Roasted & Salted Almonds

Almonds are delicious - whether in a homemade muesli, in bread or just as a snack. I don't know why it never occurred to me before to make my own roasted and salted almonds, - until a few months ago, that is. Since then I have made these almonds more times than I can remember - they are delicious. These almonds are perfect with a cold G & T, in a bowl with raisins and your favorite chocolate, or as a little gift to bring to a dinner party.

Planning a new blanket

It's been a while now since I finished my Northern Zealand Blanket that I crocheted using the Tunisian Full Stitch. Find the blog post and free pattern for that blanket here. 

I always like to take a little break after finishing a blanket before I start something new - just to get a little break and decide what I want to do next. We've also had a few very busy weeks lately - at the end of June we moved into our first very own house. So as you can imagine, we have been kept quite busy both during the week and on the weekends. But now I finally feel like I am ready to start another blanket - and so the whole process of determining colours, yarn and a pattern can begin :)

I have to admit, I'm a little bit confused. I'm torn between choosing colors that would complement our living room - or just choosing colors that I like, but that wouldn't necessarily blend in very well. The mint and brown color option way below would definitely work well in our living room - and I do love that color combo - but I am also drawn to number 2 and 3, in particular. With the colors of square number 2, I would like to do granny squares (not with granny clusters, but simple double crochet) - and possible arrange them like in my colorful squares blanket here).

More free patterns

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've added a new page to my blog - FREE PATTERNS - making it easy to find all of my free patterns in one place instead of having to go through all of my crochet posts to find free patterns. Here you will find all the info you need to make the blankets: links to all free pattern pdf's ready to download, links to the blog posts for the various blankets as well as links to the Ravelry pattern pages.
Keep checking in - in the next few weeks I will upload free patterns for the Grey & Blue Baby Blanket and the Stash Buster Blanket.
I currently have free patterns available for the following blankets:

Northern Zealand Blanket

I am so happy to finally be able to reveal the final result – my first Tunisian crochet full stitch blanket. Actually it didn’t take that long to make – I started in late February and finished mid-May – but I did try to crochet almost every day. (Free pattern below)

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Raspberries and white chocolate are a great combo - the tartness of the raspberries and the sweetness of the white chocolate is a match made in heaven. I love these muffins (or are they cupcakes?) - I guess it depends on your definition, but I call these muffins seeing as they don't have icing on them. But regardless of what you call them, they are divine. Not to mention really easy to make. For a long time now, they have been my go to for everything from desserts to afternoon coffee treats, the obligatory birthday cake to bring to work etc.

Update - Northern Zealand Blanket (Tunisian Full Stitch)

(See final blanket and free pattern here)

I have now been working on this blanket for a little over a month and I really like how it's coming a long. Whenever I crochet blankets with lots of different colours and a 'random' colour scheme, I always doubt myself and the project - a million times - while working on it. I always wonder if the colours really go together, should I have chosen other colours, are there too many...you name it. But I've found that the key to overcome this is to just keep going - even if you're not sure you like the colours. With projects like these, it really comes together after a little while. You can't base the final look of the project on just a few rows - the design of the blanket, with its multitude of colours, only reveals itself once you're further down the line. So my mantra is always 'keep going':)

Marie's Windsor Throw - Tunisian Crochet

This is a bit of a throwback Thursday of blankets. I actually made this throw a few years ago - it was one of the first blankets I made when I had just taught myself how to crochet - and this was before I started Green Tea and Giraffes. I only realised now - when I am getting more into Tunisian crochet - that I had not written anything about this blanket - but here it is. (Free pattern below)

I was inspired by a knitted lapghan I found on the Red Heart website - but seeing as I don't knit, I came up with a crocheted version. I chose the Tunisian simple stitch, as this was the first project I had embarked upon using Tunisian crochet, so I wanted to start out as simple as possible, - but also because I like the texture of the Tunisian simple stitch and it creates a nice almost woven look.

Northern Zealand Blanket - starting out (Tunisian Full Stitch)

I’ve really looked forward to starting this blanket. I don’t have much experience with Tunisian crochet (check out my one other blanket here), but I love the texture you get with Tunisian crochet – and it really lends itself well to lots of different color combinations, I think will look great. This blanket will be made using the Tunisian full stitch.

(See final blanket and free pattern here)

Of course there is the issue of crochet hooks – especially when crocheting blankets using Tunisian. Then it is crucial to invest in the crochet hooks with long ‘tubes’ attached to them. But luckily that does not have to be a costly affair. I found mine on Ebay for about US$ 6 including shipment (to Denmark). The packet included 12 crochet hooks – 3 mm – 10 mm – all with a 1.2 m tube attached to it. Now this may not sound like it will be big enough for the length of a blanket, but a tube of that length can actually hold quite a few chains, so you can still produce a blanket that is quite large.

My Colorful Squares Blanket

This is the first blanket I've completed since we moved to Namibia. It's simply just a combination of granny squares with five rows in each granny square and then arranged in clusters of 5 granny squares. (Free pattern below).

What I'm currently working on (and need to finish)

I have a bad habit of working on multiple crochet projects at a time. I like the fact that I can work on one project for a while and then jump to another one when I feel like working with different colours and stitches - that way it never gets boring. Also, I constantly think of new ideas for blankets that I want to try out - and sometimes I just don't have the patience to wait until I've finished the project I'm working on at the time. 

So therefore, I currently have 3 WIPs - and I have promised myself that I will finish them before the end of 2015. It's really about time that I finish them - not only have I been working on them for over a year, but I also have new projects planned for 2016 (Tunisian crochet - can't wait!) and I want to start 'from scratch' with no half-finished projects lying around. 

Stash Buster Blanket

I started this project last year - and I actually finished it just a few months later. Right before we moved to Namibia. However, as with any big move, it takes a while to adjust to new surroundings, finding jobs, a place to live ... and the list goes on. But after almost a year in Namibia, it is now time to start blogging - and crocheting - and baking - again. 

This is my first stash buster blanket - and the most colorful blanket I have ever made. And I have to say, I absolutely love the look of the blanket. It is definitely not the last time that I attempt to make a 'stash buster' blanket. There were many times where I didn't particularly like the look of one of the granny squares (I tried my best to make completely random color choices when making the different squares) - but once all the colorful granny squares were crocheted together, it completely changed the look of the squares and the blanket itself - and I love the way it looks.

Cinnamon rolls

I love cinnamon - and I especially love cinnamon rolls. These ones are definitely on my top ten list of recipes I use the most. They are very easy to make, always turn out great - and depending on the occasion you can opt for different icings - from the quick and easy 'icing sugar and water' one to the deliciously decadent (but actually still quick and easy) 'cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla pods' one. Melted chocolate and chopped, roasted nuts on top are also an option :)

Homemade buns

I have very fond childhood memories of these buns that my mom always used to make. It is a white bun that is light and fluffy, - and with a lovely hint of cardamom. I know to some it might sound odd adding cardamom to bread - I do think it is a Scandinavian tradition to flavour a lot of bread and pastries with cardamom - but I promise you, you have nothing to worry about. It is not an overwhelming spice, by any means - at least not in the quantities added here - and if you are still not sure, then you can always start out just adding a bit and see how you like it :) Or leave it out completely - I won't mind :)

Blanket For My Mom

This is the first blanket I ever crocheted. And interestingly, also the only blanket I've ever made that's just one color. This was solely due to the fact that I had no clue how to change color. But that being said, I do like that it is all in white. It is made of double crochet stitches throughout - the first stitch I learned - and it is crocheted using a 4 mm hook. The yarn is a wool blend from Ice Yarns - it has since been discontinued - but it is a warm white with a light shimmer in the yarn. I gave the blanket to my mom for her birthday and she still uses it :)

Homemade Caramels

It's only recently that I've started making homemade caramels (and other sweets that 'require' a sugar thermometer). It's always seemed a bit daunting to me having to know the different stages of a boiling syrup - and also using a sugar thermometer - which I've never owned, until a few months ago. But then I discovered that you don't actually need to be an expert on boiling sugar and water to make caramels, - and you really don't need a sugar thermometer either. And that makes everything a whole lot easier :) I have tried making these caramels using a sugar thermometer, but I never get the temperature stated in various recipes - unless I let the mixture boil for so long that it burns - so now I use time and color of the caramel as indicators instead - and so far it hasn't failed me.

Breaking Bad Afghan

I absolutely loved watching Breaking Bad ( who didn't!) :) And as the big crochet geek I am, I couldn't help but notice the really cool, crocheted afghan on the White's couch which was visible in almost every episode...at least during the first few seasons.   

My boyfriend and I only started watching Breaking Bad when the series had almost come to an end, so we were able to watch most of the show within quite a short time span. From very early on though, I had my eye on the afghan on the living room couch...and it just so happened that I had some yarn in those colors. So it didn't take me long to decide to try and copy that blanket. To my great surprise my boyfriend also thought it sounded like a cool project ( normally he doesn't pay too much attention to my crochet projects;))...so one thing led to another and before I knew it, I had ordered more yarn, so I could make it the exact size as the one on the show.
(Free pattern below).   

Artisan Bread with Almonds, Dried Cranberries and Orange Zest

This artisan bread is simply scrumptious - and it is so easy to make. I've already written about the 'plain' version of this bread - you can find it right here - but this is the first time I have tried to add almonds, dried cranberries and orange zest. It gives the bread a rich aroma and it tastes divine. It goes particularly well with cheese. In summer though, I think I would leave out the cranberries and instead opt for a version with only almonds and orange zest - think it would be just wonderful with my homemade strawberry jam :)

Crispbread

I think crispbread is a very Scandinavian thing - it's certainly something I grew up with in Denmark and to this day I still always have a packet of Swedish Wasa in my kitchen cupboard. However, it never ceases to amaze me that no matter where I go in the world, I always find Wasa in the local supermarket. Even when I lived in South Africa I could always easily get my hands on Wasa crispbread.
Now this version is not quite like Wasa crispbread, so it might be misleading talking so much about it in this blog post, but that is certainly where the inspiration for these crispy little delights came from :)

Purple Blanket - Never Ending Granny Square

When I taught myself to crochet it happened in front of my computer, with a big cup of tea, a crochet hook and some yarn. I was fortunate enough to stumble across Mickey from The Crochet Crowd when searching Youtube for videos teaching you how to crochet. I can't recommend his tutorials enough - they are so easy to follow and Mickey does a great job of showing and explaining everything a newbie needs to know when learning to crochet :)

Homemade Orange Jam

Jam is one of my favorite things to make - there's something very satisfying and homey about making it - and there's nothing better than having a jar or two of homemade jam in the fridge. I have to admit that I have never really cared much for orange jam...until i began making it myself, that is. There is just no comparison to the ones you buy at the supermarket. Homemade orange jam is delicious - I really hope you'll give it a try - even if you're not the orange jam type - I promise you, you'll like it when you make it yourself :)