cat bear rabbit

Little "anything animals" that are quick and fun to knit and a nice gift. Inspiration here. Pattern here.
I knitted these in a finer wool so modified the pattern. The legs and arms are made by knitting i-cords and, like cables, they are a little bit of knitting magic. Excellent i-cord tutorial here.
Have a wonderful weekend.

ahoy

A blue and cream striped baby sweater started over a year ago for a neighbour's baby. (I don't know why it took me so long. I think I just went off knitting. Back into it now though.) I've made this pattern before, here. I never thought about it when I chose the colours but they are definitely nautical. Maybe she'll grow up to be a sea-faring girl.

Update: The winner of The Bird of the Year 2015 is the bar-tailed godwit. There was a bit of a scandal with the competition this year when "two Auckland teenagers" submitted around 200 votes for the kōkako using different email addresses. Go figure.

lemon and rosemary

I took a batch of these biscuits up to Martins Bay. I've made them many times and they're really very good. And popular. Here's the recipe. I hope you get the chance to make them.

Lemon and rosemary biscuits
1 cup caster sugar
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped lemon zest
170g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, rosemary and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, olive oil and 3/4 cup of the sugar mixture until light and fluffy.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well to combine. Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a firm ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Divide the dough into about 20 balls. Roll each one in the leftover sugar mixture and place on the baking tray. Flatten firmly with your hand or the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture on top of the biscuits.
Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Reading: bonnie delicious, petite kitchen, and my darling lemon thyme.

birds

Welcome to hello tangelo! Thanks for finding me here. This blog is a continuation of my previous blog, never odd, and it's about living in New Zealand - going places, making things, a little bit of gardening, reading, food.

These photos are from a recent overnight stay at Martins Bay - a pretty little bay on the Mahurangi Peninsula (about an hour's drive from Auckland) and a nice place for a quiet holiday. Or a day trip. Or picnic. And a popular spot for birds. We saw plenty of fat tui on our walks and these birds - red-billed gull, New Zealand dotterel and Oystercatchers - down on the beach. If you're interested in NZ wildlife you might like to vote for Bird of the Year. But hurry - voting closes this Sunday, October 25th.

Watching: Everest
Reading:  Tripwire by Lee Child - Entertaining page-turner for those times when you want to read without thinking too much. Contains a few (not overly described) nasty bits that you can skip over.
The weight of silence by Catherine Therese - A funny, sad, honest memoir of growing up in Australia in the 60s and 70s.
Fine little day: ideas, collections and interiors by Elisabeth Dunker - the subtitle says it all. Loads of photos and inspiration.
Viewing: HaaPoom by Seung Yul Oh at Te Uru until November 8 - Includes this hilarious video. Turn the volume way down before watching.