Vegan Treat of the Month ***Chocolate Hazelnut Flapjacks***

Oops, incidentally I skipped the vegan treat of the month in October.
Time to make up for that with this very easy, but very rewarding treat.
Flapjacks!

They don't look much on these pictures, I know...
However, they truly have a great texture and are delicious.
This week I made them for a friend who loves them.

Another plus: it doesn't take much time to make them,
and you can make a bunch of them in one go.
They keep good for at least a week in airtight tin,
but honestly: they probably won't last that long.
Oh, and they're not expensive!

So, what do you need? 
(makes about 30-35 flapjacks)

450 grams (16 oz) rolled (porridge) oats
300 gram (10oz) margarine
150 gram (6 oz) black molasses (or treacle)
150 gram (6 oz) brown sugar
100 gram (or to taste) fairtrade pure chocolate chunks 
100 gram (or to taste) roasted, unsalted hazelnuts, crushed/cut into half
pinch of salt

You can replace the hazelnuts and chocolate with dried dates, abricots, cashew nuts, almonds, raisins... Anything you like really!

How to make the flapjacks?
Preheat the oven at 190 degrees Celsius.
Melt the margarine, sugar and treacle in a pan, stir & be careful not to burn it.
Mix in the oats, the hazelnuts and the salt. Stir thoroughly.
Press half of the mixture into a square or rectangular tin (mine is about 30x15 cm).
Put the chocolate chunks on top, press gently into the mixture.
Then press the other half of the mixture into the tin and completely cover the chocolate. (This way the chocolate won't burn.)
Smooth over the surface with a spoon.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
With a sharp knife: mark into portions while still warm, then leave to cool.






















♥ Best enjoyed in the company of a dear friend,
with a good fairtrade tea served in mismatched vintage cups...

This weekend...

... I've been collecting autumn leaves.
(Those colours!)

... I've been practising a new crochet stitch.
(New to me, that is.)

... I've been making giant pompons.
(Don't know what to do with them yet.)

Have a wonderful day!

♥

It's snowing... Crochet snowflakes (and other stuff)

Inspired by the cold weather
I crocheted some snowflakes.
Still looking for a more convincing pattern though...
Suggestions are welcome!

In this picture there are actually three different snowflakes.
Obviously - well, I hope it's obvious anyway ;-) - the small white ones
(which are my favourites so far).
But the white/blue & white/purple ones (on the left and right)
and the white/coral one (on the top right) are also supposed to be snowflakes, however I don't find them very convincing as such...
(And yes, I do realise the colours probably don't help either... haha.)
Anyways, they are big enough to pass for a small doily.
(One can never have too much of them, right?)

Okay, enough babbling about crochet snowflakes...
I really like the hexagon in the middle of this picture
(with the flower).
I'm considering to make a throw with this pattern.
Even more so after seeing this gorgeous one on Saartjes blog
(made with the same hexagon pattern).

♦ Have a wonderful (crafty?) day! ♦

Trying something new

Working on some pincushions...
They're not exactly what I have in mind yet...






















When they are, I'll post the pattern here
within a couple of days.

♦ Have a nice day! ♦

A Cloud of Doilies

Memo to self: do consider crocheting less doilies.

But if it's going to work...?
Because a while ago I thrifted this crochet book
(for only one euro!).

Never judge a book by its (rather dull) cover, right?
Since it's great, it has many lovely patterns.

Some of these doilies are either patterns from this book,
or inspired by them.

Hope you like them. Have a nice day!

Snapshots from a workspace

This little thrifted bird is always very nosey and wants to know what's going on on my desk.
He has a special interest in tape and crocheted work,
and is very picky about colours.

I look forward to using this paper yarn from Paperphine.
Not only the yarn itself is gorgeous,
the wooden bobbin is beautiful too.























I got this second hand sari - I love that embroidery! -
from a lovely lady in Jodhpur (the amazing blue town in Rajasthan, India).
And it's perfect for hiding a lot of, well, stuff.

Looking at it, it makes me want to pack my bag and go back, like,
right now!

Super Easy DIY Garland

Okay, since this is my first DIY,
I thought I'd start with an easy one.
And trust me: this one is really easy.
And - being a blogger now - it involves washitape. *Oh, irony*

So, what you need to make this garland (or bunting? What word would you use for this?):

♦ Acrylic felt (Yes - I don't use wool felt, why? Click here, here or here. In short: It doesn't seem right to harm animals, certainly not for such a frivolous thing like a garland.)

♦ Thread

♦ Washitape

♦ Scissors, needle and pencil.

Mark the triangles on the acrylic felt and cut them,
pull the thread through the triangles, apply the tape
et voilà!

I like it because there's no sewing involved.
(Which is a craft I have to master yet -
I did buy a sewing machine, so the intention is there allright.)

Enjoy your day!