Cheat mulled wine

So tonight I was craving comfort food - something rich and warm.  Even though my dear husband had made me a scrummy Margherita pizza I wanted something else - specifically warmed cider or Nutella mug cake.  In the absence of appropriate ingredients (ie cider or Nutella) I remembered the quarter bottle of merlot in the kitchen.  Brainwave!  Mulled wine!

I have made mulled wine before for a party.  Done properly it involves lemon rind, fresh spices, even fresh apple.  Given the lack of appropriate fresh fruit I did my usual thing and cheated experimented.  Here's what I used (all measurements very approximate!).

Cheat Mulled Wine
Approx 3 servings.


1 cup of apple juice
1 squirt lemon juice (I always have a bottle in the fridge)
Half a cinnamon stick (or just powdered cinnamon)
Quarter teaspoon of ground cloves (or real cloves - I swear I have a bottle but couldn't find it...)
1 Star Anise (optional)
1 cup wine


Heat apple juice, lemon juice and spices in a small saucepan and simmer for 5-10 mins
Add wine, heat until warm (best not to boil!)
Serve in an appropriately thick vessel (it cools rapidly in a wine glass).  I didn't have an appropriate flagon so I used a green tea cup (sacrilege I know).

It wasn't too bad - warm and rich just like I wanted.  Not super sweet - you could add sugar to the juice if you want it sweeter.  You could also add more cinnamon or cloves to make it spicier.  I added the star anise because I thought the licorice flavour would be nice, which it was.  You could substitute nutmeg instead.

Opulent Raglan - jumper in progress

So at the start of the year I wrote a list of crafty new years resolutions.  The only one I've manage to make progress on is knitting a jumper.  So here it is!

"That's not a jumper," I hear you say, "that's a vest.  And what's with the random blue stripe on your bust?"

Well my friends, it is a jumper, I just haven't knit the sleeves yet.  And the blue stripes are lifelines - very useful and handy if you need to rip back a few inches (which I did at one point).  They are placed at my bust because I was experimenting with shaping - I added some more decreases to pull in the waist more than the original did.  And dang if it didn't work!  It fits very nicely, although I think I would have probably been quite happy with the original shaping as well.

The pattern is Opulent Raglan and it is so lovely and easy I could knit it again. And again.  In different colours.  But I won't.  I will knit other jumpers and cardigans because now I have the jumper bug.  I can knit jumpers that are long enough to meet my jeans without the freezing gap of death, whee!

But I should probably tackle something else from my list of resolutions first.  In fact I really should get back to spinning...after I finish these sleeves.

Ginger and apple tea

I've been sick with various colds and viruses for the better part of May and let me tell you I am sick of Lemon and Honey tea.  So I've concocted a very pleasant alternative that is still chock full of restorative elements.

Peel a chunk of ginger (approx 1cm) and steep for a few minutes in boiling water.
Add half or one teaspoon of honey.
And the secret ingredient - a splash of apple juice.

Ginger is a common folk remedy for cold symptoms, honey is soothing for the throat (and antibacterial if you believe the reports) and apple juice is full of Vitamin C.  Non-caffeinated tea is also a great way to keep hydrated, which my pharmacist assures me is essential in kicking this blasted cold.

Plus, you know, it just tastes good.

Blog resurrection and Apple Couscous

My poor blog is a neglected creature that reads like a list of broken New Year's resolutions, all on the theme of promising to blog more frequently. Arguably this post is on the same theme, but this time I'm hoping to follow through a bit better. Not only will I post about my knitting but hopefully a bit more about cooking, bellydance and pretty things I find over on Pinterest.

In that spirit, here is today's cooking experiment - Apple Couscous. Recently I was reminded of a sweet breakfast I tried, based on orange juice, dried fruits and yoghurt (a bit like this one).  I didn't have any orange juice but I did have couscous, apple juice and plenty of dried fruit so I went in hunt of an apple couscous recipe. I modified the Fruity Breakfast Couscous recipe from taste.com.au by excluding the peaches and nuts and adding in dried apricot.  Otherwise I followed it pretty much exactly.

Apple Couscous - serves 3-4

1 cup couscous

1 cup apple juice

1 Tablespoon honey

Half a cup of dried fruit (I used sultanas and dried apricots)

1 apple, grated

Dollop of natural yoghurt

Bring juice and honey to boil in small pan

Stir in dried fruit and couscous

Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 3 mins  Separate grains with a fork and cover another 2 minutes.

Stir in apple

Serve with yoghurt

So how was it? 

Firstly, couscous is deceptively simple yet I always end up with a clumpy mess (this time wasn't as bad as others!).  The San Remo packet recommends stirring as you pour in the couscous, let it stand 3 mins and then stir for the last two.  I didn't stir as I poured it in this time so I will definitely try that next time.

Secondly, the apple juice made it quite sweet.  I must say I prefer the orange juice couscous I once had.  If I make this one again I would try half apple juice and half water and maybe toss in some cinnamon and flaked almonds.  

All in all it was a quick and filling treat with real fruit, great for breakfast or dessert.  Or lunch or dinner in this case!

Pretty things

This is the pretty new laptop bag I got from TrackandFieldDesigns.



It's customised to fit my netbook, a thick A4 notepad and a book or small knitting project.



I've been wanting a stylish, easy-carry padded laptop bag for ages. I got it with some Christmas money. Will be carrying it into the city for a conference this week :D

It is not to be confused with this gorgeous carry-all I got from the MIL for Christmas.



I use this every day when I go to work (I don't usually need my netbook for work).



I spun this! Merino, 2 ply. I think it will knit to 8ply/aran weight although I need to do the wpi test on it.



It's going to be a shawl I think. I need to spin up some more first! I hope I can keep the weight relatively even.

And a quick knitting update...



I am almost finished this Hap Blanket (pattern by the amazing Ysolda Teague). It is for Geoff and Sophie's gorgeous new boy Rafael Zephaniah. It's Bendigo Woollen Mills 4ply cotton held double. I threaded a lifeline in red and suddenly wished I used red as the highlight instead of green. But it was way too late by then!



That's ok, it's still pretty and funky. Even if DH does complain it's Deceptacon colours.

In which a New Year commences

When the New Year comes around some retrospection is usually in order. Since this is a knitting blog that's what I'll focus on! I'm looking at my Ravelry project page and this is what struck me:

• Socks. In 2010 I learned to knit socks, and I love them. Can't wait to knit more.
• Lace. I participated in the 10 lace items in 2010 challenge. I managed 6 with a 7th almost complete and an 8th on the needles.
• Sock yarn. Look at my Ravelry stash page and you may notice I have a wee addiction to locally purchased, hand-dyed sock yarn. Clearly I need to knit more socks. And gloves, and scarves and shawlettes.
• Spinning. In 2010 I aquired a wheel and got the basics down.
  

So what's ahead for 2011?

• More socks. I am going to knit Moonchild and hopefully enter them in the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
• More lace. I want to knit something in laceweight (2ply) yarn which will be a first.
• More spinning. I'd like to learn some more technique and knit something from my handspun.
• Something new - overcoming my fear of knitting fitted garments. I have just ordered the yarn for a scrummy jumper.
• Knit from stash. I just fell down and bought jumper yarn and (of course) some sock yarn with my Christmas money. But that's it. I have 2 crates of yarn and one of fibre. I can't get any more unless some leaves - by being knitted or by being sold.
  

On a more general note...

It's fair to say that 2010 was not the easiest of years for Hubster and I, so I look forward to 2011 with hope. Hope that Hubster will find a satisfying and rewarding job, hope that my health helps me rather than hinders me. I have a lot of hope for work - after spending much of 2010 in a holding pattern, changes in my team and the business' leadership have put lots of exciting projects and opportunities on the horizon. There is a lot to look forward to.

In which I am inspired by a wedding's aesthetic

Yesterday hubster and I attended a wedding at the Hungerford Hill winery in the Hunter Valley. It was a beautiful location and has definitely whetted my appetite to see more of the Hunter. But what particularly impressed me was the design aesthetic of the wedding. Nature and natural things were a theme from the invitations right on through. The couple bought two fruit trees as symbols of the occasion and the bouquets included roses, gumnuts and herbs. The guest register was actually a large print of a bare tree - you added a thumbprint in green ink to create leaves. The cake was actually cheese (to see what I mean look here!) And the bonboniere were very clever - little pots of jam or mustard that doubled as placenames and thankyou cards. We forgot our cameras so all we had were our iphones - but here's a photo of the ceremony plus the delightful bonboniere. Chanel's dress was gorgeous, such beautiful floaty material.





A quick update on the knitting. I have been working on two lace projects: Oiseau de Feu (Ravelry link, non-Ravelry example) and Brandywine Shawl. At this stage they are both intended for me! The photos below don't look like much: neither is blocked and my little digital camera has significant issues with that vibrant red. I shall have to read up on photographing red projects before I model the final product!


Oiseau de Feu


Brandywine Shawl

In which I sew

Spring is definitely here, and summer is on its way. Cue thunderstorms, cicadas, and sitting on the balcony of a weekend with a cup of tea (obviously not at the same time as the thunderstorm!)

A week or two ago in a burst of spring-related energy I actually pulled out the sewing machine and sewed a couple of simple bags. Now it's important to understand that I generally do not enjoy sewing. I love the concept of it, of turning gorgeous fabric into something both practical and beautiful. But the process...it's just not for me. I hate being jabbed by pins, I hate bending over cutting out the pattern or hand sewing a hem. It's painful (ask my fingers and back). There's also the fear of screwing up the measurements as you cut, or having to rip out a wrongly executed seam. So on the whole I need to be highly motivated to actually sew something. But a couple of small bags are easy enough to execute in an afternoon.

Hubster requested a dice bag (he has taken up Dungeons and Dragons) so that was first on the agenda. He turned up his nose at all my fat quarters and settled on a sturdy upholstery fabric intended to be a floor cushion some day. This turned out to to be something of a mistake as the bag has a drawstring top which doesn't really close properly due to the thickness of the gathered fabric. But hubster was happy enough to wind the drawstring around it lower down to compensate. I used a very handy drawstring bag tutorial from The Purl Bee which also showed me how to make a gusset in the bottom of the bag, which I was very chuffed about.



Bag number two was a peg bag. This has been my peg bag for years now.



Clearly it was time for a new one. So back into the stash for some more upholstery fabric and I whipped up a gussetted peg bag with a handy long handle for hanging it off the clothes rack.



All in all I was pretty satisfied with my sewing foray, although I do wish I'd used another fabric for that peg bag. Lesson learned! Next up is a lined knitting project bag using this tutorial (sans padding) from the Happy Things blog.

In which I muse on ALL THE THINGS

There's a bit of an "ALL THE THINGS" meme going around the Over the Fence Ravelry and twitter groups thanks to Zephyrama sharing a blog post from Hyperbole and a Half: "This is why I'll never be an adult". In it Allie describes the cycle of enthusiasm, burnout and avoidance associated with the burden of adult responsibilities. It's hilarious and I highly recommend you read it.

It particularly resonated with me at the moment. We are thinking and planning for a baby (no this is not a formal announcement of any kind: thinking and planning does not imply pregnancy!) and this just seems to double that burden of "adult" responsibility.

On top of working full time and managing our little household we must now consider a whole raft of additional concerns, from redoing our health care cover to considering a new car, where to live, trying to work out new budgets so we can save more, and wondering and how we will ever manage to maintain a semblance of our current lifestyle with an extra mouth and less income.

Even trying to work out how we can reduce the grocery and electricity bill implies an upfront investment of time and money (menu plans! and fancy switch-off powerboards etc) along with lifestyle changes. I've been reading about making savings on these and the recommendations others are at once inspiring and depressing. Usually because the trade off for saving money is spending extra time to do so. Shopping at multiple stores just takes more time than the Woolies dash. It's hard to cook from scratch nightly when one partner arrives home at 5.30 and the other at 6.30. Without menu plans (or even with them!) it's easy to fall prey to the quick pre-packaged dinner or takeaway - but making them eats into precious weekend time.

It's very easy to get super enthusiastic about changing your lifestyle for a week, or even a weekend. But to attempt ALL THE THINGS at once, to try change it all overnight, is definitely not the answer. Burnout sets in rapidly, expectations of improvements in finances etc take too long to appear (at least a month on our pay cycle, generally more), disappointment grows and the towel is thrown in.

So DH and I need to work out a sustainable timetable of incremental change and set some realistic expectations (god I sound like a project manager). One thing at a time. This weekend I tackled menu planning for the week. Today as well as a bit of cleaning and cooking I MIGHT update our finances and compare expenditure against the budget. Maybe I'll leave looking at cars and electricity savings until next week.

There's no need for me to feel guilty about not doing ALL THE THINGS, as long as I do some of them.

In which I crash out of the race

My Tour de Fleece plans came undone this week thanks to a lower back injury. I am not sure what caused the injury - I just woke up one morning in a lot of pain - but I suspect that poor posture while hand sewing and spinning contributed to it. So no more spinning until it settles down which is sad. The hand sewing I won't miss!

The injury is kind of frustrating because I have two singles ready to ply together (and was thinking of spinning a third to see how tangled up I could get plying 3ply).

I also got bored of the natural fleece and had a shot at some pretty pink/purple merino I picked up last year. It was very cheap and I know why now - it's actually pretty horrible to spin, it was quite matted and I had to pre-draft the life out of it. I suspect it did not help the lower back. Anyway here is what I managed pre-injury.

In which I learn to spin

It's been almost exactly a year since I last posted, which is a bit embarrassing. I tend to go through cycles of reading or writing, and clearly I've been in a reading cycle for a while.

I'm breaking the silence to report that I am learning to spin. Yes, as if knitting, bellydancing etc isn't enough I have further cluttered my living room with an Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. Spinning is quite enjoyable, although I still have to concentrate a fair bit on what I'm doing.

Here's my first, lumpy, overspun/underspun skein.


Here's my second, which is a definite improvement.


And here's what will be the third - I'm still in the process of spinning it. I am finally achieving some consistency in the thickness and twist of the yarn.


I am unofficially taking part in the Tour de Fleece, where you are supposed to spin everyday during the Tour de France. The idea is to set goals and challenges for yourself. My goal is to spin all of the crossbred top I have been learning on, so I can finally move onto something other than natural colours. I haven't managed to spin every day but I have been spinning most days. Which apparently is the best way to improve at spinning. Here's hoping!

In which I update my sadly neglected blog (Warning - picture heavy!)

Almost three months since I last updated my blog. Disgraceful. And vaguely terrifying. Where did the time go?

Well here's where it went in knitting projects anyway.

I knitted this shawl to go with the dress for my cousin's wedding in Melbourne. My deathly pallor in the photo is thanks to the dreadful flu/virus I had for the ENTIRE weekend, which was spent in the hotel room with a raging fever. I made it to the wedding ceremony but missed the reception.



A few weeks after that was the Quilting and Craft fair at Darling Harbour. There was some gorgeous gorgeous stuff for sale. And walls of wool!



It's possible I went a leetle bit nuts - but not too dreadfully over budget. Here's my haul.


And here's my OTHER haul.



Yes folks, I took out the guessing competition at the World Wide Knit in Public day event for Sydney. Thanks again to Sally (Pompom on Ravelry) for organising it and to Mosman Needlecraft for the delicious basket of yarny goodness!

What else...I finished the boss's scarf (only took a year), knitted some baby booties for a friend's baby shower, started a cardigan for the baby once it's born, and squeezed in most of a pair of fingerless gloves for myself. Sadly I did not do a good job of matching yarn to pattern; the yarn is beautiful but the semi-solid variegation hides the "dragon scales" of the pattern. Oh well, they're still yummy and warm.



And that's about it folks. Next on the needles are some legwarmers (started but I discovered knitting with plastic needles = very sore thumb so waiting for a new set), a hat for a friend and the return of the woodland shawl.

In which I wonder what to knit

I'm at a bit of an impasse, trying to decide which way to go. This was all triggered because I finally finished the baby blanket for my friend, hurrah! The blanket was my "big easy" knit - large needles, simple pattern. I'm still working on my Woodland Shawl which is more of a "small needles, think a bit" project.

So do I pull out the jumper I started last winter? Lots of mindless knitting there. Do I knit a chunky scarf to satisfy the big needle longing? I did start one but have abandoned it because I'm not happy with the colour combination of the wool. Plus I really should finish the scarf I started for my boss, that's plenty chunky but I have to pay attention to the pattern. Or do I get stuck into the pair of gloves or socks that I want to make?

Tonight I shall be virtuous and get stuck into the boss' scarf. And dig out the jumper. New socks and gloves can wait....unless someone can convince me otherwise...?!

In which I am linguistically challenged

Feeling a little verbally challenged tonight, so I'll just post up a pic of my latest project.



And some lovely lovely stitch markers that my friend messicat made....she's only a beginning knitter but she beads with the best of them.



I have been putting a lot of thought into the package for a swap I'm participating in with the Fairytale and Folklore group. I'm hoping messicat will be able to help me create some stitch markers to go with it. :D

In which I knit my first sock!

Baby sock
Originally uploaded by jedi_enna

Check it out - my first sock! The kitchener stitch for the toe is a touch loose and I have a slight hole at the ankle where I picked up the stitches at the heel. But otherwise I am quite please. Now I have to make the other one. Sigh.

Ostara and Amina Khaleegy Sydney Multicultural Festival

Ostara and Amina Khaleegy
Sydney Multicultural Festival
Originally uploaded by Nico Nelson

Here are two of the girls from "Desert Roses", Josefina Daley's bellydance troupe that I'm part of. This dance is in the khaleegy style, from the United Arab Emirates. The dancers pick up the front of that voluminous robe and use it as a prop. The other very important prop is hair - it gets swung around a lot in this style of dancing.

The photographer, Nico, is the husband of Chani and takes lovely photos. We're very lucky he comes to all of our performances!

In which I have a birthday...oh, and finish some gloves

I've been quite remiss in updating my blog of late. Things have been very busy both at work and socially and I must confess when I get home I just didn't feel like writing! So there is lots to catch up on.

Firstly - I finished my Strawberries n Cream Gloves!



I am really really pleased with them, they are both the most complicated and most elegant project I have completed yet. Cabling wasn't too hard once I got the hang of it, and the wool (Knitting by Zen 100% alpaca) was just gorgeous to work with. Seaming them up was a nightmare - matching moss stitch to stockinette is not easy. The recipient seemed quite pleased,
I hope she does enjoy wearing them.

Secondly - I got older!



Not that I'm a particular fan of getting older, but at least there are some compensations - such as:





The needles were a combined present from my mother and brother (Harmony tips, yayayayay!). The needle roll was made by my talented mother-in-law, I LOVE the knitting chickens on it. I also got a snuggly dressing gown and the DVD set "Long Way Round" in which Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman motorbike around the world. Great stuff.

I also picked up a couple of beautiful hairclips with the last of my money - here's one:


That little clip holds all my hair - IF I manage to put it in right, which is a bit of an art. But I'm getting there.

So there you go, the last couple of weeks all in one rush!

In which I holiday by the seaside

Over the weekend hubby and I went on a holiday with another couple, good friends of ours. Destination: Beach Cove, Dangar Island.

The first step was loading up with four days worth of gourmet food. As we squeezed 6 bottles of wine, juice, milk, 4 different types of cheese, biscuits, fruit, snacks, BBQ supplies and a BBQ chook into the car we wondered whether we were overdoing it. Turns out we weren't - we left with about 10 bags of shopping and came back with just 3. The weekend was one long feast - and we loved it! We did not, however, love carting all that shopping AND our luggage (including bellydancing and fire twirling supplies) over the sand from the wharf where the taxi dropped us. Always remember to travel at high tide folks, you end up much closer to your destination!

Aside from preparing and consuming copious quantities of food, we knitted (me), spun (Camee), drew (Craig) and juggled (Sean). We walked through the front yard onto the beach and swam at high tide. Sean and Camee kayaked around the whole island one morning. I started to learn some tricks with Camee's poi, although I seemed to spend more time hitting myself than spinning the darn things. We read, we watched dvds, we napped. We told the kookaburra who tried to steal our dinner where to go (at the top of my lungs). Altogether it was the most wonderful, relaxing holiday. The current debate is whether to return next year or head for the snow...decisions decisions!

More photos up on flickr.

In which I am injured but heroically knit on

Last night I went to Opera in the Domain (open air opera) with some fellow Ravelers. We had a fantastic time knitting and picnicing before the opera started at 8. But there was one slight hitch. Who would have thought you could slice yourself up with a garden-variety picnic knife while cutting an avocado? These aren't steak knives, they're for eating picnic stuff like cold chicken. But I tell you what, they were bloody sharp. Literally.

So there I am with this deep slice in the tip of my left index finger, and it's a real bleeder. Bandaids one and two don't do the trick, so it's off to find some of the first aid folk wandering around. There is much drama, taking of details, swabbing of gauze, wrapping and taping and by the time they are done I have a pretty impressive bandage on my finger It takes three of them to do this, which makes it all look very dramatic (although I think they HAVE to go around in groups of three). Apparently it's the most exciting thing they've done all night (well it is Opera in the Domain, not the Big Day Out rock festival).

So we all settle back down, finish off the picnic (complete with avocado), and then as we're packing up Camee does EXACTLY the same thing with one of the knives. Yeesh. Luckily hers didn't bleed quite as badly so we didn't have to call the first aid folk back!

So my dramatically bandaged finger has put a bit of a crimp in my knitting speed, which is very frustrating, especially as I want to finish the Strawberries and Cream gloves by tomorrow so I can give them to the birthday girl. Typical. Oh well, at least I'll have a good tale to tell when I provide the excuse!

Yarn Raffle for a great cause

Just found an amazing yarn raffle for a very good cause. Ravelry member PeaceSoup recently lost her sister, who left behind a young boy to be raised by his father and grandparents. PeaceSoup wants to give him an amazing birthday present so she is raffling off a chunk of her stash and some beautiful donated yarn for $5 a ticket. And this woman has some serious stash!

The details are here. I’m hankering for the Elizabeth Bennett Apple Blossom - and even if I don’t win, it’s a fantastic cause.