tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49599810352562354712024-03-05T11:44:48.305+00:00Brixton PurlEsehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-9864433789055259542018-05-10T15:26:00.001+01:002018-05-10T15:26:35.931+01:00 Me Made May and my inner peer pressureDear self
It's ok not to have made your wardrobe yourself. It's ok to buy clothes in shops. Sure, you've knitted a lot of sweaters, shawls, hats, etc. but you don't have to weave your own fabrics and sew your own clothes - you make a lot of other things! What about the print on the wall you made? Or the necklace? You made those! Be proud of things you've made or accomplished, even though it may not be your whole outfit.<br />
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May is a fantastic month and on social media a lot of the peope I follow celebrate Me Made May, a celebration of a home made wardrobe. I can sometimes feel the pressure to join in the choir, but the truth is that I've made the decision not to make my own clothes. I want to spend my time on other things and I'm happy to go shopping for my clothes. During MeMadeMay I sometimes have to remind myself that it is OK to wear store bought clothes. For some people it's not a choice, they may not know how to sew, in my case it's more of a choice life has made at the moment. I used to sew a bit, but the fact that my sewing machine and I live in different countries makes it harder. Sewing is fun, but I also have other interests that I've chosen to prioritise over sewing.<br />
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So this May I'm going to celebrate accomplishments in any way for Me Made May, it's a sofa cushion I crocheted, it's a nice casserole I spent time making from scratch, it's the little stilllifes I'm creating around the house with my favourite things. I made those, and they count!<br />
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If you are into cooking, baking, drawing, jewellery making, sewing, macramé, wood turning, slack lining, free diving, photography, story telling; the list goes on; let's rejoice and celebrate your interests and reaching new goals or learning new skills. You are great! That store bought t-shirt looks great on you!
My contribution to Me Made May today is that I spread my toast with a wooden butter knife I've made.<br />
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If you're one of the amazing people who make your whole outfit, then I'm super impressed! Let's celebrate our achievements together!
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<br />Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-28196159572276186122018-03-23T11:03:00.002+00:002018-03-23T13:05:09.810+00:00Search and you shall find<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Demystifying search engines so you can be found </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Searches and being found in search results is key for designers. Depending on the search engine used to look for patterns the designer needs to provide the information in different ways, this is called search engine optimisation and you probably recognise it by the abbreviation SEO.<br /><br />One thing that they all have in common is that you need to try to figure out what the users are searching for. You can add all the fancy names and words you want, but if that’s not what customers are searching for, then your page/pattern won’t be found.<br />The search engines also work differently and take different information into account in the search. Google works in one way, but if you also sell patterns on Ravelry and LoveKnitting they both have internal search engines that you need to think about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Ravelry</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The internal search on Ravelry searches in the pattern name field, but doesn’t take the pattern description into account. The filters enables the user to narrow down the search based on the attributes of the pattern, as long as the designer has given the correct attributes.<br />If the person uploading the pattern to Ravelry uses too many or too few attributes it will be harder to find the pattern, but if you know the name of the pattern it’s really easy.<br />Ravelry had a very good post on the front page on March 9 2018 about the search box versus filters and this extract summarises the post:<br /><br /><i> For most of the searches you want to do on Ravelry, using the filters to the side of the search is going to give you more targeted results than using the search box. Why? For patterns, the search box looks at pattern title, designer name, source name, and then the notes from linked projects. To search by the information that a designer has entered to describe their pattern you need to use the filters.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> LoveKnitting and LoveCrochet</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The internal search takes title, designer name and description into account, so using a title like “Blue lacy baby blanket knitting pattern” isn’t very useful, put that in the description instead and name your pattern something interesting, easy to remember and spell. The search will pick it up as long as the words are in the description.<br />The filters can help narrow down the search, but there are only including filters and no exclusions, so the net is cast wide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Google</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Searches on Google takes all indexed information into account. So if you’re selling your patterns on a marketplace which doesn’t index every pattern page to Google, they won’t appear in a google search. If the platform you’re using index the pattern pages, then you need to hit those keywords to appear in the search. Put important keywords higher up on the page, that way the keyword counts as more important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What are the search terms or filters you’re using to find what you’re looking for? Are you looking for a baby blanket in general, or a specific baby blanket. If the name of the pattern is ‘Baby blanket’ it will show up in searches for baby blankets, but it will be one of many. Make sure you have all the keywords covered to make sure your pattern appears in the search results.</span>Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-63305176797262640552018-02-08T13:40:00.001+00:002018-02-08T13:40:24.415+00:003 trendsetters for 2018Winter has arrived to UK, and we've even seen a little bit of snow in the capital; something we haven't had much of the last couple of years. For us knitters it's a perfect excuse to wear more knitwear! So what are we wearing this year?<br />
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Looking at social media among knitters it's quite clear that knitted sweaters, especially with a little bit of pattern on the yoke, are a strong trend at the moment; and for a good reason! Imagine an Icelandic or Bohus style round yoke with colour pattern, and then you update it with a little bit of graphic patterns, and also delicate botanical inspiration. Update the colours to the latest trends and the yarn choices are plenty to suit any taste and wallet. There are 3 names topping the trends, Jennifer Steingass, Caitlin Hunter and the ever so talented Isabelle Kreamer. These designers are definitely topping the design game! Check out my Pinterest board for the winter 2018 trends <a href="https://www.pinterest.se/virtualese/2018-trends/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ravelry.com/designers/jennifer-steingass" target="_blank">Jennifer Steingass</a> has so far released 12 patterns, 10 of them are stunning sweaters from 2017 and 2018. They're all sweaters with a round yoke with colour work on. The colour work is delicate and is almost like a beautiful necklace around the shoulders of the wearer. I have knitted the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arboreal" target="_blank">Arboreal</a> sweater and not only is it a well-written pattern, it's also really fun to knit. There are short rows to create a perfect fit, and for a skilled knitter it's plenty of room to add/subtract short rows to get a perfect fit for exactly your body.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ravelry.com/designers/caitlin-hunter" target="_blank">Caitlin Hunter</a> has had a productive year with 15 patterns the last 12 months! Her yoke patterns have bold patterns in neutrals, speckles, earthy tones with a high contrast colour to top it off. It's bold yet neutral that I love most, blend in and stand out at the same time. The <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ninilchik-swoncho" target="_blank">Ninilchik Swoncho</a> is high on my knit list for 2018!<br />
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<a href="https://www.ravelry.com/designers/isabell-kraemer" target="_blank">Isabell Kraemer</a> is a well known name in the knitting community, she has a steady stream of beautiful patterns coming out, most of them sweaters. Isabell's sweaters are classic and easy to wear with any style. The recent pattern <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/humulus-2" target="_blank">Humulus</a> struck a particular cord with me, especially when I saw <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/lilalu/humulus-2" target="_blank">Isabell's second sweater</a> with a copper metallic yarn in the yoke, absolutely stunning!<br />
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<br />Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-82382493651982403372017-12-30T17:53:00.001+00:002017-12-30T17:53:38.475+00:00Summarising a year - only bringing the good memories with meThe year is nearing its end and we'll start a new year with new energy! Oh, who am I kidding...let's end the year with Christmas stress and start the new year just as tired as we were in December.<br />
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I don't have any New Year's resolutions, but I have goals I'm striving towards, but it's not a failure if I don't reach them. I want to exercise more, eat more healthy, reduce my yarn stash and publish more patterns, but I'm not feeling guilty about buying yarn, taking the bus if it's bad weather or indulge in chocolate every now and then - It's not about living the perfect life, it's about living my life and enjoying it.<br />
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When I look back at 2017 there are definitely some tough times, but also some fantastic highlights. I went on an amazing holiday to Japan, I saw two of my patterns make mega success on different platforms, I tried out screen printing (It's super fun!) and I got to see my family a lot and celebrate some of the highlights of their lives. It's been a tough and long year, but it's also been a very exciting and fun year.<br />
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My goals for 2018 are<br />
- Feel good about myself<br />
- Feel good about my knitting and crochet<br />
- Allow myself to take a break (from small or big things)<br />
- Try something new<br />
- Stop doing things that takes more energy than they give<br />
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<br />Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-81676549424563506092017-10-04T09:27:00.003+01:002017-10-04T09:46:36.864+01:00Trying to find my brand identityI often wonder what I have to say to the world, why should anyone listen to me? My day job is with a multiple brands with very specific brand identities and I often work with people to encourage them to find their own brand, but then I stand here as a bad example, with no brand identity at all.<br />
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I am versatile and know a little about a lot, and that is great and super useful for me in many ways; but it's not at all helpful when it comes to create and promote my own brand. I'm drawn to neon and strong colours, at the same time I love muted dirty pastels and neutrals. I listen to all kinds of music, jazz, blues, hard rock, pop; they all have their time and place. I'm drawn to both big cities and the country side, noise and and silence, and I need both to feel good. Loving one of them doesn't mean you have turn your back on the other.<br />
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Being versatile gives me too many options, but it also gives me opportunity to try out everything before I decide what I want to keep doing. There is no rush in choosing brand identity, it needs time to grow organically. It took me a long time to for me to settle for an online name I feel at home with, and it will take even longer before I find my brand identity and my look - but I'm in no rush. Knitting takes time, and so will finding my brand. Until then I'm going to try out all the colours, yarns, shapes and stitches I can - and I'm going to enjoy it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright and muted, they all have their place</td></tr>
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Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-1975146742117748842017-05-02T13:43:00.000+01:002017-05-02T13:43:55.746+01:00A poor writer blames the lettersCommunication is important. We live in a society where we have 100's of communication channels in our mobile phones and most of us spend a significant part of our work day in front of a computer communicating with other people. Upping your communication game can change everything for you. I don't claim to be an expert, in fact, I fall into a LOT of communication traps all the time. This post is just as much for me as it is for you, I need to remind myself of some very essential points of successful communication from time to time.<br />
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A message not understood is a useless message, and you can't blame the receiver for not understanding. If you want someone to understand your message, you need to make sure it's optimised for your reader. The most obvious mistake is sending a message in a language the receiver doesn't speak, but it doesn't end there.<br />
Words are only a portion of a language, there are cultural and traditional nuances to take into consideration as well. Take English as an example and the word 'pants'. If you ask a British person what it means they would reply 'underwear', while Americans would say that you wear pants over your underwear. Same language, big difference. The language and even the words and phrasing needs to be carefully considered when creating a message.<br />
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To be able to get your message out you need to know who you are sending your message to. Writing to yourself isn't very useful if you want someone else to read it. The more receivers you have, the harder it becomes to create the message, and you have to do more research beforehand. Below are some questions to ask yourself before creating your message:<br />
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Who is going to receive my message?</h3>
The more you know about your recipient, the better. Do you know them personally? What is their language? What's their culture? How old are they? Do they live in a city or countryside? What is their income bracket? Are they married? Do they have a religion? What is their education? Do they already know about you? Are they already interested in your message? Are they new to your business or experienced in the field?<br />
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If you are writing a recipe for a person who has never entered a kitchen or an experienced chef, you have to write the recipe very differently. Have you ever read 'pinch of salt' in a recipe and wondered if that means a teaspoon or literally what you pinch between your fingers? 'A pinch of salt' can be ok to write in a recipe intended for experienced chefs, but it's not helpful for a total beginner. Make sure you know how much pre-knowledge your recipients have!<br />
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Does my message contain any cultural or regional expressions?</h3>
If you have included any subtle jokes that needs cultural knowledge to understand; or an idiom or proverb in a message to people in several different countries - remove it. I have to assume that anyone reading this post understands English to a degree, but I can't e<span style="font-family: inherit;">xpect everyone to understand what '</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A poor workman blames his tools' means without having fairly good cultural understand of the English language. This is also the point in the blog post when I hope that most of my readers will understand the title 'A poor writer blames her letters'. The title had both proverb and multilayered joke in it, which is a good example of a poor message - it's way too </span>obscure<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for anyone to understand without explanation.</span></span><br />
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I consider myself fluent in English and am confident to communicate widely in English even though it is my second language. It actually brings me two benefits to have limitations in my English skills, it will keep me from using too much cultural references and proverbs, and it also makes me think about how the message can be interpreted by someone who hasn't got the same cultural references as me. It's something I consider every time I proofread messages written by others, I think about how I can misinterpret the message and if there are any changes necessary to minimise that risk.<br />
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What is the intention of the message?</h3>
Most message wants someone, otherwise we wouldn't send them. My intention with this message is to make you think about your messages, to give you tools to make your messages better. This is also a message to myself, I need to practise these same techniques when I create messages, and this post also serves as a practise piece. There are mistakes in this text, some deliberate, some unintentional, some of them I have left in there just to prove how important it is to prepare before creating messages.<br />
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If your message is intended to sell, you need to make your message create a need in the recipient. If you are writing a novel you want the reader to invest in your characters and loose track of time when they are reading your story. If you are writing instructions, you have to give the recipient all the tools they need to create the final piece, and feel good about it. If you're writing a blog post about communication, you want to give the reader an understanding of what goes into a message, and give them tools to improve their own messaging.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYjf89HwQONyabJbIvsenpYdszpPC-RKhQMH4SDcVcux4T5KEKylKPT-5HDeIP8mV6J3AMtM86L-2YOktyoWfQzWbsxdAogUocvAe38uzNl_WkuDeR6-KNAN7KhxI1Ypp7H7ExeCNfog/s1600/image2-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYjf89HwQONyabJbIvsenpYdszpPC-RKhQMH4SDcVcux4T5KEKylKPT-5HDeIP8mV6J3AMtM86L-2YOktyoWfQzWbsxdAogUocvAe38uzNl_WkuDeR6-KNAN7KhxI1Ypp7H7ExeCNfog/s400/image2-2.JPG" title="'Communication' in Japanese" width="400" /></a></div>
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What if the recipient doesn't understand my message?</h3>
Did you send a message and didn't receive the reaction you wanted? Maybe it was misunderstood? Read your message again and try to understand who read the message. Did you create a message for a person with a special interest in your area, but sent it to someone who has limited knowledge about it? Do a survey of your readers and get to know them. Maybe it turns out you are using the wrong channel for your message, don't use twitter to read a crowd who are hanging out on Facebook. You need to send your message where your readers will see it.<br />
When you have established that you know your reader and you are sending the message through the appropriate media, then start looking at the message itself. If you are trying to spark a new interest in someone, don't use to much jargon. If you're sending the message in the second language of the recipient, don't confuse them with long fancy words, you don't want to <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/discombobulate" target="_blank">discombobulate</a> your reader.<br />
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This thinking is important even when you talk to people in your daily life. If you discuss an assignment with your work colleagues and you use two very different types of languages, you may end up working against each other instead of with each other. Or you make plans with your friends and end up talking about different times or places. Use the language of your recipient.<br />
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In safety critical industries there is an extra step added to all communication - receipt and confirmation. Every communication that is critical to ensure production or safety should be followed by receipt and confirmation that the recipient has understood the message, often by being repeated back to verify. It might sound like overkill, but if you want to make sure your message has been understood there are two key steps, communicate in your recipients language, and confirm that the message has been received and understood.<br />
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Please comment below the mistakes I have done according to the points above - let's see how much attention you've paid!Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-75243258498173957702017-04-24T17:30:00.001+01:002017-04-24T17:30:24.436+01:00Indie versus commercialI'm going to stick my neck and say something that shouldn't be controversial; it's ok to buy commercial yarn from big brands. Don't get me wrong, I use a lot of yarn from indie dyers and small mills and absolutely love it, but I don't have to choose one or the other. They serve different purposes.<br />
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I work for a yarn company/retailer, we're somewhere north of 100 employees and we sell commercial yarn. Buying yarn from a larger company supports all the employees and the suppliers as well. It takes a larger customer group to make enough sales to pay the costs, but there are a lot of people making a living.<br />
One of the arguments used to encourage buying from indie sellers is that you support local, you support the people working there. I want to make the same claim for buying from bigger companies. There are a lot of people involved making a living, and the area they live in might not be your local, but it still benefit from all these people in work. Without my salary I can't give back to my local community, and my salary depends on people purchasing commercial yarn. Sure, there are stakeholders who passively earn money this way as well, but we're a lot of people making a living from selling commercial yarn too.<br />
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Big brand yarns complement indie yarns. If I want to make children's garments I usually buy a hardy yarn that can take a lot of washes and hard wearing, I wouldn't spend a fortune on a delicate yarn that couldn't handle a childs' day; so often I go for commercial super wash yarns. If I want to make a shawl that is going to lie agains my neck and be a centre piece of my outfit I often go for a luxurious feel and look, and a handdyed yarn is often my first choice as I love the way the colours come out when hand dyed.<br />
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So whether you buy yarn from an indie dyer or a big brand, you are supporting a local community and people making a living.Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-72257836356709577282016-12-12T12:45:00.001+00:002016-12-12T12:45:28.887+00:00Just do itI have over the last few months sped up my designing significantly. I just published a 4th design in as many months, which is a lot more than I have managed to blog!<br />
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I decided not to take myself or my knitting so seriously and 'just do it'. Don't sit around and wait for inspiration. When I curate pattern collections at work I look for what's missing to make the collection complete, and when I couldn't find the right pattern I was looking for, well...then I had to design it. I had a vision of what pattern I wanted, so I had to make sure there were such a pattern.<br />
Now I haven't ventured further that baby blankets and accessories yet, but I have started to feel comfortable as a designer and pattern writer. I know what I want, so I just need to figure out a way to do it.<br />
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I have learnt a lot, and still have a lot to learn.<br />
For example, the design I released this week, the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/midvinter">Midvinter</a> hat (pictured below). I had a really elaborate idea for the decreases, but struggled to explain it in text, so scratch that. If I can't explain it, it can't be in the pattern. If it's really that important for the design, then I have to find a way to explain it, or choose not to create a pattern of it. Simple as that. No one wants a pattern that can't be figured out.<br />
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It's the same thing with a knitting class, if you can't explain it, don't teach it. I ran a beginner's class recently and I find purl stitches hard to teach, so I skipped purl stitches. I decided to go with simple shaping instead and my students left the class able to increase and decrease, but no purling. In my opinion they can do a lot more with that than they would've if I had spent the class on knitting square pieces with knits and purls.<br />
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The outcome of this 'just do it' attitude is that I now have 4 new patterns released, I have been teaching a few knitting classes and learnt a lot more about teaching techniques. I have 2 more patterns sketched out in the pipeline and nothing stopping me from being creative!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5heTfDF7u-_SGXHKokufChDSJC_dm9seRObYjfUkgyIN7NfiXqyr5HcpD9y8QTrqXK7RaVSJyJqufPgleVWj-CPCo9cMAI0BuZv0yX-50SxQW1Zeq0wQOMu57m8mN4KDynm-wK71a_3Y/s1600/IMG_2112+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5heTfDF7u-_SGXHKokufChDSJC_dm9seRObYjfUkgyIN7NfiXqyr5HcpD9y8QTrqXK7RaVSJyJqufPgleVWj-CPCo9cMAI0BuZv0yX-50SxQW1Zeq0wQOMu57m8mN4KDynm-wK71a_3Y/s320/IMG_2112+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-39759438913131354792016-07-27T14:21:00.000+01:002016-07-27T14:21:32.861+01:00Quinoa salad with melon and pomegranateThe hot summer weather brought inspiration to my kitchen and I wanted a fresh salad with summery flavours. Top it with salty halloumi to restore the salt balance after a hot day in the sun.<br />
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2-3 servings</div>
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60 grams quinoa (1 1/2 portions)</div>
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1 red pepper</div>
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3/4 Cantalope melon</div>
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1/2 Pomegranate</div>
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Parsley</div>
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Lemon</div>
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Olive oil</div>
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Halloumi</div>
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Greek yoghurt </div>
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Prepare the quinoa as per instructions on the packaging and let it cool down. Squeeze 1 table spoon of lemon over 1 teaspoon of dried parsley to soak while preparing the rest of the salad. Cut the vegetables for the salad and mix together with the quinoa, pour the lemon and parsley over and add a splash of olive oil. </div>
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Cut the halloumi in thick slices and fry on low heat.</div>
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Serve the salad with a dollop of Greek Yoghurt on the side!</div>
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Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4959981035256235471.post-84042146306243121892016-07-24T20:37:00.000+01:002016-07-24T20:37:17.673+01:00New beginningsNew blog, new ideas and new projects. I have loads of ideas just waiting to come out and I thought this blog would be one of the places to let them out. I have no idea where this adventure is going to lead, but it will include knitting, crochet, embroidery, cooking and travelling. Curious? Me too! Watch this space to find out where this will take us!<br />
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<br />Esehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07805168405573812637noreply@blogger.com0