Happy Holst Day!

10% off all Holst Garn from now until midnight (AEST) Friday 27th July 2012.

Includes all Holst Garn:

• 100% Supersoft Wool
• Samarkand wool/silk
• Coast wool/cotton

Enter code HOLST10 at checkout.

Scandilicious Baking

Scandilicious baking by Signe Johansen arrived last Monday when I was not feeling my best, to say the least. My friend Kuka and I had pre-ordered it months ago, so to have it show up and brighten my sick day was absolutely perfect. I had to satisfy myself with pouring over the recipes until Friday when I finally felt well enough to give one a try...but where to start?

The book is packed full of breads, cakes, buns, tarts, biscuits and even some savoury treats, such as Crayfish filo bites. But I couldn't go past a good old dose of Scandinavian spice and decided on the Cinnamon bun-cake.

   

OMG! I haven't been so excited about baking in a long time. This was a taste-sensation...and really easy and quick. The house smelled amazing, and I swear it made my cough better.

I'm pretty certain I will end up making everything in this book...and I've never done that before! This book is a breath of fresh baking air to me. Spicy, fruity, intoxicating baking air.

Next on my to-bake list are:

• Toscakaka - caramel almond-topped sponge
• Chocolate and orange marmalade loaf cake
• Musli bread (packed full of Scandi fruit and nut goodness)
• Santa Lucia sour cherry and saffron buns

...and the ultimate Australian test Pistachio pavlova with boozy cherries, which is cooling in the oven right now as a birthday desert for Mr Hausfrau.  I'll let you know how it goes.  

Signe is gracious enough to acknowledge Australia as the home of pavlova in the book - so I love her even more now...and by the way she has no idea I'm writing about her book.

If you're interested she has another book Scandilicious, Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking.

I'm off to order it tonight! 

suzy xoxo

My creative space - Balls!

Between the school holidays, the arrival and departure of the Madeline Tosh, and a bout of influenza I've been working on a special Christmas in July suzy hausfrau treat. Three balls down, three to go... all will be revealed next week.

Have a great day,
suzy xoxo

PS You can catch up on what everyone else is creating by clicking here.

 

A touch of brightness

She's a bit late to the winter party my little cyclamen.

Lovingly ignored over the summer, subject to frost every morning for the past few months, watered only by the sky...and she blooms.

Brightening my day whenever I look at her, and reminding me of how much more beautiful she will get .

Bastille Day, celebrated with a guest blogger

Hello! Did you know that today is Bastille Day? Day of French Nationhood and pride. A day that does not go unrecognised in our home in Australia. We're not over the top with our celebration, sometimes some French wine or food - but acknowledge it we do.  You see Mr Hausfrau is actually part Monsieur Hausfrau (how's that for a blending of nationalities!), complete with five - yes five! - French Christian names.


This year I got to thinking about how much you all enjoyed the WWKIP guest blogger series, so I thought I would invite my favourite French blogger, that makes the most sublime garments, to introduce herself in this space...and she said yes!


So sit back and enjoy a little interview with Claire from nothing halfway this Bastille Day. 


Claire lives in Northern France in the Picardie region with her husband, and three gorgeous children 9, 7 and 4!

 

Do you knit, crochet or both?
I only knit, and sew too! I would like to learn to crochet if I had more time!! I dream about crocheting a bag for me.

Tell us about how you learnt to knit.
I am self-taught I began in October 2009. In fact, I wanted a cowl that was very simple but couldn't find it in the stores! So I decided to knit it myself, and I started it and learned how to knit from videos on the internet. There are a lot of very practical videos.

What is your favourite item that you have made?
I think it is the Rill Scarf by Miraim. L. Felton that I knitted last summer. It was the first time I used smaller needles (2.5mm) and it was a long and big project for me. But the result was just so gorgeous! When I wear this scarf, I fell like I'm carrying jewels. I also knitted a second Rill scarf last winter to give to a friend of mine.

 

Do you knit all year or just in the colder months?
Of course, I knit more in winter and sew in summer, but knitting becomes more and more the main thing I do. This is an addiction! I find knitting relaxing.

What are you working on now?
I'm waiting for yarn that I have ordered to begin a new test knit for Karen Borrel , which is a beautiful little pullover for my youngest son.  Whilst I'm waiting I am finishing a cardigan for me, Ochre by Veera Valimaki.

 

Do you think that there is a French style of knitting?
I don't know. I think French patterns often have classic construction, for example they hardly are ever written for top-down knitting. I prefer to knit patterns in English. I find that English abbreviations are more simple.

What will you be doing this Bastille Day? Will you celebrate it?
On this Bastille Day, I will be packing our bags because we go on vacation the following day for the summer holidays here in France!  But I'll watch the fireworks from the window of my house.

You can follow Claire on her blog or admire her projects over on Ravelry.

Happy Bastille Day,
suzy xoxo

MadTosh madness

Somewhere in the midst of all of the brown paper and twine I'm still here! There has been much MadTosh madness this week, I'm still absolutely gobsmacked by the response. More than half of my shipment has gone...and some colours gone, gone, gone! I've had customers email me and say "I was looking at the MadTosh went a had a cup of tea, came back and it was sold!" Never fear, there is more on the way!
So sorry for the blog absence. I have nothing of significance to share today - but tomorrow there will be a special guest and a bit of an international flavour on the blog. Please come back and check in then....suzy xoxo

You get what you ask for

 

Tosh Merino light in Bloomsbury

I'm a hausfrau of action you know. Back in February when I did my little survey there was an overwhelming cry for Madeline Tosh. Customers wanted to buy it from an Australian yarn store at prices comparable to the US...so I listened hard and ordered up. Then I waited, waited and waited some more. You've heard me say it - five long months more! Far out, it was really hard...because I knew that you would all love it and I wasn't wrong. I finished loading the stock up to the store last night and the orders have started piling in.

So far I have in stock:

• Tosh Merino light $19.95 per 100g skein
• Tosh Sock $27.95 per 100g skein
• Tosh vintage $20.95 per 100g skein
• and Tosh DK is on backorder from February and should be here soon.

...don't forget 10% off orders $60 or more and FREE shipping in Australia.

I'm going crazy now thinking that I haven't ordered enough, and that I will run out and have to wait another five months. I've placed an order already, but think that I will do another, but there are so many colours to chose from.

So if you were me, what colours would you order in the following ranges Tosh Sock, Tosh DK, Tosh Merino light and Tosh Vintage? Any other Tosh ranges on your hit list that you would like me to stock?  Speak up friends, now is the time. Please place your comment here or email me at admin@suzyhausfrau.com.au
...because you know I listen right?

 

Tosh Sock in oxblood

 

Tosh Merino light in charcoal

Tosh Merino light in jade