rhubarb cheesecake

Delias recipe uses ginger cookies as the instant thing I guess
Easy way to make from scratch:-
ginger biscuits smashed up and add a little stem ginger chopped up, melt some butter mix into the ginger crumbs.
Put some of this into individual ramakins press down. This will be your base.
Take tub of curd cheese, add spoon of unrefined sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
Mix together
place some in each ramekin.
I've also mixed ricotta/full fat cream cheese
curd cheese/quark
cover with clingfilm, leave in fridge to chill
cook rhubarb with a little sugar and I have added little ginger preserve occasionally.
I like it caramelised in oven as the grill doesn't work.
When ready to serve Delia recommends 45min in freezer before turning out of dish. I have done this but also eaten from dish:) Spoon a little rhubarb over top
Picture tomorrow
BW have turned off the word comments verification. Didn't realise it did that because of course I don't (usually) comment on my own blog:)
Grandsons in bed, think a glass of wine is in order

Why is it?

Why is it that the new eco washers take twice as long as the old twin tubs and early automatics? Surely it can't be better using more electricity?
Why is it that the stupid electric oven in this house takes over half an hour to cool after I finish baking? That takes electricity also for the fan.
Why is it that the self same oven has a cr*p grill function which only grills little parts?
This cooker was new in the house when we moved in just under a year ago, so it isn't an old model.
Why is it that just when the washer finished and Mr Mog went to pin the clothes on the line - it rained?
Can you tell I am feeling antsy today:))
Partly at missing Wonderwool, I'd hoped to meet up with rav friends etc but never mind.
I'm very sore and my knee is giving me he*l. Pills aren't working and my leg gives way more than normal. Think a visit to the quack is on the cards.
Sock knitting . Why is it that after all the vanilla socks I've made I ballsed up on the second Polgarth sock last night? I had done the heel and should have been turning it. For some reason I picked up all the stitches instead, started knitting then realised there were too many. Frogging isn't easy for me in night lights. I've done the heel now and started the foot but I'm not happy.
I thought I had lots of red yarn for my beltaine shawl and haven't:( The red mohair I thought was in the cupboard turned out to be boring camel:(
Grandsons are coming to stay over tonight. I've got chicken pieces marinading in soy sauce ready for chicken penne. I've an apple crumble ready for their dessert, just needs custard. I've rhubarb cheesecakes awaiting their 3/4 hour in the freezer and rhubarb cooling. Recipe courtesy of Delias new book how to cheat. Recipe is yummy. We had these last week and will be having them tonight:) I made 2 extra for my daughter to try.

single socks looking for their twins

Yet more socks on the hospice trail:) The addiction hasn't lessened at all I am still enjoying the knitting of them.
I did 2 different socks this time and both are currently awaiting mates.
The very vivid is double knit yarn, unknown source. An odd ball I picked up somewhere. Aren't the colours bright? I love it so zingy and cheerful to knit.
The second sock is luscious. The yarn is very tactile. Like silky cashmere. It was gifted by a rav friend in Australia, Sue. It is 100% worsted Polwarth from Wendy Dennis (www.ballaratweb.net/wdennis) I shouldn't really tell you the source as I want it all for me:)) It has to be one of the best I've ever knit for smoothness and sensuality in every stitch. Don't you love the cute way the heel has wider stripes? I expected the toe to be same but it didn't do it there for some reason:)
Gorgeous day here today for St George's day. Mizzled this morning but at lunch time the sun came out and stayed out. Mr Mog tidied the garden and changed curtains in the living room for me. We had awful dusky pink ones that were in when we moved. Made the window very dismal. Finally changed them today for some golden cream ones I had and it has opened the room up and made it lighter.
We are off to Ulverston tomorrow to visit a friend of ours. Hopefully the weather will be good. Sadly the yarn shop there that I loved(spin a yarn) has gone . No stash enhancement then. Probably a good idea looking at the pile of socks waiting to be knit up. Then there is still the Beltaine shawl languishing behind the chair. Must find some redder yarns to finish off the bottom, it has far too much amber and oranges. Well I suppose those are fire colours also.

Tiger socks finished

Finished my tiger socks . I love this yarn from Maylin it knits wonderfully and looks stunning:) Thank you Maylin
We aren't going to Wonderwool. It is too far to do in a day and the costs for B&B plus fuel plus food would be too much. That doesn't include having money for any yarn purchases either.
I'm hoping to get to Woolfest again.
Mr Mog has put some pictures of his dolls house/garage conversion up on his blog. He seems to be getting in to using the internet a little better now.
I've got a couple of different socks on the needles, photos soon. I'm also trying to find some more bright reds for my beltane shawl. I seem to have gone into oranges and ambers a wee bit too much:)

Done:)

Last treatment was today so we are done with the daily travelling. Mr mog is doing great, a little reddening of the skin and tiredness but otherwise fine. They did say his symptoms may get a little worse for next couple of weeks then lessen. It will seem strange not doing the daily commute. The staff were excellent and did much to put us at our ease. What started out as a very frightening experience turned into something far more pleasant. I think a lot of it was the fear of the unknown and how we react to it.
We met some great people, all with the same thing to go through and at various stages of treatment. It helped seeing people further on in the treatment regime and how they were doing as I am sure it helped others seeing Mr Mog and how he coped.
Thank you Rosemere you were a goddess send indeed:)
Pictures of finished socks and more yarn goodness to follow tomorrow.

Tiger, tiger

I've been quiet but still a little productive. I've finished my first tiger sock from the yarn Maylin gifted and I'm over half way through sock the second. These are a little larger than my normal pattern. I figured that it would be good to have a variety of sizes to show at the end of the year. What do you think? Isn't the yarn gorgeous?
Yarn details:-
Opal 6-fach 150g, 420 m ball.Colour tiger, naturally:)
I think I'll have around 40 gms left, enough for some smaller socks also:)

Received a fabulous gift for the hospice socks from Sue in Australia, aren't these colours luscious and don't they go well with the card Sue sent? Thank you Sue I will really enjoy knitting these up.

Then Rosie(Caught knitting) sent me the results of her kool aid experiment at Skip North, dyed on trekking and perfect hot summer colours aren't they? Thanks again Rosie. This has made me determined to find a microwave and test the kit that Vicky sent me:))
I've been awfully tired hence the quiet blog. This travellling has got to me as well as Mr Mog. We have only 3 more days to go though:) I've been very sire, painfully so and exceedingly tired.
How is Mr mog you say? He is doing brilliantly, a little sore on his skin where the treatments go, very tired from early evening and we have had many early 9pm nights. But over all he is well. So many people have said they can't see anything wrong with him. I think that is one of the major drawbacks, if that is the right word, with prostate cancer. You don't look ill, the symptoms can be embarassing for the age group that it usually attacks and for that reason they never like to go and be checked out. But please anyone with male family members experiencing difficulty passing water, or change in the way they pass water , do get it checked out.
You know it makes sense.
After Friday we have 6 weeks to wait to see the Oncologist and get the results. To see if it is a cure or remission. We all know what the hope is don't we?
It will be good to have next week as a lazy week, to get up when we like and not to have to travel. Most appointments have been between 8.30 and 9.40am so early days each time.
I'm keeping fingers crossed we can afford to go to Wonderwool, not to buy anything but for the social aspect and meeting up with online friends. I still haven't found a place to stay overnight that isn't sky high prices. If we are meant to go we will
We are staying over at a friends tonight, that will make the morning journey a little less stressful tomorrow. We are going for a bar meal tonight then back to Ms for a leisurely catch up.

Hare Moon socks and a surprise:)

Hare Moon socks? Finished:)) Don't they look beautiful and spring like? Didn't Perran make a fabulous job of dyeing the yarn? Thank you Perran.
I also received a surprise in the mail via Vicky, Perran's mum. A dyeing kit for kool aid complete with everything you need. Except as Vicky reminded me I don't have a microwave(VBG) That will hopefully soon be remedied via freecycle if I can find a simple one just for dyeing.
BW, my dyes are Procion MX from kemtex. I don't normally make the liquid up until I am going to use it but I believe that as long as you don't put the soda ash in the dye keeps well as liquid especially if you can keep it in the fridge. I don't know which to use for wool etc as I haven't really gone further in to it. I must do as I do enjoy dyeing. I love the colour spectrum you have done. I would recommend Kemtex if you get into it properly.

results of dyeing:)

I think I mentioned I'd been dyeing? Here are the results of it. I hope you like them.
Firstly 3 pair of cheap socks transformed for Mr Mog,
Next 2 charity shop skirts, Frilly one and 1 fromWallis. Frilly won't fit me sadly its a 12 so that will have to be passed on to some one.
Then a failure:( I had thought the laces were cotton, they obviously aren't as the rainbow colours I painted them to match my boots have leached away:( I'll have to look for some cotton once more.
Then the favourite piece:) Crocheted with loads of beads as you can see, was off white. Cost 50pence:)) I love this.

hadpainted felt and other stuff

Thanks for the lovely comments on the 2 elementals:)
BW The handpainted felt. I either make my own cream felt from fibres or lately I use some that I picked up on a roll which paints and dyes beautifully. I have a 10metre roll left of it, it is a wool/acrylic mix and very soft. I soak the pieces of felt in washing soda for an hour.Used to buy soda ash but washing soda is the same only much much cheaper.
Then I have my little yoghurt pots of procion dyes made up with a little hot water, from these I either
1/ squirt the various colours onto the felt which I've put inplastic bags, squidge them around so the colours intermingle
or
2/ take different size brushes usually pretty broad and soft and literally paint the colours on to the felt.This I wrap in cling film or recycled carrier bag, squidge a little wrap up.
I leave all of them for 24 hours then rinse til clear.
I also do the plastic bag method but throw various colours in squidge together and see what happens. I don't follow a colour wheel too much, only if I need particular colours. I feel that the excitement of not knowing what you will get is far more fun:))
I've just done the carrier bag thing with a couple of cheesecloth/cotton skirts I picked up in the charity shop. Also some new white socks for Mr Mog have been moggied. He hates plain white so all his socks/undies and mine get the plastic bag treatment before wearing. Pictures of socks/skirts tomorrow when theya re dry
Weary today, I went to bed around 8.30 last night as I was in so much pain and I don't feel any better today. Sometimes I think early nights make me much worse. Mr Mog has been quite low past couple of days. I think the daily treatment routine is getting to him. We are in single figures now though, just 9 more to go:))

1st April Hare Moon sock finished

I finished the first sock for April, the Hare Moon colourway dyed by Perran especially for the hospice. Doesn't it look lovely? Very springlike.
I also started one of the tiger socks from the yarn donated by Maylin, this should have been earlier this year but if you remember I cast on the wrong yarn:) Anyways these definately look more tigerlike don't they? It is gorgeous today, blue blue skies and the mountains over the bay are white with snow. My daughter phoned from near Manchester airport and apparently it is covered with snow around there. Had a bit of a scare with her, she rang last night and had apparently had the ambulance at home for over an hour as she collapsed. They weren't sure what it was(really bad stomach pains) They did suspect acute pancreatitis but told her she could self monitor for 12 hours to see how she was. They were supposed to be going to a show and for a meal in Manchester to celebrate her partners birthday. This morning she was trying a cup of tea, she hadn't been able to keep anything down even water last night. The pain seems to have subsided so hopefully the worst is over.
I was going to take a picture of my hands,wrists to show you the colours:)) Despite wearing a double pair of gloves for the task in hand, they were useless. So imagine deep purples,magnetas blues and yellows. A pretty picture to be sure. And I hear you asking why the mog would be covered in colour? I'll show you in a couple of days when the mystery objects are ready. And no it isn't yarn:))

The muse came calling:)

The muse came calling this afternoon and she didn't bring her knitting needles surprisingly.
I had been speaking with a friend on rav and she asked me if I'd make HER friend an elemental similar to the one I made her as she had fallen in love with it. I agreed with no date set but as we all know the muse calls at a time that suits her. It was a case of finding the ingredients for a goddess in greens and turquoise. As you know I can't make 2 exactly the same so I am hoping that this will hit the spot:) Her name is Joy. Mr Mog thought she didn't look quite right in the first photo so he stood her up and she does look better.
Now the thing is that Joy didn't want to be alone while it was time to fly to her new home, so Hope was born:) Hope doesn't have a home yet, poor thing but I am sure she will find one sometime.
They are both made of my hand painted felt and I love them both, it will be sad to see them go but I know they will be going to good homes.

Mini sock swap, wollmeise goodies

Odds n sods today:)
Firstly I received my lovely tiny sock from the wee sock swap.It was made for me by Alissa
Isn't it lovely? The pound coin is for comparison. It measures approx 2 and 3/4 inch long and the foot is approx 2inches.
Then second and third pictures are my wollmeise order which arrived yesterday. Aren't the colours fab? Socks I think for some of it but I'm thinking the birkenrind(black/white one) would make a lovely shadow shawl. It would celebrate the twilight times of dawn and dusk when the veil is thinnest. Do you agree?
2 weeks of treatment left for Mr Mog which will soon pass. Last day is 18th April. I'm hoping to get to Wonderwool week after but need to see if I can find cheap accom first. Its rather too far to go there and back in the day. It would be nice to go and meet up with online friends. I know several of them are going, well lots actually when I start to count up.
Off to do some knitting now. Hare moon 1st Sock almost finished. Picture tomorrow.

Sock progress so far this year:)

This is a socky post(GG) I've joined the wee sock swap and here you see my sock, made from Posh Lucia , colourway Dune. That has gone off to its new owner in the US.
here is a picture of it with a sock from my last pair for March socks


Then the pair of socks, yarn is I think Fortissima socka although silly me seems to have 3 ball bands here and no idea which it is:(






I then thought I would show you a picture of the socks I've knitted for the hospice year of socks so far. Don't they look great all together? Wonder how many there will be to see at the end of the year?


Final picture but the prettiest I think is the start of the Hare Moon socks. Colour a one off designed by Perran:) I think she has a great future as a yarn dyer don't you?
Back to the sock knitting, will see you later:)