfect knitting viewing. The story lines tend to be pretty easy to follow, so it doesn't matter if you miss a couple of minutes while you're counting your stitches. Besides, they're fun - and what's so wrong with that?

My husband works away often and so I spend many evenings on my own. After I've put my baby to bed, I like nothing better than to sit down in front of the t.v. with my knitting, watching an impossibly beautiful woman, be wooed by an even more gorgeous man. Is that so wrong??

So in honour of pure escapism, here is a list of my all time favourite romcoms (in no particular order):

I'm pretty sure that I've missed some absolute classics off the list, but these are some of my favourites and I can watch them time and time again. I watched The Proposal for about the 4th time last night, and I have to say, I never get tired of watching Ryan Reynolds strip off!! Doe's that make me sad.........maybe!!

So anyway, I'm off to watch another romcom - a new one to me this time:

and who knows, it may just make it into my all time favourites list!!

New to Blogging

2010-08-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so blogging is all new to me, but I'm going to give it a go. I've never been very good at keeping a diary, but I spend a lot of time at a computer, so maybe this is the solution! I'm going to use it mainly to record my knitting progress. Right now I'm working on this:

Doesn't look like much right now, I grant you, but hopefully it will turn into a lovely shawl a little something like this one: http://truddedu.blogspot.com/2010/06/haruni.html
Isn't it awesome?!?
I love the bright pink yarn I'm using - its Artist's Palette Smoothie Sock yarn and it's scrummy! I made another shawl with Artist's Palette Yarn not so long ago - this one right here:

I used Artist's Palette Pop Sox for that one and really loved it. Not my usual colours, but I couldn't resist the gorgeous spring feel. It makes me smile just looking at it!