Hehehe I am a meez

I was playing on meez.com making an animated "me" knitting, they don't have a crochet option. It's very strange how you can spend time on the computer dressing an animated person and find you forgot you only turned the computer on to read your emails and do some paperwork (I still need to do the paperwork!).
If you go to meez to make a animated "you" please put in "nezumiworld" as recommending you and you and I will get credits (not real money, play money to use for buying knitting needles for your animated friend) go to save it and create an account before playing with your person or you will lose all your work as you need to open a free account first (mmm... )

Roasted Veg Panini

This weekend was a bank holiday here in the UK. We had nice warm weather, great for all the Nottinghill Carnival goers, The carnival runs along the bottom of my street and I can sometimes hear the music, plus usually my neighbours all have parties and barbecues with lots of music too. I always hope that the weather will be good for the children's day (always a Sunday) They put so much work into their customs and are super happy, dancing and smiling. The helicopters fly around all day and most of the night keeping a eye out for any trouble makers (there's always someone who wants to spoil the fun for everyone else).

This is my dad relaxing in the garden listening to the music eating pan fried veg panini with salad with the "your putting this on your blog look!"
Pan fried vegetables on panini rolls

1 yellow pepper cut into slices (you can use any combination of colour peppers ie. green & red)

1 orange pepper cut into slices

1 Medium red onion cut into slices (white & yellow onions can also be used)

Large handful cherry tomatoes (you can use any tomatoes you want just cut small)
1 4oz round mozzarella cheese drained and torn into pieces
Oregano or basil leaves torn up (small)
A garlic clove (you can leave this out if you don't like garlic)
3 -4 panini bread rolls cut into 2
2 teaspoons olive oil
seasoning (of choice)

Put the oil & garlic in a large frying pan and heat.
Add the peppers, onions and tomatoes cook for approx. 5 minutes. On your grill tray place the panini roll halves Divide the mixture over rolls. Sprinkle the oregano on top of the mixture. Next divide the mozzarella cheese and add on top of the mixture. Add any seasoning if required. Grill until the cheese bubble and is browned. Serve with a leafy salad. and enjoy.

You can add other vegetables if you wish ie. courgette, aubergine, spinach

Joining Granny Squares

I made this little video (its about 20 seconds long and has no sound) about two years ago and just located the file on my computer. So many people ask me how to join granny squares, this is an extra quick method using double crochet(UK)/ single crochet(USA).
Place two squares together with right sides or wrong sides facing depending on if you want the ridge on the inside or outside of your finished item.
If you want the ridge on the outside (place wrong sides/ back of squares together) or for the ridge on the inside (place right sides/ front of squares together). You can use the same colours as your granny squares or a contrast colour and go through both squares and make a double crochet(UK)/ single crochet(USA) into each stitch when you get to a space or corner make 2 double crochets(UK)/ single crochets(USA).
Join the squares into lengths first, than join the lengths together.

For granny square instructions with UK crochet terms goto http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_027.htm
For granny square instructions with USA crochet terms goto http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_028.htm
For granny square with a diagram using crochet symbols plus instruction on how to make granny square wire earrings goto http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_058.htm

Cats

Why did cats like yarn?

Were they knitters/ crocheters in a past life?

Today I sat outside in the shade to do a little crochet, as it was nice and warm, but all the the time I was been spied on by my neighbours cute cat. He often looks down and watches as if he is supervising the stitches. Sometimes even jumping quietly down from the roof next to me to get a closer look.

Felting

Before felting and after pics



I am into felting at the moment knitted and crocheted here are some of the current items I have been making.


knitted and crocheted felting drying in the sun

Play time

I bought some really nice yarn in the John Lewis sale and could not resist playing with it. So far I have only made a few motifs (joined them as I crocheted) I am not sure yet what the finished item will be or look like, but I think I may also attach some knitting (maybe knitted lace).

Items in progress

I have been working on a few patterns this week, mainly re-making items to see if the written patterns make any sense.
I write the pattern and then don't look at it for a few months (some of the patterns have been living on the computer for the last year eeek) than when I remake the items hopefully I will find any mistakes. Sometimes friends also make up patterns for me to test them.
Filet wire and bead jewellery
Curlicue roses - cushions, bags and pouches nearly finished (at last)

Felted Jewellery

I have been making beads from felt, crochet and knitting.
Here's a felted bead necklace, I used metal beads caps and medium sized pearls between each bead. I put them on a thick jewellery wire and made a wire wrapped loop each end.

WWKIPD or World Wide Knitting in Public Day

WWKIPD or World Wide Knitting in Public Day

Yesterday was WWKIPD, so with my friend and her daughter we set off for The London Knit Crawl organised by Stitch and Bitch London We arrived late (eek got on the wrong bus) but we did get there in time to take some pics, sit on the steps and locate other knitters.

Stop No.1 St Paul’s Cathedral 12.00am - 1pm

We than went onto the Tate Modern via the Millennium bridge and the weather was starting to get hot.

Stop No.2 The Tate Modern 1.30pm - 2.30pm

( Sorry got arty for this pic)

We Knitted on the steps of the slope leading into the main turbine hall, which was nice and cool and break from the heat outside. Lauren from Stitch and Bitch gave us some goodies and welcomed us. It was a really nice atmosphere in the Tate, very calming perfect for knitting.

Stop No.3 Knitting on the grass (Jubilee Gardens) in front of the London Eye 3.30pm - 4.30pm

We walked alone the Thames. It was so busy, just like a mini carnival with lots of different types of music, street acts, stone statue mimes, even a small carousel.

We sat on the grassy area beside the London Eye. Lots of knitting, some ice cream eating to cool off (glad I don't bring my coat the sun was so hot) and than we were onto our next and final stop.

Stop No.4 Trafalgar Square 5pm - 6pm

The home of the giant stone lions. This was noisy as there was a protest meeting going on, plus not only was it World Wide Knitting in Public Day it was also World naked bike riders day :O

By this stop we also wished we had remembered to bring some cushions to sit on, the paved floor was starting to feel very hard.

We sat near one of the lions and did a spot of knitting and felt happy with ourselves. We had also heard from other knitters (they had been yarn shopping pre-starting the knit crawl) about a new shop off Carnaby street All the Fun of the Fair , so decided we needed one more knitting related stop.

All the Fun of the fair - Unit 2.8 Kingly Court off Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW

A little shop of treasures, they specialise in hand knitted cakes and quirky hand knitted items (prefect gifts) they have a good selection of yarns and haberdashery plus crafts and even old knitting patterns.

I purchased a couple of knitting dolly's (for the collection) and yes I did buy more yarn and as it was WWKIPD the very helpful lady (friendly and knowledgeable I will be shopping there again)who owned the store gave us 10% off and even guided us to a tasty selection of bargain yarns :)

A perfect ending to a knitting day :)

Flower loom

OK I am into looms at the moment, this is an old plastic flower loom I dug out when doing some tidying. I was thinking what to do with all this ladder type yarn I bought at a exhibition and found it works really well on the loom (plus its kinder to my hands than the wire). Instead of weaving the inside of the flower with a needle I crocheted it, surface crochet style. Still have a lot of experimenting to do but I am happy with the results so far :)

Wild Alaskan Salmon

As a treat today we had wild Alaskan salmon, it was really fresh so I gently pan fried it with a little olive oil and butter plus fresh lemon grass, ginger, garlic and seasoning (only enough to flavour, I like to taste the fish). I served it with roast potatoes (well a sort of alternative Sunday roast still needs roast potatoes) and steamed asparagus. Very nice :)

(& no that's not my plate, if I eat that many potatoes I would explode!)

Candle cage

The candle cage is an all in one piece made on the loom with a crochet hook (I posted a pic earlier of the loom).

The light sparkles off the glass beads and looks pretty in real life, but it is so hard to photograph. Its a small cage for a tea light candle. The wire was hard on the hands so I will have to play some more with different wires to see if they are easier before making a larger item.

Looms

I have been playing with wire and glass beads, testing out some looms. I am trying (I'll see when I finish) to make a candle cage, this is what it looks like so far.

My friend the Bread Maker

I got time to make some bread today, something I really like doing. Fresh bread smells and tastes so good. When I say I made the bread I had help from my friend the bread maker (I made Soy & linseed bread). My friend does all the hard work kneading the dough for me and does not complain.

I used to make a lot of bread before by hand, but I have arthritis so kneading the dough, while relaxing couses a lot of pain. The bread maker is excellent (and kneads the dough better than me anyway) bread with no hand pain :)

I don't let the dough cook in the bread maker I prefer to put the dough on a baking tray. Make a nice shape, add my pattern, let rise than bake in the oven. I find it makes a much lighter loaf. Plus I can pretend I make it all my self :)

Free crochet patterns available from www.nezumiworld.com