Coffee time

I've long admired the many knitted cafetiere and mug cosies on the web, and thought about having a go at one. Inspiration struck the other day while I was sipping on my tepid coffee, and here's the result...

Mine is knit in Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky (it's a sample skein that has been lurking about the shop calling to me for quite some time!), but it would also work in Donegal Tweed Chunky. I decided to use smaller needles than suggested on the ball band to give a stiffer texture and a nice dense fabric for keeping the heat in.

Chunky Cafetiere Cosy

1 hank Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky or 1 hank Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Chunky
6mm needles, 3 large buttons

Fits a standard size cafetiere, finished measurements 14cm x 30cm plus loops. Cast on more stitches for extra width or knit rows to add length.

• Cast on 20St and knit 6 rows garter st (knit every row).
• Starting with a knit row, knit 6 rows stockinette st (knitting the first and last 3st on eery row), then knit 6 rows garter st.
• Repeat the last 12 rows 4 more times.
• Knit 2 more rows garter stitch then cast off.

• For the button loops (make 3): cast on 16 st then cast them off again.
• Hold the ends of the button loop together and sew to the cast off edge of the cosy, spacing them to avoid the handles of your cafetiere.
• Sew the buttons in the corresponding places on the oppposite end of the cosy.
• Sew in the ends and put the kettle on!

Cinnamon rolls and birthday socks

It was knitting group at Twist this weekend so I decided to bake some cinnamon rolls. Not wanting to get up at crazy o'clock to start them, I made the dough the night before (using Richard Bertinet's sweet dough recipe). After an hour to rise I flattened the dough into a rectangle, sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar and rolled it up into a log for slicing.

I left the cut slices proving in the fridge overnight, then all there was to do on Saturday morning was let them warm up for an hour then slap them straight into the oven. Very tasty...

I also had a very productive week to get these done in time for my mum's birthday on Friday:

Spring Chickens

I've been getting into needle felting recently - here are my spring chicks making themselves at home on the counter in the shop...

(yes blood was shed, but I still had fun making them!)

All things orange

I've been busy knitting Elan's Voyager Stole - I used the excuse that I needed it to go with my bridesmaid dress (in the tropical heat of Costa Rica, of course it was essential!), and I've been wearing it pretty much non stop ever since....

Knitted with 2.5 balls of kidsilk haze on 4.5mm needles. Lovely.

I've also been rather busy with the sewing machine this week, here are two of my three new aprons. I'm totally adicted to making aprons. Resisting the urge to go to ikea and buy up heaps of fabric.

And hurrah, it's rhubarb season again! I had my first bunch this week, roasted with a bit of ginger, orange zest and brown sugar, lovely on muesli. And the cake of the week is Nigel Slater's apple and marmalade cake - very good timing since I've just produced about 10 jars of marmalade from a frozen stash of seville oranges!

New Year Gloves

I knitted some gloves over the holidays, not before time! Here they are getting put to the test in snowy Newburgh last weekend...

Thanks to Laurence for the pictures, more of the amazing frozen Tay here and here.