Frank and Josie's House

So to the next instalment in my gifts series. A Love Knot Scarf Now I have Pinterest to thank for this one. I knew I wanted to make a nice scarf for a friend of the family but I was unsure as to what. I scoured the wonders of Pinterest and found  this link to Amelia is Rabbit's site  and the pattern I used for this scarf. I really enjoyed making it and will do so again and again and again form now on. I've since discovered, whilst merrily crocheting away thinking to myself "I recognise this stitch" that it is in  Sue Whiting's Crochet Bible  only she refers to it as a Solomon's knot. Whatever it's called it's basically an elongated double crochet stitch (uk terminology) and the loop which you bring through and is normally short is kept long and produces this open stitch as pictured below. I love this stitch, whatever you choose to call it. I found it really therapeutic once I'd gotten going and easy to get lost in the hooking process. Now the main ...

Jam jam jam jam jam jam jam jam jam (to the tune of Monty Python's spam song) I love making jam! I do it whenever I have a couple of days free (it always takes a couple of days!) My mum bought me a book a couple of years ago called  Traditional Jams and Preserves by Eve Parker . Whenever I have an excess of fruit or see one in our local grocers I can't resist making jam, conserve or jelly. Last year I bought a tray of apricots for less than £3 and made lots of jam. Now you'd think that after making jams and jellies for a few years that I wouldn't need the book but not only is it a great reference tool, it also has great ideas that are on my 'to try' list such as Sweet Chilli Jam, Spicy Indian Chutney and Peach and Orange Marmalade plus there are recipes for relishes and ketchups which I've yet to venture in to. Also, because each fruit has a different level of pectin (which is what makes the jam set) they need different combinations of fruit and treating sli...

I love making things for my family. It brings a joy that nothing else quite matches. I mean, it's nice to get a present right but for that to also be something you created is great. I never leave myself enough time to make the presents I want to. Somehow I can buy in time but not plan my makes well enough. This year I had the added distraction of Rose being born. Now whilst I have learnt how to feed her and crochet it can get a little tangled at times. So this Christmas just gone I decided to prioritise the children I'd be spending Christmas Day with, which were my three and two of our nieces. I made five crochet gifts in December and have already started this year as I mean to go on and made some little things for my youngest and a birthday present for my eldest (see 1wig). I'm determined that 3 projects I've yet to complete will also happen, this includes a rare one for me! I thought I would tell you of my creative process (sometimes very creative) over my next few po...

I'm a bit in love with my new crochet covers for some small candle jars I have. Here they are. Aren't they lovely burning bright with the large pillar candle in the middle.  I love candles. The only thing I love more on a drizzly winter's day is a log fire. But in our house the chimney isn't connected so that wouldn't be a good idea. Since we've lived here I've adapted the fire place to become a candle haven. As you can see form the picture below the wax happily drips on to the tiles  below and is occasionally removed to make way for new hot wax! The other day I decided more candle were needed. I have loads of jars in the cupboard from candles I've bought over the years (mainly from Ikea). The jars I used are 5cms diameter at the bottom and 7.5cms diameter at the top, being 7cms tall. They are perfect for night lights. I used two different stitches for each jar. These are so lovely and quick you could make tons if you wanted. I used double knit wool and ...

Since I discovered Jamie Oliver's risotto recipe I adore this dish. It is so flexible and the main tip Jamie gives is to make the base roughly the same every time. Now me being me I don't do that! I use his method but not necessarily his ingredients. Here's what Jamie does. For this interesting dish I made the base with what I had in the fridge (I hadn't got around to restocking our depleted veg selection so I had to go with what we had). I resorted to onion, red cabbage (which turned the rice a gorgeous purple colour), mushrooms and baby sweet corn, with some shredded spring greens to come later. Slightly different to Jamie's I know. So I made the base per his instructions (in short: lightly fry the veg then add the rice and then the wine and finally the stock one ladleful at a time until dissolved) I was determined to be careful and patient ladling in the stock over the rice so it doesn't stick and waiting for it to become absorbed until you add the next bit. ...

I love Macaroni Cheese. It is a family staple and we have it at least once a week. I even manage to make it slightly healthier by also adding something green, such as peas, green beans or spinach. The other day I achieved something I've been trying in different formats for a while - a spicy Mac 'n' cheese. Yum! There a picture below. Unfortunately it's already half eaten but in our house that's not surprising. So the basic recipe is this: Ingredients (serves four hungry souls): 500g pack of macaroni good chunk of butter/marge/olive spread (whatever you use!) cornflour or plain flour milk cheese (about 250g) Method : First of all put the macaroni in to boil but don't cook it completely. This is important. It needs to do more cooking in the oven so leaving it a little undercooked is crucial. About 5 minutes in add the peas or beans (or both as I did here) for another 3 minutes cooking. Don't cook the spinach if you're adding it, whether it's frozen or...

It was recently Merida's 8th birthday. I love making things for my kids for their birthdays but this time I was concerned I'd already overdone my sets of hats, gloves etc. Also, I'd made both Finn and Merida some amigurami Avengers (more on that at a later date) for Christmas so didn't want to make a toy. This was mainly due to me needing a break from the fiddly stitches and having to think about the pattern so I thought I'd make something as a bit of a joke....and follow someone else's pattern. I turned to my trusty Inside Crochet magazine and found the perfect pattern from issue 70. It is called a 'Day of the Dead' costume and consists of a black wig with a garland of flowers and is intended for the celebrations at the end of October. Over the last year Merida kept asking for a black wig in order to dress up as various characters. So I thought I'd make her one for her birthday. It was one of those really cheerful makes that keeps making you giggle...