bekswhoknits

what’s in my wallet

Posted on May 17, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Well I don’t carry a handbag. I’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to going places.
I have a collection of totes from various gigs or online purchases, but if I’m just going to the pub, or out for an evening all I want is cash, cards, phone, keys, and lipbalm.

I’ve spend ages trying to find the perfect way to do this, and I think I’m pretty close.

Kitsch Devine make this gorgeous wallet.

It’s a fabric wallet, and I really want this cat print one!

But I am so happy with mine.

So here’s what I carry everywhere…
Obviously my phone is conspicuously absent – but it fits in their perfectly, even with a case on. So many iphone wallets fit an iphone but only if they dont have a case.
This one fits my phone whether it’s wearing polka-dots, flowers, or the little mermaid (I have a mild iphone case obsession).

Lip balm is essential. Chapstick is always on sale so I usually have dozens of them but can never find one when I need one.

Endless receipts. I don’t know why I keep receipts as I tend to do my account keeping using my bank statements, but I still always end up with receipts.

Emergency panty liner. Learnt from experience.

Cards. The usual drivers licence, bank card, medicare card.
Special cards include my RTR fm subscribers card, spotlight card, and entertainment book card. Yay for discounts!

Business cards. Does anyone else have business cards for their blog? I find they’re really useful when I want to give someone my details, but I don’t want to give them my mobile number. Instead they have my url, email, and twitter handle. I always have a few handy.

Post It Notes. Because they’re really useful.

The heart shaped carabina is there because I sometimes attach my keys to it. It’s not the best solution, but it works.

Noticeably absent –
Bobby pins, usually I have a few tucked away in my wallet.
Money, I’m hopeless when it comes to keeping cash
Pen, I’m probably being optimistic, but I think having a pen tucked in there would be really useful.

So there you go. A little insight into my essentials.
(And check out Kitsch Designs – there’s so many cute things)

Stuck in my head – I heart Hiroshima

Posted on May 16, 2012May 16, 2012 by bekswhoknits

That’s the thing about football

Posted on May 14, 2012May 15, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t.
The only thing we can do as supporters is go to the games, support our club, and cheer on our side. And have a great time doing it.

The moral of this story is the point we hope we’ve made

Posted on May 11, 2012May 7, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Reading a knitting chart after 3 white wines is never advisable.
Not the first time you read it, nor the second, and you should know better by the third.

Well I do know better now it’s the third but, this riff sock has had be confounded.
Obviously after a few white wines I don’t know my left from right, or my
Because I’ve done this twice now.

The first time I persisted, mainly because I was driving (passenger seat) and naively assumed that the pattern would eventually ‘make sense’. Well it did, but only when I read it correctly.
I eventually persisted and ended up with my laughing stock socks.
These were a failure from start to finish.

The second time was me being careless. I forgot about the previous failure (I don’t quite know how as they were quite literally on the Mr’s feet in front of me) and I didn’t double check the pattern properly.
Needless to say this time I frogged them and have since started again.

The other ones weren’t quite so lucky.
I made them on 3.5 mm needles. Which was too big for the sock pattern but too small for the yarn. So they are huge. Too big even for the Mr’s size 12 man-feet.
Then there was the pattern error at the beginning of the sock, but also at the cuff section.
And then I was so sick of them instead of fixing them I just finished the round of pattern and started the rib.
So they don’t fit properly around the heel.

So they’re my laughing stock socks.

Although I will say one thing about them, they’re nice and squidgy. And the pattern does look ok if you follow it properly.

So I’m casting on again. Let’s see if I can learn from my mistakes.

I didn’t have the heart to take more photos.

And if you’re wondering about the title of this post??? It’s the last line of this video.

I made cushions!!

Posted on May 10, 2012May 1, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I can make cushion covers.
I can sew straight seams. Ok well it took me a little while and a I had to unpick a couple, but I got there in the end.

When Spotlight recently had a 30% off everything sale I picked up some quilting flats. They’re 40×40 cm squares and pretty much made for cushion making.

Its all straight seams with an opening to put the inserts in.
Pretty easy and ended up less than $10 for two.

(I know that there’s a pretty black polka-dot fabric in there, but I don’t want to talk about it – there was a cushion disaster)

Totally cute and I can’t wait to make more to shake things up. Maybe next time I’ll get a little more adventurous like these gorgeous ones by .

And here’s me trying out spin cam…
http://spincam.net/s/ghpu/i

Stuck in my head – San Cisco

Posted on May 9, 2012May 9, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I dare you not to get this stuck in your head.

Warm soup belly

Posted on May 8, 2012May 8, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Call me a saucy minx, but I have a strategy when it comes to making soup.
Well I have to. Whenever I suggest soup for dinner, the manly half of the relationship kicks up a fuss “soup for dinner?? That’s not going to be enough. I’m a manly man, I need man-food!”
Well maybe not those exact words, but that’s how I hear it.

Well my secret phrase is “I’ll make you something else in a minute”.
By the time he finishes his soup, he’ll have warm soup belly, be all full up, and forget that you were meant to cook them something else.

Of course if you suggest a manly soup the men-folk will be satisfied that their masculinity isn’t compromised.

Last week’s minestrone (recipe from not all tea and scones was very manly. You can’t get more masculine than chunks of steak, and potato.

However after looking through my bare cupboards (I’ll do the food shopping this week I swear), all I could come up with was potato soup. Not even potato with steak, just plain potato.

So I pulled out the whole “I’ll make you something else if you’re still hungry”. Sure enough, after a hearty bowl of soup I had a very content man with warm soup belly.

(of course I’m not the first to discuss manly soup)

The actual soup was really basic. It took what I had in the cupboard, threw it into a pot, and boiled until it all squishy and ready to be blended.
You really could use whatever is on hand, but this is what I used.

The Ingredients
8 potatoes (peeled and cubed)
3 cloves garlic
2 onions
2 carrots (grated)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
2 cups beef stock
2 cups frozen peas

The Recipe
Brown the onion and garlic in olive oil.
Once brown add the coriander and cumin.
Add the grated carrot and let that soften.
Add the potatoes, the stock, and enough water to just cover it.

Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer until the potatoes fall apart with a fork.
Add the peas and bring back to the boil.
Turn off the heat and leave until it’s cool enough to blend.

Serve with greek yoghurt and cheese.

The mountain goats @ the bakery

Posted on May 7, 2012May 7, 2012 by bekswhoknits

It was a school night. I had a headache (which would last another three days). I understood why the bakery is named the bakery (it was hot).
But in spite of all that I had an awesome night. And bonus points to the bakery for awesome toilets.

It was some awesome pre-show conversation with my sis-in-law (even though the Mr and I aren’t technically married i still think she’s my family).

I quite forgot that Catherine Traicos was playing. I have one of her albums which is pretty hit and miss, but we were really only there for the mountain goats.

And then The Mountain Goats came on.
He is definitely a mad man with a guitar.

If I hadn’t have felt like shit, and if it wasn’t so hot, I could have listened to them chat and play all night.

I would have loved to have seen them play in festival gardens. Comfy couches would have suited them to a T.

I also would have liked to know more of their songs. I though having 4 albums would make me a fan? But apparently not. But it didn’t matter. They sounded exactly as they should.

And that is all that really mattered.

The anecdotes were witty and funny, giving you that sense that they were truly glad to be there.

There’s always that added sense of joy when you hear a band that sounds exactly like they do on their recordings.
That magical voice is just as magical in person.

There were some moments of pure happiness.
And that’s what a band should aim for.
That pure moment when you’re in the audience and you just can’t help but smile. And you can think is how wonderful this music is, where it transports you to, and how you feel while you’re there.

Magic.

FO – seed stitch cowl

Posted on May 4, 2012May 3, 2012 by bekswhoknits

This pretty thing was spotted at In The Pines last Sunday, and last weekend it was finished in picturesque Bridgetown.

Whilst I was checking out Ford House I snapped these pretty pictures.

It’s 100 stiches on 9mm 80cm circular. 2 rows 2×2 rib then seed stitch until its the perfect length. Finished off with another 2 rows of rib.

If I was to do this again I would skip the rib.

It’s knitted using Moda Vera Shiver. It’s a super squishy yarn which is really easy to knit with.

Purdy!!

Bridgetown adventures with Hipstamatic (and food)

Posted on May 3, 2012May 3, 2012 by bekswhoknits

This is a picture heavy post.

Can you tell I’m missing being on holidays??

These are adventures at Ford House (which i thought was a little overrated, but everyone else oohed and aahed over everything. I thought the grounds were really pretty and went to town with hipstamatic).

There’s also the caravan covered in newspaper print that was camped next to us.

And the fish pie from the Cidery. We had a pretty awesome taste of some ciders (they make them all on site), and some handcrafted beers (which were yummy) before a tasting plate and a main meal. Their salmon pate was divine. By the end we were liking it with our fingers.

Really missing camping now.

Continue reading Bridgetown adventures with Hipstamatic (and food)