Button and Stitch marker swap

Here are the lovely stitch markers and buttons from Germany.

Also a lovely knitted mini sock, some chocolates (which didn't last long), and sweets.

Many thanks Ute ;0)

Viva Mexico swap parcel

Here's the great ViVa Mexico swapparcel from Shesazombie.

A great placemat, wooden spoon, gecko box, and two fridge magnets ;0)

Retreat

Away on a Buddhist retreat at Taraloka in Shropshire until Wednesday.
Taking some knitting to finish off and some reading with me.
Hopefully will get some writing and sketching done while there, and take some photos.
Update when back!

Saturday...

Quiet day today - read, surfed, mooched around the garden, and watched the qualifiying for tomorrows F1 Grand Prix.
Need to do some crafting tomorrow after the race.
Making some Cuban churros for brunch - just wish I had some nice Cuban coffee to accompany them!
Here's the recipe I'll be using, although I'll be making 1/2 the quantity:

Cuban Churros

Ingredients
3 cups of Flour
1 tbp Baking Powder
2 ½ cups Water
1/2 tbpSalt
3 tbp Dark Brown Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
Vegetable oil for Frying
2 Limes Cut in Wedges
Powdered Sugar for Dusting

DIRECTIONS
Step 1 - Sift flour and baking powder into bowl and set aside. Bring water to boil in a pan. Add salt and brown sugar stir until dissolved.
Step 2 - Remove from heat, add flour and baking powder and beat until smooth. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly.
Step 3 - Roll churros into sausage shapes. Fry 4-6 min or until golden brown.
Step 4 - Remove and drain on paper towel. Arrange on plate with lime wedges and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Hot, sunny Monday

Really hot here again today.
Just picked some fresh rocket and mizuna from my garden to make a nice salad for lunch.
It's great to be able to pop outside an help yourself to fresh crops.
I can't wait until the tomatoes grow - much better to have fresh tomatoes from the garden than buy tasteless (and expensive) ones from the supermarket!
Even though I'm only growing salad veg in tubs and growbags, we should have a nice supply to keep us going this summer.

I'm addicted to veg growing now. I've put my name down for an local allotment, although as yet the town is still negotiating with the council for land - but maybe one day I'll have a plot to grow more stuff on!

Hippy Swap Partner

Yeah - I've got my Craftster Hippy Swap Partner - it's Scaramouche from the Netherlands.
I've already thought of a few things to make for her for the swap.
Time to get crafting!

A nice cup (glass) of tea ...

I admit I'm addicted to tea...

I can't function in the morning without at least 2 cups of tea to set me up for the day.
I have one of these Whittards jumbo cup and saucers which I like to have my morning tea in!

I love teas such as Darjeeling, Assam, chai, lapsang souchong, jasmine tea, lady grey, etc.
My favourite at the moment is a China Rose Petal tea I bought last month.

I'm not too keen on herb or fruit teas, except for peppermint, although I intend to experiment with herbs and flowers from my garden this summer and make my own blend.

And I hate green teas ... or at least green teabags you buy in the supermarket! However I will try making some Moroccan Mint tea this summer which uses mint(obviously) and green tea.



At the moment though, I'm not drinking as much tea as usual - I think it's because of the hot weather. I just want cold drinks throughout the day.
So - I've been on line and got a couple of recipes for iced tea, which I can make and keep in a jug in the fridge...perfect... tea and a cool drink all in one!

Here's a Waitrose recipe for Lime Iced Tea - yum!






And here's a nice Lemon Iced Tea recipe



And don't forget the Arnie Palmer Iced Tea:
1/2 glass plain iced tea topped up with lemonade!

Quote for the week

We could all take a lesson from crayons,
Some are bright, some are dull, some beautiful,
Some ugly, and some have weird names,
As different as they are,
They all have to live in the same box ...

Kriston Morell, car crash victim
Alabama Public Safety Fatality Victims Memorial

Shameful Day for the UK

I am absolutely disgusted with the European Election results, and shamed to be part of a country that could elect 2 BNP (Britsih Nationalist Party Racist) members to the European Parliament.
Just listening to Nick Griffin (the BNP leader) on BBC news today, using such racist language chilled me to the core - I cannot believe that such people exist today, or that people have actually voted for this party.
It is very scary to think that people still hold these racist views.

The UK has been a multicultural country for so long - part of our uniqueness is because we have such a varied and diverse mix of people and cultures...something most people are proud of.

Excuses such as the economic crisis, immigration problems etc. cannot justify voting for these racists.

A shameful day in UK history - I'm too appalled to say more...

Show and Tell Sunday

Nothing to show as far as knitting / crafting goes this week.
All I've done is knit 8 rows of my cable cushion cover!!!
I've had a busy week - with dentist appointments, getting a new steering pump in my car and then getting it MOTed, and with now having a cold!

However, I have picked up a few craft books in the library this week:

More Celtic Quilting: Over 25 New Projects for Patchwork, Quilting and Applique by Gail Lawther, reviewed on my book blog here




Blackwork: A New Approach by Brenda Day







Compendium of Cardmaking Techniques by Judy Balchin, Melanie Hendrick, Julie Hickey, and Michelle Powell




Sewing in No Time: 50 Step-By-Step Weekend Projects Made Easy by Emma Hardy





Wild Women: Great Textile Brooches by Sarah Lawrence





All are good books with great projects - I'll be making some from all of them.
I've also added the Celtic Quilting book, the Sewing Book and the Blackwork book to my Wish List!

Saturday Knitting Finds

Just these two patterns caught my eye this week:

This beautiful Heart to Heart Beaded Scarf by Sivia Harding






and these pumpkins - ideal for Halloween - The Great Pumpkin by Julie Hunter

Beginning of the Summer wine

Last Beginning of the Summer wine - yes, it must be summer because I'm dreaming of sitting in my garden sipping a glass of ice cold white wine in the evenings...

I don't very often drink these days - mainly at Christmas, or if I'm out for a meal with friends (a rare occurrence now!)

But I've been fancying a glass of white wine for a while now.
We have a few bottles of red in the house left over from Xmas - but I've decided I'm going to make some of my own wine for this summer!

I'm going to make 3 white wines:
- An elderberry flower wine - from a kit which will be ready in late July!!!
- An Apple and grape juice wine - ready in about 3 months
- A Lemon wine - ready in about 6 months!

I'm also going to make:
- a Rose wine from a kit
- A Rose Red grape and White grape juice wine - ready in about 3 months
- and a Ginger wine - ready for Xmas!! (recipe here)

Don't worry - I'll be passing on some of these wines for Xmas presents!
It's only the kit wines that will be drunk over the summer months (between ourselves and friends!)

If these go well then I might experiment with more wine making next year - more of my grow your own /make your own lifestyle!!!!

I also want to pick sloes this year and make some Sloe Gin for Xmas:

Sloe Gin Recipe

Pick sloes from blackthorn hedges in October or November.
Cut or prick the sloes and drop into an air tight glass container, e.g a Kilner Jar
Cover your sloes with gin and add 1-2oz sugar per pint.
Seal
Turn or agitate the bottle daily for a week, then weekly for a month or two
Keep for as long as you can before drinking!

To Serve - strain liquor into small glasses and add a few sloes for effect!

What kind of Herb are you? meme

You Are Cinnamon

You are intelligent and complex.
You are both mild mannered and intense.
You are passionate to the point of being overpowering.
People can't ignore your presence.
You are always questioning and learning in your life.
You're on a bit of a spiritual journey.
You are drawn toward power and success.
You are never quite satisfied with your achievements.

take the quiz here!

Quote for the week

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.

Gertrude Jekyll
On Gardening

Show and Tell Sunday ...

Well - not much to show this week as I still haven't finished my cable cushion cover and I haven't done any other crafts this week.

I have joined a few swaps though:

The Viva Mexico! swap = post about it here (June post out)
The Hippy Swap = post here (July post out)
And three other swaps -

This Button and Stitch marker swap via Ravelry
You just send 6 stitch markers and 6 buttons!
Send out date - 23rd June

This Christmas 2009 swap via Ravelry
For this swap in December you need to send:
* One handmade Item
* 2 Skeins of yarn
* Our favorite Holiday Cookie Recipe
* An ornament for our partner's tree
* One “present” to open Christmas Morning
* and some fun goodies to spoil your partner :)
There are also 2 mini-swaps you can join in too:
in July - “Mini” Christmas in July - Ornament Swap
and in October - “Mini” Halloween Trick or Treat Swap
My swap partner for this swap is GiddyCrafter

Then I've joined the 2009 Worldwide Christmas Stocking Swap on Ravelry, as I enjoyed last years swap, despite it taking me so long to knit because of my carpal / cubital tunnel operations.
Partners by August 1, 2009.
Mail out October 15th, 2009.

Apart from swaps I've been thinking about sewing
I've found these two great project bags on the net which I thought I might have a go at (I'm a novice sewer)

This lovely Grab Bag - pattern available here
I love this style of bag - just like the Square Cake red one I knitted (see last weeks Show and Tell post)

Then there's this lovely Two Kates Project Bag - free pattern available here

I think I should just about manage these two patterns, so hope to go to get some material next week




And I have to show you this lovely Noriko Handbag, pattern available here

This would be lovely in some Oriental material like the one shown, and make a nice evening bag.

Saturday Knitting finds ...

Here are just a few patterns that caught my eye this week -

This gorgeous Cinnamon Grace shawl, by Katie Harris - really pretty.










This Gloria Scarf - ideal introduction to mitered knitting

These simple cable wristlets from Lionbrand

This great idea - Door Thongs Free Pattern
ideal for when the wind blows the door shut -stops the dogs getting shut in / out!

Friday fill-in 29/5/09

#126

1. It's cold and I prefer it to the heat!
2. I'm growing tomatoes.
3. My favorite health and beauty product is Bodyshop's Elderflower Eyegel
4.Wind down the windows in the car, turn up the music and go for a nice long ride.
5. Well, first of all I'm Welsh
6. An alien race, myself and some survivors; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was very wierd
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading one / some of the 13 books I picked up in the libray today, tomorrow my plans include planting up 3 pepper plants, and aubergine plant and some more herbs I bought this afternoon and Sunday, I want to chill out!

Trial Issues...

I recently took out a trial subscription to these two magazines:
Sew - a new magazine
and
Make Jewellery

Great deals - 3 issues for £3 on each

They've both arrived this week

Sew is a first issue, so I'm going to see what the next one is like before I make a final judgement. So far I'm disappointed by the number of adverts in it, and the fact that the the dress patterns only go up to size 16. My daughter, for example, while thin, has a natural large chest, so she needs an 18 to accommodate her voluptuous G size boobs. I'm not expert enough at sewing to adapt the pattern!

I've decide I won't be renewing my subscription to Make Jewellery. Unfortunately the magazine concentrates on beading, which is not what I'd hoped for. I wanted more things like metal crafts, etc.
Still these 3 trial mags will be good to read.