Cake or death?

Basic vanilla cupcake mix from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, subbing cherry juice for the sugar (which made the cake super spongy and moist) —with apple slices and cinnamon placed onto the batter before baking. Yum! I’m already thinking about variations.

My first attempt at creating an amigurumi version of this iconic image, and I like it!
Any clever crafters out there interested in test-crocheting one for me? I’ll take up to five commenters who express an interest.

The pattern will require familiarity with the following techniques:
—Making an adjustable ring
—Single crochet, both flat and in the round
—Using slip stitches, both to join and for decorative purposes
—Increasing and decreasing in single crochet
—Working in the back loop of stitches

The version pictured used partial skeins in three colours of Peaches ‘n’ Creme cotton worsted weight yarn with a 3.5mm hook.

Now available to download from ravelry, with thanks to the skilled and generous Amy for test-crocheting and providing awesome feedback.
Leave a comment on this post if you’re interested!

I finished something! And it's not socks!

Pattern: Baby Belle by the lovely Cosy. I’m not usually the clucky type, but there’s something about the square neck and mod ruffles that just makes me go Awww.

Yarn: Corn ingeo/ bamboo kindly handspun by Celia in exchange for a handmade drop spindle. I had bought the spindle in a fit of enthusiasm for learning to spin yarn, but then remembered (?) I didn’t really have time for a new hobby. Celia sweetly stepped in to spin my fibre for me, and the rest is history.

Super cute, speedy little treat for any little ones in your life.
Go knit one!

I finished something! And it’s not socks!

Pattern: Baby Belle by the lovely Cosy. I’m not usually the clucky type, but there’s something about the square neck and mod ruffles that just makes me go Awww.

Yarn: Corn ingeo/ bamboo kindly handspun by Celia in exchange for a handmade drop spindle. I had bought the spindle in a fit of enthusiasm for learning to spin yarn, but then remembered (?) I didn’t really have time for a new hobby. Celia sweetly stepped in to spin my fibre for me, and the rest is history.

Super cute, speedy little treat for any little ones in your life.
Go knit one!

a.m. socks

$5.00 ravelry download

Named for a certain singer-songwriter but with a decidedly unisex twist, these cabled socks are available in three sizes and can now be downloaded for the paltry sum of $5.00 from my ravelry store.

Knit top down with a ribbed cuff, wedge toe and reinforced stitches below the gusset. Each sock features a single bold cable running down the heel flap, & another down the instep. Left and right socks mirror each other. Pattern includes instructions for cabling without a cable needle (yay!).

NITTY GRITTY DETAILS
Gauge: 8 stitches and 10 rows = 1”/2.5cm in stockinette
Sizes: S (M, L)
Foot/ankle circumference: 7 (8, 9) inches/ 18 (20.5, 23) cm unstretched
Needles: US Size 1.5/2.5mm needles or size to get gauge
Approx. 300-400yd/275-365m fingering-weight yarn, depending on size and length of foot (I used Tikal by Wild Fire Fibres, cotton/tencel blend)

Have a great weekend!

In praise of the Lentil Rice Ball

For dinner last night I made the lentil rice balls from Vegan Lunch Box, a creative and energetic cook book packed with genius ideas and health-inspiring commentary. I’ve made this recipe only once before, months ago, on a whim—I had lentils, rice, and some time to kill—and they were a surprise hit with even the staunch omnivore of my siblings.

They’re drier than your usual patty or meat substitute when they come out of the oven, and they soak up liquid like nobody’s business (like the tomato-based pasta sauce pictured). They’re also healthy as all get out, with no fats or sugars and no simple carbs if you follow the recipe like a good vegan (I was out of wholemeal flour, so I subbed half white flour and half nutritional yeast—yum!). I think they would also make a great all-rounder patty, as you can change flavours & sauces to complement whatever else you’re eating. You can expect to see plenty of variants on the blog…

So what are you waiting for? Go buy the book and try them!

OzNZVeganMoFo

The gals over at the brilliantly-titled Iron Chef Vegan are hosting a Vegan Month of Food specifically for Australians & New Zealanders this very month(!), seeing as November, the traditional VeganMoFo month, tends to be barbie-at-the-beach-every-night time for those south of the equator—and who wants to be indoors blogging when you can be out playing extreme frisbee and trying to avoid getting sunburnt?
Or something like that.

I’m going to do my darndest to blog more frequently and food-centrically for the next little while, starting with food shout-outs from the Sydney trip. See you soon!

A to the M

Yay! I’m back. I’m not going to go into great detail about the trip—it was all about (in no particular order): good food, long walks, city bustle, bookstores, train rides, fruit vendors, sock knitting, coffee, bad TV, early mornings, donuts, and most of all AIMEE.

But somehow, somewhere along the way, I finished a sock. Almost by accident, really, because I was meant to be knitting a mate to the blue-green beauty I’m itching to wear.

What can I say? The cable hypnotised me, snaked its way through my sensible plans and demanded to be knit. I’ll be writing up the pattern for these socks shortly, just in time for Socktoberfest!