Pomegranates & cheesecake...

This is definately not one for anyone one a diet but I did warn you I could feel a pudding post coming on! 

This time it's the naughtiest, creamiest, yummiest cheesecake...it's always popular with the family and I decided to make one last week when I had some friends to visit.  It went very quickly too  - which is just as well because it stopped me from eating too many slices!

I've got to the stage where it's a bit of a 'throw-it-together-and-adjust-according-to-taste' type recipe so apologies for no exact measurements but I am sure you will get the gist (or be able to find yourself a similar 'no cook' recipe!).

To begin I simply bash up some digestive biscuits until they are nice and crumbly then melt a good dollop of butter in a saucepan before adding & mixing them in (don't you just love the word 'dollop'). If I accidentally add too much butter I just add more crushed biscuits, after all no-one usually complains that the biscuit base is too thick!  Next, press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of a loose-base tin and I find it helps to smooth it with the back of a metal spoon.

For the filling,  I normally mix up around 1 + 1/3 tubs of cream cheese, couple of tablespoons of honey and a couple of ounces of brown sugar.

Then I whip some double cream (around a medium size pot) and spoon some into the cream cheese/honey/sugar mixture and carefully mix it in.  The best part now is to keep having little tastes until it has a nice balance of creamy-cheesy-yumminess!

After that, all that remains is to just dollop (there's that word again) it on top of the biscuit base, smooth nicely and pop in the fridge for several hours  or overnight is better.

So, that is the basic no-cook cheesecake and all that's left to do is decide what topping to decorate it with. I chose to embellish it with some gorgeous little scarlet pomegranate seeds...

Pomegranates can be quite tricky to de-seed and the juice really stains so be careful where/what you are preparing it on.  The method I used was to slice the top off then score & pull apart rather than cut in half.  You can also bash the outside with a spoon to make the seeds pop out.  It's a little messy but they are worth it for a stunning finish to the cheesecake!  

Once it's chilled nicely, remove the cheese cake from the fridge and put it on a plate then sprinkle with the little red jewels. Then for the best bit.....  simply slice & serve with an extra sprinkling of juicy little seeds ....mmmm

I did tell you it was a bit naughty...


Enjoy! 

xxx

Autumn leaves, fruits & textile charms....

Can you guess what has inspired this make?

It's a bit grey out today but last weekend it was sunny & bright which made the beautiful range of autumnal colours of the leaves really 'pop' against the blue sky! I couldn't resist going out & about to take a few snaps and, after all the crocheting last week, I felt like I needed a bit of fresh air and maybe a change of craft medium before I get stuck back into making stuff for the yarnstorm (only 3 weeks to go until the stitch up!)

How beautiful the deep russet browns and coppers...

                           

and striking the bright yellows & golds...

                           

Such luscious shades of pinks from blush to scarlet reds   

- all adding up to a truly stunning colour palette!   

Some of the trees even seemed alight with colour!

It was all simply magnificent!

So, inspired by the colour overload and on the search for something a bit different I started to have an idea for making some textile charms that I could use in some sort of jewellery design.  When we got in I rummaged through my fabric stash for something with the kinds of colours that I wanted to work with and sat down to figure out just how I would go about making my fabric into 'charms'....

I tested several ideas before settling on the final technique and I think they worked out quite well in the end.  They do have the colour mix I was aiming for and I like the rustic handmade look.  They also hang quite well without 'curling' which is what you need  when you want to use something like this in jewellery.

If you would like to have a go I have put all the steps together in an ADM mini-make for you (click here)

 

Of course, you could add a few beaded charms as extra embellishments to your charm bracelet or use the basic technique as a guide for making other shaped textile charms.  They would also look quite good on a lariat style necklace... the choices for variation are many!

I think I am going to put this one in my box of Christmas gift makes and I know just the person who would like this sort of thing so that's one thing ticked off my gift list!


Oh - and here's some autumn fruits too.....

....I can feel a pudding post coming on :-)


Enjoy making xx 

UPDATE: now also available as a flip book style tutorial

- simply click to see it:

Poppies update...

Just a quick update...

I spent much of last week making crochet poppies and giving them away to people who then went on to make their own donations in the poppy tins.  I've worked out that it has helped raise more than £100 for the Poppy Appeal which is totally fab  - thanks to everyone who made a donation!

Next year I must start making them earlier....

Back soon xx

UPDATE: now also available as a flip book style tutorial

- simply click to play the video below:

How to crochet a Poppy...

 
Yesterday it was moustaches, today it is Poppies!  It would seem like November is a month of causes so let's all get stuck in..

I made this poppy flower pattern after I couldn't find one I liked and I've made a few in lovely bright scarlet red cotton DK for friends & family on the premise that they will put a bit extra in the poppy appeal collecting tins - hopefully you will do the same if you use this pattern...

The Poppy

       Red Cotton DK & 3.5mm Crochet Hook

• Start with a magic circle and make 2 ch (you can use 3ch if you are not familiar with magic circles - just crochet into the 1st ch instead)
• Make 11 dc into the circle, ss to join
• *2ch, 2tr into first dc then 2tr in each of next 3 dc but on the last one add 2ch and ss to the same dc* - this completes the first 'petal'
•  ss to next dc then rep from * to * to make another 2 'petals'
• Fasten off and pull the thread from the magic circle to close the gap. 
• Sew in the ends before trimming neatly.
• Sew a small black button on to the middle of the poppy and add a brooch finding or safety pin to the back.

There is a picture step-by-step here for those who prefer a visual guide :-)

1)  Start with a magic circle and make 2 ch then make 11 dc into the circle

2)  ss to join, 2ch

3)  2tr into same dc
 
4) 2tr in each of next 3 dc

5) add 2ch and ss to the same dc - this completes the first petal

6) ss to next dc, 2ch 

7) 2tr into same dc

8) 2tr in each of next 3 dc

9) add 2ch and ss to the same dc (to complete the 2nd petal) then ss to next dc, 2ch

10)  2tr into same dc, 2tr in each of next 3dc, add 2ch and ss to same dc to complete the 3rd petal.

11)  Pull the thread from the magic circle to close the gap, sew in the ends & trim.  Add a black button to the middle of the poppy & a safety pin or brooch finding to the back.

The Leaf

Green DK & 3.0mm crochet hook

•  Start with 10 chain
• 1tr, 2dtr in 3rd ch from hook
• 1tr in next 3ch
• 1htr in next 2 ch
• 1dc in next ch
• ss to next ch, 1ch
• then, working down the other side of the chain...ss to first ch
• 1dc in next ch
• 1htr in next 2 ch
• 1tr in next 3ch
• 1tr, 2dtr in next ch
• ss to back to first ch & fasten off

They can be worn with or without a leaf (I quite like them plain) and I think they look quite good as a cluster for a brooch too.

Enjoy x

UPDATE: now also available as a flip book style video tutorial HERE

If you use this pattern around November time, please pop an extra £ in a poppy appeal donation tins - thanks!

Cro a Mo (....how to crochet a moustache for Movember!)

I guess many people come to supporting a specific charity through some sort of personal experience and through it end up wanting to give back - to try and make a difference no matter how small....

Several years back I did just that and began to try & help raise awareness of prostate cancer by putting some of the Prostate Cancer UK little blue man badges on my website and it was very humbling that people bought them and I was able to send them a cheque.  One of the main things I became aware of is how this is one of a few cancers that has many viable treatment options - particularly if caught early (further information here).  Unfortunately, because one of the first symptoms is a little embarrasing many men leave it too long so awareness really is the key and I fully support the 'Movember' initiative that I am pleased to say is growing in support every year!

Last year my husband grew a 'Mo' and managed to raise a good amount £££s.  If I could 'grow a Mo' I really would....but I can't so I have decided to 'cro a Mo' instead - and I figured I would share it with you and that that will still be helping to raise awareness :-)

So ladies,  hooks at the ready please...

(1)   Beginning with a little DK wool and a 3.0mm crochet hook, cast on 5 ch.
(2)   1dc in the second ch from the hook
(3)   1dc in each of the 3 remaining chain stitches, 1ch, turn

(4)  dc2tog, dc2tog, 1ch, turn
(5)  *1dc in each dc, 1 ch, turn, repeat from * once more
(6)   2dctog, 1ch, turn

(7) *1dc, 1ch, turn then repeat from * another 3 times
(8)   2ch then fasten off
(9)   Repeat steps 1-8 to make a second half of the moustache then sew them together!

........ta-dah!

Now you can thread it on a stick and wear with pride..

 I am so going to regret this photo aren't I ...but then, it's all for a good cause :-)

And you can make lots in lots of colours and help get the word out and if you would like to you can make a donation to  Movember here:  http://uk.movember.com/donate/

Thank you xxxxx

 

And the winner is......

.....no-one!

As of this morning there were no comments left on the blog for the bead giveaway so I will put it away for  another time.

Back soon!

Trick or Treat....

Did I already mention that I like Halloween alot ..... ?  Sorry,  it must be the child in me or possibly the sugar high I get from sorting   pinching all the sweeties we stock up on ready for the inevitable flood of local kids ghouls!  

Of course the fun doesn't stop at midnight either because as soon as the clock chimes we enter another skull loaded celebration with the 'Day of the Dead' festival aka 'Dia de los Muertos' !  I probably shouldn't even get started on this one because we could be here a long time but the colours, the sugar skulls, butterflies, folk art and flowers... are just amazing!

So, back to the purpose of this post...the blog TRICK is this fun little ghostie make which you can knock up in 5mins and give to the kids to dangle on a stick on the doorsteps later tonight....

All you need is some scissors, glue, elastic band, needle & nylon thread, wobbly googly-eyes, kitchen towel and white fabric (or you could even just make them from kitchen towel is you have no fabric!).  I used one of my son's old school shirts which he seems to grow out of within the first term and which always have just enough ingrained dirt splodges on to render them too shabby for the second hand shops...

Follow these 6 simple steps:

1)  Cut a square of white fabric
2) Screw a kitchen towel up into a rough ball shape (for the head). Place in middle of fabric square.
3) Gather fabric around the kitchen towel and secure it with an elastic band
4) Cover the elastic band with a scrap of white fabric
5) Glue on some wibbly-wobbly-googly-eyes
6) Sew a length of nylon to the top of the ghostie head so you can dangle it from a stick

I hope you have fun with that - you could make loads and make a ghostie-tree for your window display:-)  Next, the blog TREAT  is a chance to win this fab mix of beads, kindly donated by Beads by Lili  

As you can see it is absolutely b-u-r-s-t-i-n-g with colours, flowers & skulls!  It could be all yours too because it's the very first blog giveaway and entry is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!


This giveaway is open to anyone aged over 18 living in the UK and to enter all you need to do is leave a comment below this blog post by midnight EST on Sunday 04.11.12 

The lucky winner will be announced on a new blog post and the beads sent out once they have contacted me with their address (UK only).  The full terms of our giveaways are here so make sure you check them out and then get commenting !





                              Have fun over the next few spooky days
                                                               & 
                                                     Good Luck !