Alle gute Dingen sind DREI

I blog a lot, though mostly in my head, while my hands are busy with house work or knitting. So, while I was knitting away on my Clapotis, a blog post started to form in my head, a post on numerology. Why that, all of a sudden? Yes, sometimes the connections between my thoughts may seem far-fetched, but bear with me. The truth is, that this is already THIRD time around I start on this pattern, and only this time it seems it’s working. Third time is a charm, huh? And it dawned on me, that I’m surrounded my number 3, at least when it comes to all things creative:

• My favorite (and most frequently used) needle number is 3 (European), the same goes for crochet hook – the best knitting/crocheting results I’m getting with this number
• My favorite stitch length for sewing is, in fact, 3
• As I’ve already said, I’ve started a scarf 3 times, and on the third attempt the knitting gods most probably got so sick of me, that they let me go on with the project
• When I see fabric on sale and am not sure, how much I will need (having no particular project in mind), I buy (ya, you got it!) 3 meters
• I have several sets of glasses with only 3 pieces (they were more earlier, but broke…)
• Well, there’s one more thing, not related to crafting and private, but it’s also 3
• In fact, the list can go on for quite a while…

After a while I’ve got so wound up by curiosity, that I had to abandon dropping the stitches (I’m already on the straight rows section!) and go check the meaning of number 3. Imagine my surprise, when I found this (source: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/spiritual-meaning-of-numbers.html):

Three: The spiritual meaning of number Three deals with magic, intuition, fecundity, and advantage. The number Three invokes expression, versatility, and pure joy of creativity. Three is also a time identifier as it represents Past, Present and Future. Consecutive Threes in your life may symbolize the need to express yourself creatively, or consider your present directional path in relation to past events and future goals. Three may also represent promising new adventures, and assurance of cooperation from others whom you may require help. Three typically symbolizes reward and success in most undertakings.

Apart other meanings, isn’t creativity mentioned quite a lot here?


As for the Clapotis, every 8th row (out of 12) I’m getting my fair portion of fun, unraveling a single stitch all the way down. It’s a lovely pattern, indeed, and it’s mindless enough to be able to watch TV a bit more attentively (believe me, the last thing I’m seeking right now is excitement in knitting, I get so much of it (excitement, not knitting) somewhere else). And I’m really loving how it’s turning out! It’s working really well with self-striping yarn (do i really have to say here I’m knitting with nr 3 needles?)
And what’s YOUR magic number?
P.S. The title of the post is in German, as I simply couldn’t get this sentence out of my head. it just means Third time is a charm, or, more literally, All good things come in threes.

Eat Your Veggies Cottage Pie

Long time, no blogging. Though it was loooots of knitting, in the midst of all the chaos typical for moving house-situation. But knitting has to wait a bit, since most of the things are unblocked (perfectionist as I am, the project is a WIP until it has been blocked. I even weave in ends first time after blocking).

To get myself into a blogging modus after such a long hiatus, I’ll start with a recipe, kids- and adult friendly to boot – enter Cottage Pie. There are loads of recipes for it on the internet, in books and everywhere else, but I’d like to share my (highly unique?) version of it, packed with vegetables and pretty light. It was tested today by a 16-months old guy, and the verdict was – ya, Mum, you can do it again some time (well, that’s my free translation anyway).

Cottage pie as I know it is nothing else than a meat sauce covered with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven. Let’s start with the meat sauce:

500 g minced meat (I prefer beef only)

veggies: 1 onion, 2 carrots,1 zucchini,a celery stick

up to 0,5 l vegetable or beef broth

2-3 tbsp tomato puree

I start with sautéing the onion, then add the diced carrots and celery and let them melt a bit together, then tip the zucchini in. Add the meat, broth and tomato puree. Let the sauce boil up, then reduce the heat and leave it simmer gently for half an hour or so. (I use a similar sauce for lasagna too, often with some aubergines as well – yam!)

In the meanwhile, peel 1 kg potatoes and boil them until soft, then mash with a slab of butter and a few spoons of warm milk – just remember it shouldn’t get as creamy as regular mashed potatoes.

Get your oven warm, 180 °C.

Now the assembly: put the meat sauce at the bottom of an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes (in my case there was a certain mingling of meat and potatoes, but it didn’t spoil anything in the end; it helps to use the back of the spoon here). Pop your creation in the oven for some 20 min – pronto!