lace socks for Joey

Finally! Started in August 2010, sock no 1 finished in September 2010, sock no 2... February 2013. Yes, it is official, I suffer from Second Sock Syndrome! This condition affects a significant number of knitters and the Joey is one of them. Now that this is recognised, I can aim to do better next time... yes, I can.

The socks :: I love them! The socks are ever.so.pretty and comfy and soft. 

Yarn :: The yarn is amazing. I love the softness and colour.

Pattern :: It's the "Evening Stockings for a Young Lady" from Knitting Vintage Socks. It is simply wonderful (like all patterns from the book, really!). And with a name like that, I just had to knit it!

Changes :: Well... quite embarrassingly, the socks don't reach my knees as they should. So I would definitely add a few more rows to the leg bit to ensure they were just perfect. If I were to ever knit this pattern again. Hum... 

::inspiring Mondays::

February ends this week and all I can think of is how intense a month it has been. A big part of it was very scary and then it was ok. All of it was a learning curve, a visible one, that pushes and pulls and gives you (sexy) wrinkles from the constant stretch. 

As the last Monday of February, today was true to the month's form and took me on a roller-coaster of emotions which hot chocolate can't sooth, but love can. Now I need some sleep. Life is good.

:: a network of people who are there for me. I've done well for myself in that respect.

:: the amazing patience of my parents and how comforting it is to have them there for me.

:: Saturday night chats and giggles over wine.

:: soft yarn.

:: running shoes.

:: the smell of coffee.

:: my hot water bottle.

:: rubber stamps.

:: Mondays. 

It was grey in Oxford. But does it matter when you carry the sun inside you? 

Hope you had a lovely Monday.

Running three times a week :: almost there

I'm loving it! 

Running is definitely my favourite thing at the moment. Yet, I don't always feel like *moving in the direction of doing it*, if that makes sense. One of the most important things in making me overcome that pre-run laziness is this blog and the accountability that comes with having said I would run three times a week... and then blog about it! Some days, that was 45% of the incentive to go. I guess it is true that the best way to stay on track with one's goals is to disclose them to the world. Lesson learnt.

My need for photograph diversity led me to take my phone with me on one of my jogs, something I had never ever done. I thought I could use the MapMyRun app just for fun that one time... and now I'm hooked. It's much more fun to be told how you're doing half way through your route! To me it is anyway and I can't believe I never knew it. I'm dreading the wet weather now, when I may not feel so brave about running with a phone.

In case you're wondering, I am not a runner. I am a person who goes out and runs. All my February runs were under 30 minutes covering 3.5 - 4.8 km per run. To me it's about doing it!

Oxfordshire mornings ♥

new scarf

Finished, my first lace project, started in October 2010 *insert mild embarrassed face here*. This is the year where all those WIP projects make their way to completion, one at a time. 

I'm loving this scarf, it's sooo comfy and soft and warm. I just want to snuggle up with it!

The up side of waiting so long to complete this project is that I realised how much my knitting has improved in the last two years! Yay me!

::inspiring Mondays::

Although my one little word for the year is change, some days the best thing is to be able to say everything is just the same. Same same, but different, sort of speak. This Monday, what inspires me are precisely the things we take for granted but that can change so suddenly one is left longing for that time when things were just so. 

Last Thursday, Mum had surgery. This Monday, Mum is recovering well and we speak on the phone and hearing her chat about life in general with her usual level of detail is the best thing I could hope for.  As I listen to a few of the irrelevant things we talk about, I realise how much I love it, how fortunate I am that I can have those conversations. I will be honest, there were days before now when I'd say I didn't have the time for such frivolous topics. The me of today slaps that younger me and smiles. I make the time now, for there may be days when no matter how much time I make there will be no one there to make it for!

:: technology ♥ allowing me to speak with the parents all the time

:: the post office ♥ Mum loved the photos of us to keep with her

:: running ♥ how it clears my head

:: bright blue skies, oh yeah!

:: longer days, I love you!

:: Little Brother sending me photos for my Project Life album.

:: getting older. 

It was a beautiful day in Oxford, a clear crisp blue skied Monday. What a day to feel inspired! 

Hope you had an amazing day. Or a good day. Or a day that shows you a bright silver lining.

Tomato and garlic bread

Nothing like setting yourself a monthly goal to get things done and see things changing. This past weekend, I opened Dough by Richard Bertinet looking for the bread that would make me part with my everyday bread and further explore the world of breadmaking. 

The first step was to stop drooling! The photography is amazing and I'm pretty sure I could taste most breads just by looking at the pages. The second step was to decide on my favourite bread. I had really strict criteria for this: best looking bread, simple recipe. 

This tomato and garlic bread is a variation on one of the breads in the book. Following recipes is not my forte, I like to tweak things to suit me and clearly this was no different. I hear frequently how bread making is this exact science and everything must be just so... well, not from my experience. Admittedly I don't know how my bread compares to other more precisely done ones, but I'm happy as is and I shall continue with the relaxed approach!

Tomato and garlic bread

600 g strong white flour

15 g yeast (I used fresh)
10 g salt
50 g extra-virgin olive oil
320 g water

25 garlic cloves
300 g cherry tomatoes
oregano, pepper and olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in half, season with dried oregano and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast them in the oven in low heat (I did 120ºC) until done (2.5 hours in my oven).

Heat 6 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tsp of sugar. Peel 25 garlic cloves (I would stretch it to 30 next time) and add them to the olive oil. Roast it in the oven until the garlic is soft (for me is was 30 minutes, at 180ºC). Let them cool and let them dry somewhat in a clean bowl.

Pre-heat the oven to 250ºC. Mix the flour and the yeast with your finger tips, then add the salt, olive oil and water. Mix it all by hand and work the dough until you have a nice soft dough ball. It took me 25-30 minutes, even though the book says 10-15... such is life! Leave it to rest for one hour, covered by a tea towel (the dough should double in size).

Remove the dough from the bowl and put it on a floured surface. Flatten it by hand into a square. Put the tomatoes and garlic all over your squared dough. Fold one third to cover the the middle section, and then the other side covering that one. Cut your dough in three and close the cut edges. Place in a greased baking tray (I used olive oil). Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Open a hole on each bread and put the tray in the oven, turning the heat down a bit (220ºC for me). 25 minutes later I had the bread ready!

::inspiring Mondays::

 

I had a lovely and relaxing weekend, with two runs, bread making, photography, writing and chatting. When Monday came, I was ready. Yes, waking up was difficult. Yes, the sound of walking in the snow made my bed even comfier, but... I was rested, happy and ready.

This is a week that has to happen and the only way to get through it is to wake up each day and live it. Monday included.

:: the project with Little Brother

:: Sunday phone calls = warm heart

:: a little post treat on its way home.

:: a new bread. more on this to follow this week.

:: my stamp ♥ Thank you E.

:: running and running.

:: longer days. oh how I love these longer days.

:: yummy lemon bars by Nicky. gotta love yellow!

:: chocolate cake in a tupperware.

:: lists. there's just something about lists!

How was your Monday? What sort of week are you expecting this one to be?

Running three times a week :: first thoughts

I'm loving it! 

I'm so happy I finally got back to running, in spite of the lingering winter. It's great to be outside and push myself. The simplest and shortest routes are still a struggle, it's been a while, but it's so much fun. 

That said, the thing with running for me is that after I do it I can't quite work out why I don't always just do it. However, sometimes I just won't do it. In fact, most of December and January are perfect examples of that. The hope is that repetition will improve my memory and I will always just remember how amazing running feels from the moment I step outside the door.

Notes on this week :: three runs -yay!; two solo one with company; one with a headache, one in the snow, one in the rain - eventful!

Balance :: extremely positive!

In case you're wondering, I am not a runner. I am a person who goes out and runs. All my February runs were under 30 minutes covering 3.5 km per run. To me it's about doing it! And I love my friends for reminding me of this when I get frustrated.

Everyday bread

Hello, I'm Joey and I make my own bread. Sounds cool, right? And it is cool, but for different reasons to the ones I used to consider. 

I've always wanted to make my own bread. Ok, maybe not always, but definitely since my early twenties. I did make bread on a couple of occasions, patted myself on the back not quite sure why as the thing was only *just* edible, and kept dreaming of the day I would wake up a true domestic goddess making bread while sewing my own Channel-like clothes. Turns out... that never happened to me! Who would have guessed?!

What did happen was that I woke up one day and discovered I could no longer eat most shop bought breads. Where I live bakeries are hard to come by and getting freshly baked bread was an impossibility (oh how I missed Portugal that day!). So... I was left with no bread or make my own bread. I went with the latter.

When I realised I needed a recipe which would fit into my lifestyle easily, whilst being yummy of course, all my dreams of domestic goddess lost ground to practicality!  I found said recipe on Concha's blog about 8 months ago and have been making it since. I love this bread! It's delicious and soft and it works.every.single.time!

As I make it just for myself (lasts about 4/5 days) I tweaked the recipe slightly as follows:

600 g strong white bread flour

10 g easy bake yeast

12 g coarse sea salt

390 ml tepid water (the jug is not very precise... it should be though)

I then follow Concha's explanation and voilà, a delicious loaf comes out!

This is my everyday go-to bread recipe. This month, I will explore one other bread recipe... I feel brave!

February goals

At the beginning of the year I shared my word for 2013, change. I also said I had set new year resolutions, divided into measurable and manageable goals which I would work on monthly, to keep things realistic and interesting (let’s not forget interesting!).

For January, I wanted to embrace change and see the difference in my daily life. I wanted to change little things that would make a big difference to me. And so I did.

In February I want to create change and see what comes of it. As before, I went through my resolutions (or dreams, one could call it realistic dreams!) and the goals wrote themselves.

:: run at least three times a week.

:: speak to my Parents at least once a week.

:: make at least one different type of bread.

:: write at least three times a week.

:: organise my creative space.

What I’m looking for in some of the above, other than the obvious, is that they become a habit. A good habit. Ideally, it will also become a habit for me to blog about my progress. Well, maybe not the conversations with the Parents, I’ll keep that one to myself!

::inspiring Mondays::

I'm back to running. I put my shoes on and off I went. I was so excited about it that I woke up at 6:30 on a Sunday! Without the alarm. Oh yeah! I was never a runner and then I started running and while I'm still not a runner, I'm a person who loves it! 

I used to have red shoes which made my heart sing a happy song every time I looked down; unfortunately when the time came to replace them, no red ones were available. With running, I am a believer that function HAS to come ahead of pretty, so... My heart may not sing with the colour of the new shoes, but it sure sings happy tunes from knowing my feet and my whole body are so well supported.

:: running ♥
:: this space. how it warms my heart to write here!
:: february bringing longer days and Mum's birthday.
:: knitting.
:: stamps. I have a new found love for stamps!
:: working on my Project Life album and having such great fun.
:: brunch with good friends.
:: embracing my photography!

How was your Monday? Hopefully sunny and happy! Have a great week.