are these the smallest ever knitted carrots?

at barely an inch high (homage to the size carrots that grow in my garden... and i'm not joking - mine perhaps much, much thinner - ah well green fingered i'm not!!) ... er..anyway, find the pattern as part of my new hare belles and beaus pattern now on etsy too!  happy weekend my friends... any gardening perhaps?! Quite!

March hare - this time belle - pattern...

just in the nick of time i may say... and she's lou-lou hare belle - i've also created a separate pdf for just the clothes patterns because they also fit Appley Peach and/ or you may already have the hare doll pattern if you bought Ernest - if this make no sense at all however see here and here (both ravelry) for more details... I'll post on Etsy tomorrow
...right back to the garden so as not to miss this f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s weather!!


Monday = bunny badges

i've made some of these too as Easter gifts... get the pattern here or here (ravelry)... happy monday - or should that be hoppy monday to you!

pin it...

...or button it - my daughter wanted me to come up with little Easter gifts for her school friends - these are little badges knitted over buttons and are so quick to knit - the pattern is here... and here (ravelry)

...and speaking of pins - i now have a pinterest account which is a lovely way to share others' work - the link to that is to your right...
..and, i have to share this with you - i say 'there is a funny smell (hoping it's not a deceased mouse or something, 'though can't think what!) coming from the airing cupboard' he (husband) replies 'which one?' after a short pause, i say 'er, like...the only airing cupboard we have in the whole house...?!'     quite!

get ready for bunny time...


easter is not too far away so be ready and start knitting fun bunnies with this free pattern available here and here... also some similar bunnies mentioned on mollie makes too - Thank you mollie makes!

say it with flowers...

a new spring has sprung collection for appley peach which you can get here or here...and a very happy sunny mother's day to all you mums!

food for thought...

this bread seemed the perfect complement to a lovely warm spring day, such as the day we had on Saturday. it's a kind of foccacia made with home roasted tomatoes and is just delicious simply torn without any need for any extras - though a good tangy cheddar or salty goat's cheese does make the treat extra nice and even more peachy perfect especially for a picnic!

here's the recipe... first roast 2 medium tomatoes in a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt & a few needles of rosemary leaves, if you have them, in a medium oven for about 30 minutes.
Whilst that is cooking make the dough... mix 350gram (12oz) white bread flour with 3 tablesp olive oil, 11/2 teasp sea salt, 7gram dried yeast (one sachet), 200ml (7floz) hand hot water and if you want too a few pitted then halved black olives and a few (5 or so) torn basil leaves.
Mix to a soft dough first slopping the mix around the bowl and then when it becomes a little less sticky kneed on a floured board until it just becomes elastic (5 mins). pop into a floured bowl (i use the same bowl with a dusting of flour) cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in bulk (about 2 to 3 hours in a warm kitchen).
leave the tomatoes to cool.
when the dough has risen turn it out onto a flour dusted board and knock out the air. flatten out and lay your roasted tomatoes over the surface. fold the dough over them to hide them inside the dough then place the dough onto a lightly greased baking tray. flatten out the dough again into a rectangular-ish shape (doesn't matter if the tomatoes reappear) cover with the towel and leave to rise for a further 30mins as you preheat the oven to high - Gas 7, 220 degrees C.
After 30mins is up make dimples over the bread with your finger and drizzle 2tablesp olive oil over the dough. sprinkle with a little more salt, some chopped rosemary needles if you like and scatter a couple of torn basil leaves (if you have some) over that then bake in the oven for 20-25mins, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped and looks cooked - and the kitchen smells glorious!

have a nice relaxing weekend if you can...

be inspired by: the very first cherry blossom...


and a stash of unused embroidery silks from an abandoned project

to create these make-in-a-day badges for Mother's Day as a free craft project for you - they are knitted, then felted them embroidered with lazy daisies and the pattern is available here http://claire-garland.blogspot.com/2012/03/mothers-day-badges.html  or here - ravelry

March hare...

my new pattern is available from ravelry and etsy - also i've changed the format of the pdf too - each page fits a standard (A4) page printer and there will be many more picture to see ( I can even take a close up of anything if requested) on my instagram page - http://followgram.me/dotpebbles... love to know your thoughts!

Happy St. David's day...

to all my welsh friends and all my friends who live in wales... and rabbits! (or rather hares) - pattern mark one tomorrow!