August Goals.

 And so we are in to August. 

What do I have in mind for the month? My Chookshed challenge written way back in December was to make a start on my Turtle Mandala quilt. A kit I purchased in Baradine in 2023. But that won't be happening as I re wrote my list in an effort to try and get rid of some works in progress, then as you know some squirrels hopped in.

So what do I plan for this month?

It's still very cold here in South island New Zealand, there is a good frost this morning so I'll be continuing with my crochet ripple blanket. 

I'll also get on and complete the second blue green scarf.

Maybe I'll make a start on another crochet project using the off white yarn as I really don't want to put that in to the stash. Not that I really have much of a yarn stash.

I also need to get back to my Christmas ornaments.

Aside from the off white yarn, there will be no new projects. I'm only allowing myself to pick up WIPs  that are listed in the tab at the top of the page. I'll need to add the Off white yarn to that once I settle on a project for it. 

Oh and I need to share a recipe.

The July Round Up.

Lets take a look and see what went on in July here is Loulee world.

I rewrote my Chookshed challenge list, or what remains of it anyway. 

I was supposed to be working on a scrappy eye spy style quilt top, but squirrels got in the way.

I was able to complete knitting a scarf that was started some time ago.

I also started and made some progress on a scrappy crochet ripple blanket.

Not huge progress, but that's ok I'm happy with how things are going.

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In an effort to bring a semblance of order to the scrap basket I took some time the other day to sort all my scrap yarns into bags.

Next time Tony goes digging for the next colour he won't make such a birds nest!

If you remember we were given a huge pile of yarn at work by a grateful family member. It is old yarn and what I selected is/was rather smelly. Rather than store it I decided to get it used up quick. So I started knitting more scarfs.

One is complete and another is half way. The yarn has lost some of the odd smell and the completed scarf is waiting to be washed.

There is still the matter of the 9 skeins of off white to be dealt with. More about that soon.

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Another squirrel that hopped in and got stuck was a jigsaw puzzle.

This one has been on the go since May, a big push over the last week has seen it completed....

Of course a finish means a start.

I found this one while op shopping on Monday. Of course Tony was delighted and it had to be the next puzzle. Maybe this is why the kittens were completed so quickly?

We made a start as soon as the kitten puzzle was back in the box.

The warbirds puzzle is also the very first puzzle to go on our new puzzle board. It is actually an early birthday gift to me, but we both enjoy puzzles. It has drawers for storing sorted pieces and a cover. Much easier to tidy away when the children are due for visits. We will keep our old puzzle board though, so that the children can keep their puzzles as WIPs.

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At the very last minute I squeezed in a new recipe. Swedish Meatballs in Creamy Sauce. If you look at the previous post you will find it. It's very tasty and is on our make again list.

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I'm not really sure what August will bring. My remaining Chookshed Challenges all say to focus on completing a WIP, though I will be making a start on using up the off white yarn as soon as I get the second scarf completed. Then it can be washed. Much easier to wash garments or blankets than skeins of yarn. I still need to complete my Christmas ornaments and did I mention that I have acquired another incomplete cross stitch?

I'm off to do some chores, then I might find a movie to watch while I sit and knit. 

A last minute Recipe.

 Swedish Meat Balls in Creamy Sauce.

Meat Balls

500g  Beef Mince

1/2 cup grated onion

1/4 cup Almond meal

1 egg

1/2 tea spoon garlic powder

1/4 tea spoon all spice

salt and pepper to taste

2 table spoons olive oil

1 table spoon chopped fresh parsley.

Creamy Sauce.

1 cup chicken or beef stock

1/2 cup cream

1 tea spoon Dijon mustard

2 table spoons Worcestershire sauce.

In a mixing bowl combine the mince, grated onion, almond meal, egg, garlic powder and all spice. Season with 1/2 tea spoon each of salt and pepper. Mix well to combine and roll into approx 20 walnut size balls. 

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the meat balls in batches until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the stock and cream to the pan and whisk over a medium heat. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little. Season with salt and pepper. Return the meat balls to the pan and simmer for another 2-4  minutes. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve.

You could serve this over pasta, but we don't bother, it's lovely on it's own.

There you have it, July's recipe. 

Not much has changed....

 The cold winter weather continues here in Timaru, with a -4 C frost this morning. There are some spots around town that do not see the sun at this time of year and the frost gets a little thicker each night.  Those areas that do get the sun sparkle very prettily for a few hours until it burns off. I put food out for the birds each day. Big pink fat balls with berries and bugs embedded in them. It is nice to see and hear the birds as they line up to await their turn on the feeder.

Work also continues. But it has it's benefits. A recent admission came bearing gifts. She was a knitter, sadly she now has dementia and can no longer knit. So her family donated all of her stash. A lot had to be thrown away as it was pure wool and had perished. What remained was offered to staff members. I was lucky enough to score nine skeins of a off white yarn. In Super fine kid mohair and merino.

I checked this stuff out, it was made here in NZ and at almost $50 per 100g skein not cheap. I'm not sure what condition it is in, it smells a little funky and I didn't open any of the skeins yet.

I also scored two pretty blue green skeins from the same company. This one is also Kid mohair and Merino mix. It is still available and goes for a similar price. When I opened the skeins to roll them into balls, I didn't have any problems and made a start knitting right away.

One skein, one scarf.

I started out doing a big 2x2 rib, but didn't like how that was going so it got ripped out and I went with a simple garter stitch on great big needles. Like the off white it smelled a little odd when I first started, but the smell has almost gone now and I'm sure that after a soak in a woolly washing product it should be just fine. 

I've also made a start on the second skein, another garter stitch scarf.

Considering I wasn't going to start anything new until I had cleared a few things off the list......

Not doing very well am I?

My ripple blanket has managed to grow a little. Here's a peep at that.

I missed out on a big bag of odds and ends that would have been perfect for this, but the colleague who did score them is planning to make a scrappy blanket to donate back to work, which is nice.

I went along to club on Saturday, but didn't stay all day as I had a headache. I did manage to get pictures of the show and tell though. Last month one of the ladies did a quick class/demonstration making a felt door stop. Here is a look at some of the finished items.

I plan to make one of these at some stage. I really like Angela's, that is the blue and pink one, with the rondels. But I think I'll go pin cushion rather than door stop. 

And that is my news. I spent the day doing mostly chores yesterday, so today and tomorrow are my own, I might sit and knit. But first I want to open up those off white skeins and hang them somewhere to let them air a little. Outside in the frosty sunshine might be a good start, then I could hang in a dark corner in the garage if it needs longer. I think I need to knit or crochet with it before I try washing it. 

A Focus Finish.

Last night at a minute to bedtime I completed the knitted scarf.  I haven't used all of the extra ball of yarn, just enough to add about 3 inches to the scarf. I completed the knitting yesterday afternoon as I sat with Debbie, we had a knit and natter. 

After tea I cast off and added a crochet shell border around the edges.

And this morning I buried the last two yarn ends and added my label.

Yay! A Finish. 

I did tell myself that once the scarf was done, I could make a start on my knitted mohair sweater, but as I was lying awake at stupid dark O'clock in the middle of the night, I decided that I might just impose the rule that I must complete the Down in the Garden Stitcheries first. I don't have that much left to stitch, so in the grand scheme of crafting it really isn't a big thing!

Stitchery is a day off well rested kind of thing in my world though, so for my 15 minutes before work and when I'm tired after work, I'll be continuing with the crochet ripple blanket.

This is where it's up to now.

It's just getting to be big enough to keep me warm as I work on it, which is lovely.

After having a day of knitting with Debbie yesterday I'll need to get on with my chores today before I can play, but hopefully they won't take me beyond lunch time, then I get all afternoon. 

Another job I need to do is to make a formal bloggy record of my WIPs , I wonder if I should do one for my wants to makes. LOL That would be a long list.