real life

Favorite things.

Posted on February 26, 2013March 12, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I’ve been making some progress on my Mini Mania scarf which I started just before Christmas.

This is the reason that I blog. I always forget how much progress I make, particularly on these long projects.

This scarf is taking ages. Mostly because I keep looking at how pretty it is rather than knitting it. That and getting into a rhythm of knit one slip one takes a bit of doing.

But this week I’ve needed something distracting but simple whilst I’m at home with uterus trouble.

Here are some of the other things keeping me sane this week.

There’s no milk in the house, so fruit tea is brilliant. This is one of my favourites. (Plus polkadot cup!!!)

Tim Tam mini packs are fab. My sweet tooth comes and goes depending on the time of the month. It’s also a great way to try out new flavours. Turkish delight is my favourite chocolate. Can’t wait to try them.
Plus a heat pack is essential.

Harry Potter is all I feel like watching, so I’m watching them all!!!

And of course knitting. It’s a great distraction.

Posted on February 22, 2013 by bekswhoknits

It has been energy sappingly warm in my neck of the woods this week so I have no updates.

All She Wants To Do Is Knit

The following is a true story. It was told to me at knit night on Wednesday. I will do my best to recount the story as it was told to me. Names have been changed.

* * *

It was a February evening in southern Minnesota. A monthly hand-spinners get-together was just breaking up, spilling its chattering crowd, like a tumbled basket of yarn, into the snowy streets.

Anne clutched her nearly finished blue cardigan to her chest as she strode toward her car, fumbling for her keys. “Almost done,” she thought. “If I’d just had a another hour I could have bound off the second sleeve and woven in the ends. Oh well, no matter. I’ll finish it tomorrow.” She trudged to the passenger side of her white sedan and plopped the project and the remains of her last ball of…

View original post 752 more words

Fudgy Nutella Biscuits

Posted on January 22, 2013January 23, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I’d like to say I could improve this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen , but I can’t. It’s practically perfect in nearly every way.

I didn’t think it was going to work. When I mixed it with the hand mixer it just went everywhere.
So I kneaded it a bit before putting it in the freezer.

Even once it was in the oven after 10 minutes it didn’t look right. But I smushed it down a bit (that’s a technical term) and bung it in the oven for a bit longer.

I thought the sea salt was a touch of genius, but the other half didn’t agree and thought I was mad.
If he wants biscuits without sea salt he can make them himself.
Ok that’s a bit harsh, but don’t mess with genius.

Nutella biscuits to solve all ones problems.

So where do I start?

Posted on January 14, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I rocked in the new year with my bloke, my best friend, and Sugar Army at the Rosemount.
We managed to get a taxi without incident, so it went down as one of the better New Years. I think the trick is to go in with low expectations and let it confirm or exceed them.

The cold I caught over Christmas was starting to go away which was promising.

It was then a day of watching Series 3 of Downton Abbey, including the Christmas episode! I desperately want somewhere to talk about this without fear of being all spoilery. I then rewatched all of series 1 and 2. I had forgotten just how soap opera-y series 2 got. I’ve become hooked on Billy Doux episode recaps. They come with a historical context and fun facts around each episode.

Then 2 days in Margaret River touring wineries, playing scruples, and enjoying a mini-break.

Isn’t that cat adorable? I wanted to take him home, but ended up coming home with this guy, who is totally adorable. (It’s a cow from the Cowaramup brewery)

Then Southbound!
Two days of camping, music, friends, and frivolity. And dust, and dirt, queues, greasy food, low phone batteries, and accidentally stepping on beer cans. Ouch.

But I couldn’t start the year any other way. Django Django, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Maximo Park were my highlights.
That and bringing our own shade was the best decision ever.

I can’t wait to see who’s on next year’s lineup – although my ticket folder is looking rather full with a Laneway and Perth Festival having awesome lineups.

It wasn’t all fun and lollipops though.
Max, our pet pinchie, fell to a broken filter. Our 4 fishies (Richie, Tony, Bill, and Ken) managed to survive.
Tony Greig (the namesake of one of our fishies) passed away over the time as well. There were some very tearful tributes during the Sydney test match.

My little brother, fell off his motorbike on the way back from Southbound and luckily had only minor scratches.
I never expected to start the year off with my first ride in an ambulance.

It certainly could have been a different first blog post for 2013, so I’m incredibly grateful that it’s not.

On the knitting front I’ve already notched a few finished objects, which I shall share on Friday.
I think I’m having enough trouble choosing photos for this post already.

It’s good to be back!

~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me

In a funk

Posted on November 23, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I’m in a funk, a rut, whatever you want to call it I just don’t care at the moment.

I’ve been knitting but it’s all boring. I’ve been listening to the same songs on repeat, and eating crappy food.

Blah blah blah.

This shawl is the best metaphor for the way I’m feeling. It looks uninspiring at the moment, but I have a feeling it’s going to look awesome once it’s finished.

I just want to skip to the end.

At the moment I just want to fast forward time and skip to summer, when there’s cricket planned, southbound, festivals, sun and music.

I’m forgetting that sometimes anticipation is half the fun.
Instead I’m being an ungrateful so and so.

I have so many plans I just want to get started, rather than wait for supplies.

I’m just waiting for things.
And I’m waiting loudly.

~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me

All fun and games in the circus

Posted on October 15, 2012 by bekswhoknits

About 4 weeks ago I had a disturbing conversation with my Father.

It was my Bloke’s birthday so we were going out for dinner that night. My parents were wanting to get him a present, and they wanted to make sure that we were free on a certain night.

Of course my mind went into over drive, wondering what they could possible buy us tickets for that we wouldn’t already have tickets for.

My bloke hates musicals with a passion, he even dislikes the musical episodes of his favourite tv shows, so I was hoping it was nothing like that.

And we have just bought season tickets to the Scorchers and our 5 day test match tickets, so sporting tickets were out of the question.

So I was very much perplexed and left wondering what they could possibly have bought us tickets to.

Well it was tickets to the circus! The Great Moscow Circus was in town, and so on Saturday night we went along.

We both had such an enjoyable time.
There was clowns, knife throwing, acrobats, trampolining, and even little horses (which I was very conflicted about. They’re so cute! But they’re trained animals!).

The grand finale was 5 motorbikes in a tiny enclosed space. I know enough physics to know how they stayed up there, but still! It was impressive.

We would never have gone to the circus ordinarily but I’m glad that we did.

stuck in my head – ms mr

Posted on October 10, 2012 by bekswhoknits

You know when the fates align, when even though it feels like all you’ve done for the last 2 weeks is, go to work, come home, look at the mess that surrounds you, decide that knitting is a better way to spend your time rather than cleaning or cooking or being an adult about things, get hungry, cook something uninspiring, knit some more, sleep, wake up tired, go to work, repeat, and somehow a song manages to find its way into your head and you wonder where it’s been all this time?

Well between this post by and the laneway lineup, the universe has told me to listen to this band.
[Sidenote – i’m so bummed that Of Monsters And Men are only playing the east coast. I blame living in the most isolated capital city in the world.]

Suddenly after not having heard this song before, I can sing almost every word and it is stuck in my head constantly.

spotify link

~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me

Posted on September 25, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I have nothing original to say today, so please enjoy drooling over Ravelry patterns.

All She Wants To Do Is Knit

Before I show you these incredible patterns, these truly awesome finds, I just want to say I’m sorry.

I’m sorry that I’ve given you stuff to add to your Ravelry favorites
Because favoriting leads to queuing
And queuing leads to yarn buying
And yarn buying leads to casting on
And casting on leads to neglect of housework, children, spouses, and all the other UFOs languishing in your project bag

Really, truly, I apologize. From bottom of my fibrous little heart. I couldn’t feel more culpable for enabling you, my dear readers, in your fiber addiction. I might have to buy some yarn, just to get over it.

Gorgeous textured shawls

I’ve got a thing for these layered, interesting shawls. I love the color combinations and the almost quilted or embroidered look they have. Scrumptious.

Cozy cardigans (some sassy)

In the process of searching for the right pattern to use for my stashed Black…

View original post 163 more words

Dinner twist week 2

Posted on September 18, 2012September 18, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Was not quite as much of a success.

We had one meal following the recipe given to the letter, one meal which we used as guidelines and one which we didn’t make at all.

The curried chicken drumsticks with slaw weren’t all bad (although they left us with quite grubby fingers).
And you can’t go wrong with sausages and mash. However the ‘salad’ which was meant to accompany it I made only for myself, and didn’t eat half of it. The ingredients list was ok, (chick peas, olives, sundried tomatos, olive oil) but it was really bland.

So it’s back to preparing my own meal plans.
I think this would be something I would do if I had a week to myself.
But with ‘the gout list’ being followed a bit more stringently at the moment, it’s probably not the right timing.

~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me

I cast on a cardigan!!

Posted on September 14, 2012September 14, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I finally decided to bite the bullet and cast on something wearable.

My biggest fear has always been it’s not going to fit.
So I had to choose a pattern which was all in one. Knitting two pieces and seaming them together is not going to allay this fear.

So I settled on Lady Kina. It’s short sleeved so it looked easy.
And it is!

I can hardly believe it. I cast on on Sunday, had Monday off (the aforementioned sneezing) and now it’s Friday I can see that it’s a cardigan!

I’m overusing exclamation marks today but I really am shocked and very impressed with myself.