Thursday 28 March 2024

Thursday 28th March

 True love is being prepared to walk into town tomorrow morning and buy some hot cross buns for me... they weren't on the shopping list this morning and Himself hadn't realised how much I like them. They will be the first of the year for me, if he can get them. I do like to wait until Good Friday. But, only real hot cross buns, please, no chocolate or cranberries or cheese or marmite, please!

He's also picking up a 'click and collect' order from the COOK frozen food shop. Organising a family get-together over Easter is entirely weather dependent, and it's quite difficult to make plans. I've ordered a suitable lamb recipe, two two-portion trays and one si gle-portion tray. They can sit in the freezer, and we can serve 2 people (just us), 3 people (us and my father), 4 people (us and the children) or all 5 of us. 

Now we watch the weather... Sunday might be possible, depending on church arrangements for the offspring, and the weather looks okay-ish. Otherwise we can celebrate together a week later - would that for with the Greek Orthodox Easter dates? If you can't succeed, try, try, and try again!

CROSS STITCH 

Progress! I have completed half the design! That has made me feel SO happy! Even pulling on the wrong loose end of the skein and causing a cat's cradle of thread couldn't dim my smile!

KNITTING 

The first sock is complete, with it's rather unconventional triangular heel. This must be the third pair I have made using this type of heel, and I find it works well enough.


You do end up with these scary holes on either side at the start of the heel, but in the explanatory video, Carlos, or is it Arne? answers a query in the comments by saying, rather nonchalantly that 'you just sew it up with the yarn tail'.


So that's what I do...


There - all fixed! Just the heel on the other sock left. I wanted to finish them before April if possible, just to get a move on with the next UFO.




Wednesday 27th March

 I didn't get round to posting last night - it was book club night, which I join on zoom. Another member of the group was also zooming so I had company on the screen, as it were.

I'd rather be there in person, joining in with the delicious bring and share food. Last night they had a cheese platter with grapes, someone usually brings quiche, and there was also a pasta salad made with radiatori pasta. That's a new shape to me!

 


 The other zoomer and I googled it; the shape really is based on a type of heating radiator which a metal tube with fins sticking out of it. The pasta shape is like sections of the tube cut lengthwise, so that there is a sort of channel to collect the sauce. It looked fascinating.

In fact I find the design of the contraptions which make the pasta shapes fascinating. There are some kinds of machines that are just mesmerising to watch.

The The Book;

In the end I plucked up my courage and read 'Wandering Souls' by Cecile Pin, the book under discussion. Why did I need courage? 

I was apprehensive in case it was 'gut-wrenching', 'harrowing', 'heart-rending'. Oddly it was and wan't in that the writer didn't extract every last drop of the horrors endured by the Vietnamese Boat People - and the the horrors were horrific. It was as though the three children, separated by events from the rest of the family, were emotionally distanced from everything, with their main focus on getting through each stage of the journey to England, through the camps and finally (plot spoiler?) making it through, each in their own way.

I was also struck by the fact that the eldest sibling, the girl, caring for the two younger brothers, was a similar age to me. Maybe a year or two younger... That did make it feel more personal. 

Interspersed with the fictional story were facts and reports, which gave the background to the times. I would recommend the book to anyone (like me) wanting 'something different' and in a sense more relevant than well - my usual reading is moderately 'cosy' detective fiction, and gentle old-fashioned romance by Elizabeth Fair, D E Stevenson, Molly Clavering and so on. Although Elli Griffiths' Norfolk books are a new find, and I haven't finished the Donna Leon 'Inspector Brunetti' series set in Venice, which are all anything BUT cosy.

This month's book is 'The Places Inbetween' by Rory Stewart. I'm looking forward to this. I haven't decided whether to go for Kindle or Audible yet...        

Tuesday 26 March 2024

Tuesday 26th March

It felt like an episode from a baking or cooking show in the kitchen today...

We may possibly have made an approximation of a si,nel cake between us. A bit like a 'technical' from 'Great British Bake-off', where the contestants are given the instruction 'make a simnel cake' without quantities or instructions or baking times...

I was the walking recipe sheet, ransacking my memory, and Himself was Action Man, doing all the active work. Between us we ended up with 4oz each of brown sugar, sr flour and butter, mixed together with 2 eggs, and a generous tablespoon each of mixed spice and whisky instead of milk.

Once this was combined, a few halved glacé cherries and a spoonful of cut mixed peel left over from Christmas went in, along with a couple of handfuls of mixed fruit.

Himself put half the mixture into the little square pan which fits in the airfryer basket, cut slices from the left over block of Christmas marzipan to cover the cake mixture, and added the rest of the mixture. 

Into the airfryer with it, at 155°c for 40 mins. It appears to be cooked...

But no. We've put it back in.... we'll have to wait until tomorrow now. I can see Paul and Mary (or Greg and John, or Chris and Benoit) sharing a knowing look and shaking their heads...


SOCKS

I've finished the toe


And done the grafting. As long as you remember what to do, it is very straightforward. To get started, thread the tail onto a needle. The first two actions are to set up; slide sewing needle knitwise into the first stitch on the front knitting needle, but leave the stitch on the  knitting needle, and purlwise into the first stitch on the back knitting needle, leaving it on the needle. Done. 

Now return your attention to the front needle and memorise the magic incantation 

'front; knit off, purl: back; purl off, knit'

Which means, starting with with the front knitting needle, slide the sewing needle knitwise into the first stitch and slide it off the knitting needle, and put the sewing needle purlwise into the second stitch but knave it there.

Next, on the back knitting needle, cast off the first stitch purlwise and slide the sewing needle through knitwise - in  other words do the opposite to the front needle!

I'm pretty pleased with this! 


I read somewhere it was called Kitchener stitch because,  during the First World War there was a problem with badly finished toes on home-knitted socks causing painful and incapacitating foot problems for soldiers, so this method of closing the toe was recommended. 

Here comes the first heel;

I've picked up 30 stitches above the waste yarn marking the heel placement 


and 30 stitches below


and teased out the waste yarn one all the stitches were on the needles. Sharp eyed folk might notice one stitch that wasn't actually securely on the needle! I spotted it and slipped an orange locking pin through to keep it safe until I can fix it.


Tomorrow should see the heel finished and maybe grafted.


CROSS STITCH

the first and second colours are completed, and I've made a good start on the third!