Bees, beer, and blooms

On Sunday Willie and I went to some drop-in classes/talks at the 'Sunday Spectacular' run by Laneway Learning. You could join in with the casual classes for only $2, so it was a good chance to dip our toes into some new things. There were longer book-able classes too, but they had mostly sold out. It was all held in one little lane in the CBD, in galleries and coffee shops.

Outside in the lane (it was a bit of a drizzly day)

When we arrived we went straight to the beekeeping talk (I'm still pretty bee-obsessed). It was great! I found out some cool new things I hadn't read about, and got an idea of how much it would cost to get set up with a hive one day. The beekeeper had brought a frame from a hive in a double-sided glass case, so we could see the honey cells and brood cells, and all the bees doing their thing. The queen had been left at home, as it would be too disruptive to take her out of the hive for the day.

After that we went and talked to a lady who was making jam, and found out about a really handy tool: specially-shaped tongs for handling the hot jars when you're sterilising and filling them. Will keep my eyes peeled for some.

I spotted a few Yarn Corner people (who I recognised by their pink hair!), and had a brief hello before staking out a good spot for the beer brewing demo. I am totally keen to try brewing soon - it sounded fairly easy to make something drinkable, with lots of scope for getting fancy later. I have a list of websites and books to investigate. I might have to twist Dad's arm to have a go with me when I'm in Whakatane soon! Or else get set up over here.

Having a very nice coffee while waiting for the brewing talk to start

The folks in the background are checking out the bees

In crafting news, I finished a small batch of knitted flowers and I'm really pleased with how they came out. I used this Petunia pattern, and while it was a bit fiddly, I now have a much better handle on exactly how short-rows work in knitting. The lovely folks at Holland Road Yarn Co need more flowers and leaves to spruce up their 'tree' outside the shop, so I posted these off to prettify a Wellington street...

Bicycles and pickles

Yesterday we had a very nice Saturday, in a wholesome sort of way. After a decent sleep-in, we biked to the library along the riverbank.

I rode Chloe's bike, and had a bit of trouble since it was my first time on a bike in years. Yes, you don't forget how, the riding part was fine - but swinging my leg over the basket was trickier than anticipated! I actually fell off once while dismounting, which was a bit embarrassing in a busy public place...

Riding is lovely though, especially when you get a decent stretch of people-free ground ahead of you and can speed up a bit. I'll need to get my own bike when the time comes to give this one back.

After we got home and had a tea-and-a-sit break, we went food shopping and picked up some ingredients for making pickles, which I've been wanting to do for ages. We ended up making 'bread and butter' pickles, which are amazing with cheese on toast:

It's a very easy and fairly economical recipe - mostly sliced cucumbers and onions, with vinegar, sugar, and spices. Willie did the chopping (sparing me from the dreaded onion-eyes) and I did the cooking part. I got the recipe from my Ladies a Plate book, and it's on the website too: Bread and Butter Pickles. The great thing about it is that you don't need to stand over a simmering pot for ages, you just bring it to the boil and you're done. :)

For some reason, preserving jars are hard to find in Australia - we had to buy a set online in the end. Next I'd quite like to try these Herb Jellies (when I'm up to a bit more of a challenge). I've successfully managed marmalade in the past, so why not?

Bra shopping success!

It's been a while since I wrote about my search for a properly-fitting bra. I got sidetracked by other things, and then I failed to check Brava's opening hours and ended up pouting outside a closed shop (note to self: don't assume specialist shops are open on Sundays). But today we gathered our gumption and headed back to their Collins St shop.

I asked for a fitting, and the assistant asked what I was looking for and what size I've been wearing. I explained that I wanted a plain, everyday, more-or-less-skin-coloured bra, and that I've been wearing 16D (because it was the best I'd found), but that I thought I needed more like a 14F. She agreed that that would be a good size to start trying, and so the changing-room saga began...

I found it much less frustrating than my past bra-shopping experiences: they had my size in all of their styles, and the assistant fetched things for me to try as we narrowed down what I needed - no rummaging through the racks myself, getting discouraged. Her timing was spot-on, so I wasn't left waiting for the next option, or feeling rushed either. I ended up with three good 'maybes' that we agreed fit me well, all beige and lace-free and 14F. I settled on the most comfortable of the three, plus a basic sports bra in black. The beige one will be ideal for being unobtrusive under tshirts etc, and the sports bra will be fine when I'm wearing more layers. If sports bras had a smoother shape they'd be perfect, but alas, protruding seams are apparently the price you pay for proper scaffolding!

The only slightly frustrating part of the process was that there were plenty of pretty, lacy, colourful, feminine bras in the shop (which are just not 'me'), but not many plain, basic styles. Even the plainest still had small bows on them. 

"No lace. No lace, Mrs. Bennet, I beg you!" (P&P 1995, Ep.1)

But I am now the happy owner of two comfortable bras in the correct size, which is two more than I've ever had in my life. About time too!

Cardigan complete!

Whee, it's finished at last! And it fits, and the colour is fantastic. :)

I actually finished knitting it last month, shortly after writing this post, but I ordered buttons from overseas and they took a while to arrive. I also really dislike sewing on buttons (disproportionately to other finishing-off tasks - I quite like seaming for example), so procrastination also took its toll.

Anyway, here are the stats...

Pattern: Cria by Ysolda Teague (short-sleeved version),
Yarn: Little Wool Company 4-Ply in 'Lime', 1171 yards (1.3 skeins),
Buttons: vintage ones from this Etsy store.
Things I love about it:

• the subtle contrast between the garter-stitch top and the rest of it (in stockinette)
• these simple stitch patterns don't look too 'busy' with the variegated yarn
• the little details that make it look polished, e.g. the tidy transitions between the garter-stitch front to the sleeve, and the slipped stitches which stop the button bands 'flipping'
• the stealth pockets are seamless - only the top opening shows
• the buttons are shaped a bit like wine gums :)
• did I mention the colour? <3

 

The weather has cooled down a bit now with winter setting in, but being a warm-blooded creature I should still get to wear it for a little while. Time to get started on my next cardie, which will be a wintry one this time: a golden-brown Iðunn with dark-brown details. It should go a lot quicker, with the thicker yarn. We shall see!

For your viewing pleasure

First, an excellent new documentary about Bach's life and music. Really interesting, and some lovely snippets of music. It's an hour and a half long! I'm in Bach-nerd heaven.

...And here's something completely different: for an old friend's wedding present, Chloe made a very tongue-in-cheek rap video. Willie helped out with some of the dancing and filming, and I did general gofering. It was pretty much the most hilarious experience ever.
Here's a link to the video: Ra's Wedding Rap