Christmas Cooking - Part One: Savoury

I live a very privileged life. Christmas to me has always been, on some level, about abundance - about the pile of gifts waiting tantalisingly beneath the tree, about an extra effort to spend time with family, and about eating too much for at least two days straight. There are other aspects of course, like the joy of giving, of community outreach, goodwill to men and so on (though, ironically, it's also the season that can make it most difficult to feel goodwill towards anyone!), but it's the abundance that comes with recipe reviews so that's the one I'm writing about.

How to Knit: Wrap-and-Turn Short Rows

When it comes to putting curves into knitting, nothing beats the noble short row - and it's not as complicated as it looks, I promise. Short rows can help add a bend into an otherwise straight rectangular shawl, and let you turn corners with ease when knitting sock toes and heels.

Short rows make this piece into a trapezoid - long bottom, short top and inward-sloping sides.

Want to knit "wrap-and-turn" short rows? Of course you do. Let's learn how!

O Christmas Tree

NOW it feels like Christmas is on its way - it didn't when we put the lights up in the yard or draped the house with tinsel or made snowflake-shaped gingerbread. But now that the tree is up I can feel it. Christmas is close!

I Dream of Iced Tea

Now that it's starting to be consistently warm I'm finding myself pining for cool, refreshing drinks - and every time I walk past the stone fruit at the supermarket the smell makes my mouth water. I'm not a huge fan of their taste but the scent is irresistible. So while the garden responds to the shift in the weather by bolting... I'm making iced tea.

These strange little blossoms are cuter than the iced tea, though.

Is It Summer Now, Or...?

While I continue to get absolutely no knitting done (but the writing hasn't faltered yet, so I think that's a plus) I have still made some time for the garden. So far we've had the most dismal spring I can remember, and this week - the last fortnight before summer - we have finally had some heat. The last three days were hot! It's been having quite an effect.

The colour of this bloom is genuinely fluorescent.

Oops I Finished It

So much for a simple project to fill my little spare time for the month - I finished that the day after my last post. Oops?

NaNoWriMo and Me: Why My Knitting is On Hold

Ever since I was a kid I've dreamed of being an author. I mean, who doesn't? It's not a rare dream, and those with the talent and passion to follow through are the part that's hard to come by. I'm not even sure I have either of those but what I do have is a sort of idiotic ambition. Sure, I might not have put in the hard yards yet, but I can, and I'm gonna get there any day now!

How do you write?

In that mindset I am, once again, participating in National Novel Writing Month this November (and probably not as much knitting as I'd been planning).

Blunder Woman: Storm Damage

Have you ever put your seed trays out in the sun and then, without thinking about the impending bad weather, gone inside for a quick nap? No? Just me?

Pictured: the contents of my third seed tray. Not pictured: the third seed tray.

An Explosion of Life

Now that we've had a few warm spring days all that rain is really paying off: everything is growing like mad (weeds included of course) and I'm starting to feel really guilty about how much time I'm not spending in the garden. I did have a nap lying in the sun, though, and it was glorious. I can really see the appeal of this photosynthesis business.

I think the blueberries are starting to berry!

Boyfriend SOCK Curse?!

We've all heard that knitting your boyfriend a sweater is a sure-fire way to end the relationship - the Boyfriend Sweater Curse is an infamous one spread between knitters the world around and, while (of course) not actually based in fact, backed up by countless tales of woe and heartbreak. I thought I was safe from this as I'm sticking to socks but... things haven't been going well.

At least they're pretty.

Luggala Heartbreak

Is there anything worse than frogging hours of work? I finally bit the bullet and ripped out Luggala's sleeves because, as hard as it was to admit it, the sizing was way off. At least my other news this week is all good: everything in the seed trays is growing and our second attempt at dumplings went even better than the first. Oh - and the chickens are laying!

No, I still have just the two - it may have taken me a couple days to notice is all.

Blunder Woman: Ambition Exceeds Ability

If there's one trait I don't like to acknowledge in myself it's laziness. It's there, though, and every time I stand in the back yard staring out at the burgeoning weeds I sigh and think "that's going to take forever to fix up". Sometimes I grab my gardening gloves and trudge out there to deal with some of it anyway, but... sometimes I go inside and sit in front of the tv with my knitting instead. And if there's one thing I've learned in the months since my last Blunder Woman admissions it's that I have way more ideas than dedication to following through on them.

It's time to fess up on what didn't work this winter.

Recipe: Hearty Breakfast Wrap

Do you like breakfast, and food you can eat without cutlery? ME TOO. Today I'm going to show you my much-refined breakfast wrap and help get you started on a more convenient sort of breakfast food.

Spring is Happening!

Spring has barely arrived but the garden is not wasting any time. Roses I pruned a few weeks ago already have buds on them. Bees are swarming around the lavender. Flowers I didn't know I even had have bloomed and it's just so pleasantly warm. Spring is HERE!

Oh, and - contain your excitement, folks - the artichoke is flowering.

Chard at Work

Chard! This "bitter, pungent and slightly salty" relative of beets and spinach has been, slowly but steadily, settling in to the bed beside my perpetual monster spinach for a few months now. I have the rainbow variety, so my plants have a mix of green, red and yellow stems - it's really pretty! But also it just seems like such a "fancy" ingredient. I don't know what to do with it.

Luckily, Martha Stewart has me covered (not a phrase I ever thought I'd say): it's time for some chard pasta.

Winter's End

Tomorrow is the first official day of spring and I'm so keen for the sun to be out. It will finally be warm enough again to enjoy being out in the garden without being too hot to enjoy knitting (summer is a rough time to knit!). My Luggala is taking shape, the Siren Song has a new home and the chickens have an extended yard to scratch around in.

One of these days I'll remember to tidy up before I take these pictures. At least it's authentic?

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Springtime

As we approach the official beginning of spring I can't help but think that the garden knows something I don't - the plum tree has burst into flower seemingly overnight, the nights are cool but still, the days boast the most room-temperature weather I've ever felt and there is green everywhere. It's as if we're on the verge of an explosion of life, and everything is just quietly waiting for the signal to go. I can't wait.

I Heart Luggala

You guys, this project is consuming my life and I wish it would never end (but also that it would so I could wear it already).

Columbine in sunlight is a lot pinker.

The Cast On Itch

Yarn has arrived and, despite my best efforts to the contrary, I have cast on a new project. We also made dumplings and I discovered just how hard rust stains are to get out of concrete. It's been a very adult week.

Proud Chicken-Mum moment: they finally agreed to put themselves to bed on the roost at night. Finally.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

The rain continues and, as I doggedly fight off this cold I still almost have, it is (if nothing else) great knitting weather. So today, instead of going outside, I'm working on my binge watch of Star Trek (TNG) on Netflix as I work on these scarves.

I'm not going out in that!

Oops I Bought More Plants

The chickens have their roost, and also I stopped by the nursery and accidentally bought some more plants. But the sun was shining! What else was I supposed to do?

Winter Wonderland

It got awful wintry here over the last week - a massive storm left us with prolonged power outages and a garden buried in hail. Where I live is usually pretty temperate, even in winter, so the extreme weather was a bit of a shock to all of us. There were a few accidents locally (due to black ice - thankfully we don't get that too often) and an old church lost its roof but otherwise we pulled through pretty well. It was sure dramatic though!

The chickens were entirely disinterested by the entire thing.

These girls don't even care.

Oh, and the potatoes have started to come up!

Needle Updates: Startitis

Well, it's official. I have a bad case of startitis.

If you've never heard of it, startitis is the uncontrollable urge to cast on new projects - regardless of how many you already have on the needles. In the last two weeks I've cast on three new projects (in addition to the three I'm already working on) and I've been dreaming about a third, too.

Startitis! At least it will help me whittle down this stash?

Linen stitch in lace-weight yarn: beautiful and terrible.

Pattern: Colour Shift Cowl

My mother has received a lot of compliments about the Colour Shift Cowl I made for her for Christmas (after she admired the one I made for myself) and I've had a few people ask about the pattern - so it's time to write it up. This one is fairly simple, and all you need to know is: knit and purl stitches, knitting in the round, how to knit together and how to lift a stitch from the row below (there's a link to a tutorial for that). There is an option for a fancy cast on/bind off but this is easily replaced by any other technique you prefer.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

76" size, shown here in Wool of the Andes Tweed, 'Oyster' and 'Indigo' heathers.

This Garlic is In A Hurry

It's really cold outside! The garlic is in a hurry to get growing, though, and my strawberries look happier now than they did all summer.

They do have some weird green things growing, though?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Aside from the incoming Antarctic storm front that's due to possibly actually give us actual snow this week, it doesn't really get that cold here. But it does get Australia cold, and boy is it. I'm scraping frost of the windscreen after work and layering knitwear over my clothes as I potter around the house - not the most stylish look but dammit does that shawl+cowl+glove+lap blanket combo keep you just about warm enough.

Meanwhile the extra rain has the garden beds carpeted in green (mostly weeds that I have no idea how to keep on top of) and my water-loving plants thriving. It's also prime knitting weather, and that means it's time to cast on a new project or two for that extra variety.

Strawberries and kale... and some very enthusiastic weeds.

Here Comes The Sun

The sun is, by some miracle, shining today. It's so lovely and warm outside - and while yesterday I wore an almost uncomfortable number of layers just to keep warm, today I'm in a t-shirt and leggings. It is, in essence, the perfect day for a Chore Day. Time to get out into the garden!

So You Want To Knit Socks, Part One: Equipment

Though I've been knitting for a few years now I was always intimidated by the idea of knitting socks. The yarn and needles are both so tiny! It has to fit! You need to, like, measure stuff! You need to actually for real this time work out gauge before you get started (and we all know that gauge is something you pretend you have because it doesn't matter if a scarf or shawl is a little off in size).

I'm here to tell you that socks are totally achievable. There are a few new skills to learn, and a lot of techniques to choose between, but I assure you that if you can knit you can knit socks. This series of posts will be a guide to all of the options, techniques, styles and advice I've accumulated in my sock-knitting adventures.

If you already know how to knit socks or would like to jump right in, you can head over to my Sock Knitting Formula, a "pattern" for a pair of simple, fitted socks knit from the toe up for maximum fittedness.

If you want to take it step by step, then come on in. First we are looking at the necessary ingredients for knitting socks - yarn, needles and helpful extras.

Sprouts!

Did we ever doubt that the potatoes were going to sprout? Please! Obviously when you follow the directions on the package things turn out just fine. Supporting that theory: my potatoes have begun to sprout.

Finally.

Blunder Woman

It's easy to forget that part of learning is screwing something up. When I post here my first instinct is to find the most impressive things I can show off - something growing well, my chubby chickens, fruits and vegetables that are ready to eat. But the reality is that those moments are scattered between a series of screwups and disappointments. And if I'm meant to learn from these mistakes, well, it's time to own them. Here are some things I've gotten wrong so far this year.

Garden State: May

The garden is changing so fast! I've only been here six months and already things are growing mad. When I look at it day to day the differences aren't so drastic but in the process of taking pictures of everything that's growing I've created a handy record to compare - so today we're gonna have a little then-and-now on how much things have grown.

Sweet Peas, planted (probably?) around St Patrick's Day - two month's growth

Winter is Coming

I'm not going to lie, winter is my favourite time of year - but I'm a little sad that the intense growing of spring and summer are behind me now. Time to dig in some of the slow burners: I'm trying my hand next at potatoes and onions since, unlike some of my more whimsical choices (so much spinach! How often do I even eat spinach? And what am I going to do if any artichokes grow?!), these are staples in my kitchen. It's also the season for broccoli, carrots and snow peas. I love all of these! Goodbye corn and tomatoes, hello staples and brassicas...

Ok, but first we have to get through autumn: the weather certainly hasn't gotten cold yet, and things are still looking quite cheerful out back.

Backyard Babies: Silkie Chickens!

Worms are all well and good but they're far from exciting and, especially at this time of year, they don't eat that much. The property's chicken coop, on the other hand, was just dying for some residents and I've finally gotten my hands on a pair. It's time to introduce the newest family members, my sweet baby silkie chickens!

A Medieval Love Af-Faire

If there's one weekend a year that all other plans are off, it's this one - and I don't mean because of Mother's Day (I mean, I love you mum, but I love you all year round). No, it's because my state's renaissance faire is on, and ren faire is a magical place where all of your medieval-ish dreams can come true. People on horses swinging swords at lettuces! Dudes in armour belting each other around the head with (blunt) swords! Tightly corseted bosoms as far as the eye can see! Rustic meat pies and stalls selling anything you could ever even tangentially call medieval- or fantasy-related! People with spinning wheels*!

* I live in rural South Australia. Spinning wheels - and, indeed, hand crafts of all kinds - are not commonly seen.

Earth Day Adoption: Compost Time

Since 1970 we have been celebrating March 22nd as Earth Day - a day to reconsider our impact on the environment and what we can do to improve things. It has had international celebrations and grassroots campaigns. We have signed treaties to re-establish our commitments to making the world better. We turn the lights off, plant trees, and make an effort to reduce food waste. For me, this year I adopted a few thousand new family members.

Progress in Preservation

My biggest goal in beginning this journey into (aspects of) self-sufficiency has been to learn pickling and preserving. It's one thing to pick some tomatoes from the garden and make yourself a salad but entirely another to process the things you've grown and then put them aside for another day. It still seems to odd to me that I can just make something like jam or chutney or sauce - could I be any more a product of my modern upbringing?! - but the idea of actually doing that remains incredibly exciting. And now that I've tried my hand at a few of these I'm ready to show some of it off.

Could I have staged this shot better so there wasn't laundry and cold medicine in it? Yes, I really could have!

Problems!

You guys, things are going wrong. Some of my plants are dying! Something is eating the others! Also the ants got back into my house, and I accidentally got boiling vinegar smell up my nose and allow me to tell you: it is not pleasant.

The talcum powder defence has failed.

Homemade Pesto is Besto

I've always enjoyed cooking and baking - although cleaning up after? Not so much! - and having my own kitchen makes it even more fun. I plan the week's meals, put aside extras in the freezer for later, and actually quite enjoy going grocery shopping (although I hear this stops being fun once you have kids, so I'm glad that's a ways off yet). Having a garden I can actually harvest for ingredients is incredibly rewarding. So far I've had the chance to make a few things and I'm looking forward to sharing my favourite recipes.

Pest Problems

Did you know that yellowing leaves on a bean plant could be caused by more than half a dozen different things? It's true, and none of them are easily identifiable, either. My garden is plagued by pests and I really just don't know what to do about it.

Sock Knitting Guide - Formula Method

EDIT: I am in the process of putting together a series of posts that guide you from needle choice through to the various techniques of sock knitting. As I go I will update this guide to include only the formula itself. Hopefully this will be easier to follow, and will allow me to include more information on all the aspects of sock knitting than I can in a single post.

Well, I caved. I cast on the socks. I kept looking over my shoulder at the beautiful blue skeins and finally I couldn't take it any more - it was time to fire up the swift and winder and get my tiny sock circulars out again. Unfortunately my normal stitch count ended up a little too tight with the stranded colourwork and I've had to rip them out and begin again, but it reminded me of how much trouble I had finding information about how to knit socks to begin with, so I'm going to see if I can collate some of that in here. Read on below for a guide to sock knitting - everything you need to know to make socks (well, my way at least) is included below, as well as a bunch of links to some of the excellent knitting help resources around the web.

The Joy of First Harvest (Updated)

Today I harvested my first home grown vegetable! It was an exciting moment and as I washed the ants away and beheld the glory that was my misshapen little ear of corn I could only smile at its... irregularities.

My Fickle Knitting Heart

The Aperture Science square is going well (only twelve rows left to go) and I'm looking forward to the next one - Tetris! - but there's been a sort of a snag. Do you remember how I quit the Geek-A-Long last year to the undeniable urge to knit socks instead? Well, today I looked over at the sock yarn shelf beside my desk, and... I mean, it's been like ten weeks since I knit on a pair of socks! That is a long time in knitting hours.

Weeds or Wanted?

Why do baby plants and weeds look so identical?!

Lately, the first thing I do in the morning is go outside to check out the garden and see what's changed since I was last out there (ie yesterday). And the great thing is that there's usually something to see - a new sprout here, more leaves there, buds opening everywhere. It isn't all great, though. Maybe it's just my inexperience talking, but... I can't tell the difference between weeds sprouting and the seeds I planted coming up.

Grass? Spring Onions?

Getting Knitty With It

It's summer here and that means long days full of hot sunshine. The garden is loving it - the corn especially seems to relish the heat - but my skin does not, and that means keeping gardening to the early evening. Once the heat goes out of the afternoon I can prune and weed and potter to my heart's content but in the meantime I need ways to spend my time. When I'm not reading or gaming (or, I mean, at work) that means knitting.

My grandmother tried to teach me to knit when I was younger but it didn't really stick at the time. It was only years later, after a childhood spent marvelling at the things my mum created, that my dad showed me how to crochet. It was easier to get into, the work grew at a more satisfying pace, and I was happy. Even better - the stitches could easily become mindless, and I was able to work without looking most of the time. I spent one summer (WHY SUMMER) making my first throw blanket: I took the biggest crochet hook I could find, lined up my entire acrylic stash by colour, and crocheted with three strands held together at a time. There are some things I'd do differently if I were to make another (the cast-on chain is much too tight, for example) but the bold colour progression is still delightful and I love how warm the blanket's sheer weight makes it feel. When it was finally done I washed it and the water it soaked up made the thing so heavy I had to get my brother to haul it to the clothes line for me. It's the size of a double bed (with plenty of overhang on the edges).

Branching Out

I've always loved the home- and base - building part of video games. Since the SNES I've followed the Harvest Moon games, one of the first things I played on my own PC was The Sims and the settlement construction feature of Fallout 4 has sucked up a huge amount of my playtime. And, now that I'm an adult, I've kinda become obsessed with the idea of doing some base building of my own - specifically some gardening.

I'm a little wary of some of the catchphrases of the 'organic' movement - it seems to often be associated with some stuff I disagree with, like the fear of 'toxins', praise of all things 'natural' and the distrust of medicine - but I don't deny there are some ideas that appeal to me too. I like the thought of reducing my impact on the world, providing for myself, creating things instead of just consuming them.