Knitting Nite #1

Last night D and I had our first Knitting Nite - it was fun. I started on another doll, typically it's rather odd looking. And D started work on a new scarf - then pulled it apart and started again. We chatted away and then suddenly it was nearly 11pm, time flies when you're knitting and nattering.

I can't wait for the next one.

Summer BBQ

We had a lovely friday evening BBQ with Mar & Feeb, they seemed to like my funny dolls. I couldn't put up the naughty pictures they took of them, but they are rather amusing.

I marinated some lamb chops with Greek yogurt, sumac, garlic and a touch of mango powder which were yummy - even for the lapsing vegetarian that I am.

I also made some vege kebabs with eggplant, mushrooms and onions which were marinated in tamari and mirin. They were pretty tasty - even if we forgot the soak the skewers in water before hand.

To finish some excellent baklava from the The Turkish Food Center (TFC) on Ridley Rd, my fav place to shop these days.

Free food for pests

I'm a bit concerned about some of my veggies growing in the garden.
My purple sprouting broccoli isn't sprouting, my marjoram has gone to seed and the red cabbage is getting attacked by these nasty critters who have been slowly getting through them one by one.
The garden has not been too successful this year..
But at least we'll have some tomatoes soon I hope.

Wool overload

I just discovered buying wool on ebay. I went a bit overboard and won 1.5kg of oddments for a few pounds, other selections cost only 99p plus postage. I figured they'd be good for my doll making.

Lovely woolen blanket

We headed off to EcoFair2008 on the weekend. It was a total bust - loads of travelling for nothing it turned out. We were hoping for loads of info on sustainable house building, grey water systems, earth ships, and all that kind of thing. Instead there were a bunch of faux hippies selling crap. There was even someone selling "special" bottled water - which seems to go against the whole eco movement. We did however get this lovely wool blanket, which is made from the off cuts of wool from some factory.. it is lovely.

Crochet donut

L had his bike stolen last week, which happens in London, so to cheer him up I thought I'd crochet him one of his fav things - a donut.
I'm going to give cup cakes a go next.

More attempts at doll making

Still without a pattern, I'm trying to make dolls.. They're fun actually as you get to just make it up as you go along, change colours here, make it longer there, fatter here. Crocheting seems to be rather forgiving and also I'm loving the free form of it, I don't seem to be able to do that with knitting. Here are three more attempts at "dolls"... they're still not perfect..

I know this one doesn't have any arms - but that's OK..


Oh, this one doesn't have any arms either - we're calling him, "Mr Robust in a stripey sweater".


Fuzzy Baby doll - this one is really just an alien blob. not really a doll.

Fuzzy Hat for M

My first attempt as crocheting in rounds turned into this fuzzy hat in rose pink and black. I got the scraps of wool from a lady on Brick Lane. I'm glad it was that fluffy yarn as it helped to mask my mistakes. It's the wrong colour for me, so I thought that M could use it for when she returned to deepest darkest Sweden. I hope she likes it.

Bric-a-Brac bargain

M & M, L and I stumbled across this strange jumble sale in a pub near Columbia Rd
a few weeks ago. It was pouring with rain, and inside there were little stores selling all sorts of excellent antique-y, old-y, junky stuff. It was a bit odd walking around a garage sale with pints - but I did manage to snag this excellent knitting needle holder, with all the needles in it for 6quid. What a bargain!

aborted scarfs

I've finally given up on these two scarfs. I was just using them as practice - my first attempts at knitting in twenty years - but they got boring and were taking forever. I think that a lot of people give up on scarfs so I don't feel too bad.

Spanish purchases

Two excellent things I scored in Barcelona:

This cute little crochet needle holder thingy - from a flea market.



This beautiful Spanish wool - I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, maybe a hat. It's such a wonderful colour.

Inspiration from Barcelona

My first trip to Barcelona in 10 years was simply amazing. The great people, food, sights and weather, bars and lifestyle were just what I needed to get over my London non-summer hump. We spent a week just walking (or riding bikes) around just taking everything in. One of the best things I did was go inside Gaudi's Casa Milà when L was working one day.

You can't mistake it from the outside as anything other than a Gaudi, and it is quiet breathtaking. Once inside the apartment on the top floor, the robust lines of the exterior morph into beautiful sinous biomorphic lines. A light filled example of Art Nouveau, subtle detail and an amazing use of space. I could of spent hours in there.

The detail in every corner was what I loved about it the most. The wood work on the beds, light fixtures and doors. The undulating ceiling, the floor tiles and these crochet curtains were also pretty special.

Spring in our garden

Coming back from a week's holiday in spain I was a bit concerned that our garden would have suffered after forgetting to leave M the keys to get in and water. How wrong was I? We came back it and has grown out of this world - I just can't wait to eat something other than herbs out of it.

First Attempt at crocheting a doll

My first attempts at crocheting in rounds turned out a little hyperbolic, then they got a little more formed. I eventually got the knack and thought I'd make a creature/doll. This one is a bit freaky looking, but not bad for a first attempt.