Features first...

This week I joined quite a few link parties for the first time and had loads of fun doing it. I got to meet some lovely people who had some lovely comments about my posts. Its nice to know people out there enjoy what I do here at BaconFlavouredJam and have similar interests. Along the way I found some great blogs and got some great inspiration. In return I received some very unexpected feature posts which I am super excited about. From now on I will be linkng up much more often. Head on over to the features below to see what was said...

My pick of the pins...

Today I am in a very 'pinterest-y' mood. I have found some great crafts and ideas and can't wait to share them with you. If you don't know what pinterest is yet check out my previous post Knitting 101. So here they are...

First we have this cool Five Minute Draped Vest by WobiSobi

There is even a video showing you exactly how to do it! I absolutely love it and can't wait to start making my own. I'm going straight into town tomorrow to purchase a cheap extra large tee. Such good crafting :)


Then we have this gorgeous Banana Cowl from The Purl Bee.

This is such an inspirational website and loads more patterns to offer. There are even a few crochet patterns and tutorials too :)


Next up is a lovely Homemade Vanilla Extract from Averie Cooks.

Everyone who bakes always needs vanilla extract in their life and if you find it annoying to pop to the shop just for that one little item, then why not make it yourself? Check out this super yummy blog for the how to.

Knitted Cable Cuff...

I'm really excited about this post :) I've designed my first knitting pattern and am quite surprised I've managed to pull it off! I love knitting and love doing quick knits that you know you can start using straight away. So here it is...

I've used Sirdar's Snuggly Aran wool but you could use any aran wool in any colour. I've chosen a neutral grey/blue colour so I know it will go with most outfits. You will need 5.5mm (number 9) knitting needles. You can refer to my earlier post Knitting 101 for helpful hints and tips when making this bracelet. I would say this is a great starting pattern for someone new to knitting.

Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
St St = Stocking Stitch

Beginning of Pattern:
(Make three).
Cast on 5 stitches
Row 1: K.
Row 2: P.
Cont. in st st until reaches desired length. Desired length would be until fits around wrist plus 2 cm extra.
Cast off.

You should end up with three of these:

Then simply sew three ends together with the same wool and a sewing needle. It should look like this:

You then have three open ends which you plait together to get the cable look. This should be the result:

Now sew the three loose ends to the already sewn up other end. I hope that makes sense, it does in my head! Then you have your hand knitted cable cuff/bracelet. You can keep it as it is like I have done and I find it is more casual that way, however, if you wanted it for a specific occasion or outfit then you coud sew on beads or maybe thread ribbon through it etc. The possibilites are endless which is why I like this bracelet so much :)

I teamed mine with a bunch of other bracelets and a plain tee. It looks fab!

This item is now listed for sale in my shop. Check it out by clicking on the shop tab at the top of this page.

Knitting 101...

If you are reading my blog you probably have some interest in knitting or are at least toying with the idea of learning how to. I found that a lot of blogs out there have inspired me along the way and I want this to be one of them for you. So first things first...

Getting the Inspriation:
Straight away get yourself an account on Pinterest and Etsy. Both websites are great for seeing what everyone else out there is knitting. People think of knitting and immediately associate it with old, boring and out of date but these websites show you it most definitely is not! Pinterest gives you your own personal pin board to pin and share photos along the way. I have definitely got a lot of ideas from it. Etsy allows you to brows 'shops' for handmade items. Its free to join and free to open your own shop, they just take a cut once you do sell something, a bit like eBay. What personally attracted me to the art of knitting (and now crocheting) is my interest in fashion. I seriously considered going to fashion college recently and this is my way of learning and getting involved in fashion whilst still working in the travel and tourism industry which I studied at college. If you see some things you like and are still interested read on...

What you need:
Knitting supplies are fairly priced but ranges of wool can differ. For example, alpaca wool could be anything up to almost £20 a ball! To start I would say get yourself a set of 4mm needles and some double knit wool. Each set of needles will have their size clearly marked. My Nan treated my to a set of needles from Hobby Craft one christmas and I was all set so you may find buying one of these is easier. You can even get them on eBay from reliable sellers at a very reasonable price. Again, wool will always show its weight clearly on the label around the middle of the ball so it will be easy to find double knit, which is most popularly used. I would suggest using bamboo knitting needles as opposed to the usual metal ones as this will save your fingers, hands, wrists pain. My Nan unfortunately suffers from arthritus in her hands and it looks like knitting didn't help. Don't forget to check out charity shops, I always get spare needles in there!

Learning the Art:
I was lucky, my Nan is an avid knitter and has been knitting since she was about 12. She taught me the basics when I stayed over her house and I found it really easy to learn when you could see it being done in front of you. My advice to complete beginners would be to pick up a few patterns just to skim over and get used to seeing the style of writing. A good pattern book I would suggest to you to start with would be Sirdar's Simply Easy Knits. I made my first full garmet from this book, a jumper for my boyfriend. Where you see stitches such as K1 (knit one) refer to the abbreviations at the start to 'decode' it as such. If you don't understand the abbreviations or need a bit more of an explanation head over to youtube and just type in the stitch. There are some super helpful free videos on there and even now I use this method for new stitches I haven't seen before.

Moving on:
I'm pretty much still on this part myself. The best way to move forward in knitting is just simply practice, practice and practice some more. I have started to come up with my own ideas for patterns and giving them a go. Look out for these in future posts! If you have any other questions regarding knitting feel free to email me :)

Hand knitted cable head scarf...

So finally a knitting post! This cable head scarf is a very quick knit. It took me about 2 hours in total and I was new to cable knitting. Considering it came out perfect I think thats pretty good going!

I used Sublime baby cashmere merino silk double knit wool in Pebble. It only takes one 50g ball so I didn't mind using expensive wool.

The pattern can be found in the latest issue of Simply Knitting on sale until the end of October. It is the November issue number 99.

You will need:

Simply knitting magazine (£4.99)

A pair of 4mm knitting needles

A cable needle

1 x 50g ball of sublime baby cashmere merino silk dk

I think this head band goes well with a plain tee and some pearls. It gives it an up to date vintage look.

Why not join them too?

Exciting times ahead...

So we have been in our new three-storey house for just under two months now and it is really starting to feel like our home :) we've got some new furniture in and Murphy loves it too.

We got some great gifts as house warming presents including candles, flowers, plants, garden furniture etc. We're going for a vintage, shabby chic, parisian style. Varun says this will help us fit in when we move to Paris (our long term plan).

We're only renting but are allowed to put things on the wall in this house (hooray!!!) so I've got cabinets in the bathrooms, canvas' in the kitchen and photo frames in the hallway. Although they are yet to be filled with pictures, apparently Varun was going to do it everyday for the last 2 weeks. I'm sure he did try...

To greet us in the hallway I got some cheap fake flowers from Wilko and they actually look fab! Who knew Wilko was so awesome!

In other news I have finally found myself a sewing table :) and its a real vintage sewing table! I found out about The Recycles Goods Factory in Lancing online and went yesterday evening. Its great! Open 10am until 8pm so if you get a chance definitely go for a look. I will be posting pictures of my desk before and after. We are looking to paint it in Laura Ashley's Duck Egg White. So excited to pick it up!

Banana Cream Cupcakes...

So I tried my first ever 'made up in my own head' cupcake recipe... and it actually worked!! Very well!! I couldn't believe it. And the outcome was just so tasty that I had no choice but to post and share it :)

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas (mashed)

2 eggs

125g plain flour

125g caster sugar

125g butter

2 tsp of baking powder

Method:
Preheat your oven to 160. Cream together the butter and the caster sugar until light and soft. I used a electric hand whisk to do this. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well before adding the next. Then fold in the flour, baking powder and bananas. Then pour the mixture evenly between 12 cupcake cases in a muffin tin, filling them approximately 3/4. Then bake in the center of the oven for 20-25mins. Check if cooked through by inserting a skewer, if it comes out clean they are ready!

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

I used ordinary butter icing and piped it on using a 1M nozzle. I would recommend using disposable piping bags, so much easier and you can get them in bulk for cheap on eBay. I then popped a banana chip on top of each one to make them look a lttle more 'professional'.

Et voila! This recipe is especially good as, due to the banana, no matter if they are a little over cooked or a fair few days old the sponge always stays moist and soft/