Slouchy Beret

I’ve started a new knitting project: Le Slouch Bleu

I’ve been spotting slouchy berets all over the place. As a great fan of hats I celebrate this new reincarnation of the beret into the fashion scene. Also we saw a lot of knitwear on the catwalk for this season. Yes every few years the design world has a year of sense and includes warm clothes for winter too. Very nice of them! So back to this beret. I decided I wanted to make it out of Petrol blue yarn (we call the colour petrol in the Netherlands). I like blues and this colour will go very will with my complexion (I hope). So off to John Lewis I went and there I found this gorgeous yarn, called Mirasol Miski, which I decribed in an older post: Colours: fashion and yarn.


Not the best of rolemodels: Lindsay Lohan with a nice (quite large) beret.

Then I went to Ravelry to find a pattern and decided on Le Slouch by Wendy Bernard. It’s a great pattern that is quick and easy. I’ve made decent start and am liking the yarn a lot. The colour up close is absolutly super duper. Deep and lush like the deep colours of the sea with a green flake every now and then. The stitch defenition is really nice. And the yarn knits fine. It very cuddily stuff. I get feelings of wanting to hugh it. Haha. Soon I’ll post pics and the FO (finished Object).

Links:
* Le Slouch pattern
* Le Slouch on Ravelry
* my Le Slouch Bleu on Ravelry
* Mirasol

What was the name of that song?

Sometimes you just don't know. No matter how hard you think, you just can't get your brain to work. It's in there and you know it is, but you can't get it out. So what do you do?? You get online and type.

I was plagued by this know-but-don't-know phenomenon every time I saw this add for ITV's XXL Thursday night. The programs are crap, but the music is good, very good. I knew it, but what was it again? After hurting myself for about 20 minutes I gave up and searched online. The good people at TV Ad Music came up with the same question and answer:

We used to be friends by The Dandy Warhols

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen that was indeed it. And now forget the silly programs on ITV no one cares to watch, anything is better. Trust me! Even two hand puppets. So enjoy the tune and check out the green hand puppet ladies. Ain't he something!! I'm convinced the yellow is the female and the green is the male, it's the way they move you see! But do feel free to disagree! They're only puppets.

The London Sites, part 1: City Walk

My Parents came over for a visit to London and it was great. They came to London once before but that was only for one day and not a succes at all. So I really wanted to make this an unforgettable visit. But as they are also my parents there had to be enough in the visit of everyday London. The places I visit. So here is part one of a series on great things to see when visiting London.


My dad, mum and I on Southbank in London

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City walk
London Brige, Tower Bridge, the Tower and the City

On Thursday they came up to London Bride Station for a city walk. I was working so we met up during my lunch break and headed off towards the Thames.

On the south side of London Bridge there is a walk on the banks on the Thames towards Tower Bridge. This walk will provide excellent views of the City and both Tower Bridge and the Tower itself. Halfway between London Bridge and Tower Bridge you will find a mini shopping area. This is Hay's Galleria. It used to be a ship warf, but that has been filled in with earth and paved over. If you look up you can see the glass roof they put in and the buildings that used to store all the materials needed for ship building/renovating. It’s a cosy little place with a nice pub an the Café Rouge where you can relax. My favorit shop is Accessoires, but then I’m a earring fanatic. You can never have enough earrings... or bags, or shoes, etc.

The Mayor's building, Tower Bridge and The Tower of London

Anyway, back to the walk. If you proceed along the Thames you will pass the HMS Belfast. You can visit the ship (circa £10 per adult) if you like. Next up is the mayor’s building (the round one), or City Hall and a few other government buildings. This area is quite modern and is a sharp contrast to Victorian build Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. And those two are the next stop. Crossing Tower Bridge is quite impressive and also noisy. You can now have a pleasant walk around the Tower or even venture inside.

Leadenhall Market, the Lloyds building and a view over the Thames

Next go west into Great Tower street and turn into the fourth street on your right, Philpot lane. Cross Frenchchurch street and head into Lime street. Please see map. Here you will find a little gem. It's called Leadenhall Market and it's a gorgeous little street and a must see. Also a must see is the Lloyds building next to it. No where can you see a greater contrast between beauty and beast. Next head back to the river Thames, keep to the left. There just before you reach the bridge on the left you will see a high column. This is The Monument. It remebers the great fire of 1666 when London burned. Cross the bridge and your back at London Bridge Station.

You can now call it a day or read the next post of The London Sites, coming soon! :D

Autumn Harvest

I am an autumn child and I always feel fantastic when it arrives. This year I was not very much looking forward to it as we had a really bad summer. Normally I get fed up with all the warm days and long for the cool calm of Autumn. Still now that it has come around I notice that it's my season. I got more energy and feel good inside. A happiness with my life and at peace with the world, it's hard to discribe.

Autumn calls for all sorts of cosiness. Like delicious cooking. As I child my mother used to make Lasagna Italian style. I found the basic, traditional Lasagna recipe online and used that. It's in Italian (ofcourse), but they also have an engish version. And the great thing is: it's also has Video :D.



Homemade Lasagna before going into the oven

I know it's home made and doesn't look as stylish as the magazines make it, but this is proper food and I made it to be eaten not photographed. What I do is I make this on a Saturday or Sunday. It makes six portions and as we are two I can freeze four. These then serve as 'easy does it' meals during the week. It's my favorite solution for days we go to the gym for a work out. When we get home it's not a lot of work to turn on the oven and slice a tomato for an easy salad on the side. And it is always a succes.


Homemade lasagna after baking in the oven.. mmmmm

That's how I like it. Proper food! Why would you have that from a pack? A bit of effort et Voila! But that might be the nail on the head. It seems the world is devided in two: those who don't mind the effort and those who do. Perhaps not everyone knows how to cook, but I believe many of them don't really want to learn. Anyway another thing that takes effort and a bit of TLC is growing your own crop.



The time for harvesting our Tomatoes has come! Yum yum

The vegtable plot only became available this last week or so and thus we will start properly next year. Still this year we had a test run with our tomatoes in growbags on the patio and I must say that the yield is not bad. This is the first major harvest! And they taste really good too!!


The yield is great!

aaahh... martha

Why, oh why doesn't Macy's ship to Europe? I don't get that at all. It's 2007 for God sake. We can take space holidays and dive to the bottom of the ocean, but sending a product (or ten) to Europe is impossible!!! Don't they realise that with the position of the dollar at the moment buying stuff in the US is very profitable for us. They can make money and the postal service too! They should really.

The nice windows full of Martha goodies at Macy's

Why this shipping tantrum? Well Martha has her new stuff out at Macy's and I want some. Blah! If I could afford it I would go Christmas shopping in New York this year, but alas it's not in the cards. However next year I will and bring and empty suitcase and load it up with goods.

Martha! I would gladly negotiate with John Lewis or House of Fraser to get your products released here too. :) It would sell bigtime. Guess I must make American friends so we can start swapping cool goodies.

Colours: fashion and yarn

The new season is here. Hooray!!! It's autumn (almost)! The leaves will turn all sorts of gorgeous colours, we'll ate nice cosy food and the sunlight gets that nice golden glow.



But what about me (and you)? We want that golden glow too. For both face and soul. So I set out and looked around for some inspiration.

To get a good idea of the fashions I take a peek at what's on the catwalks. The best place on the web for this is still Elle.com. You can see the fashion shows with no comment or nonsense. Most sites pick a few things and then go on and on. But nine out of ten times it only looks good on 14 year old girls. So I go directly to the source and take a peek at the Fall Ready to Wear collections and the Fall Haute Couture (more for fun as most is unwearable, but hey it's theatre or Art and Design!!).

My top choice designers for inspiration this season are
- Bluemarine: for it's feminine clothes,
- Marc Jacobs: for the 1920’s style
- Alexander McQueen: for the fantasy influence


Blumarine, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen

- Lacoste: for it’s sporty vibe
- Valentino: for it’s great classic styles
- Celine: for it’s modern look and classic lines


Lacoste, Valentino and Celine

After all that it’s time to shop, or sew. If you are a sewer and are thinking of sewing your autumn wardrobe then take a look and a listen to Episode 10 of the Sew Forth Now podcast. The title of the episode says it all: Your wardrobe: plan and sew.

Another hit on the catwalk is the Slouchy Beret and wooly hats. So as a knitter I’ve gone out and bought some gorgeous yarn for a new project. The yarn is a petrol colour from Mirasol Yarn and it’s called Miski. It’s soooo soft!!! I cuddle the skein I’ve not used all the time. After I bought this yarn at John Lewis I read the little card. It said that part of my money would be used for charity. It’s that great. So please buy this yarn and support the good cause and get cuddly goodness to knit with. Read more about this on Mirasol Peru. Thank you!
I’m making Le Slouch, a free pattern by Wendy Bernard. If you are on Ravelry check out my progress. My Rav name is Suhail.


New yarn: Mirasol from Peru

I chose the colour because I think I’m a Autumn type. Now there are tons of websites that talk about What Colour you are. And Nicole and Jenny from Stash and Burn mention it on Episode 27. From what I read I think that it is divided as follows:

Spring: Light pastels: apple green, light yellow, light pinks, etc.
Summer: Bright colours: pink, orange, bright blue’s, etc.
Autumn: Earthy colours: browns, dark blues, forest greens, etc.
Winter: Cold colours: black, grey, white, pale pinks, etc

I will try not to buy anything outside the Autumn colours no more. And I think this petrol I bought fits right in. It’s the colour of a stormy autumn sky at dusk. Like when you walk home to a warm cup of tea and burning candles. And on that note: goodbye and have a good day.

iPod therefore I am

I love my iPod. No, really I mean it I LOVE my iPod. I use it from 8.30 in the morning to 7.15 at night on weekdays almost non stop. And I have a mini, not even a proper one (it’s on the wish list, no worries). Anyway I was reading the Times and saw this article. It really made me laugh
(^_^)



My good old iPod mini


iPod therefore I am

from The Times Online

Steve Jobs’s Apple took over from Sony, creator of the Walkman, in conjuring up indispensable products we hadn’t realised we even needed until he presented them to us all in an iconically cute white plastic shell.

Apple spawned stylish computers that didn’t require a degree in applied mathematics just to open up a new document; portable music players that could store every great song ever recorded, and also some Simply Red; video iPods; and mobile phones that add spice to keeping in touch.

Given that it has been a year since Apple up-dated its iPods (in technological terms, the equivalent of the Palaeozoic era), a new generation of iPods has long been feverishly mooted; particularly by the sort of Apple devotees who yearn to live in a white iHouse (to be followed six months later by the launch of a bigger, better equipped, classier, black iHouse), equipped with an iBath you could fill remotely on your way home from work; an iOven that would download iRecipes from your iMac and then iCook them; iRadiators that would glow discreetly when in sleep mode; and (why not?) maybe even a cute little iSpouse.

But while we look forward to owning the latest iPod – wi-fi enabled, with video, toaster function, espresso spout and microwave snack-heat-er – many loyal iPod owners will also be hoping that in its rush always to be first with the new new thing, Apple will deliver a product which, if it does occasionally struggle with battery life, or frozen screens, can be fixed simply.

It’s not that we don’t covet the newest iPod as much as the next Apple tart, just that we wouldn’t mind also being able easily to iRepair our current model.

Of cats and owls

When I woke up on the last morning in the Netherlands I was greeted by Max the cat. Rigtje and Frank (my friends) have two: a black cat named Bo and this cutie named Max. I opened the door to my bedroom and there he was waiting patiently. Then he snuggled up on my sheets and purred a great deal. What a nice way to wake up :D.


Max being a little cutie

After breakfast Rig and I set to work on this idea we had. The bedroom of the baby was all finished but it lacked something. I had seen this owl on either the Hostess Blog or the Decor 8 blog that I subscribe to. I can’t remember which it was. Anyway I saved the link to the source which was Vinyl Wall Art.


The original: the owl from Vinyl wall art

They produce stickers you can stick on your wall. One of them is this great looking owl. Unfortunately Rig and I didn’t have time to order an owl, so we looked up a spare bit of wallpaper and got going. And this is the result:


The owl we made for the baby's bedroom

I’m really proud of how it has turned out. I wasn’t there for the grand pasting, but Rig was kind enough to send me pictures. Now let the baby come, wisdom sits at his/her crib watching over him/her.


The owl close up

Holland, a brief update

I’m visiting my pregnant friend Rigtje in the Netherlands and she is doing really well. I swear she’s got the best looking bump I’ve every seen. We went shopping on a Saturday and here are a few Dutch things I spotted whilst browsing.


Windmill Pillow

First of a pillow in Lime and Aqua with this windmill on it. I find it very cool indeed for a childs bedroom or something. The windmill reminds me of my home land and the Lime and Aqua are fun, modern colours. I don’t think I would like the look of it anywhere except a childs bedroom though. A bit bright perhaps. But the idea is nice and I made a picture just in case I want to try and knit it later in the year.


Cute toys for kids

Second (and not particulary Dutch) these fun childrens toys. Again I took a pic as inspiration for future sewing projects. I like the colours and fabrics used. The concept is simple and the mix is just right between old fashion toys and modern, hip fabrics.


Dutch Old Fashion costume

Last this lady in a traditional Dutch costume. It was a festival day which means that all over this little town called Huizen there where market stands with people selling all sorts of goods. She was at a stand selling cookies and bread made from old fashion recipies. It is not uncommon to see ladies attired in these costumes in the middle of the country, especially on market days, etc. I love the look of them, although I’m well aware that there will be less and less people dressed in such a way in the future. However I’d take my hat off for this lady (if I was wearing a hat that is), for keeping the tradition alive.

Lotusan

There are things that never stop to amaze me. One is the ingenuity of humans. A few years ago I saw a program on Dutch tv, Noorderlicht, that had two Germans show a paint they had developed that had characteristics they took from the Lotus plant. They saw that the leaves didn’t seem to get wet. Water didn’t cling to the surface and rolled off taking dirt away with it. This they made into a paint and I recently discovered this website where you can buy it. It’s called Lotusan and you can paint the outside of your home and it will basicly clean itself with every shower.

The lotus effect

They also developed another paint that filters the air!! Talk about innovation eh!

Piece of pie and easy as cake!

London finds:

England the land of Pie and Cake (and gaining weight). This Friday I had a nice pie from Pie Minister bought at Borough Market. And it was yummie, but what is really great is the cute little box it comes in. Have a look. Ain’t that sweet? I had a Mamma Calzone with roasted summer vegetables, pomodoro sauce, pinenuts, capers, mozzarella and basil.


The nice little box...

Another great find is this cute little tearoom, again near Borough Market. It’s called Shipp’s and as you can see from the pictures it’s cute as can be. There are cups on strings as window decoration, but the cakes under their domes of class are most tempting of all. Had a nice cup, no cake as I’m on a diet. I’ve gained 8 kilo’s since coming to England last year and I’ve had enough so it’s diet time for me. And excersise, but more about all that later!!


Shipp's