And that was that. I've finished uni for the year and it feels totally bizarre. So, after completing a presentation that made me so unbelievably nervous, I chilled out and listened to this magic music. I want to wear a flower in my hair just like the dear creature with the enchanting voice. Sigh.
I walked into town and treated myself to some wool that I've been umming and ahhing over for ages. I also went into the POSH knitting shop, not just the market where I usually get my wool. I proceeded to drool over the double ended bamboo knitting needles. They are quite possibly the most divine creation on earth.
So this marks the start of summer and this is exceedingly exciting as it means lots and lots of crafting, knitting and blogging. Hip hip hooray!
In other news, I created a Facebook page for my blog. I'd love it if you checked it out and maybe even liked it. Thanks, friends.
My mother is a cross-stitcher. I just don't have the patience. Even though I have patience enough to knit, but I guess my mind is just fickle like that. However, when browsing Pinterest, like you do (too often, if you are me), I found the cute little shop, Subversive Cross Stitch, that create tongue and cheek cross-stitches. Suddenly, I thought maybe cross stitch was, in fact, for me. Something about a traditional Victorian-esque sampler which has swear words littered over it makes me chuckle.
So, naturally, I attempted my own. And what better to stitch than the saying I live my life by? YOLO.
For those that don't know, YOLO stands for 'you only live once'. And, YOLO is the way that the youth of today brush away their stupid life choices.
To make a bookmark that will remind you everyday to 'YOLO', you will need:
'Binca' - that's the proper name for the hole material specially made for cross-stitch. You can't just use any old fabric, apparently, cross-stitchers are very particular about this business. Not like knitters, we say 'YOLO,' knit with whatever you want, friend. You can buy Binca from most craft shops or online here.
Red embroidery thread,
One needle,
Pins,
Scissors,
Felt,
Optional red wool - obviously, I could not do a DIY without wool.
To start, you will need to separate your thread. Embroidery thread usually comes with six strands making up it. You will need to pull these apart so you just have two strands and thread them through your needle. Now you can start stitching!
Here is the pattern to follow. I found the font type from here.
Once you've completed your stitching, cut the Binca evenly around the outline but leaving a big enough border so it doesn't fray. Then, pin the Binca to your felt.
To make your tassel, you will need wool and a small piece of card, folded in half.
Place one small strand of wool across the fold in your card. Wrap the wool around the card, similar to making a pom pom.
When you cut the yarn and remove the card, use the small strand to tie the tassel together. Wrap another small piece around the top to make the small bobble like head on your tassel.
Boom. Wrap that round your curtains.
Sandwich the tassel's tail between the Binca and the felt at the bottom. Pin in in place. Then, with a simple running stitch, go around the edge of the border so the felt, tassel and Binca are all connected.
Put the kettle on, grab the book and enjoy. After all... YOLO.
This year Betty's Tea Room celebrate 30 years of the Yorkshire Fat Rascal. A reason to celebrate indeed. Another thing happening this year, for my lovely friend, Alice, are lots of exams. Not so much a celebratory situation. She has got herself in a right tiny tizzy panicking about University and results. All of those dull things.
The answer?
Fat Rascals, of course. Her favourite.
The dear little poppet loves nothing better than going to afternoon tea at Bettys and having a Fat Rascal. Is there anything more quintessentially English? Or, indeed, Yorkshire-tastic? Bettys's Fat Rascals are something legendary. They even have commemorative tea towels. Want. Need. Must. Own.
One day, my courgette and lime cake will have a commemorative tea towel. That's the dream, right?
I first got the idea of making my own Fat Rascals after reading (and later watching) The Gingerbread Lad's recipe for them. May I divulge in you a secret, dear reader? The Gingerbread Lad is a total blog crush of mine *blushes like a thirteen-year-old girl* His blog is fantastic, his writing is great and his food is just visually divine. Forgive me while I drool over the photograph of the Lemon Profiteroles.
Recently, I fear I have been reading The Gingerbread Lad's blog far too much as I even had a dream about him. And, of course, I am going to go on a tangent and tell it to you. You're welcome.
It was University Freshers and I was in a club amongst a crowd of drunken strangers who were dancing like wilder beasts while I was thinking to myself 'I'd rather be knitting'. I know what you're thinking, was this a dream. Or was that real. You're so mean. The above has totally happened. Judge me not.
Suddenly, The Gingerbread Lad walks in like a celebrity, as if he was 'headlining', like the cast of Made in Chelsea do on club nights. I hope you know what I mean. If you don't, he made quite an entrance. To make it even better, he walked over to me with a tray of freshly cooked Fat Rascals and we danced to Skrillex.
Bet you weren't expecting that story when you clicked on this blog post.
I love to always keep you guessing.
Perhaps one day I will tell you about other dreams I've had, like the one were Taylor Swift and I drove to Meadowhall on her motorcycle, when Dizzee Rascal signed my school planner to tell my form tutor I had done my homework or the one where Robert Pattinson threw a milkshake in my face. But until then. Here is a recipe for Fat Rascals. That's what you came here for.
Things you will need for the Rascally Roo:
50g butter
100g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
25g caster sugar
40g currants
1 egg
75g whipping cream/crème fraiche/sour crème
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
4 tbsp milk
And for decoration:
glace cherries
sliced almonds This recipe makes five. There are five people in my friend's family. She may have shared them with her siblings. She may have not.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is doughy. Separate it into five balls and place them on a baking tray with parchment paper on it so they don't stick and you don't have the awkward scrape scrape moment. We've all been there, friends. Don't pretend you haven't.
Then, in true Betty's style, take your sliced almonds and press three of them on each rascal to make a smile. Cut the cherries in half and submerge them to form the eyes.
Say hello to your little rascal. He is a cheeky so and so!
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Don't even allow them too cool before taking them to the nearest club for a night out. They will go down a storm.
It is only appropriate that THIS is the song at the end of the post.
So it's happened. I have officially turned into a crazy knitting lady. Today marks the day that I finished my most recent project and that project was... knitting my guinea pig a jumper.
Say hi to Sesame! 'Hello,' he peeps back.
I am so proud of it! Look how thrilled I am and look at the fear in my guinea pigs eyes. I fear he didn't like it very much. He went very quiet.
