Work/Knitting Balance

So far this week the work/knitting balance has been tipped in favour of work, little knitting has been done! I'm off this weekend, so once I pick myself up from the floor, have a massive lie in - in fact I shall be having a giraffe rather than a lion because giraffes are bigger.... get it.... lie-in/lion..... I shall be doing some knitting then.

I've cast on a poncho that was a freebie pattern with LK, I might have already mentioned it? Using Big Softie. I've got seven balls and will need 11 (ish) in total. So although I am using from my stash I will still need to buy some more. However on the upside, I do already have a matching slouchy beret and neck warmer!!

I've made some more Fudgy Banana Muffins - shall post the recipe later - they are recommendable. I was toying with the idea of doing some more baking this morning, but..... I'm not exactly full of beans to be doing too much. Then I thought about doing biscuits, the jury is out on that one.

Rhubarb and Ginger Cake

I made this Rhubarb and Ginger Cake yesterday and it is absolutely gorgeous!! Much nicer than the Spicy Rhubarb Cake - even though that is good in it's own right! This one comes highly recommended!! Go on, give it a go!!

Ingredients
5oz butter
5oz golden syrup
4oz black treacle
5oz unrefined light brown sugar
2fl oz milk
2 oz crystallised ginger, finely chopped
12oz rhubarb
12oz self raising flour, mixed with
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tbs ground ginger
Heat the oven to gm 3.
Grease and line a 2lb baking tin
Melt the butter in a pan with the golden syrup, black treacle and sugar, stir regularly

So it will look a bit like this! Remove from heat

Put all the rest of the ingredients (including the sugar/butter mix) and mix it all together!

Pour mixture into the prepared tin

Cook for an hour and 15 minutes, but check after an hour. This one cooked for 65 minutes. Let the cake cool for a bit before turning out onto a wire rack to cool

Then eat!!!

Waking The Dead Slouchy Beret

I finished the beret yesterday! I added an extra repeat of the cable pattern to give it the slouchiness. I think if the yarn was not as bulky, I would have added another repeat, but I think it wouldn't have worked?

So this is me modelling the beret and neck warmer, with hair tucked in. Can't wait for the cold weather now!

View from the back. I like the way the crown decreasing is done.
Rear view again, with hair tucked in to show the neck warmer. It is a lovely pattern to do and best of all, doesn't take long to do at all - ideal for a present that is needed in a rush, or if you don't have too much time.....

I found the pattern on Ravelry, the link is here!

Minted Pea Soup

MINTED PEA SOUP

Makes 4 portions

Ingredients

All ingredients are approx
2 pints of water
2 Oxo stock cubes
2 small onions - or one med/large one!
500g peas
Mint - to taste - I used mint sauce as I didn't have any proper mint, worked just as well
Seasoning to taste

Method
Crumble the oxo cubes into a big pan
Chop and add the onions to the pan
Add the water
Add the peas
Cook until cooked, as such, perhaps bring to the boil, then simmer, for however you usually cook your peas for
Turn off heat and allow to cool a little

Blend until smooth, reheat till warm.
Serve, season to taste

May be even more scrummy with some of your favourite bread!!

The Waking The Dead Neck Warmer

The Neck Warmer is completed! It took approx an hour and three quarters. I was knitting slowly, watching the TV, drinking tea and taking my time!! When completed I didn't think it would fit, but it does. If I did it again, I might make it slightly larger and perhaps a repeat longer. Roll on the cold weather so I can wear it! Tomorrow I shall make the beret, again this is another 'it only takes an hour to do'. I've got two more episodes of Waking the Dead to watch, so I have an appointment with the sofa and the TV! It is an easy pattern to follow, without a doubt!

The pattern is The Speedy Cabled Cowl, take a look!

The Hour Challenge!

I've found a pattern for a cowl/neck warmer and matching beret, done in Big Softie, of which I have ten balls of (recently frogged). The patterns says the cowl can be done in an hour. I'm up for that, fits my criteria today. To appease my guilt of starting another project, I have cleared my table in my knitting room - it has not seen daylight for a few months. I even found reciepts from March at the bottom of the pile.......

So, a cowl in an hour? Whilst watching 'Waking the Dead' I think - hurrah for V+! Batty is going to be finished tonight (hopefully, not counting the sewing up!).

Right I'm off, tea has mashed, needles and yarn are on the sofa, and that is where I am heading!

Sense and non-sensibilities!

I am having urges to cast on lots of projects. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. The sensible side of me (sensible - yerwot??!!) says not to. But then the Naughty Knitter (yay for Naughty Knitter!) says it's okay to cast on one or two small projects, seeing how I'm on leave this week......

Since starting Batty, I've only cast on one thing, sorry two things. A square for Macmillan Cancer and a shawl/cape thingy. The cape was inspired by the green eyed knitter in me. My friend Linda was wearing hers. I wanted one. It seemed provident that Linda had given me a few balls of the very same yarn for my birthday last year, that she had done hers in - Noro Silk Garden..... drool. It didn't take me long to decide to make one. So at the last Knit Chicks, I heavily picked Linda's brain..... how many stitches, how long, how wide, how many balls.........

I'm thinking of adding an edging to it. But I need more yarn. Noro Silk Garden, colourway 87, lot F, check your stashes!!!!!

I'm also tempted to cast on another hat. I've seen one in a magazine, I'm not a totally 100% of it though, perhaps that should hold me back. Then again, I've time to have a look for another jaw dropping one...... then spend more time digging through the ole stash to find a suitable yarn.....

......or I could finish Batty, and not feel so guilty about starting something new.......