Tag Archives: tea

Practicing, forgotten purchase and 4th parcel

Posted on by
Reply

Last night I crafted like a woman possessed or obsessed, either way.

I practiced more weaving and began to get into a rhythm.  It occurred to me that just like in knitting, if you relax into it and don’t fret too much about tension and getting everything just so your hands naturally work to create an even tension.  Because, look…

…the edges are getting neater, still not perfect, but definitely better.

Then I practiced some more on the drop spindle to get something that vaguely resembled spun yarn, this is going to take some work I think.  My drafting is a bit, how can I say…

…craptastic

This is the fruits of my efforts from last night.

A bit thick and thin all over the place but hey, I’m enjoying the practice, so much so that when I eventually looked up from spinning I found it was one o’clock in the morning and way past my bedtime.  Talk about time flying by when you’re having fun.

So I was having so much fun last night I forgot to show you an adorable purchase I made yesterday in a little craft/gift shop a couple of doors down from Onabee.  Here he is

He’s a tea for two rabbit and he needs a name really, I shall have to put my thinking cap on.

Lastly, which is quite appropriate really my 4th parcel finally came. It’s a lovely book by Lucinda Guy called Northern Knits because I love the traditions and history of the knitting of Scandanavia and the northernmost islands of Britain.

Well that’s me for now, ttfn x

Happy St George's day!

Posted on by
2

It’s St. George’s Day and to mark it I’ve been drinking Pimms till I puke!

Ha, gotcha! No I didn’t really!

No, today I drank copious amounts of Yorkshire tea, as per usual on my day off and I made Parkin, whilst listening to “Family Jewels” by Marina and the Diamonds, my new favourite British artist.

For those who love cake (who doesn’t) and aren’t from Yorkshire, parkin is an old Yorkshire cake made from oats, treacle and spices usually served at teatime and for some reason it has become linked with Guy Fawkes night (5th November) .  It is fragrant and sticky and toothsome (due to the oats),  and if you fancy making it here is the recipe

225g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh ginger this time because my ground had lost its pungency will let you know if this was a good idea when I get to eat it)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

225g oatmeal

170g black treacle

170g golden syrup

115g butter

1 egg, beaten

150ml milk

Heat oven to 170C and prepare a 20cm square tin.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and spices together (if using fresh ginger add with liquid later). Add the oatmeal to mixture and stir. In a saucepan warm the treacle, golden syrup and butter, stirring till the butter has melted then incorporate into dry ingredients. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix well, then turn into prepared tin and bake for 30 or so minutes till a cake tester comes out dry, (I have a fan assisted oven with heating elements on the top and bottom I usually have to drop the temperature 10 degrees or so and bake for 5 or so minutes less than most recipes require) .

When the parkin come out it will smell heavenly and fragrant and you will be tempted to eat it there and then, don’t! Once it’s cooled store it in an airtight tin for a couple of days to a week if you can bear it and it will reward you by being more moist and sticky and yummy. Serve with a cuppa either as is or spread with a bit of butter.

The super cute Herdy mug was bought at baaramewe, to buy one online go to www.herdy.co.uk and help conserve the beautiful Herdwick sheep breed and their Lake District/Cumbrian homeland, go on you know you want to!

As for knitting, I’m still doing Emily by Ysolda, and I’ve swatched for 3 cardigans, but more of that later. Unhappily it’s been a bit too warm and sticky in Melbourne to wear Ishbel, the fluff would stick to my neck.