Cath Kidston/Greengate Inspired Bakeware and Blanket

If you're like me and LOVE everything Cath Kidston you will understand my joy at these incredible finds!  I let out a little squeal when I saw them, in a Michael's no less!  If you are in the USA, you should have one near you.  For my overseas followers, Michael's is a wonderful craft store.

Just LOOK at these measuring cups, dipping bowls and measuring spoons!  Doesn't it scream Cath Kidston?  I was like a little kid playing with the measuring cups.....stacking and unstacking them, admiring them, enjoying their lovely colors.  I found them in the isle where they have all the bins for things costing $1 - $5.00.  Not the bins in the front of the store where everything is $1.

 The spoons were $5.....and come in two different colorways.  Red and blue.  The little dipping bowls, in the 2nd photo, were $3.  The stacking measuring cups were $5.  All are ceramic, not plastic or melamine.

Of course, I then ran over to the yarn isle to pick out my colors for a baby blanket.  The pattern is ready to purchase from my Etsy shop!

I snatched up a few of each for future presents.  They also had big spoon rests and decent sized coffee mugs with the same designs.  If you are not familiar with Cath Kidston, find her site here.

Visit my Etsy shop
Craftsy shop

Till next time,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

When winding yarn from a hank, snip a little piece off and tape it to the yarn band.  Mark the label with any notes from your project.  You'll have a handy reference if you use that yarn again.

Food tip:

I use lemons all the time when I cook.  I love how they look in a bowl on the counter, but that is not the best way to store them.  They last 4 times longer when I store them in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

Bonfire Wedding Blanket

 I created this for my cousin, Eleni, as a wedding gift! Gorgeous in the colors of her big day...yellow and orange. Her mother and I are very close and I have received many a handmade gift from her during the milestones in my own life, so choosing a wedding gift for her daughter was easy!

 The hash tag (#) pattern is so common in technology, I just had to design something that is relevant for today’s young people. The clusters are at an angle lending to the hash tag pattern (see in the 3rd photo down).  Get your own custom buttons....."made with love" would be cute!

 Lightweight, colorful, reversible and easy to crochet with a one row pattern repeat. 

 Gradient yarn produces a stripe pattern without changing colors! The edge is a simple 4 row single crochet, but feel free to substitute any edge you like!

 This would be lovely in a smaller size for a baby!  Look close and you can see the hash tags are at an angle as opposed to on top of one another. 

 40” W x 67” L

                                                                                       (102cm W x 170cm L)

Tools & Materials:
*4 skeins Patons Lace (2) in Bonfire. 498 yards (455 meters); 3 oz. (85 gms) 
Any lace weight (2) will work. Approx. 1992 yards (1821 meters) total needed for the blanket
*crochet hook size K/10.5 (6.5mm)

Skill level: easy
Abbreviations given for American and United Kingdom terms
Find the pattern:
Etsy
Craftsy
Ravelry

or use the tabs at the top of the page!

Have a great weekend,

Sheila

Pattern storage tip:

I keep all my paper patterns in a 3 ring binder.  One binder holds all my scarf patterns.  Another holds all my baby patterns and so on.  I use clear, three hole page protectors to keep each one in and when I want to knit or crochet that project, I remove it from the binder in its page protector and take it to the yarn shop to buy my supplies!

Knit Socks On Straight Needles and a Crusty Bread Recipe

 I posted last week about finding an easy pattern to knit socks on double pointed needles.  After making several pairs, I popped over to the Barnes & Noble book store to browse sock pattern books.  Can you believe I only found one book!  But what a book it is!  Knit Your Socks on Straight by Alice Curtis!  Brilliant!  I have seen this book online and in book stores for quite some time, but never picked it up to flip through.  Big mistake!

 Beautifully written, easy to understand and tons of photos.  This is the first pattern in the book using worsted weight yarn you can find in your local Hobby Lobby, Michaels, WalMart or fabric store that sells yarn.  Alice shows you pics every step of the way.

 How cute are these little gingerbread people and snowmen?

 I adore these moccasocks house boots made with chunky yarn!

 Flip flop socks....whoduthunkit?  Use your sock or fingering yarn for these.

 I love these for St. Patricks Day!  A pair for you and a pair for your little leprechaun! 

Now, on to the bread.  This is the most awesome artisan bread I have ever made!  No kneading, no rising, no bread machine.  Crusty outside a with a chewy center.  If you follow Lucy at Attic24, you may have tried this already.  The only draw back is it must rest for 12 hours or more.  I put the dough together about 3:00 in the afternoon.  The next day at 3 in was in the oven.  The recipe states 12-18 hours but the 24 hours was just fine.  If you put up the dough in the evening, you can be baking the next morning.  The recipe is in American terms, but if you pop over to visit Lucy, she has the English terms for you.

Have a great week,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Not sure which size to knit from a pattern?  Compare pattern measurements from your favorite sweater.

Bread baking tip:

You'll know when you bread is baked fully when the inside reads 195 degrees fahrenheit  (90.55 celsius) with a food thermometer.