Spinning

One of the best things about working in education is the random events that take place throughout the year and I've been a little bit excited about this week for a while. In case you didn't know, this week is 'International Wool Week' and I was asked if I could spare some time to help students learn to knit this week. Unfortunately I hadn't planned on Auditors being in this week as its usually carried out nearer the beginning of October so sadly I couldn't spare much time. I did, however, pay attention in SMT this week when 'Live Sheep' were mentioned (its amazing what appears on the Agenda sometimes). None the less its true, yesterday we did have real sheep in the Art building!! They didn't look very happy to be honest but then again what does a 'happy sheep' look like? I had to go and check these out for myself so imagine my delight at not only finding sheep but also an entire spinning guild set up in the gallery!!! 

Despite having a to do list that still doesn't seem to be reducing at all I just couldn't resist  asking for a quick spinning lesson and it was so much fun. I was completely rubbish at though but I was wearing inappropriate footwear and finding it impossible to just 'relax and let the wool slip though your fingers', as I was advised. Every muscle was tense no matter how hard I tried not to be but it is one of those skills you just need to practise for hours to get it right.  This is me, 'attempting' to spin some wool...

The lady that was showing me was so patient and understanding too, and she gave me my efforts to keep...

I don't think it would knit up very well somehow!  Of course I am now spending a little time here and there searching ebay for spinning wheels.

A little decoupage

I've been busy. I started these yesterday evening and I'm really pleased with them!

I nearly had a go at decoupage last year but for some reason I changed my mind. When I found these MDF letters on sale yesterday I just couldn't resist making this. 

So here is how I have spent the last few waking hours of my life. The letters were 3 for £10 (or £4 each) hence there is a heart too. I wouldn't have thought to add it without the offer but I'm glad I did now.

Once I figured out which order to use the colours, and watched a couple of You Tube videos to check that I was doing it right, it didn't take long to get the first letter finished....

That was finished at about 10:45 pm. Having got up at 5 am I really should have gone to bed but I just couldn't help myself...

So I did the 'I' too before bed! This morning I finished the rest off in a about 3 hours...

Now I just need to figure out where to hang them and how to hang them. I'll think of something. So that's another finished project, if I complete another then I get to start one of the others I bought yesterday too. I'm feeling very motivated all of a sudden.  I do also have a LOT of glue and paper left over from the letters above so any object I consider 'dull' around my house better watch out!

Knitting and Stitching Show

Today has been a fantastic day!  It started a bit too early for a Saturday but it was worth it. I was up at 5 am so that I could catch the 6:21 am train to London! (£13.50 fare rather than £40 upwards at a more convenient time of day.)  It was cold, dark, raining and miserable but I was in such a good mood I didn't care.

To get into the spirit of things I crocheted all the way to London so only another 46 little squares to go now too. The journey was good, and straight forward despite the Victoria Line being completely shut all weekend (resulting in lots of very grumpy people it seemed). The best bit was probably the short bus journey from Wood Green station up to Alexandra Palace. The queue for the free shuttle bus was immense so when a normal bus turned up many of us jumped on that one instead, ('many' being about 80 women). There was a lone man sat at the back at the time minding his own business, upon being joined by so many knitting 'crazy' women he just couldn't stand it any longer and left pretty quickly to stand near the door (still surrounded by more crazy women though). I think he was slightly concerned that he may have got ambushed into the knitting show which, it appeared, would have been a bit of a nightmare for him! His loss...he didn't realise what he was missing.

So here we are - Alexandra Palace - Knitting and Stitching show 2012...

I did feel quite a home very quickly when I found this within the entrance area...

So...maybe, instead of getting annoyed with my unfinished projects, I should just turn them into an art form as they are?! That's exactly what was inside there - lots of unfinished work with the stories that went with them. It was fascinating but I think I will stick to my original plan of actually finishing mine.

The above picture was taken about half an hour after the show opened. Within an hour you couldn't move it was that busy - I was slightly amused by those people that were irritated by the crowds...what were they expecting?!  This is the picture I took while eating a blueberry muffin for lunch (er...diet?! hmmm)...

So much wool...in so many colours...

There was some completely stunning quilts that I wasn't allowed to photograph but we were able to take picture of these ones, below. They are good but not as incredible as the others.

These quilts were about 5ft square so still reflect substantial effort.

I will tell you why this is here in a later post...

Finally, on the way out I found this. I've been to a couple of model villages in the past but nothing quite like this before...

I'm sure child #3 will be overjoyed when he gets knitted model railway stuff for Christmas!...maybe not :-( ...still tempting though!

Amazingly I was really good and stuck to the budget but that still meant that I left the show with at least 4 new projects. I am planning on making a start on the first of those right now and I'm not telling you what it is just yet either. I knew I wouldn't be able to resist a new start today but I am technically allowed 1 new project so all is still good! This one is something entirely new too...I nearly had a go at it last year but never got around to it.  Here goes then!

I'll be back soon.

Chickpea Curry

I've been getting into the winter spirit today! I think this was because when we left the house this morning at 7:40am the world looked like this....

Cold, dark and very very foggy. I was very tempted to put my scarf on too but I decided that early October was just too soon. Anyway the weather did improve, thankfully, as the day went on.

I've been trying to keep on top of things at home and therefore, having got home from work early today, I decided to make tomorrow's dinner a day early. This dish is one of those that always tastes even nicer the following day. It is a lovely wintery meal too...and good comfort food without loads of calories (yes, I am actually more committed to the diet this week...well so far anyway).

Having spent a couple of years trying to follow recipe after recipe in an attempt to find a good vegetarian curry, only to be disappointed, I discovered this one without following anything but simply chucking lots of stuff into a big pan that I thought might be nice. It was, and even the nest agreed! (They are't usually that great with the hippy style stuff.)

So this is it...it looks bad I know...but tastes delicious.

So, just in case you fancy giving it a go this is what I throw in it:

1 large white onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

About 8-10 new/baby potatoes with skins

2 pints of veg stock

A decent amount of hot curry powder

An average amount of ground turmeric

An average amount of ground cumin

Quite a bit (because I love it) of ground coriander

a few bay leaves

about 4-6 fresh tomatoes chopped into 8ths

2 tins of chickpeas

3 or 4 handfuls of red lentils

half a big bag of baby spinach

If I have any in the fridge I also add some cauliflower too and fresh chilli.

I fry the garlic and onions, and then add the potatoes for a few minutes before everything else gets added. I then leave it all to simmer for about an hour (ish - there's no real science to it). We eat it on its own, or with some rice or flat breads. It really is my kind of cooking - minimal effort...maximum taste. 

Give it a go...dare you!

Jam Tarts

Yesterday was lovely. I didn't go anywhere or do anything spectacular, it was just a nice family day at home with my youngest. We watched TV, did our own thing, and baked some jam tarts. I've not attempted pastry with any of the nest before (partly because I only learnt to make it last year!) so I wasn't sure how he'd get on but I was pleasantly surprised as his baking skills. I barely did a thing to be honest.

He thought I was crazy to suggest he used his hand to mix it but he soon got into the idea...

Ta-da!!...

They were a bit scrummy! We ate them with custard after a delicious Sunday dinner (at which child #2 was present and content to be there!).

I also made a start on these this weekend...

They do form part of an existing project so all is good. Well it was until I calculated that I needed to make 54 of these! Oh well...they keep me busy and away from snacking  anyway. I didn't really commit to the whole diet thing last week, partly because the kitchen was full of home baked sugary stuff until Wednesday! So this week I am going to be far more dedicated...maybe.

See you soon.

Blackpool Lights

From where we live, Blackpool lights is just about do able as an evening trip. We don't go every year but I think we went the year before last. It takes us an hour and a half to get to Blackpool, and then HOURS to get to the start of the lights. We arrived at the light queue just before 8 pm yesterday - at about 10 pm we got to the start of the lights. We knew that this would be the case though and so went prepared with drinks, snacks and good music to keep us entertained in the queue.  Even child #3 was relatively patient considering he was confined to a car for hours on end. 

It was worth it, despite the actual lights taking less time than the queue! I think we did them in about an hour and a half. Its not easy to take pictures but I got a few after persevering with my camera settings. The lights are 100 years old this year so the theme was based around that with a bit of Jubilee and Olympics thrown in here and there.

I think they are the best of the bunch photo wise, there was lots we couldn't photo too, you can only really appreciate them in person but you get the idea. We left Blackpool at 11:15 and got home at nearly 1 am this morning with a very sleepy nest. 

Sleeping Beauty

I just had to share this. I always go in and check on him as I go to bed. He's often the wrong way up....or even on the floor somewhere after falling asleep while playing (when he should have been asleep in bed of course!). I usually just put him back in bed the right way, or put the covers back on him etc. Last night I went in and he was like this, just snuggled up with the little dog that he's had since he was born and looking completely adorable so I took a sneaky pic! If only they didn't grow up so quickly.