Of Sheep and Toddler Tops

I have very nearly finished Mary-Jane's Tango Top.  I wanted it done tonight so she could wear it tomorrow.  I am half way through the second shoulder strap, so following that all that needs doing is attaching the straps and blocking the lace hemline.  I don't want to rush to finish it, or stop up late.  It will be done tomorrow and it will be my Mothers Day gift to her.  Then I shall start on her cotton swirly skirt.  Once I have done my WI minutes of course tomorrow night!

 

I didn't get to freeze bananas today.  We were going to defrost the freezer, it really needs doing and the ice is taking up precious space.  But we didn't get to do that.  I did make a bit of space by cooking a summer fruit strudel.  A slice of which went down deliciously with a big blob of chocolate ice cream.  We also made a massive Shepherdless Pie for tea, for today and tomorrow, and maybe the day after!

 

Mary-Jane had a really good sleep last night.  She may have wakened during the night but she didn't cry and we had no need to go into her.  I think it did us all some good - and probably made us feel more tired.  Fingers crossed for more similar such nights!

 

I am in parlez with another knitter, from Kniterarti.   We are talking of doing a knit-a-long, or a project that may challenge us.  One of the contender projects is The Sheep Carousel Tea Cosy by Kate Davies.  I've been rather taken with this pattern since last years Woolfest.  It would be nice to do this with another knitter.  I do miss this kinda thing, I used to do this with Sally, in particular, and others from Stafford Knit Chicks (Hello Sylvia - I miss you too!).  I don't think I have a suitable yarn in my stash, I shall have to see about acquiring some in the next few months.

This is The Sheep Carousel, by Kate Davies.  The image is from the pattern page on Ravelry.

I need to go Stash Surfing.

Sour Cream Pumkin Bundt Cake

The baking offering of the day is Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt Cake.  The recipe can be found here.  I've had one slice and I'm not overly sure.  It seems over moist, but cooked well enough on the edges.  It was in the oven for long enough - the recommended time, which is generally too long in this oven.  Maybe it needs a little lower for longer, or mixing longer, who knows.  It tastes okay, which it the main thing.

The brown in the middle is a hidden brown sugar streusel filling, quite spicy.


I am planning a Key Lime Pie next.

I am getting on well with MJ's tank top, then end may be in sight tomorrow evening, maybe.  The hem will need some kind of blocking as it rolls up a bit.

A New Tank Top

My knitting for Mary-Jane continues.  I have trawled Ravelry for ideas and tried to marry them to my own personal ideas and what yarn I have available.  I have had a degree of success.  I have cast on a tank top and am ready to cast on a twirly skirt.  I have tried not to think beyond these tow, once I had made the decision to start otherwise it would bog me down terribly and nothing much would actually get done.

 

The tank top is knit all in one, from the bottom up.  It starts with a 12 row pattern (after a couple of set up rows).  Alternate rows are done in stocking stitch, so during the patterned rows, the tv has been paused, then set off again for the plain rows.  Decreases are made every ten rows, following this.  I have been watching The Great British Bake Off, so nothing overly taxing and it does lend itself to this sort of knitting!

 

I still have a cold, with lots of crud on my chest.  HK thinks his cold is breaking and poor MJ is still coughing, although I'd like to think not quite as much.  She is sleeping slightly better.  She does get so tired during the day, this frustrates her terribly, being tired.  She doesn't help herself by not  having a rest or a nap on Daddy.

 

We did get to playgroup yesterday, and I was lucky enough to go to Kniterati in the afternoon.  I worked on the 22.5.2 Degrees Shawl.  This morning, I frogged the whole thing.  The middle point was far too long and the ends were not long enough.  Next time, I shall stick to a more tried method of knitting from one end to the other, increasing to the centre point then decreasing.  And of course I shall try and add a fancy edging to it.  However another scarf is not on the 'Got To Make It Now' list.

 

The new issue of Baking Heaven arrived with me today.  As usual there are lots of things I want to bake.  If I hadn't been feeling so grotty this morning (I had a bit of a nose dive after being on the go and chasing MJ around for a good few hours), I am sure that there would have been a few cakes and biscuits on the table.  All in the fullness of time.  Perhaps tomorrow I shall find a recipe for a Mothers Day cake to do on Saturday, for Sunday.  I might even try and sneak some time to bake as well.  I am quite tempted by a few featured Scottish recipes and other biscuits.  I have also had the urge to make cake pops.  I am stopped in my tracks by the lack of Candy Melts.  I know I can get these online, and the sugarcraft shop in Workington sells them (well they did a time or two when I was last in, granted that was several months ago).  I cannot justify a trip to Workington just to buy candy melts though!

 

Belmondo Shawl

Another quickly completed project comes off my needles - The Belmondo Shawl.  The pattern is on Ravelry.  I used Rowan All Seasons Cotton.  The pattern says I need to block it, I'm not sure I will.  I could have done with the longer sides being longer, not the length form middle to tip.

My head is filling with design ideas for a few dresses, tops and maybe a skirt or two for Mary-Jane.  I've been jotting down ideas and sketches.  I've not yet done any serious number crunching or identified any yarn, but there are suggestions mulling around my head.  I have continued working on 22.5.2 Shawl, mainly to finish it off and to give me some thinking space for my designs.  I certainly don't want to rush into doing them without thorough planning and clear ideas of what I want the finished thing to look like and, of course, what yarn I am going to use.  And then there is is the joys of learning to do a pdf document to publish the pattern.

Spatula Licking and Park Life

Mary-Jane loves to help me bake.  She loves to wear her pinny, especially when mummy is wearing hers.  MJ also has her very own Minnie Oven Gloves, although she is not allowed to go near the cooker when it is on.  She also likes to have a bit of a run around when she is baking!

There are always perks to helping Mommy bake - one of them is licking the bowl or spatula.

This afternoon the weather wasn't too bad - no wind and no rain, so I suggested that we take a very tired Mary-Jane to the play park for some fresh air.  One of the ironic things of living in the country is the lack of safe space to walk a toddler.  I may have mentioned before - there are two roads by us, the back has less traffic on and no path, the front has a path for half a mile in one direction, but the road is very busy - it is the main road to Sellafield.  Not an ideal road to walk a toddler who has no road sense.  Anyhow, I digress.  We went down into village to the play park, as expected it is an ideal spot for Mary-Jane to run around, burn her energy off and have lots of fun and fresh air.

Mary-Jane discovered 'the bouncer' and loved it. She could see saw without anyone being on the other end.  She did insist at one point that I played with her on the bouncer.  It was more of a mini work out for me - I couldn't exactly sit on the bouncer (think of the physics of it!) so I had to pretend to sit on it and then squat up and down, holding on to the handles - fun really!

This is the park I used to walk to, and push Mary-Jane in her pram, then sit on the bench and knit, in the first few months we moved here.  It is also the site of the old village school, now demolished, the new one being a quarter of a mile away.

 

This morning I met a friend, H, for morning coffee at The Hungry Parrot in Gosforth.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and was very relaxed when I came back to the house. I am getting to value my meetings with H and our conversations.

Butter Bean Crumble

Butter Bean Crumble

A quick, light-ish lunch for 1 or a side dish for two. 

• 1 can butter beans (about 400g predrained or so)
• 2 pieces of brown toast, in crumbs
• 1/2 200g pack of flavoured Philly

1. Rinse the butter beans and put in a pan of simmering water to cook for a few minutes
2. Toast the bread then process it into crumbs
3. When the beans have simmered for around 4 minutes, take off heat and drain
4. Mash approx 1/3 of the butter beans with a fork.  Mix this with the philly
5. Combine the mashed beans with the whole beans gently, then place in a shallow heat proof dish
6. Top with the toast crumbs, then put under a hot grill to flash grill a bit more, till it browns to taste.

Feel free to play with the recipe, it's a gentle flavour. I have added a sprinkling of paprika when combining which works well.

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cake

Within the space of 24 hours, I fell on two recipes for Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes.  I was hooked, I had to make a batch.  The results were good.  HK took the photos, I think they are very professional.  he is quite getting into photography.  I said what I was looking for in the end image, and he worked the magic. I had my little Assistant Baker helping me, she thoroughly loved baking them as much as I loved baking them with her.

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

Makes 12-14

• 175g butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 1 tsp  vanilla essence
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g plain flour

Filling

• 250ml double cream, whipped
• 100ml lemon curd
• icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 180c, gm 4.  Put the paper cases in a bun tin
2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy
3. Add the vanilla essence, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well
4. Combine the flour and baking powder then combine this with the batter
5. Divide into 12 - 14 cases.  Bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown and well risen, then leave to cool
6. Cut off the tops of the cakes, then cut the tops in half to make the butterfly wings
7. Combine the whipped cream with the lemon curd, just enoguh to give a marble effect
8. Pipe the cream onto the cakes, place the wings on then dust with icing sugar.