Movies make things get done

I feel like I have watched a zillion movies lately, and by coincidence, I also feel like I've been getting a lot done. I can only conclude that movies are good for productivity.

My bread-making has been improving - look at the crumb on this loaf of 60% whole wheat!

Hoping to get the next loaf a little higher. And that's home-made strawberry jam in the background too. Had the good fortune to stumble upon the last of the strawberries I froze last summer, just as I ran out of jam.

Have also been knitting - trying again to make socks:

Self-striping yarn to make them look interesting without being difficult. Will have to learn to do an afterthought heel. Also, this scarf, seen here a few days after I started it last week:

is now complete! I left it to soak this morning, and will block tonight. And today I am wearing a shirt...

that I sewed up on the weekend from fabric I cut a zillion years ago, literally. I'm quite pleased.

All this courtesy of a bunch of old films, from Idiot's Delight to Grand Hotel to Of Human Bondage to Some Like It Hot. They don't make 'em like they used to!

dreaming of summer with grace kelly

well, the weather was so beautiful and warm - i even got a sunburn on a hike last weekend! - that i couldn't bring myself to keep working on the hat for mrs. brown.

so, i decided to start something summery - something i've had in the back of my mind for ages.

there's a scene in to catch a thief where grace kelly scares the living daylights out of cary grant by racing her convertible along a winding mountain road.

she's wearing a gorgeous two-piece dress. it's one i've often thought of recreating.

it's simple; feminine yet sporty.

i'm reimagining the top as a pullover. i can easily imagine wearing both of these pieces a lot - together or seperately. the pullover would go great with the navy jacket and capris i'm planning. or the grey linen trousers i made last week.

and you can never have too many summer skirts!

i'm not much of a pink gal myself, though. so i've cast on in yellow. i'm sick (what, again?) so i got a fair amount done today, while watching ball of fire (a little-known classic!).

plan is to knit the shell, then add the paisley detail in duplicate stitch (i decided it would be a lot less painful than intarsia for so many little things). now i just need to be on the look out for a cotton voile in a coordinating yellow to make a skirt and scarf.

eep!

it suddenly hit me that our cottage trip is a week away, and that means it is past time to get ready for the fair! i have some projects i plan to work on up there - a scarf, a tea cosy - and some i plan to work on up there that will require some machine sewing first. like, hemming the edge of the tea towels i intend to embroider. i feel like embroidering tea towels and knitting a tea cosy are very cottage-appropriate, somehow...

first, here's the finished, folded, labelled, ready to go pile - seven items - just so i feel a leetle bit accomplished instead of totally overwhelmed:

and here's some stuff basically done, being blocked:

here's some lace being blocked, i just need to make the pillow case it will be trimming (one of my must-do machine-sewing projects):

and here's a scarf-in-progress:

i also have an item to add to the geronimo stilton costume, pyjamas to make, and there will be much baking when we're up there... can't wait!

but for now, i'm going to spend some quality time with my supermatic and ace in the hole to keep me company.

meatball! meatball!

taking a little break from cooking day. coconut stuff for the coconut chicken is done and in the fridge. tomato sauce is simmering. fabric for craft fair has been bought, washed, dried & folded. candied orange peel and meatballs have another 15 minutes before i have to run.

but speaking of meatballs, i have to share my particular meatball trick. i have a consistency thing. i crave it, but find it difficult to achieve. so i've developed a technique that works for meatballs, or peanut butter cookies, or anything you need to roll into little balls.

the trick is this: in whatever bowl you're mixing the stuff in, prod your stuff with a spoon until it is even and flat on top. then, take a long knife, and cut it into quarters. lift out one quarter of the dough/meat/whatever, and shape it into a disc. cut that in quarters. each quarter can then be rolled into a log, and cut into however many pieces are required. we're three in our family, so i am making the right number of meatballs for 3 people to have 4 dinners (48 meatballs). this way you avoid the annoying "i have 4 people and 7 cookies" problem. maybe i think about this too much.

what i usually think about when i'm making meatballs is this (skip to 1:13):



meatballs (enough for 12, or for 4 dinners for 3, or 3 dinners for 4)
1 tbs olive oil
2 large onions
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb italian sausage
1 tbs oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup dry breadcrumbs

chop onions and saute in oil till soft.

combine with meats, seasonings, and egg.

add cheese and crumbs, work in.

shape into 48 meatballs. bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 375f. serve on top of spaghetti with tomato sauce. and don't sneeze.

tomato sauce (enough for 12, again)
2 tbs olive oil
4 large onions
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
20 large ripe field tomatoes
salt to taste

chop onions and saute in oil till soft.

chop celery and carrots finely and add to onions. cook till soft and just starting to caramelise.

crush and add garlic along with herbs and vinegar.

chop and add tomatoes. bring to a boil, then simmer till thick and reduced by about half, about 3 hours.

season to taste with salt.

what i like to do is, get 4 empty yogurt containers (the big ones, 750g), put a dozen meatballs in each one, then fill with the sauce, then stick in the freezer until it's time for dinner. defrost/reheat in a covered pot on the stovetop while the spaghetti is cooking. voila!

home sick means movies! movies! movies!

i am sick sick sick and spending a lot of time draped over the sofa. the alpaca bed jacket has never been more practical. and of course the best thing to do when you're sick is to watch movies! monday was spent with the always charming cary grant.



the bishop's wife had been on my christmas "to watch" list but somehow didn't get watched in december. no matter the timing; it's delightful any time of the year. and is it just me, or did cary grant's ice-skating double look a lot like the rehearsal director in white christmas? i'll have to look into that...

yesterday was the also extremely charming sabrina, by the inimitable billy wilder:



i think i really need to tackle this dress. i have a black linen blend that's been waiting to be made into a summer dress, and i was thinking of something along these general lines, and it has such a lovely shape and lovely details:



meanwhile, i've finally finished this hoodie for the kiddo, complete with duplicate stich embellishment from watermellish. this little plane is called "zoomy." i'd never done dupe-stitch before as it felt like "cheating" - it's not knitting, it's embroidery, and knitting is supposed to be knitting! kind of like when i was struggling to get the bobble nose on the puppyboy hat, and a friend said "why don't you just make it separately and then sew it on." why? because it would be wrong, that's why. and yes, i know that's just silly. anyway, i really liked zoomy, and i really like the watermellish tutorials, and realizing that with dupe-stitch you can make a sort of "higher resolution" picture made me decide that it's not just the poor man's intarsia.



i've also cast on a little hoodie for a new baby! everyone is having babies these days it seems.

holiday traditions

we are slowly but surely recovering from our holiday tree-trimming party! highlights from the even include crafty contributions from neighbours cassy and carol. and our new tradition, begun last year, the gingerbread smash.



the kiddo was ready to smash the gingerbread house before any guests arrived, and cleverly suggested we take a picture to show everybody instead. hmm, no. it did survive most of the way through the party, but only barely.



the next day was spent ignoring the need to do a post-party clean, and enjoying our newly-decorated tree.



we also enjoyed the latkes i hadn't got around to making before the party. all hail my new best friend, the le creuset braiser! latkes, paella, rabbit rillettes, spatchcocked chicken... is there anything it can't do?



sunday was also a time for knitting. i'm a bit behind (as ever), which i blame on party prep and forgetting how many pairs i need to do. but i've started on the second set now! whee!



i nearly lost the pattern, as the kiddo is experimenting with typing, and typed a lot of Hs all over it. i am grateful he hasn't managed to save his edits yet. i will be posting the free knitting pattern soon! i'm hoping to squeeze in some quiet this weekend in between the traditional night out to see the nutcracker and the traditional watching of the apartment (the best xmas movie ever, which i just picked up on sale at indigo, yay) to get these suckers finished. wish me luck!