Kia ora pals, I hope you are protecting properly! And should you stay on Te Ika-a-Maui (our North Island) you are staying heat and dry on this cyclone.
Listed here are a number of of the issues I have been making and doing recently. First up: my completed Tegna high knitted over the course of the summer season. I am so glad to be completed with it and I really like the top outcome – it is a good and cozy piece to put on! I used the Tegna sample by Caitlin Hunter and a few DMC ‘Natura Linen’ yarn in a muted inexperienced shade.
I made a number of changes to this sample, together with choosing up further stitches across the armholes (I hate tight sleeves!) and blocking it very vigorously to get the match I used to be after (unfastened and drapey). The completed garment has already been helpful in my work wardrobe – I’ve worn it with a high-waisted bias-cut skirt and over a sleeve summer season costume a number of occasions. It is so good to put on that I am now enthusiastic about a winter model (maybe from mohair-silk and with longer sleeves and a fair looser match?) Extra particulars on this one over on my Ravelry web page right here.
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You will additionally see above some extra cyanotype printing I have been doing. That is all the time a very good time – I by no means appear to get tired of planning and laying out my prints, and experimenting with totally different strategies. This time I used cleaning soap bubbles to create an fascinating, ethereal texture to my botanical prints earlier than I uncovered them to the solar. I wrote a number of notes about cyanotype usually in this publish, in case you are new to it, however there are additionally plenty of sources on-line.
One other challenge that is been accomplished round right here is the portray of our hallway. I need to give many of the credit score for this to Tom, because it was ‘my thought’ however his laborious work that made it occur. We selected a lightweight calming inexperienced shade (precise Dulux paint title: ‘Calm Inexperienced’.) Our hallway had lovely Laura Ashley wallpaper with a frieze alongside the highest and I cherished it, however it was fairly marked up and discoloured. The brand new look lifts it and I used to be so happy with it I ordered two big paper globe gentle shades (from this wonderful Auckland retailer).
Keira is off to school quickly and so we’re ‘taking care of’ her lovely little shelf and heart-shaped mirror, each handmade by her grandad Dave over time. They give the impression of being fairly beautiful within the hallway – thanks Dave and Keira!
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Lastly, I simply needed to share my newest baking discovery (proven within the final photograph above, earlier than breaking apart and pairing with cheese! I completed studying native meals author Annabel Langbein’s memoir Bella final week. It was such a very good learn – I cherished her tales and all of the recipes scattered all through! She’s had a extremely fascinating life. Upon seeing the recipe for ‘sesame lavosh’, I knew I needed to make some. We’re fairly into crackers and cheese round right here – generally for dinner, even.
I made a batch of Annabel’s crackers and knew they have been going to be a staple in our pantry. If you happen to’re additionally a cracker fan, you’ll find her recipe right here on her web site. Within the e-book model, she has a wonderful tip that is not talked about on the web site, however I believe makes an enormous distinction to the method. It’s this:
After mixing up the sesame dough, divide it into 4 parts. Take a sheet of (good-quality) baking paper that matches your tray, and spoon one portion of the dough within the center. Lower one other piece of baking paper the identical dimension, and place on high. Use a rolling pin to clean out the combination so it’s evenly unfold between the 2 layers. Annabel says to unfold it very thinly, however I most popular it to be a bit thicker, so the ensuing cracker is a little more substantial. Slowly peel the highest piece of paper off, and slide the dough, already on its paper, onto the tray for baking. Voila!
See you once more quickly, take care,
M