OneChurchillsGreen

Thought for the day ........

It's not exactly a 'thought' bubble, but definitely a cloud of concentration! My equivalent of doodling, but with some cotton and a crochet hook. When I discovered crochet a couple of years ago, I was coming through a long period of severe migraines (seven years worth). My once active mind was struggling to cope with stringing a sentence together let alone learning a new skill. But thanks to a heart operation, my migraines came to a sudden end. The end of the headaches opened a new episode in my life and this little cloud is a small tribute to new beginnings and all that lies ahead. It will be attached to a bookmark and will mark the place in my latest read, reminding me that I have so much to learn and look forwards to. Right now it is a glorious Spring day at the cottage in the woods. The sun is shining, we've raked up most of the leaves and I'm ready to start planting bulbs. Planning the garden is not dissimilar to drafting a crochet pattern, only somewhat less predictable - time will tell what the hens have moved or eaten! A bit like this cloud, it starts off in one place and finishes somewhere altogether different - I never planned for it to be a cumulus or a nimbus or even a cumulus nimbus, I just went with the flow, not a bad direction to follow every so often. Happy days xxx

Loving a little Spring and a lot of green .....

There's something about Springs' green shoots that gets me all excited! I do suffer a little through the long English winter. It's just all a bit the same - grey, muddy, damp and cold - nothing extreme or dramatic. I almost long for deep crisp snow. No doubt it comes at a price and I should be thankful for our mild climate here on the South coast. But as soon as I see the green shoots of Spring, I can see an end to the dreary days and my spirits lift.

     

Thoughts turn to planting (just a few of last years blooms above) - I'm still waiting for my Sarah Raven seed catalogue, no doubt she has been inundated with requests in response to her brilliant series on re-introducing insects to our green and pleasant land. I have to say our garden was buzzing last year with insects and butterflies, thankfully my slightly haphazard gardening and preference for traditional English cottage garden varieties seems to be doing the trick for our local winged companions.

And cooking, of course. I had a request from my friend Joanne at Positive PR to join her in a sort of recipe 'round robin'. The prospect of receiving 36 new recipes spurred me on and despite a little nervousness about having to submit my recipe to the lovely Giles Henschel, genius behind Olives et al, I finally penned my trusty risotto recipe. I introduced you to The Sicilian's rather fabulous pancetta in my last post, so here it is put to delicious use:

Such a simple recipe, one I learnt from Dottore Vidotti (an eminent Venetian cardiologist whom I taught English to whilst studying in Venice many moons ago). He taught me to make this risotto with my all time favourite, radicchio di Treviso. Unfortunately, short of growing it ourselves, it's virtually impossible to get here in Dorset. We did grow some last year, and it was a great success, but we need good hard frosts, so The Sicilian opted out this season. 

Risotto with Peas & Home-cured Pancetta 

Ingredients:85g pancetta, cubed (The Sicilians is quite salty, hence only 1/2 a stock cube);160g frozen peas; 1/2 onion or whole shallot, finely chopped; 200g Arborio rice; 1/2 chicken stock cube; glug of extra virgin olive oil; knob of butter; splash of double cream; a splash or two of white wine; handful of grated parmesan

Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the pancetta and onion and let it take on some colour and soften. Add the rice to the pan and toss until lightly toasted. At this point pour over the wine and allow to evaporate. Whilst this is all happening, bring 800ml of water to the boil in a separate pan, add the peas and chicken stock cube. Once the wine has pretty much evaporated, add half of the stock and whatever peas go with it (You can add the peas later, but I quite like them soft on this occasion). Turn the heat down to low. Stir occasionally, be careful not to let too much of the liquid evaporate before adding more - I add mine in two batches, which means I don't have to stand constantly and stir. 

Once the rice is al dente (or as you like it cooked - takes approximately 20 minutes from adding the stock), take it off the heat and add the butter and cream. Stir vigorously to release the starch and allow the butter to melt through the risotto and thicken it. Serve sprinkled with parmesan and a big glass of chilled white wine!

And a Spring post wouldn't be complete without a Spring spurt of crochet - yes, I've finished my green scarf, just in time for some Spring daffodils to grace the photo!

Two balls of beautiful Rowan 'kidsilk' Haze (shade, appropriately called 'Garden', 645) and a size 4mm crochet hook. Many hundreds of long double crochets later (I think they call them Solomons knots, but will have to look in to that?!) and voila, just gorgeous and bright on a beautiful Spring morning xxx 

Things to do when the ground is frozen ............

The Sicilian and I had plans to spend this relatively quiet time at the cookery school getting the garden at home prepped and ready for Spring planting. But the ground is frozen solid, so I've been busy using up left over yarn and the Sicilian has been pottering back and forth to our lovely neighbours Andrew and Claire at Cedar Organic where he has been carefully attending to some woodland pig that is becoming salami, ham and other delicious goodies. Here is some of the fabulous pancetta, just perfect for a tasty winter risotto, which is exactly what we had for supper last night - combined with some peas and a little parmesan, it was spot on.

Taking advantage of the cold weather, I've been hooking away - the wavy baby blanket is finished, Dorset buttons are emerging from the remains of my fine pearl cotton crochet thread and I've even whipped up an apple cosy or two! I have been photographing the stages of my button making, so I'll post a mini-tutorial soon (basic, I hasten to add, unlike the expert I learnt from!).

For more pictures of the blanket, have a look at my Etsy shop - yes, I must part with it, my babes are growing up fast and no new ones on the horizon! Pipi did ask to keep it, but I reminded her that a lot of the same yarns were in her beautiful (single bed sized) blanket that will be featured in my forthcoming book - the blanket is with the publisher at the moment, but I promised her she would have it soon. I guess two and half years is quite a long time to wait for a home made blanket - two and a bit years crocheting a square every so often and now it's been whisked away to be photographed. Let's hope she's not disappointed when she finally gets to snuggle up under it! x

And great big pom poms .....

Following on from my great balls of yarn post, I have been knitting away at my scarf and yesterday evening I indulged myself by making two huge pom poms to attach to it - each one weighing in at 68grams! And here is the finished scarf ....

Just in time for our sub zero temperatures too - it really is super warm. And if you're tempted, I used two 250g hanks of Magnum 'Cascade', 10mm needles, 15 stitches per row, 240 rows in garter stitch (knit every row). The remaining 136 grams of yarn I then divided into two equal balls for my pom poms, each one measuring 15cm in diameter.

With chunky done, I've got my sights set on trying something new - I was admiring Jill's beautiful scarf (one of the girls at our Wednesday 'Wool Group') and was completely smitten by the Habu copper yarn that she was using. The Sicilian and I hit the big smoke yesterday - he needed a new passport for our upcoming trip to Canada and I needed some more yarn!!! So two hours in the Italian Consulate (only the Italians can manage such extraordinary lengths of administrative mayhem!), followed by a trolly dash to 'I knit London', before catching the train back to Dorset. 'I knit London' is tucked away on Lower Marsh Street, just behind Waterloo station and it is packed to the rafters with the lushest of yarns. I kept my focus though, one eye on the clock, the other fixed firmly on the Habu yarn. And here's my newest, most treasured find, two cones of Habu 'wool stainless steel' ....

 

Violet, curious as ever, perched on the window sill to get in on the action and check out my new yarn! x

Great balls of ............

YARN!!!!!!

I can hardly contain my excitement, with the ripple blanket well underway and consuming left over yarns at a great rate, I treated myself to some new yarn. With a cold spell upon us, what could be better than this enormous ball of soft pure wool. It is in fact two 250g hanks of Cascade 'Magnum' that I ordered from The Knitting Shop. I'm now in possession of some size 10 needles thanks to a quick trip into Swanage earlier today, so this evening I'll be curled up by the fire, knitting a seriously snuggly scarf for our upcoming trip to Canada. Bliss! xxx

Waves of sugary cotton softness ...........

So the stash is gradually becoming a ripple blanket suitable for the prettiest little cot or pram. And it's all thanks to you Kath - I couldn't think what to do with my heap of cotton yarn and you suggested this. I am absolutely loving it, so 'cheers' Kath, you got it spot on! Have a peak at what Kath's been up to over at the Inverleith blogspot xxx

ps. I've still got a way to go on this one, so I'll bring it back when it's all finished!

Yarn stash......hmmmm, what shall I make.....

I've just gathered up some of the left over yarn from my book project, now I just need to decide what to do with it - such a pretty palette, maybe a baby afghan or should I do some sherbet shelf edging for Pipi's room? Decisions, decisions ........ x

Little mitts for tiny hands ........

A simple project inspired by the beautiful pages of January's Martha Stewart 'Living' magazine, a pair of mittens for a little babe. My babes are too big to try these on, but I would estimate they would be ideal for newborn through to nine months(ish). If you want them bigger, just add two or three chains to your foundation chain and insert 2 rows for each additional cm of length required.

Baby Mittens

Materials: 23grams of left over yarn (I've used Rowan 'Handknit cotton' in 'ice water' 239, with a row of Debbie Bliss 'Fairtrade Eco' in 'gold' 32603;3.5mm crochet hook; 1.5m of 5mm ribbon; tapestry needle for threading ribbon and sewing in ends.

Tension: 22 stitches and 20 rows of dc over 10cm

Foundation chain: start with a slip knot and 10 ch.

Round 1: (work around the foundation chain, across the top and then back along the bottom, look at the image on the previous post to see how it should look) 1 dc into each st, working 3 dc into the end st of the foundation row before working back along the bottom and finishing with 3dc into the 1st ch.

Round 2: 1 dc into each st along top and bottom, 1 dc, 1 htr, 1 dc into end st at both ends.

Rounds 3 to 10: 1 dc into each st (including end stitches - not increasing at this point will give your mittens straight sides).

Round 11: cut yarn from round 10 and sew in. Using the contrast colour yarn, join to a st from the previous round and work 1 dc into each st finishing with a ss into 1 dc, cut yarn and sew in.

Round 12: re-attach the main colour and work 1 dc into each st.

Round 13: 1 dc into each stitch across the sides of the mitten, decrease at the end of both sides by working 2 dc together twice.

Round 14: to make the spaces to thread your ribbon, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc, 1 ch), *1 dc into next st, 1 ch*, continue round repeating *to*, finishing with a ss into original 1 ch. Cut yarn and sew in.

Thread the ribbon through the spaces created by the 1 chain, starting in the middle of one side of a mitten and finishing 1 stitch away from the start point (i.e. don't thread the ribbon through the last chain space, this will give enough room to tie the bow). With the long end of the ribbon, thread through the other mitten. You can either use the length of ribbon to keep the mittens attached and dangling out of the arms of your little coat, once you have established the right length, pull the ribbon through each mitten and trim accordingly before doing your bow. You can stitch the ribbon in the middle at the back of the coat if you don't need to move them from one coat to another. Similarly if you are concerned about the combination of a length of ribbon and a small baby, you can simply stitch a short length of the ribbon to each sleeve attaching the mittens. 

It's cold outside yet not a pear cosy in sight!

The mild air is back, but the distinct chill of the past few days has rendered me reluctant to venture outside. I've got a mountain of book work to catch up on for the cookery school, but when the weather turns cold, I turn to homemaking. A direct result of my phobia for excel spreadsheets (not because I can't do them, I just choose to avoid them with the slightest distraction) and also partly due to the arrival of my January 'Martha Stewart Living'. It's quite refreshing to actually read a magazine relevant to the month I'm living in! I don't need to think about Valentine's Day until the 1st February at the very earliest, I certainly don't want to be looking at it in January when I'm still recovering from Christmas and New Year.

So I was completed delighted to be greeted by some beautiful knitting projects in fabulous yarns and my favourite colour combination of the winter, teal and gold - now I just need to see if I can find them in England, otherwise I'll be cruising the online shopping pages of Purl Soho. But I have picked up a left over ball of Rowan handknit cotton ('ice water') and a hook: pattern and project will be up on the blog tomorrow! Let's just say, it will keep little hands toasty through the cold snap. And then some delicious recipes - my favourite of the moment being fresh ideas for breakfast. Anyone who knows me, knows only too well I'm not a morning person, in fact the Sicilian makes sure I've had atleast one cup of tea before he even tries to converse with me. And, I've never been a breakfast person either - I don't particularly like milk (except in the aforementioned tea!), so cereal and porridge are off the menu and I'm not crazy about jams or marmalades either. But, thanks to this month's 'Living', I've discovered ricotta on toast with sliced pears, fresh figs and honey - heavenly (it is a slight variation on the published suggestion, but I need to go with what my tastebuds are telling me first thing!). 

My little pink bowl of golden pears is a wonderful sight on a cold winter morning - at last, a breakfast to enjoy and not a crocheted fruit cosy in sight. I know the hardened readers of the Guardian online will be disappointed to hear, but I don't actually keep my fruit wrapped up in wool when it's cold - now, if I was going to slip one into my handbag to eat later in the day, then it would be a different matter!

And just in case I'm on the cusp of starting the year in too healthy a fashion, the Sicilian made a delicious gluten-free chocolate cake, one of Ottolenghi's fabulous recipes (there might not be any gluten, but it simply means the missing weight of flour is replaced with even more chocolate!). Great served with some creme fraiche or ice cream and even better with a spoonful or two of home made raspberry coulis - I just add a couple of tablespoons of water and two or three of caster sugar to a couple of hundred grams of raspberries and simmer together with a vanilla pod until the fruit has fallen, a quick sieve and then back to the pan to reduce to a silky syrup.


Another research project for 2012 - a British based importer of Weck preserving and storage jars - does anyone out there know of one? I can't believe that they can only be ordered from the States or for triple the price here in England. Now, back to the accounting, oddly enough, the pile of invoices and receipts is still sitting exactly where I left it xxx

New year, new projects..........

I just love a new year, time to clear the decks and get on with some exciting new projects. I even surprise myself sometimes at the time I give to planning the coming twelve months. Admittedly I've never achieved my yearly goal of 'making' everyone's Christmas present for the following year by Easter, but I have let that one go now. It's all about little steps and a sense of achievement, it helps to keep the momentum going. I relaxed into the Christmas holidays along with the Sicilian, Pipi and Dante. It was wonderful to reclaim some of my head space so absorbed by work in November and December. I put down my weary crochet hook and picked up a project I'd started the previous year.

An Icelandic vest - I'd managed to knit the 'body' in one colour and then, terrified by the thought of following a 'pattern', I'd shoved it to the bottom of my projects bag and almost forgotten about it. In an attempt to keep the grey cells functioning through the holiday, I saw it as my next challenge and surprisingly managed to complete it by the New Year. The traditional Icelandic wool, Lett Lopi, was a delight to knit with and the pattern was surprisingly easy to follow (free patterns available on their website) - fairisle knitting here I come! And the beauty of it being just how warm and cosy it is to wear. I was so inspired I offered to knit Pipi one, so I will scale down the pattern and give it a go.

And then, refreshed by my knitting efforts, I picked up my trusty hook and crocheted this little hat for Dante's friend Milya. She is a heavenly mix of Essex and Austrian (currently living in the snow covered hinterland of her mother's native Austria), and on her last visit to England I promised her a cosy hat for skiing. She likes a bit of sparkle, so I added just a few sequins and crystals, it will be winging it's way to her any day now. First time crocheting with Rowan 'kid classic', absolutely beautiful and really gorgeous shades to choose from (Dante chose the pink, hope Milya likes it!).

And, as always, I've been using up some yarns as I go along. A set of crocheted Ikea cushion covers finally gave up the ghost this winter, so I set about creating a little afghan: crocheted in left over Debbie Bliss 'Fairtrade Eco Aran'; a touch of the pink Rowan 'Kid Classic', left over from Milya's hat; brown Debbie Bliss 'Cashmerino', from a cardigan my mother knitted me eight years ago!; a finishing touch of grey Sirdar 'Balmoral' - all combined on top of a piece of tobacco linen I've been holding on to for just such a cushion project and ta dah!

So, new projects for the new year......well, I'm definitely up for working more with the fabulous Lett Lopi Icelandic yarn and I'm hoping to join the girls at Daisy May's sewing group, they've been making gorgeous wash bags and I've got an idea of how to combine this with my crochet......and then my garden, I was so inspired last year by all of the beautiful blooms, I'm hoping to sign up for one of Sarah Raven's 'cutting garden' courses with my wonderful friend Liz......and....and, hold on I planned to have a quiet year, it might be time to just see where the year takes me.....here's hoping it's a good one and the same for you too! x