Me Made May week 3

Another week over!

Weather was up and down, as was my mood.

Mother’s Day was this week, so feeling blecch. Even though I made sure it was a lovely day—breakfast in bed, group bike ride—I want someone else to do the legwork for once. Waah waah.

Polka dot nighty 

Sundress with yellow roses

This was the year that I finally bought shoes a size large for the sake of handknit socks, just in time for it to be too warm (mostly) for handknit socks. 

Socks 

The uppy-downy weather made it good for a wardrobe staple for me: the sleeveless shirt, perfect for layering for changing temps. Also another pair of handknit socks, and the jeans that are my bellwether of fitness (bit on the snug side, but we’re getting there.

Sleeveless polka dot shirt, straight leg jeans, wool socks

This is my Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief cosplay. Linen sweater, linen pants. Still working on my Grace Kelly. 

Striped linen sweater, grey linen trousers 

Getting even warmer, a cotton knit top (with a really interesting construction) and cotton twill skirt (just tailored enough to make the very casual top feel work worthy).

Cotton striped knit top, cotton twill skirt

And finally, long weekend, more sleeping in.

Pyjamas 

Xmas pyjama time!

My favourite old tradition! Matching pyjamas for xmas eve. If I'm being honest mine weren't finished till boxing day, but I've been living in them since! 

Matching the pattern on the kid's pyjamas turned out trickier than expected... it's almost as if the grey gingham background and black animal silhouettes were printed separately and the pattern repeats are different lengths! Yikes. I managed to find a "close enough" piece but it's not absolutely perfect. 

Much happier with my own pocket. 

This is a really nice quality flannelette too; last year's didn't have the same body, but this has some heft as well as fluff. If I'm smart, I'll head back to Len's Mill this week to see if they have boxing day deals, and get back to the tradition of getting these finished in July!

It's party apron time!

In the 1960s, my mother (the snappiest of dressers) sewed herself a holiday party apron, in white organdy with applique red and green xmas bells and ornaments (which doubled as pockets) trimmed with metallic rick rack. I just pulled myself out of an internet rabbit hole trying to find pictures. I know I have the original somewhere! But its condition is a bit delicate. 

Anyway I decided to sew one for myself, with matching oven mitts, after being inspired by the FW 2022 Batsheva + Laura Ashley collection. It's hard to see in the pictures, but the polka dots are a soft metallic silver, and the piping is quite blingy!

Getting ready for the holidays

I may not be posting, but I am doing stuff! I've been hibernating a bit since the election happened. I realised the other day that it's kind of funny that everyone is worried that he is going to send the U.S. back to the pre-civil-rights 1950s, and I am responding by retreating into the kitchen like 1950s Mom. Ah well.

I've been working (slowly) on this turtleneck:

Afraid the turtle is too small for my big head though. Because it's on dpns, I can't really stretch it to see. But I found my 2mm circ, so I can transfer it over to see. Meanwhile, it's getting cold for running, so I made this earwarmer headband:

Surprisingly quick knit, for 2x2 rib on 2mm needles! Will test it tomorrow morning. Also made this cowl in an hour:

So satisfying to start and finish something after putting the kid to bed, and wear it the next day! Unlike this scarf, which I'm still sort of slowly plugging away at:

Meh. And I've cast on these for the kid's teacher's xmas present:

Yes, mittens again. Can't fail. If I have time, I might make a hat too, since I have enough yarn.

In other holiday news, it hit me this week that November is half over, and I ought to be doing party prep! So yesterday I made candied peel:

and shortbread dough, and Imperial Cheddar biscuit dough, and today I am doing hamantaschen dough and puff pastry. I also made a "test loaf" of this pain aux figues, which I think will be a new staple! Yum.

And raisin bread, because it makes the best toast.

Most importantly, fruitcake today! Because it needs time to soak up some whiskey. Yum.

The Flash!

This is a lifetime first for me: I finished a Hallowe'en costume one full week before Hallowe'en!

I am frankly astounded, and at loose ends. But miracle of miracles, it is true. Despite having to re-do the leggings from scratch because they were too small (curse you Burda and the randomness of your seam allowances). The costume is basically a hoodie and leggings (Burda 9482), with a bit of felt decoration, appliquéd using the old classic zigzag wheel on the Supermatic. Before I started, I asked the kid if he'd possibly wear it to school or elsewhere after Hallowe'en was over (in which case, I'd use something that would hold up in the laundry better than felt). He said, "No." I guess he's too old for that kind of thing.

When I asked him to try it on for size, he said, "Hmm, I could wear this to school!" Sigh.

The boots are yellow felt, cut to fit over the kid's rainboots. There's an elastic strap that goes under the heel to hold them on (I hope).

The tricky part was making the wing/lightning thingies sticking out of his helmet and boots. I ended up using multiple layers of felt fused together with Wonder Web for stability, and zigzagged around the edges.

There was a lot of zigzagging with this costume. But it's done done done! A week in advance! I guess I can always kill time making more sugar cookies.

Pyjama party

So excited to say I already have one Xmas present done!

As usual, I am making pyjamas for my son for Xmas eve. This year, I am making us a matched set. How dorky is that! I got his done, and mine started, and then ran out of thread.

The rainbow of buttons down the front match the mini-buttons I used to decorate one of the trees on the pocket:

I am making myself some summer pyjamas too, but again, ran out of thread! I need to get buttons, too.

cutting and sewing and more cutting

In an effort to put off cleaning the kitchen, I've gotten a bunch of stuff cut out!

I am going on a pyjama binge, on a roll after finishing the kid's summer pyjamas.

These will be summer pyjamas for me:

And these will be Christmas Eve pyjamas for the kid, with a matching set for me as well (yes that dorky):

I also cut out a white cotton shirt, and a black cotton dress. And possibly something else I am forgetting.

This one is even sewn! A different sort of shirt for me: mandarin collar, blouson, bottom band:

Except the buttons of course. I can never find a needle when I need one. But I am hoping to get that taken care of tonight and wear it tomorrow!

Hot crossed buns! Again!

For Easter, thought I'd post my recipe, since I've tweaked it a bit from the origina one I used, including changing the measurements from metric to imperial!

Combine: 1 1/4 cup warm milk 1/4 cup white sugar 4 tsp yeast

Let that sit while you sift together: 3 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Then rub in as though you were making pastry: 1/4 cup butter (cut into bits)

Add milk/yeast to flour mixture, along with: 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup candied orange peel, chopped

Knead 5 min, cover, and let double (45 min)

Punch down, cut in 12 pieces, roll into balls, and arrange in greased 9"x13" pan. Cover and let rise 15 min.

Combine: 1/2 cup flour 1/4+ cup water

Add more water as necessary to make a fairly thick paste, but not too thick to pipe.

Pipe crosses on the buns (I don't do it individually, it's basically a big grid that crosses all of them)

Bake 10 min at 400f, then drop the temperature to 350 and bake 15 min more.

Now, back to my regularly-scheduled room redecoration project.

oaks and acorns

the pastry for the pumpkin pies is resting, the toffee sauce for the sticky toffee pudding is made, the pumpkins have been roasted, all that's left is some stirring, assembly, and baking.

and knitting.

i started both of these at the cottage, but only just finished the little oak hoodie this week! needed to get it done in time to give at thanksgiving, and before the baby outgrows it!

i wanted to get this one done in time too, but i think i'm out of luck. i lost the pattern i originally drew up, and then had to recreate it. today, of all days, i found the original pattern! sigh.

here are some finished acorns:

and a squirrel taking shape!

happy birthday victoria!

the holiday was last monday, but officially today was queen victoria's birthday. we had two kinds of cake. this kind:

a lovely present from our visiting friend jenr8, and especially welcome when i am officially not allowing myself to buy any yarn except for charity knitting! jen got it from the loving path in london.

we also had this kind:

a victoria sandwich! i had a moment of worry since we were out of jam, but luckily we had strawberries on hand.

i just ignored them on the stove for a while, during which i mixed up the batter, and they turned out delicious.

and the best most important ingredient:

yum.

victoria sandwich

filling:
1/2 lb strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 jar devon cream

cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder

combine strawberries and sugar over low heat. boil gently until it gels - you can test by leaving a saucer in the freezer to get cold, and putting a drop of jam on to see if it runs or sits. let cool.

cream together butter and sugar. beat in vanilla and eggs.

sift together flour and baking powder. fold thoroughly into butter mixture.

pour into two 7" or 8" round cake tins, greased, floured, and lined with waxed paper in the bottom.

bake 25 minutes at 350f, or until they spring back when lightly touched, and just start pulling away from the sides of the pan. let cool briefly in tins before unmolding on racks to cool thoroughly.

spread bottom layer of cake thickly with devon cream, then with strawberry jam. top with second layer.

april fools!

it's april fools' day!

for the kid's lunch, we have alpahbet soup, as inspired by chickadee magazine.

well, it may look like alpahbet soup, but it is actually butterscotch pudding from smitten kitchen, topped with some alpha-bits cereal!

that's sort of healthy, right?

i added some food colouring to the kid's serving, to make it look more tomato-y.

i'm taking one of the plain ones for my lunch.

buns!

i recently discovered a food blog called the woks of life, and fell in love! i want to make everything, everything. all of the yummy dim sum things. things i might previously have imagined to be impossible, but the recipes are refreshingly manageable.

too late for the lunar new year, unfortunately.

i decided the bbq pork buns (cha siu bao) would be first. i started with the recipe for chinese bbq pork (cha siu), which is so tasty we've just been snacking on the leftovers in the fridge non-stop.

the bread dough was something amazing. i used to make bread now and then, and then i lost the touch somehow and made bricks for a while until i gave up. then i discovered the new york times no-knead bread that everyone went crazy for a few years back, and had success with that, and started tiptoe-ing into the world of yeast again, mainly with our weekly pizza nights.

but this dough is something else, you start by making "tangzhong," which is something like a roux, and adding that to the flour along with the other wet ingredients. it also required 15+ minutes of kneading - making me realize just how out of shape i am! apparently getting zero exercise can interfere with baking, who knew.

the really tricky bit is forming the buns so that no filling escapes.

i pulled four points to the centre and sealed the edges...

... and then folded them in to the middle to make the buns nice and round.

will have to work on my technique - i did end up with a number of leaks, sadly!

but they still looked gorgeous and tasted amazing.

that said i do have a bit of an upset tummy today after three buns for dinner... and two for breakfast... and one for lunch...