quelle erqsome...

yummy

I am currently perfumed with a somewhat rank combination of slugs, garlic, laundry detergent and lavender. This is because I was de-aphiding my garden this morning with my garlic mister and spotted a very small slug nestled in the shade of my zucchini (as if I don't have enough crawly creepies to deal with!) and as one very small slug will usually lead to many fat slugs if left unchecked, I hastened to get rid of it.

Then I lifted and hefted and peered under every pot I have to make sure there weren't any others. I found one, even smaller. I flicked both into the road where they were promptly smooshed by the Domestic Refuse Collectors (hurrah, the tax pound at work!).

Then I misted some more and suddenly realised that I was running late for invigilation training and had to run off unshowered. Gross!

This afternoon was spent lugging umpteen sodden sheets and cushion covers up to the laundrette to be tumble dried at the highest heat known to laundry.

To reward myself, I bought yet another lavender plant. (I think all this lavender might explain my recent onset of narcolepsy. I have been knackered lately.) But now, as I'm getting ready to go out,* I think perhaps rewarding myself with a shower might be a better idea. Oh, to be clean! What a very novel idea.

* ETA: going out to see The Woe Betides at Club Fandango, so excited! I actually haven't seen them play in ages, so really looking forward to it, as well as it being my birthday drinks night, hurrah!

attacked from all sides

Still no Lace Panel Cardi, I'm afraid. A couple of deadlines joined forces to club me in a sneak attack and then I discovered that my house and my garden have (separately) been attacked by the two most dread things possible: moths and aphids.

Very minor attacks on both quarters, but still the whole weekend was spent panicking, cleaning, panicking, tossing things out, panicking, cleaning, with a bit of tossing things out and panicking on the side. Fortunately every scrap of yarn and fabric I own has been hermetically sealed in plastic casings for just such an emergency (unattractive, sure, but I rarely achieve that level of forward thinking). All of our clothes are in the process of being laundered in high heat, freezed or dry cleaned. It's a mountain, I tell you. The upside is that we now have a fantastically clean house and I haven't seen a moth since Sunday (fingers crossed). The downside is that we now have to vacuum every day for the next four to six weeks to ensure that we catch any escapees. Actually, the other upside is that I have an official excuse to buy up an acres-worth of lavender, thyme and rosemary plants; they're nature's own moth repellent and have been strategically placed at all windows, on bookcases and in two cupboards (with time out to get some sun each afternoon). I'm going to spend next weekend making up sachets full of dried lavender, cloves and lemon to hang in our closets and stuff between couch cushions.

The weekend was also spent concocting various garlic tinctures for the garden, which worked wonderfully well. The only downside to this is that it smells like a garlic factory. The upside is that we are now safe from vampires and missionaries.

Also, because we don't have enough creepy crawlies creeping about, some cheeky spider dumped her egg sack outside our dining room window and it positively EXPLODED Sunday night. There are now a thousand spider babies exploring the onions that are growing om my window sill, though most of them have migrated to the gutter, where they are currently plotting my doom.

at last some birthday cheer

*

I lied. This post has nothing to do with the Lace Panel Cardi at all. Rather, it's merely to say that in lieu of having a birthday thing actually near my birthday, I'm extending my birthday to a birthfortnight and celebrating next Wednesday (29 April) to coincide with the Woe Betides headlining (headlining!) Club Fandango at the 229 Bar, conveniently found at 229 Great Portland St W1. They're on at 10 and I plan to be merry with drink by then.

A spot of Woebie shenaniganary, methinks, will be a quite lovely way to ring in the new year, hurrah! If you're in London or near London or by London (by London?) I would very much like to have you there with me. I'm going to PM/email people tonight, but suddenly realised there are HEAPS of people I don't have any email address to at all, which is most inconvenient indeed.

Oh yes, and if you're not on their mailing list, why the fuck not? You'd now be the proud listener of an exclusive new release; 'Sarah and the Great Glass Safety Net' is a wonderful thing.

*If you want to be on the guestlist without wasting the paper to print off the flyer above, add yerself to the Facebook Event Page thingammy or email the boys at thewoebetides [at] gmail [dot] com.

declaration of intent and purpose

One of the strange realities of starting your working day at 7 in the morning is that by 10 in the morning you start thinking about taking a break. In Real People's Regular Schedule Land that's practically lunchtime. So you may as well take an hour to play on Ravelry, potter about the garden and write a blog post. And maybe make cookies or soup or something because, dang it, there have to be some perks to working from home.

I'm not going to do that today.

I am merely going to report that my Lace Panel Cardi has arms. It's all blocked and ready for seaming and finishing. I decree here and now that my next post will bear witness to it being a complete garment.

previews galore

The Knit.1 and Interweave Knits previews have both been released this week. There are a bunch of things I rather like the look of from both. (Interestingly, the preview for VK has been up for a while and it is dull, dull, dull. I have never been quite so disappointed in Vogue; it's like they were going for Rowan's Summer 2007 collection. Bleugh.)

In IK, the Cabled Raglan Baby Cardi and Sweet Hex Child's Hood,

which are a must for kiddie knits, and the Akomeogi Tunic, the construction of which makes me start to drool just thinking about it. A delightfully deceptive knit, I suspect, however; I doubt it's nearly as complicated as all those luscious folds would suggest. There is one thing I must take issue with. The choice of models is, er, unfortunate. Or at least the choice of final pictures is. In bonus series (and in some main pics), at least one shows the model going out of their way to make the garments shaplessly, lump-enhancingly unflattering in at least one pose (as evidenced in this series; what is up with the crotch shot?). IK, listen up: get better models. Rarely have I so missed the Pam Allen-era lovelies.

Knit.1's preview page won't allow me to copy individual pictures, but the third one of the first series and the fourth and eighth of the third are awesome! I think I might actually like everything in the third series, but I really need the patterns in my grubby little hands before I know for sure.

great galloping dollops of custard

Last week was lovely and shitty for a bunch of reasons. The lovely was entirely due to birthday happenings and all your awesome birthday wishes (thank you!!) and lots of cake. The shitty was due to several things that springboarded from one thing and caused the woe of Thursday night to fug most of Friday and Saturday. And even though I hate it when other people do this on their blogs, I'm not saying any more than that. It's too raw, there's too much to get into and I just don't want to. Instead I'm going to share three things that have been working to counterbalance the other stuff.

Friday afternoon I was granted a distraction, in the form of Matthew's niece and nephew, who we took to the cinema to see Monsters vs. Aliens (genius 3D magic). They are very quickly becoming quite extraordinary people. Hannah is awesome. She's very clever and very kind and has inherited a wicked sense of humour. Daniel wants to learn how to knit so he can make a Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants. I am all for this.

I am currently one shoulder cap, a collar and a button band away from a complete Lace Panel Cardi. I have a small feeling this is going to oust my Buttony as Most Worn Knitted Piece in my wardrobe.

Spinach, lettuce, carrots. This might be my healthiest crop. The spinach and lettuce are looking absolutely luscious -- in fact, I might even be able to start harvesting some of the spinach soon -- and the carrots are just shooting up wonderfully! I've got a very wee spot of white fly at the moment, so I'm going to have to work out a way to combat that soon, but I'm not sure I can blame them. Those carrots look awesome. I've also got a mystery shoot in there. It might be watercress, but I'm baffled as to how it found its way in.

twenty-nine

Two days ago, after a whole day of gallivanting and shenaniganery, Matthew brought out the biggest piece of cake I've ever seen and I ate with gusto. Matthew makes the best birthday cake ever. Normally I'm the baker in our relationship while Matthew, who will very happily eat cookies and breads and things, has very little interest in making them himself. Birthday cake is the exception. Vegan double-double chocolate, banana creme frosted layer cake to be specific. Matthew's birthday is 8 April; mine is 14 April; this year we decided to go halves and make our collective birthday cake on Saturday 11 April.

We had cake on Sunday, followed by chocolate eggs and half a chocolate rabbit. We also had cake at Matthew's parents' place on Monday, which our sister-in-law made (egg-free! 'Do you know how hard it is,' she asked, 'to find a recipe book with an egg-free cake in it?' I nodded sympathetically. 'Shocking,' she said, shaking her head. 'Absolutely shocking.') and was delicious. We were sent home with a massive box of Ferrero Rocher, some gorgeous chocolate mint discs and a selection of Green and Black's mini bars. There was still some cake left, but we left it, figuring Matthew's parents might like it with their coffee the next day. We finished off our cake last night during Citizen Kane, followed by a Ferrero Rocher chaser.

Thus far, my twenty-ninth year seems to have consisted of nothing but chocolate. Chocolate and some very creative salads, my attempt to balance things out.

One of our adventures on Tuesday was a jaunt out to Socktopus, my very favourite of knitting boutiques. Matthew chose yarn for his next cardigan: Dream in Colour Smooshy in Gothic Rose and Cloud Jungle.

Intertwined, the Gothic Rose deepens into a vibrant plum while the Cloud Jungle almost glistens silver. Absolutely luscious and very Matthew.

I also bought my very first pair of interchangeable needles (5 mm, because while I've literally got nine pairs of 4 mm, my once-vast collection of 5 mms has disappeared), so that I could start my Lace Panel Cardigan from Classic Elite, which I finally did yesterday. I'm using the Lovegarn Iceland in a very nice petrol blue and it's knitting up swiftly. When I went back to it this morning for a very quick pre-back-to-work knit there was a healthy 8 inches of body.

 

But, due to a combination of idiocy (I can't count) and fussiness (I'd like it longer) on my part, it's now back down to a piddly 3 inches.

Sigh. At least now the hips will be longer and I know I need to actually count using numbers instead of relying on mere gut instinct, I suppose.

In other, very belated news, there's a new Knit on the Net up! Quadrato, Notorious and Joan Crawford are my favourites.

home front yarnies

I think my new favourite thread on Ravelry is this one from British Knitters. For ages and ages I've been after a list of UK-based yarnies -- trying to Google 'UK hand-dyer' only ever gets me in trouble, and the Ravelry 'by distance' filter only goes up to 60 miles. It's nothing against overseas hand-dyers, it's just that postage and shipping and wanting to support local are all much more achievable when there aren't thousands of miles in between.

There still seems to be something quite underground about the UK artisan scene, which I rather adore. Outside a scant few, you rarely hear about UK dyers springing up the way American or Canadian dyers suddenly appear. This has always rather surprised me. Why don't the UK-based magazines (such as they are) ever feature these people properly? When Knit Today ran a spread on Top Hand-Dyed Sock Yarns, they were all either German (Opal? Seriously?) or American. Let's Knit managed to get a word in for Gemini Knits, a fantastic if relatively obscure East Sussex dyer (I once bought some of her 4-ply merino for Lou to push her into sock knitting), but I don't really think that's sufficient.

Regardless, thanks to feltboots and the 65 other people on the Ravelry thread doing all the legwork, we now all have a wonderful resource and one I plan on abusing to the best of my ability. Nimu, Daniela Kloppmann, Yarn D'Amour, prepare to meet my credit card.

Incidentally, last month Lou and I started Loumms Creations, our very own Etsy site, hurrah! Check it out!

one a penny, two a penny

Hot cross buns are one of my favourite yearly rituals, but this year I was determined to make them myself. This determination might be why it's only been this past week that we've had buns of any variety in the house. Virtually every recipe I looked at called for egg, even though most store-bought ones are egg-free, so I was thrilled and relieved to find a vegan recipe at The Vegetarian Society. I've deviated from it somewhat, favouring a piped cross and far more indulgent glaze to what the VS call for, but after a couple of batches, I rather think I've got them down. 

Surprisingly quick and easy and far superior to anything you'd find in store, this is a perfect Easter treat.

Please note, I've included vegan and non-vegan ingredients for each part.

ingredients:

buns

8 oz strong white flour
4 oz plain wholewheat flour
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
2 tsp. dry activated yeast
1 oz granulated sugar
2 oz sultanas
2 oz chopped mixed peel
finely grated rind of one lemon
3 oz vegan margarine or butter
6 fl. oz soya milk or whole dairy milk

crosses

2 oz plain white flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. soya/dairy milk or water

glaze

2 tbsp. honey or agave nectar (or 2 oz sugar)
1 tbsp. soya or double cream
pinch nutmeg

method:

Place the margarine in a saucepan over low heat. When it has almost melted, add the milk and stir consistently for a couple of minutes, taking care not to let the milk come to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the yeast. In a large bowl, mix the flour, spices, sugar, sultanas, mixed peel and lemon rind. Make a well in the centre and add the margarine/milk/yeast mixture.

Gently knead the mixture in the bowl into a soft dough; if the dough is too dry, you may want to add some more milk, but you should be able to incorporate it all by easing the dough apart and folding in any remaining dry ingredients that way.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes. Return to the bowl and cover with a tea towel -- if you place a baking tray over top it will trap in the moisture, allowing the yeast to begin to ferment.* Leave in a warm place for 1--2 hours, or until it doubles in size.

* You might notice a lot of recipes instruct you to put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. I reckon this merely adds an unnecessary burden to your washing up and adds to the landfill. Using the same bowl, so long as it's relatively free of unworked dough, is perfectly fine. I very gratefully received one of those floppy silicone baking sheets for my birthday a couple of years ago and I always use that to cover my dough, but a clean tea towel weighted down with a metal baking tray works equally well.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back and knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface. Divide into 12 even pieces, roll each piece into a ball and arrange on a greased baking tray (I needed two as my oven isn't big enough for a large tray). Leave on top of the oven (which you should now have heating to about 200 C/gas 6), covered loosely with the tea towel, to proof (raise again) for about 30 mins.

While the buns are proofing, mix all the ingredients for the crosses into a runny sort of paste. You'll need something to use as your pipe, such as an icing pump, with a fairly fine nozzle.

Just before you put the buns in the oven, pipe your crosses or initials, etc. gently across the top, then bake for 15--20 minutes. (Make sure the rack is on the one second from the bottom -- lower and they don't cool all the way through; higher and they brown too quickly.)

Now it's time to make the glaze: in a small saucepan, over low heat, warm the honey/agave. (If you're using sugar instead, add a couple of tablespoons of water so it doesn't burn.) Once it's quite clear and runny, add the cream and mix well. 

The buns should be golden when you remove them. Transfer to a cooling rack and glaze generously immediately. (I put the baking tray under the rack to catch the drips.) Leave a few minutes to allow the glaze to set before serving.

Serve still warm with tea and a bit of strong cheddar or some of that lovely vegan Swiss cheese.

strange encounters

I had a narrow escape this afternoon with a Mormon missionary.* There have been two of them doing the rounds in our neighbourhood of late and, to be perfectly honest, they make me cross. Not cross enough to actually to throw things at them or anything, but cross nonetheless. In any case, so there I was walking to the post box and suddenly a hand loomed out of nowhere followed by a beaming insincere smile and a badge proclaiming I'm in the presence of a child of God.

I held up my letter as a sign I didn't fancy shaking a perfect stranger's hand, particularly one whose collar was so blindingly starched.

'I just wanted to ask you something,' he protested in a Mid-Western drawl. He flashed his bright teeth at me.

'I just want to post my letter,' I said.

He looked like he was on the verge of digging out his good book, as though it was a letter of introduction.

'If you're a missionary,' I said as I put my letter through the slit and noted it would be picked up by 5; he halted mid-dig, 'I'm not interested.'

'Why? Do you have a problem with this?' He said it with a small, tight smile that didn't move beyond his mouth.

'Yes,' I said. 'As a matter of fact I do. I find it invasive, presumptive and not a little arrogant.'

'Oh.' He had the grace to look somewhat abashed as though he hadn't thought of that before, but I didn't stick around to see what else he would think next.

It's the first time I've ever managed to engage and disengage with a missionary without feeling a wave of stabby-stompy fury hit me the moment I shut the door behind me. Because I do find what they do invasive. I find it incredibly presumptive. I also find it unbelievably arrogant. It was nice to voice such an opinion.

Oddly enough, this week I also walked passed a homeless man holding a string that was attached to a lid, trying to lure two cats into a cage with tuna on my way to some Monday night knitting. Completely unrelated, I suppose, other than being slightly perplexing at first sight.

* Sorry, I didn't realise until later that they were emphatically not Jehovah's Witnesses. It even said so on their tags.