A collection of stitches on the left, and dots made with an erasable fabric chalk to help keep the stitches even.

This Alabama Chanin Striped Scarf DIY kit is perfect for those new to hand embroidery - it's not an overwhelmingly huge project, and it also encourages experimentation with any stitch you like. And then once you get the hang of the stitches you will find endless opportunities to apply the same techniques to clothes and housewares.

The great thing about this kit is not only does it come with all the material and notions but also an extra ‘sampler’, a square of double layer fabric that you can practice stitches on before starting on the real deal.

Our tip is to measure out the stitch points before you start sewing (see those pink dots above). Other kits that require sewing on a curve are a bit more forgiving, but when stitching straight lines keeping even stitches helps create a beautiful looking piece. That said, you can also shake things up with a bit of free-form stitching too !

Stitching a Feather stitch on the left, and the Herringbone on the right. Both these images are of the Slate colour option, it's interesting how different the fabric can look with different light.

To learn the stitches you can read any of the Alabama Chanin Studio Series books (available here) or the ultimate book is the Alabama Chanin Geometry of Hand-Sewing (best found on Amazon). These are all traditional stitches, so you can also find tips and hints on many internet sites. 

Kit contents: stencilled organic cotton jersey, embroidery thread and button craft thread as well as needles, sequins and beads and an erasable pen. 

#getmaking #alabamachanin #stripedscarf #keepcalmandstitch #embroidery #handsewing

Next time you clean out your wardrobes keep a close eye on any denim that might be heading for the rubbish bin - we all know those ones that have worn through in a way that's just not suitable for St Vinnies (Goodwill).

I now take those jeans that were heading to the bin and chop them up into strips (the set above are 8cm wide) ready to assemble into a denim quilt - it can take a few years to build up enough denim but when done you have a soft, very strong quilt with some good weight to it - not as heavy as a weighted blanket but enough to make you feel very snuggly and calm.

Traditionally denim has been on the naughty list for poor environmental manufacturing processes (although some forward thinking companies are starting to change that - see Warp & Weft here, one of my favourites for sustainability and size inclusivity) so reusing old denim is great for the environment - as well as deeply satisfying as you reduce your waste.

Happy chopping things up (and eventually sewing !) 

With a full 34 patterns this book is perfect for beginner knitters and those who want to get the hang of chunky knitting - with sections for absolute beginner, beginner and intermediate skill levels.

Chunky yarn kitting is perfect for beginners, as it is quick to knit up and more forgiving on tension.

You can find the new Loopy Mango Knitting Book available at Amazon here, I know it's on the top on my my list of awesome gifts for knitters this Christmas.

We LOVE books here at GetMaking, but have realised that Amazon is nearly always cheaper than we can offer (even at wholesale!) so we'd rather send you there for great books, and then you can come back here wool ! 

Happy knitting

We’ve got some great summer knitting projects using Loopy Mango Chunky Cotton yarn. Cotton yarn is about 4mm in diameter so it knits up very quickly and it has a beautiful sheen. We’ve got the best selling colours in stock: Ginger (a gorgeous rusty orange), Indigo Blue, Stormy Night (Dark Grey), Misty Morning (Light Grey) and of course Pearl White.

This summer is all about the fringe. The Cotton Fringe Top DIY Kit is perfect for a hot summer's day or dress it up over a T-Shirt or crisp white linen top. This pattern is great as you can make with our without the fringe.

Fringe Top DIY Kit with fringe and without.

Also a favourite for a balmy summer night (or to combat an overactive air conditioner at work!) is the Cotton Fringe Shawl DIY Kit.

And because you can never have too many fringy things the Fringe Bag DIY Kit is the perfect accessory. And we also have a gorgeous Cotton Beanie DIY Kit for if that air-conditioning is up way too high ! 

All our kits come with Loopy Mango knitting needles and instructions. These are easy projects: all you need to learn is cast on/cast off, with knit, purl and some increasing and decreasing stitches - all easy and all with tutorials. And if you already have the needles, just order enough balls to complete your project and then ask for the pattern in the comments section.

I was walking past the juicing machine at my local supermarket and an idea struck me. How about I see if I can take all those left over orange skins and do a massive cook-up of no cook syrup using orange peel instead of lemon? The store manager was a bit surprised but happily handed over half a garbage bag full of skins - way more than I'd initially thought of working with but well, in for a penny in for a pound. Clearly I was going to be making more than just syrup, but more on that later.

Oranges in the bowl with sugar, and the final product: Orange Syrup.

Firstly, I gave the skins a wash in fresh water. For the syrup I gave them a rough chop in the blender to break them down a bit. Then into a non-reactive (non-metal) bowl, add the sugar and stir well. The Serious Eats recipe lets them sit for 3 to 12 hours, stirring every hour or so: I left them on the bench for a good 18 hours, leaving them overnight. I then drained the liquid and peels into a plastic strainer lined with muslin and gave them a good squeeze. The syrup that came off was plentiful and delicious - a light orange flavour, sweet but with a little bitterness from the rind. I can see using this in a cocktail as a replacement for sugar syrup or whipping into cream and even a sweet/sour salad dressing. The syrup will last in the fridge for a few months, and I've frozen some too as a test.

You can see the Serious Eats Fresh Lemon Syrup Recipe here.

Now what do do with the rest of those oranges? I'd read about using orange vinegar for cleaning and making your own is so easy. Arrange peels in a glass jar, add a little rosemary and then cover fully with vinegar and seal with a lid. Store in a cool dark cupboard for a month or so to infuse (check to see if the vinegar needs topping up at all). When done pour off the vinegar and use as you would normally for cleaning.

What half a grocery bag of oranges looks like, and the oranges with vinegar, ready to go in the cupboard for a month or so.

To finish this 'day of oranges' I dried the remaining peel in a low oven (80C degrees) for a couple hours and blended it into a fine powder. It smells amazing and will be great mixed with salt or sugar and oil to make a body scrub.

All up a great day of old style food prep and so satisfying to come away with a well stocked pantry.

Dried orange peel and that peel blended up into a fine powder.

This book shows step-by-step how to create many beautiful flowers from twisting and cutting crepe paper and just a tiny bit of glue. While there is obviously great skill in creating these pretty petals a beginner can quite quickly make gorgeous blooms.

What I found surprising was how calming the process of working with crepe paper is, as the paper stretches and is molded with your fingers. And then stems are finished with a firm wrap of a strip of crepe paper and a tiny touch of PVA glue. Jennifer is generous with sharing her tips as well as suggestions on where to buy supplies. Like most crafts tools and material quality counts, and the crepe paper she uses is a heavier weight paper from Italy: this means the paper can be pulled and stretched into organic shapes that hold - and can even be painted with food colouring or watercolours.

What a perfect gift, to bring along a few luscious blooms when visiting a friend - and all of a sudden I have a wish for a garland of flowers to wear as a crown - it is spring isn’t it !

Flowersmith can be bought here at booktopia and you can find Jennifer on Instagram at @_papetal_  and www.papetal.com

#bookreview #flowersmith #papercrafts #getmaking #sydney

Yumiko’s work is a mix of pared back scandinavian style motifs with the cuteness of a Japanese aesthetic. In this compact book (perfect to take travelling - hello holiday project!) she uses just a few basic stitches to create all of her designs.

Yumiko has focused the book on how to create her designs - the front of the book shows the finished patterns, the middle how to create the stitches with project assembly and then line drawings of the patterns so you can mix and match to create your own masterpieces.

Yumiko special talent is creating stunning patterns that are completely modern, using traditional stitches. The stitches are simple - chain stitch, outline stitch, satin stitch, french knots, straight stitch, running stitch and lazy daisy. The instructions are clear and if you want more support there are many YouTube videos to help.

To put the book through its paces I grabbed an earlier project. I had decided we needed an angel for our Christmas tree, so I found a 'worse for wear' old barbie doll at St Vincents (the Aussie thrift shop) and after good soak and scrub made her a simple long dress out of a very light ‘batiste’ cotton material. She looked elegant but Christmas requires a bit more bling, so her dress became the perfect base for an embroidery sampler.  I tried out different stitches, patterns and threads, with all of the patterns coming from Zakka Embroidery and traced directly onto the skirt.

The result? I am so pleased with her skirt, the embroidery was fun and easy to follow and it was possible to get a good result quite quickly: Zakka Embroidery is  a keeper.

Some Thread Tips
I tested a few threads and found the french brand DMC (a 6 strand in Ecru) was the best. I tried a few different brands of threads and the DMC was perfectly uniform in thickness and had a deep sheen. I tried a vintage (aka grabbed it in a second hand store) DMC silver metallic thread that was very ‘grabby’ and was not that pleasant to work with - I liked it as a light accent, but not for a large piece of work. I suspect that the quality of metallic thread might have improved a lot, so I’d try it again with newer DMC thread.

I also added some beading, which technically was not part of Yumiko’s patterns but easy to add in. Most of the stitching was done on a Dritz size 9 Sharp needle - the eye is large enough to take up to 3 strands of thread while still being the same thickness as the body of the needle. For the beads I dropped down to a size 12 Clover Black Gold Sharp (these are plated with black plated steel and very fine but I do find that they bend easily).

Needle threaders are your friend. I can thread a needle pretty easily but threading two strands embroidery floss threads through a small needle eye is beyond me. The small wire needle threaders are very helpful, but do have a extras on hand as they break very easily.

Pro Tips for hand embroidering: 
You must have an embroidery hoop to stretch the fabric tight otherwise your stitches will pucker. With very light fabric like I’ve used you will need a stabiliser behind it - similar to interfacing but not as thick and designed to be easily removed, the main types are cut-away, tear-away and wash away.

A tip when hand embroidering on delicate fabrics: lock the stabiliser into the embroidery hoop, and then pin the top fabric to it: that way you won’t damage the fabric top layer. Yumiko recommends using linen as a base fabric which is much stronger than a batiste so a stabiliser is not necessary, and the fabric is strong enough to not be damaged in the hoop. That said, always loosen your hoop when you put your work away for the night, it releases the strain on your fabric.  

I loved this project, embroidering is a lot like colouring-in, just with thread and as the stitches are quick and simple it is very relaxing. Even for a novice embroider I was pleased with the results: Yumiko’s patterns are perfect for any experience level. 

You check out this book and pricing at Amazon (link): Zakka Embroidery: Simple One- and Two-Color Embroidery Motifs and Small Crafts 

A note on our links. We love finding tools and materials and creating great projects for you. In books we can’t complete with the pricing of Amazon and the like (did you know that 70% of books are now sold through Amazon?) so when we come across a great book we link it to the best priced sellers through their affiliate program - you don’t pay any more, we just get a very small percentage of any final purchases. We’ll always tell you where the link goes so you know where we are sending you. And if you have any questions please touch base, we’re happy to chat.

Coats Button Craft thread, more formally known as 'Coats & Clark Dual Duty Plus' Button and Craft Thread is regarded as one of the very best for hand sewers. Perfect for top-stitching a quilt, attaching buttons or creating layered embroidery on Alabama Chanin style clothes this thread has the winning combination of strength and polish.

The secret is a strong polyester core wrapped in 100% cotton with a special glacé (meaning glossy) finish. Designed specifically for hand sewing that requires strength and resilience while not tangling, it is not recommended for use in your sewing machine. 

It's now available in Australia at GetMaking in a range of colours that can either compliment or provide a contrast to your fabric. The new coloured spools make it easy to find your thread in the drawer and the new 'trap lock' securely holds thread tight when not in use. While it used to be called Button & Carpet thread, it is now called Button & Craft thread - I guess Coats realised not too many people are sewing carpets!

This thread is a little thicker than standard cotton thread so your extra-fine eye needles will not be suitable. Remember the old sewing adage and you'll go well: 'needle your thread, don't thread your needle' which means you bring the needle to the thread, not the other way around.

Update: we are now back in stock of blue and with plenty of stock of the other colours - it's time to get sewing !

When I first started sewing clothes it used to always puzzle me that my sewing projects would usually fit my sister better than me. There wasn’t a lot of information around about customising patterns, and I would approach the pattern as if it was designed to fit me perfectly - which of course it didn’t.

Now there is a wealth of information on customising patterns: grading between sizes and making bust and bicep adjustments results in outfits that look amazing.

So the answer to my question is yes - my first stop these days is always to create a toile. So what is a toile? Its the first make of a pattern using a cheaper material to test fit and calico is the perfect material to use. It's robust enough to be able to be shaped, drawn on, slashed and repinned -  perfect for testing fit. We’ve got a new stash of calico in store that’s perfect for creating a toile here. For this project though, instead of our calico I used some cotton fabric from my stash. It was a light peach colour - pretty, but so not the right colour for me - but as a working toile, perfect.

The Tessuti Alice top is a great pattern (available as pdf or printed paper), although note that it’s a generous fit. After testing with the muslin I will go down a size for the next one, which seems pretty consistent with other sewers experiences. Also be aware that there a quite a few different seam allowances used in the pattern - keep checking back to the instructions to be sure you’re using the right one. I got stumped when trying to ease in the sleeve ‘wings’ but then realised that they have a 3cm allowance (yes reading the instructions makes all the difference! ) and then it all came together perfectly.

So after a fitting and decision to pull the next version back a size, I had a cute, slightly oversized top in a colour I would never wear. The perfect conditions for a dye job.

I’ve never really played much with dyeing fabrics - I’ve used the clever people at Culla Change for re-dyes of much loved clothes to extend their life, but it’s not something I’ve tried at home. While the experts are worth the cost for key wardrobe items, it wasn’t worth it for this fabric.

So hello Rit liquid fabric dye. I used the Indigo dye recipe, which is a mix of half a bottle of blue denim, quarter of a bottle of black, 1 cup of salt and a dash of washing up detergent added to 6 litres of water kept between 140 to 160 degrees on the stove for 30 to 60 minutes.

While the instructions on the bottles and on the RIT website are very helpful I found the most important dying tips were:

Cover your bench surface with cling wrap as you will splash (even if you think you won’t) and wipe up quick if you spill anything!

You want a big pot - I could have doubled the size of my pot and it would have made it easier for the fabric to move easily around: a 12 litre pot would be great, although don’t use one that you’ll want to cook food in afterwards - hello St Vinnies or the charity shop. I used my candy thermometer  to keep an eye on the temperature (between 140 to 160 degrees).

Wet your fabric before it goes in and keep it moving while in the pot. I used thin little food preparation gloves to protect my hands from the colour, but they didn’t protect from the heat. I really should have used thick washing up gloves so I could get my hands in and massage the cloth around to really make sure the dye was evenly getting to all the fabric. It’s incredible that even after an hour in the dye bath and moving the fabric around with tongs almost constantly there were still a few parts that were a bit underdone, especially near seams or folds in the fabric - kind of a ‘surprise shibori’ - folds and creases are your enemy here.

Be prepared for shrinkage. Your fabric is essentially being cooked for an hour on the stove, so this will be one of the most extreme tests of shrinkage. It was fine for my too large top which shrunk down about a size (maybe 2-3cm). Of course fabric type is at the core of this. The peach cotton was prime candidate for a dye job - a medium weight cotton fabric with a light, consistent colour and a firm weave.

All up I am super pleased with my new Tessuti Alice top and its indigo colour and it was fun experiment - plus the pattern adjustments have been done and I’m ready to go with some serious fabric.

*all patterns, fabric and dye were purchased by GetMaking. 

Getting ready for BBQ season and need something warm enough for outdoors meal but light enough to still feel like summer? The 'Her Shawl' DIY kit is the answer, a classic oversized shawl, super easy to knit and light on your shoulders.

Say hello to these beautiful summer colours, you can find the wool here and the full DIY kit here.

Choosing the right knitting needles is all about size, weight and slip. Your pattern will specify the recommended size (this is the diameter of your needles) so always start there. Experienced knitters know they can adjust their stitch tension to allow for different sized yarn but when starting out, follow the guidelines. There's a great saying attributed to Pablo Picasso: 'learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist'.

To make it more confusing there are different sizing names in the UK & USA. It's easiest to check the diameter - a US size 50 needle is 2.5cm thick. Generally the thinner your yarn the thinner your needle. There are lots of sizing guides on the internet, but many older needle conversion charts don't go up to chunky sized needles as this style of knitting is relatively new.

Weight (and length) is important, especially with chunky wool as your work can get very heavy. Our Loopy Mango Circular Knitting Needles are great for large projects as they are lighter, easier to manipulate and you will never lose stitches off the back. I particularly like that you can put a project away and be confident when you come back to it that you haven't lost any stitches.

Slip relates to the smoothness of the needles. They need to be smooth with no snags and the smoother they are the faster you will knit. But, if they are too smooth - like stainless steel - your stitches can slide around and it can make maintaining a consistent tension more tricky.

Check out the range of Loopy Mango and Wool And The Gang knitting needles and crochet hooks here.

Jersey Yarn - ‘Jersey Be Good’

Jersey yarn is known as T-shirt yarn because it’s made from the excess fabric from T-shirt or other jersey garment manufacture. Because of that some colours ‘come and go’ and there can be small changes in the thickness and feel of the jersey, so when you have a project in mind be sure to get all the yarn you need in one go so you won’t have a shortage of a colour.  

Jersey yarn is lovely (and forgiving!) to work with and the end product feels a bit like your favourite T-shirt, soft and comforting. When opened flat it is around 1cm wide but it naturally curls at the edges to create a rounded yarn approx 7mm thick. Jersey yarn is perfect for a project like the Honey Bee Bag or the Mixi Macrame Necklace.

Left: Lipstick Red Jersey Be Good, Right: Lipstick Red Mixtape

One skein is approx 100 metres long and weighs 500g. The material composition is 98% cotton/2% elastane - some stretch but not too much. This would classify as a super bulky yarn, with 4WPI - wraps per inch.

We recommend a tension of 8 stitches +11 rows per 10cm, using a size 8mm-12mm crochet hook or 12mm-25mm diametre (US17 to 50) knitting needle.

Mixtape Yarn:

This yarn has become my unexpected favourite. It is a woven yarn, similar to a shoe lace but much more fun.

It is light in weight, in fact quite a bit lighter than the Jersey yarn as 100 metres of Jersey weighs 500g, while 130 metres of mix tape weighs 250g. The width is similar to Jersey at around 7mm wide. The material composition is 80% cotton/ 20% polyester - so flex, but limited stretch. This would classify as a super bulky yarn, with 4WPI - wraps per inch.

The great thing about Mixtape is its strength - it’s perfect for homewares or accessories like a larger bag where you need to know it’s strong enough to maintain its shape but not too heavy - just like our Carrie On Tote.

Left: Blue Denim Jersey Yarn; Right Sahara Dust Mix Tape Yarn

We recommend a slightly tighter tension than the Jersey with 10.5 stitches +15 rows per 10cm, using a size 6.5mm-8mm crochet hook or 8mm-15mm diametre (US11 to 19) knitting needle.

Of course these are just guidelines, you can make it your way with whatever sized needles you want, or do some hand weaving or macrame - all good fun!

For both Jersey and Mixtape we recommend a gentle machine washing of clothes in cold water, and spot cleaning with cold water for bags or other projects with leather or metal hardware.

Click through to the entire range here.

Super large and luxurious, this Nantucket Throw was knitted from 4 skeins of Loopy Mango super-chunky wool in the very popular Oatmeal colour, using the size 50 (25mm diametre) needles. The finished size for this throw is approx 210cm square - perfect for a super snuggly winter night.

And Kerryn gets extra kudos for choosing a colour that matches her gorgeous cat, India.

We’ve got a selection of their best selling Jersey and Mixtape yarns (more about the yarns later) and some uber-stylish DIY kits for totes, bags, purses and even a necklace. You can choose from knitting or crochet projects suitable for beginners through to experienced makers.

Each kit comes with the yarn, pattern (with detailed instructions on stitch techniques), metal hardware ( I love the quality of the hardware!) as well as a finely polished dark Rosewood crochet hook or knitting needles.

And it all comes packaged up in a very cool paper bag- think old fashioned bread bag -  they really are very cute and perfect for a gift. Even if that gift is for you  - come on you know you’ve earn't it!

Above: Loopy Mango Merino No 5 in Rose Petal Pink.

How does it work? Grab a pencil or a ruler and wrap the yarn around it until you’ve covered about 5cm (2 inches), then count how many wraps you got in an inch. As an example our ‘Jersey Be Good’ yarn is estimated at  4 wraps per inch, while a much thinner 4 ply yarn (sometimes called fingering) would be 14 WPI.

Left: Knitted armour from Artist Wang Lei, Right: Close up of the wheel from Artist He Xiangyu's leather tank.

Look out for the life-sized leather tank sewn together from leather with the skill you’d expect in a luxury handbag (by artist He Xiangyu). Artist Wang Lei has  created some incredible knitted pieces with the yarn made completely from rolled up newspaper. He has several works in the exhibition ranging from the knitted armour of a Qing dynasty emperor to a 20 metre long knitted scroll.  

Be sure to ask the staff about the artwork, they always share interesting back-stories and I haven’t come across one who wasn’t keen to share their knowledge. You can also join a free guided tour at 11am and 2pm each day, and entry to the gallery is free (open Wed-Sun). The best way to enjoy White Rabbit is to catch the lift to the top floor and work your way down to the ground, then finish with some dumplings and tea in the ground floor tearoom. Art and dumplings, what a perfect day!

Source: www.businessoffashion.com

A tip for next time you are in Paris (why not!) Maison Lesage runs a day school and longer courses for more serious students who want to work professionally. When last in Paris I was lucky enough to be taken through their school and see the classes in action. It was exactly like in the video, with students sitting at their tables which are more like large frames and working with special embroidery needles and Luneville hooks. Make sure to book well in advance - their web site is here - and brush up on your french!

Click through here to read the full series of articles at the website Business of Fashion.

On the left is a Nantucket Throw made with Loopy Mango Crazy Heart Orange and on the right is a crochet throw in one of our most popular chunky yarn colours, Oatmeal created with a pattern from pattern designer Homelea Lass - you can find that pattern on her blog here and more on her Ravelry page here. 

Here's another shot below of the Oatmeal spread over the bed - love it!

We took the opportunity to ask Elizabeth a few questions: 

1. Was this your first time working with chunky Loopy Mango wool? Yes. I'm so glad I discovered it. It's such beautiful wool and it makes everything you make look great...Even if your an amateur like me! 

2. How long did each of your throws take to make? About 3-4 hours for the crochet blanket and 2-3 hours for the Nantucket.

3. Any tips for working with chunky wool? I think the tip you guys give is very helpful. That is, not to knit to tightly. I'm guilty of being a tight knitter and you just can't do that with super chunky wool. I found it kind of ruins the overall effect of your piece, and damages the wool.

4. How did you get into knitting & crochet? My Nanna taught me how to knit and I just thought I'd have a go at crocheting. Turns out I love to crochet too! 

5. You live in beautiful Port Fairy in Victoria - what's a great way to spend a Saturday there? An early morning walk on the beach with my husband and my two Saint Bernards, Fergus and Gracie. Then coffee and croissants at the Saturday morning Port Fairy market. The afternoon is spent surfing or stand-up paddle boarding!!

And to finish here's a peak at those gorgeous Saint Bernards !

Have fun making! 

One of the lovely elements of their DIY Books is that not only do you get stacks of patterns, How-2's on sewing stitches and lots of tips on working with jersey - also included are recipes of the team's favourite southern dishes.

To get you in the mood checkout this article on BonAppetit.com which takes us behind the scenes at a friends and family dinner recently held on their rural Alabama farm - entertaining Alabama Chanin style sounds pretty good !

Have you been coveting those beautiful oversized knits being featured in fashion magazines everywhere? 

Our new 'Merino No5' range from the team at Loopy Mango is all about that oversized look: a collection of mid-weight chunky wool DIY kits in gorgeous colours that will make you swoon.

 
We’ve got DIY Kits for cute beanies, luscious scarves and shawls as well as a cosy yet cool cardigan.

Our favourite colours? I think the stand-outs are the gelato-toned Rose Petal pink, Iceberg (light grey) Café Con Leche (caramel coffee) and the always popular Polar Bear (Ivory). 

Also new in store are 3 new sizes of birch wood circular needles: we've got Size 19 (1.5cm diametre), Size 15 (1cm diametre) and the turbo-charged Size 100, a 3.5cm diametre needle.

It's time to get making!

Kim

The Eternity Cowl is one of the most popular Loopy Mango DIY kits and for good reason. Made with the easiest knitting stitch of all (garter stitch) and super-quick to complete you can sit down this afternoon and be wearing it out tonight. 

The most popular colours are Heather Grey (a light grey spun over a core of Ivory) and of course Ivory – and my personal favourite the delicious Dirty Dirty Pink.

If you've already got your needles and just need your wool you will find one of our Medium sized (13oz) skeins here.

A bit of explanation is required: a Sable is a French shortbread biscuit. They can be made plain (buttery and crumbly) but are also delightful with a wide variety of flavours. I’ve been experimenting with two flavours that have vastly different preparation methods: Parmesan sables and Olive sables.

The base recipe and Parmesan variation is available here at the New York Times with a great story that explains the obsession with them. 

There’s nothing surprising in how to make these little guys - cream the butter then add the sugars (normal and icing) then eggs, salt and flour. For the Parmesan variant omit the sugars and replace with parmesan. Roll into a log shape and chill, then slice, sprinkle with salt flakes and bake in a medium oven. They need to cool on the tray to firm up before eating. 

The Olive Sables (or Sablé aux Olives Noires if you are feeling fancy) had completely different directions (and thankfully they are in metric and can be found here): hard boiled egg yolk is blended up in the food processor with butter, oil, icing sugar, sea salt, flour, cornflour, and chopped olives (the recipe calls for cornstarch but that’s cornflour in Australia). Then follow the same process of rolling into a log, chilling and then baking in an oven at around 180c (350F). These have an intriguing savoury /sweet taste, and are just lovely. I experimented with using some of the flavoured oil we made recently – that added a beautiful herb flavour as well.

Parmesan Sables on the left (stamped with a cookie press), the Olive Sables mix being formed into a log, and underneath the finished Olive Sables.

You can store the log in the freezer and slice off cookies to bake as you need them – although I noticed my parmesan variety was a drier mix so you need the roll to defrost a little before cutting or they will break up. They still bake well if they break up, just a little more 'free form'. 

There are many more variations out on the web, so time for some more kitchen experimentation…. 

Kim

We're excited to reveal our newest DIY knitting kit: the Little Loopy Baby Blanket.

Using the Ivory Loopy Mango 100% merino chunky yarn and finished with your choice of green, blue, pink or yellow Loopy Mango trim this gorgeous blanket keeps baby warm in the pram while looking extra-stylish.

This kit is a perfect gift for the stylish mum. Made using a Garter Stitch (which is simply using your Knit Stitch on every row) this is one of the easiest knitting stitches and can be completed in an afternoon. Perfect as a DIY gift for someone new to knitting (baby shower gift sorted!) or knit it up and give as a beautiful baby blanket. The finished size is approximately 86cm x 86cm square and the kit contains one large (1.134kg/40oz) Ivory skein, your choice of a super-mini Loopy Mango skein in contrasting colour for the trim, a set of size 50 birch wood circular knitting needles, Loopy Mango drawstring bag and pattern. 

At GetMaking we always wrap your orders so they are ready to gift and if you leave us a note when ordering mentioning the name of the lucky recipient we will address the card to them.

It’s time to get making!

Kim

Our DIY Nantucket Throw is one of our most popular kits. It comes with one of our huge Loopy Mango 100% merino skeins (these guys are bigger than a baby!) the gorgeous Birch Wood Size 50 circular needles and the pattern all in a Loopy Mango drawstring bag.

For a smaller project the DIY Eternity Cowl Kit is perfect: one of our 'Medium' sized Loopy Mango skeins with a set of size 50 straight needles, the pattern and all packaged up in a Loopy Mango drawstring bag.

And of course there are online tutorials as well !

Remember that Express Post delivery works for those locations within the Express Post network - some regional areas are not covered. To check your destination is covered click here. 

Wishing all you amazing mums Happy Mothers Day !

Kim xx

When I look at this wonderful stack of material (the 'stash') I remember being taken to the fabric store as a little girl, the delight of getting to choose a pattern and fabric that I was inspired by, then having it cut and wrapped up in paper and string to take home. Now that makes me sound like I’m 100 years old, but this wasn’t so long ago - this particular shop in Brisbane made a point of packaging up their fabrics in paper and string and I loved it!

And I also loved the trip home holding this magic little package and imagining all the things I could make – such anticipation!

Clearly Granny found loads of inspiration but not enough time to make everything – a trait that I have too, and that is the inspiration behind GetMaking – it’s all about making it easy to get that excitement and satisfaction from learning and creating something new.

Granny is no longer with us and these fabrics are one of things we have from her that remind me what a inspirational lady she was – and I am so thankful she introduced me to the great pleasure that can be found in making.

What inspires you?

Kim

A great way of adding flavour to your cooking is to use flavoured oil. Once you understand the basics flavoured oil is simple to make and you can experiment with different herbs and spices - and even better if you pick those herbs straight from the garden! 

How's it done? You will warm the oil with herbs and spices, then strain and bottle the oil. 

You need

• 1 litre of olive oil (4 cups)
• 1 x bunch of washed and then dried-off herbs – you don’t want to be adding moisture to the oil

• Oregano, Rosemary, Lemon Zest, garlic (eg a clove chopped in half)
• Basil, Thai Basil & Mandarin peel, star anise & garlic
• Basil, Parsley and Garlic

1. Pour oil into a saucepan, add the herbs and stir so everything is submerged in the oil.
2. Slowly heat the oil until it’s warm, not hot and definitely not boiling. The heat will infuse the flavour of the herbs into the oil, and cook off any residual moisture in the herbs.
3. Be really careful when working with oil: use a burner at the back of the stove, ensure kids are kept away and keep your attention on the pot.
4. Allow the oil and herbs to infuse for up to an hour, then turn off the heat and cool to room temperature. When completely cool strain oil through cheesecloth or a clean Chux wipe into a clean, dry bottle with a tight fitting lid and store away from sunlight in a cool place. Discard the herbs.

Flavours: You can experiment with different blends and pretty much anything goes except for ingredients that contain liquid - ie. lemon segments hold too much liquid, but lemon rind would be great. For a balanced flavour think about your herb quantities – use fewer strongly flavoured herbs like Rosemary and more of the gently flavoured herbs.

Bottles: A great bottle to store your oil in is one of those fancy whisky decanters that everyone has but that no one uses - just make sure the seal on the lid is good so the oil keeps for longer. To package as a gift pick up some cute bottles from your local $2 shop and tie a label around the neck. This could be a beautiful handmade Mothers Day present. 

How to use your oil? Stir a couple tablespoons into a thick vegetable soup just before serving; mashed potato; freshly sliced tomatoes and feta; toss over vegetables and then roast; shake with balsamic to make a quick salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Marc recently graduated from the prestigious Whitehouse Institute of Design with a spectacular end of year collection that happened to feature the use of Loopy Mango Big Loop wool in two of his pieces.

Those amazing designs in the main picture and lower corner are both created with Loopy Mango wool. I just had to include that picture of the sculpted leather skirt as well as it's stunning. Looks like we're not the only ones who think so, as Marc was awarded Designer of the Year by the Whitehouse Institute.

Congratulations Marc, we look forward to hearing lots more about your work. You can follow Marc's work at: instagram: @marc_hath , tumblr: @marchatherley .

The Opposite Hotel: definitely the place to stay. The foyer, the art, the pool and reception.

Beijing is all about the ring roads - at the centre of the city is the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square and then the 8 ring roads stretch out to the suburbs. It's a navigation thing: you'll want to know where you are staying and going in relation to the nearest ring road. At the very centre of the city is the Forbidden City (tip: watch 'The Last Emperor' before you go) which is then surrounded by a crazy juxtaposition of hutongs (literally 'alleyways') of traditional one storey houses and then amazing modern architecture like the huge CCTV  building in the very extravagant commercial district.

Beijing is huge - pretty much the entire population of Australia in one city - although I thought old Beijing (the area surrounding the Forbidden City and within the 2nd ring road) didn't feel so big as most traditional buildings are only one storey high. That said, there can be a lot of people so even though the buildings are not high the streets can be very crowded. Beijing is an attraction for Chinese tourists as much as for international visitors - to visit the capital is a big deal.

I found people very helpful and accommodating - like most places if you learn how to say hello (Ni Hao!) and smile a lot people help. Always keep a card with your hotel name and address written in Cantonese as it's very unlikely that your taxi driver will speak English, although I had great fun with one driver who tried out all his English phrases on me!

Where to stay:
I spent the first few days staying in a standard chain hotel which shall remain nameless, and only served to highlight the amazing experience of The Opposite House. Very much a design hotel, it is beautiful with big open spaces, careful attention given to textures and light and filled with modern Chinese art from the famous Red Gate Gallery. Check-in was a blissful, streamlined experience. Instead of the usual giant check-in desk with tired travellers on one side and the front of house staff on the other, The Opposite House has a row of simple wooden pillars holding a computer tablet with staff standing nearby - just hand over your passport, take a seat in the lounge and the staff come over to confirm your details: check in is done.

The rooms are elegant and bright with floor to ceiling windows and warm touches of a wooden bath and shower and a wonderful wooden floor with subtle grooves that massage your feet: walking bare foot feels amazing. I was in a 45 square metre studio (the smaller size room) and this was more than enough for two people. All the information you need is on the iPad that comes in every room and the mini bar and wifi are included in the room charge. And the pool: checking out the pool is not normally in my list of must-do's, but this pool can't be missed. A gentle, almost meditative experience: I won't forget floating in this beautiful space with its rich red light, gazing up at the light installation and just soaking in the experience.

Other hotels that were on my shortlist were the Temple Hotel . Very luxe traditional-style and with the only James Turrell light installation in China - of particular interest as the James Turrell retrospective has opened at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra. The Orchid Beijing was recommended as a smaller guesthouse in a Hutong, for an authentic but still stylish experience.

From top left, clockwise: Yoghurt drinks, Steamboats cooling in the street, Jainbing being made, Steamboat with meat ready to be cooked, Haw Toffee Fruit, Graffiti in the 798 District, Art in the 798 District and local transport. 

Exploring in Beijing
While there are many cheap and cheerful tours to all the big tourist attractions (such as Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Qainmen Street, CCTV tower) I was fortunate to find the team at Bespoke Beijing to show me another side of the city. You can choose from a selection of itineraries or have something created especially for you. Their main difference is the tour is just for you and you aren't sharing your guide with anyone else. I chose the Street Snacks and Market tour and had an amazing couple of hours with my guide wandering through the hutongs, tasting some delicious local snack foods from the market stalls we passed and learning about life in these centuries old communities. It was incredible to think that while we were still in the centre of the city I saw no other westerners and from what I could tell no other tourists during our walk: it felt like I was getting a glimpse into a real slice of life in Beijing without the tourist filter. China is so amazing but can be quite impenetrable for a visitor - fascinating to view but hard to know how to participate without local knowledge. I would never have known how to get off the tourist trail while still being in the heart of the city and even begin to start to try the different and delicious foods that we had.

Make sure you try: 

Yoghurt Drinks: You will see these little white ceramic pots with blue and white paper lids everywhere. They are a yoghurt and honey drink which is delicious, spike the paper lid with a straw and drink while standing at the front of the shop and then hand back the ceramic pot to be reused.

Steamboat: This is a bit like a stock based fondue served in a traditional copper or enamelled pot. Dip your meat and vegetables into the simmering stock to cook then scoop out and eat, it's fabulous.

Jainbing: the worlds best breakfast food/snack. A type of crepe made on a big hotplate with egg, herbs, spicy sauces and pastry, you find these made on the back of bikes or in small shops.

The other stand out was wandering around the 798 Art District. I caught a taxi to the area (maybe 20mins from The Opposite House at Sanlitun) and just started walking, happy to take my chances. I came across some wonderful art - the awesome Li Chen's mammoth sculptures and captivating bronzes from Wu Liang Yan and the ex-factory buildings have their own beauty.

Top Tips for Beijing
- this is not a place for your white cashmere scarf - with the smog by the end of the week that scarf will be grey.
- take shoes that are resilient: you have to survive squat toilets and chronically dusty streets: enough said.
- squat toilets: remember it's BYO tissues and they are as important for sticking up your nose to block the smell as they are for wiping bottoms. And there are never any hooks behind the door for jackets. Practice your pelvic floor exercises and hold it until you get back to the hotel and if you can find handbag sized air freshener go for it.
- there are lots of cheap and cheerful tours, but lash out for an experience like Bespoke Beijing to get a real feel for the city.

Useful Links:
Bespoke Beijing 
The Opposite House
Luxe Beijing App (from the Itunes App store)
The Hutong
Time Out Beijing

I've just recently returned to a favourite recipe which is massively indulgent but also requires patience to be enjoyed in its full glory. This recipe was published by the New York Times in 2008 and is adapted from a Jacques Torres recipe. Mr Torres is a pastry chef known for his 36 hour cookies: rich, gooey and tantalising. Using a mix of hard and soft flours, caster and brown sugar and then a 36 hour resting period before baking this is a seriously amazing cookie - dare you to wait it out before succumbing to raiding the cooking dough.

Cookie dough log all wrapped up rested, ready for slicing, rolling into balls and baking. Image copyright of GetMaking.

The link to his original recipe is here - and for some background on the art of the choc chip cookie check out here.

For non-USA metric cooks the measurements are a bit of a pain to convert, so below is the ingredients list in metric.

187g butter
283g light brown sugar
227g caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
240g cake flour
240g bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp course salt
500g choc chips

Full directions are here, but the method is pretty simple. Cream butter and sugars, beat in eggs/vanilla, sift in flours/salt/baking powder and stir through the chocolate pieces last. Rest covered in the fridge for 36 hours, than roll into balls, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and bake for 8-12 minutes at 180 degrees celsius for approximately 18 minutes. keep a watch out though, you want them out of the oven while they are are still soft, we are aiming for gooey amazingness, not crispy. Top chef tip is test the cooking time on one cookie first.

The cookie dough with chocolate worked through - yum! Image copyright of GetMaking.

The mix of hard (high protein for pizza and bread) and soft (low protein for cake) flours create a great cookie, but in a squeeze plain flour still works. With the chocolate I blitz the block in the food processor: this makes a darker cookie with smaller choc pieces - you might prefer disks which will be like chocolate bombs - it's up to you. The essential element is the resting of the dough: the moisture from the eggs penetrates the flour and the resulting cookie is rich and chewy. 

A tip for the resting stage: the recipe suggests covering the bowl of dough with cling wrap and resting in the fridge. The first time I made this I found the dough sets very hard and is tough to scoop out. With this recent batch I shaped the dough into logs wrapped with baking paper (see the picture at the top) then wrapped cling film firmly around. After the resting time just unwrap, slice into rounds, roll each round into a ball and then place on the baking tray and bake at . Eat warm from the oven with ice cream.

Any leftover dough can go into the freezer: re-wrap in baking paper and cling wrap first and then slice off as required. Be warned, it's way too easy to nibble away on the frozen cookie dough !

Have fun experimenting !

Kim

Anna you are based in SoHo, New York – for someone visiting your part of New York what are the must do’s? (cafés, shops, etc)

Taking a Staten Island Ferry – especially on a hot summer day - you get amazing views of Manhattan skyline, statue of Liberty, Ellis Island. And it runs every 30 min and is completely free.

For shopping I love Love Adorned, John Derian, Opening Ceremony, De Vera.

Neue Galerie and Cafe Sabarsky inside of the museum – the building is beautiful and the exhibitions as well as permanent collection are always great. It's conveniently located across the street from the Metropolitan Museum but it has a very intimate atmosphere compared to a big museum – which makes it perfect to enjoy art. Sometimes I like to bring my knitting with me and enjoy art while I knit.

Waejong you are based in Massachusetts where the Loopy Mango Mill is, what’s a normal day like for you?

I walk Loopy & Woolfie – our two German shepherds, then I look for Mango the orange cat who is always trying to hide and feed him. Then I go to to the mill and meet with our artisans, I work on new designs and patterns.

Thanks !