Weekly cooking "self" challenge

Back in late March or early April I "self" challenged myself to try out a never before tried recipe.
This week has been Chicken Liver Pate, it smelt, and tasted ok when I had finished making...it is now in the fridge .
Last week I made panacotta with a homemade raspberry jelly.  I liked it, and colleagues said it was good.

Well, how did they go down?

I asked for feedback about the chocolate scones, and I got it.
You see, I shouldn't eat chocolate as it gives me a migraine.
The general opinion was although they were good scones, they were dry.  (Cocoa powder does tend to dry a mixture.)  Also, one person said the walnuts did not "go".  If I make chocolate scones again I think I will use hazelnuts as they are a "wetter" nut, and possibly raspberries or blueberries in place of the chocolate chips.
But, unless you try new things out you don't know whether they work or not.

Baking "experiment"

I'm not 100% sure why I decided that I would try to bake chocolate scones, but I did.  I have never seen, or heard, of chocolate scones before and wondered why.
I'll not say what changes I made to the recipe, only that they were logical changes, if you bake.
They are just about ready to be put into boxes to keep them fresh, but they smell great and look like normal scones, only they are brown, due to the chocolate.
After they have been sampled by my "guinea pigs", I'll add feedback to this post.
For the record, I made chocolate scones that have chocolate chips and walnut in them.  And....isn't experimenting how people create new recipes?

Passing the sundress

I have been busy knitting, crocheting, but had a problem which meant I was without my pc for several weeks.  And it's been very warm here, so sitting in front of a pc has not been top of my priority list, not with the warm weather beckoning.
Anyway, the projects I currently have on the go are granny squares for a bedcover and a four ply jumper for Edwin.  The jumper is dark blue so I have only been knitting after work and until the light started to fade, then I have been changing to crocheting granny squares.  I don't really need to watch what I'm doing with those.
I had also knitted a sundress for my great niece, but the edgings are crocheted and I couldn't get them to sit right, so I've asked Mum to finish it off as she is much more proficient at crocheting.

Search for needles for Mum

Mum has heard about some birch needles that are decorated, so my current mission is to find out who sells them, and she'll probably get at least one pair for her birthday.
I've just seen a gadget to put your ball of wool onto so that it unwinds as you knit.  I think it cost around £30.  That's a little expensive, so if you want to use one of those gadgets but are on a budget there's a simple answer.  You know those things designed to put kitchen roll on?  Well, they fit the bill perfectly.  I bought myself one when knitting with some "doughnut" balls of wool.  (you know the ones, they make the wool look lovely and squishy, but get in a tangle if you aren't careful, it was just perfect for those.
I have been knitting etc, just have been without my pc for the best part of four weeks.

A pair of hats

Well, not a matching pair.

 This little lovely is a baby hat from Itty Bitty Hats.  I did want to knit it, but I will say that sewing all the "rosebuds" on the crown make the crown of the hat quite stiff and I am not so sure if it will be comfortable to wear.  After all, to me stiffness = uncomfortable.  I do like how it looks though.

This other hat is a beanie hat made in Aran weight wool.  It's very comfortable and snug.  Perhaps I should make lots of thick winter weight woollies and then the weather might warm up a little?

Busy little fingers

I've been spending quite a bit of time knitting lately.  It's a relaxing thing to do especially when you've been told to rest by the doctor.  Below are photos of what I have been making.

 Above is a hat in aran weight wool for an adult, it was for me, but I'm not so sure it suits me, so it's looking for a good home.  The fingerless gloves are made with the same sock yarn as the shawlette of the previous post and will be staying with it.  I think I know who to gift them to.

 This shawlette is for me, it is in James C Brett's Monsoon aran weight.  I love knitting with this yarn as it has a very soft handle to it. The close up below is so you can see the daisy pattern and the upper part. I enjoyed making this and the edging was added in a very unusual way.  The pattern is from a Simply Knitting magazine.

 

This little baby coat and hat are to go with the blanket I made last year, and my younger son's girlfriend is going to give them to her friend who has recently had a baby.   I might just make a hat from the Itty Bitty Hat book as well for this particular baby.  This is a second appearance of this pattern as I made it in a blue blend for a colleague, at least three years back now.
Perhaps it's time I made myself something major to wear now, I am working on a cardigan, but have changed the pattern panel as the one in the magazine wasn't working out correctly.  (The number of stitches kept getting more, understandable as it calls for two stitches to be made, but only one taken away.)