What a great idea that site is! I can happily whittle away the day just wandering around other peoples projects. Finding out what they are doing with the same yarn that I have. Looking for inspiration...and finding it in larger quantities than I can handle!
If any knitters are reading this chances are they've heard of it otherwise you may be wondering what I'm raving on about! Ravelry is a knitting site, a community, a database, an information source and a source of inspiration all rolled into one. I say knitting but it also includes crochet, spinning and other such crafty pursuits.
It gathers all these crafty type people into one place and accumulates information about them. What they've knitted recently, works in progress, what they want to do next, what yarn is in their stash, what they think of various patterns and yarns. Then after that's done you sit back and enjoy the important task of browsing!!
I can search on patterns or yarns or yarn companies or designers or people or groups or places (there are quite a few knitters where I am!). I can read their blogs and websites, message them, ask for advice or join a group or post on the forum. If I find something I like I can bookmark it; putting patterns in my queue is something I'm doing a little tooo much of late. My queue is ninety hundred miles long at the moment!
It really is quite an amazing resource...but I haven't logged of it in what feels like 3 days!!! eek
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Bonfires Burning....
Guy Fawkes Night was the main attraction this weekend. Technically it’s today but most people and public displays of fireworks celebrated on the Saturday because that’s what weekends are for! The “official” displays at Lewes are on tonight but I don’t think we’re going to make it this year. Just can’t be bothered with the crowds and hassle even though the fireworks there are the best I’ve ever seen.
Anyway here are a couple of photos of our bonfire celebration. We went up to a friends allotment and burnt all the wood we’d saved up over the year, cooked produce off the allotment, drank mulled wine and generally had a very entertaining night which had very little to do with the original meaning of the night.
Anyway here are a couple of photos of our bonfire celebration. We went up to a friends allotment and burnt all the wood we’d saved up over the year, cooked produce off the allotment, drank mulled wine and generally had a very entertaining night which had very little to do with the original meaning of the night.
Anyway it was a great night and I’ll get more photos online this week (fingers crossed!)
The bonfire
The food a burnin!
A wobbly firework
Catherine wheel
A big box thing which was called "super nova".
The bonfire
The food a burnin!
A wobbly firework
Catherine wheel
A big box thing which was called "super nova".Thursday, 1 November 2007
Creamy Chicken, Celery & Leek Soup
Proof that you should always listen to what it is that you feel you want to eat. This was the best soup I’ve done in ages and I think that was mostly because I’d made myself wait for so long before making it. I should have done it last week and disregarded the opinion of others. After all…when I feel sick or in need of comfort I don’t think Chicken and pasta broth….I think creamy, warm, smooth chickeny goodness.
And that’s what this soup is folks. It’s a winter soup, a comfort soup, a soup for the soul. Make it and make it now!!
Creamy Chicken, Celery & Leek Soup
1lt Chicken stock
1 bay leaf
200gm Chicken breast (I used 2 medium sized ones…came to a bit more than 300 and was fine)
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Butter
1 small onion finely chopped
3 large leeks (green included) thinly chopped
2 stalks of celery, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp double cream (I didn’t put this in and don’t think you need it at all)
Fresh grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
Heat the stock until steaming and then add in the bay leaf and chicken breasts.
Simmer for about 20 mins until the chicken is cooked.
Remove chicken from stock and set aside & dice when cooled. Throw away bay leaf.
Place the flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in the stock to form a smooth liquid. Use about ½ the stock.
Sauté half the celery, all the leeks and onion in a pan with the butter.
Pour in the flour liquid and bring to the boil stirring constantly.
Add in the rest of the stock and simmer for 20mins until the veg are cooked.
Whiz the soup.
Stir in the nutmeg and cream (if your using it), ½ the celery and the diced chicken.
Simmer until the celery is cooked and season to taste.
I have a photo but it didn't turn out that well. There's a real trick to taking photos of food and making them look appetizing.....I haven't mastered it yet apparently so no photo this week!!
And that’s what this soup is folks. It’s a winter soup, a comfort soup, a soup for the soul. Make it and make it now!!
Creamy Chicken, Celery & Leek Soup
1lt Chicken stock
1 bay leaf
200gm Chicken breast (I used 2 medium sized ones…came to a bit more than 300 and was fine)
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Butter
1 small onion finely chopped
3 large leeks (green included) thinly chopped
2 stalks of celery, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp double cream (I didn’t put this in and don’t think you need it at all)
Fresh grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
Heat the stock until steaming and then add in the bay leaf and chicken breasts.
Simmer for about 20 mins until the chicken is cooked.
Remove chicken from stock and set aside & dice when cooled. Throw away bay leaf.
Place the flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in the stock to form a smooth liquid. Use about ½ the stock.
Sauté half the celery, all the leeks and onion in a pan with the butter.
Pour in the flour liquid and bring to the boil stirring constantly.
Add in the rest of the stock and simmer for 20mins until the veg are cooked.
Whiz the soup.
Stir in the nutmeg and cream (if your using it), ½ the celery and the diced chicken.
Simmer until the celery is cooked and season to taste.
I have a photo but it didn't turn out that well. There's a real trick to taking photos of food and making them look appetizing.....I haven't mastered it yet apparently so no photo this week!!
Nanowrimo
I’d like to do a bit of a shout out to all those people that started Nanowrimo today. They have ahead of them a month of pain and despair, of joy and triumph, of tears and laughter, of surprise and dead ends.
They will wear their fingers down to the nubs over 30 days, pull their hair out, bang their heads against the walls and punch the air with their fists! They will drink copious amounts of coffee and red bull, eat tons of chocolate and order enough take away to feed a small nation. Collectively they will type or write millions of words and quite possibly even invent some new ones. Together they will pace enough steps to circumnavigate the globe and on the quiet they will shed over a million tears of frustration and joy.
During this month they will distance themselves from friends and families. Instead they will gather with strangers in cafes and pubs around the globe. Huddling over pieces of paper and laptops, whispering advice, offering condolences and handing out encouragement.
They will lock themselves in bedrooms, spare rooms and bathrooms to find peace. They will turn music up or down, hide TV remote controls and go to any lengths to find quiet.
They will focus all their energies onto one task and in doing so will become writers.
Those that can go the distance, stay on track, hold to their purpose…they will become novelists.
Last year there were over 79,000 participants from countries all over the world, 13,000 of which crossed the finish line with 50,000 words or more. In the corners of blogs and websites across the internet you will come across tiny icons with the words “Nanowrimo winner”. These are the people who stuck too it and wrote through all the pain coming out the other end of November with a real, live novel.
For the past three years I have proudly been one of them…but sadly not this year. I want to, I really do. I feel like I’m letting the side down. I feel left out, unloved and alone. I could still start now despite no preparation (ok so I’ve been thinking about this idea for the last month) BUT I have to be strong. I have a course to finish and I know how disappointed I’ll be if I don’t achieve this. So the choice had to be made and I can live with it although today is hard.
Of course nothings going to stop me fine tuning my idea and holding my own Nanowrimo in March!!
They will wear their fingers down to the nubs over 30 days, pull their hair out, bang their heads against the walls and punch the air with their fists! They will drink copious amounts of coffee and red bull, eat tons of chocolate and order enough take away to feed a small nation. Collectively they will type or write millions of words and quite possibly even invent some new ones. Together they will pace enough steps to circumnavigate the globe and on the quiet they will shed over a million tears of frustration and joy.
During this month they will distance themselves from friends and families. Instead they will gather with strangers in cafes and pubs around the globe. Huddling over pieces of paper and laptops, whispering advice, offering condolences and handing out encouragement.
They will lock themselves in bedrooms, spare rooms and bathrooms to find peace. They will turn music up or down, hide TV remote controls and go to any lengths to find quiet.
They will focus all their energies onto one task and in doing so will become writers.
Those that can go the distance, stay on track, hold to their purpose…they will become novelists.
Last year there were over 79,000 participants from countries all over the world, 13,000 of which crossed the finish line with 50,000 words or more. In the corners of blogs and websites across the internet you will come across tiny icons with the words “Nanowrimo winner”. These are the people who stuck too it and wrote through all the pain coming out the other end of November with a real, live novel.
For the past three years I have proudly been one of them…but sadly not this year. I want to, I really do. I feel like I’m letting the side down. I feel left out, unloved and alone. I could still start now despite no preparation (ok so I’ve been thinking about this idea for the last month) BUT I have to be strong. I have a course to finish and I know how disappointed I’ll be if I don’t achieve this. So the choice had to be made and I can live with it although today is hard.
Of course nothings going to stop me fine tuning my idea and holding my own Nanowrimo in March!!
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Seasonal goodies!
This time of year means many things to many people but to me it means food!! I love to feed people...I have no idea where the need came from but the force is in me and feed folks I must. AND there is so much scope for that around Christmas. It starts about now. Mince meat, Christmas puddings, things marinating in alcohol, freezing things now for extra mouths later. I love it!!
My Christmas magazines come out this week too and I'm excited, stupid excited, ridiculously "I have no life nor any other interests and I don't mind sharing it with the world" excited!!
2 or 3 magazines with nothing but recipes of things I could cook...lovely!
Having admitted publicly to the sadness that is me and my life perhaps your impressions will change when you see what I'm up to at the moment......Lemon Verbena Liquor
All's I'll say is that a herb, some vodka and a little bit of time make a whole lotta heaven!!!!!
My Christmas magazines come out this week too and I'm excited, stupid excited, ridiculously "I have no life nor any other interests and I don't mind sharing it with the world" excited!!
2 or 3 magazines with nothing but recipes of things I could cook...lovely!
Having admitted publicly to the sadness that is me and my life perhaps your impressions will change when you see what I'm up to at the moment......Lemon Verbena Liquor
All's I'll say is that a herb, some vodka and a little bit of time make a whole lotta heaven!!!!!
Kniting Photos...
Because I'm currently excited about the cardigan type top I took some pics over the weekend for all you lovely people that I'm sure are out there at this very moment reading this very blog!!
Below is the second (left) front where I have picked up 212 stitches and begun knitting the rib.
Here you can see the first (right) side which looks more like a boot than a cardigan!
A tantalizing glimpse of what the finished product might resemble!!!!
An artistic close up shot of the stitches
Below is the second (left) front where I have picked up 212 stitches and begun knitting the rib.
Here you can see the first (right) side which looks more like a boot than a cardigan!
A tantalizing glimpse of what the finished product might resemble!!!!
An artistic close up shot of the stitches
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Chicken & Pasta Broth
This weeks soup was a bit of a comprimise. I've had a craving for a creamy chicken soup but I really wanted to do something in keeping with the season....like you would have when feeling sick or in need of some comfort food.Everyone I spoke to said that Chicken Noodle or Chicken with Pasta is what you have at those times and so I put my own cravings aside (how selfless!!!) and went with the majority.
I have to say it tasted lovely even tho it didn't come out at all like the photo in the cook book. The only thing I changed was brocoli instead of carrots...cause we didn't have any!
Here's a nice arty close up shot designed to make your mouth water! It's hard taking photos of food and making it look niceChicken & Pasta Broth
350gm boneless
1 medium onion, diced
250gm carrots, diced
250gm, cauliflower florets, chopped small
850ml chicken stock
2 tsp mixed herbs (thyme, oregano whatever etc)
125gm small pasta shapes
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Parmesan cheese
Remove skin from chicken and dice.
Sauté chicken, onion, carrot & cauliflower in oil until lightly coloured
Stir in stock & herbs & bring to the boil
Add pasta shapes & bring back to the boil before covering pan and simmering for 10 mins
Stir occasionally to prevent pasta sticking
Season & serve with parmesan cheese
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