New Oya Edging Available For Purchase

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd let you know that I uploaded a new crochet oya pattern to ravelry, and will also add it to etsy ASAP

the link is here: ( New crochet oya pattern )

Whats cooking good looking?

Hi guys, so today I decided to do a post on what I cooked, and do a little recipe/tutorial thingy.  Today on the menu is a Lebanese bean dish with meat (Loubiyeh Bi Lahmeh) and a tasty Turkish Burghul Pilav with Pastirma (Pastirmali Bulgurlu Pilav)

First of all I dont do measurements, so you'll just have to do everything by eye like me.

You will need:  Flat beans, a nice cut of meat with no fat on it, an onion, olive oil, salt, and lebanese 7 spice mix.  For the pilav you will need: Medium grain burghul (cracked wheat) an onion, green turkish chilli (you can use a green capsicum if you cant find the chillis,) pastirma (if you cant find it you can use the italian version which is prociutto or pastrami or something)  tomato paste, salt and pepper, water.

Lets begin!

here are the beans we use

Cut your beans to this size

Dice your onions

Cut meat into cubes

Fry meat in oil

Fry until just a little brown

Here are the lebanese spices we will be using

add spices to the meat and stir until fragrant

It should look like this

Cover with water, reduce heat, and cover

In another pot fry onions with some salt in oil

It should look like this

Add your beans and stir.  Reduce heat and cover remembering
to stir every 10 minutes or so

At this point the meat is tender

Drain and put aside.

Now to begin with the Pilav.  This is the Burghul I use

Chop your Turkish chillis (Sivri Biber)

Fry your onion and chilli together with some salt
until translucent 

At this point I added my pastirma

Then add your tomato paste and fry for a little bit

Then add your Burghul and stir

Add water to cover, remembering that Burghul doesnt need
as much water as rice as it cooks quickly, cover and leave on low heat

Beans are ready :)

Still too much water in the pilav so let it cook a little more

And this is how the end product looks.

Bon Apetit!

Pretty Things

Hi guys, long time I know, and I know you definitely missed me!

So I actually have been really busy with work and trying to save up to go to Turkey, and lodging form after form to bring my mother in law back here! My grandma hasn't been too well of late so after work I go there and check up on her and come home and sleep and repeat the process all over again.  I applied to be downgraded to casual work just because I feel like I don't get enough time with my partner, and I don't have enough time to cook or clean as much as I'd like to.

Anyway I have 2 weeks off so I'm quite happy.

As for crafting, I haven't done much, I still have 2 orders to complete but theres no rush on them thank god haha.

I have some new things up on Etsy so go check them out!!

You can check them out by clicking (HERE) (HERE) (HERE) and finally (HERE)

I made a "Caputlu Ignelik"

So my partner used to get annoyed that I would leave needles everywhere, so I made myself a Turkish needle holder or "ignelik"  This needle holder has caput oyasi or "cloth oya" around 2 sides of it, and lots of evil eyes.  It was fun to make but sewing the cloth together is annoying.






I also finished my M.I.L's scarf and below is what it looks like.  Its a lovely scarf with green and orange needle lace around. 

Peace! x

Look What I've Gotttt

I must be really special, well to some anyway.  My partners mother is possibly coming to Australia to live and I cannot contain my excitement.  Anyway in preparing her papers and whatever my partner needed her to send over some information (passports and stuff) so he could fill out the application forms.  Anyway I hadn't asked for anything, except for some white thread for Igne oyasi because I'd run out.  Anyway so he opens the envelope and starts smiling and I had no idea why he was smiling and he said:  Shes sent something for you, I said yes I know I needed white thread remember? He smiled and said well this isn't white thread, its my grandmothers doily.  I nearly died.  His mother had sent me a doily that her mother had made for her for her trousseau!  So this thing is over 70 years old or so.  Its made with very fine cotton, not nylon thread and it has a crochet centre.  I often crochet my centres aswel, especially if doing a group of motifs because theres no guarantee that all the loops will be the same size. Anyway I love it and I'm thinking of framing it, because I can see already some threads starting to get worn out.

Ramadan, Eid, Sickness and Health?

Yes, I know.  But I have a reason so you can't be angry that its been THIS long since I've posted anything on this blog.  To begin with around (and before) Ramadan my grandmother was very sick and my aunty and I took it in turns to look after her, she had a really bad fall and started bleeding and I was absolutely pedantic so I couldnt leave her.  Anyway thank God she's all better and back to cooking now, but i still go there once a week to check on her. 

Ramadan was good this year, lucky we didnt fast during daylight savings this year, and lucky for us also it was mostly cold so fasting was easy.  I spent almost every day out of the house either eating at my grandmas or eating at someones house or whatever.  Ramadans all about people coming together, so there were hardly any times that we were at home, except to sleep of course!

Eid was also good, I'm pretty certain I put back on the 2kg that I had lost, but thats to be expected.

Then after all that I thought I'd go back to my routine of working on the order for my friend (which I was told I could take my time on, but I feel bad) and just some other little things for a cousin of mine whos pregnant and having a baby girl in november, so i whipped up a couple of things for her (which I can't show on here because I know she reads my blog posts :P)  Apart from that I think everything can go back to normal now, so it shouldn't be too long before I post another blogpost again.  Oh and just before I go, I've added some new items (mainly turkish slippers and some baby items) to my etsy store if you would like to check it out, then click here.

Hope all who read this are doing well.  Until the next blogpost, Peace! xx

Blue and Teal Turkish Slippers with beads

Tulip motif Turkish slippers

White Turkish Slippers with beads

Butterfly motif Turkish Slippers with beads.

I found things in a suitcase...IN A SUIT CASE.

I've been with my partner in this house for 2 years.  He failed to inform me however that his mother had left suitcases here in the cupboard in the spare bedroom.  I practically tripped over the coffee table in an attempt to get there A.S.A.P.  Anyway I found some goodies inside:  2 crochet oyas; one the size of a scarf, and one thats just a sample about 50cm long.  I also found some white nylon thread (which i was in need of) and some beading thread.  So I was quite happy.

Oya Sample

Tulip Scarf Edging.

2 oyas together.

In other news I finished the 50 samples order for my friend over in Utah, which didnt take me long, but trying to remember them all was a pain.  I included some plastic rings for her aswel, as she was cutting tubing for a fish tank to use!

50 samples.

 I also have 2 orders left for the same person, around 20 or so (I've written it down) flowers with leaves, and  a scarf also, but I haven't been working on either of them the past week because alot has been going on family wise and my grandmother God bless her soul, hasn't been well and had a fall last week.  So I've been there looking after her.  Anyway I was told that I don't have to rush, as she doesnt need the flowers for 10 or so months, and the scarf can be done whenever.

Oya flower for order

Ramadan is 3 or 4 days away now, I say 3 or 4 because every year everyone has no idea what day it is because...well...I don't actually know.  We have a calendar that tells us, but then one priest will say this and another priest will say that and then everyone gets confused.  Anyway this year for Ramadan, I thought I'd send my partners mother some scarves so she can show them off to her neighbours.  She doesn't fast anymore because she has diabetes, and the rules are if you're sick or have to take medication, or have to eat, then you don't fast.  So I'm pretty sure she'll be happy with this scarf.  I took a picture of one of the motifs, not the whole scarf, but I will when I finish it (which hopefully is this week)

Partners Mothers Scarf- yet to be finished.

Its a pretty easy motif, but because I've been busy with the orders and my grandmother, I havent had time to get back to it.  At the moment I'm on the 3rd side, so I really should get my butt into gear and finish it so I can go back to my friends orders or she might think I'm neglecting her haha.

I might also pick another scarf to send to her, I think just sending one scarf is a waste of postage .  So I'll pick one out that hasnt sold and send it to her.

Thanks for reading!
Peace x

Trying out GONEN OYA. And it worked?

After such a long time, I finally did it.  No curling, no weird stitches, just a proper GONEN doily.  Well- except for the corners LOL.  I think i must have miscalculated how many stitches I had, but that doesnt matter- Its not like I'm selling this one, and mistakes make it all the more special to me.

I've got some photos of parts of the orders I have been doing, and some random oya tidbits I found in some suitcase stuffed in the cupboard that was obviously my partners mothers...I love finding random things in suitcases!  But this is for the next post I do, you'll just have to wait!


Peace xx

10% off storewide!

Ok so I'm sick of all these things just laying around in boxes! So go visit my store, purchase something pretty for you or someone else, and type CRUMBS10 for a 10% discount!

Come on...you know you want to!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY STORE

I'm officially a RAVELRY DESIGNER!

How exciting right? Well you can find my patterns for sale by clicking HERE

I must express my gratitude to WENDY (sunshine) HARBAUGH for helping me figure out ravelry's difficult set up in becoming a designer. So thanks wendy!

These are the patterns available: