Honey blossom oat biscuits

1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup self raising flour
1/8 sunflower oil
1 tbsp orange blossom water
1 to honey
~1 cup warm water
Honey seeds (I used munchy honey seeds) to taste
Mixed dried (sultanas and orange/citrus peel) fruit to taste.

Add oatmeal, flour, and some of the hot water in a bowl. Let it sit for a little bit then stir together to well mixed. If too dry add more water. Add honey and orange blossom water. Mix well to a thick paste consistency. Again assess if more water is needed.
Last add seeds and mixed fruit. Mix well.
Take large tbsp of the mixture and place on a baking tray in blobs.
Bake at 180°C (350F) until golden.

Life on the other side

Happy New Year!

Haven't managed write any notes since going back to work..  I just logged in and found this draft dated 28/9/14:

So almost a month on and boy ticket and I are surviving.
In some ways it is nice as I make sure I leave work on time and I try to spend quality time with ticket instead of lazing around with him.
I definitely miss my days as a full time mum.

Definitely true.  Four months on and I still miss those days on maternity leave.  Ticket is becoming more and more fun and I only get to spend two hours a day with him..  It is ridiculous how much I enjoy hanging out with him, despite him being a big pain in the back side at times.. I can't even explain why.  

So to make things harder on Monday I am starting a new job, that involves commuting, important meetins and the lot. Let's see how that goes.  I will try to keep up my note taking, although I feel that my focus might change slightly towards my makes.  I think yet another mum yupping on her little angel might be grinding after a while..

I have decided to join a CAL (Crochet Along) to try and maintain the domestic bliss in my home... I will try to keep you posted..

Recap

My ticket expired and I am back at work, full time. Sad times. I miss spending my days leisurely with Ticket.  He has been a good sport, taking it on the chin, that he gets to spend less time with mummy.  When I come home, he falls into my arms and gives me loads of kisses.  How I miss my little boy.. Now I need to be a good sport too, and stop sulking.

My first step is to keep the notes going.  The parallel world the door is left crack open and I can still peek through at times.

It has been a while since my last post, so I will go for a summary recap. Ticket and I went away over the summer and Ticket met the sea for the first time.  He loved it of course, although not too impressed with the salty water.  Clorine seems so much more natural to him.

He now is an independent little boy with opinions about how he would like to spend his time.  He crowls, he climbs and pulls down everything he can reach. It is that stage...

The cutest thing ever about my little ticket , is that he has taken on singing and dancing. I am not sure where he picked the dancing from but every time he hears a tune he bops away with the rythym..  Ticket also has favourite singing spots, mainly the swings and the car.

Over the summer I spent my crochet time making Ticket two hats and a pair of shorts.  The two hats, one is the colourful bucket shown below that I made up as I went along, and the blue and white fedora following using this pattern.  Let me know if you need a hand.

I used a pattern for the shorts, and they are lovely, but by the time I finished them summer was over..

Crochet pouf ottoman

Slightly in danger of turning this into a crochet blog, but it is taking over.  Maybe more than Ticket has.  

Here is my project before last, a crochet pouf:

I used the pattern from LVLY, which was simple, easy to follow and well written.  Check the blog out it is great.  

The pattern can also be found below altered slightly with my notes, for next time:

I used a no 10 hook and about 2kg of t-shirt yarn.

The pouf is crochet in a spiral, so you have to make sure you mark the beginning of each row, you know where the row ends and starts. It will be hard to tell otherwise.

The same stitch is used for the entire project. In US terms a double, in UK/AU a treble.   That is you will yarn over then put your hook through. Figures 95-98  For ease it will be referred to as st (stitch) in the pattern

LVLY suggest you can make a narrower puff by skipping row 6-7-8 and row 13-14-15.  I will be trying that next time.

-         make a magic ring and chain 3 to count as first st. (My favourite magic ring tutorial)

-         row 1, crochet 11 st. in the circle

-         row 2, crochet 2 st. in every st. repeat 12x (=24)

-         row 3, crochet 2 st. in every second st repeat 12x(=36)

-         row 4, crochet2 st. in every third st. repeat 12x (=48)

-         row 5, crochet 2 st. in every fourth st. repeat 12x(=60)

-         row 6, crochet 2 st. in every fifth st. repeat 12x(=72)

-         row 7, crochet 2 st. in every sixth st. repeat 12x(=84)

-         row 8, crochet 2 st. in every seventh st. repeat 12x(=96)

-         row 9, 10, 11, 12 crochet 1 st. in every st (you can continue to desired height.  Bear in mind that as you are making it it will look flatter than the final pouf).

-         row 13, crochet every 7th and 8th st.together repeat 12x(=84)

-         row 14, crochet every 6th and 7th st.together repeat 12x(=72)

-         row 15, crochet every 5th and 6th st.together repeat 12x=60)

-         row 16, crochet every 4th and 5th st. together repeat 12x(=48). 

Cast off

Use some tights to fill the the pouf with filler beads or like I did use the insides for some (three largish) old cusions.  If you are using old cushions don't put them inside tights as it will be hard for them to take the shape you want.

The bottom

-         make a magic ring and chain 3 to count as first st. 

-         row 1, crochet 11 st. in the circle

-         row 2, crochet 2 st. in every st. (=24)

-         row 3, crochet 2 st. in every 2nd st.(=36)

-         row 4, crochet 2 st. in every 3th st. (=48)

Sew with an overhand stitch the bottom to the pouf.  The bottom might look too small but trust me it will work..

Must dash as Ticket is complaining.  Here he is enjoying the fruits of my labour:

Ticket is now seven months..

Seven months and one day to be more accurate..
In the past month or so, he is less of a ticket and more of a child.  In the past month I started turning from F with a baby to F the parent.  It is so strange..  I suddenly I am becoming aware that my world is becoming Ticket-centric but I seem ok with it.  I think the reasons are pretty selfish to be honest.  There is this little creature, who now does have personality and is able to communicate (roughly) what he wants, who sees me and lights up every time.  Actually come think of it (without my morning coffee) that is pretty manipulative, but I am so falling for it...

What is happening to me!  The Ticket has taken over..

Hexagon crochet cardigan

Finished my first crochet cardie for Ticket. Quite proud of myself as I haven't made a cardie before, although not enough to pick buttons and get Ticket to wear it.

Can give you a sneaky preview since you asked so nicely. I will even show you what buttons I am thinking of eventually getting round to sewing on.

What do you think?

Its the Hexagon sweater revisited pattern from Cozy'z corner.  It is very easy to follow.  Effectively you make two curly hexagons and you sew together to form the cardigan.  What you need to do is sew two sides from each hexagon together and then you need to sew the shoulders shut.  It will make sense when you have them infront of you.

I made it with three balls of Rowan Savannah and it fits my rather big 6 month old Ticket quite nicely.  Hoping it will fit for a while, fingers crossed.  I've slgithly editted Cozy's pattern below, to to achieve a similar result to mine (and also how it made sense in my head).  Cosy's pattern is in US terms [dc is actually a tr for us UK folk]. Hope you find it helpful. Good Luck.

Ch 6, join yarn with a sl st to form a ring. Alternatively form a magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), 2 dc in ring, *ch 2, 3 dc in ring, repeat from * 4 times, ch 1, hdc into top of beg ch 3 (6 sets of 3 dc clusters).

Round 2: ch 3, dc in same space, *dc in each dc, 2 dc in 2ch space, ch 2, 2 dc in 2ch space still, repeat from * 4 times, dc in each dc, 2dc in 2ch sp, ch 1, hdc in top of ch 3.

Rounds 3 - 12: Repeat round 2

At the end of round 2 fasten off. 

Make a second hexagon leaving about a yard of yarn for use in stitching.

Sew the 2 hexagons together along one side and then fold each side to form a T shape. The seam you just sewed is the center back, and the tops of the sleeves will be  left open. 

Sew the top of sleeve seams from the cuff edge to 9cm (3.5 inches) from each front edge.

Cuffs
Join yarn with sl st at the inside side of the current cuff edge. Ch 3, dc in next 4 dc, * dc dec over next 2 sts, dc in next 5 sts, repeat around, join with a sl st in top of beg ch 3.

Round 2: Repeat round 1

Round 3: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st in beg ch, fasten off, weave in ends.

Repeat for other sleeve.

Adding length (optional)
join yarn with sl st at current waist edge. Ch3, dc in each st all the way around the bottom edge. Ch3 turn and repeat until you reach the desired length.

Edging
join yarn with sl st at neck edge . Ch 1, sc in same st, (you can sc up to where you would like the first button to be) *ch 3, sk 1 st, sc in next st (button loop made), sc in next 10 sts, repeat from * 3 times, sc in last dc, 2 sc, ch 2, 2 dc in corner ch loop, dc in each st all the way around the bottom edge to other front corner, 5 dc in corner ch loop, dc in each st up front (for button band) to neck edge, ch 1, turn, sc in each st down front and across back ending at bottom front corner. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Sew buttons on button band opposite button loops.  (Try to get round to it, don't be lazy like me)

Oh hello again

Haven't been on for a while. So much has gone one, that I really don't want to get into right now, but I wanted to get the ball rolling again so here I am..Ticket has grown so much since last post.

To the uninitiated he is just another baby who doesn't do that much still, it is not like he is walking or talking yet.  I, however, know everything there is to know about him and I can reassure you that is not the case.  He's now rolling all over the place, using this as means to get from A to B. This is a great pain as he can't be left unattended even for a second.  We have started eating solids (that is foods other than milk), and he is so proud (so is mummy of course). Now he has opinions on what he wants to do, and finds ways to communicate that to us. He has also moved to his own room, which felt to me like he went off to university and was almost tearful about it..
What I have also realised is that I am so his favourite person in the world.  That is such a big responsibility, especially since he also finds me the funniest person in the world,  I now must live up to these expectations...