Come and meet Betty!

Now, don't get me wrong - I love the school holidays and I especially love getting to hang out with Tyger, but when it comes to crafting I get nothing done. Nada. Zilch. Nary a sniff of my own projects. It's a battle struggling to balance entertaining her and fitting in my paid content writing work that alas, the poor old crafting tends to get left behind.

So after I have watched her trundle back into the school gates, and have turned homeward bound myself, my second thought is "YAY! I can get some projects done!", my first thought being, naturally, "Dang I'm going to miss her chatter during the day."

And it's true - I really do miss having my girl around. She is excellent company and there is always a slight hole when school starts back. Thank goodness I have yarn to comfort me!

Like this luscious purple 4ply merino I managed to swatch. It's for the Betty Knit-a-long I'm running at Handmaker's Factory, and I have to say: I think I'm in love! The pattern calls for a 10 play, but I couldn't resist this colour, and so am knitting with 2 strands of the 4 ply, cause I'm a rebel like that and I'll never ever be any good.

I must say, I am really excited about this cardigan. I love that tingly feeling that comes when you find the perfect project, and you cannot wait to embark upon it. The pattern looks complicated, but it's just a whole bunch of knits, purls, yarn overs and knit2togs, considerately spaced out over a 6 row repeat. Trust me, it sounds much harder than it looks. It's going to look so cute over a summer dress. The only danger is that Tyger will want one, too!

Monthly Menu Plan - September/October

Phwwwooooaaat! That's the sound of me blowing the dust off ye olde blog here. School holidays always seem to render blogging priority number nothing, despite my best intentions. Still, the show must go on and mouths must be fed, so here is a truncated version of this month's menu plan.

Week One:
Monday - Lentil spaghetti bolognaise with feta and parsley
Tuesday - Roast chicken
Wednesday - Asparagus, pea and rocket risotto with left-over roast chicken
Thursday - Quinoa-stuffed red capsicums with salad
Friday - Fish fingers with tartare sauce and garden salad
Saturday - Spinach tart with salad
Sunday - Spring vegetable stew

Week Two:
Monday - Spicy felafels in wraps with all the trimmings
Tuesday - Sweet potato gnocchi with rocket pesto
Wednesday - Tomato soup with cheesy melts
Thursday - Carrot and hummus crunch on sourdough
Friday - Indian lamb cutlets with chickpea salad
Saturday - Huevos rancheros
Sunday - Spiced vegetable and chickpea pilaf

Week Three:
Monday - Tuna macaroni and cheese with garden salad
Tuesday - Vegetable and tofu stir fry
Wednesday - Spring minestrone with garlic bread
Thursday - Left over minestrone
Friday - Pumpkin and haloumi burgers with potato salad
Saturday - Asparagus tart with salad

Chevron Baby Blanket

The Purl Soho Chevron Baby Blanket is donzo, peoples! I love a quick, fat knit, and boy oh boy, was this a quick fat knit! The yarn is doubled and it's knit up on 8mm, so it fairly zoomed along.

I must say, I think this is the softest, most cuddly thing I have ever knit. It's going to be the perfect blanket for tucking a wee one up in a pram when the wind gets chilly, or for throwing on the ground at the park to gaze up at the trees from. It's lovely, but also hardy and practical. I remember when Tyger was born I was given a small fleecy blanket (not handknit, alas) and at the time I thought "What am I doing to do with this small pink thing?!?", but wouldn't you know it became one of our most-used baby items, being washable and portable and warm, and to this day when she feels poorly the Tyger will request her butterfly blanket to curl under. Not that much of her fits under it anymore, but still - butterfly blanket must be had!

So babies + blankets = a good thing. I hope this blanket has such a happy future awaiting it!

Project Details
Pattern: Purl Soho Chevron Baby Blanket
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Organic Cotton in the following colours: Lemongrass, Lemonade, Bone, Tulip, Drift, Sleet, and Graphite
Needles: 8mm circulars

The blanket sits for yet another portrait

I know, I know. Another blanket soft fuzzy close up. What can I say, except that I am really enjoying knitting this up, and am rather quite sad that I'm up to the last colour. Sniff! The colour scheme, which reminds me of the tussle between clouds and sunshine on an uncertain day, perfectly sums up my feelings about this blanket. One minute I'm lavishing the blanket with the fondest of feelings: "Oh, I LOVE this blanket. It's so loverly! Sunshine all around!" and then next I'm dampening the darn thing with my tears: "But it's almost finished. It's like parting forever from a beloved one. Will my heart ever recover? The clouds, oh the clouds, how they descend so dark and grey. Waaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

This says two things to me: one, I really should stop getting so attached to blankets that I knit. Two, thank goodness I live in somewhat enlightened times, where it's ok to be a touch imaginative, and emotionally invested in one's handknits. Imagine proclaiming these thoughts 100 years ago. I would have been bundled off to a restorative sanatorium for overwrought females who knit too much in no time. Yikes!

Actually, now that I've visualised it, a quiet retreat for people who knit too much could be quite the thing. Especially if they allow you to keep knitting. And feed you excellent meals at least 3 times a day. And forcibly remove your smart phones, so that nobody can bug you and you can cure your addiction to Dots at the same time. Doesn't it just sound splendid? Right: must find one and book myself in immediately!

She choked

Sabrina the rather bad-tempered dressmaker's dummy scarcely waited until Jorth had left the room before bursting forth with narky indignation. "What does she think she is doing? She was meant to be making Simplicity 1803 with a front yoke detail. Instead, she's ripped that off and is now basically making another version the same as the cabbage dress. This is meant to be new dress, not a redux!"

"She choked!" piped up a brave quick-un-pick, who had seen a bit of action that day, and as a result was feeling a bit more important than they usually did, which lent them some momentary courage.

It was just as well that the quick-un-pick did have that courage up their sleeve, because Sabrina rounded upon their statement immediately. "Tool! Listen here: It has been many a blue moon since Jorth choked over a sewing project, and if I have my way she won't be doing it on my watch!"

The poor quick-un-pick felt their tip go dull with fear, but was determined to put wrongs to rights. "Nooooooooo! You misunderstand me - she literally, actually, absolutely, decidedly, totally choked when she put the bodice with the yoke on. I can't believe you didn't see it - she was flailing about with her hands trying desperately to rip it off, claiming in a weird raspy squawk that she couldn't breathe with the darn thing on, and that wearing it was worse than going into anaphylactic shock!"

With a bewildered air the gutsy little quick-un-pick said "Truly - it was quite the spectacle. Are you sure you didn't see it?"

"Well", huffed Sabrina, slightly abashed for once, "an old mannequin such as myself needs her beauty sleep occasionally. I can't be keeping an eye on everything that goes on around here!"

Blankie

The best part about knitting a blanket is that it isn't long before you look down at it and think to yourself, "Heh - this thing actually does look like a blanket!"

As opposed to when you knit a dress, and you think (a) what the hell am I doing and (b) what the heck is that piece for?!?

Another blanket virtue is that it keeps your knees super snuggly warm whilst you knit. Which is another reason why I gotta get this thing done pronto - it's already heating up here. Four chevrons down, three to go!

Miette!

The nicest thing about Sunday was the weather. Being Father's Day, Galumph had declared that he would like to ride over to Brighton, and meet his dad for lunch. So I dug out some strappy sandals, threw on the cabbage dress and off we went, pedalling lazily in the glorious sunshine.

Oh, did I mention that Miette came along for the ride? Her very first outing, and I couldn't have picked a more perfect day for it!

Project Details
Pattern: Miette cardigan by Andi Satterlund
Yarn: 5 balls of Rowan Pure Wool Aran in shade 679, purchased from Sunspun
Needles: 4.5mm and 5mm circular needles
Notions: 8 buttons from Buttonmania

This project was a LOT of fun, especially doing it as part of the knit-a-long at Handmaker's Factory. Not only did I get to hang out with some pretty amazing knitters, but I also mastered some awesome techniques, such as knitting from the top down and using the old magic loop method to knit the sleeves. Seriously, so much knitting fun should not be contained in a single garment!

Word from the wise, though: if you are attempting to knit this cardigan for yourself, the pattern is designed with 2 inches of negative ease. What does this mean for the layman? It means that the finished garment will be 2 inches smaller than your body's measurements (bust, waist, hip), so that the knit fits in a snug manner. If you like a looser garment, then you might need to move up a size. I knit the size 34, and trust me - it's a tight fit! If I do up the buttons, I could almost pass for one of those naughty but nice 1950's sweater girls! Well, minus the odd triangular bosoms.

Ahh, Miette. I am so glad you are finished. Yesterday was the perfect day for her - kept the sea breezes nicely at bay (Ha! A beach pun!) Speaking of finishing, I am most looking forward to seeing all the other finished Miettes from the knit-a-long. I think we need a Miette cocktail night, where we frighten the bar staff at some swish drinking hole by all turning up in the same cardigan. Slightly tipsy group photo, here we come!

Pattern review: Josephine Dress by Violet Field Threads

Do you ever make a project, and stop and look at it half-way through, and begin to wonder if it's really going to turn out as well as you hope it will? That, dear readers, was what happened during the making of this, the Josephine dress. As the sewing on this progressed, I kept the dress on a coat hanger in my room, and every time I glanced upon it I began to be assailed by the fear that Tyger wouldn't end up with a cute dress, but something oddly resembling a 1950's housecoat, which needless to say, wasn't quite the look I was going for!

It just seemed so large. And frumpy. And housecoatey. Thankfully, with the help of some grosgrain ribbon working as a belt, it turned out AWESOME!

Admittedly, it is a little on the big side, but the ribbon helps cinch it in. And it looks pretty darn cute on Tyger, who got loads of compliments on it when she wore it on the weekend. Phew! Sewing failure averted!

Now down to the pattern nitty gritty. As you can probably tell, the pattern runs a little on the large size. That's fine for us, as it means Tyger can wear it again next winter, but if you were making it for a special occasion and wanted the perfect fit right here, right now, then you might want to go down a size and add length as required.

It was a fairly easy pattern to put together, but one thing that slightly bugged me was the fact that the pintucks were not marked on the pattern. Instead, after attaching the ruffled button band, you had to measure and manually work out the pintuck placement for yourself. I'd prefer it to be marked on the pattern itself, as is usually the case.

The other quibble I have is that a pattern piece for the button band ruffles is not included, so unless you carefully read through the entire pattern before cutting out, you might not realise that you needed to measure and then cut out the two pieces yourself. Considering that the pieces required for the larger dress size come in at 43 inches, you'd hate to not have enough fabric, or have gotten rid of your fabric scraps like I almost did.

So my verdict is: cute pattern, but read through the entire instructions carefully before embarking!

Project Details
Pattern: Josephine Dress by Violet Field Threads, size 9-10
Fabric: 1.5m of Raindrops Poppies Platinum from the Field Study collection by Anna Maria Horner
Notions: 15 buttons, 1.5m black grosgrain ribbon, matching grey bias binding

I got myself a Chevy

Is it bad that, when you first hear the news that a family member is going to have a baby, your second thought (heartfelt congratulations being the first, of course) is that it means you can begin a brand new knitting project?

Case in point: scrummy yarn purchased from Purl Soho so I can make this rather snazzy garter stitch chevron baby blanket. I may have squealed with excitement when receiving the package from the post lady. It's so squooshy!

But fear not, dear readers. I shall dutifully put this delectable, gorgeous, so soft and lovely yarn aside until all other projects are finished. Did I mention how soft it is? Oh, who am I kidding - I started already!

Well, I couldn't risk that wee little baby getting cold now, could I? Even if it isn't due for, oh, another four months...

Say hello to spots!

"I'm free!" squealed the spotted fabric with obvious relief. "Free from the confines of the cupboard. Seriously, I thought I would never get out. Four years I've been trapped in there, lying neglected in the fabric stash, watching wistfully as other fabrics came and went. But now my moment of glory has come. No longer shall I have to remain hidden away, wishing that I, too, was being made into a summer dress. I shall shine in the sun with the best of them!

"Just between you and me, I was beginning to fear for my sanity, being stuck in there all that time. Had she forgotten about me? Was I not good enough? Truly, folks - I was beginning to get a bit, well, dotty!"

"But you are..." began a brocade, confused by the lack of self-identity shown by the fabric when Sabrina the dressmakers dummy shushed her. "Let it go, ducks. Just.Let.It.Go."

Monthly menu plan - August/September

We're already in the tail-end of August? And it's nearly September? Once again the year is slipping by. Soon it will be summer, and all I'll want to eat is cool tomatoes and juicy mangos, but there's still a few chilly days left yet until that happens. So - to the plan: I've snuck in a few wintry favourites. Got to enjoy them while I can still can!

Week One:
Monday - Chilli tofu and vegetable stir fry on brown rice
Tuesday - Thai red lentil and pumpkin soup
Wednesday - Zucchini and lemon pasta with big fat garden salad
Thursday - Tomato and capsicum soup with Irish soda bread, slathered in fresh butter
Friday - Lentil and chickpea burgers with red cabbage coleslaw
Saturday - Roast pork with vegetables, followed by pannacotta with berry coulis
Sunday - Pea soup with salad baguettes

Week Two:
Monday - Potato and pea samosas with garden salad
Tuesday - Beef and beer stew with garlicky mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Leek and ricotta tart with green salad
Thursday - Spicy cauliflower, lentil and bean pilaf with minted yoghurt
Friday - Pizza night! Probably roast potato, and capsicum and mushroom with rocket
Saturday - Vegetarian shepherd's pie with parmesan beans on the side
Sunday - Roast chicken with lots of vegetables

Week Three:
Monday - Chicken and tofu laksa (using left over roast chicken)
Tuesday - Farro risotto with roasted pumpkin and spinach
Wednesday - Chunky minestrone with garlic bread
Thursday - Pappardelle with cavolo nero and side salad
Friday - Beef and lentil burgers
Saturday - Individual asparagus lasagnes with garden salad
Sunday - Bangers and bean stew with roasted vegetable couscous

Week Four:
Monday - Spicy bean burritos with salsa and guacamole
Tuesday - Spinach and ricotta cannelloni with chunky tomato and lentil sauce
Wednesday - Dhal with mango lassis
Thursday - Curried cauliflower soup with olive cornbread
Friday - Home made fish and chips with salads
Saturday - Ratatouille pies with salad

That's why they call it a shirtdress

You know your child is growing FAST when your husband comes home and when his eyes alight upon the latest thing you are making for her he comments "Cool - you're making yourself a shirt!"

Er, no. That would be a dress for Tyger. Who will no doubt be wearing all of mine, soon enough!

Cabled red capelet

Finally, finally, finally finished! I tells you what, peoples, this capelet was an exercise in cables. And then some. I was trucking along pretty well, but then fell over on the yoke, which was full of short rows. No matter how much I knitted, the darn yoke never seemed to grow. But I sucked it up and got there in the end. A lesson in cables AND patience. Whoo!

As you can probably tell from the pics, Tyger is rather chuffed with it. It may not have gotten finished for her birthday (what was I thinking?!? Good grief!) but it's done for her Book Week parade tomorrow, and since she's going as Anne of Green Gables again, she's thrilled.

Project Details
Pattern: Sirdar 1386 - Hooded Cape and Cape
Yarn: 6 balls of Woolganics Organic Merino DK in Chili Pepper (from stash - YES!!!)
Needles: 3.25 circular needle, 4mm circular needle, 3.25mm straight needle, 4mm straight needle

Loved working again with this yarn - I had used it previously for Tyger's red dress. Plus it's always nice to use up a bit of the stash. Makes room for more yarn (Galumph, I hope you didn't read that. Ahem!)

The only thing I don't like is that I cast off my front ribs a little bit too loosely. I might unravel those and redo them a bit tighter. Apart from that I'm happy with how this has turned out. And Tyger informs me it's lovely and warm and snuggly to wear. Win win all around!

Crafting and sanity

There are a few things that are vital to keep my mental health in a happy, balanced state. Enough sleep, a walk every day in the fresh air no matter what the weather is, not watching television with it's blaring exhortations to buy more and more because you are not good enough as you are, and regularly servings of good wholesome food.

So far, so typical. But to that list I might add a regular dose of making. I seriously think that I would be a far grumpier person without the lift that crafting gives me. Even if I don't get my hands involved in cutting something out, or winding yarn through my fingers, just the thinking - the planning, the dreaming - is often enough to lift me out of any doldrums. Heck, you can make me happy just by insisting I peruse vintage patterns on Etsy for a while!

I'm not sure if it's the pretty colours of the fabric and yarn, or the quiet focus on a solitary activity, or the visualisation of a finished project, or the satisfied buzz of achievement when something is finally completed, but crafting can often fill a hole for me that nothing else can.

I'm so lucky to be able to make. Good times will come and go, and every life will have it's fair share of sorrow and suffering, but it comforts me to know that I'll always have a pair of knitting needles and a sewing machine to hand to give me relief when it all feels like too much to bear.

Grey leaves part two

Ach! I couldn't help myself. The siren call of making the Flora layered leaf skirt was too much for this knitter to resist! Despite the previous unravelling, despite the faulty pattern, despite the fact that winter is almost over and I really should be thinking about summer knits I am determined to conquer this thing. I will own it! Well, technically, Tyger will own the actual skirt, but I will own the knitting, dammit!

And besides, knitted leaves are fun! Oh dear, it's official - you truly are old when you prefer to stay home to knit leaves for crying out loud than go out and get sweaty on a dance floor. Gulp!

Red knits

Aha! All this time people thought pink - in particular that hot fuchsia pink - was my favourite colour, but let me tell you this: I have been a red girl for longer than I care to remember. I like my bikes to be red, my toenails to be painted red, my necklaces to be red. And, judging by the below, my handknits!

If anybody wants me, I'll be hanging out somewhere between orange-red and magenta on the colour wheel. Or maybe button shopping. These beauties need the perfect buttons, stat!

(And yes, have already checked Nan's button bag. Alas, no luck. I really will have to go button shopping. Oh, how ghastly!)

C is for...

...cables! And weird knitted C shapes. And crap, I have to seam all of that long edge. Cursed crafting chores!

Pattern review: Vogue 1314

What with the knitting, and trying to make most of Tyger's clothes, and beavering away at Handmaker's Factory, I haven't had much of a chance to make things for myself this winter, especially at the sewing machine. But I did sneak in this dress last week. May I present my version of Vogue 1314:

As soon as I saw this pattern I said to myself "Jorthy, old girl, this has your name written all over it!" It was really easy to make - just like a giant t-shirt, but with some gathers. And speaking of gathers, I cheated and did it my way, rather than how the pattern instructed me to, by using elastic on the side seams. Eeeeeeasy!

The only thing I don't like about this dress is how stretchy the fabric is. I used a viscose knit, which is quite thin, and as a result my gathers tend to sag a bit. I really should have made the next size down to prevent this, but it was one of those things that you don't realise until you have finished and tried the darn dress on. Judging by what a few other bloggers have said, the fit on this dress tends to err on the generous size. If only I'd researched before I'd sewn. Gah!

I also didn't line my dress. Shhh! Don't tell anybody! Even though the fabric is thin, it's not sheer, so I decided not to bother. I also did a t-shirt style neckline binding, just cause I could. What a rebel I am!

Apart from that it's super comfy, easy to wear and hey - I've always wanted an animal print dress! Roar!

Project Details
Pattern: Vogue 1314, size 8
Fabric: 2m of viscose print from The Fabric Store
Notions: 1cm wide elastic

Wrapping up for winter

The head of the Committee For Ensuring Winter Sewing Projects Are Completed peered over his half-moon glasses at Jorth, and asked in his stenorous voice "Are you completely and utterly certain that you will get all of the planned sewing and knitting projects for your daughter completed by the end of winter, namely one more dress, the finishing of the cabled shawl and the Sea Princess cardigan?"

Jorth thought of the lovely fabric she had picked out for the Josephine dress, and felt the itch in her fingers to get started on the project. She was also dying to begin knitting the cardigan, and that shawl was so close to finished that she wasn't even worried about it anymore. So standing tall she looked the committee head straight in the eye and declared that yes - all projects would be done by winter's end.

"Fine!", sighed the committee head. "26 days and counting. You'd better hop to it, young lady!"

So that's my challenge - sort out those pesky winter projects and have a clean slate for summer. I've got dresses planned - lots and lots of loverly dresses! Bring on the sunshine!

Lessons in biscuit economy

Even though our family budget might currently be tighter than a coffin nail I always find that life is far more bearable if the biscuit tin is full.

It's also far more economical to have those treats awaiting in their tin of blue. Truly - it only costs a few dollars to make a batch of biscuits, but it can save HEAPS! For example:

Friends want to go out for lunch? Invite them around to eat your biscuits instead!

Saw that dress you love in the window of the shop where the price tags usually have at least three zeros on the end? Keep the money in your wallet and come home and eat biscuits instead!

Ran out of bread for toast in the morning? Thank heavens you've got those biscuits! (Try not to do that one on purpose)

Yup, life is better and cheaper with biscuits. Especially these double chocolate crackle cookies, from the Meat Free Monday cookbook. They're so good that you'll never want to go anywhere and spend money when you can stay in and eat these instead!