It's that time of year again

I went out last night to the annual fireworks display at the university. I don't know if I am becoming more pernickety with my advancing years but I didn't think the display was as good as it has been in previous years (probably not helped by it having to be temporarily stopped because of people wandering into the firing line). I still managed to snap a couple of acceptable pictures though:

I had go on one of fairground rides too - something I don't normally do - the experience of going on this ride:

has left me with rather a stiff shoulder today as well - ouch! (Possibly another sign that I am becoming old and decrepit - *sigh*)

Probably the best bits about the evening were the edible ones - a friend of mine made some delicious treacle bonfire toffee for our little group to share, yum. I contributed some seasonal(ish) cookies:

They don't look much but they tasted delicious. They are lovely Chocolate Parkin Biscuits, with delicious tangy chunks of stem ginger. The recipe is a recent one from Dan Lepard in the Guardian Weekend magazine. You can find it here - definitely worth a try!

I'm down to the last three rows of the Adamas Shawl now as well - exciting times! It should be off the needles and beginning to block over the weekend. I can hardly wait. Watch this space!

No knitting of note...

... but instead there is most certainly cake, see:

Yum, yummy, yum. I know I first read about this Chocolate Guinness Cake in connection with Nigella Lawson's 'Feast' book, but it wasn't in the book itself and beyond that I don't remember where it was I read it... What I did know was that I had to make this cake! A Google search turns up several free recipes for Chocolate Guinness Cake or Chocolate Stout Cake and I chose one of them - can't remember exactly which but they are all pretty similar.

So the cake was easy to make, the hardest part (physically at least) was whisking together the topping which is cream cheese, double cream and icing sugar - I think mine was still a little bit runny but I am a weakling ;) The cake was served as a dessert when friends came round for dinner on Tuesday and it was unanimously agreed to be very tasty - especially the topping, it's good because it's a chocolate cake which isn't at all sweet really, even the icing has a pleasant tang from the cheese - thumbs up all round.

So culinary adventures (oh well, and a bit of work) have been keeping me from knitting all that much - there have been two further repeats of the Muir chart produced, but there just doesn't seem much point in another photo when it's just more of what you've seen previously!

The other thing worth getting excited at is this:

The Frankfurt Christmas Market is back in Birmingham - the opening day was yesterday so we went along for some Prager Schinken, Bratwurst, Gluehwein and Weissbier - yum! Once the German Market rolls into town I consider it acceptable to start feeling festive and Christmassy - it's hard not to when you are faced with such seasonal cheer whenever you go into the city centre. It's definitely (one of) the best thing(s) about living in Birmingham. I am looking forward to many more visits before December 23rd!

Craft imitating life

Well it looks like its been a while... life has been busy and not always that much fun recently. My thesis is proving tricky at the moment, every small change I want to make seems to necessitate six more changes somehow until I don't know what I'm dealing with anymore - I am working on trying to tame the thing though :o). I was rejected for another job (which I was sort of prepared for but it made me feel a bit sad nonetheless) and was treated to the delightful news that the PhD proposal which I worked so hard on for so long earlier in the year was not even considered (nobody even looked at it!) because of an administrative error that wasn't even my fault - what a waste of time that was! I'm not that upset about not being able to do a PhD this year as I had my doubts anyway but what does bother me (and I know this sounds odd) is how many choices this leaves open to me - try and get funded again next year, walk away from academia forever, stay in my current job, look for a new job (but what?) - I just hate having to be decisive! I would describe my current state of mind as somewhat scattered and I think my knitting projects reflect that to a certain degree...

I was working away quite happily on Elfine's Socks - to the point where the first one was very nearly finished:





(Incidentally the detailed shot of the lace is a pretty good representation of the actual colour of my Piece of Beauty Sweetgrass yarn). But as soon as all the serious making of life decisions wormed its way to the forefront of my mind (against my wishes!) I started making mistakes in the lace and having to rip back all the time - I don't want to ruin these socks so I put them aside and cast on for something a little simpler...



Yes, socks again (of course) but this time a mere 4 row repeat for these Broad Spiral Rib Socks in Trekking XXL shade 100. I'm not really following a pattern; I think I've knit enough socks now that I ought to be able to cobble one together as I go along... so I decided to challenge myself to do just that. I allowed myself to be inspired by Adam Knits!, searched around the Internet for the stitch pattern and just cast on. I've got down to the heel once realised that the stitch count I'd chosen was wrong and ripped all the way back, what you see above is my second attempt with slightly more stitches and which will hopefully make for a better looking and more functional heel. I'll carry on with these for the time being until my brain is in a place where it can cope with something trickier again.

Never fear though, I plan on giving my brain a helping hand to reach that place - I decided I deserved a rest so me and the boyf have arranged to head off on holiday to Spain at the beginning of October - anything academia-related will be banned (thoughts included) so I think I'll be reserving a place in my luggage for the Elfine's Socks - they ought to be safe :)

Of course there are more immediate things that can be done to cheer yourself up in times of crisis and indecisiveness and, hence, cake:



It certainly did the trick ;) - even if only temporarily... I predict more cake in my future!