Adult Surprise Jacket

I have started an Elizabeth Zimmerman Adult Surprise Jacket for myself.  I've wanted to do one of these for a quite a few years.  I am using Robin DK, which is an acrylic yarn.  I've got four shades of purple, as you can see.

I'm working the sixth ridge here.  This was last night.  I'm on the tenth now.  The more I do the more I like it.  I've got a good feeling about this.

I thought today about doing a multi coloured stripey one for Mary-Jane with similar colours as her chicken cardi.  I shall think on it and see what colours I can get my hands on next time I'm in Whitehaven.  I can see it in my minds eye.  There will be plenty of yarn left to do at least two tops or card's for her, if I do go ahead with this.

For my ASJ, I cast on 405 stitches.  Already the rows don't seem too long.  It is a pattern that I like alot.  I have made Mary-Jane about four of these jackets.

Veg Patch Underway

I am looking forward when I can start a blog post along the lines of 'I had a really lazy day today'.  It will come, I'm sure!  Mary-Jane and I did the weekly shop this morning.  I got back, made Mary-Jane's lunch and put the shopping away whilst HK took her in the garden.  Shortly after her finishing her lunch, we went back into Whitehaven for a blow out with Granma and Grandad.  HK had continued to be busy in the garden.  He had dug over half the veg patch and put our table and chairs out.  It was delightful, in a warm sort of way, to see them.  It does hurt to remember all the times we sat at the table at the old house.  I try my best not to remember, it is still like an open wound.  Even so, I relaxed a little, whilst we were sat there, having a cuppa and I was sharing my sandwich with Mary-Jane.  It seems quite sheltered here, compared with on the yard by the back door.  Hopefully it won't be long before I can take my knitting outside........

As soon as Mary-Jane saw the chairs, she was asking 'chair up please'.  The newly dug veg patch is just to the left.

The dogs had been playing and barking, getting MJ's attention whilst she was eating her biccies

I like this picture as Mary-Jane is holding on to HK's finger and he is looking down at her.

The slide still holds excitement for her.   She is wearing a poncho that I made for her quite a while ago now.

Evening has been relaxing.  I have not heard a peek from MJ.  I have watched three hours of TV (Game of Thrones, Alcatraz and Fringe).  I have been cracking on with my ASJ.  It needs the right level of concentration I can muster at the moment.  I have now done seven and a half ridges.

A Brief One Before Bed

The market was a little slow this morning.  I came back with a dozen scones, but I did take down five more than last week.  I did try a couple this evening.  I think they could do with slightly more moisture, not much though, just to make them a bit lighter.  I might get them right soon!  I was talking to a couple who were on holiday.  They have been coming to Whitehaven each year for forty years.  They are from Newcastle Under Lyme, so it was good to have a chat with them.  Newcastle Under Lyme is about ten miles, give or take from Stafford.

I have been to a WI talk tonight.  It was by Gilly Fraser, who used to work for Border TV.  She talked on The Clydesdale Migration of 2006.  12 clydesdales were walked from the Isle of Skye to South Cumbria, a journey of 450 miles, to go to their new home.  An amazing story and well delivered.  The photos were really good and captured 'the moment'.

Prize Bingo is cancelled for tomorrow, I'm glad in a way as I'm getting pooped.  Just the usual weekly shop.  And eating lots of scones.

Baking Wednesday

Another day of not quite frantic baking and preparing for Market is now nearly over.  I have also been out tonight - but more of that perhaps tomorrow.  I have made 15 scones  each of cheese, fruit and wholemeal fruit, 12 mince pies and some Viennese Fingers.

 I say 'some' Viennese Fingers.  I was having problems.  First of all I thought the nozzle I was using was too small, so I swapped piping bag.  That was a mistake.  The second bag was more suitable to icing than a thicker biscuit mix.  So I tried to put every thing back in the first bag.  Of course I lost a fair bit mixture, so I made another batch up.  I didn't use a nozzle and made the stripes with a fork.  These turned out better than what I thought they would.  When cooled, I melted some chocolate - far too much actually.  I then dipped both ends of each in the choccy and left them on the wire rack to cool and set, as per instructions.  When I came to move the fingers off the rack, that is when disaster struck.  The chocolate had set the fingers to the rack.  Didn't see that one coming did you?!  I didn't particularly.  The fingers are quite fragile, so out of 36 I ended up with only 6 in one piece.  Bugger.  They do taste very nice though, nice and buttery, as they should!

 I have been told a way around this, by using greaseproof paper or the inner bag on a box of cereal.  A knife can also be gently used to pry them off as well.  I shall try this.

Here are most of my scones.  They look yellowy on top as I brushed them with beaten egg before baking.

Luneray's Scones

I made Luneray's Scones today.  After some translation of weights, I was off and away.  The recipe is basically the same as the one I use.  I wasn't sure if I had to leave the scones in a round, then cut them and keep them in wedges.  And I wasn't sure how much I had to flatten them.  Please Advise!

After they came out of the oven, they looked to me like my scones, just not rolled out and cut witha  cutter.  They were slightly more crumblier, which made me wonder if I should've made them thinner?  As for the taste test - scrummy yummy!  HK and I had one each, Dad had one and Mary-Jane and I shared one.  We had them warm with butter.

These are two trusty sets of measures I use when following an American recipe.  I inherited their use from the kitchen here - they were here before me!  Auntie AnnInAmerica bought them over, I believe.  On the right are a set of cups, the left are teaspoon measurements.  Oddly enough, there is a half a table spoon and a whole tablespoon, but no desert spoon.

I have been wanting to try out the Rhubarb Quick Bread today as well.  HK said that I would be doing enough baking tomorrow, which I couldn't really argue with.  I did take a peek at the rhubarb in the garden.  There is more than enough ready to pull and bake with.

I have been getting on with knitting this evening.  I have been doing the SJ (Surprise Jacket).  I have got further than where I was when I frogged it, bonus.  The four shades of purple are looking well together, although I haven't quite got as far as a colour repeat - not far off!  I'm still having a really good vibe about this project.  I've not had such a good vibe for quite a while!

Monday Musings will resume next Monday.

Crochet - Thereby Hangs The Difference!

Crochet, something I only delve into now and then.  It is something I would like to master.  I know I will one day.  I know I have a mental block about it, I am slowly challenging it.  At the moment I do not have the hours in the day (or evening, my me time, it would mean that I would have to put my knitting down and I really don't want to at the moment).  I know the mental block will be lifted at the right time.  I had a mental block about sock making for quite a few years, then the epiphany.  Now I knit socks.  I had a mental block about driving around Birmingham, especially The Tunnels.  I can now do this with the greatest of ease and Central Birmingham, the city itself and The Tunnels hold no fear for me.  When I worked in Brum, I used Spaghetti junction twice a day.  It not longer phases me.

Back to Crochet.  Between the UK and US there is no difference is terminology.  The same words are used.  But, and yes it is a big But, the words mean different things.  Bit of a Bugger really!  Something you would really have to watch when using crochet patterns from 'the other country'.

One of my biggest drawbacks with Crochet was my tension.  It was always loose, particularly when the yarn had to be wrapped around the hook before it went through the hole (I hope that makes sense).  That is why I always stuck to Granny Squares made up of double trebles (UK).  At least that is what I think they are called.  After a while, tension didn't seem to matter overly much and if I used a thickish yarn, it kind of forgave my loose stitches.

I put this dilemma to LA at the back end of last year (or some months ago anyhow).  My problem we very soon rectified, with an explanation of how tension is created when the yarn is held in certain ways.  I needed to hold my yarn differently.  It was as simple as that.  If I don't concentrate too much, I soon revert back to my old way of yarn holding.  But on the back of this new learning revelation, I crocheted a beanie hat, making up a simple pattern and started making another.

Apparantly another difficulty a knitter has when they learn to crochet is the way the stitches are formed and the fabric that is created, this is quite different.  Crochet has to be seen as crochet and knitting has to be seen as knitting.  I guess you may only understand that if you go from knitting to crochet - or even vice versa!

Swings and Slides

Owing to Mary-Jane's recent trips to play parks and thoroughly enjoying them, HK and I have been having serious thoughts about getting Mary-Jane a swing and a slide as an early birthday present.  We have squirreling funds for birthdays and christmas.  We thought it was better to get her such outdoor toys/play equipment at the start of the spring rather than at the end of August when her birthday is, so she can get more use from them.  Not that she particularly understands birthdays and presents, she does understand fun, slides and swings.  We went to Argos in Whitehaven this morning after breakfast, and got her a slide and a swing.

HK had the slide assembled just after dinner.  Mary-Jane was thrilled to bits.  She even knew it was a slide when it was upside down.  In a short space of time, she began to learn how to climb up the steps, indeed she can now get to the second step by herself.  Not that I would allow her to climb any further unaided.

Here is the happy girl, with Granma, atop of the slide

Having lots of fun, giggling all the way

Running round to have another go, looked on by HK and Grandad

Mid slide

Aloft the slide, this time with Momma, with our neighbour watching the fun!

The swing is lots and lots of fun as well

It's that much fun, that Mary-Jane had to share with Mr Snuggles, he had a go on the swing and several goes on the slide by himself, much to Mary-Jane's delight!

When it was tea time, and time to go in, there was minimal protest from MJ.  I put her on the sofa to take her coat off, once this was off, she didn't budge for a good ten minutes.  She was one tired out little girl.  She had slept well the night before and fingers crosee, has slept well so far this evening.  All we can think of for reason for her very late night, was that she may have had belly ache, she has been a pooping machine since, going twice a day instead of once, but hey, you and her won't thank me for broadcasting her pooping habits to the world!

Her talking is coming on in leaps and bounds, she can string small sentences together - Mary-Jane have a nap, is a new one.  She can't quite say her name properly yet.  She likes to say 'night night everyone' and 'na night everybody' when she goes up to bed.

I ahve made the banana and fudge cake - have I already told you?  I will give you the recipe tomorrow.  It's tasty.

Knitting - I was going with the Crescent shawl.  I have started the lace section.  I have also realised that I am a bit too tired the last few evenings to concentrate properly on lace work, so I have put it down till I have a bit more about me.  I wanted some simple TV Knitting to do.  The mood came upon me a few days ago, to do the calculations for an Elizabeth Zimmerman Adult Surprise Jacket.  I cast on last night.  Tonight I undid it all and cast on again.  The stripes weren't quite in the right place and I misplaced the deacreases.  So after seven rows, I frogged it and started again.  I have done one row, but the decreases are in the right place and the stripes should work better.  I am using four different shades of purple, doing a ridge of each colour.  I have a good feeling about this project.  It doesn't seem as daunting as I originally thought.  The cast on count is 405 stitches.  It's not a Stash Buster Project.  I bought the yarn specifically to do this project a few months ago.