Crochet Pumpkin - Mammy Made

Hi everyone. I'm Adele and I live in England with my two gorgeous babies, Leyla who is 4 and Naomie who is 2. I am so excited to be contributing to Inspiration Cafe again today!

I usually blog over at Mammy Made. I like to write about crafting, cooking and homeschooling, although I am only homeschooling part time at the minute. I have tons of tutorials on there so come by and say hi, I’d love to see you!

This month I would like to share the pattern for some cute pumpkins I made last year. They made up really quickly and are so easy to make. Give them a try!

I used 100% wool for mine but really, you can use anything that takes your fancy. I was going to go for a cheap acrylic DK but I couldn't find an orange that I liked, then I saw this purple, green, yellow and orange wool and thought it would be perfect! All 3 of them took a full 50g skein. I used a 4mm crochet hook.

Pumpkin:

 1. make a magic ring, there's a good tutorial here.
2. ch1, then work 6 scs in the magic ring, join with slst to 1st sc (6)
3. ch1, turn, 2scs in each st around, join with slst to 1st sc (12)
4. ch1, turn, *sc in 1st, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (18)
5. ch1, turn, *sc in 2sts, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (24)
6. ch1, turn, *sc in 3sts, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (30)
7. ch1, turn, *sc in 4sts, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (36)
8. ch1, turn, *sc in 5sts, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (42)
9. ch1, turn, *sc in 6sts, 2sc in next st* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (48) 
10-22. ch1, turn, sc around, join with slst to 1st sc (48)
23. ch1, turn, *sc in 5sts, sc2tog* rep around, sc in last st, join with sl st to 1st sc (42)
24. ch1, turn, *sc in 4sts, sc2tog* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (35)
25. ch1, turn, *sc in 3sts, sc2tog* rep around, join with sl st to 1st sc (28)
25. ch1, turn, *sc in 2sts, sc2tog* rep around, sc in last st, join with sl st to 1st sc (21)  
25. ch1, turn, *sc in 1st, sc2tog* rep around, sc in last st, join with sl st to 1st sc (14) 
26. stuff the pumpkin as much as you can, I used cut up old vests that my babies have outgrown but use whatever you fancy
27. ch1, turn, sc2tog around, join with slst to 1st sc (7)
28. ch1, turn, sc2tog around, sc in last st, join with slst to 1st sc (4)
29. bind off, leaving a 45" tail

Stalk:

1.  crochet an icord, there's a ton of tutorials already on the internet so I won't do one, this is the one I used, make it about 5 rows long then bind off, leaving a long enough tail to stitch it to the pumpkin
2. using a wool needle, stitch the stalk onto the pumpkin, I stitched it to the bottom, when it's secure, weave in the two ends on the bottom and the one end on the icord

Finishing off:

 1. using the long tail you left when binding off the pumpkin, wind the yarn from the bottom to the top of the pumpkin, on the outside, stitch it underneath the icord so it comes out on the other side, then stitch again underneath the pumpkin, repeat all around, pulling the yarn tightly, until you have 8 sections, this makes it look more pumpkin-y
2. stitch a button onto the bottom to hide your stitching, weave ends in
3 you're done :)

This pattern is for the biggest pumpkin which measures about 3" not including stalk. To make the middle sized pumpkin, only increase up to 36 stitches and work 10 rows instead of 13. You could also make the icord one row shorter. To make the small pumpkin, only increase up to 24 stitches and work 7 rows. 

I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial. Thank you so much to everyone behind Inspiration Cafe for letting me contribute again. It's been fun.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Vegemite - An Australian Icon

Hi Guys,

Mel from Mellywood's Mansion here today for the last instalment of our Sandwiches and Soup series.

First up, I'm going to say, I hate to cook, love to bake, hate to cook! Sandwiches for me are all about the convenience, it's like fast food at home, they're not fancy, they're just fuel. However there is one sandwich spread that is as Aussie as it gets and that's Vegemite!

So what is in this brown spread we all adore, brewers yeast extract, it is a by product of beer. That's right friends, come to Australia and we will feed you the leftovers from the beer making process.

It's a salty little treat that is actually very good for you. It is the worlds richest source of vitamin b, practically calorie free and Aussie kids have been brought up on this stuff for 90 years.

Last week Vegemite celebrated it's 90th birthday and is still made to the exact recipe that started it all. 

Vegemite on toast, is all I ate for the first trimester of my pregnancies, it's also a brilliant cure for when one was a little excessive with their wine intake the night before.

Kids running and playing with joy are referred to as "Happy Little Vegemites".

If you live here and don't know this song, your citizenship needs to be revoked.

So if you happen to be walking the supermarket and you see a jar of this little delight, pick it up and put the rose in your cheeks!

Edited:
After a comment I thought I would share a you tube clip of an American trying Vegemite, quite hilarious, believe me you do not eat it with a spoon it is spread very thinly with plenty of butter or margarine.


As for Soups, I'm going to be completely honest, my oven has packed up, which has lead into a kitchen makeover and things are quite disastrous, so we are currently cooking on the BBQ which is not very conducive to soup making.

Have you tried Vegemite? Let me know what you thought.



If you have a favourite soup or sandwich recipe (or both) be sure to come back and link it up Monday, Nov. 4th.  We'd love to see what you've made!

Be sure to come back next Monday to link up your favourite Sandwhich or Soup posts. 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.

Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

I'd Be Delighted If You Followed Mellywood's Mansion!

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up 41

Happy Saturday Everyone,

We hope you've all had a great week and are ready for the weekend.

What's been happening around these parts this week...

 Heather at The Beating Hearth

How the chickens are faring...An Urban Farm Update

A letter to Mother Nature

Danni at Silo Hill Farm

WITCHES NITE OUT 2013

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

Books for Christmas The Gift That Keeps On Giving

DIY Mood / Colour Change Rings

Remember to join Mel's LINK PARTY running every Friday

From our awesome Contributors at The Cafe this week:

Glorious Gourds - Stone Cottage Adventures

Crafty is the New Pretty - Free Printable - Mother Crafter

It was Mary's turn for the Soups and Sandwiches series this week:

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

 

Have a great weekend

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.
 

GLORIOUS GOURDS!



Hello to everyone at Inspiration Café!  I love being a monthly contributor!  My name is Marci and I blog at Stone Cottage Adventures.

 Today, let's talk about gourds!  First of all, I have to send a special thank you to Linda Ashmore my mentor in gourd decorating!  Thanks, Linda!  ;-)

There are so many sizes and shapes. 

With all the different varieties, gourds can be grown just about anywhere.  They do need something sturdy to climb.  We use cattle panels attached to T-posts.



They are truly beautiful plants!  I usually purchase my seeds thru Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.



Once the gourds are grown and harvested, just toss them in a spot where they can dry.  We have an old milk barn on our property and we just pile them on a box in the corner.  The better the gourds are ventilated, the quicker they will dry.  Once dry, give them a good scrub and it's time to be creative!

The possibilities are absolutely endless!  Below are some of my projects.  Just click on the link to see the entire DIY post.

My First Class

Experiment with Color

 Antique - ing

 Lacing with Beads

Ombre' Stripe

Ghoulish Gourd Gang

Even Jewelry

Check out these Gourd-o-Lanterns by Angie at God's Growing Garden!

Fun stuff, huh?

 As you plan your gardens for next year, find a spot for gourds!  In the meantime, come over to my Stone Cottage!  I have plenty.  We can make all kinds of crazy things! 

;-)  -Marci

Crafty is the New Pretty - Free Printable - Mother Crafter

CRAFTY IS THE NEW PRETTY - Free Printable.

 We all have our favorites quotes that keep us going in our creative endeavors and in life in general. With the economy being the way it is right now, crafts have become very popular in the past few years. The DIY movement is growing and growing! 

Aren't you glad? I love it! I came up with this quote and made a nice printable to display at my craft room. And you can do it too! Just click on the image and save it to your computer. You are welcome ;) 

 

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

Craft on, 

Vanina

Mother Crafter ~ handcrafted happiness

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese - Soup and Sandwich Series

Hi!  It's Mary from Sweet Little Bluebird!  It's my turn to share for the Cafe's Soup and Sandwiches Series.  Today I'm sharing a sandwich that is sure to knock your socks off! Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese with Raspberry Dipping Sauce!

This is not an original.  I have seen Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches all over Pinterest - the most popular one is from ClosetCooking (love Kevin's food blog).  I cheated when I made my sandwich.  Instead of roasting jalapeños, I opted to use canned in my pantry.  If you would like to roast your own, it's so simple to do, head to ClosetCooking for the easy directions.  I also never measure anything when making a sandwich, I just throw it together.  For more precise measurements for the amount of cream cheese, jalapeños and cheddar cheese, head to Kevin's blog.  My sandwich is a little different from Kevin's. Mine doesn't have tortilla chips and I added Monterey Jack Cheese and a dipping sauce.  

Raspberry dipping sauce pairs well with Jalapeño Poppers, so I whipped up an easy sauce with raspberry preserves.  This puts this already scrumptious sandwich over the top!

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Print Recipe 

Adapted from ClosetCooking 

(adjust quantity of each ingredient to your liking)

Ingredients

• 2 Slices of Sourdough or Texas Toast Bread (you can use your favorite white bread)
• Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature) 
• 2 Slices Bacon (cooked)
• Jalapeños, approximately 2 roasted (if using canned, enough to have a single layer covering the sandwich)
• Cheddar Cheese (I use sharp cheddar slices - you can use shredded)
• Monterey Jack Cheese (optional, sliced or shredded)
• Butter

Directions

Butter the outside of the bread.  On the inside of one slice of bread, spread a good layer of cream cheese.  In layers, add jalapenos, bacon and then top with Monterey Jack and Cheddar Cheese.  Place sandwich in heated skillet over medium heat.  Grill sandwich until nice and toasted on both sides and cheese has melted.    

Easy Raspberry Dipping Sauce

In a small microwave safe bowl, take 2 heaping tablespoons of Seedless Raspberry Preserves and 2 teaspoons of water, mix well with fork and heat in microwave for 20-30 secs.  Remove, mix again and serve with sandwich.  Enjoy!

If you have a favorite soup or sandwich recipe (or both) be sure to come back and link it up Monday, Nov. 4th.  We'd love to see what you've made!

Thanks so much for dropping by the Cafe!

Be sure to check back next Monday to see what Mel from Mellywood's Mansion is sharing!

Have a great week!

xo,

Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.

Saturday Weekly Wrap Up 40

It's the weekend again! Yay!  

What's been happening this week?

 Heather at The Beating Hearth

 

Candy Corn Spider Web Pillow

Danni at Silo Hill Farm

Umbrella Witch

Natalie at NorthShore Days

Girl's Swim Bag

Mel at Mellywood's Mansion

Silhouette Scarf

Funky Tween Bag

Craft Room Reveal

Remember to join Mel's LINK PARTY running every Friday

From our awesome Contributors at The Cafe this week:

Mercury Glass Craft Project - Grace Grits and Gardening

How to Banish Piles of Laundry Forever - A Few Miner Adjustments

DREAMING IN COLOR....Furniture Fashionistas Series

It was Heather's turn for the Soups and Sandwiches series this week:

Meatloaf Sandwich...for real.

Have a great weekend

xxx

 Nat, Mary, Heather, Danni and Mel

 

Inspiration Cafe is looking for guest posters and contributors. If you would like to guest please let us know, we would love to have you. If you would prefer a feature instead, feel free to drop us a line. New or old posts welcome.