Here is the recipe I used:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg,beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Drop the dough onto a greased baking tray in little balls – mine were about the size of an egg. I dropped them about 2 inches apart and they expanded so much that they were just touching when they finished baking. If, like me, you are a novice baker, you might need to experiment a bit to see how much they grow. I was really surprised how much they did! Pop them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, then wait until they cool and then use a fishslice/spatula to remove them from the tray.

And here they are! Not too crunchy, not too squishy – they came out perfectly, although the edge of the cookies that was all the way in the back got a little crispy. I think next time I’d use more chocolate chips though, the dough really spreads when it bakes and the ratio of chips to dough seems to look a lot more in dough form. I’m going round for dinner with some of my girlfriends tomorrow night and can’t wait to see the look on their face when I produce a box of homemade cookies! (They know me very well… cookies is the last thing they’ll expect. Bwaha!) How cute is this tin, by the way? I saw it in M&S the other day and had to buy it – although I’ll definitely be using it for cookies now that the crackers are finished!

I’ve also been busy with my peaches and creme – the need for more dishcloths has been outweighting the lure of the blanket this week. I know I could just buy some but when they knit up in an hour and look so pretty, and work so much better, I can’t resist just cracking on with them. So I’ve managed to get three cheery little wipes finished over the weekend and have started on the next one.

I also felt the need, now that I’ve got the basics of crochet sussed, to try following an actual pattern rather than a tutorial, and decided to have a go at a quick little project I wanted to make for my mum last christmas. I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t even start it, so ended up knitting one for her. I’ve been holding a quiet grudge against this particular pattern ever since. I wasn’t going to let this little blighter that everyone was rating as “piece o’ cake” on Ravelry beat me! And I’m really pleased I decided to try it, here’s the result!

I added a little scallopy edge around the top for prettys. I love the way it’s pooled – or “puddled” as mum calls it! These are definitely puddles. The back kind of mirrors the front colours, I think it’s really cool. I’ve popped in a bar of my favourite soap and now it hangs there in the shower, waiting for me cheerfully in the morning!

I don’t have a great deal to chat about today, other than the rather interesting fact pointed out to us by Alibongo on the forum, that at 12:34 and 56 seconds, the time and date read 123456789 today! 12:34, 56 seconds, 7th August 2009. Quirky. I marked the occassion by sitting in the pub on my lunchbreak, knitting a dishcloth whilst waiting for my pepperoni pizza to arrive. In fact, I think that’s almost precisely the time I was mocked by the ever-so-witty barman for knitting.
“Knitting?!” he jeered. “Are you in, like, a circle?”
Well, yes, actually. Although it’s an online one… I was all ready to tell him all about the joys of handknit dishcloths, but he ran away again before I had the chance.

I’ve been back at work this week after my lovely little week off last week, and haven’t been getting up to much craft-wise, except a few rows of dishcloth here and there, and a few more Summer Garden Squares. It’s coming along, I decided to get rid of the weird-looking white and stick to the bold colours. Peter’s poor little Dutch Square is now being used as a coaster! Once I got rid of the white, I felt a bit more confident about joining as I go, but I need another row before I join the two strips i have at the moment, else some of the outside edge colours will be too close together. I like it random, but not too random!

Mmmm, so colourful!

In other news, my new oven will be arriving on Sunday, hoorah! I’m going to mark the occassion by trying something I have done only a very few times before, and bake. Cupcakes! Fairycakes, to be precise. I’m very excited! I’ve got the ingredients all ready and it’s taking a lot of willpower not to give it a trial run in the broken oven, but I know it would just shut off mid-way through, and well and truly put me off baking forever. I promise I’ll show you the results, no matter how disasterous, and if it turns out well, I might even share the recipe. Oh yes, never one to do anything by halves, I’m not planning on actually following a recipe… adaptation is the way forward!

But how fun! I shall need a little pot or vase to display them in. And to go with my colourful hooks, I needed a colourful project! I have decided to brighten up my living room with a throw over the back of one of the sofas – the room is very monotone at the moment and definitely needs a few colourful splashes around it. So I’m going to make a granny square blanket based on Lucy at Attic24’s Summer Garden Granny Squares, they’re just so cheerful! I’ve had a practice on some of my stash acrylic and think I have the hang of it! Zara seems impressed with it anyway…

I’ve just popped in to Sheepish, my LYS, to purchase the yarn for this endeavour. I still had some vouchers left over from my birthday (how they survived since March, I have NO idea!) so splurged on 20 balls of King Cole Merino DK, and oh! It’s just so delicious!

The carrier bag was see-through; you wouldn’t believe how many people knit!! I was stared at all the way through town, probably curiosity from most but there were definitely some jealous, swoony looks in there too! I had to nip into the doctors, and both receptionists AND the doctor I spoke to all knit! So I’ve taught the receptionists about a new LYS, and learnt of another myself, as well as swapping pattern ideas with the Doctor who enjoyed having a good squish of the merino! Lovely fun, I was just slightly irked that I only had a 4mm hook with me, as the gauge was a little too tight, I couldn’t see my stitches clearly at all – what a waste of 30 minutes waiting!! Never mind, once it got home I got stuck in.

I was going to join them as I go but I think I’d like to get a feeling for the colours first. See, I’m not too sure about the white… although Peter insisted on the “Dutch” square above – look – red white and blue with an orange centre!

OK, it took a few attempts…

But I finally figured out that the problem was the way I was joining the yarn by chaining into the slip stitch instead of tying the yarn on to that stitch and starting the new colour one stitch further, so there was an extra increase in each round causing the weird ruffle and ugly join. Even though the instructions are extremely clear, and there’s even a photo showing exactly what to do. Hey ho! After frogging about 5 times, I finally had it sussed. This is the result! I still need to find some pretty buttons to sit in the middle of the flowers, but as I’ve been sick with Swine Flu for the last 10 days I’ve not had a chance to go and buy some. My mum, whilst on holiday, has been spending a lot of time in gorgeous sounding yarn and fabric shops! She has bought some lovely pink cotton to make a lining with, that’s the next challenge…

I used Patons Sorbet, except for the purple which is some leftover cascade 220, and a 4mm crochet hook. Thanks so much to Joannecliffe for sending me the leftover Sorbet from her baby blanket, and to mum for supplying enough dark green and orange to do a few more rounds! I’m so pleased with the result, it’s so wonderfully girly and summery! And it’s big. I mean, HUGE. I could fit my weeks shopping in there! I just love it. I think I’ll have to make a little sister version to use as an every day bag though. Better go buy more yarn…!