Over the past few months we’ve had some major renovations done on our house and everything is still in storage until such times as the dust settles and the decorating is complete. In the meantime we’ve had some exciting news that we’re expecting another addition to the fold and I just couldn’t help myself but root out some wool and my old knitting patterns. Well, what else is a mother-to-be with a crafting urge to do!
Iona’s teddy very kindly modelled the finished article, in the absence of an actual baby to model it. Even though this is a newborn size I can’t see it fitting the baby, it just seems far too big. Still I don’t expect the baby will be long in growing into it.
Because our house is in such a building site…might post pictures soon…there is nowhere suitable to lay out the whole jumper for a picture. Really, you don’t want to see the piles of wood and nails! So, you’ll have to make do with a folded jumper and the promise that when the baby is around to model it, I’ll share it with you. Should be January!
The neckline leaves a lot to be desired, knitting not being my strong point, however I’m really very pleased with this.
~~ originally posted on grownstuff.co.uk ~~
When I planted these bulbs last year I wasn’t sure whether they’d come up let alone survive the rabbits and wind if they did. Well, the addition of rabbit fencing has curtailed the number of critters getting in and even in the severe gales of late they’ve proven remarkably robust, in spite of their height. In fact, I’ve only had one damaged by the wind, with a flower head snapped off … I just had to rescue it …
high quality images are available to buy by clicking on the image
I’ve not been completely idle since my last post on here, what feels like an age ago. Mostly I’ve not been making stuff, but with budgets tightening we have been looking to cut costs wherever we can, not least of all in terms food, anyway, it turns out that flour and yeast is significantly cheaper than shop-bought bread, so I’ve been making bread (and scones, more of which later) if nothing else.
The bread I’ve been making is based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver, except that recipe makes a loaf so salty as to be entirely inedible, with a reduction in salt and addition of a couple of other ingredients I’ve been making something far more palatable, here’s what you’ll need:
- 2lb strong flour
- three satchets of fast action yeast
- 1 table spoon of salt
- 3 table spoons of sugar
- 1 pt tepid water
- 2 table spoons of olive oil
- fresh ground pepper
And what you need to do:
1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl
2. Make a large well in the flour
3. Put salt, sugar, yeast and pepper into the well
4. add a little of the water
5. gradually mix the ingredients together maintaining the well for as long as possible and gradually adding the water (you may not need all of it), it will become porridgey in constitency:
6. Once the well has collapsed empty the bowl onto a clean work surface and begin gently kneading the dough and catching up any remaining dry ingredients, feel free to add extra water, to create a firm dry dough.
7. Knead the dough for about five minutes or until smooth and stretchy
8. Return the dough to bowl and cover for 30 minutes, this is the first proving. Leave the bowl somewhere warm and dry – I’ve been using the top of the stove or the poly-tunnel depending on the weather. This is what it looked like when I started:
and after 30 minutes:
9. Once the dough has risen, turn it out of the bowl and knock the air out. Divide the dough into two and place in two loaf tins, cover and allow to prove for a further 30 minutes. After patting and before proving it look like this:
I can never get them to be exactly the same size and on this occasion one of them was hideously deformed when I put it in the tin, t’is all good though! After 30 mins they had risen to this:
10. Once the bread has risen place in a pre-heated oven at about 180C or 160C in a fan oven.
11. Bake for 25 minutes, you may need to add another five minutes depending on your own oven. The loaf should have turned a mid-brown colour and sound hollow if you knock on the bottom.
12. Leave to cool on a rack, like these two marvellous loaves here:
13. I like to cut off an end and ‘test’ it with butter while it’s still warm – yum.
14. Slice and use as you will … or take some arty-farty pictures of them:
It’s been three months since our last update and our regular followers must be wondering if we’re ok, still alive or ever going to post again. Well, what happened was (as per my last post) I bought some sock wool and vowed to not make anything else until those socks had been knitted, which I’m pleased to report they now have!
I didn’t realise so much time had passed so oops, and sorry to everyone who has been visiting hoping for an update. More on the socks later…promise. Hopefully, followed soon after with some more regular makes and updates…I’ve a real hankering to make some sock creatures again.
The elements have been conspiring against us this week and we’ve spent a couple of days at the tail end of the week without electricity so my pictures are taking on a candlelit look to them.
Saturday – the kids made me a Happy Happy cake
Sunday – Tenor Horn
Monday – Knitting a pair of socks
Tuesday – I’ve got a lovely bunch of … bananas!
Wednesday – my brand spanking new saxophone … I am in lurve
Thursday – Candle reflected in the window
Friday – Reading by candlelight
The bonus picture is of the blanket that the wind had blown from the washing line on top of the bird bath on Thursday morning. I was so pleased with this picture but the candle reflecting in the windowsill gave a better option for that day. We had now in the morning on Thursday and horrible rain and winds of 90 mph in the afternoon and evening. They went on until late Friday night…and this is reading like a weather forecast so I’ll stop now.
I’ve been shopping today and bought some sock wool as well as a tatting shuttle. I’ll obviously knit myself some socks with the sock wool, but I’ve no idea what to do with the tatting shuttle. I just knew that I had to have one.
Tags: life, photography
Five Green Acres has suggested that we all join her Rumpelstiltskin Challenge and use up all those stash items and finish those unfinished projects. Today I made a dent in my wool stash.
This is my new wool basket made from a really long coil of finger knitting, that was made from a ball of chunky wool, which has been taking up space in our hallway for the past two years. Be liberated little ball of wool and know that you are now a very useful basket. No longer will you be threatened with being thrown out or given to charity. No more will your purpose in this world be questioned…for now, you are a basket fit to hold all the other balls of wool whose purpose has yet to be discovered!
In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m really enjoying finger knitting.
In the making. I honestly never believed I’d have the stamina to finish this one. All that wool takes an awful long time to sew together.
Up close, what to do with the rest of the wool stash…of which this is a mere fraction. I’ve got bags and bags of the stuff. Any suggestions given I get so fed up with traditional knitting patterns?
That’s right, Saturday. I really do wish I could keep up and post on a Friday night but it’s just too much for me at the moment, so Saturday it will be.
Here’s a glimpse of what I’ve been looking at this week.
Saturday – Wanlockhead & Leadhills Narrow Gauge Railway
Sunday – Daffodil
Monday – Hot coals in the stove
Tuesday – Lens reflected in a hairband
Wednesday – Geranium
Thursday – Firewood
Friday – Cactus
I’m working on another scarf and still trying to find time to finish the topsy turvy doll. I’ve also got a million ideas running through my head that need to be channelled before they’re lost.
Tags: life, photography
What do you do with a couple of hours to spare and a large ball of chunky wool that honestly you’ve no idea what to make with it? Make a finger knitted scarf of course.
I used the whole ball of wool and knitted it over two fingers twice (if that makes any sense), then tied it together at the ends. The result is a rather pleasing hoop of knitting that I can wear as a traditional scarf or wrapped twice round, as in the picture.
A day late due to travel with work…sorry!
This week I had a notion that I would theme my photos. I chose dilapidation. As you can see these are not all related to dilapidation so…FAIL. Nevertheless, I think my skills are improving a little as time moves on, notwithstanding work getting in the way…hence Gies Peace (pronounced geez peace for all you none Scots).
Click on the pictures for full size images.
The bonus picture is of the beans thriving in the polytunnel…slowly but surely. We’ve also got some garlic coming through now too. Can you believe it? We’re almost 1500 feet up with rubbish soil and freezing horrible weather and we’ve got vegetables growing in January. Can’t wait for us to start with the spring/summer planting. We’re just waiting for a propagator and we can get the tomatoes started.
Tags: life, photography
Our youngest, who is 4, received a knit it yourself elephant kit for her Christmas. This weekend we set about making it. It’s not yet finished, can you guess why?
Her interest was held for all of five rows, which is pretty good for a four year old who really had no idea what the point was and just wanted the elephant. My hands got sore after knitting up the back and front…told you I need a machine. The result of all this is that this poor little elephant will be formless for another week, but I’ve visions of a much larger one made up on my knitting machine to keep it company.
It’s got me thinking though, what age is an appropriate age to teach kids to knit? It’s a skill I know I learned from my gran but I don’t remember what age I was. I have a notion that it should be easy enough to pick up, yet Iona couldn’t get to grips with all the steps, of which there are really only four…in, over, through and off.
I came across these instructions on You Tube for finger knitting…much easier. I feel that once the elephant is finished I’m going to try and guide her towards finger knitting instead.
Comments readers made