It's been a while...

Hello. My name is Nichole and it has been 2 months since my last confession, I mean blog post ;-)
I actually have had quite a bit going on but you know how it is when life gets in the way.
First up, I had the marvellous pleasure of test knitting Beear for the gorgeous Georgie Hallam, aka tiKKi.
Let me just say that being asked to test for my favourite designer pretty much made my life!

Miss Bella models her Beear

 I had this finished just in time as me the three kidlets packed up and headed over to Victoria to visit my Grandparents for 10 days. It was such an amazing trip and I was so excited to take my own kids to meet two of the most important people in my life. Despite our Red-eye flight we took the very long and scenic route out to Avoca via Bendigo specifically so I could stop here:

AGGGHHHH YARN!

I had to raid my piggy bank before we left because I knew I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of the infamous "Back Room". ;-)

   

Look at ALL that YARN! 

During a trip to Daylesford I picked up some Noro Silk Garden and knit a Turn a Square beanie for my Pop. It came out a little bigger than it should have, despite my ripping back and changing needles! He decided it should be worn like a Newsboy cap! haha silly old Pop. <3

My Gorgeous, Silly, Amazing Pop <3

So far this past month I've finally made some actual progress on my Levenwick. I am determined to have it finished for this winter! I've had to put it down again to finish a commissioned knit for my sister in law. I'm knitting her Cherie Amour in gorgeous Malabrigo Rios. I'm starting to fret that I'm knitting the wrong size despite the hours I've spent poring over the schematic. I'm hoping that a good hard blocking will work it's magic, otherwise I'm preparing myself to cut the darned thing in half and reknit the lower section again. (Yes, I will actually cut my knitting in half!)
In my spare time (ha!) I'm also participating in this year's Mystery Knit along hosted by Kristen Kapur. I loved last year's shawl so much and this year it's a three colour shawl! Stripes!!
AND. Finally... I am making some progress on my latest design. After knitting the initial sample I spent  some time thinking over the construction. It had to be knit from the bottom up but I found the finishing to be really fiddly and wondered if that would translate well into a written pattern. I've finally come up with a viable solution and after knitting a test swatch I'm ready to knit my second sample. Here's a little sneaky peek for you ;-)

Ohhh ruffles!

Up on top

Just when you thought there could be no more hats...along comes another one!

and another one (well, sortof)

And another one. Technically speaking this is a crown, not a hat. But still. :-P

I'm fairly certain there will be more hats to come. And headbands. And tiara's. And crowns...

Homemade Coconut Butter

I've always been a big believer in eating food that is healthy for you rather than to lose weight or for convenience. When the whole 'clean eating'  and 'whole foods' notion came about I thought to myself I already eat like that. That's not to say I don't indulge in some junk now and again but I'm working pretty hard at making those occasions fewer and farther between.
I used to believe that eating sugar was ok because you could burn it off and eating fat was bad because it was, well, fat!
How things have changed. And as I'm educating myself on some of the newer theories about healthy eating I am finding a sense of renewed inspiration in the kitchen. My kitchen muse vanished years ago so it is so nice to see her again :-)
I wanted to try making my own coconut butter after reading some amazing food blogs. (Oh my god! The time I could waste reading those!) So I bought a packet of organic dessicated coconut and decided to give it a whirl (boom boom).
I was a little worried that my faithful old food processor might not be up to the challenge seeing as you need to process for at least 10 minutes. I took it easy on her and stopped every 2 minutes or so to let the motor cool a little. The process ended up taking about 20 minutes  with a set-back midway. Once my coconut had turned to a lusciously viscose creamy liquid, I decided to spike it with a tablespoon of rice malt syrup and vanilla bean paste. Errrr wrong! It was like when you add cold liquid to melted chocolate and it seized into a thick hard paste :-( At this point I went to google for suggestions but nothing much came up so on blind faith I tossed in a spoonful of melted coconut oil and continued blending. The good news is that it worked! I ended up with a creamy liquidy paste once again, ready to be dolloped on all manner of yummy treats.
I didn't take step by step pics; there are so many others who have done that which you can search for by typing 'homemade coconut butter' into google. But I will leave you with some pics of my finished butter and my recipe. Nom.

Coconut Butter
1 200g packet of organic, unsweetened, preservative free dessicated coconut. (this is important as any additives can alter the process and ultimately it just wont work)
1 Tbsp melted organic coconut oil (optional)

Dump the whole bag of coconut in your food processor and blend on high speed. This will take at least 10 minutes and the mix will first turn clumpy, then pastey and finally liquidy. Scrape the sides occasionally and keep and eye on your food processors temperature. If it gets too hot, give it a break.
I would suggest that if you want to add other flavourings or sweeteners then maybe try warming them (ie maple syrup) and stirring it in by hand. I haven't tried this however and can't attest to whether it will work or if your mix will seize like mine did.
Apparently it will set at room temperature and keep for many months. Enjoy :-)

Elizabeth

A cardi fit for a princess

Yep, it's yet another tikki pattern under my belt. I first planned to knit this waaaaaay back in January 2012. I didn't actually cast on until September with the intention of finishing it for Summer. Well, you know how things get around Christmas time. This ended up being stashed away in my basket and neglected until very recently when I found myself obligation free (no tests or commissioned knits in the works). I decided I'd better finish it before my munchkin outgrew it! She will be 4 this year and I only cast on for the 2yo size :-/
Luckily she's a bit of a midget and after coercing her into trying it on several times a day I was confident it would actually fit her just fine. And it does!

I did expect a little growth on blocking since the yarn is a bamboo/ wool blend. Actually it didn't grow as much as I had anticipated based on other ravellers comments. But instead it has turned out perfectly. I am more than a little chuffed at my own awesomeness really ;-)
This will be the perfect autumn cardi, and spring, and summer too. Can't ask for more than that.
You can purchase this pattern here.

Twisted Hipster Test

So far 2013 seems to be the year for knitting hats. With 4 already under my belt, another on the needles and two more on the horizon I can assure you I will have a VERY warm head this winter ;-)

This is Twisted Hipster, a pattern by Nicole Montgomery. Let me just say that this hat involves a LOT of purling. But the final result is a gorgeously slouchy hat with a curving trellis of slipped stitches.
The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn (4 ply) held double but I really dislike holding yarn double unless absolutely necessary. I went with a DK weight (8 ply) and achieved gauge pretty closely. I do wish however that I had used a sport weight (5 ply) in the same gauge for a little more drape. My yarn is a little stiff.
The yarn is Yarnundyed Merino which I dyed myself in a variegated purple.
I knit the 20" size (and my head measures 22") and the dimensions came out exact but to me it does seem a little big. On the flip side, it will easily cover my ears on those bitterly cold days that are headed my way.

Not-really-Rum-Balls...

In the interests of full disclosure I should probably preface by saying that not only do I love to knit, but I also love to cook. For many years I worked professionally as a chef and although it has been some time now since I worked in a commercial kitchen, lately I have rekindled my romance with food.

I think it is really easy for cooking to become a chore, especially when you have a day job, a household to manage and a demanding family; at the end of the day all you really want is to get something that resembles a healthy meal on the table and for everyone to actually eat it.

Without going into too much detail about my diet and my crazy hippy ideas about food, let's just say that my aim of late is to make healthy, nutritious snacks that I can eat instead of the omnipresent processed crap. If my kids will eat it too then I know I'm onto a winner!

One such winner, which also has the husbeasts seal of approval, are these little chocolately nuggets of deliciousness:

Chocolate, coconut and peanut butter balls!

I guess I keep teasing people with awesome photo's of my scrummy food because I get a lot of recipe requests which I always mean to honour and usually fail to do so.

So, in the interest of keeping  you people happy I thought I'd better do the right thing ;-)

Raw cacao, peanut butter and coconut balls

1 cup organic coconut shreds or chunks

1/2 cup organic sugar-free peanut butter

1/4 cup organic rolled oats

1/2 cup cashews or other nuts of choice

2 Tbsp rice bran syrup (you could use maple, honey or agave)

1 Tbsp raw cacao

1 Tbsp coconut oil

5 or 6 fresh dates, chopped

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup desiccated coconut, to roll balls in

Combine the coconut shreds, nuts and oats in a food processor and process to fine crumbs. Add all other ingredients and process until it starts to clump together. 

A tip is to start with less dates and add more if you need them. Maybe even try 4 to start with. I used 5 in this batch.

Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and roll the balls in desiccated coconut. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours)

These little gems will last a couple of weeks in the fridge, that is, if you don't demolish them all first ;-)

Can I finish by saying that my super fussy 8yo son will actually eat these and thinks they are just regular old biscuit-and-condensed-milk rumballs. Total win!

Guess what else I made today :-)

Rhiannon Hat

I had NO IDEA how much hard work went into getting a pattern written. The designing really is the easy part! After a month of to-ing and fro-ing and some amazing help from my test knitters I have a pattern that I am happy with and ready to unleash on the unsuspecting public! I'm thinking I might host a giveaway in the near future, so if you like the look of this pattern then stay tuned for details on how you can win a copy. For free! Yay.

Anyhoo. Let me introduce Rhiannon

 

 big thanks to my amazeballs phototaker: The lovely Clare Day
If you love what you see and can't wait you can click the link to purchase your copy at the super awesome price of $3.50AUD :-)

 

A free pattern. Yay for free!

Today I've uploaded my first free pattern into Ravelry. It is a super simple ribbed cowl designed to showcase that perfect button in your stash. This pattern is perfect for beginners!
Trying to navigate my way through the designers section of Rav is proving to be a challenge especially with kids screaming at me so bear with me while I get it all sorted out.
(Did someone say school goes back next week? Yay!)

You can see some more pics on my Ravelry Pattern Page.

Sweet Penny Test

It's been a long and busy few weeks and I feel like knitting has taken a bit of a back seat to, well, life in general. Since I finished the Mini Water's Edge cardi my needles have been strangely still. I have a few languishing projects which for one reason or another have fallen by the wayside. With all the stress and commitment in the lead up to Christmas I decided to take on another test knit. Nothing like a little extra pressure!

Sweet Penny is a little lacy summer top knit in worsted weight yarn. It is designed to be loose and drapey and features little eyelets at the top to thread ribbon and cinch it in around the neck. Perfect to knit in cotton or cotton blends.

I chose to knit mine in a 50/50 wool bamboo blend. I really can't stand working with cotton (or even yarns with a higher bamboo content) at the moment. I find it really taxing on my hands since it lacks any elasticity. 

I had so many stops and starts with this one, it felt like I was knitting it for-ev-ah! As I said, it is designed to be loose and drapey but my initial attempts were turning out HUGE. Big enough to fit me, never mind a super skinny 10yo. Of course I wouldn't realise the sizing issue until I had knit a third of the entire garment :-/

This happened not once, but twice. I initially changed my needle size but it was still too large so I went with a reduced stitch count and the final result turned out great.

I have to admit that by the end I was just happy to be done with it. If you look at my project page you'll see that I spend a grueling 6 weeks on this little top. (I can't even tell you how jealous it makes me to see people knit an adult sweater in, like, two days!)

My final thoughts though; I really like how it turned out. It fits great, looks great and Miss 10 loves it. I love my fabric ribbon I made! This was sheer coincidence. I had a fat quarter sitting beside my knitting and realised they looked great together!

I would actually rather knit it in a lighter weight yarn though. Especially as it is a summer top. I think it would be lovely in 4 ply/ fingering or maybe even sport weight. For older kids I would recommend a boob tube underneath for modesty. Not that the top is sheer at all, but you know  how it is with young girls...

crazy december daze

My my, how these days and months are slipping by!
Already Christmas is just around the corner and like many families December is crazy hectic for us. We have the last few weeks of school, graduation ceremonies, carols to attend, various functions, work parties, Christmas!! and then my middle child has a birthday right after Christmas which must be celebrated with gusto. Add to that my working week and it seems I have little time left for anything else. Sound familiar?
In the true spirit of being a mum I love to take more than I can chew so add to my list baking gingerbread, mince pies, rum balls (the best ever!) planning a christmas lunch, presents for teachers and tonight I even got the hairbrained idea that perhaps I can sew myself a party frock before next weekend...!
Oh, and don't forget advent!
The biggest commitment by far each December when I plan out a month of festive activities, outings, crafts and treats for my kiddies to do in the lead up to Christmas. I first started this 4 years ago in a bid to make this time of year more about family and less about, well, presents. Sure presents are nice and all, but I really think kids these days have too. much. stuff!
So far I've been posting our daily advents to Instagram if you care to check it out. You can find me as restlessknitter.

Day three advent: Letters to Santa

So, things have been pretty slow on the knitting front. It seems as though work and life in general is getting in the way of my knitting time. I've been plodding away at my Elizabeth for a while now and I feel like I'm making no progress at all. I love this pattern and the lace is simple and intuitive but the yarn! The yarn has no memory or bounce and it's torture on my tired hands. If I knit this again I will definitely knit it wool, NOT bamboo.

I also have been taking part in the Anadiomena Mystery Knit along which was going great but I got to a stage of doubting how much yarn I had left and given that I've dodged the chicken twice recently, I doubt I will be a third time lucky. The KAL has now ended and after seeing the final pattern I'm in two minds about finishing it at all. I really like the boy version more than the girl version so I may ponder on that a while before I continue or rip out.

I have also been very slowly working on a test knit. Unfortunately I had some gauge issues and after knitting about a third of the garment, I had to rip it out and start again. Hopefully this time it will work out better.

I did recently manage to finish a cardi for my eldest daughter, just in time for a scorching hot Australian summer!

This is the Mini Waters Edge cardigan by Hannah Fettig. The minute I saw this pattern I knew it would suit my Bella. I made a few changes which I outlined on my project page. Go check it out!

And lastly, I pre-ordered a copy of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf by Alana Dakos (hopefully) in time for Christmas. I can't wait to have a read and let you guys know what I think. In the meantime, the Knitmore girls  have a review on episode 206. If you don't already listen to this podcast, you should :-)

Socktober roundup

I don't often partake in these novelty knit along months; there are so many of them and it's hard to keep up. But I like knitting socks and seem to have a little binge now and again so the concept of Socktober was perfect really. The idea is to knit as many socks as possible during the month of October.
So my final tally is 6 and a half socks.

Mini Vanilla Socks

Chunky Vanilla Socks

From Left: Uzu sock, mini vanilla socks, half a sock and a teeny baby sock

They are not all matching pairs mind you but that's ok. I finished one of my Uzu socks, which I may have to rip back to the heel as I'm really not happy about it, but I'll save that for another day. I knit some worsted vanilla socks for me, some vanilla socks for my little monkey, one teensy baby sock and half of another vanilla sock.
They've all been put aside for the moment while I work on some other things including the Anadiomena Mystery Knit Along. It's not too late to join in if you like mystery knits. This one is for a child's jumper/ sweater with some unusual construction. If you've never heard of a mystery knit along (MKAL) then the concept is pretty simple: The pattern is released in stages over a month or so and you have no idea what the final item will look like until you cast off. Each week you knit the section that has been released and you can get support and advice by participating the corresponding forum on ravelry.
I really like the mystery element. It keeps me interested and usually prevents me from getting bored with the project. This is a good thing because lately I feel a bit like my knitting mojo has gone AWOL. I have quite a few WIPs so maybe I'm a bit overwhelmed by choice.
My husband joked that maybe I've lost the knitting bug. HA! yeah, I don't think so. It's just taking a vacation for a while, I hope ;-/

Nanna Chic back in style

Earlier this year I was quite anxious to participate in a Mystery Knit Along (MKAL). At the time they seemed really hard to find which only fueled my insane desire to get in on the action. When this one popped up on my radar by Kristen Kapur I was in the sign up queue quicker than you could say knit picks.

I really really like a number of Kristen's designs so I was sure this one would be a winner.

I made a really good start and kept up with the clues each week. Until the last clue that is.

I had also signed up to test knit Maura and obviously I had a deadline to stick to. My Mkal shawl found it's way into the UFO pile with only 10 rows to go and there it sat in neglect for several months.

I finally got bitten by the finishing bug last week and got stuck into it. I knew I would be cutting it close with the yardage so I emitted the final two rows of the last chart. Good thing I did, I had less than 1 metre of yarn to spare once I bound off!!

I wasn't convinced I would love this shawl. I don't think I would pick the pattern had I seen it before the mystery knit. I was contemplating gifting it. But after I blocked it on my shiny new blocking wires I was just a little bit smitten. In fact, I haven't taken it off all week. It's perfect for the cool rainy spring weather we are having at the moment.
Secretly, I just love the nanna look. ;-)

Just in time for summer

I've been planning to knit myself a hat all. winter. long!

I played a little yardage chicken with this. The contrast colour is the Squoosh merino I spun recently. Or to be more precise, it's the 3 ply leftovers. I had an estimated 76m. After much project stalking it seemed that other ravellers used between 65 and 90m of the contrast colour so I decided to make a go of it. I'm pleased to say I made it with 2m of yarn to spare!
The pattern is Selbu Modern and is free on ravelry. I made a couple of mods you can check them out here.

All rolled into one...

It was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one when this arrived from the post office this week.
I'm sure you can imagine just how I squealed with delight!

clockwise from front: Lolita, Victorian Gothic (7) Jade (2) and Steam Age

13 glorious skeins of Tosh DK!

I have a few plans for some of these. One skein of Jade and Lolita are destined to become a Cladonia
The steam age is joining a couple of co-ordinating colours to become something stripey.
The Victorian Gothic is to be a cardigan but I'm still open to suggestions on the perfect cardigan. I want something that will 'go' with everything. Something I can wear to work or with jeans. Maybe a few cables or lace but nothing too intricate. Please leave me a comment and tell me what YOU would knit with 7 skeins of madelinetosh :-D

Jane FO and saying goodbye

I've been a bit lazy in updating my blog, but then I figure, no one is actually keeping score, right?
I finished a Jane Cardi for miss Ellie a couple of weeks ago. I decided she needed a little spring cardi to wear over her sun dresses. I admit, I tend to get distracted by shiny things. I can be halfway through a project and then on a whim I will cast something new on and knit like the proverbial wind.

I have two other cardi's on the needles at the moment along with an almost finished (and languishing) shawl; that really ought to be finished but I'm too lazy to knit the last 5 rows. Not to mention the two pairs of socks. I have actually finished one sock from each pair and so have been wearing mismatched socks to keep my toes warm until I actually finish one of the pairs. :-)

Instagram pic of my mismatched socks :-)

This weeks distraction comes in the form of the Selbu Modern hat. A stunning stranded colour work hat which is available for free on Rav. I'm knitting the background using Shepherd merino 4ply in black and using some of my 3 ply handspun for the motifs. I love watching it grow and seeing the colours change. It will look spectacular once it's finished.

We lost a long time friend this last week.

Mr Gobbelino (or Gobbles as we called him) was diagnosed with diabetes. Although he did respond to insulin treatment, it became evident that he also had something else wrong with him, most likely a tumour in his chest. After 11 years, we said our final goodbye on Wednesday September 26, to our beautiful, fat, loving furry friend.