Crafting

The Lottie is keeping me busy at the moment as we start to gear up for the busy summer growing season.   I think I have pretty much completed all of the hard tasks for now and it is just maintenance - which is lovely to be at that point.

I have been crafting too,  some knitting,  some sewing and some crochet.

The Peg Bag love continues and I have 3 more to add to the ever growing collection.  I have added some flower embellishments to a couple of them and I think I quite like this - what do you think?

A blue Peg bag

Yellow Peg Bag

Jubilee Peg Bag

I found some new and slightly cheaper scarf wool when I was in Wales and one has been knitted up,  this one will either be kept for a Christmas present or could be put up for sale.  I like the colours of this one,  slightly different from the colours I usually work with.

Knitted Scarf

I also have a new quilt on the go,  I do like quilting and would probably do more of it,  but currently the sewing machine lives in the living room and it is not fair on Mr Milly to be sewing when he is trying to relax,  so I grab a few minutes here and there and slowly slowly the little stash of pin wheel squares are growing.  It will take a fair few to make the quilt, so I expect this one will be a few months in the making.

Pin Wheel squares

Crocheting of course is my preferred craft of choice,  I like to sit, relax and watch the TV keep my hands busy. I am positively twitchy if I don't have something to be working on.   Mr Milly likes this craft too - it is quiet,  unlike sewing and the rattling of the machine and me backwards and forwards to the sewing machine - it positively drives him nuts!  Then there is knitting - it is OK and the first craft I learnt as a child.  I am OK at it,  but not great and the click clicking of the knitting needles really does irritate my poor long suffering husband!  But with crochet the single hook makes no noise and I sit still to work.

The downside of crochet - what do I make.   There is only so many hats we can all wear and during the summer months, no one wants them.  I have tried my hand at baby cardigans and hats,  but I'm not keen on all of the little bits and pieces needed for a baby cardigan, so I dabble occasionally with with little enthusiasm.

Baby Cardie

 My latest little projects have been tea cozies - we now have a little collection and I use the one which suits my mood.   I do get to choose which one we are using as Mr Milly would probably choose not to have one at all!!

An elaborate Tea Cosy

Stripy cup matching Tea Cosy

Patriotic Tea Cosy

Pink Tea Cosy

This weekend I  decided that I need a longer project to sit and work quietly on for a while,  a blanket for our bed seems in order - it will fill the gap until the blue quilt is finished.

The start of the double bed size blanket

That should keep my twitchy hands busy for a while!

Alison x

Buddy is staying

Buddy is my friends little Cocker-poo!  A poodle, cocker spaniel cross and he is adorable!   He stayed with us a little while ago from this post Cakes and Visitors this time he is staying with us for a week!

It is very strange having 2 dogs in the house and especially when one is big and the other is very small.  We are just not used to little dogs and it is very entertaining.  And best of all,  Buddy has decided he likes me and loves a cuddle!   I have therfore gained a shadow for the week and wherever I am, Buddy is too!  Star has a short soft and smooth coat,  Buddy has a short soft curly coat - just like a little teddy bear!

Buddy in Teddy Bear mode - he almost blends in with the sofa!

Unfortunately Buddy has taken a liking to wool!  As I am currently crocheting a blanket with lots of colours - there is lots of wool around me as I working on the blanket - this is proving to be challenging LOL!   He first of all found a small ball of wool - this when we knew we might have a problem!   Later on  he decided one of my lovely new big balls of wool was some sort of dog toy and decided to kill it!  He grabbed it in his mouth and was shaking it, putting his paws on it trying to seperate each strand and he did not want to let it go!   Eventually the distraction of a doggie biscuit proved to much for Buddy and we were able to rescue the mangled ball of wool.  


The tug of war for the wool begins.........

 

Buddy tightens his grip



Star is watching with interest - I'm not sure who is winning the war.......

 

Looks like Mr Milly is losing!!!!!!

Flowering Cushion

The cushion is finished and it was fun to do!  Lots of rounds and lots of different colours,  I like crocheting bigger things with different colours,  it keeps me interested seeing the colours work together (or not as can sometimes happen).   I found a lovely button in my local wool shop and it matched the shape of the rounds perfectly - so this now happily sits in the middle of the cushion.   The back has been crocheted with matching rows of colour to mirror the front.

A slight dilemma yesterday - there isn't anywhere local to me stocking round cushion pads.  Fortunately I found some calico in my fabric stash so out with the sewing machine and a bag of stuffing and custom made cushion pad created.

Unfortunately the cushion can't live here - its a bit too pink and girlie for Mr Milly!

Me and Mr Milly spent sometime at the Lottie yesterday and again today.   The Sunflowers have been staked,  more strawberry runners planted,  lettuced thinned out and the latest waterbutt (from Freecyle) installed.  They were the fun bits!   The front quarter (ish) section of the Lottie is still to be sorted - had you noticed my tactical photos recently??  LOL!   This bit is now quite overgrown,  so this weekend I made a start on it.   A section about 8 foot by 3 foot marked out,  roots and grass removed and then dug over.   It was hard work,  but very satisfying when finished.  This section has now been covered to stop the weeds and will probably stay that way until next year.

Hedgerow harvest around the Lottie today - Greengages and apples which are growing wild behind the plot.  So tonight there are 4 lovely jars of greengage jam,  2 yummy jars of apple sauce and 2 bags of  not particularly interesting, but probably tasty stewed apples waiting to be frozen.

Waiting for the jars to cool down before labelling.

Greengage jam recipe was from here Greengage Jam   I made it without the vanilla pods and with a little less sugar than the recipe states as I like to taste the fruit and not the sugar!  Jam making is a joint effort in our house as Mr Milly is the setter tester - when I think the jam is ready Mr Milly checks the jam on a frozen saucer for wrinkling - he then decides if it is ready or not.   What he doesn't know is that it will be his fault if there is batch which doesn't set as he is the setter tester  :) 

Busy Hands

Today we are expecting visitors,  My  Dear Father-in-Law  and his wife are visiting from the Isle of Wight,  we haven't seen them for a little while and we are all looking forward to the visit.  I think we will be having a bit of a houseful for the day as friends and family pop in to say hello.

Carrot cake was made yesterday and this morning a lemon cake will be going in the oven.  Carrot cake takes a while to make and bake,  the lemon cake is incredibly quick and easy,  but both are really tasty and everyone seems to enjoy them!!

I found the recipe for the carrot cake here Aunt Mary's Carrot Cake,   And if you fancy having a go - here is the recipe;-


Ingredients

Serves: 12

• 275g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 4 eggs
• 400g caster sugar
• 350ml vegetable oil
• 375g grated carrots
• 125g chopped walnuts (optional)
• 200g sultanas (optional)

Preparation method

Prep:30  mins | Cook:45  mins

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C / gas 3. Lightly grease and flour a 20cm cake tin.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream together eggs and sugar. Add oil.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients and blend together well. Add carrots, walnuts and sultanas.
5. Pour into cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes. Check after the first 35 minutes, to see if a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If not, continue to cook, checking every 5 minutes. (I find this will take at least 1 hour to cook)
6. Top with a cream cheese icing and enjoy

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients for the topping

• 200g (7oz) Full Fat cream cheese
• 56g (2oz) softened unsalted butter
• 56g (2oz) sifted icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the topping, mix cream cheese, softened unsalted butter, sifted icing sugar and vanilla essence, until smooth. Allow the cake to cool and then add the topping.  It is important to use full fat cream cheese - anything else and the icing will be runny, the full fat version makes a thicker icing.  This cake will keep for a few days in an airtight container. That is, if you can resist it that long!

I have had my crochet hooks out this week.  My Girl will be going away next week and some new hats are required.  I found the most amazing wool with sparkly bits running through it,  the hat is made and out in the sunlight it sparkles!

Whilst visiting Blogland yesterday I came across this Blooming Flower Cushion,  I really did want to have a go,  I rummaged through my wool stash to find the colours I wanted to use and made a start.   It has grown quicker than I thought it would,  so I think it will be finished in a day or two!  It is supposed to be for My Girl's bedroom, but I have a feeling it will end up in her suitcase as she packs next week!