Vibrams

For my birthday about a month ago my other half said I could finally get those shoes I had been going on about for the last year or two. Ever since I first read about them on the internet I really wanted a pair but they were out of our budget.

I normally spend around £20-30 on a pair of shoes that I expect to last me 9-12 months ish. The shoes I had my eye on were around the £80 mark and I didn’t have much idea how long they would last me.

The reason I wanted to get such a pricey pair of shoes wasn’t because they looked cool or they would go with anything I wear or any stereotypical girly reason to buy an expensive pair of shoes. I wanted these because they’re good for you.

Vibram 5 Fingers are barefoot shoes. They are designed to protect your feet from the ground with a thin but durable Vibram sole whilst allowing your feet to move freely and more naturally than they can in traditional shoes, thus mimicking the feeling and benefits of walking barefoot.

Standard shoes with their hard sole, cushioning and support prevent you from being able to move your foot very much and cause you to strike the ground with your heel, which forces the impact of your step to be absorbed by your heel, knee and hip. Walking barefoot or in minimal shoes allows you to strike the ground with your forefoot, letting your foot absorb the shock of the impact. Your foot is flexible, springy and well adapted for absorbing the impact of your steps so it makes sense to walk this way. Furthermore, walking with a forefoot strike is said to improve strength and flexibility of the  foot and ankle, which leads to better balance and posture.

I used to wear heels all the time, the higher and clompier, the better. I also used to suffer from lower back ache a lot. When I started reading about the benefits of barefoot walking I switched to flat shoes with a more flexible sole and tried to walk with a forefoot strike. This certainly made a difference to my back ache. It took effort and concentration to maintain this style of walking though. That’s where I hoped that the Vibram 5 Fingers would make a difference.

I still wasn’t happy about paying that much for a shoe, I had read varying reports of how long lasting and durable they were and I didn’t want to spend a fortune only to have to replace them in a few month’s time. I did really want a pair though, so I checked the Vibram website for the list of approved suppliers and found a few of them had a sale. I had considered ebay but apparently there are a lot of inferior fakes around and I wanted to be sure I got genuine Vibrams. I found a pair I liked, the classics, for £55 which was a bit better. I ordered them.

The shoes arrived along with instructions for how to put them on. It’s not as easy as you’d think trying to line your toes up into the toe pockets the first few times you try. It took me a while to get them on, and they felt very strange on my feet. I’ve worn toe socks before, but this was not like toe socks. Not uncomfortable, just a bit odd.

The first few times I walked in them were the school run, a 3.2 mile round trip. I didn’t feel like I was walking strangely, a forefoot strike felt more natural in these shoes. I liked the way I could feel the ground through the sole and wiggle my toes while I waited for traffic lights to change. When I got home though my legs ached, particularly my calves. This is expected with barefoot shoes, there’s a breaking in period while your body gets used to walking a whole new way.

After a month, I can walk the school run without any aches although I sometimes still feel a little stiff afterwards. The backs of my ankles start to ache a bit if I wear them all day, I think I’m still settling into them. The soles still look as good as new. I have thrown them in the washing machine a couple of times. Without socks they get dirty pretty quickly, but they wash well and dry fast.

I really like my Vibrams. I hope they last me a long time. I can’t imagine wearing regular shoes again. I have put my old shoes on to pop out into the garden quickly without lining up my toes (which I’ve got the hang of, although it still takes a bit longer than putting on a normal shoe) and they feel odd. Plus, despite a few funny looks from passers by, I really like how they look. I’m so glad I got them.

Headband with flower

Cabled hat

I have been doing loads of knitting lately, but because I have so many projects on the needles it’s been a while since I finished anything. Two things have now been cast off and finished up, so I thought I’d share/show them off.

The hat was knit from the snowtracks cap pattern in king craig aran tweed merino and cashmere and can be found on ravelery. I enjoyed the cable pattern, and while the yarn was a bit weird to knit with, I like the finished hat a lot.

The headband was knit from the knit ear warmer with crochet flower pattern in texere monaco cotton and can also be found on ravelry. The headband stretches a lot when I wear it, I wish I had made it smaller. Perhaps throwing it in the washing machine will tighten it up a bit.

Still on the needles but hopefully finishing soon I’ve got a beret hat, my first pair of socks and a sweater that I started back in September.

Dishcloth

This morning I picked up my needles to whip up something quick and easy while I was waiting for lunch time to roll around.

I went for the Andalutheean dishcloth. It was a very quick knit, and the simple stitch pattern was very easy to remember whilst knitting, but looks a bit fancier than plain stocking stitch.

I have been talking about making my own household items for a long time, and finally have my first dish cloth. Yey!

View this project on ravelry.

My second machine was a bit of a lucky guess really. I wanted a sewing machine when I moved to Canada so I wondered into Sears and asked the lady which was the best machine for me. I didn’t really get chance to explain that I knew next to nothing about sewing and had never had an electric machine before she showed me an all singing, all dancing machine that was on sale and was apparently the best value for money in the store. She showed me how it came with all the different feet, which, she told me, was very important. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I trusted her advice and bought a Kenmore with all the bells and whistles.

I took a sewing class and learnt to use all the exciting features on my lovely machine, I sewed curtains and handbags that actually looked like curtains and handbags. When we moved back to the UK we brought what we could carry in our suitcases and left everything else behind. The sewing machine went to my sister, who, as I predicted, never got it out of the cupboard.

I missed my sewing machine, and although I couldn’t really afford it, it wasn’t long before I was out in the shops looking for a replacement. I wanted a real machine, not one of those super cheap mini ones that look cute but flimsy. I really wanted all the bells and whistles I had come to appreciate, but my priority was the price tag. I settled on the Brother X5 which was on sale for around £70.

The Brother machine was pretty basic, but it sewed and I used it on and off. I made more bags and a few gifts. It never really agreed with me though. It was a bit clunky and I missed the extras that I had got used to having on my Kenmore that this machine just didn’t have. It was a perfectly fine machine, but it wasn’t right for me, it just didn’t fit somehow.

My sister moved house and reluctantly dragged the Kenmore along with her. She asked me what I wanted her to do with it. She tried listing it on Craigslist but got no takers. I had browsed other machines online and tried to find a “will buy this when I can afford it” machine that had everything I missed about the Kenmore, but I couldn’t quite find anything that seemed to cut it. I didn’t really want to shell out for a computerised machine. I sort of liked the look of the Janome J3-24 but it still didn’t quite match the feature set of the Kenmore.

I started to read on forums about people who had brought their machines across the atlantic with them and used them over here with voltage converters, or some lucky souls whose machines were dual voltage. I wished I had brought mine with me, but I couldn’t make it fit into my luggage weight limit. I considered having it mailed to me, but it would have been a big hassle for my sister and it would cost a fortune.

Then I had a brain wave. My friend had been staying in Canada for a year, was living just near my sister, and was flying back to the UK. I was checking out her flight information online when I noticed there was an upgrade option that gave an extra 10kg luggage. Since she was coming to stay with us for a while, I hoped she wouldn’t mind bringing my sewing machine if I bought her the upgrade. She probably did mind, a bit, but she brought it for me anyway.

Kenmore sewing machine

When the Kenmore sewing machine arrived in one piece, I checked with my dad to find out what converter I would need. It turned out to be one of the cheaper ones. It was quite scary when it arrived and I had to plug it in. I phoned my mum for some emotional support. I connected up all the plugs and cables and flicked the power switch. The light came on! I was a bit excited by this point, but when I pressed the pedal and it sewed I was delighted!

The first things I sewed to get reacquainted with my lovely machine were some alterations to my friend’s clothes as a thank you for bringing the thing all that way. I’m really enjoying all the extra features that it has in comparison to the Brother.

I love the thread cutter on the Kenmore, and the automatic needle threader saves me so much time and reduces my stress levels. There’s nothing worse than not being able to thread a needle even though you’ve just cut the end of the thread several times to make sure it’s not fluffy but it still won’t go through.

The selection of feet that came with the Kenmore is really impressive. There are 9 of them, including a walking foot which is so useful. The brother only had 4 feet, covering basic sewing, buttons and zips. One foot I may want to use that I noticed neither machine has is an invisible zipper foot. I used these at school on the industrial machines I used for the sewing class I took and they made the job so easy. I may have to get myself one.

Other things the Kenmore does that leave the Brother in the shadows include one step automatic buttonhole rather than four step, and drop feed dogs rather then screwing a darning plate over the top of the feed dogs for free style embroidery. Not that I embroider, but who wants to fiddle with a darning plate if they fancy trying it out? Not me. The accessories compartment comes away leaving a skinny section for free arm sewing (for sleeves and such) on the Kenmore, but the Brother machine a part of the plastic body snaps off the front leaving a larger section that would probably be fine for trouser legs but not sleeves or skinny jeans. The Kenmore has a proper accessories compartment that fits all the pieces and spare feet in nicely like a drawer, but the Brother has a plastic pouch that you have to stuff into the space inside the removable section. It’s not exactly convenient. The Kenmore has a ruler printed on the front, and a seam guide beside and in front of the needle. The Brother only has the side seam guide. The Kenmore has a clear plastic cover over the top loading bobbin so you can see if you have enough thread in the bottom. The Brother has a front loading bobbin that’s hidden away so you randomly run out of thread.

The main reason I love the Kenmore though is that it just feels nice when I sew with it. The brother is kind of clunky and loud. The Kenmore glides. It’s not the fastest machine in the world, when I was switching between it and the industrial school machines, I found it incredibly slow and rather frustrating. The industrial machines are a distant memory now though, and I kind of like not having my fabric run off when I tap the pedal.

There is nothing really wrong with the Brother machine, it sews, it has a reasonable selection of features and stitches, and it was very cheap. It would be a great machine for a beginner or someone who is less likely than me to stress out about threading a needle. I didn’t come across anything that I wanted to sew that the machine couldn’t handle, although I didn’t try anything very complicated on it. If I hadn’t been spoiled by the Kenmore, I would probably find the Brother perfectly acceptable.

But the Kenmore! I love it. I was so excited about it arriving that I spent three hours researching extra feet and attachments I could get for it that would extend the possibilities of what I could achieve with it even further. I sew without yelling at it. I actually enjoy using it. It’s my sewing machine, and I’m so glad to have it back.

Ringo cowl

I thought it was about time I made something for myself so I looked through my list of bookmarked patterns and chose this cowl and some chunky wool yarn. It whipped up really quickly on a 6.5mm crochet hook and used less than a ball of each of the 4 colours.

I used Freedom Wool by Twilleys of Stamford in three shades of brown and a grey, and followed this pattern: Ringo cowl. Unlike the pattern, I also joined my last ring into the first ring, making a continuous loop rather than a strip of circles. I’m pleased with the result

See this project on Ravelry.

Bags I made

This christmas I wanted my gifts to be a bit special as well as inexpensive, so I chose to hand make a lot of the things that I gave.

As usual, I envisaged all sorts of beautiful things, and with six weeks to go I figured I had plenty of time to sort everything out and get it all finished in time. Of course I would…

I spent the last few days before christmas frantically knitting, crocheting and sewing. In the end, everyone got their gifts and seemed to like them, so I guess finishing things off at 2am on christmas eve night was worth it. It didn’t feel like it at the time though!

I made the kids school/shopping bags and purses, some of which are shown in the picture. I also made a scarf for one, a cardigan for another and a crown for the other one. It’s nice that they all have something made by me, especially as before now I have made things for other people and not got around to making things for myself or my family.

I am still making a cowl for a friend (yes, it’s late, but she’s not in the country yet so it’s OK). Another project that was particularly difficult was a rope knit doormat which I gave as a gift as well. I had intended to make more than one, including one for myself, but it was extremely hard work and very time consuming so I didn’t get it done. Perhaps when I’ve forgotten how difficult it was I may pick up the rope and giant needles again.

Although it was a bit hectic at the end there, I really enjoyed making gifts for people. It is nice to make something for someone in particular who you know will appreciate the effort you have put in. Next year I will have to be better organised and start much sooner!

Strawberry Moonbeam

I have been knitting, crocheting and sewing for years, and in the past I have ventured into selling my creations with some success. Since we moved back to the UK two years ago I have intended to start up again, but for one reason or another it has been put on the back burner. Last spring I decided I really wanted to give it another go, but the store engine I tried to use kept having problems so I lost heart once again. My wonderful other half, Ric, came to my rescue, and slowly (oh so slowly) started to build me a custom store.

Today, the store went live! I am so excited to finally be able to announce this!

I have listed what’s left of the stock that I made when we lived in Canada plus the few things I have made since we got back to the UK. I will be continuing to make and list new stuff after the holidays when life is less hectic, but for now there is plenty to choose from if you fancy doing a bit of last minute christmas shopping!

Everything in the store is hand made by me personally. I use environmentally friendly materials where I can source them, and knit, crochet and sew at home in my spare time. I design my own patterns or just make things up as I go along, so there are some unique and possibly slightly quirky items on offer.

I am not a fan of mass production, corporate control and boring shopping experiences. I want to live in a world where people are able to exercise their creativity, shop for items that have been made with love and care, and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the things they own. I hope that my little store can bring a bit of these ideals into the world and maybe inspire others to give it a try as well.

Please take a look and if you like what you see, make a purchase or help spread the word.

Visit strawberrymoonbeam.com.

Android

I have just got a shiny new phone and I spent most of my evening last night going through the Android marketplace installing some of the apps I had on my previous phone, and finding some new ones to try out. Here are some that I find useful which you may not have come across.

Open Picasa Wallpaper

Open Picasa Wallpaper is a new one for me, but it might just be my favourite. I have a folder on my computer where I save images that I would like to use as my desktop background, and I have a program running that chooses a random one every so often. I thought it would be cool to have a similar set up on my phone too, using the same photos if possible so I only have to add images to a single folder.

I use Picasa to manage my photos, and I have it automatically sync my albums to Picasa Web Albums, so I set up this backgrounds folder as a Picasa album with auto sync. Every time I open Picasa to do anything photo related, it will sync up the folder to the web album for me. I just needed something to link that album to my phone.

A few google searches showed me a range of apps which claimed to automatically switch your phone wallpaper, but the first couple of apps I tried wouldn’t allow me to use a Picasa album as the source for the photos, even if I told the phone to make the album available offline. Finally, I came across Open Picasa Wallpaper which does just what I wanted. It lets me choose which of my public albums I wish to use, set the required interval, and offers an option to update the image only when on a wifi connection. It picks a random image for me, pops up a little notice that it’s downloading it, then changes my background for me.

Tallybee

Tallybee is an app I have been using for a while now to help me remember how many rows I have done when I’m knitting. Every time you tap the screen it increments the counter by one. You can also set a starting number and have it count down instead. I find it very useful especially as I’m usually chatting to someone on messenger or watching tv while I’m knitting, which makes it very easy to lose count.

Delete Old Messages

I rarely delete text messages as I read them, so I ended up with a huge number of them piling up on my phone. I didn’t want to delete them all because I was part way through a conversation or had a message containing information I needed. Delete Old Messages came to my rescue. It allows you batch delete messages that are older than a configurable length of time. I use it every time I notice the icon, and it trims my messages back to a reasonable number. They also offer a premium version which allows you to trim to a total number of messages, or to a certain number per conversation, and which automatically deletes them without you having to open the app. The free version is sufficient for my needs.

Fuel Use

The mileage calculator in our car seems to be quite inaccurate sometimes, so I wanted a way to work it out on the go. I headed straight for the Android market where I found Fuel Use, just what I needed. It allows you to calculate your fuel economy by entering the number of miles travelled, litres consumed and price paid. It tells you your miles per gallon, pence per mile and various other facts. You can also compare your MPG to the running average. As it is using actual figures for input it is more accurate than the car’s estimate.

Drinking Water

Another app I recently discovered that I have found useful is called Drinking Water. I don’t drink enough water, and I’ve tried unsuccessfully in the past to get into the habit of drinking more. This app has come to my rescue. When you install it, you tell it how many glasses you want to drink and what time you want to start and finish each day. It pops up a notification when it’s time for you to have a glass of water. Each time you have a drink you launch the app and tap one of the glasses. It spreads your remaining glasses evenly throughout the rest of the day for you.

Saffron crocus

Back in August my mother in law ordered some saffron crocus bulbs after I excitedly pointed them out to her on the internet. She divided the bulbs between herself, her daughter and me. I planted them up in September and during our recent house move I noticed that there were green shoots coming through.

I have been checking on the shoots and in the last couple of days the crocuses started to appear. Saffron is meant to be harvested early in the morning as the flowers begin to open, so each morning I have crawled out of bed, put on my dressing gown and wellies and wandered out to check on the buds. This morning I found one beginning to open.

Saffron strands

Armed with my scissors and a tissue I carefully separated the petals to get to the red stigmas and snipped them off, leaving the pretty lilac flower. The saffron strands are drying in my kitchen and I hope to be able to collect some more tomorrow as there are a few more flowers that look ready to open.

The crocuses were surprisingly easy to grow. I planted them in pots because we were moving house and I didn’t want to leave them behind. They are to be planted quite deep and well spaced, so I have 3-4 bulbs each in large bowl shaped pots that I used to grow salad during the summer. I planted them, watered them in well and then left them completely to themselves. We have had a fair amount of rain so I haven’t needed to water them, and they are growing happily without needing any attention. The bulbs are said to multiply quite rapidly so I should have an even better crop next year.

You will need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• Mushrooms, as many as you like
• 1 can black beans (or 1 cup dried, soaked and cooked)
• 1 can kidney beans (or 1 cup dried, soaked and cooked)
• 1 jar passata (or 1 tin chopped tomato if you prefer it chunkier)
• 1 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• a handful of fresh coriander
• black pepper to taste
• rice to serve

Fry the onion in oil until soft. Add peppers and mushrooms and fry until soft. Add beans, tomato and spices. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

Cook your rice.

Stir coriander into chili just before serving, and season with black pepper. I like to stir the rice into the chili too, but you can serve it on top of the rice, or in a jacket potato, or however you like. Enjoy!