Autumn is Coming

Hello my dear figs!

This week has been a hectic one at the cottage! Lots of cleaning, visiting with family from Newfoundland, a couple crafty ventures, and this lady has had a rather full week of work. As of today, I am on holidays for two weeks and am really looking forward to some serious relaxation. My dad and I are driving to Vancouver for a holiday to visit my brother, and also for me to take part in a close friend's wedding as one of the bridesmaids!

Here's a few snaps of what I've been up to this past week!

Another of the loop-through/keyhole scarves, this time in moss stitch. I've had this Sublime Angora Merino for ages and thought it would nice made into a wee scarf. Will likely be casting off tomorrow once we hit the road.

A bit of new woolly excitement... a girlfriend (and fellow knitter/yarn addict) let me borrow her drop spindle to try out hand-spinning my own yarn. I don't know the maker or brand of it, but it's a top whorl spindle, not too heavy, and was nice to use. I feel like I got the hang of using it rather quickly, and was able to spin up a mini skein of worsted(ish) weight yarn. I could tell there was too much twist in the yarn because when I took it off the spindle it still twisted up on itself. A warm bath helped relax the fibres a bit, and I hung it to dry with a big can of beans weighing down the hanging loop. Next morning it was dry and more manageable. I then twisted it up into the wee stubby skein you see below :)

There has been a big change in our weather recently, too. AUTUMN IS COMING! That precious summer sunshine has been replaced with grey skies and cooler temperatures. Autumn is my favourite season and I'm so excited for sweater weather, cozy blankets, hot cocoa, and pumpkin (spice) everything. Just the other night I was craving something sweet to have with a cup of tea and saw a picture of these bars on Tumblr. 

Clicking the link was a bad (or very good) idea and I had to make them. I give you SOFT AND GOOEY LOADED S'MORES BARS, from the gorgeous blog Averie Cooks. If you've got a sweet tooth, be sure to click through and see all her other drool-inducing recipes. Here's my finished batch after cooling.

So that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by! I'm not sure if I'll get a change to post whilst on holiday but will definitely try! I plan on hitting up a few great knitting shops while in the Vancouver area, and will probably be too excited NOT to share photos with you all! Happy Friday! ♥

Midweek at the Cottage

Hello lovely figs! I am slacking a bit this week and for that I apologize. Today I'm amalgamating my usual Tuesday and Wednesday posts into one delicious, pretty post. Here we go!

This week, after finishing my plush heart and babouska rose square, I decided to have a go at a different knitting pattern called Ten Stitch Zigzag by Frankie Brown. It was a bit fiddly at first, getting used to a new technique but the pattern is rather easy and well written. Primarily worked in garter stitch, the nice thing about this pattern is that it looks equally pretty in solid or variegated yarn, and there's a neat little stockinette edge that separates each zigzag strip. Here's a shot of my progress so far. I have an idea for a future design that will incorporate this technique, and will be sure to share my progress.

As a detour from the knitting, I got out my cross stitch supplies this week and have been working on this little piece. It will be a rather lumpy character from one of my favourite animated shows. Can you guess which one? :) Totally improvised, I'm not working from a pattern. I just sketched the shape right onto the fabric with light pencil lines and filled in the shape. The purple fill is almost done, and then I will outline and add the face/other features.

OK! Now on to the tasty part. Today I'm sharing what is probably the easiest cookie recipe EVAR. Super fast to make, and does not require (oven) baking. I've been making these for years and they're a nice option when you want something sweet but don't want to spend 30+ minutes in the kitchen. Darling figs, I give you.....

3 MINUTE NO BAKE COOKIES!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups quick oats

Instructions

• In a medium/large saucepan, combine the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa.
• Stirring frequently, bring mix to a boil over medium heat. Allow to bubble for a couple minutes.
• (Keep a close watch on it, once it starts bubbling you'll need to keep stirring so it doesn't burn.)
• Remove from heat and stir in oats.
• Drop by tablespoons onto wax or parchment paper.
• Let stand until firm. (You can put them in the fridge to help them set more quickly.)

 And that's it! Have a great day! ♥