How to inspire

Over the weekend, I shared this photo in Instagram, explaining how my daughter had found and fixed a hole in her cuddly all by herself.  I was impressed for several reasons:

1. I have always mended injured cuddlies in the past.

2. I didn't know how comprehensively well stocked her sewing box was.  I'm not even sure where some of that stuff came from. She has obviously inherited my ability to hoard select and keep any crafty supply that might someday be useful.

3. After repairing the hole using thread to match the fur, Isabel felt that she should embroider over her stitches in a brighter colour so that her cuddly could be proud of his scar.  (At this point I dissolved in a heap of weepy pride.)

The photo on Instagram attracted a few comments, which I wanted to share with Isabel.  She's always very interested in what I post and what people say and as this time the comments were really about her, she was even more keen to see.  

She was particularly impressed when @soxtherapist* said "You're raising a confident fiber artist right there!"  and she had two questions: what's a fiber (or fibre, if you're in the UK like us) artist and who's @soxtherapist?

I'm not sure that I realised before this how inspirational this sort of comment can be.  I know that I'm always thrilled to read good things about my work, but Isabel was so excited.  She has been playing with all things stitchy since that moment, looking for more cuddlies in need of first aid, working on some cross stitch, practising her crochet and gathering craft supplies for her 'fibre art' work.

This stuff is important.  That one little comment has inspired her and sparked an idea of what her future could be.  Tell your daughter, your son, your mum, your best friend, your Instagram friend, how amazing they are, how beautiful their work is, how happy you are that they shared it.  You have no idea what you might set in motion, what dreams and plans and wonderful futures might result from it.  

* @soxtherapist is an independent designer who came up with the most brilliant way of working the heel in socks, the Fish Lips Kiss heel.  You can find her here on Ravelry.  Tell her I sent you with thanks for taking the time to share a few kind words with a little girl she doesn't know.

Cake, crochet and croup

It has been a very busy week.

Two of my three children had birthdays.  Yes, we are awash with cake.  This year's cakes were unfeasibly tall and almost impossible to cut.  Almost.  They are also delicious and in the interests of reducing food waste I have substituted cake for lunch (at least) once this week.

In crochet news, I have a new pattern coming out this week.  Pop back tomorrow for more information and a special offer.

I've been working on a 'how to crochet' board on Pinterest, gathering tips and tutorials from the internet for quick and easy reference.  You can find it here.  I am still amazed at how brilliant Pinterest is - from crochet stitch help to a recipe for dinner tonight to how to do that eyeliner flick, it's all there.  Bit of a rabbit hole, though.  Much self-discipline is required to avoid losing an hour or two gazing at gorgeous stuff you didn't even know existed.

Today's plans have fallen apart.  Instead of food shopping, lunch out and possibly a trip to the yarn shop*, my youngest, who has had a slight cough for a few days, woke up this morning barking like a seal.  Croup doesn't frighten me like it did the first time I heard it, but it's not nice.  My poor little poppet is a bit up and down but lots of cuddles seem to be helping.  And thank goodness for Calpol, to soothe her sore throat.  Looks like it might be cake for lunch again.

*This trip to the yarn shop is actually borne out of genuine need for yarn.  Really.  I'm working on new designs for my book and my stash doesn't have the right colour/weight/fibre combinations.  Which doesn't mean that I definitely won't buy more than I need.  It's rude to ignore yarn when it asks you to take it home.

Yarn review: Sweet Paprika Designs Crescendo mini-skeins

Towards the end of last year, the lovely folks at Sweet Paprika Designs (an independent Canadian yarn dyeing company) sent me some yarn as part of their yarn support programme.  I had submitted the design concept for Storm Dance and they liked it enough to send me two of their Crescendo mini-skein gradient sets.

Each set has 6 mini skeins of 100% superwash merino.  Each mini is 20g/87yds, 120g/522yds per set.  I had Daydream and Deep Blue Sea which seamlessly blend with each other to create a stunning gradient of blues, from the very palest aqua to deepest ocean.  When it arrived (much earlier than I had expected, thank you very much to the Canadian and UK post services) there was much stroking and squishing of the little skeins, not just by me but also by my youngest daughter, who has inherited my addiction to appreciation of all things yarn.  My oldest, less of a squisher but still with an eye for colour, admired and told me what a marvellous job I have.  Oh yes, having to squish yarn for a living.  I really am very lucky.

Anyway, back to the yarn.  The skeins rolled into balls easily (not always the case).  The yarn is soft and smooth, lovely to handle.  The stitch definition is incredible, particularly important with the Storm Dance design, which uses stitches worked only in the front loop to create the wave effect of the stitches.

I also very much appreciated the smoothness of the yarn when I was unpicking stitches (the design process is not always smooth itself).  No snagging or sticky stitches at all.

And did I mention what a delight it was to see the colour progression as I joined each new shade?  I lost quite a bit of design time gazing happily at my growing wrap.

You can find Sweet Paprika Designs here, their Crescendo gradient sets here and my Storm Dance Wrap pattern here.

Choosing a colour palette

Colour is important in design, in fact it's important in pretty much everything, but it's of special importance when you're putting together a collection.  Every piece must work with every other piece.  The colour story has to be beautiful, cohesive without being matchy-matchy.

And it's not a straightforward thing to do when your collection is made from yarn... yarn from lots of different yarn companies, from different shops, from online...

My first thought was that I'd have to carry around a huge, growing bag filled with all the different items to make sure that any new addition worked with everything else. Whilst I was pondering the practicalities of yarn shopping with a holdall, a backpack and a small suitcase on wheels, I received an email from a paint company and had a revelation.

(Please note that I am not addicted to home décor as well as yarn. This particular paint company has a range of stunning, heritage inspired paint colours and I like to see what they’re doing and what new colours they’re bringing out. Just so you know.)

Anyway, back to the revelation. I realised that what I needed was a portable colour palette. A little card with all the relevant colours on it. Yep, that’s right. I ordered their free colour card. And when it arrived I cut it up into little rectangles of colour and had a thoroughly enjoyable hour arranging, discarding and selecting colours until I had a collection I was happy with. Then I went all Blue Peter and stuck the chosen rectangles on a card which will live in my handbag and accompany me on every trip to everywhere. Because you never know when you might stumble across some yarn or even a yarn shop.

Can you tell how ridiculously happy the colour exercise has made me? In case you’re wondering what collection I’m talking about, I’m working on a book filled with fabulous patterns and now it has a proper, grown up, cohesive colour palette. Now I just need to visit All The Yarn Shops.

Yarn review: Eden Cottage Yarns Carlisle Fingering

I am working on a very exciting project at the moment.  This year I will be publishing my first ebook of crochet patterns. I love my job as a designer, especially the part where I have to research, squish, choose and buy yarn for new designs.

I want to include all sorts of yarn (weights, fibres, budgets) in the book and it's particularly important for me that I have a pattern that uses just one skein of hand dyed 4ply/fingering/sock yarn.  Almost every crocheter and knitter has at least one gorgeous skein in their stash, much admired, lovingly stroked, but still to be used.  I do too, but not in the right colour.  Plus, I'm a sock knitter so I do use up those single skeins.

I was looking for superwash merino, 100g, very pale, not a solid colour but not striped or speckled either.  The pale bit turned out to be quite tricky.  The world is filled with a riot of colourful hand dyed yarn, as it should be, but finding the yarn I wanted took a while.

After much (very enjoyable) wandering around the internet, I found this beautiful skein of Carlisle Fingering by Eden Cottage Yarns.  The colour is Snowfall and it's a very soft ivory with tiny little hints of the gentlest blues.  It's 100% superwash merino and is as soft, squishy and gorgeous as you could possibly wish for.  Oh, and I think I might have snaffled the last skein of it.  There are lots of other colours available, though, and of course a whole web-store filled with other hand dyed loveliness.

© Eden Cottage Yarns Carlisle Fingering in Larch

I have started to work up my design and it's crocheting up very well.  I'm using a 3mm hook, which is giving me good stitch definition and creating a cosy fabric.  Even with the very textured stitch and small hook, it still has a little drape.  I usually go for a 3.5mm or even a 4mm hook to encourage drape, especially for shawls, but I'm aiming for warm and snuggly with this design.

The distribution of the faint blue is just right - enough that it is dotted throughout every row, but not so much that it dominates the cream base.

I can't wait to share the finished design.  In the meantime, if you have a hankering to squish your own skein of Carlisle, you can find it here.

Playing with granny squares

There are times when you want to crochet something simple, a gentle something that doesn't tax your brain or need your full concentration. 

For lots of us, that go to pattern is the granny square.

Following a stressful week, I pulled out some pretty DK yarn and spent a quiet evening playing with the granny square and came up with this little beauty.  At first glance, it's a regular granny, but look closer and you can see that it's not just trebles (or doubles, if you read US terms).

Round 1 is the traditional granny square foundation round: in a magic loop work ch5 (which counts as your first tr and ch2), then (3tr, ch2) 3 times, then 2tr and ss to first ch2 space to join.

For round 2, join the new colour with ss in any corner ch2 space and work ch4 (this is your first htr and ch2), work 3htr in same corner, ch1, in next corner (3htr, ch3, 3dtr), ch1, in next corner (3dtr, ch2, 3dtr), ch1, in next corner (3dtr, ch3, 3htr), ch1, in next corner 2htr, ss to first ch2sp.

For round 3, join new colour with ss in ch2sp between the 2 groups of 3dtr, ch4 (counts as 1htr, ch2), 3htr in same corner, ch1, 3htr in next ch1sp, (3htr, ch3, 3dtr) in next corner, ch1, 3dtr in next ch1sp, ch1, (3dtr, ch2, 3dtr) in next corner, ch1, 3dtr in next ch1sp, ch1, (3dtr, ch3, 3htr) in next corner, ch1, 3htr in next ch1 sp, ch1, 2htr in next corner, ss to first ch2sp.

(Note: written in UK terms.)

Still as relaxing as a granny square, with that little extra quirky touch.

Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK in White, Lemon, Citron
Hook: 4mm

Whatever you're working on this week, whether it's something simple like my granny square or a more complex project, enjoy.

Triggers

Getting it wrong.  That's one of my triggers, as I learned this morning.

I need to back up here, to give you at least some chance of working out what on earth I'm talking about. 

Anxiety began flirting with me a couple of months ago with, it seems, a view of forming a long term relationship.  I was unprepared and initially struggled, fighting back, becoming anxious about being anxious.

A couple of weeks ago, when a date with anxiety left me breathless, I realised that what I was doing wasn't working.  I am asthmatic and panicking about breathlessness is pretty much guaranteed to give me an asthma attack.  I changed my tactics and started to pay attention to each bit of my body and how it was reacting to the anxiety.  Fluttering around my wrists, heat in my cheeks, tightness in my chest - with each sensation I noted and acknowledged, the anxiety lesssened.  I call this being 'mindfully anxious' and, for me at least, it helps.  It doesn't stop the anxiety coming; I feel anxious almost every day.  It just helps me to feel less threatened by it, to accept it as something that comes and goes, mostly randomly, that I can deal with.

It is mostly random, but I have identified a few triggers.  I discovered a new one this morning, the getting it wrong thing.  But I need to back up again, because the getting it wrong happened after I anxiously responded to a message about one of my crochet patterns, because that's another trigger; messages about my crochet patterns make me anxious.  So yesterday, I opened a message on Ravelry, with anxiety sitting companionably on my shoulder, ready to start with the fluttering and tightening as I read about some confusion with my instructions and a possible issue with the pattern.  I responded straight away, knowing that once I'd dealt with it anxiety would lose its balance and fall off my shoulder, for a while at least.  But I missed something, didn't take time to check and my reply was unclear and not terribly helpful.  No surprise that there was a reply waiting for me this morning.

That was an hour ago and although I am sure that I've solved the problem, the anxiety is still there.  It feels like cold hands pressing down on my chest.  It wants to prevent me from getting on with anything else and just surrender to the panic.  I won't.  I will continue with my current design WIP and if that doesn't work I'll make granny squares.

Crochet always wins.

And I should add, please, if you are someone struggling with one of my patterns and need some help, please please please let me know!  I am a big girl now and a little squirt like anxiety shouldn't get in the way of anyone asking for advice, clarification or help.

Post pattern limbo

Whirligan in Scheepjes Whirl Dandelion Munchies

Yesterday I published my latest design, the Whirligan Cardigan.  A new launch is always very exciting, especially when you see your pattern on the Hot Right Now list on Ravelry.

But this morning, I feel a bit flat and in limbo.  This is the moment when I doubt myself and wonder if I have any more designs in me.  I start to worry that I've used them all up and this latest design was also my last design.

I've been here before, after the publication of each new design, and each time I get past it and find lots of new ideas bubbling up.  The trick is not to force it, to give myself a little time.  Tidying up all the mess I create when I create helps - all the notebooks, sketchpads and yarny mess that slowly builds around me as I work makes it impossible to focus on anything new so the first thing to do is to have a good declutter and sort out, open my sketchpad to a new page and arrange it neatly with a sharpened pencil.

After that, the best thing I can do is something completely different.  I hear that Mama Mia 2 is out at the cinema and I have a teenager who would love to come and see it with me.  Nothing like a couple of hours of Abba songs to clear the mind!

Monthly make: June 2018 - planning

Earlier this month, after looking at my wardrobe and my fabric stash, I started to make sewing plans and set myself the goal of making an outfit a month; that is, to sew a dress (or top and skirt) and crochet or knit an accessory for it.  That'll likely be mostly cardigans as I am a bit of a collector.  The dress and cardi combo is my go to.

My June makes are underway.  My stash gave me a metre of Cath Kidston cotton duck, bought quite some time ago with vague plans to make seat pads for the kitchen chairs.  That never happened, probably because I sensibly decided that with my messy lot they'd be ruined in about a week.

A metre isn't very much, even for a wide fabric like this, but with some clever and economical cutting, and accepting that I might have to add a contrast band at the hem (I'm not a fan of the super mini), I can squeeze out a Colette Hazel.

Photo is by Colette Media - find the pattern here 

I'll use a lightweight cotton for the facings and pockets, but that's a good thing as the cotton duck is quite weighty.  It's mostly cut out and I'm hoping to start sewing later today.

To wear with it, because every day needs a cardigan companion, I'm working on a new design (with pattern to be published later) and using gorgeously sunny Sirdar Pattercakes in shades of yellow, with perhaps a little hint of that fabulous pink.

Updates soon, I hope.  Is anyone else making outfits this summer?

I made my clothes

Wearing summer at the moment - sunshine cardigan and flowers on my dress

Anyone following the crafty side of social media knows it's Me Made May.  I say anyone, it passed me by for the first three weeks of the month, but when I finally looked up from life long enough to notice, I realised that I've been wearing me-made quite a lot this month. 

The dress above is my go to at the moment, but when it's in the wash I have a few others that get an outing.  And, of course, I have a small stash of 3m lengths (the 'dress length' cut) of some quite lovely fabrics waiting for me to sew them up into something delightful.  I think that might have to happen next week during half term, when my youngest is going to have a couple of days with nanny.  (The other two don't need me during school holidays except as a food provider and occasional taxi driver.  They seem to have gone from needy toddlers to almost independent almost adults in less time than it takes to sew on a button.)

Anyway, back to what I was saying before I digressed and lost several minutes pondering how fast children grow.  What I don't have is beautiful me made cardigans.  Well I do, I have one, but it's in an odd colour that doesn't really work with anything else in my wardrobe.  It got me thinking about how I plan (or obviously don't) plan my making of clothes.  Ideally, I would make a dress at the weekend and then knit up a cardigan to wear with it during the evenings of the following weeks.  But knitting takes quite a lot longer than sewing a dress and I already have a lot of WIPs in my basket.  Still, I really like the idea and as I've got older my patience with projects that are more long term has grown.  I also, rather excitingly, have the possibility of crocheting a cardigan, even designing one myself.  I'm a crochet designer.  I can do that.

Watch this space.  But don't hold your breath whilst you're watching.  Like I said, knitting and crochet take a bit longer than sewing.

Friday... time to make ice cream

A tea cup is perfect for serving ice cream and now I have the
perfect  excuse to buy more beautiful little tea cups.

So we started a very sweet tradition here, making ice cream to welcome the weekend. 

Of course, I know that lots of the ice cream at the supermarket is absolutely fine for a gluten free diet, but I stumbled across the most simple and delicious ice cream recipe on Pinterest.  I'm not linking to one particular version here because there are so many of them.  Instead, I'm sharing my version of it. 

It starts with just two ingredients, a 300ml pot of double cream (not the extra thick stuff, just regular double cream) and a standard 397g tin of condensed milk.  Don't stress if the ones you buy are a slightly different weight/volume.  This isn't one of those precise recipes.  This is a what-have-I-got-in-the-cupboard kind of a recipe.

Whisk the double cream to soft peaks.  Mix the condensed milk with your other liquid ingredients and then mix that gently into the double cream.  Add your other ingredients and mix gently.

Resist the urge to eat more than a little scrape of the bowl and spoon it all into a plastic tub.  Freeze for at least 6 hours.  You can churn it if you like and you have the equipment, but it doesn't add anything except perhaps to speed up the freezing.

Now for the best bit, adding flavour.  So far, we have made peanut butter ice cream, Nutella ice cream, lemon meringue ice cream and mint choc chip ice cream.

For peanut butter ice cream:
Add about a cup of peanut butter and a tablespoon of golden syrup to the condensed milk.  Add a couple of chopped up Snickers bars (chop them quite small) and some chocolate chips at the end.  We added in Cadbury Caramel Buttons too and it was beyond delicious.

For Nutella ice cream:
Just mix about a cup of Nutella with the condensed milk.  That's it.  If dietary restrictions allow, I imagine this would be incredible with smashed up Ferrero Rocher in it.  We can't have them but I like to think of someone out there scoffing it on my behalf.

For lemon meringue ice cream:
Add about half a jar of lemon curd (I used Sainsbury's Taste the Difference) to the condensed milk.  Add smashed up meringue (I used 4 regular nests from the supermarket) at the end.  Put a third into your tub, swirl over some more lemon curd, repeating twice more with the remaining ice cream.  Sprinkle over another smashed meringue.

Lemon meringue ice cream, ready for the freezer.

For mint choc chip ice cream:
Add 1 tablespoon of peppermint essence to the condensed milk.  If you like it green, add a few drops of green colouring as well.  Add a couple of crumbled Flakes and about half a box of finely chopped mint Matchmakers at the end.

And please, don't be limited to the flavours we've had time to try.  If salted caramel hits the spot for you, stir some in.  If you crave chocolate ice cream, melt some milk or dark chocolate as preferred and stir in the condensed milk.  And don't forget cookie dough, vanilla choc chip, honeycomb... so many flavours to try.  Up next for us is raspberry ripple and Bounty bar coconut and chocolate.  Yum.

My grandma was a WAG

I've been looking through some old stuff that I wrote and I found this post on an old blog that I wrote briefly when I was working as a freelance audio typist and virtual assistant.

My company name, Vera and Bess, is the name of two nans, both very creative and skilled at many crafts.  They were both amazing too, loving, funny, strong, clever, kind.  I miss them both.

This is what I wrote:

Yesterday was my nan’s funeral.  She was a week shy of her 94th birthday and she died quietly, in her sleep.  It doesn’t stop those of us who loved her from feeling bereft, from mourning the loss of the woman who’s been in every day of our lives.

As is traditional, during the ceremony at the crematorium, we heard about her life, about the woman she was.  And as I listened, I realised two things: that I only knew her as my nan, that our relationship was that of a child to a grandparent; and that we had more in common than I ever imagined.  I knew that my nan could sew and knit and made beautiful patchwork cushions, that I had inherited her cake baking skills (although I will never, ever be as amazing with a whisk as she was).  I didn’t know that she adored Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, as do I, one of many little details of her life that were shared with us.  I didn’t know that she was scared of thunderstorms, that she loved motorbike racing, that she was once a WAG.

My nan was my nan.  And sadly, looking back now, I can see that I never got to know her as an adult, I only knew her as my nan.  I was always a child in our relationship, despite being 43 now and a mum of three myself.  I never made the leap from you’re my nan, I know who you are, to who is Bessie, the woman who is my nan.  I so wish I had.  I think we would have been good friends.

Why am I telling you this?  Because it might not be too late for you to look at your nan, or your grandad, or your aunt, or your dad, and say who are you?  It’s not to late to get to know your family as people, individuals.  You’ll be surprised, delighted, intrigued.  And your lives and relationships will be enriched, I promise you.

As for me, I’m going to dig out my Ella Fitzgerald CD and remember the amazing woman that was my nan.

Craft (in)sanity

There's been a lot in the news this last week about knitting (and other crafty endeavours) being good for your health, but I think the craft community already knew that, didn't we?

I make stuff for a couple of reasons, although they're kind of the opposite sides of the same coin so you might call it one reason, or not.  I make stuff because if I don't make stuff - if I'm forced to focus on non creative, non making for too long -  I go a little bit crazy.  And I make stuff because that creativity, that all consuming focus on yarn or fabric, takes me away from the stress and craziness in my life and stops me losing the plot all together.

To really calm me down, whatever I'm working on needs to be challenging enough to completely absorb me.  The granny stripe blanket for my son that I work on in the evening whilst hubby and I watch Lucifer, although relaxing and useful for keeping warm on a chilly night, doesn't quite hit the spot.

The backpack I made myself at the weekend, with no pattern, no instructions and just a vague idea that I wanted lots of pockets, that's the kind of making I'm talking about.  Working out the order in which each piece of fabric needed to be attached to the next piece of fabric, which pocket would go where, when to insert the zip, how the straps would work...  for me, that required complete focus.  I was astonished when I lifted my head from the sewing machine for the last time to realise that five hours had passed.  I was very hungry; I forgot about lunch because it wasn't a pocket and therefore didn't need my attention.  I was also much more relaxed than I had been at the start of the day and I had regained much needed perspective on all sorts of things, but especially the things that I was tying myself in knots about unnecessarily.

Designing is the same.  Focusing on each individual stitch, row, round and element of a design takes all of my conscious thought.

For those times (and they are many) that I sit in waiting rooms at hospitals and clinics, keeping my hands busy with a simple, repetitive piece of crochet can be a godsend.

And remember, when challenged on the size of your stash or the amount of money spent on yarn, the appropriate reply is "It's yarn or madness and I choose yarn."

Gluten free wraps - an easy win

It's taken three attempts and a lot of research, but I finally made a gluten free wrap that looks like a wrap, tastes like a wrap and stays soft like a wrap.  This is a big win for my family - our almost-Mexican-chicken-wraps are a favourite and (like the GF bread) the wraps in the supermarket have met with a definite thumbs down.

If you Google gluten free wrap recipes, you'll find variation after variation after variation, from the very simple (little more than a pancake in truth) to the fairly complex.  In the end, I turned to the dark side and played with a recipe for wheat flour wraps. I swapped out the water for milk, which seems to be key in GF breadmaking, and I increased the amount of liquid.

This recipe is also great for making sandwich squares.  Just roll the dough out a little thicker than you would for wraps and cook for a little longer.  I roll out as thinly as I can for wraps (not too thin though or it's just too fragile to move) and for sandwich squares not quite 0.5cm.  I should also add that I'm using the term 'squares' very loosely.  My squares have very rounded corners, I just made sure that I had pairs that would fit together to make a good sandwich.

As always, I recommend Doves Farm white bread flour and I always add extra xanthan gum.

Ingredients:

250g gluten free white bread flour
1tsp xanthan gum
1tsp dried instant yeast
1tsp salt
1tbsp soft brown sugar (or caster sugar if that's what you have)
20g melted butter (veg or olive oil would probably work, but I haven't tried it yet)
200ml milk, warmed to just lukewarm (I used skimmed because that's what I have)
rice flour or bread flour for rolling out
olive oil for frying

Method:

Put all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and mix on low speed while you melt the butter and warm the milk.  Add the milk and butter and mix on low speed for a few seconds then on high until you have a completely smooth dough.  It will be sticky.  Cover the bowl with clingfilm (oiled if you are using a smaller bowl and think the dough might reach the top).  Leave for about 2 hours.  If you want to leave it for longer, once you've given it 2 hours at room temperature you can store it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before cooking.

This quantity makes about 8 wraps - make them smaller or larger as you wish.

Take about an eight of the dough and quickly shape it into a ball.  You may want to dust it with flour first as it may still be sticky, especially if it hasn't been chilled.  Roll out thinly.  Heat a tsp of olive in a non stick pan.  Cook the wrap for about 2 minutes on each side, making sure it doesn't brown too much.  You want it lightly coloured.  Once cooked, put it into a folded tea towel to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the dough.

For sandwich squares, roll out a little thicker and cook at a lower heat for about 4 minutes each side.

Serve the wraps warm.

I make a batch of wraps (double the recipe) and whilst they're still warm and pliable I fill them with sliced ham, roll them, wrap them individually and freeze them.  It makes filling three lunchboxes every morning much, much easier.  I also freeze the sandwich squares in pairs for the same reason.

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?  Leave me a comment.

Not so mindful

Oops, I really let life get in the way.  I honestly intended to work every day on my mindfulness blanket, using it as a form of meditation.  I missed a couple of days and then I completely forgot about it.

Actually I think part of the problem was the yarn I selected.  It wasn't as soothing as I thought it would be.  In fact I was finding it boring and it didn't appeal at all after the first few rounds.

Time for a change then.  I have a big bag full of leftover cotton dk in lovely colours and I've started over, just playing with granny squares as the mood takes me and it is perfect.  It's pleasing to look at, relaxing to make and will grow a little each day.

Yarn: Stylecraft Classique Cotton DK in Lavender, Fuschia, Shell Pink, Leaf, Soft Lime, Ivory
Hook size 4mm

Gluten free bread that you want to eat

When my older daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease earlier this year, I mentioned to a few people who were following gluten free diets that I planned to do a lot of baking myself because I saw no reason to stop baking, I just needed to use different GF ingredients.  People shook their head and offered dire warnings of how difficult GF baking is, how it was impossible to bake GF bread and GF flours were rubbish for cakes.

J doesn't eat a lot of bread and although the sliced bread we could buy was awful, some of the rolls were okay and so I focused on baking the treats instead.  It was when my two younger children, both big bread eaters, were confirmed as coeliac as well that I started to work on bread.

I've tried a couple of recipes and some different flours and there are a few key things:

1. The flour mix is crucial - I get the best results, consistently good, with Dove Farm's flour.

2. Even if the flour mix has xanthan gum included, I always add a little more.  It acts like glue and really makes a difference when you're baking without gluten.

3. Enriching even basic bread dough with milk and eggs improves the texture and gives you bread with good texture and flavour.

Ready to get baking?

Basic gluten free bread 

450g white bread flour (Dove's Farm is the best I've used)
2 tsp dried quick yeast (the kind you just add to your mix without activating it)
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 eggs, lightly beaten
350g milk, warmed to luke warm

Using the flat beater of food mixer, mix all dries together.  To make sure the yeast and xanthan gum are evenly mixed, I leave the mixer running slowly while I warm the milk and beat the eggs.  Add milk and eggs to the dries and mix thoroughly.  Turn the speed up for a few seconds to beat out any lumps.

The dough will be quite wet and sticky.

If you're making a loaf of bread, line the tin with baking parchment, grease it lightly and spoon the dough in (allow room for the dough to rise, don't overfill).  Oil some cling film and cover the tin lightly.  Leave to rest for 2 hours, then bake for 50 mins to 1 hour at 190.  Test for doneness by tapping base of loaf - it will make a hollow sound when it's done.

If you're making rolls, oil cling film and cover the bowl of dough.  Leave to rest for 2 hours.  Heat a baking stone in the oven at 190 for the last 20 minutes of the resting time.  Dust a sheet of baking parchment with flour (rice flour works brilliantly for dusting).  Being careful not to knock the air out of the risen dough (it will only rise once as there is no gluten), break off roll sized pieces and gently shape on the parchment.  I use a spoon to break off the dough and dust the top of each roll before shaping.  For a soft crust, brush the tops with melted butter or oil.  Take the baking stone out of the oven and dust lightly with flour.  Transfer the rolls to the baking stone and bake for 25 minutes.  For soft rolls, wrap in a tea towel straight from the oven and leave to cool.

The recipe can be doubled or halved easily.

If you make the bread, let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram with @veraandbess.  Happy baking.

The mindfulness blanket

In my last post here, I talked about mindfulness and my plan to use crochet to help me practice it.  Here is the pattern I will be using, and I use the word 'pattern' in the very loosest sense.  I don't want to be counting the stitches or worrying about getting it right, so I've got a very simple plan.

The blanket is worked from the centre out.  That way I can make it any size I like.  Working in rows from a starting chain (aside from the fact that working into the starting chain is my least favourite part of crochet, yes, I dislike it even more than darning in ends), the size is partially dictated already.  I want it to be totally flexible.

I have taken photos of the process for the first three rounds, just to illustrate the pattern, but from now I'll be working my 15 minutes every day (using an alarm on my phone so I don't worry about the time) and will just update my progress periodically.

Round 1: 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), then working in last chain from hook, (3tr, 2ch) x 3, 2tr, ss to first 2ch space.  (3tr each side of the square, 2ch at corners)

Round 2: 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr in same corner 2ch space, *(1ch, 1tr between next 2tr) x 3, (1ch, 1tr, 2ch, 1tr) in corner 2ch space; repeat from * twice, (1ch, 1tr between next 2tr) x 3, 1ch, 1tr in corner 2ch space, ss to first 2ch space.  (4tr each side)

Round 3: 5ch (counts as 1tr, 2ch), 1tr in same corner 2ch space, (1ch, 1tr between next 2tr) to the corner, (1ch, 1tr, 2tr, 1tr) in corner, continue around as set.  Repeat this row until your blanket is finished.

The yarn I'm using is Stylecraft Sundae DK in Coconut Ice and I will just keep going until I feel like it's finished.  This is about the process for me with this project, about working each stitch without thinking about the last stitch or the next stitch, without wondering when it will be done or how big it should be.

If you want to join in, hop over to my Facebook page here and let me know.  I'm going to try and share any insights and tips I pick up about mindfulness there.

Mental health, mindfulness and a crochet along

Perhaps for many reasons, or perhaps for no reason at all, I've been having a few challenges with my mental health recently.  I have become very anxious and a little depressed.

Life has been busy and I put myself under a lot of pressure with deadlines and schedules to design new patterns.

I realised that I needed to take a step back, slow things down and give myself some time.  As much as I love to design and make, trying to meet my own unreasonable goals is making me ill.

I know that I'm not the only person facing this sort of challenge.  I know that we all find ways to cope and manage.  Many people practice mindfulness and I've always struggled with it, but I thought what if I was to use crochet in my mindfulness practice?

So, for 15 minutes a day, I will be working on a very simple crochet project, focusing on being aware of making each stitch, the feel of the hook, the movement of my hands, the tension of the yarn, my breathing as I yarn over, draw through, yarn over, draw through.

I would love to have company on my journey.  Just hop on over to my Facebook page here and let me know that you're joining in.  We can share photos of our mindfulness project, ask for guidance (both crochet and mindfulness) and support each other.

I will be making a blanket using Stylecraft Sundae DK in Coconut Ice, because I love working with this particular yarn and I find this colourway soothing.  I have only bought one ball.  I know that I'll need more, but I'm not concerned about the dyelot being the same for this project (and this particular yarn is very forgiving with it's tonal variation anyway).  I want it to be about just this ball, this round, this stitch, without the weight of however many balls it might take sitting in a bag waiting to be worked.

I hope you'll join me.  Share your yarn choice and project with me.  I'll post the pattern I'll be using soon.

Coeliac baking: episode 1

It's been about two months now since my oldest daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease and we've been on a very steep learning curve.  Regular meals and cooking at home haven't been too much of a problem.  We usually cook from, so we've just swapped out some of our usual ingredients - stock cubes, the flours used for sauces, using gluten free pasta etc.

Baking is a little different.

When you take away the gluten, you change the structure, rise and crumb of your baking.  You can't just swap normal self raising flour for gluten free flour.  You have to learn about ingredients like xanthan gum and potato flour.

To complicate things even further, my daughter can't eat oats for at least 6 months either.  Some coeliacs are sensitive to a chemical in oats and so she has to exclude them and then reintroduce them in a control test.  Oats are a big ingredient in one of her favourite cookies, so my first baking experiment was all about replacing the oats without losing all the lovely oaty texture.

They're not the prettiest cookies in the world, and they're very fragile when they first come out of the oven, but as they cool they firm up and all three children gave them the thumbs up.  Recipes below for both original and coeliac versions.  Apologies for the quantities being in ounces - it's what I've always used, except for the chocolate, which is 2 x 100g bars.

Coeliac cookies

9oz butter or margarine

5.5oz soft brown sugar/caster sugar

1tsp vanilla

8oz gluten free self raising flour

5oz gluten free rice crispies

1oz desiccated coconut (note: I will add less rice crispies and more coconut next time, but this is all the coconut I had)

200g milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Beat butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla and beat briefly to mix in.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Use lined baking trays, drop large tablespoons of mix, leaving a bit of space between cookies, flatten slightly and push mix together - it will bind in the oven.  Bake at 180 for about 12 minutes, until golden brown.  Allow to cool on tray as they fall apart when first out of the oven.

Original oaty chocolate chunk cookies

9oz butter or margarine

5.5oz soft brown sugar/caster sugar

1tsp vanilla

8oz wholemeal self raising flour

6oz oats (not instant)

200g milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Method is the same as for gluten free cookies.  You can replace up to 2oz of the oats with desiccated coconut.  Add cinnamon and replace chocolate with a couple of handfuls of raisins.  Swap milk chocolate for white chocolate and cranberries.

Happy baking!

Vera and Bess has a new home

My blog has moved to a new home.  Come on over and join the crochet party at veraandbess.com.  I promise there will be yarny loveliness, tea and lots of cake.