Made with love

Shortbread biscuits made today as husband was winging I haven't made him anything in a while.

I got this really easy recipe online at

www.bbc.co.uk/recipes/shortbread_1290

I used my 'made with love' cookie stamp, that my friend Stacey got me for my birthday that I hadn't actually tried out yet. It works pretty well, though I may press a little harder next time to make it a little clearer.

Hello

Hello again, Sorry about the lack of blogging in the past 6 weeks :S I have been finishing off the baby blanket that I was doing for the lady at work which I have given to her now and she seemed to love it :) So thats my first happy customer.
My next project is a small one it is a pattern to make a crochet flower brooch that was in a magazine 'Mollie Makes'. I am quite new to crochet and haven't got much experience other then the odd granny square. I have already attempted this flower about 3 times, and failed! so hopefully I will be able to do it this week and be able to give it my mum when I see her next as a late birthday gift, so fingers crossed please :)

Laura Makes

Sorry

Sorry, Laura makes has come to a bit of a stand still, I have been rather poorly the last week so haven't done much knitting. I am back on the horse now though and hope to finish another blanket very soon. Watch this space.

Laura Makes xx

...a commission

A lady at work saw me knitting the baby blanket that I finished this week on my lunch break, and she asked me to knit one for her, as she has just recently become a grandmother. AND she will pay me :) 

I have never been asked to make something before and been paid for it. I'm not sure how much to charge her. I think maybe £10 is fair ? I will obviously make the full sized blanket and supply the wool. 

This will be next project, a little boring for blog I know as I have already blogged the pattern and such but I will start something else on pay day when I am able to buy some more interesting coloured wool and start a granny square blanket for my spare room at home. I have knitted a large granny square before and gave it to my friend for a baby blanket, I was quite impressed with it myself...

Laura Makes x

Baby Blanket

Hello, Its Sunday again, and I have finished the baby blanket! I started knitting last week for the girl at work thats about to leave to have a baby in 2 weeks! I have knitted this pattern a number of times now, its a very good piece for a beginner as you dont notice so much if you go a bit wrong and you will notice very quickly if you drop a stitch (or gain one) as you are knitting in blocks of 5 and tend to count  your stitches. The end product also looks quite clever but is very simple.

As I said before, I chose to do it in pink, I also made it a bit smaller then the original pattern as I didn't have enough wool to do it full sized.

My blanket measures 49cm by 55cm which should be big enough for a new born :)

The original pattern states to cast on 105 stitches, this blanket started off with 95. I kept going until i had used my 3 50g balls of pink 'Click' aran wool. which I brought a while ago from a cute little shop in Stoud run by 2 old ladies. 

The original pattern.

I hope they are readable, I do need to buy a camera, at the moment I am using my mobile phone.

The pattern is fairly easy as long you are accustomed to 'knit' and 'purl'. You just cast on how ever many stitches you desire (depending how big you want it), lets say 105. (with this pattern you have to work in numbers multiple by 5, you will see why in a minute) and you work 6 rows of seed stitch; which is; one knit, one purl until you get to the end. Then again on the next row, but making sure you are doing the opposite stitch on top. (a knit on top of a purl, and so on) This will give you a sort of lumpy affect to your knitting.

see middle for seed stitch.

after 6 rows of seed stitch you start row 7 with 5 stitches of seed stitch again, then 5 of 'knit' and 5 of 'purl' until you get to 5 stitches from the end of your knitting and the last 5 you do seed stitch again. 

Start row 8 by doing the same but this time making sure (after the 5 seed stitches) to do the same stitch on top. (knit on top of a knit and pearl on top of a pearl) until you have got 5 rows of knit and pearl then you knit on top of the pearl and pearl on top of the knit and then work another block of knit on top. You will start to see the woven affect desired for this blanket.

Carry on this pattern, until you have knitted the blanket to you desired length. (the pattern states 32 inches) Then do the last 6 rows of seed stitch and cast off. 

I took this picture so you get a better idea of scale.

Laura Makes x

Rainbow Cookies

So, it is Sunday and I often dabble in a bit of baking on a Sunday afternoon. Today I made cookies with smarties in them I'm sure they wont do any favours for my waistline but with the temperatures going to -10 this weekend I think were allowed to be a little naughty.

Ingredients

• 350g/12oz plain flour
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 250g/9oz butter softened
• 300g/ 10oz caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 X 40g boxes Smarties

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda,baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl, then set a side.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
4. Gradually beat in the sifted dry ingredients to form a stiff dough.
5. Roll the fough into 20 balls, then place on ungreased baking drays, spaced well apart.(WARNING: THE COOKIES WILL EXPAND LOTS, DO NOT PUT CLOSE TOGETHER!!! )
6. Press several Smarties into each ball, flattening the ball slightly.
7. Bake for 15 minutes until pale golden brown.
8. Leave on trays 2 minutes and remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
9. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to 5 days

Laura Makes x

project 1.

So, I have started the baby blanket. I chose to do it in pink as the its for a little girl and I already had the wool. I'd say I am about 4th of the way through. not bad for a weekend.

Pictures will follow with a rough pattern.