Making

August 1st, 2010

Bread glorious breadmaker





Spelt flour bread

For the past few years every time we go up to Leeds to visit the family we wake up to gorgeous freshly baked bread machine bread. And finally the other week when I saw the new Panasonic breadmaker was out I caved in and bought one too.

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November 27th, 2009

Back in the groove



Almost.

There are four piles of fabric. My sewing room is organised.

Tomorrow I’m going to look at linen. For curtains. And tonight I’ll start pinning Astrid’s new quilt.

Today I placed my first order from Purl in a very long time, with not a care about import duty or English postal taxes. I got queen quilt batting, and nani iro oilcloth. How could I not get nani iro oilcloth?

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July 16th, 2009

knitting in the south seas







Ooooh. Thank you to Miss Esther of Toggle I heard about South Seas Knitting.
Look! We can buy Habu! In Nyoo Zillund.
Look! I bought my first ever Habu. It’s pink.

And a pretty box set of cards for taking on the ferry and knitting lace.

Just because I have nothing else to do I also bought some stuff from the Cath Kidston sale – including a kite, which I’ve been wanting to get for Astrid for ages but never saw one nice enough and now I have and here it is. I also bought a red paisley box file with compartments for putting all my lovely buttons from Kirsten in because they’re just one of the Very Important Things that came in my suitcase.

Also, I probably ought to explain ever so slightly why we’re moving around and why we aren’t back in our old Mount Albert House. Well, that’s because our first tenants asked to move out after four months because they wanted to move to Australia – and because they were friends we said yes. But what that means is that our next tenants still had a one year contract and we need to wait until that time is up until we can move back in. So for now we’re moving to Parnell on Sunday.

And the good bit is we’ll be able to pick up the amazing oak china cabinet I bought the other week from this guy.

 (Yes, sorry, photos taken at night).

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April 6th, 2009

life isn’t always perfect





But I do like these.
They’ve been brewing for quite some time.

Madeleine’s first birthday provided the impetus to make them at last.

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March 20th, 2009

enchanted forest





finished at long last.

Just in time for Edith to grow into Debbie Bliss’ newborn size.
No doubt really the result of my gauge or lack thereof.

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March 18th, 2009

corners of pieces



Hey look. I made a non smock top.
And more of the same trousers.

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March 18th, 2009

summer wardrobe





For Astrid. Tick.

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March 10th, 2009

toast





We’ve been without a toaster for almost a year now. We just weren’t prepared to buy one we didn’t totally love. But the one we totally loved cost a mad fortune. However I’ve discovered that Amazon, if you wait long enough, will reduce the price on most things. So you just have to sit and watch. And wait patiently. And then, when you see it, buy it, because the price will go up again without warning.

I keep a little page of nice cookware, usually at least half off (or the stuff I’m watching), on this page in my Amazon shop.

A few people have emailed to ask if we’re ok – due to the flickr-vanishing and the comments-off here. We’re fine. Just having a little bit of quiet time. But if you want to say hi or something an email isn’t out of the question.

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February 22nd, 2009

dusty plum





Dusty plum. Not only for the colour, but for the texture. This cashmere is wonderfully dry. I’ve never come across dry yarn before but really it’s the only way to describe it. Chalky almost. It’s the only time the Knitting Goddess has ever managed a solid and we were the fortunate recipients. But it’s a solid that changes in the light. One moment deepest darkest plum, but a shift in light – and Astrid’s wearing a different colour altogether.

This is the fourth in my raglan series. It’s taken all winter to make. In between knitting projects. To replace the Pear Tree one mummy felted only two weeks after making it. Don’t put Pear Tree in the machine no matter how gentle the cycle.

The Pattern is based on the raglan from The Baby Knits Book – I’ve just upped the measurements to fit Astrid – and made everything much longer – even when to scale.

The past couple of weeks I’ve also baked more cakes. It’s all Astrid will eat right now along with pasta tuna and pesto. And cornflakes. I realised about myself that I go through phases of things in intense bursts. I do the same thing but adapt it – like the cake – same base but a different one every week – summer fruits and coconut – raspberry, poppy seed and sunflower seed – blueberry, walnut and dark chocolate.

Then there’s my Robe Rouge wardrobe. I’ve so far made seven dresses and three pairs of pyjama pants – all from one of three patterns – none in the same fabrics so they all look quite different. Astrid’s wardrobe of smock tops and trousers– same two patterns every time.

Ditto the raglan phase. Which I am now well and truly over.
Until someone needs a new jumper.

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February 13th, 2009

Astrid says







…how many cakes have you baked since the last one?
A: quite a few.

Astrid likes cake. Especially the new ones mummy has been baking. From her new cookbook – Off the Shelf. The recipe for raspberry and peach tart that mummy has totally changed, using almond meal and spelt flour and different berries each time. And she puts chocolate into them too. So much better than any other cake I’ve ever had says Astrid.

Today some nice Japanese people came to our house for a few hours and took photos. And we talked about lots of stuff like life and baking and cake and sewing and knitting and babies and Hampstead Heath and flickr and blogging and heaps more stuff. They took a photo of me holding plates of cake and I had to smile. I lost my last hairclip this morning which meant I had to wear one of Astrid’s (big red felt flower) hairclips. For a photo in a book. Yes, so this week I’ve been cleaning.

Not a consistent cleaner – I do like a clean house – but I’m not really prepared to put the work in because I want to do other things – so this has been a rare ocassion. A delight. A treat. So tidy was it that even during the shoot we totally messed the house up again just by having a cup of tea and some (blueberry, walnut and dark chocolate) cake. Yvonne told me what to do. Dust, vacuum, flowers and fruit. I would have worked that out eventually, but it’s much easier to be told by someone who knows what they’re doing.

This week also, I made cushion covers, bags, more cake, knitted some cashmere sleeve and went out on my own, on the train, to a meeting – out in the big wide world. Back in Love with London. Mummy is about to have some fun.

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