Knitty Bits

I do love browsing Etsy. I don't get as much time to do it as I'd like, but I had a lovely mooch through the stores last night, looking for gifts for knitters. This is the Treasury I made:

 

Just click on the photos and you they should magically whisk you to the page they are sold on! (how techno am I getting?!)

 

 

 

This mug from Kelly Connor Designs made me giggle.



 

I love these knitting needle bracelets from Yellow Bear Wares.

 

 

 

I secretly feel I ought to wear a cape and mask while knitting, like the hero girl in Jam Fancy's print.

 



 

And Tangerine 8's badge is spot on ~ what knitter doesn't wish they had a Tardis to store their stash in! 

I hope you enjoyed these knitty treats.

Sneaky Peek

It's been so long since I've made something new for the shop. That's partly down to the chaotic events of the past few months, and partly down to my flighty, never-finishes-anything nature.

Well, finally, I've finished something.

One of the many new designs I've been working on recently is some vintage-style luggage label keyrings.

 



 



Made from plain or chai-stained calico, and decorated with vintage images, fabrics and trims, these tags are a perfect way to add a shabby chic touch to your keys. Or why not do as I plan to do and add one to your suitcase strap ~ it certainly makes your case easier to spot amongst the others on the carousel!

 

These will be listed in my Etsy shop tomorrow, as soon as I can get some decent photos!



Souper Douper!

I don't use my slow cooker often enough. As a working single Mum, I really need to take advantage of this fabulous piece of kit. There is nothing cosier than coming in from work on a chilly day to the satisfying fragrance of a ready-cooked meal waiting for you.

Today's treat was Parsnip and Apple soup.

Ingredients

10oz Parsnips (3 med)
4oz Apples (1 eating apple)
6oz Onions (3 small)
1 litre chicken or veg stock (I used 3 stock cubes)

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the parsnips into roughly 1cm chunks. Peel, core and chop the apple into roughly 1cm chunks.
Chuck the whole lot in your slow cooker, top with about 1 litre of stock, and cook on low for however long you're at work. Mine was on for 8 hours, but 5 or 6 would probably be enough.
Blend. Serve with a fresh grinding of pepper.

This is a delicious and light soup (80 calories per serving!!!) and because you're not sweating the onions in butter or oil it's almost fat-free! You can find it on my fitness pal if you're interested. Although I am trying to diet, I teamed ours up with a toasted cheese sandwich, cut into hearts in honour of St Valentine :)

This is the first time I tried soup in my slow cooker. I was a bit worried it might be too runny as you get very little evaporation, but it turned out fine. It took about 10 minutes to prepare which is perfect when you're busy. I got 4 portions from this batch too, so 2 go in the freezer for another day.

Pancake Day

Today is Pancake Day!

One of the traditions that normally go with Pancake Day is the pancake race, where people race whilst tossing their pancakes. In our house we have a race, but it's a different kind of race ~ to see if I can cook them faster than my son can eat them, so I actually get to eat a couple myself! This year I got 3, plus this little oddity:

Pancakes are easy peasy lemon squeezy to make, you really don't need to buy a batter mix! Here is my recipe:

1 egg
4oz plain flour
semi-skimmed milk
pinch salt
water
oil for frying

Crack your egg into a jug and make up to 1/4 pint with cold water, then up to 1/2 pint with milk. Add the flour (you don't even need to sift it!) and salt then beat well. I usually allow my batter to stand for a while, but there's some debate whether you actually need to bother so if you are to eager to get flipping, go for it!
Heat a tiny bit of oil in a small pan, you just need enough to stop the pancake from sticking, a few drops should do it. You want the pan to be pretty hot but not crazy hot. Pour a little batter into the pan and swirl it around to coat the base. Leave it to cook for a minute or two then flip and cook the other side.

Hey Presto ~ a pancake! This recipe made about 9 six inch pancakes, and they're only about 55 calories each before you add toppings. (search for Cheery Chicken Pancakes on my fitness pal)

Top it with whatever you like, I prefer the traditional sugar and lemon, my son likes nutella and banana. What are your favourite toppings?

Bubbly Scrubbly

Try as I might, I seem unable to focus very well at the moment. The curse of the crafter I guess ~ a million and one ideas bubbling around in my head like champagne bubbles and just as hard to pin down. But necessity being the mother of creation means I get to share this little beauty with you, a crochet scrubcloth.

 

I wanted a little in-front-of-the-tv project, and I've wanted to make a sturdy cleaning cloth for a while now, though this would make a great washcloth, or even a pot-stand for the kitchen! And it's a great way to use up little odds and ends of wool. The pattern is so quick and easy, alternating trebles and dc's to produce a bubbly textured cloth in around an hour.

To make your own Bubbly Scrubbly, you will need:

2 small balls of DK cotton yarn (approx. 15g of each)
6mm crochet hook

Chain 20
Turn
Chain 2, 1tr into top of 3rd stitch from hook (20th cast on stitch), 1dc into top of next stitch, continue alternating trebles and dc's to end.

*Turn
Chain 2, 1tr into top of 3rd stitch from hook, 1dc into top of next stitch, continue alternating trebles and dc's to end*
Repeat the last row from * to * approx. 14 times more (16 rows in total) or until your cloth is square.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

 

 I'm so pleased with the way this turned out, I almost don't want to use it for cleaning!

Birthday Croissants

Today is my birthday so I thought I would treat myself to a bit of a naughty breakfast  ~ Cinnamon Apple and Chocolate Banana Croissants.

These are incredibly easy to make and oh so delicious! And apart from the actual croissant dough, the ingredients are things most of us have in the house all the time.

You will need:

1 can of croissant dough (6 croissants)
1 banana
1 apple
1 tsp Cinnamon
4 desertspoons Demerara Sugar
Chocolate spread (a last minute idea that isn't in the photo)

(this will make 4 Cinnamon Apple croissants and 2 Chocolate Banana)

Preheat your oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6.


The first thing to do is pop your can of dough open, and it really does pop!

Gently unroll and separate out the triangles. The dough feels foamy and is very delicate, mine ended up with several little crescent fingernail marks!
Peel, core and quarter your apple, then cut each quarter in half. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a little bowl then sprinkle about a dessertspoonful of this mixture over your dough triangle. Add 2 of the apple pieces and roll up as tightly as you can.

 

 

Gently spread the chocolate spread generously over the remaining 2 triangles. Peel the banana, cut in half and add half to each triangle before rolling tightly as with the apple version. 

 

Place these a good distance apart on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 mins. I sprinkled a little more of the sugar mixture on top of the apple croissants for good measure.

Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes while you make yourself a cuppa, then enjoy!

The Cinnamon Apple croissants had a lovely bite, and the Chocolate Banana ones were dreamy ~ the banana simply melted in the mouth, though the chocolate had a tendency to drip out everywhere (napkins ahoy!)

I think this idea would work well with all sorts of fillings. Bacon & Brie? Cinnamon Sultana? Hmmm, what other fillings can you suggest?



Lazy Days

It's Sunday, and all I want to do today is curl upon the couch and have a nice nap. I did, however, manage to browse Etsy and curate a super sleepy treasury.



Red & Gold Jacquard Sleep Masks from Blum Art



Jasper on Red Couch from Acey Thompson Art



Vintage Crochet Pattern from Touch of Nostalgia

You can see the whole treasury here.

Well I think I've done enough for today. Time for forty winks.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz