I wanted to share three things that I found.  Firstly, these lovely double pointed needle holders from Manfield Crafts.  I absolutely loved all their kits too, but couldn't justify buying the for myself, so settled for buying the double pointed needle holders, which are a FAB idea!


Next, I found some gorgeous buttons from Wendy Fowler, who also makes amazing pottery bowls for popping your yarn into while knitting.  My yarn, incidentally, can be used straight into these bowls without winding them again, as they have been wound with a ball winder already.  You will see these buttons again in some kits coming in the Autumn, so watch this space!



Then I found these lovely squares of felt, from Oliver Twists, which I am going to use both in my Tea Needs You! kits and in some new designs (although not quite sure how yet, but they were a 'must buy').

I managed to resist the urge to buy any yarn.  Didn't I do well?

Its been too hot to do a 'Big Shop' so I have been popping into the supermarket at the end of day to try and pick up exactly what I need for the next 24 hours only.  I am not used to shopping this way, so I have ended up with some random stuff left in my fridge!  Today, a slight breeze picked up around 5.30, meaning that for the first time in ages, I thought I might be able to stand being in the kitchen for more than half an hour, and decided to make a pud.  

Ready Steady Cook used to be one of my favourite programmes when I was a teenager (oh, dear, was that an admission to being very SAD), and I still like rising to the challenge of taking five ingredients and making something up.

Today I had in my possession:

Two punnets of apricots
A tub of mascapone
half a packet of amaretti biscuits
A lemon
Allotment raspberries (my Mum's allotment - I wish I had time!)

And this is what my daughter and I came up with:

Hottest Day Apricot Shortcake

Serves 4 - 8 (depending on how many people have seconds!)

Ingredients:
40g amaretti biscuits
60g plain flour
40g butter, cut into cubes
20g caster sugar
One and a half punnets of apricots, sliced
juice of half a lemon
250g Tub of mascapone (you probably won't use all of it)
2 Tbsp demerara sugar

1. Tip the biscuits into your Kitchen Aid bowl (or equivalent) and bash them with the end of a rolling pin to crush them.
2. Add the flour and caster sugar and butter and whizz for a few minutes until moist and chunky crumbs are formed.  You can rub in with your fingertips if you don't have a whizzy machine.
3. Tip the crumb mixture into a greased shallow flan tin and press firmly onto the base with a fork.
4. Cover with the apricots.  You can arrange them if you like or just throw them on.
5. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.  
6. Dot with mascapone (I recommend using a little bit more than is showing in the pic!).
7. Bake in the oven at 190 for about 30 mins.  Cool in the tin for fifteen minutes or so.  The shortcake stays warm (particularly on a hot day) but is easier to serve and less likely to break up if you leave it for a bit.  Mine was ready just before I served our first course, so I left it on the side while we ate that and then it was perfect.
8. Cut into eight pieces and serve warm in slices with mascapone and raspberries.

The verdict:  

"I love the base, but I don't like the apricots or the mascapone" (Fussy daughter)
"Can I have more?" Three times over (not so fussy daughter)
"Interesting and tasty base; more moist than a normal shortcake base, but still with that 'crunch' factor.  The apricots blend beautifully with the mascapone and the raspberries.  Definitely one to repeat" (Me)

The patterns have arrived!  

On a hot sunny Friday morning, I drove to the publishers to pick up my Autumn Collection pattern booklets - all four of them.  They filled the boot!

They look stunning, thanks to the hard work of Neil Arch who designed them.

I decided to get proper pattern booklets made for my new collection, partly in response to customer comments that they actually wanted a physical booklet to work from.  Some people prefer a PDF, for convenience, or if they want to start their project straight away, but we think it provides the best value for money to give you a professionally published booklet.  You can still buy PDFs for immediate download from my ravelry shop, but any patterns you buy on this website will be the real thing.

We hope you agree?  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I was not having a good day on a personal level, so discovering not one, but two reviews of my yarn in Knitting Magazine really perked me up.

Having a summery name comes in handy at this time of year, and I like the choice of title for this piece.  I am also pleased that the editor has really taken on board what the yarn launch is all about for me - helping those at the very beginning of the chain of production, the shepherd's, to have a better life and for their children to have a future.  

If you want to find out more about how alpacas are reared, and about the climate and culture in Peru, where my yarn comes from, then you must watch Wild Shepherdess with Kate Humble on BBC iplayer.  This programme gives a window into the world of the alpaca shepherd and the sometimes harsh realities of living a life dependent on your animals.  Kate spends time living amongst the people of Peru, discovering what it actually means to be shepherd, rearing these incredible animals, and there's not a dull moment, from the looks of things!

If you buy my yarn, you are directly supporting indigenous people like the ones featured in this programme.