WIP - 15 stitch blanket

Since the New Year I have been knitting a Ten stitch blanket although I'm actually knitting mine with fifteen stitches to make the spirals a bit wider.

I've got three skeins of Posh Yarn Martha Sock in the colourway Trumpet Voluntary which is dark purple with flashes of cerise pink and blue. The photo doesn't really show the colour well, its a difficult one to photograph, but when its finished I'll take some better pictures.

In the meantime I've finished one skein so I'm a third of the way through, and I haven't got bored of the project yet. Instead I'm more likely to end up staying up late saying I just want to do one more row which of course turns into several more rows.

Its a smooshy satisfying knit in a beautiful yarn, what more could I ask for?

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Knitting - Simple scarf

The Husbeast can actually knit. Well he can let me cast on, knit in garter stitch, pass to me whenever he makes a mistake and let me bind off, but still considering its years since I stepped in a kayak (his hobby) I appreciate the effort on his part.

He doesn't really wear much that I can knit for him. I have knit him a pair of socks he wears loads in the winter and has requested more pairs, but I lost my sock needles for ages (I only have one pair to try to discourage my WIP pile from growing any bigger), so there are no socks on my list for him any time soon.

He doesn't wear hats particularly and the one hat I knit him was way to big, went on the frog pile and "disappeared".

So when he asked me to knit him a scarf over Christmas I decided it was time I made him something. Especially as he asked for it in Moss Stitch which is apparently his favourite stitch pattern. Which basically means he's been paying attention which makes me love him all the more.

So I cast on 60 stitches on 4.0mm needles in Posh Yarn Martha Sock and knit in moss stitch until I ran out of yarn which took forever (or at least that's what it felt like). It was the perfect project for over Christmas though. I could knit it without concentrating too much over Christmas when the family was round. Then after they'd gone it was also perfect to knit whilst watching the Husbeast's Christmas present to me, the last season of House MD which we love.

So here is the simple scarf:

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Knitting- shawlettes and a hat

I lost my knitting mojo for the majority of last year, I hardly knit anything compared to the previous few years. I'm not sure why. I think it was a combination of my ME/CFS making my brain feel fuzzy, moving house and redecorating, gardening etc and just struggling to find motivation.

Being on a yarn diet didn't help. I wasn't specifically trying not to buy yarn, its just the house move and decorating etc meant that it was a luxury which fell by the wayside. It isn't a great excuse as I have plenty of lovely yarn lying around the house, but I don't think it helped.

We've moved to a house we are hoping we will live in for years. So there's no real reason why we have to do everything we want to do to it immediately. Sometimes we remember to tell ourselves to slow down but most of the time we rush ahead ploughing all of our time and money into it forgetting that we don't have to do this to ourselves.

So in November I bought some yarn from Posh Yarn. It was the first time I'd bought anything from there since September, and the one skein I bought then got knitted straight away.

I didn't expect the sudden rush of excitement about knitting which came over me when I opened the parcel. The colours were as beautiful as always and I just wanted to knit again.

I knit the three skeins of yarn in that parcel in three weeks, pretty much a record for me. Since then I have relaxed my yarn diet and started buying more yarn. Its good to get my creativity flowing again and I'm enjoying just sitting and knitting in the evening to relax instead of trying to push myself to paint a room, or feeling exhausted and guilty because I'm not doing anything.

The Husbeast had about 10 days off over Christmas and I had eight of those off. Its reminded me that its good to spend time with him and actually talk and relax together instead of constantly rushing to get on with our lives instead of enjoying living.

So My first three projects after my mojo returned were:

Galathea by Asa Tricosa

Zenaura by Asa Tricosa

Mushroom hat by Purl Soho (this pattern is fantastic because it fits over my hair which I always wear in a bun. I may look a little silly in it because I don't suit hats but at least I have warm ears!)

Nicely modelled by the Husbeasts Knights helmet. Because what else does a man need?

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Homemade - sugar free chocolate

I ate way too much chocolate over Christmas. By the time I'd eaten some tree chocolates, the box of Belgian shells my in laws always buy me and helped my Husbeast with his selection box off his parents I had a monster headache which started on Sunday and still hasn't gone away.

I haven't had a headache like this for a year or so now and I think its probably been brought at least in part by sugar. After all there wasn't just the chocolate, there was cake, mince pies, Christmas pudding...

I don't think we have a particularly sugary Christmas compared to some, but this was the first time I iced my Christmas cake which wont have helped.

The trouble is I love chocolate and I know any resolutions I make to stop eating it will never last. I easily go months without eating crisps, biscuits, cake etc but chocolate and cheese are my downfall.

So yesterday I tried to make some sugar free chocolate, the recipe does have honey in it as a natural sweetener but I know from experience my body can handle honey better than sugar.

Coconut chocolate

150g of coconut oil

150g of cocoa powder
150g of honey
2-3 drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Put the coconut oil into a glass mixing bowl and balance it over a bowl of just boiled water. Stir until it in fully dissolved. Then add the other ingredients and whisk until smooth and glossy.

Pour the mixture into moulds and put into the freezer to set. Apparently this should take 2-3 hours, I know I had a look after about 4 and they were fully set.

This chocolate needs to be kept in the freezer to keep it solid. I made it in a silicon muffin mould and it filled six moulds. I think this is too big a quantity as the mixture is quite rich.

The chocolate is still soft despite being frozen and I would imagine it would end up a sticky mess if it was left out of the freezer for too long.

It is very sweet, more like milk chocolate for sweetness levels than dark chocolate as I'd imagined it to be. Although the taste underneath that is more dark than milk. Personally I think I could reduce the amount of honey in the recipe as it asks for a lot, so for my next batch I will try cutting down and see how it works. If it does work with less honey it will also work out a lot cheaper.

I think I'm going to try and get hold of some silicone ice cube moulds, or something smaller. I think an ice cube sized piece of this whenever I get a sweet craving could work very well.

It can of course be customised to your favourite chocolate tastes. The vanilla extract could be swapped for mint or orange. You could add raisins or nuts etc. Its quite a versatile recipe. I fancy having a little bag of these in the freezer in lots of different flavours so that I get a lucky dip when I eat one. 

Update on the deodorant: I spent the day at work today in our sauna of an office (my boss likes the heat turned up really high) and I don't feel sticky or sweaty at all.

I did do a half hour workout when I got home and I felt a little sticky after that, the only smell was of mild coconut though and I just applied some more of the mixture and felt fine after.


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Homemade - deodorant

Today I made some deodorant. I don't like the idea of some of the chemicals in shop bought deodorants, but I haven't found any alternatives that work so far.

I've been reading a bit about coconut oil and baking powder as an alternative and decided to try this combination:

6 teaspoons of coconut oil
4 teaspoons of baking powder
4 teaspoons of cornstarch
10 drops of lime essential oil

The coconut oil was quite hard to get out of the jar as my kitchen is a little cold. I had to keep scraping it out and packing it into my teaspoon measure until I had enough.

I then mashed the mixture together. Everything I had read said to use a fork, this didn't really work for me. Instead I got my fingers in and squashed it all together until it formed a paste.

Coconut oil melts at body temperature which meant I did end up with some on my fingers so I just rubbed that into my hands as a hand cream, which it isn't too different too. I found the mixture didn't sink in as quickly as some hand creams, but it wasn't too heavy and oily which was a good start as I am concerned about marks on my clothes when using this.

I had an old black plastic cosmetics tub which I filled with the mixture and I rubbed a little under my arms. I haven't exactly had an energetic day today. I've spent most of it in front of the computer or knitting, with a little side trip to B and Q for some plaster board, drainpipes and lino floor tiles (yes this is how I take advantage of the January sales!).

So far I can tell I've used something, I certainly don't feel sticky like I would if I hadn't used anything. I will have to see how it holds up to my regular daily activities. Even if I can only use it on relatively inactive days, as someone with ME/CFS I shouldn't have too much of a problem using it up.

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Pinterest Monday!

Inspiration for the porch at my new home:

http://www.zerocoolgallery.com/work/index.php?id=478

I want this print hanging up at the end of the long narrow porch

http://www.antiques-atlas.com/dealer-stock-images/phoenixantiquesbarn/Lloyd_Loom_Chair_as164a414b.jpg

 

I have a fascination with Lloyd Loom chairs and I want one like this to sit below the print with black cushions on. Somewhere comfortable to take your shoes (or in the husbeasts case black steel toe capped grubby boots off) after a hard days work

Expedit shelving  - Ikea

 I'm not a massive fan of having everything Ikea in my house although bits are creeping in here and there. These would be perfect for holding my shoes in though

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW-drSVcX1MIxwWMJIglufP2Wc2RYka3yVW1sqg9Al6fAboa20eBxIT15-8dFwVODSv1IANNrNbQQiu02SQfVRqC7LNDdy4-EN3NkNswOra_lIGR6hI_fDKlN3dcjDNT4A-neNJP8UsY/s1600/hello-goodbye-doormat.jpg

 

I want to do a homemade version of this

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-easy-wood-bright-twine-coat-rack-weekday-carnival-170463

 

 I adore this idea and really want to replicate it

And finally if there is room:

http://theluxelifestyle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/10-must-haves-from-ikea.html

 

A fairytale mirror, but am I the princess or the wicked witch?

Once again I haven't posted for ages. This is partly I think because the computer is hidden away under the stairs. Which is great for making the living room/dining room/craft room less cluttered but it means as I write I am banging one elbow on the wall, I can't put my legs under the desk so I am twisted sideways and it doesn't make for comfortable typing. However I am determined to try to remedy that when we move. Because yes finally (fingers crossed it all goes through) we are moving.

We bought our little two bedroom semi in Bescot, Walsall about two years ago and it needed a lot doing to in. We partially rewired it, replaced joists and floor boards, the dangerous fuse box, moved the boiler to the pantry, redid the bathroom and kitchen, put a laminate floor in the living room and decorated almost throughout. Not bad. When I say we I mostly mean our wonderful builder/electrician/fix anything friend we call Uncle Ken. And now we are moving to a three bed semi in Brownhills which will be nearer work and has a bigger garden and a converted garage room which will hold the computer and craft stuff. Yay for not banging my elbow and an actual computer chair. Ergonomics has nothing on this room.

What I will not miss:

The appalling bus service - Travel West Midlands when you say you are changing the times of the 311 and 313 to "maintain reliability" it helps if there is some reliability in the first place

The deaf neighbour who watches his TV very loud until 1pm in the morning

The taxi company who seem to operate from three doors down and seem to come and go all night long, seriously do you need to slam your car doors that loud?

The nieghbours with the hideous extension, uncontrollable kids and a dog which barked for two hours solid the other weekend

Things I will miss:

 My wonderful neighbour on the other side who takes in parcel for me

My new kitchen and bathroom especially the bathroom as it is huge

My huge master bedroom

Living on what the local paper describes as an unusually quiet (read trouble free and mostly crime free) neighbourhood. Considering the area it is in this little estate is an oasis in a bit of a rough area

Things I am looking forward to:

Being able to walk to work - no more buses yay!

 Being nearer to belly dancing when the MIL drops me off

Being nearer friends especially Uncle Ken (he lives the next road over which is handy when the husbeast is away and we have a burst etc!

The utility room

Not having to have dining room furniture in the living room

Room for some of my shoes in the porch

A bigger garden

The extra space

Things I am not looking forward to:

Not many kitchen cupboards - a big kitchen but only a few cupboards which seems like a criminal lack of space to me

A smaller bathroom

A smaller master bedroom

A colour scheme that's not quite "me" - although obviously this will be remedied over time

Now I just wish the solicitors etc would get a move on so that we can get moved. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and then I might get on here more often!