Inbetween

So what do you do to fill that time between Giftmas and New Year? Last year I worked, not hard admittedly but I went into the office and spent the time doing nothing much. This year though, my boss has closed the office until the new year so I am left with things that should be done, things I could do and things that I want to do.

So thus far today I have made some soda bread (wanted to) and some washing (had to as we had run out of towels) and now I'm left with a few hours before the decent xmas telly kicks in so I have started to sort out my yarn stash (again).

Since discovering Ravelry almost 5 years ago I have played about with my stash pages. There are times when I diligently record everything before starting a project. Usually I just rip off the ball band and start which has led to a truly scrappy looking set of wools. And my stash has become scattered about the house. skein separated from skein, ball missing its twins. So the project that I am going to concentrate on for a few day will be sorting out this mess and try to reunite sets. 

It will also give me a chance to really think whether I want some of this stuff any more as I have quite a few single balls of things that I don't really like and in 2013 I want to start becoming more critical about the things I have and whether I really like them or not. Keep the good things and jettison the duff stuff may become my motto.

Small steps

Fitting in with my small steps leading to small changes leading to actually doing things I have decided to start with my blankets again. When I first arrived on Ravelry I saw loads of projects following Shelley Kang's Sock Yarn Blanket and I thought "OOOOooooohhhh, Pretty" so started on my own in 2009 using what ever scraps of sock yarn I had left after knitting socks. I started fairly well but I began to do fewer blocks a week until it just stopped. I even used to pull it out every now and again with the intention of starting but nowt happened. This is what it looks like today

I even started another one in September 2011 when I found a great source of lovely blue double knit wool (Sirdar Escape) and felt the stirrings to knit another - this one was going to be a stocking stitch one as I loved the way the blocks looked like scales (the original is garter stitch). And although all went well for the first few weeks I gradually stopped that one too.

But small steps means that I have dug them both out and have decided to knit 10 blocks a week to each of them - it might be more but will not be less. Thus far I had added my 10 weekly blocks to my blue blanket and it now looks like this

 

I shall crack on with scrappy one and gradually it will get to be a size that makes it useful but in small, small steps

Small change

Yesterday I was thinking about how much time I waste over the course of a day, a week, a month and who knows how much over the course of a year. Birthdays always make me feel reflective (it’s mine tomorrow) and perhaps this is what triggered my pondering.

I’m by nature a lazy person, the type that will lie in bed all day putting off going to the lavatory for as long as possible just so I don’t have to get up: laying there getting hungrier because I don’t want to move from my snug. I realise that this is quite a childish attitude and how (potentially) destructive it is but I have formed a habit and as we all know habits are hard to break. But how do you go about finding a different style of life that doesn’t feel like an imposition?

I’m a great fan of change one small things and keep doing that (well I am a fan of it now but my laziness could kick in and then I’m back to the beginning) so I did the first small change yesterday. I took up running again.

I don’t pretend to be a great athlete (I’m lazy remember) but I started C25K last summer and found it oddly enjoyable. Unfortunately I managed to seriously twist my ankle to the extent that I could feel the ligament ripping and gave up, well was forced to give up. Instead of finding another exercise regime that would allow me to retain the fitness I had painstakingly gained I just hobbled away. DOH!

Yesterday was the first small change that will lead to my very short term goal of doing again tomorrow (but maybe not as it is my birthday) and leading onto my short term goal of running/walking every other day for the next few weeks. I’m not planning anything beyond that as it is a point that I cannot imagine but I figure if I get a few short term goals behind me then I might just start planning a few mid-length goals and then who knows? World domination may be mine.

Making things

Today was a bit busy. After weeks of being quite, quite lazy, I got the bug and did things.

I made a fabulous Lemon Drizzle Cake.

The recipe comes from The Hairy Bikers' Mums Know Best book. It a nice a simple recipe and made a lovely, moist cake albeit one that looks a bit odd.

Then I sewed in the end, soaked then blocked a scarf that I made for my sister. When I say blocked I just pegged the scarf along the neck edge to the washing line and let it hang there. I'll write more on this tomorrow (possibly)

Then I made some Cheese Bites. Again from the Hairy Bikers' book. These were also successful and very more-ish, but a bit pale.

A day spent doing things but I'm still plagued by a twisted ankle so I can't get out and do as much as I want. I haven't run in over a week now and that is making me sad but I can't risk damaging more. I had hoped to be able to get back skating in September but now this looks increasingly unlikely so I suppose that it shall be another month before I'm back on my wheels.

MSF, Somalia and p/hop raffle

Somalia and its neighbouring countries are in the grips of the worst famine in over 50 years. While tens of thousands of people are suffering from malnutrition, homelessness and lose of their way of life, I have been thinking about what I can do to help. Part of me wants to jump on a plane, go there and help, do whatever I can to solve the problem, but I'm not a weather god, I can't bring rain to a drought ridden country. I can't stop militia groups from using this terrible situation for their own ends. I am inspired though, by the work done by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and their commitment regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. They are there in the camps trying to help and do what is needed.

But they need funds to do this.

I'm a practical person and like to find practical solutions to problems and I'm also someone who is not bothered about getting their hands dirty but I cannot go out there and help and with since I am currently unemployed I don't have a great deal of money to donate. But I do have time and I have yarn and I can knit and I can used these skills to do what I can. There is a great organisation called pennies per hour of pleasure or p/hop who have supported MSF for the past few years. It's a great idea. They provide patterns for you to knit for free, you then knit the pattern and donate an amount for the hours of pleasure the pattern has given you. Isn't that fab?

But I want to do more than that. I want you to get involved too. I have downloaded the Trinty Shawlette pattern by Anniken Allis and am currently knitting a bright red version and a rich blue version. These are then going to be raffled (separately) to help raise money. All you need to do is make a donation here for a minimum of £3 (GB) or $5 (US) and send me the receipt to glamgirlknits@gmail.com as well as leaving a comment here saying which version you'd like. The comment here will generate a number that will be entered into the draw.

The deadline for entry will be Sunday 7th August 2001 at 12 noon BST

I'll make the draw via a random number generator on Sunday and announce the winner here and on Twitter. Since this is an international situation, I am holding an international raffle so will post anywhere in the world.

The red version is soft acrylic since not everyone can wear wool which will be steam blocked so that it holds the pattern. The blue version is 100% alpaca.

I've made a start and will be updating my progress every week here and on Twitter

Still Running and knitting

C25K - Week 6 Day 1
2.54 miles nailed

Another day of running today and it well really well. Managed the first block of 5 minutes without stopping although I came close a couple of times. The 3 minutes of walking were fab (really enjoyed that) and my breathing had returned to near enough normal by the time it came to the 8 minute run. That one was a a bit harder as I had to stop and walk a few times, but I only walk for 50 paces then set off again so it’s not like I have a sit down and a cuppa while my breath returns. The second 5 minute run was okay but I hadn’t quite caught my breath during the walking section so I was much slower but hey! I did it.

I have decided that since my legs and arse are getting toned I need to do something about my upper body so am going to start doing a back and body workout on my non-running days. Just a bit of weights and toning things that I can do at home. I have a copy of Matt Robert’s Fit for Life and I like his style and stuff so will hunt through for a routine that suits and start that tomorrow.

One of the things that I am disappointed in is that I am not shrinking nor losing weight. I know that the (non)weight lose is because I am laying down muscle but I’m a bit narked about it. The same goes for my waist measurement - I have put on an inch round my waist (which is a bit annoying) but I think that again it’s due to the muscle under the fat rather than eating too many pies. I’m going to track my food for a week or so to see if I am eating far more than I think I am but I think that I have a pretty good idea of what I eat.

In other news, I have also cracked on with my sock knitting. I haven't been very attentive to my sock knitting and my plans to complete the A to Z KAL on Ravelry has not been looking good but in the past week I have finished one of the M Socks and got a fair way through one of the N Socks. I'll take some snaps and do a post tomorrow.

Seedy Flap-jack

Since I am trying to eat more healthily, I was looking around to see if there was a recipe for something that was tasty and high in complex carbs to help me feel fuller for longer. Since I couldn’t find anything I like, I then thought FLAPJACK even though it’s brimming with sugar, I thought I could offset that with seeds and fruity bits.

There are loads of online recipes so I had a look in my larder to see what I had but hardly any of it matched what the recipes called for so I used the basic sugar, butter and syrup start and added my own mixture to it.

And this is the result.


It’s not perfect but it will do for the moment. I know next time I will need to add more oats to make it a bit more chewy as this is more brittle than I’d like. I also need to reduce the cooking time, or possibly the oven temperature, or both. And I need to use a smaller tin as this came out thinner than I would have wanted it to be. Over all though, it looks okay and it’s edible and it’s ‘only’ 148 calories a slice

This is the recipe I made but as I mentioned above, it needs a bit of tweaking to get it right for me. This is the basic recipe but I think that it is very flexible and you should be able to change things or add whatever you have to hand.

Seedy Flap Jacks

80g butter	80g brown sugar
60g golden syrup	Pinch of salt
110g rolled oats (next time it’s going to be 150g)	75g sunflowers seeds
60g pumpkin seeds	15g sesame seeds

1. Put on the oven to 180 degrees
2. Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper, or grease a non-stick pan. Basically you need something to cook it in. My tray was about 23cm square and too big so something smaller than that would be good.
3. Melt the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a pan together over a low heat. Once it’s nicely mixed and runny but not boiling
4. Add all the other ingredients and mix well
5. Turn into the trap and level out pushing the mixture down with the back of a spoon or you could use a potato masher (I used a spoon)
6. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes – mine was in for 20 and came out crunchy
7. Leave to cool for a short while in the tray then lift out with the lining paper (if you used it) and mark out the slices, I did 16. Leave on a flat surface until cold.

This should keep for about a week in an airtight box, but I have never made any cake that has lasted that length of time – Yum