First Finished Crochet Project

Having a daughter has motivated me to look for appropriate baby hair accessories.  I was looking for a casual/wear any where headband. As I couldn't really find what I was looking for, I decided to experiment and make my own.  I also made one for my 7 year old niece.

For my niece

For my daughter

More Crochet Inspirations

How cool is this: A math professor called Diana Taimina uses crochet to make models of hyperbolic planes: Cornell Link.  She even wrote a book about it called "Crocheting adventures with hyperbolic planes".

Poached Eggs with Malaysian Rice

A good way to use up left over rice and extra veggies from the fridge.  The Malaysian spice was a Laksa paste called 'Malay Taste'.

Poached Eggs with Malaysian Rice

Recipe

serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of cooked white rice
1 green pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
2-3 generous handfuls of spinach
3 shallots, finely chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
2 medium sized carrots roughly grated
Laksa paste (1 tablespoon, unless using the same brand as I did**)
Eggs (1-2 per person)
Olive oil

Heat the oil in a wok till hot, add the spring onions and shallots and fry till the onions are softened.  Add the diced peppers and continue to stir fry.  Once the peppers soften, add the spinach and continue to stir fry.  If using 'Malay Taste', add roughly 1/2 the jar to the veg and heat through.  Then add the rice and stir fry till everything is well combined.  Add the grated carrots and fry for 1 minute.  Take off the heat.

Poach the eggs and serve on top of the rice.

Copyright © Jillian Phoenix 2013-07-14 (http://brwngrlintherain.blogspot.co.uk/)

Crochet Inspirations

I love crochet, but I am not very good at it.  I also like looking through crochet books and recently found a hidden gem:  

AUSTENtatious Crochet by Melisssa Horozweski; Running Press, 2011

 

At first I thought it was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but as I read through the book, I loved the concept.  The book is a mix of crochet patterns and a tribute to all things Austen and the Regency era.  There are also awesome pattern names like the "Dreaming of Mr. Knightley Pajama Set" and the "Confessions Chemise".    I also got the impression that the author genuinely wants the reader to understand and get better at crochet.  This is in contrast to some books that are almost condescending at times.  Each of the patterns has a reference video on her website http://www.stitchscene.com/.  

So, what has this inspired? Well, I have never really had a successful crochet project.  Everything I have made thus far has been a bit misshapen. Reading this book has really reinforced the importance of gauge.  I feel like this is one of the key skills to master, before I can actually turn out some decent projects.  In the coming weeks, I will learn more gauge and pay more attention to this as I try out some simple crochet patterns.