I’m sorry I didn’t manage to get round all the desks last week – it’s been a busy week.
What’s On Your Workdesk this Wednesday?
Tiny carpet #6! The final one. I have done the design and made a start.
This is the inspiration for it:
In order to co-ordinate it better with #5 (the front cover of the needle book), I have decided to change the blue background to green. Here is the design I have made on graph paper, again having to simplify it in order to work at such a small scale.
So far, all I’ve done is to start the outline in red, so nothing worth showing as yet. I’d hoped to make a bit more progress but I’ve been busy with other things, and also, last night, I was experiencing major problems trying to transfer my photos from the iPad to the computer – for some reason my Photo Transfer App stopped working and the devices were not recognising each other on the network. I’ve recently updated the iOS on the iPad, and also added some extra web security on the laptop and I thought it may be something to do with that. Eventually I reset the router and it seems to have sorted the problem but I wasted a good hour on it.
Also this week, I have re-drawn the design for Tiny Carpet #3, which you remember I said had several mistakes in it. I am now happier with this design.
Food
Clancy erupts!
I made my usual batch of kombucha on Friday. This fermented tea drink is utterly delicious and full of probiotics. I did a blog post about it on my old blog back in 2018, and I also posted about the last time Clancy erupted! The reason I call my kombucha plant Clancy is explained in that blog post. Anyway, this week, he erupted again!
The first time it happened, I learnt my lesson and always put the big jar in a bowl before stirring it now, to catch any overflow. I don’t know why this happens occasionally – I’m not aware of doing anything different with the recipe week by week. Kombucha is alive!
Recipe(s) of the week
One-Pot Green Curry with Chickpeas, Kale and Sweet Potato
I adore Thai food, and have never got around to cooking it myself. Every time I looked at recipes they seemed to require unusual ingredients that I didn’t have, but for this recipe there was only one, which was lemongrass. I found out that Tesco has fresh lemongrass so I added it to this week’s order – I’ve never used this before. This Thai green curry recipe is vegan, whole-food plant-based, and it has a real, authentic flavour. I decided to make her version of the green curry paste – so much better to make your own curry paste because you know exactly what’s gone into it, and it won’t contain any nasty chemicals that aren’t necessary unless you want a long and stable shelf-life which is what the food industry is after, usually at the expense of healthy nutrition.
I had to tweak the curry recipe a bit because it didn’t come out as expected. As published, this recipe has far too much liquid. Choosing the option of 6 servings, I used the equivalent of only 1 can of coconut milk instead of 3 (I use coconut powder and hot water). I also used the equivalent of only 1 can of cooked chickpeas (1 1/2 cups). I substituted light soy sauce for coconut aminos which I didn’t have (and which are very expensive online). I had to boil it fast to reduce the liquid. It didn’t seem to make any difference, boiling it fast as opposed to simmering, and it required a lot longer cooking in order to soften the sweet potatoes – it took about 25 minutes. I also thickened it with okara (the pulp left over from making soya milk, but you could thicken it with flour or cornflour if you wanted). I know that some Thai curries are more like soup and you need to eat them out of a bowl with a spoon but I prefer my sauce to be thicker and less liquid.
Nutrition
The Chattanooga Chew-Chew
When I first got my ileostomy I was told it was very important to chew my food really well, in order to prevent obstructions. At that time, I adopted The Chattanooga Chew-Chew as my theme chewn! (Don’t you just love the Andrews Sisters?!) My subsequent researches showed me that it isn’t just ostomates who need to follow this advice – we should all chew our food well, and most people don’t chew their food nearly enough. What we should aim for is at least 30 chews of each mouthful, to reduce the food to a purée. The act of chewing stimulates the body to begin producing digestive enzymes and appetite regulating hormones. If you do not chew your food, but consume it in liquid form (smoothies and juices), it can prevent this natural stimulation and lead to poor digestion, resulting in bloating and gas.
Chef AJ says to try eating the ingredients of your smoothie before processing to see how much more satisfying they are than the smoothie.
The body doesn’t seem to recognise the calories in liquid foods; studies show that people drinking soda which contains a lot of sugar and are high in calories, still eat as much solid food as they would without the soda. It is not surprising, therefore, that if you consume a lot of fizzy drinks, you will gain weight. There is a similar effect with smoothies. People who ate a raw fruit salad accompanied by a glass of water felt significantly fuller than those who consumed exactly the same ingredients in smoothie form.
Chewing has a significant effect on satiety. People who chew only 10 times per mouthful generally consume more food than those who chew 30 times. This may be partly due to the fact that all that chewing takes a lot longer, so you eat less, but the very act of chewing stimulates the secretion of hormones such as ghrelin which are important in appetite regulation. The mouth is the first part of the digestive tract and saliva is the first digestive juice; when you chew, you are mixing the food with saliva and beginning the digestive process, and physically breaking the food down into smaller particles with a larger surface area per unit volume, allowing the digestive enzymes to do their work.
Drinking foods in the form of smoothies cuts out this process and interferes with the satiety mechanism, causing you to eat more.
There is an exception to this rule, however, and that is soup, which might seem surprising, because in effect, a soup is really just a hot smoothie! In actual fact, a blended soup is more satiating than the same vegetables in solid form. Obviously this has nothing to do with the absence of chewing in this case! Eating soup as a starter to a meal can make you eat so much less of the main course that you end up eating fewer calories overall, so it’s obviously a good idea to start your meal with a good hearty vegetable soup if you are trying to lose weight!
Why should this be the case? Studies have been conducted to see whether there is a difference between fruits and vegetables, or whether it is the fact that it is hot or cold that makes a difference, or if it is the time taken to consume the food. The result showed that it is the time element. One reason why smoothies are not satiating, and soups are, is because we tend to gulp down smoothies too quickly, and eating hot soup in a bowl with a spoon takes longer. It’s as simple as that! It has been suggested that if you were to drink your smoothie more slowly, you could get the satiety effect that you get with soup, and you would end up consuming less food overall. It has also been suggested that it helps if you chew your smoothie! That sounds like a pretty weird concept but it has the effect of producing more saliva and stimulating the production of other digestive enzymes and also triggering the satiety hormone response. If you find it hard to chew a smoothie, you can always make it into a smoothie bowl with added toppings etc.
The blending of fruits and vegetables for smoothies and soups makes the nutrients more available to the body, which would seem to be a good thing. You get far more nutritional value from soups and smoothies that have been made in a blender than you can get by chewing alone, and the absorption by the body is much more rapid. However, this rapid absorption has a down side.
Fruit sugars are released from the protective fibrous cell walls when blended, and become much more readily available to the body, causing wider fluctuations in blood glucose levels and resulting insulin spikes. Chewing does not release as much fructose into the free form, but keeps it bound with the fibre. This principle also applies to grains – when they are processed by grinding into flour, this is much more readily absorbed by the body, which is why so many people with type 2 diabetes avoid bread. Whole grains cooked with water (e.g. porridge oats, quinoa, rice) are much more gradually processed by the body. I always bake my bread with plenty of added seeds and whole grains to balance out the effect of the processed flour. Last week’s piece on the conversion to resistant starch is useful in this regard, too.
Fruits and vegetables are the most nutrient-dense foods on earth, with greens being top of the list, but what we eat isn’t as important as what we absorb. Also vitally important is where we absorb it. If the food is highly processed by blending, all the absorption by the body may take place in the upper part of the digestive tract, leaving very little available to feed the gut microbes which live mostly in the colon, the final stage of the digestive tract. A healthy and diverse gut microbiome is essential for our health. Many of the phytonutrients in plant foods help protect against colon cancer and they must be allowed to get that far in order to do their work, and over-processing of the food before we eat it can prevent this. Because chewing is less efficient at breaking down foods than putting them in a blender, more of the phytonutrients make it to the further end of the gut still bound with the fibre.
Juicing is not a good idea because it removes a lot of the nutrients, notably the fibre. You can get a large insulin spike from the rapidly-absorbed sucrose (fruit sugar) from juices. It is far better to eat the fruit in its natural form, and in the form of a smoothie as a second best.
So Chattanooga Chew-Chew, everyone! We have 32 excellent food processors built in – our teeth!
A note on last week’s nutrition piece regarding the reheating of rice
Several people commented that they had heard that it was dangerous to reheat rice. This can potentially cause food poisoning, if it is not done correctly. If you cook the rice and allow it to cool to room temperature naturally on the counter and leave it sitting around, you are providing an ideal growth medium for bacteria – warm and damp. This can be avoided by the rapid cooling of the cooked rice. This is achieved by putting the rice in a large sieve and running cold water through it from the tap. Once it is cold, shake out as much moisture as possible, put the rice in a container and refrigerate it immediately. When you want to reheat it, do this rapidly again, simply by putting it back into the sieve and pouring a kettle of boiling water through it, and serve it immediately, piping hot. I have done this for many years with no ill effects at all. It’s common sense, really – we just don’t give those nasty bugs a chance!
Clothes
Time to break out some winter woollies, starting with the less thick ones.
Many, many years ago – back in the early 1990s, I was glued to The House of Eliott on TV – a series about a pair of sisters starting a couturier fashion business in the 1920s. I adore 1920s clothes… In one episode, the younger sister was wearing a simply gorgeous white and navy tunic top which I fell in love with, and I determined to replicate it in knitting. We were living in Plymouth at the time (the house before last, a long time ago!) and I still had my knitting machine in those days, so I did a couple of sketches, and designed the pattern for it.
In 2002, a remake of Doctor Zhivago was released by the BBC as a two-part mini-series (not a patch on the original David Lean film of 1965 with Omar Sharif and Julie Christie – one of my all-time favourite films) but we watched it nonetheless. Imagine my surprise when I saw the exact same tunic top being worn by the actress playing Lara! I recognised it instantly. The BBC had obviously dragged it out of the costume department and used it again.
Here are some stills showing the tunic in both productions.
Here is my version, knitted in 4-ply Shetland wool on the knitting machine. The panels are joined with decorative blanket stitch. The back has the same two decorative bands as the front. The solid lines of navy outlining them are actually pin tucks, to add some texture.
I am wearing it with a navy knit skirt that I bought around the same time in a charity shop, and a string of ultra-cheap navy plastic beads.
Side view, showing how the panels work.
The front and back side panels and front and back sleeves are worked as a single piece, so that the sleeve is knitted sideways, if that makes sense.
I have always loved this tunic, and couldn’t bear to part with it when I was too fat to wear it! Like many of my other old clothes, I am glad I kept it because it is now getting a new lease of life.
My worst shopping trip ever
I am due to have my eye test tomorrow (Thursday) in Newton Abbot. My hubby phoned up at the beginning of the week to check that it was still on, in view of the lockdown that is due to start then, and they said that as far as they knew, eye tests were still happening, but they would phone us if it had to be cancelled. We had planned to combine it with a shopping trip because I haven’t been shopping for about a year!! I’ve always enjoyed moseying around the shops, and Newton Abbot is lovely for shopping, with everything close at hand and on the level, and my hubby is always happy to take me, and to help carry things. I had in mind to look for a chunky knit long black or charcoal cardigan. The black one I bought on Ebay a few months ago is fine for in-between weather but it’s too thin for much warmth.
Because the shops would most likely be closed on Thursday, on Monday my hubby suggested we went shopping that afternoon instead, and just go for the eye test on Thursday. The weather wasn’t great – intermittent heavy rain, and cold and windy too. We went in all the charity shops that were open and there was nothing, and likewise in the normal clothing shops. We called in at Marks and Spencer’s on the way home, and it was the same. Most of the knitwear seems to be really thin – I have a theory that it’s because everybody’s houses and work places are so overheated these days! Most of it was pretty boring, too. I’ve come to the conclusion that if you want really nice knitwear, you have to make it yourself. We took a large bag of clothes for the charity shop which are now too big for me, and that was about the only good thing about the whole shopping trip! I found the whole atmosphere in the town, and in the shops, to be dismal and depressing, with everything looking shabby and tired – the place was like a ghost town, although there were plenty of people about. The weather didn’t help. There were a lot of shops that were closed, and more that were closed down and empty, and several, notably the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, advertising a closing down sale – are they going out of business completely? I hope not! Anyway, everyone was wearing masks and scuttling about as if half-scared, and you couldn’t read anyone’s expression – I absolutely hate not being able to see a person’s face! Not to mention that I can’t understand a word they are saying… I saw three or four other people with clear plastic face shields like mine and that was a definite improvement. I came home cold and wet, and for the first time in my life, not having spent ANY money on a shopping trip!!! It was a total waste of time and all it did was depress me… I have found several possible cardigans on Ebay and think I will go for one of those, and hope it’s a bit thicker than the first one I bought. I haven’t got time to knit one before the winter.
The whole experience has put me off going shopping. It used to give me such a buzz and be such an enjoyable and fun day out, with the shops so full of lovely things to look at, and just the experience of being out and about with lots of people, also happily enjoying their shopping. Now, everything seems run down and sad, and symptomatic of the mood of society in general. Don’t get me going on the politics, but if society, and our humanity, is going to survive, we’ve simply got to keep the economy going.
Kitties
Oh to be a kitty, living a life of luxury without a care in the world! Our two have done quite a bit of relaxing this week…
…and, of course, being spoilt by Daddy. Ruby being lifted in the blanket just prior to being put onto the chair after he got up, to save her from being turfed off onto the floor and having to make the effort to jump back up onto the chair by herself.
She reminds me of Beatrix Potter’s Tom Kitten in The Tale of Samuel Whiskers – Samuel Whiskers, the rat, had captured Tom Kitten and his wife made Tom into a roly poly pudding tied up with string and wrapped in pastry. His little head and tail stuck out beyond the pastry.
He was rescued just in time before he got eaten. Samuel Whiskers said to his wife, ‘ “I am persuaded,” said Samuel Whiskers, “that the string would have proved indigestible.” ‘ This was a phrase my dad used to quote with the utmost regularity whenever he was tasked with carving the Sunday joint, tied up with string. Happy memories… And no, we didn’t eat Ruby for supper. (Although I am often tempted to gobble her up because she’s so gorgeous!) (Samuel Whiskers was always my favourite Beatrix Potter story – Mum used to read them to us as bedtime stories when we were little.)
Have a happy creative week, everybody.
Always loving your carpets! and as ever, a post PACKED with interesting info, and always a bit to research.
I have looked in to resistant starch and it is interesting – I keep finding that it works well with RICE but less well with potatoes. And like you, I am always careful to rapidly cool my rice – we cook a big batch then cool it and re-heat it, usually in a pan with additions for a second meal, not the microwave. Also like you, brown rice is my choice, hubby and daughter prefer white. nothing is easy when you have to cook for other people too!
Happy WOYWW!
Mary Anne (3)
Gorgeous little carpet and I approve of the green instead of the blue, it works really well. I spent quite some time looking at your designs on the graph paper, just because they’re so satisfying! Tbh, I didn’t spot the difference between the old and your updated design but as long as you’re happy, that’s what’s important! The tale about Clancy made me smile, I once had a sourdough starter called Herman the German, he was a law unto himself…….
Hugs LLJ 6 xxx
Just going through my notes again: tiny carpets – last one? No way! Perhaps just last in this series, right? Fermented tea: much as I like the idea of probiotics, I’m not sure I would enjoy fermented tea! But I’ll try (almost) anything once! Music: my husband would probably enjoy that song for good times’ sake – my father-in-law used to like the Glenn Miller Band. Definitely got a catchy rhythm to it. About chewing: I’m a slow eater and chew my food well, but even I don’t chew it 30 times – not that I’ve ever counted! My husband on the other hand, shoves things in his face chomps a few times and that’s it – and then he’s surprised when he gets a tummy ache after eating peanuts. I used to tell him off, but he’s a big boy, he’ll just have to learn his lesson – thing is, he never does! Liquids: that’s interesting. I’ve started drinking Slimfast as a meal replacement (with water and some powdered milk – you probably don’t approve) but I find it’s a quickfix when I feel very hungry and it allows me to go a few more hours until the next meal. I think the key is to have it as a meal replacement not in addition to a meal! Tunic: How many people do you think spotted that? Probably only you! And that looks like Keira Knightley in the remake. You managed to copy it pretty well! In fact, yours looks better than the original! Shopping: Sorry about the failed shopping trip. I enjoy the occasional trip into town, but I never go with any specific idea – I just get those online and pick up any bargains I bump into in town. Online shopping is the future – the high street will have to adept. I think some branches of the Edinburgh Woolen Mill are going to close, unfortunately. We have one in town as well, but I don’t know if it’s one of them. I know, it’s a shame – we lost Bon Marche earlier this year, but that was even before the lockdown. I know the economy is important, but imagine you couldn’t get to hospital in an emergency – that’s what they’re trying to avoid with the lockdown. Kitties: Ruby looks snug as a bug in that rug! A well practiced technique of ours as well! I think that’s all! Have a lovely week, Shoshi!
Happy WOYWW. Your blog posts are so long I forget what to comment on and have to keep going back to remind me! That curry looks tasty. I love anything with chickpeas and sweet potato. Will take a look at the recipe and put the ingredients in my Morrisons order for tomorrow (we are lucky and now have Morrisons delivering to our area, as well as Tesco, who I have used for over 10 years, and Asda, which I have used twice and didn’t like). Chewing food. I do make an effort to chew my food more, but I am a fast eater (always have been) and often I am swallowing too soon. Interesting to read about the smoothies/juicing. I did go down the juicing trend a few years ago, but had to stop as the high sugars were making me really shaky, even if I tried using less sweet ingredients (which were then a disgusting colour/taste!). My dentist told me to avoid eating fruit, especially bananas – and I still think about her when I get tempted to snack on fruit. I also loved the House of Elliot (must look online to see if I can watch it again – here is the trailer https://youtu.be/wbhP1pd_o3I). You are very clever to make that tunic. Shopping. We have been on lockdown in Wales since 24th October, and I get our groceries delivered anyway, so haven’t been out anywhere, accept for walks/jogs/bike rides from the farm. Last time we went shopping, the towns were coming back to life again (so many people have never stopped going out to the shops – I have friends who go to the supermarket several times per week) and shopping was ok. I don’t like the masks, as my glasses steam up and when I get out of breath from climbing stairs, I have to take it away from my face for a few seconds to get some fresh air! Otherwise, we mostly found what we were going out for – and I do a lot of shopping online. You cannot try clothes on in shops at the moment, so I usually order online and get a few different sizes/styles/colours. I try them on, decide what I am keeping, and then we went to the nearest store to do the return (Next or M&S) or do a return via the post office/courier. I hadn’t bought any clothes really for about 2 years due to moving to a capsule wardrobe, so I treated myself this autumn to a few new key pieces. I found a fantastic thick/long cardigan at Lands End (and they often have discount codes). Not the cheapest website, but very good quality. https://www.landsend.co.uk/ Debenhams are also worth searching. Ali x #27
Shoshi, I love the inspiration for your newest carpet! Can’t wait to see it unfold! I have to say you are a wealth of knowledge on the health food front! Because I choose to eat as you do, all that great info you supply is a blessing!! Thank you for the time you take in sharing with us! I haven’t actually had my kombucha erupt like that in my big jar, but when I poor it off into smaller jars, I have to be near a sink or outside to open it up or else it’s kaboom time! LOLOL It doesn’t put me off however, I LOVE my kombucha!
THat Green Curry with Chickpeas, kale and potatoes is singing my song!!! I have to give that a whirl to be sure! I love curry and couple it with those amazing foodies, it’s the best! 🙂 I hear you on making things that I don’t have the supply for? It usually turns out that way for me. I am not good at substituting, so then I have to go on a mad hunt to find the ingredient! But that past looks delicious!
I have never heard the little ditty about the rice? I always reheat my rice and I’m still standing! LOL That being said, I may be full of bacteria….but then, that’s what the kombucha is for! LOLOL
Love your woolies…you look so beautiful in them! I have wool envy. Here where I live, you would die in that outfit. It gets cold, but not enough to wear that gorgeous outfit! You enjoy that for me! LOL
Give those luxurious felines a rub for me! They are too cute! 🙂 Blessings to you Shoshi and have an awesome rest of the week!
Sorry you didn’t have a very fulfilling shopping trip Shoshi. Chewing food well and having a glass of water with a meal is one of the Paul McKenna recommendations for losing weight. Makes sense really. Love the jumper – I really loved House of Elliot. Meow to ruined rotten Ruby and lazy Lily. Stay safe and happy WOYWW. Sarah #1
what a lot to read today… I’ll pick bits out! I love the tunic, and also used to love the House of Eliot. I wonder why they don’t repeat it like they do of so many things… 30 chews sounds a heck of a lot – food would be stone cold! but a very interesting read for all that. sorry you had such a disappointing shopping trip, hope the eye test goes ok tomorrow! Helen #2
Moe gorgeous carpet projects. Not sure about the tea but love the look of the curry. You did well to recognise the costume and loving your interpretation, it really suits you. Take care and have a lovely creative woyww though you had better safe the creative stuff until tomorrow as it’s a bit late now. Hugs, Angela x18x
As usual a very interesting read – love to hear the carpet progress.
That curry looks good – we too like a bit of Thai!
Interested by your dress of the week and the kitty pictures!
I used to love shopping in Newton Abbot (my sister lives in West Ogwell) – but I think it had deteriorated with Covid. However my Mum did find 2 pairs of shoes (it was always difficult to find her shoes) and an outfit for Dad’s funeral in N-A in August.
Keep safe and stay well…
Happy WOYWW!
Susan #23
Calling All Crafters! – My Blog!
For some reason, your comments on my blog always seem to end up in my Junk folder… for a while I didn’t spot them, but now I go to look each time. Everytime I move them to my Inbox but my computer hasn’t caught up with the idea of where I want them yet!
Your comment about chewing reminded me of the hypnotist Paul McKenna who said that to lose weight, you need to chew lots, exactly as you mentioned in your post, and how you can be more satisfied from the same amount of food if only it is chewed sufficiently! Interesting huh!
Love your tunic!
Stay safe
Chrissie #12
Hi Shoshi, another interesting and informative post from you. You have certainly done a great job with the carpets, and adapting the patterns to suit. I am always interested in your notes on food and nutrition – as I am determined to lose weight before our next family holiday in August, and you have achieved a remarkable weight loss with your dietary changes. The wardrobe department of the BBC must be enormous, keeping clothes for so many decades, and well spotted that it was the same tunic top. Your version looks both delightful and warm. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and your kind comments on my projects, and my daughter’s wedding. Her wedding dress is actually a dress, which was sleeveless and backless (not her style at all, but Nichola loved the skirt), and a separate bolero jacket, which we had handmade for her, with pearl buttons fastening at the back, and some beautiful lace that Nichola chose, fully lined with silk. Absolutely gorgeous – and exactly the style she had envisaged, a natural/boho style. The kids are cute – but I am biased! They do love being together, and have missed the normal summer get togethers, picnics and barbecues, so they really made the most of the weekend, as you can see with the shirts hanging out, and red faces from running round. Have a lovely week Shoshi, and I hope your trip to the opticians goes well. Take care, Heather xx #8
I’m sure that will not be your final carpet how can you resist not making another when they turn out so well, made with love and affection. Yes it’s the time of year for making big pots of things and I love it, stews soups and curry it’s on tomorrows menu, your looks very delicious. Our furbabies can be very stubborn when they find that warm spot, i’m forever having to lever Freya from my chair, it’s the first place she jumps into when I get up haa haa!!
Hope you are keeping well and have everything you now need during the 2nd lockdown, time to cuddle up and sleep until it’s all over.. Stay safe Hugs Tracey xx
Yep Shoshi, the green is a better difference on my eye, not that I would have thought of it! Sorry about your shopping trip, it is a sad reality I’m afraid at the moment. The weather didn’t help I don’t think!! The Edinburgh Woollen Mill branch in Salisbury is already closed, the one in our nearest town [andover) is in the throes of closing. The girls in there said initially that they were told to set about a closing down sale to liquidate stock and that decisions would be made on a store by store basis, but on Monday I’d this week when I rushed in to my buy A nightie for my Mama it seems that all the girls are being made redundant, they seemed to think it would be online only from the end of a November. Then I popped into Evans to look at their wide fitting boots and the ladies in there told me that they were closing as of today. The high street really is in trouble.
Love the small carpets The curry looks nice and wish I could eat curries [cannot for health reasons] Shopping is going to be nightmare for all now I think. I am hoping I have all I need but there is always something
Stay safe and well,
Hi Shoshi.
Its very very late. Brief.. Can’t wait to see mini rug… love the pattern pain re hour lost etc.
Skipped cooking cos cant eat Thai. Any sort and lots of good things. She who must be obeyed says so. Was whinging till 3am this morning. Not sure why.
Loved kitties… and Tom Kitten.. and your knits. Pray eBay buy is warm sad re the shop. Guess it was like that in war times too. This is a different war.
Thanks for sharing, and may God bless and keep you and all whom you love safe and well.
Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz. X
{Wonderful Words of Life – Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards – Shaz in Oz}
Your latest mat is, like the others, looking impressive. can’t wait to see the finished product. I’m in awe of your skills – cooking, sewing and needlework. Your tunic is amazing, too. A true artist. It took me many years to realise that having food that required quite a bit of chewing was best for blood sugar and reducing food cravings. I went from porridge to a muesli mix that I make, because it needs chewing with the nuts and seeds.
Hi Shoshi, you look amazing in your tunic. I am glad you didn’t put Ruby in pastry :). I quite agree with you about the chewing,, much better for you than rushing your food. I was intrigued by the Kombucha, you do eat some unusual things or perhaps we don’t try enough different foods. Angela #20 Sorry I am so late this week.
loving the carpets. Yes at college we were taught to put rice spread out one layer onto a chilled baking tray and after a few mins put in the fridge (to stop the fridge temp raising with hot rice) then when chilled freeze it (in the tray) then once frozen you can break it up into a bag. Strange the things I remember from college cos even now I dont freeze rice but still remember that!
As to Edinburgh Woolen Mill I have a suspicion they have recently gone into administration so that means they have a shortish timeframe to try to recover, not easy in the current climate though.
kyla
Loving the tiny carpet design and look forward to seeing the finished result. I love your fashion show this week. Thank you for all the information on nutrition…some of it I knew, but some is new to me! Sorry for the extremely late visit. Take care and stay safe. With love & God Bless, Caro xxx (#13)
Oh my goodness, I’m sure I was here earlier but No! Sorry for being so late! So much going on, on your blog!? Loving the needle craft book cover. (Make a lovely dolls House carpet!!) Its even making me think, I might like x stitch again! (Its been years and years!) Happy WOYWW! Lyn #25 Stay Safe!!
Your carpet is adorable – you really have the most amazing knack of just doing one fabulous little treasure after another, it is very exciting to see what you do each time. I am totally with you on soup – it is one of my favourite meals ever, that and salad (Ive never got on with smoothies – if they are essentially raw fruit or veges why not enjoy that lovely crunch and the prettiness on a plate or bowl, the eye appeal of a huge salad of lovely colours is not to be underestimated). I agree with you on buying knitwear – it is all rather pathetic and I also find the choice of buttons or other finishings often infuriates me – I have in the past bought menswear from M&S as it is often better quality and thicker. I cant think of anywhere that does really good thick jumpers/cardigans at a reasonable price now I think of it, I also like to see where something is made and what it is made of – I dont want a cardigan many years hence contributing to unrotting landfill. Finally your knitted tunic – how utterly stunning, it is quite gorgeous and you look amazing, I am quite inspired – if only could lay my hands on half my yarn (all packed up to make the house look tidy for sale), but it is really beautiful and just my colours…. Have a fantastic week xxx