YES! I have been knitting! I had knitting group on Thursday and decided that I couldn't take my shawl, because even though it's all I want to knit, I cannot speak to anyone while I am working it because I am constantly counting in my head. I have presisted in knitting it in company, which has led to me being annoyed with people for talking to me and making me lose count - which is ridiculous and irrational.
So on Thursday I decided to start knitting a Naughty Squiddy, because I need a circle time toy for my new tutor group. I got bored after the body and 4 tentacles but I'll get there. He looks vaguely phallic at the moment. I am dubbing him Paul the Octopus, so that hopefully I will never forget this slightly bizarre psychic-octopus story.
Then today I cast on for Celia Cruz, which I wound the yarn/bought & printed the pattern/swatched for in MAY. It is going well and should make an excellent summer top for my upcoming Malaysia visit. A lot of Ravelers say Blue Sky Alpacas' Hand Dyed Cotton is hard on the hands but I am not finding it so.
And finally, this evening, I wound one of my precious Artywarns Beaded Mohair skeins and cast on for a new hat. It will showcase some buckles I bought at the Button Queen last autumn.
If the beads and sequins in the yarn were gold it might make it slightly more perfect, but I love the combination nevertheless. I am creating my own design, based on a hat Kelly Osborne wore on DWTS last year. The hat was by Galadriel Mattei; I am pinching a picture in case she sells the ones she has and the pictures are lost forever -
She makes hers from recycled jumpers and watch straps. Very cool. I am inspired.
going to:
Lunch with Mr Z, at the boat in the harbour again. It was a nice lunch out, but I felt slightly ripped off this time round.
New parents evening, where I met almost more parents wanting to talk to me about AGT than parents of my new tutees.
LOOOOOOONG governors meeting. I was quite looking forward to my term ending, but feel like I should stay on for another year.
eating:
Courgette Oatmeal cake. I had some of this in Malaysia last November and now I have the bundt tin of my dreams, I have made it a couple of times. It helped that I had a monstrous courgette which needed using up. Here is my recipe...
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 generous tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
6oz butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups courgette, peeled and finely grated
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup bundt cake pan. Heat oven to 160°.
In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices; set aside. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in shredded zucchini and nuts. Spoon into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes; invert onto a serving plate to cool completely.
I also tried making mint choc chip cupcakes from Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache, in the dinosaur muffin tin I got. It was a big fail and ended with me scraping bits of cupcake out of the grooves with a wooden skewer. Epic fail.
obsessed with:
Peeking at my new timetable. I have seen it, but would like my own copy. It looks OK, mainly because they have timetabled me in the correct number of hours next year (I was 2 hours over this year, something I have disgracefully only just realised): but more than a third of my hours have been crammed into 2 and a half days. It works out at 15 lessons straight, without a free.
Oh well. Bring it.
entertained by:
This monstrous courgette, which appeared as if from nowhere on my plant on Wednesday. It quickly became a cake.
Coming up with teaching ideas for next week. No video week for me: I am planning History activities week. It started when I saw what an amazing job had been done of clearing out the school pond....
(I should point out that at this point, the dam was unblocked and the pond was mostly drained, so the clearing could take place. It is now a veritable oasis.)
I have since ordered British/Spanish flags and started to look up instructions for origami boats. It's time the Spanish Armada came alive.
fed up with:
Stupid people I am in charge of failing to follow instructions. ARGGGHHHHH! Please, please let all the marking be over with soon....
feeling:
Really quite excited about the next couple of months. So many exciting things going on!
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