Selfish Knitting and Hob Nobs

First off, apologies that there has not been much going on around here lately. My motivation seems to be lowering along with the temperature, as it gets colder and whiter outside (down to -41 this week) my only desire seems to be to retreat to bed with a good book and some Hob Nobs (see below). However, I have manged to pull myself upright and some knitting in front of the tele so all is not lost. And only 4 months to go til spring.

I like to knit. I like to give gifts. Ergo, the vast majority of my knitting is gifted. I think I can count on one hand the things I have made for myself. As as addendum to my Knitting Resolutions, I am only knitting things for myself for a while. Its so much less stressful - no deadlines, no pressure to make it perfect. Right now I am working on this slouchy beanie for which I am finally using up some stashed  Vanna's Choice. I've not got on well with this yarn in the past, its acrylic, scratchy and splitty. But weirdly it seems to be behaving itself this time around and trying into a really snug and cute hat. I hope.

I have also, rather fabulously, discovered how to make Hob Nobs! Yay! The recipe calls them Abbey Biscuits but I know, I know. They're Hob Nobs. Delicious, crunchy, oaty Hob Nobs.And with all the brown flour and oats they are practically a health food.

Hob Nobs (makes 24)

150g butter
150g light brown sugar
150g plain brown flour
1 tbs milk
1tsp bicarb
1 tsp golden syrup

1. Heat the oven to 150 Celsius / 300 Fahrenheit.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
3. Add milk, soda and syrup.
4. Stir in the flour and oats and mix well.
5. Roll into small balls and space evenly on lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork. 
6. Bake for 20 - 25 min until golden.
7. Cool on wire racks, and enjoy with a nice cup of tea and a sit down. Possibly while watching Marple. Fight feelings that you are in fact, 65 years old.

Knitting Resolutions

 My knitting has reached a bit of an impasse. This has been a few reasons but mainly I have'nt seen anything I want to make lately and sewing is just so much more instant gratification...harder to do while watching TV, though. So, in addition to my sewing resolution, I think I need a few for my bamboo needles.

1. I will knit my ravelry queue, in order and with the right yarn
2. I will no longer subject myself to the frustration that is buying yarn at Michaels.
3. I will accept that to make truly nice garments I should probably spend more than $6 a skein.

 I made a good start with these over the weekend when I made my first purchase from Knit Picks to make the first item in my queue, the Carnaby Skirt. Living in The Frozen North as I do, skirts don't figure much in my wardrobe for 6 months of the year. But the reviews if this pattern all assure me that this skirt is toasty warm, especially when knit up with Wool of the Andes. Here's hoping.

The Carnaby Skirt (Photo by Knitty.com)

The Haberdashery of Dreams or: Why I Hate Fabricland

Some of my earliest memories are of buying fabric with my mum. She shopped at the local draper, a tiny little shop in the back streets of our town where there seemed to be cloth of a hundred different colours, patterns and textures up to the ceiling (I was very small). I was fascinated by the button display and the long wooden counter with the brass rule set into it. Buying fabric there was magical.
Buying fabric here is not.

Fabricland: Not Magical

 Doesn't it make you depressed just looking at it? Until I discovered Etsy all my fabric purchases were made here, and they were all dreadful. Dreadful. Not only is the selection poor, the lighting is horrible and the staff grumpy. Well, wouldn't you be? Oh, and did I mention how pricey they are?

Here, on the other hand, is where fabric goes when it has been very, very good indeed.

Liberty of London: Magical

Now, I must be honest and admit that I have never set foot in Liberty's. This is probably a good thing as I imagine I could spend an awful lot of money there. Small niggles like cash flow (and 6,000 miles of distance) aside, who wouldn't want to shop there? The selection is amazing, the patterns exquisite, the displays imaginative and attractive.I have no idea what their staff are like but I imagine them to be kindly and helpful ladies of a certain age who know all there is to know about dashing haber.

I'll take it all!

See how fascinating button displays can be?

I don't know what I would do with a lot of turquoise feathers, but I'm willing to take that risk

 And when you get bored of browsing yards and yards of tana lawn, varuna wool, vogue patterns, bias binding and tapestry kits....you can always go and buy a zebra's head.

What every home needs: a zebra to hang your coat on

All this drooling over Liberty reminds me of the fantastic giveaway the lovely Handmade Jane has on offer. Post a comment here and get the chance to win a copy of Sew Serendipity and/or five fat quarters of Liberty quilting cotton.

Aren't they lovely? (and isn't she generous?)

Happy New Year!

 Oh my goodness it's been a while, hasn't it? I have no real excuse, unless loafing around watching TV and eating mince pies is an excuse...well its has been Christmas after all. But now the New Year is almost here and it's time to pull my socks up and get back to making stuff. Normally I make a few resolutions, but this year there is only one:

1. Sew stuff. Sew one wearable garment/accessory once a month at least. Build a fabric stash and make stuff with it. 

In fairness, the stash building I don't need much help with but the making something wearable I certainly do.  Since I got my sewing machine last Christmas I have made one dress and one skirt, neither of which are much good and which lurk at the back of the wardrobe taunting me with my lack of effort.

No more taunting!

I have been browsing Etsy all day for fabric and have found some winners, I feel. My January Project will be this lovely skirt by Clothkits

Picture brazenly lifted from clothkits.co.uk

This is the skirt I made before, but madly chose gabardine as the outer layer (gabardine?! Why?!) and quilting cotton for the inner. Needless to say there was very little drape, flow, or any kind of movement at all in the final garment. No one can accuse me of not learning from my mistakes so for Bustle Skirt: The Return I'm going to use some lovely wafty gauze cotton, perfect for hot summer days. I think I remember those, just (-23 today...)

Right, I am off to celebrate the evening with The Husband at a lovely little restaurant with eight courses and hopefully champagne...

Dog + Cake

So my beautiful fruit-filled, brandy-laced Christmas cake is no more. Diego, our 5-year old lurcher, managed to help himself to over half of it last night. He was not a well puppy, there was puke on our bed, on his bed, on the sofa, the kitchen floor, the sitting room floor, the hallway.... the poor thing could only have ice cubes every hour to rehydrate him and now he's on a fast until lunchtime to help his stomach settle.

The Decimator

I feel so guilty - I mean this is the dog whose illicit food spoils over the years has included: raw potatoes, a block of butter with the foil still on, a whole partridge, a dead pigeon, plastic bags...so really I should know better than to leave the house with any kind of food anywhere in reach.

The Decimated

Although the cake was decimated I did save just about half of it and it is very, very good so you can't blame him really.

The Silk Road

Finally, finally finally the dupioni silk I ordered in October arrived this morning. It is absolutely gorgeous, I'm really happy with the colurs I picked. But unfortunately it is too late - I have already had to abandon my plans to make gifts with it to send home to the UK  so now I am a bit stuck.
What shall I make with five fat quarters of silk? I'm quite taken by this cushion, or maybe a scarf and some rosettes. Hmmm. Decisions decisions.

Its so lovely I am almost afraid to cut it...

Christmas Phase I

Yesterday I got the wreaths up on the front and back doors. We have a plain fake wreath which I dressed up with some pine-cones I collected earlier in the year and some gold berries from Michaels. I'm quite pleased with how they look.

The back door one is just some more fake berries twisted into a ring

So: Cake is made, cards are made and mailed, wreaths are up, gifts have been bought....I'm feeling very organized indeed!