Crochet, Sunshine and Baking

My latest project is a stripy granny blanket which was originally intended for my middle sons bedroom, but the colours don't work in there so it has now been assigned to my little grandson as it will look so lovely on his little blue bed.

I am crocheting it in Style Craft wool so its a nice cheap blanket to make and the pattern I found on the Attic24 blog which I check regularly!

I have even managed to do a little outdoor crochet as well, the weather here on the hill is just devine at the moment I just couldn't resist sitting out on my still unfinished little courtyard

My little dog Bowie trying to get in on the action!!

My husband even managed to raise the Union Jack up our flag pole. Well it had to be done as its a Jubilee year, if you look closely you will see a plane flying past, we decided it must be the Royal flyover our castle!! Just look at the colour of that sky, you could almost be forgiven for thinking this was a summers day not a March day.

On Saturday morning I did my usual trip into town and had a quick sprint around the collectors market while boys did boy things and to my absolute delight I managed to pick up for the bargain price of £20!!!!! a beautiful little feather filled vintage cotton eiderdown. Now I have been after one of these for what seems an age, I knew my mother had one and I asked her if I could perhaps have it, as I knew she didn't use it and her reply was "what on earth do you want something like that for" she hadn't got it anymore, she didn't want it so she had 'taken it to the tip!!!!!' ahhhhhhhhhh.

My attempts at bidding on any on Ebay were not fruitful as they seem to go for a fortune so, I was at near fainting point when I saw it on a stall. There was another lady having a look at it and I was nearly at the point of snatching it out of her hand and telling her that I saw it first, but as it had a small hole in it with a few feathers escaping she, thank goodness, decided not to have it. Well I can tell you that £20 was out of my purse and in the stallholders hand and quilt removed swiftly from the lady who had looked at it before, just in case she changed her mind.

 I still have to do the repair, which is quite small but I couldn't resist just laying it on the spare bed just to see how it looked, and I was overcome with delight! I know it is only a single size but when I eventually get the lovely little cast iron double we have in there I think it will still look stunning as a foot warmer across the bottom of the bed

My friends daughter has just learnt that she has been accepted into the Army training college that she has been working so hard to get in, so I was in town on Saturday I got her a little well done present, which was a small Rob Ryan notebook and I just love the little verse which is on the front, in fact I think it describes how I feel about my blog:-

 “All of these words and all of these pictures and these small scraps of purpose and intention and dreams will walk along side of me and keep me company on this my great journey and will serve to remind me to savour all my days spent upon this earth”.

I also gave her one of the little key rings I have been crocheting, I just needed a quick project to give me a break from the granny blanket! 

Sunday brought visitors so of course I had to make sure that I had something to offer them to eat and this weekend I did just a few quick recipes:-

Flapjack

which is really quick all you do is melt 4oz of butter with 3oz of golden syrup and 3oz of light muscavado sugar and then add 8oz of rolled oats, a handful of seeds if you wish and then put in a greased tin at 180c (160c in a fan oven) for 30 minutes, leave for 5 minutes, cut up into slices and then leave in the tin until fully cool.

I then went onto Chocolate Brownies, which are an all time favourite:-

250g butter

200g dark chocolate

80g cocoa powder

65g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

360g caster sugar 

4 beaten eggs

preheat oven to 180c and line and grease a 25cm square tin

Put butter and chocolate into a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water. In a separate bowl sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder and mix in the sugar. When the butter and chocolate are fully melted add this mixture to the flour and sugar mix and stir in the 4 beaten eggs.

Pour all of this into your ready prepared tin and then bung into the oven for 25-30 minutes until it is crusty on the outside but still slightly sticky in the middle.

I also made some shortbread biscuits, for which I have given the recipe before and a lovely fresh cream and strawberry Victoria Sponge, which lasted for about 10 minutes. This is always a good standby and was made whilst my visitors were here, in fact is was still slightly warm when we ate it!

6oz sifted Self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

6oz caster sugar

6oz butter 

3 eggs

a few drops of vanilla extract

Put all ingredients into a bowl and give a good whisk up then put into two lined sandwich tins and bake at 170c for 25-30 minutes. Turn out and fill with lashings of homemade jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Of course all this has to be washed up, but this chore is made more bearable by using...................... of course my hand crocheted dishcloth ;)

Have a good week and make to most of the sun whilst it is still shining 

Claire xx