Food is art

Here is the Fried Rice I made for lunch today (with leftovers for tomorrow). It's the first time in weeks I've actually cooked a real meal. It's got real, fresh vegetables in it and everything!

Yum.

Finally ... she's back!

Just as predicted, as soon as the weather dipped below 25oC, I had the urge to knit again.

Lacy is all the rage, it seems, so I wanted to make something lacy.
Oh, by the way, that poncho thing from a few weeks ago? Forget it! Unlike most of Middle America, I wouldn't be caught dead in something Martha Stewart was wearing when she emerged from jail after completing her sentence for insider trading and defrauding the public.

"When Stewart was released from prison in West Virginia last week, she wore a gray-and-white crocheted poncho over her blue jeans. As she walked to her private jet, she looked trim and fit, even a little hip as the poncho swung over her brown leather boots."

-- Puente, Maria, USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-03-08-stewart-poncho_x.htm. 8th March, 2005. [Italics mine.]

Well, America's favourite housewife can just about kiss my big fat white.... Er, but I digress. Back to my wool story.

I went to Lincraft and deliberated for ages over which wool to buy. The only thing that made me finally decide in the end was the threat of being late for work. I went with tried and tested Caressa, which is what I made Emma's Mittens and My First Scarf (Since High School Anyway) [link defunct] out of. It's fluffy, but not too fluffy, comes in a range of non-ugly colours, and is relatively cheap for real wool.

I mucked around a bit with a pattern I found which was actually for a jumper. (Why anyone would want a jumper with big holes in it is beyond me, but anyway...) It uses large eyelets alternating with a single garter knit stitch, with two garter stitches at the ends, to create a lacy but structured pattern. (I thought a lot about this.) I decided to make it quite thin so I could tie it around my neck in a bow if I wanted, and I'm not planning to make it very long. It's already about twice as long as you see in the picture. Updates as they happen...

P.S. I also bought that turquoise wool you see in the picture with no plans whatsoever for it. It's probably not enough to actually make anything out of. I don't really think about these things when I'm impulse buying.

The Barely Competent Knitter

Oh dear. I just had a look at my Works In Progress [link defunct], and I have 4 projects which are almost done, and that I could finish very quickly if only I just got out a needle and sewed them up! I'm such a slacker!

Good news though: I've done 41 rows on my cardigan!! I'm up to the bit where you cast off a few stitches on each side for the sleeve holes. This means I have 6 less stitches to do on each row. Yay!
Er, well, I actually have 9 less to do - I somehow lost 3 on the way. A little disturbing!

To Poncho or not to Poncho...

I'm thinking of starting a poncho. A really light, summery one, very tasteful. *snorts quietly*
No, really, something like this:

I just discovered Crochet Pattern Central, which has a lot of great options. Something open and lacy, maybe with a flower pattern, in a dark colour. It might be better in cotton. Hmm.

Craftin' & Cookin'

Wow! I've started working on my cardigan again! After at least 3 months of very little craft and no knitting whatsoever. I just felt like doing something with my hands.

I also made this pasta bake tonight which I'm very proud of:

[2 days later]
Even ze leftovers are bewdiful!

Desperate for Content! aka Cooking

In a desperate and pathetic search for content, I've decided that 'cooking' can come under the category of 'knitting.' Here are the potato salad portions I made for lunch in an attempt to get organised to work at the Australian Open:

It looks just like a 50's cookbook illustration. I love it!

P.S. They taste quite good too!

Cocktails I Made Up #2

The Katiezade

60ml vodka
30ml melon liqueur
dash lemon juice
300ml Lucozade

Stir.
Serve over ice.
Makes 2 (they probably all will).