a year in the making

These socks are finally finished.
I'm not convinced crochet is the best option for socks as they aren't very stretchy, but my toes are nice and snug.

digitalis

I've been spending a lot of time thinking back about nice trips recently.

Exactly one year ago tonight I landed in Melbourne for 3 week dream holiday - it doesn't seem that long ago at all.

In July we went and stayed in an old romany caravan surrounded by poppies and foxgloves in a very sweet garden in Cornwall. It was a perfect summer weekend.

Although we could have done with a tiny bit more leg room.



I do love to holiday.

a drawing a day

Ben & I started some sketchbooks on Friday to practice our drawing.
50 sheets of paper each. 50 days. 100 drawings.
Let's see how it goes...

seed bombs for cats

Towards the end of last year my friend Lyndsey, who runs lovely online shop What you sow, asked me to illustrate a label for the packaging of the new product she was launching: Seed bombs for cats.

I jumped at the chance to help out (especially as it gave me an excuse to spend some time drawing cats).

[Photo above courtesy of Lyndsey]

The seed bomb packages are a collaboration between Lyndsey and Josie Jeffery of Seedfreedom and contain 6 seed bombs packed with catnip seeds, peat free compost and clay, 2 seed markers (varied colours) to remember where you’ve sown them, a water sprinkler (varied colours) to convert your water bottle into a watering can and full instructions on how to use your seed bombs.

You can buy them here. A lovely gift for any cat lover (and cat!).

covert crochet

I made this blanket for Ben for Christmas. It was 6 months in the making but I managed to keep it under the radar - I think he was quite surprised on Christmas day.

I was quite surprised myself, as for a short while it was touch and go as to whether I would finish it in time - I was still crocheting the border on the evening of the 23rd.

All done though! And it has kept us both cosy through these cold January nights. Can you believe that he didn't own a blanket before this one? (I have about 5 - I can't get enough!)

Snug.

let's cook: soufflés

The cooking challenge is back!

This time we chose to make soufflés. The flavour was optional so we've ended up in a sweet vs. savoury situation, which is quite nice.

My mum went for a GIANT cheese soufflé:



While I made mini chocolate soufflé pots:


[Note: The zoom on these photos may be misleading]

I made mine to accompany a delicious meal made by Mark. They went down a storm - they rose well and were nice and gooey. We have since had them again at home (courtesy of Mark) so that's a positive seal of approval.

My dad gave my mum 5 out of 5. Top marks! Although he said he wouldn't want to eat it again. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it did look quite a substantial feast.

A good result all round. And in the process I discovered that making a soufflé is far less complex than I first thought. I thought it was all egg whites and whisking, but my recipe involved none of that kerfuffle (maybe I cheated?).

Here's the recipe though, so you can judge for yourselves:

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Mini chocolate soufflés
(enough to fill 8 ramekins)


Ingredients
200g dark chocolate
150 butter (plus a little extra for the ramekins)
6 eggs
175g sugar
125g plain flour


Instructions
Heat the oven to 180ºC and butter the ramekins.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until they are very fluffy and light and then fold in the flour, followed by the chocolate and butter mixture.

Divide between ramekins (you can put some in the fridge at this stage if you want to eat them later).

Bake in the over for 8-10 minutes. They should rise slightly and have firm outsides whilst still being nice and gooey in the middle.

Dust with icing sugar and serve hot.

I would recommend vanilla ice cream and honeycomb as a great accompaniment.

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Enjoy!!!



Next time we will be cooking decorative shortcrust pastry pies. Just in time for British Pie Week.

toe up socks

I found this part-finished crochet project in my room this week.
I think I started it when I flew to Australia last year, and then promptly forgot about it on my return.

It'll make a nice project to start the year though, especially as these old favourites now have big holes in them.

advent

Ben and I both made surprise advent calendars for each other this year.
I enjoyed both the making and the opening very much.
A nice build up to Christmas.

2014

Happy new year!

2013 was my favourite year to date - I hope this year lives up to it!
I'm off to Iceland on Friday which seems like a good way to kick things off.

Above is one of the Christmas cards that Ben and I made this year. Can you guess which robin was done by who?

And some more photos of our production line...

eotr

I went to End of the Road a couple of weekends ago. A lovely time as always!

Highlights included: David Byrne and St Vincent, Teleman, East India Youth, Belle & Sebastian, Jens Lekman and Tigercats. Oh, and Breakfast with the Inkspots. An early morning treat.

I guess that means autumn is drawing in now. I've already noticed leaves on the ground, and mince pies in the shops!

Good thing I've still got a summer holiday to look forward to.

sea shells and butterflies

Well, August slipped by in a flash. Not sure what happened there.

At the beginning of the month I took a trip to Oxford to listen to some nice music in a bedouin tent. While I was there I also paid a visit to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum.

I've been meaning to go on a trip there since I did my MA so it was nice to finally have a look at the collection. I found the mummified animals most interesting.

around the house

Paper pineapple // New sheets to start the week // A rose from the garden

let's make...cushion covers

Ben & I went to a screen printing workshop at Super+Super on Monday evening. We were a bit pooped after a 6 hour drive home from Cornwall but we're both pretty happy with our efforts!

I want to make some more now. Maybe next time I'll try something a little more intricate.

Here are some sketches I used for inspiration...



Penguins are nice.

floral

There are flowers everywhere at the moment. Everything has bloomed all at once.

I'm finding it hard to resist bringing some home with me every day.
Not so great for the hayfever...

a summer birthday

Here's a card I made for my mum's birthday earlier this month. She threw a garden party with a hog roast, and luckily it landed on the first warm day of summer.

 It was a very good time!

a sweet pouch

I crocheted this acorn pouch as part of a sweet pouch swap I took part in a couple of months ago.
In return I received some nice treats in the post all the way from Texas. I like Hot Tamales.

A bank holiday in Bruges

From top: The view at Rozenhoedkaai; Benedictine nuns in Begijnhof; A horse we met by Damme windmill; On the way to Holland; Waiting for the boat tour; Stork nest in Sluis; Begijnhof bluebells; Cycling along the canal to Holland; Resting in Minnewater park.

A good time.

a is for apple

I haven't spent much time making things recently, but here's an apple I made for a new arrival who said hello while I was in Australia.

It has a rattle inside so it's a treat for many senses.
Probably not taste though.

absence

I haven't disappeared. It's just been a very busy time.
I'm sure it'll calm down soon...

east coast

I'm flying to Australia for a while tomorrow.
Be back soon....