Post 483 One season following another....

Monday 8pm

This week's weather has swung from heat wave - with low of 22C overnight, to storms, rain and a 20C maximum today.  I guess autumn has arrived.

Sunday 6pm

That certainly doesn't mean the end of the hot weather, but I live in hope.  Forecast 29C next weekend.

This week I managed two lunches at the Grange Hotel, couple of hours helping to block a couple of shawls for another friend, a couple of hours at the Guild Exhibition on Saturday afternoon while some JEMS helped out with visitors, a visit to Adairs to buy a 60cm pillow, a Sit'nStitch, grocery shopping, 5 books read, some knitting, some embroidery and a little crochet.

Last night I made Osso Bucco for the family dinner. That worked well. Half a bottle of wine seems to do the trick.  I wanted to try making potato cakes to go with it. Ideally these should be made and served straight away. That's fine for a couple of people, but too much of a challenge for potentially 5-7 with limited time. I've checked out recipes for oven-baking them, but none get the same effect as cooking them in a hot pan. Yesterday I got brave and experimented. I grated 10 potatoes, added 5 eggs and cooked batches of potato cakes in a hot pan before anyone arrived. I placed the hot cakes into a basket on a tray (bought, I am pleased to say, from the Innovations catalogue, of which I am controversially a fan). This I heated in the oven for half an hour before dinner. They were a success! The potato cakes on the top and the bottom of the basket retained their crispness. The layer in the centre didn't. They were eaten anyway, but the answer may to to make fewer, so there is no middle layer.

I delivered this baby cardigan on Saturday to Christine for her Welcome Baby Packs. She has requested some coloured ones, so I have started on an aqua one to match a blanket she is using a the base of another pack. 

I enjoy making these, they are being put to use, and it's good to be working in colour. The gift packs have also prompted me to revive the crocheted baby blanket I started a couple of years ago - using the same cotton yarn.

Ecru border

 I had planned to make the blanket as big as my yarn would allow (until I realised that would probably cover a sports field!). I think I have enough squares for a baby blanket, so I am now putting a consistent border around them and joining them up. With a bit of luck this can also be put to use by the Guild.                       

I tried ecru cotton to border and join them. It seemed the best I could do with the yarn I had. OK, but a bit dull. Then I remembered some white cotton yarn with pastel variegations that I had in a drawer, so dug it out and worked another sample.

This is much better.  I hate undoing work, but I think this is the solution, rather than the ecru. I have about 250 gms of the variegated cotton, which should be more than enough. So I'm on to it! 

These projects are making a dent in my 4ply cotton, but there are a good few  cardigans to go before it's gone. I'm giving myself another week or so before I move on to the Glazig embroidery. 

Finally, I'm very pleased with the second Banksia cushion I finished on Sunday. It's harmonious, comfortable, and looks good on the couch. Details, as usual, in my embroidery blog.  Along the way I also ran up another 5 gift bags from fabric I found lying around.

I'm very satisfied to have made progress on reducing some of my stash and works in progress - but I have been less successful in reducing my weight. While I've continued to restrict my sugar intake and quantities, I have put some weight back on and need to reverse that. Looks like carbs need to be eliminated - and a bit more exercise would assist.

Tomorrow WES Group is on Exhibition duty, and I am the coordinator for the day. We are short of volunteers for the day, so maybe I'll be busy enough to burn some calories!