Winter Sale, knitting, recipe and he's 21!

Hello friends

A long chatty blog post today!

First off my eldest, Mitchell is 21 today!!

I remember my 21st clearly and I cannot believe I now have a son who is 21,

someone please stop time!

Here he is with a variety of pets....oh yes he's a bit of an animal lover!
With Imogen - posh name for a grumpy cat of ours!

Lucy - Mum and Dad's cat.

 And of course Bella!

Mitchell has chosen to spend his birthday with Elliott and I,

he's just not into parties and drinking (unlike me when I was 21!)

We have a busy fun day planned in London, we are visiting some really geeky stores...

Forbidden Planet, Cyber Candy, Tokyo Toys and a special dinner planned at

Benihana - a Japanese hibachi restaurant.

I am sure I will be posting on Facebook and sharing photos on my blog.

I've received a few requests for the blueberry muffin recipe.

These muffins are calorie free - well, in an ideal world!

But they do contain a lot of blueberries so that's good.

They are not too sweet, if you prefer sweeter I would add a little more sugar on the top!

Ingredients:

350g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

200g sugar

125ml vegetable oil

1 egg

125ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Place the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl.

Place the oil, egg, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Add the blueberries and mix.

(Do not over mix, it makes the muffins too firm and chewy!)

Spoon mixture into a 12-hole muffin tin lined with paper cases.

Sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake for 30–35 minutes or until cooked

when tested with a skewer. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. 
Eat and enjoy!

I will be posting the chocolate chip cookie recipe soon,
again it is nice and simple - I cannot cope with complex recipes!

Next item...

I heard from Raystede Wildlife - they are doing really well for chickinis now,
if you are knitting them then please finish and send.
There is now another item they need... knitted nests!

Though it may not feel like it, spring will soon be upon us and Raystede see a surge in the 
numbers of young birds being brought in. 
Knitted nests provide a safe and comfortable place for the baby birds whilst they are being looked after.

This is the pattern:

Using 2 strands of yarn, cast on 54 stitches; then divide evenly among 4 dpns (double pointed needles).
Work in stockinette (all K stitches) until the nest is approximately 3″ tall.
Purl one row, and then start to decrease:
Row 1) K7, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 2) K6, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 3) K5, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 4) K4, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 5) K3, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 6) K2, K2tog—repeat to end
Row 7) K1, K2tog—repeat to end

 Cut yarns, leaving a 6″ tail. Slide yarn on needle, draw tight to close up end 
(put a few stitches across the gap if need be.) Weave in yarn and cut off.

Tips:

To make sure the nest is tight and washable, use two strands of washable yarn 
(using two different colors to make counting stitches easier). Use three strands if the yarn is very fine.

Use double-pointed needles—just about any size, from 5 through 9, depending on the weight of the yarn. 

You can use circular needles if you prefer.

When doing K2tog, it seems to be easier to knit through the back loops rather than the front. 

If you’re still having problems with K2tog, try using a crochet hook to pull the yarn through.

Only decrease to the point where you have a small, easily closed gap in the bottom of the nest; 
otherwise there can be a bump on the bottom that can make the nest unstable.

Directions given are for nests that are about 4” across. Cast on fewer stitches for smaller nests. 
They knit up so quickly, it’s easy to experiment. 
(If the nest is much smaller, start the decrease with K6, K2tog.)
The yarn should not be fuzzy so toes don’t get caught!

And lastly... phew...long blog post!
Over on the website there's a Winter Sale going on, nearly 200 items reduced!
Pop the kettle back on and have a browse - here is the link.

Take care friends - keep warm,
I'm back tomorrow - 1 February!