Moving house.

This blog has now moved to http://www.christabelseneque.com

See you there!

Twenty twelve.

In the year just ended, I:

started reading graphic novels;
grew to love Twitter (much to my surprise);
discovered that I almost always love a documentary;
learned the joys of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (via this book), which has already had life-changing implications for me;
travelled to Sydney twice;
found some new favourite restaurants here in Perth;
started eating quinoa;
became addicted to homemade nut milk (sparked by watching this video);
quit the daily caffeine habit, so that I can still enjoy coffee a few times a week (but without the annoying withdrawals);
knit myself a jumper, and a few other things;
gave myself permission to give up crochet;
got my hair cut short, and 6 months later started growing it out again;
started studying, stopped studying, and:
helped put on a free Christmas Day lunch for around 1500 people.

2012 was an exciting and challenging year for me personally and professionally, and I feel like I’m at a very different place now than the same time last year. My plans for this year include refocusing on knitwear design (something I haven’t done much of since 2010), challenging myself to quit sugar for 8 weeks (I’ve just started reading this e-book), and thinking about cutting down the physical and psychological clutter in my life. But, if there’s one thing I learned in 2012, it’s that it’s okay for plans to change.

What did you learn in 2012?

Tweeting: for the time poor.

Combining full-time work with part-time study was always going to mean cutting back on my leisure time, and in practice this has meant less time spent:
1. knitting, baking, reading recreationally, and doing other creative activities that I would normally share on the blog;
2. searching the internet for the interesting and inspiring;
3. participating in the blogosphere, whether reading, sharing, or commenting;
4. blogging, full stop.

I am, however, spending more time checking in on twitter and following any interesting threads that pop up.
If you’d like to chat with me there, I’m @cseneque. See you soon!

A turning point.

I realised today that I don’t actually enjoy crocheting. I like the speed and the end product, but I see the creation of each crochet stitch as a step towards my goal rather than a pleasurable process in itself. I’m not sure why I love to knit and do not love to crochet, and I’m also not sure why it took me so long to realise it. I have a tendency to just ‘put up with’ things, and it’s taken many years for me to realise (with help) that my feelings of comfort or discomfort are not insignificant.

I had a similar epiphany earlier this year, and decided to change my study from psychology to communications, majoring in creative writing. It took me two decades to realise that self-doubt and fear, rather than protecting me, were just stopping me from developing skill at something I enjoy.

I have knitting and food to share, and silly pictures of Sydney, but there’s plenty of time for that. In the meantime, let me know: have you had any epiphanies lately?

Dinosaur muffins!

I was lucky enough to receive a dinosaur-shaped silicone muffin tray (like this) for Christmas, and finally had a chance to try them out. Fancy a recipe?

SPELT AND SPICE MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
2 Cups plant-based milk (I used a mixture of almond, and soy when that ran out)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Cups white spelt flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 tsp allspice (also known as Jamaica pepper)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Cup raw sugar
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup dried fruit

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F, or gas mark 6). For metal muffin trays: spray lightly with oil. For silicone muffin trays: place on a metal oven tray.
2. Combine milk, vinegar and vanilla in a measuring jug and allow to curdle.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon and sugar. Make a well in the centre.
4. Pour milk mixture and oil into well in centre of mixing bowl, and fold quickly to moisten dry ingredients.
5. Gently fold dried fruit into mixture.
6. Divide mixture evenly across muffin trays, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked in centre.
7. Place trays on wire racks and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from trays and continue to cool on wire rack.

Vegan Round-up Perth: Update

Just popping my head in to add an update: I was recently lucky enough to try out the breakfast at the Swan Valley Cafe, and as Rebecca mentions in her comment on the original post, the buckwheat pancakes are a real treat–not rubbery as I’d feared, but thick and fluffy, and gently spiced.  The spicy beans, however, were the standout: addictively fresh, spicy and wholesome-tasting.  I must have a whole plate to myself, and soon.

Anyone in the Perth area in the near future should definitely check out the Swan Valley Cafe if they can!

Finished: copper tank.

Start to Finish: Three weeks.
Yarn: Elann Pegasus, 52.5% mercerised cotton/ 47.5% viscose
Needles: 4.5mm, with 3.5mm for the straps
Pattern: That Girl! Tank by Nikol Lohr.

Notes: I love how customisable this pattern is: you work to your measurements, but it doesn’t require heaps of maths–the clever shaping makes it easy as pie! Highly recommended.

Gauge isn’t mentioned on the pattern, but according to the rav page it’s 19 stitches to the inch in stockinette stitch using larger needles. There’s no mention of changing to smaller needles anywhere in the pattern, but I made the assumption that it would be for the straps, and it worked for me.

Ravelled here.