FO: beanie

I'm still here... Just not got around to blogging. I've been busy organising a load of photos for the blog and wanted to wait till they were all done before posting again, but in reality that means another month will have passed before I post. If I just make a start, that usually gets me going again.

I've actually got three FO's but not photographed them all yet. So this one will have to do for now.
Beanie for B. for Christmas:



Pattern is here (Ravelry link), it's one of Woolly Wormhead's patterns whose blog I've been reading for a while but not used her patterns before. The pattern is very well written, and I love the way the multiplied stitches turn into a spiral pattern. I used Manos del Uruguay for the yarn, which is a lovely blend of silk and merino. It's one of the softest yarns I've worked with, not itchy or scratchy at all, just incredibly soft and warm. And as we've just gone through an Arctic blast here in the UK, B. has actually been wearing this a lot!

Merry Christmas and Prettige feestdagen

Filler meme

Have taken on a job which takes up all my hours. And then some. Work, eat, work, sleep, work, eat, work ad infinitum ad nauseum. Actually, not quite ad infinitum but till Christmas, but right now it feels like ad infinitum. Managed to squeeze a weekend to Holland in. Will get round to posting photos. And more news.

For now, just a filler meme, found on Cetta's blog:

1. What is your occupation right now? Translator

2. What color are your socks right now? Blue (handknit!)

3. What are you listening to right now? Front Row on Radio 4

4. What was the last thing that you ate? A bagel with cream cheese and ham

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, it doesn't feel like real driving to me otherwise!

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Probably B. last night

7. How old are you today? 37

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Nope, nope, nope, don't do sport watching, yawn, boring

9. What is your favorite drink? Difficult choice between a good coffee and a nice strong cup of tea

10. Have you ever dyed your hair? Only with henna, but not apart from that. Can't be bothered. Life's too short.

11. Favorite food? It'd be easier to ask what food I don't like!

12. What is the last movie you watched? I can't remember, it's been a looong time!

13. Favorite day of the year? The days we go on holidays.

14. How do you vent anger? By throwing a tantrum and getting very unreasonable.

15. What was your favorite toy as a child? A cuddly hare.

16. What is your favorite season? Haven't got one, all of them have something I like.

17. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries.

18. Living arrangements? Old cottage, needs some work!

19. When was the last time you cried? Can't remember, but had to swallow a lump the other day when listening to news about a little boy in Britain having been physically abused till he died. And he was only 17 months.

20. What is on the floor of your closet? Washing basket, boxes with fabric.

21. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese.

22. Favorite dog breed? Sheepdog

23. Favorite day of the week? Friday.

24. How many states have you lived in? 5 I think.

25. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls.

26. What is your favorite flower? Nigellas (love in a mist)

Kitchen poetry II and III

Project for this weekend


Traditional Thursday evening activity: helping to make the bread.

Kitchen poetry I

First Kitchen poetry of the week: peas soaking for pea soup.

Twenty minutes

That was the magic number. Since April I've been following a running programme that is supposed to get you running 5 K in 9 weeks. You start off alternating running with walking, and slowly decrease the walking parts until you are running continuously. They have you take a big jump from running 10 mins, walking 3 mins and then running another 10 mins, to suddenly doing 20 mins continuously without walking. I was dreading that one. And because I was dreading it I was putting it off, again and again. I have been running pretty much three times a week every week since April, but have been taking the programme slowly, so it's taken me until today to work up the confidence to think that I could actually run 20 mins continuously. Last Wednesday I did a 1o/3/10 run and found that I managed it fairly easily so today was the day to bite the bullet and give those 20 mins a go. I was feeling very determined, I got going while listening to something good on Radio 4 which helped to distract slightly. The first 10 mins were no hassle, then by about 13 or 14 mins I got a stitch in my side which wouldn't go away. I've learnt by now that sometimes it will subside, sometimes it doesn't - today it didn't and it almost made me stop by about 18 mins. But I carried on, figuring that if I'd got that far, I would get to 20, and I did. And it made me feel so good. In a way I feel a bit pathetic for taking so long to get to this stage, but I'm really surprised at myself for sticking at it, I'm enjoying it and it's making me feel better, so the fact that I'm taking ages to get anywhere, is not going to get me down.
From here it's just a matter of upping the minutes slowly till you get to thirty minutes, and they reckon you can do 5 K inside 30 mins. So that's my next aim - but with this hurdle out of the way, I've got no doubts at all that I'll get there sometime!

Brain cupcakes

Morbid title ;-)


I. is doing Halloween this Thursday with Brownies, and they were told to bring in Halloween food. As we're into cupcakes, I just googled Halloween cupcakes (where would we be without Google?) and found a photo of brain cupcakes. Used the recipe for cupcakes and buttercream frosting from The Caked Crusader (where would I be without The Caked Crusader?), which lead to a small disaster when I. decided she was going to add the milk and promptly added about half a pint - it was more sloppy brain rather than mouldable brain... So I started again and then we had great fun using a piping 'tube' (bit like a big syringe) for the first time. We're both agreed they don't really look like brains but we enjoyed making swirls and getting better at it. They're hideously sweet but they wouldn't be right if they weren't!