Mother's Day & My New Cowl

I have been trying to finish this cowl all week but have only just managed to grab a few minutes to complete it. I absolutely love the finished item and can't wait to wear it! It's made of gorgeous pure New Zealand wool and is the loveliest mocha colour. I initially had visions of it being much wider so it could drape down one shoulder but remembered I had only bought 2 balls of wool so didn't have enough this time. And I'd bought the wool at the other end of the country when I was in Auckland so I couldn't just pop out and get some more - aaargh. I'm sure you can relate to that frustration! Anyway - a slightly less-wide version it is and it still looks fab. I have also made an extra band to draw one side together. It gives the cowl some variety, you can wear it plain and bunched around your neck, pulled up over your head to keep your ears warm or with the band wrapped around for a different look altogether.

And it's a great way to show off your favourite brooch/pin collection. This is one of the button brooches I made recently - it goes with the cowl perfectly. I haven't pulled the band too tight in this pic but it looks just a fab pulled in quite firmly. So here it is in separate bits. It was a nice easy project and I'm definitely going to make another one.

Using my favourite 4mm hook and double knit wool, I started with 52 chains which includes 2 turning chains, then DC each row (now 50 ch) working under the stitch. Keep working in DC rows until your cowl is approximately 60cm long. I then crocheted the seam together from the wrong side to give a smooth finish.

The additional band/cuff was made with 12 chains which includes 2 turning chains, then DC each row (now 10 ch) until you reach the desired length to fit around your cowl, taking into account a generous overlap so you can fasten it. Mine is approximately 30 cm with a good overlap so I can play with it and have a bit of variety in the way it fastens.

It's Mother's Day here today and my small people have made me feel like the best mum on earth. They were very eager to wake up this morning and bring me their special cards. Mr 6 is a bit of a charmer!Miss 3 (who will be Miss 4 next weekend!) drew a very fetching picture of me. That's me at the front with the big smile and long hair of course. The small one in the corner with the spiky hair is apparently Daddy. Handsome huh!!

The small folk have gone on an outing with Dad for the afternoon so I have had a lovely time in the kitchen making some treats for when they get home. For dessert tonight I have made this delicious Lemon Posset. I only tried this very recently at a wedding and I absolutely love it. Thank you to my dear friend Ange for letting me raid her lemon tree! These have to be the juiciest lemons I've ever cut into. Delicious.Next up is a tweaked version of a New Zealand classic - ANZAC biscuits. I have been making these for years and years the classic way, without the chocolate, and they are delicious. The chocolate was a recent addition one day when Miss 3 and Mr 6 couldn't agree on what sort of biscuits they wanted me to make, ANZACs or chocolate chip cookies, so in a fit of frustration I united the recipes and by crikey they are gorgeous! If you'd like to try this recipe - here it is:

100g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water

Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan. In another bowl mix together the sugar, flour, coconut and rolled oats (and chocolate if desired). Add the butter and golden syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water then add to the mixture. Stir well. Roll into small balls and flatten with the palm of your hand and place on a greased or lined oven tray. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes or until golden. YUM!
I have been meaning to show you these little cuties for ages so while I remember, here they are. Another way to use up your lovely old buttons. Mix and match your buttons into little stacks, glue them on top of each other and then glue a magnet to the back. Voila - easy peasy magnets.

These usually live on my fridge but as it is currently covered in kindy artwork, it was a bit messy to photograph. I tried to take a lovely photo of them lazing on a pretty plate but the magnets kept chasing each other and sticking together - hilarious. So that's why they are on my jug - not at all where they normally live!

Have a fabulous week!