Its a lovely day today....
I went to a client near Westminster today and severly embarrased my young(er) trendy colleague when I insisted on stopping to take pictures of St James Park in full spring bloom like a tourist.
Isn't it pretty?
I finished these for Herbie finally and sent them off with the cardy yesterday. I hope he likes them.
A couple of weeks ago i went to Columbia Road flower market in East London. I couldn't choose from the vast selection of tulips, orchids, pussy willows (so cute) and loads more. "3 for a fiver, three for a fiver" was cried out from every stall. Mid morning and the vendors were keen to get their flowers to new homes.
Walking back to Bethnal Green tube i came across this street. how apt.
BTW I'm not sure if my blog is actually working at the moment...I can't access it at work. maybe they're on to my excess web surfing? or the site is just down. hmmmm.
I am finally knitting something for myself (other than a scarf). It’s a cardigan – in a blue wool tweed. Probably for next winter, but considering its back down to zero and sleeting today I may still get some use out of it this season.
In the afternoon after our wander around the Louvre we decided to check out the Marias district which is a jewish/gay/generally really cool area a couple of metro stops on the number 1 line from the Louvre.
We were in desperate need of coffee and eventually found AND agreed on Tresor (Rue du Tresor) which was perfect - cosy lounge chairs (it was rainy and v. chilly) friendly staff who pretended my stumbling French with a smattering of German made sense, excellent cafe and a very tasty apple tarte.
I had lured Steve to Marais on the basis that it was a groovy area of Paris where we would be sure to find good coffee (is there any part that you wouldn't?) but I had a hidden agenda - the "ribbon shop". Pauline had tipped me off but had failed to emphasise what an Aladin's cave Entre des Fournisseurs is. Not just ribbons but the biggest range of buttons I've ever seen, wool, felt, and a few bolts of Kaffe Fasset fabric. I may be the only person to go shopping in Paris and come back not with fashionable clothing or French cosmetics but a bag full of buttons (I don't want to disclose how much they cost me to protect the guilty) and some felt (what for - not sure yet but the colours have great possibilities).
Have a peek through the window.....
My fourth visit to Paris and I finally made it to the Louvre. This is an achievement as I have previously completely by passed the wealth of art on offer in the city of light. Although there was the one time where I decided I really should see a gallery and arrived at the Musee d’Orsay at closing time, convinced them to let me in and passed by the amazing Rodin sculptures at breakneck speed. But I don’t think it really counts as art appreciation.
Of course once I got over the overwhelmingness of such a massive gallery and got through the doors I was wondering why I hadn’t been before. We started with the Sully wing which wasn’t very crowded or intimidating. Mostly concerned with the Egyptian collection – I found it possibly one of the best “non-painting” collections I’ve seen. Every piece was stunning and the creativity of those ancients just so cool.
majestic lions
Originally uploaded by Hells Bells.
I had a surge of craftiness on the weekend and finished off this "Berry Quilt" which was the girl twin prototype. This quilt has New York connections as I bought the stripy border fabric there and if Mary is still reading she will recognise some of the fabric from our swap. I've also included some Kaffe Fasset fabric as its his soft pastels 2x2 quilt from 'Patchwork' that I was attempting to emulate.
I had to scan the web to find some more of the perfect stripe as I had only bought a small amount and managed to track it down...from the moda wuthering heights collection. I ended up using other fabrics from the collection for borders, binding and backing.
The Chinese man sits over looking Steve's coffee corner. He seems to be enjoying his new home since his move from the Cottage.
About three months of gentle moss stitching along I've finally finished this scarf for my good friend who promises to come to live in London with me. I thought she might be here a bit earlier...but I don't blame her for wanting to avoid January and February weather here. For those observant people you will notice that "finished" is a bit of an overstatement seeing as I have yet to sew in the ends. An ER project for tonight.
I think she reads my blog about once a year so its pretty safe to say she will get the scarf before she sees this.
And as i don't feel complete without a scarf project on the go...I have started my fourth in a row with this lovely yarn from a Secret Pal.
I did try to branch out into something more complicated - some very cute booties - but have come to a halt about halfway throught the pattern. (Debbie "what are you talking about" Bliss strikes again)
Or yet another entry where I attempt some knitting and then publicly wonder what the hell is happening and why it just doesn't look right.
I bought this special wool exclusive to Purl in the NYC foray for the challenge from Mary (start blogging again Mary!!) to knit some socks. For the first time.
About three months later on an autumn afternoon in a pub in East London I finally attempted casting on. However the wine was flowing and as my co-ordination and ability to count deteriorated, any hope of casting on using dpns (double pointed needles, aka trying to juggle four little pointy needles in two hands) ultimately failed.
However, my knitting guru came to the rescue and cast on for me (I have a sneaking feeling I shouldn't be admitting to this).
The lonely cast on row then sat on our kitchen table for anther couple of months while I eyed it off nervously.
Recently I took it up again and the ribbed top bit went fine. I then changed to bigger needles as per the pattern. Unfortunately it may have got a little lost in translation between US and UK sized needles as I'm sure that weird bulging isn't really meant to happen.
Time to consult the guru again (and eat pavlova, lamingtons and kangaroo)
Happy Australia Day youse.
I have been meaning to post this photo for awhile. Before Christmas I bought this for myself (based on the "one for you, two for me" christmas shopping methodology) from Fiona at Hop Skip Jump. He is even cuter in person. Fiona has been making such lovely cats and monkeys for sale - check them out...but you have to be very quick!
Steve has been working over in Stockholm for the past couple of weeks and I got to go for a visit on the weekend.
Stockholm is rated in the Lonely Planet as one of the most beautiful cities in the word and although it was cold, grey, raining and dark most of the weekend, I could see the potential. It tried to snow most of Saturday but failed miserably. Anyone who knows my aversion to being cold and damp will be impressed by my determination to get out and see the sights in the freezing rain. I did have to stop in at H&M (clothing store originally from Sweden) for gloves and hat to cope. But it was worth it.
Stockholm is small but perfectly formed. Set on a harbour with beautiful grand buildings (I am assuming remaining neutral in WWII has helped in this regard) with different pockets to explore - all easily doable on foot. We meandered through the old town and ended up in the groovy, "bohemian" (as bohemian as an area with about 3 H&M stores can be) Sodermalm district. Wandering around the backstreets we ended up on a hill with a fantastic view overlooking the harbour and main city area.
My radar for ridiculously expensive, not very useful things was immediately alerted by this amazing gallery / shop Konsthantverkarna a collective of artists. I couldn't leave without some of the pottery - was very taken with a plate with impressed roses on the border in a delicate cream glaze. Steve couldn't quite understand the purpose of such an object and I don't think I really got across my vision of serving delicately pastel coloured iced biscuits and cupcakes on it. But I certainly didn't let that stop my buying it. It totally lived up to my preconceptions of gorgeous Scandinavian design style.
We had diner at Stufehof, seafood restaurant and I went for the "local" option of steamed haddock on a bed of egg and prawns. After dinner we attempted to go to the Ice Bar - literally that - a bar made of ice - but its obviously a tourist draw and no go without a booking so we ended up at the Spy Bar. It was empty when we arrived at about 11 which would have bothered me once but now I just appreciate being able to get a drink and have somewhere to stand (I know I sound about 80). But it was gratifyingly packed when we left in the wee hours so was obviously a pretty hip place to be.
This is me smiling at the bus stop this morning with my brand new cosy scarf. I had a burst of knitting during Wednesday TV night. Am still persevering with Lost and am totally enthralled with the new BBC "Rome" drama. Don't understand what's going on but it doesn't seem to matter.
Our office is away to Glasgow tomorrow for a company get together and Christmas Party. Giddyup (anyone else think its a bit early?)
This photo taken in winter morning light doesn't do the colours justice. My Secret Pal 6 sent me a lovely package for the weekend. The chocolate truffels are long since gone and I've pretty much read the book cover to cover. Now I just have to decide what to do with this fancy yarn. Start another scarf perhaps?!
I made this little pincushion on the weekend for my secret pal. I was wrapping up her parcel (some luverly goodies) and thought it needed a little something extra. You may recognise the design - I was more than a little inspired by Cassie's at Bella Dia.
This was just a fraction of the craftiness that happened on Saturday - left to my own devices for the whole day I also almost finished Boy Twin quilt top, Manos scarf and started a new scarf (in red – very warming). ie I started more things and didn't finish anything. I got stuck in total indecision paralysis as the Boy Twin top has worked out significantly smaller than Girl Twin. Can such inequality start so early? I think not. Therefore my options are (a) order more fabric and make Boy Twin bigger or (b) make a whole new smaller Girl Twin (and KEEP the current Girl Twin - I have developed a bit of an attachment). So of course I couldn't come to any conclusions and finish anything. Nor could I decide how long to make the Manos scarf (if I keep going till the yarn runs out it might be a bit long) but I can't seem to stop. Its so nice to knit.
ps - I tried to explain all this to Smithy and his eyes glazed over in about 2 seconds. I'm hoping my crafty readers will have some understanding of these dilemmas.
We had wine, food, a chocolate fountain (!!!) and games, setting the bar pretty high for my first baby shower. We even had a ferry ride from Blackfriars down the Thames to the venue at Woolich - through the Thames barrier - all quite an adventure and fab to see London from a different perspective.
I ended up deciding to make a little hat for the new arrival and wanted to decorate it - harder to embroider knitting than I thought. But I was happy with the little design in the end....after about six attempts and ruling out anything with curves.
And mum to be loved it so I was v. happy.
I had a great day yesterday. It started early when the bus driver was pulling away from the stop as I ran up AND ACTUALLY STOPPED for me. Then I got to the train station just in time for the train.
With a start like that to the day Nomes and I decided to really push our luck and queued up at Leister Square for tickets to the London Film Festival preview of The Brothers Grimm. Of course we got in (although we did freeze for half an hour waiting) and THEN we got free t-shirts and an icecream. But the coolest part was the director Terry Gilliam introducing the movie and answering questions afterwards. And the film was pretty good too. Can't complain about two hours of Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
I don't have enough projects on the go at the moment so I started two more on the weekend. This is my new winter scarf to be - made out of special Manos del Urugauy wool from New York. Well I bought it in Purl but its not originally from New York - its from Uruguay where it is hand made by a collective of women artists. Its soooo soft and squishy. My knitting guru Pauline suggested the mistake rib stitch and I think its showing off the colours perfectly. A nice brainless project perfect for CSI and Lost viewing although Lost almost lost me last night - why is only every second or third week any good?! I'm persevering with it ...but only because there's nothing much else on.
Inspired by Kaffe Fasset's 2x2 pastel design in Patchwork and Jane's beautiful 'Etre et Avoir' colourful version I decided to make this for one of the twins. The girl one. Hopefully I will come up with a better name by the time I'm finished. For the quilt that is not the baby . I'll leave that up to Shaz obviously.
Sharon isn't much into pastels but I think I can get away with this combo with the browns and creams to tone it down. I (selfishly) couldn't resist the pinks and lavenders.
I'm pretty happy with the colour combo and am now waiting for some more of the striped fabric for the edge trianges. I bought a small piece of it NY and its perfect but frustratingly didn't have enough. Especially with the mistakes I made cutting it out late last night.
I finished the second beanie last night and now just have to sew the two jumpers together. They will be quite plain so I'm considering extra decoration ideas. I was thinking about some crocheted flowers - once I find out how to make them. Or maybe some applique - but am not sure if I like applique on a knitted background.
It was a quiet, yet busy weekend. The main event was the 10km run on Sunday when we joined Paula Radcliffe and a few thousand others to become walking Nike advertisments. We were in the first tranche at 9:30 which meant getting up early but was worth it as Hyde Park was really lovely - slightly misty and cool. The autumn leaves are beautiful. I know 9:30 is not that early but ....Sunday.
The run was good but even better was lunch at the Black Sheep Cafe at Crystal Palace after. Newly discovered (by us that is)...why hadn't we been before - good atmosphere, really good food and couches so comfy Beth and I were nearly asleep.
Saturday morning I woke up early (two early weekend mornings - v. weird) and started baking. Chocolate and ginger cookies were good - better if i hadn't over cooked them. Version two of the Peach tart was better - no lumps this time but was let down by very tasteless peaches. Will have to try and remember the tricks to this recipe for next summer.
I didn't make much progress on the twin's sets but hoping to finish them this week - if I can figure out how to make crochet flowers for added detail.
After the Delia Cooking day I thought I would attempt the Peach Tart for Steve’s birthday. I gathered all the ingredients including organic Peaches from Borough Market and a FIVE pound vanilla pod from Selfridges food hall. I’ve since seen vanilla pods for much less but of course couldn’t find one at our local Morrison’s (they didn’t even stretch to vanilla essence).
I think after the Chef demo’d six dishes in the space of two hours I was under the illusion that it wouldn't take very long to make. But with so many components – pastry, peaches cooked separately, filling and fruit glaze I ended up in a bit of a tizz with pastry needing to be frozen and rested and blind baked. Talk about high maintenance. (Unfortunately Morrison’s didn’t stock frozen short crust pasty either – bugger).
Anyway so by the time I came to the cream filling there was equipment, dishes and packets strewn across the kitchen. I was closely following the instructions – In a pan mix sugar milk and the (extortionately expensive) vanilla and boil it, then blend egg yolks with something else in a separate bowl – ok no problem. But…still following instructions…I then poured the milk into the egg mixture….and watched with horror as the eggs began to take on a very strange texture. I managed to scramble them. Total panic – I couldn’t start again as I didn’t have any more vanilla. Time and patience were also almost all out. So I pulled out the stab-mixer and blended the hell out of it while yelling at Steve that I was having a major disaster. He yelled back “didn’t Alex say something about that – to pour it in slowly to stop it going funny?!”. Oh. Yes. He did. Whey the hell didn't he put it in the instructions though?!!
So although the end result looked divine(if I do say so myself) – the slightly rubbery, lumpy texture let it down a bit(Steve and Naomi both made very polite yum noises - thank you).But I’m not going to let this experience put me off – I’m going to try again this weekend with the very last peaches of the season.
We went up North on the weekend to say goodbye to the cottage. No more BBQs in the backyard, stepping next door to the pub and being lulled to sleep by the beck. But we rescued some of the kitch that is close to our hearts so Beth can still dance around the Chinaman lamp at our next get together.
We had a wonderful dinner with Jake and Jo - it was chilly up there so we had total comfort food - braised lamb and roast veg. Feeling hungry just thinking about it.
As always the kids were super excited to see us. I should really say - to see Uncle Steve. I think they've eventually accepted that I'm a regular extra. Georgia has stopped calling me "THAT girl" anyway. And they sometimes call me Aunty Helen... usually when they want something. Its facinating watching them play. Sam LOVES anything to do with vehicles, especially cars, trucks, trains and likes to build complex road and rail systems for them....whereas Georgia will spend hours colouring in, writing and making crafty things. It seems to be completely hard coded. If you try to interest Sam in drawing he will simply say "thats stupid" and G will lose interest in building anything in two seconds and drift away. I remember loving playing with lego as a kid but was also into my dolls in a big way. I wonder if just having sisters makes a difference?
This picture is attempting to catch the sleek sexiness of the Hudson Hotel where we stayed in NYC. Behind the stunning chandelier and the reception area is the “Private Park” (also known as an outdoor bar). On the other side is the Hudson Bar with sleek Philippe Stark Ghost chairs and nightclub loud music on the weekend. We studiously sampled the lychee martinis from both and came to the conclusion that they were all good. Our room was tiny as the reviews promised and the whole hotel was dark dark dark. But we felt like rock stars
Steve and I both loved SOHO and the interesting combination of old buildings and funky, beautifully designed shops. We drooled over ibooks and ipods in the warehouse meets high design Apple store. I think we also went into every clothes store – very happy with my new black flippy skirt – bought in an attempt to make my wardrobe (slightly) more girly.
We then rendez vous’ed with Mary of Mamie Makes for lunch. So fun to meet Mary in “real life” after sharing emails and enjoying her fab blog. I was slightly nervous but Mary’s clever choice of café next to gorgeous knitting store Purl quickly broke the ice. Steve was completely mystified by the squeezing, stroking and talking in hushed voices over balls of wool and left to find a safe happy place. Some time later (apparently quite a while) I finally decided on some lovely multicoloured wool for a winter scarf and some pink stripey wool for my Sock Challenge. I think there is definitely a gap in the market for a shop like this in London.
Mary has given me her “easy” Happy Socks pattern so hopefully I’ll end up with something resembling wearable clothing. And also gave me some fab fabric from her stash which was a lovely surprise.
Even after first Monday at work I’m still on a bit of a high after such a good holiday. Something about New York makes me feel inspired and energised (I’m sure I’m not the first person to experience this!).
We arrived Saturday and soaked up the scene walking around in the afternoon. Jetlag kicked in pretty quickly and we woke up on Sunday incredibly early. For some bizarre reason I thought we should get up and go out “to make the most of it”. Of course nothing was open (and we didn’t see anyone else except keen joggers out) but we managed to find some brekky and undrinkable coffee at a dodgy caff until the Metropolitan Museum opened. I think it’s definitely the best art gallery I’ve been to. We then went to the small yet perfectly formed Frick gallery (when it FINALLY) opened after 12. (so ironic from someone who is very rarely up before midday on Sunday).
After all that walking around and looking thoughtfully at paintings we were pretty hungry and Steve was steering me quite determinedly in the direction of a “nice” restaurant. I was kind of wondering why the need for such extravagance but finally clicked when he passed me a little box with “here you go” or something equally romantic. Of course when I saw the sparkler in the box I couldn’t remember what he’d said anyway! Very sneaky (in a wonderful way of course).
