Zyle Knits

Attic24 Style Crocheted Cushion Cover

Zyle — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:03:55 +0000

Our sofa has been lacking cushions for over 3 years now, and I thought instead of buying some, I could take the Attic24 approach and crochet some bright covers! I read Lucy’s tutorial a while ago about backing cushions with a jumper and as I rather unfortunately semi-felted an old pink cardigan in the wash recently, I decided to give it a go with that.

I didn’t follow the tutorial step by step – I could say I was trying to put my own spin on it, or be creative, but to be perfectly honest I was sitting there crafting on my bed in front of the TV watching old episodes of Ally McBeal, and I was just too happily settled to get up and go to the computer. I reckoned I could figure a method out using my memory of Lucy’s method and logic – I think it came out ok!

Zara seems to approve – she wouldn’t stop rubbing her face up against it while I was trying to take photos!

I’m thinking a ripple cushion in the same colours would compliment it quite nicely…

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Sorbet Bag Completed!

Zyle — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:07:59 +0000

I was introduced to the fabulous blog of Lucy at Attic24 when one of the ladies on the Phoenix Knitting Forum made Lucy’s gorgeous bag last year. I immediately fell in love, and had to have one of my own. Problem was, I couldn’t crochet. Not a single stitch. But after weeks of failed attempts and extreme persistence, Lucy’s wonderfully clear instructions finally meant I had my own version! I was in love, it was the Best Bag Ever. Unfortunately, my crochet was very loose and the bag unlined. Not a winning combination – after several months of dragging it around it looked more like a fishing net. So it has been abandoned and I’ve been crying inwardly ever since. So I finally decided to put the countless other projects aside and make a new Attic24 bag. This time, my stitches are tight, the handles the right length and I’ve even whipped out my sewing machine and managed to cobble together a lining!

I’m sad to say that the weather is less than pleasant, and I’m also rather unwell at the moment with food poisoning so the result is a fairly dismal photo but I hope you get the picture. (Hopefully when nicer weather comes I will replace it with a better one.) But here it is, my beautiful new bag!

And the lining:

It’s made of Paton’s Sorbet which is now sadly discontinued, a great shame as it’s a lovely cotton. I got a batch of blue greatly reduced and made a tshirt from it, it’s really lovely to wear and had such gorgeous colours. I think the name Sorbet describes it rather well! And this bag shall, from now on, be known as my Sorbet bag.

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Thai Red Chicken Curry

Zyle — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:13:39 +0000

This is one of my favourite easy recipes because it’s also really quick and mess free which, on weeknights is an absolute blessing! It’s also a great way to use up any left over vegetables; pretty much anything works in place of the frozen vegetable mix. I just like to keep a bag in the freezer for the sheer convenience, plus it is significantly cheaper than fresh vegetables! It keeps brilliantly for lunch the next day, and warms up nicely in the microwave.

Ingredients (Serves two to three)

400g Diced chicken Breast (2 breasts)
1 can chick peas
1 can frozen mixed vegetables (I get the mix with carrot, sweetcorn, peas and green beans. Use your empty chick pea can to measure.)
1 pot Thai Red Curry sauce (my favourite brand is made by The Curry Co)
A drizzle of vegetable oil to fry the chicken
1 1/3 cups Basmati Rice

Method

In a large saucepan heat the oil and fry the chicken breast gently for approximately 5 minutes until seared on all sides. Add the chick peas and frozen vegetables and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the curry sauce and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile add the Basmati Rice to a separate pan with two cups of water and heat until gently boiling. Put a lid on and turn down to the lowest heat possible and leave to steam for approx 20 minutes. Check periodically that the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you have the heat too high it will take less than 20 minutes for the water to evaporate and the rice will begin to stick and burn.

Optional side dishes include naan bread, onion bahjis, samosas.

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Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zyle — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:35:18 +0000

Here is my favourite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It only takes a few minutes from start to finish, and the use of a cup as a measuring device instead of weighing makes it incredibly simple.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg,beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

You can substitute the all purpose flour for self raising flour and omit the baking soda, it works just as well. I really enjoy this recipe with half white chocotale and half milk chocolate. You can also throw some nuts or dried fruit in, whatever takes your fancy. Just keep it to one cup full and it should work out great!

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5

Mix together all the ingredients except the flour and chocolate chips. Stir the flour in slowly, it will form a thick dough. Stir the chocolate chips in until they are evenly distributed through the dough. This might take a bit of doing, the dough will be really stiff!

Use a teaspoon to make balls of dough and drop them onto a greased baking tray about 2 inches apart If, like me, you are a novice baker, you might need to experiment a bit to see how much they grow, but if you follow these guidelines and don’t make your balls too big they should be perfect. Pop them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until they are golden, then wait until they cool and use a fishslice or spatula to remove them from the tray.

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

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