Tea cosy - but it could be a hat

I posted a pic of my Christmas present scarf on my FB page and a friend asked if I could make a tea cosy. Well, I've never tried one but it's basically a hat, right? Just with gaps at the sides.

To be sure I didn't completely mess things up I borrowed a knitted tea cosy, counted the stitches and rows,then sorted out lots of bits of odds and ends of wool and got knitting. 

I didn't like the first attempt - the colours were too dull - so I added some brighter ones to zing it up a bit and I'm really happy with it.

 I'd even wear it as a hat!

Free Lunch - over Christmas

apple, carrot, beetroot, pickled onion, radish

I just realised I hadn't updated this since December 7th - so over a month! Oops. To be honest the 'free lunch' idea of only eating home-produce for lunch as dropped a bit, or a lot, over the Christmas holidays. It's not so easy to keep it up with other folk around and wanting different things to eat.

same old but no beetroot this time

Anyway, till about New Year I still had small home-grown tomatoes and onions to add to salads and sandwiches, but these have reached an end, though I've still a few small onions to pickle.  I still have stored beetroot, parsnips, tiny green peppers, turnips, squash/pumpkin and winter radish, carrots and apples that were given to us, occasional spinach, cabbage and salad leaves from the garden, and of course a freezer full of tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans and such. Lots of these go in 'mixed' evening meals or lunch time soups with other bought veg, but I want to change my thinking and make them the focus of lunch - not an addition.


So I'm back to veg-based soups - curried parsnip, which is nothing but parsnips boiled and mashed and flavoured with curry, and chillied pumpkin, with tomatoes, tiny green home-grown peppers and chillies - making sure I always have beetroot ready-cooked in case it's wanted.

last of the tomatoes and 'normal' radish

curried parsnip

chilli pumpkin

Scarf finished - and a change of plan

 Here's my first knitting project of the year finished already! One of my daughters bought me some fluffy sequined yarn for Christmas, and, with so much time over the holiday spent watching TV, it's already knitted and ready to wear!






So back to what I intended to knit next - or not. I'd sorted out a heap of blue/green/brown wool to knit into a short-sleeved jumper but, while thinking about stripes and patterns, I remembered this old long-sleeved jumper that I rarely wear any more, and I'm going to 're-do' that. I'll pull a thread or two and cut the sleeves just above the elbow, take the neck ribbing off (it's a bit high) and with unravelled yarn from the sleeves extend the rib at the bottom (it's a bit short for with jeans/trousers). It sounds a lot of fuss but will be quicker than knitting from scratch and I should have a finished garment while the weather's still cold.