It doesn't look like spring outside my house today.  There is still a bit of snow - a patchwork quilt of it - in our garden.  And we haven't seen a Robin yet.  But it won't be long!  I've noticed the lilacs are setting out their buds and that's always a positive first sign as long as Jack Frost doesn't return!  BUT....I'm thinking spring anyway!  And it cheers me up to design and stitch away on spring patterns.  This little "Gingham Bunny" pattern download is in my Etsy shop.  I can't wait to hang mine up in the dining room!  I hope you'll visit and see my other spring patterns: 

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

Just a little quilting project to inspire you <3

FREE pattern!

Enjoy!!

Good Monday morning!  It's the start of another brand new week.  What's on tap for you for the next 5 days?  

It looks like rain here, buckets of it!  Perfect weather for thinking spring, planning what we'll put in our gardens very soon (after all the clean-up, of course!), and on days like this, staying indoors and stitching!

The three photos above are all my newest patterns and can be found in my Etsy shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

Time for coffee now!  Enjoy your day!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Scones with Chocolate Glaze:

2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

A scant 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter powder

1/2 cup (plus or minus according to taste) of  chocolate and peanut butter chips

4 tbls. cold butter cut up in sm. pieces

Mix all dry ingredients, add butter and cut in with pastry cutter until crumbly, then add:

2/3 cup plain no-fat yogurt

1/3 cup half and half

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together until all dry ingredients are combined (mixture should be pretty firm).  If there are still dry bits, add half and half a tablespoon at a time until all are combined.  Mix shouldn't be sticky, just firm.  Form into a ball and press into a 7" circle onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Cut into 8 wedges and separate them on the pan to allow for rising so they don't stick together during baking.  

OPTIONAL:  Sprinkle with granulated brown sugar before baking if you don't want to glaze them.  Glaze recipe below.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 16-18 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool, then glaze if desired:

Glaze:

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup chocolate syrup - approximate

Half and half - add a tsp. at a time until glaze is the consistency you want

Spread over scones and enjoy!

I freeze mine for later by wrapping them individually in waxed paper and placing them in plastic bags until ready to eat whenever....

Happy Valentine's Day!

That's me!  Waking up with the chickens!  I'm an early bird for sure.  And coffee is just a few steps away from my pc to my kitchen!  Good Morning!!!

Pattern for This little chicken mug rug

is in my Etsy shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

It's an instant download and is a

great scrap project. I'll bet you have plenty

of scraps in your stash already.

:-)

We're having an ice storm today.  The needles on our white pines are all coated and drooping just outside my window here.  There are little crystal droplets hanging from branches like earrings, and the roads are covered with slush, as a misty rain swirls around in the slight breeze.  It's a perfect day for staying inside and working on spring needlework.  Which is exactly what I'm doing.  :-) 

Just in case you'd like to do the same, this morning I have listed little "Miss Blossom Bunny" in my Etsy shop.  She's the perfect project for a wintry, rainy, icy afternoon, and you may even have enough scraps in your stash so you don't need to go out in this inclement weather to buy supplies.

Miss Blossom can be found here:  www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

My afternoon stitchery project will probably be available as a pattern soon - Just a hint:  something for children!  :-) 

It's time for tea.  All of these patterns are available in my Etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC  What's YOUR favorite tea?  I love Earl Grey and a blend called "Baker Street" from Upton Tea Co.  It has a wonderfully smoky flavor that evokes a thatched cottage on the Scottish Highlands - a trip to Scotland by simply closing my eyes and musing...

Think spring!  It's been a week since "Phil" said there are 6 more weeks of winter.  There's still lots of snow on the ground and more to come!  So let's curl up by the fireplace with some spring-like needlework.  The pattern for my "Spring Fling" sachets/bowl fillers can be found as an instant download in my Etsy shop: 

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

Browsing through books on a wintry, snowy day and finding pressed treasures from summers that have passed...Perfect!

Well, Good Morning!  They say that snow is on the way, so it's another excellent wintry time to sit by the fireplace and stitch away the hours.  I hope

your Tuesday is a fruitful one!  

It's all about bees in my Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

Happy February

Well, they haven't appeared in our neck of the woods yet, so we can be ready for 'em anyway!  ;-)  Maybe a little punch needle project is just the ticket!

You can find the pattern here:

www.etsy.com/shop/DianeKnottLLC

It's an easy one, a fun take-along project and should help you get over that cabin fever feeling.  We're on the lookout for our first spring Robin.  So far, only the usual winter visitors, but they're a hoot to watch, as always!