If you're a dino fan like me, you may have noticed the recent news about Triceratops and Torosaurus. A recent study suggests these two are actually the same; that the Triceratops fossils were young animals and the Torosaurus ones were adults.
It's a world gone topsy-turvy.
Welcome to Morrgan's Creatures, a place on the net where I show off handmade creatures and creations of my own design.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
New Creations for Fall - Scarves
The first new designs for fall/winter 2010 are now available in my shoppe!There's a simple idea behind this design. I like wearing shawls as scarves, but often they aren't ideal for the job. The shawl might be too short to properly go around my neck. Or if it's long enough, it's also too big and bulky for comfortable wear.
Designed to combine the best qualities of a scarf and a shawl, my triangular scarves or mini shawls can be used as both - layered around the neck or keeping the shoulders and upper arms warm on chilly nights. The main body of the scarf is knitted in a pattern that looks beautiful on both sides - I love the effect, to be honest. I decorated the edges with cables, my favourite thing to knit.
I've made a number of these now, each a different colour. I also used several kinds of materials and made small changes to the pattern for many of them, making each a little different from the others. They will gradually show up in this section of my Etsy shop.
Labels:
knitting,
Morrgan's creations
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Roses are red... and pink!
During the two brief vacations I've taken this summer, we went to visit my parents up north. As usual, I spent as much time as possible in their garden together with my mother - digging, planting, weeding and just enjoying the pretty views. I thought I'd share!
This little beauty is called 'Sommerwind'. I love those kinda scalloped petals, they give the rose such a lovely, romantic look.
The reds on this rose and dahlia are so vibrant!
There's plenty of red raspberries too, as well as strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries. Yum!
Another pink beauty.
These lilies were planted a couple years ago and some of them we got as "surprises" - we had no idea what colours they would be. Due to a lily-eating meanie, this is the first year we actually saw them. They turned out to be rather fantastic surprises. =)
This little beauty is called 'Sommerwind'. I love those kinda scalloped petals, they give the rose such a lovely, romantic look.
The reds on this rose and dahlia are so vibrant!
There's plenty of red raspberries too, as well as strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries. Yum!
Another pink beauty.
These lilies were planted a couple years ago and some of them we got as "surprises" - we had no idea what colours they would be. Due to a lily-eating meanie, this is the first year we actually saw them. They turned out to be rather fantastic surprises. =)Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday Finds: Mushrooms
Is it mushroom season yet? I wonder if there will be any mushrooms this year, after such a hot summer.
(I wouldn't want to eat the ones that look like these, though.)
(I wouldn't want to eat the ones that look like these, though.)
Labels:
jewelry,
other crafty things,
Tuesday Finds
Saturday, August 07, 2010
A recipe tip: Ratatouille Pie
In our household, Mr Morrgan is usually the chef. He enjoys it and is much more imaginative in the kitchen than I am, so having him do most of the cooking was a natural choice. Baking is more my thing.
However, since I've lately spent more time at home than he has, it didn't seem fair that he'd have to work all day plus cook dinner, especially as just walking to work and back takes him 1-1 1/2 hours every day. So I decided to be brave and venture back into the world of cooking.
I've never been very interested in cooking, so I haven't bothered to learn that many recipes. It only took about a week to go through the usual suspects. Alas and alack, it was time to learn a new recipe.
Fortunately for me, I happened to spot something interesting in a magazine: a ratatouille pie. It was a pie (=baking) AND it had goat cheese on it. Perfect!
It was time-consuming, but I'm happy to say it was a success! Delicious both when warm and fresh, and when cold the next day. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to use homegrown veggies, but we only had our own lemon basil to put on top. It did make a very nice addition to the flavour, though.
The recipe can be found here, though it seems to only be available in Finnish. Basically the filling is a ratatouille made of eggplant, zucchini, capsicum (bell pepper), onion or leek and crushed tomato. The crust is rolled out thinly into a large circle, the filling placed on it and the crust edges are folded over the filling. After 20-ish minutes in the oven, goat cheese and olives are placed on top and the pie goes back into the oven until the cheese has melted.
As usual, I changed the recipe a little bit. I didn't have the graham flour the recipe asked for, so I made my own version of the crust:
Pie crust
1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) wheat flour
1 dl (~1/2 cup) rolled oats
3 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp oregano
a pinch of salt
75 g (~2 1/2 oz) butter
about 3/4 dl (1/3 cup) water
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add cubed butter and work into a dough. Add water and stir/mix until you have a smooth mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in fridge while you make the filling.
However, since I've lately spent more time at home than he has, it didn't seem fair that he'd have to work all day plus cook dinner, especially as just walking to work and back takes him 1-1 1/2 hours every day. So I decided to be brave and venture back into the world of cooking. I've never been very interested in cooking, so I haven't bothered to learn that many recipes. It only took about a week to go through the usual suspects. Alas and alack, it was time to learn a new recipe.Fortunately for me, I happened to spot something interesting in a magazine: a ratatouille pie. It was a pie (=baking) AND it had goat cheese on it. Perfect!
It was time-consuming, but I'm happy to say it was a success! Delicious both when warm and fresh, and when cold the next day. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to use homegrown veggies, but we only had our own lemon basil to put on top. It did make a very nice addition to the flavour, though.The recipe can be found here, though it seems to only be available in Finnish. Basically the filling is a ratatouille made of eggplant, zucchini, capsicum (bell pepper), onion or leek and crushed tomato. The crust is rolled out thinly into a large circle, the filling placed on it and the crust edges are folded over the filling. After 20-ish minutes in the oven, goat cheese and olives are placed on top and the pie goes back into the oven until the cheese has melted.
As usual, I changed the recipe a little bit. I didn't have the graham flour the recipe asked for, so I made my own version of the crust:
Pie crust
1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) wheat flour
1 dl (~1/2 cup) rolled oats
3 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp oregano
a pinch of salt
75 g (~2 1/2 oz) butter
about 3/4 dl (1/3 cup) water
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add cubed butter and work into a dough. Add water and stir/mix until you have a smooth mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in fridge while you make the filling.
Labels:
recipes
Thursday, August 05, 2010
My Creative Space: Preparing for autumn
Yeah, I missed the Tuesday Finds this week, sorry about that. While I did get back on Tuesday, we arrived close to midnight, so I just collapsed in bed as soon as we got home.
But enough of that and on to what's brewing in my creative space this week, with a sneak peek of this autumn's winter wear! As I am at times physically incapable of letting the knitting needles rest even on holiday (needleless fingers = restless fingers = unhappy fingers), I made the bottom three during these past few internetless days. I have used an eclectic mix of lovely soft wools, bamboo and even a funky vintage cotton-acrylic blend, in all sorts of fun colours. Neutral, dramatic, colourful, sweet; there's pretty much something of everything.
None of these are completely finished yet, but once they are, they'll find their way into my little shoppe.
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
But enough of that and on to what's brewing in my creative space this week, with a sneak peek of this autumn's winter wear! As I am at times physically incapable of letting the knitting needles rest even on holiday (needleless fingers = restless fingers = unhappy fingers), I made the bottom three during these past few internetless days. I have used an eclectic mix of lovely soft wools, bamboo and even a funky vintage cotton-acrylic blend, in all sorts of fun colours. Neutral, dramatic, colourful, sweet; there's pretty much something of everything.None of these are completely finished yet, but once they are, they'll find their way into my little shoppe.
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
knitting,
Morrgan's creations,
My Creative Space
Thursday, July 29, 2010
My Creative Space: Owly Bits
Oh look, it's another pile of random-looking yarny things! This is one of the projects for this week - a bunch of tiny owl magnets. Mmmm, I love that chocolate brown.With this post I'll again be taking a few internetless days to enjoy summer over the weekend. I should be back in time for next week's Tuesday Finds, so see you then!
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
crochet,
knitting,
Morrgan's creatures,
My Creative Space
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday Finds: Back to Nature
I just love natural materials, both the look and the feel.
Labels:
jewelry,
other crafty things,
Tuesday Finds,
yarn
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Introducing Hugo the Hugglephant
On August 22nd 2009 I tweeted thusly:
"is starting work on the HUGGLEPHANT."
I got off to a good start, then had to prepare for a trip and after that the holiday season was upon me. Poor Hugo has been terribly neglected since then, until the start of July. I picked up where I left off and am very happy to finally be able to introduce:
Hugo the Hugglephant
Hugglephants are like elephants, only their trunks are extra-long for hugging!
Hugo the Hugglephant dreams of becoming an acrobat when he grows up. He enjoys spending his time by rehearsing fun tricks, like standing on his head!
However, he is a hugglephant first and foremost, so he makes sure to also take frequent huggling breaks.
Hugo is available as a pattern via Ravelry (or click here to buy now - no Ravelry account needed) and from my Etsy shop. The pattern can also be used to make a regular elephant.
Want to see more creature introductions?
"is starting work on the HUGGLEPHANT."
I got off to a good start, then had to prepare for a trip and after that the holiday season was upon me. Poor Hugo has been terribly neglected since then, until the start of July. I picked up where I left off and am very happy to finally be able to introduce:
Hugo the HugglephantHugglephants are like elephants, only their trunks are extra-long for hugging!
Hugo the Hugglephant dreams of becoming an acrobat when he grows up. He enjoys spending his time by rehearsing fun tricks, like standing on his head! However, he is a hugglephant first and foremost, so he makes sure to also take frequent huggling breaks.Hugo is available as a pattern via Ravelry (or click here to buy now - no Ravelry account needed) and from my Etsy shop. The pattern can also be used to make a regular elephant.
Want to see more creature introductions?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My Creative Space: Nessies!
Well, I finished the custom order I mentioned I was working on last week. These plesiosaurs were shipped yesterday and I miss them already. *sigh* I'm just so happy about how they turned out.I might have to make a big Nessie or two for myself to sit by the aquarium. I think the red-finned Fishmeat (seen chatting with the plesies in the photo) misses the company as well.
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
aquaria,
crochet,
knitting,
Morrgan's creatures,
My Creative Space
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tiny Dragons - The 3rd batch
The 3rd batch of five tiny dragons is ready for introductions. From the left to the right:#11. Hugh - light blue and teal
#12. Dawn - light green and dark green
#13. Doris - purple and dark brown
#14. Lewis - turquoise and brown
#15. Samuel - dark green and black
Here's how it works: Every now and then I make a batch of 5 dragons. Each dragon will have a unique set of colours and they will get a signed hatching certificate with their name, number and date. When they're ready to list, I post an introduction on this blog like the one above. During the following few days, I'll list them in numerical order in my Etsy shop. Should you happen to spot one you must have, let me know and I can reserve it for you.
Labels:
crochet,
knitting,
Morrgan's creatures,
Tiny Dragons
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Photos from the balcony garden
How did I survive those 10 or so years without a balcony or garden? By spending a lot of time in my parents' garden and having my aquariums filled with an ridiculous amount of plants, I suppose. Seriously though, now I can't imagine going back to living without an opportunity to grow my own edibles and flowers.
Ah, such pretties. I think these marigolds are the first plants I've grown from seeds to flowering plants. So easy, so satisfying.
My first balcony-grown pea pod! It ain't summer without fresh peas.
A funky striped tomato! I don't know what was up with this one, but it tasted just fine. Didn't kill us either.
And here's an overview of about half of the balcony. Had I been smart I would have cleaned away the tools and such under the table before taking the photo. Oh well.
Ah, such pretties. I think these marigolds are the first plants I've grown from seeds to flowering plants. So easy, so satisfying. My first balcony-grown pea pod! It ain't summer without fresh peas. A funky striped tomato! I don't know what was up with this one, but it tasted just fine. Didn't kill us either. And here's an overview of about half of the balcony. Had I been smart I would have cleaned away the tools and such under the table before taking the photo. Oh well.
Labels:
plants
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My Creative Space: Finished Chompy Hearts
Remember last week's random pile of knitted red pieces? It's turned into proper hearts gone wild. Rawr. Some of these are for a custom order, but a few will be making their way into the shop later, once I manage to take some proper photos of them.(The small ones are magnetic, meaning you can finally have wild chompy hearts guarding your fridge. Perfect!)
Other than that I don't have much to show so far this week. I have done quite a bit of knitting, mostly on another custom order, but all I could show of that would be more piles of random shapeless forms from yarn and there was enough of that last week. ;)
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
crochet,
knitting,
Morrgan's creatures,
My Creative Space
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
My Creative Space: Chompy Hearts
The flu is finally all gone and it's back to knitting for me! I have a couple of custom orders on my plate, starting with this:
This random-looking pile of red will eventually turn into a number of hearts gone wild. As you can see, I use up to six double-pointed needles when making these guys. I like my knitting complicated.
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
This random-looking pile of red will eventually turn into a number of hearts gone wild. As you can see, I use up to six double-pointed needles when making these guys. I like my knitting complicated.Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
knitting,
Morrgan's creatures,
My Creative Space
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Tuesday Finds: For the Garden
Here it is, the tomato that was the greenish orange-yellow thing in the previous post. Once the process started, it didn't take long for my first ever homegrown tomato to turn a lovely bright red. Nor did it take long for us to eat it. =) Yum!So, this week's Tuesday Finds are inspired by this giant cherry tomato - all sorts of neat things for the garden/gardener.
Labels:
home decor,
other crafty things,
plants,
Tuesday Finds
Sunday, July 04, 2010
How my (Balcony) Garden Grows
It's been a while since my previous "planty" post. The flower box (on the right) has filled out nicely in June and the pale purple lobelias are doing especially well. The most exciting thing at the moment can be seen below though - my first ever tomato is turning red! Yay!I took the photo a few days ago and since then it has become a pretty orange red, turning a deeper red every day. I've got two tomato plants, each planted in their own plastic bucket (very convenient), and both have many many tomatoes on the way. They're supposed to be cherry tomatoes, but I think someone forgot to inform these plants of that fact - just look at the size of that first tomato!
My other growing edibles, these ones planted from seeds, are also coming along. In this flower box on the left I have edible peas planted together with sweet peas, both growing and climbing fast right now. Radishes and a few pathetic leaves of chives can be found in the pots. I also have marigolds growing here and there, both in the pots and box.So, what's next? Well, this weekend I got my hands on a second big wooden box, about 50 litres in volume. =) I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what to plant in it, but I'm leaning towards a bush or two of blueberries, together with a climbing plant with pretty flowers - maybe a Clematis or a rose, such as New Dawn? Suggestions are welcome!
Labels:
plants
Thursday, July 01, 2010
My Creative Space: Homemade Piña Colada Ice Cream!
As you can see, I'm back on the internet. I spent the previous week relaxing with family and it was all good. So what happens when I get back home? BAM, I get a summer flu. A very mean flu too. It meant I couldn't do much other than go "oh woe is meeee" in bed in a plaintive voice, hoping Mr Morrgan would take pity on me and bring me nice things to eat and drink. (Which he did.)
It also meant I haven't been able to do any knitting. However, I'm a person who can't sit still for very long. Once I was well enough to get out of bed, I needed a project to work on. While browsing blogs, I came upon a photo of homemade ice cream. And BAM again, it hit me: I must make homemade ice cream!
Behold my first batch of ice cream!
As I can't follow a recipe to save my life, I got creative about this too. "Coconut ice cream? Boooring, when I can make a few modifications and make piña colada ice cream instead! Can't find a recipe for that? No problem, just take this and that, and add some of those with a pinch of these..." Well, you see how it goes.
In the end I made up a recipe of my own for homemade piña colada ice cream, made from scratch with whipping cream, cream of coconut, crushed pineapple, white rum etc. No eggs, no ice cream machine. For a first try, I'm very pleased! As is Mr Morrgan, who now has the flu too and needs ice cream to soothe his aching throat (or so he claims).
While surprisingly close in texture to storebought ice cream, it's not perfect yet. I'll fiddle with the recipe some more and when I'm happy with it, I'll share it on this blog. Fun times. =)
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
It also meant I haven't been able to do any knitting. However, I'm a person who can't sit still for very long. Once I was well enough to get out of bed, I needed a project to work on. While browsing blogs, I came upon a photo of homemade ice cream. And BAM again, it hit me: I must make homemade ice cream!
Behold my first batch of ice cream!As I can't follow a recipe to save my life, I got creative about this too. "Coconut ice cream? Boooring, when I can make a few modifications and make piña colada ice cream instead! Can't find a recipe for that? No problem, just take this and that, and add some of those with a pinch of these..." Well, you see how it goes.
In the end I made up a recipe of my own for homemade piña colada ice cream, made from scratch with whipping cream, cream of coconut, crushed pineapple, white rum etc. No eggs, no ice cream machine. For a first try, I'm very pleased! As is Mr Morrgan, who now has the flu too and needs ice cream to soothe his aching throat (or so he claims).
While surprisingly close in texture to storebought ice cream, it's not perfect yet. I'll fiddle with the recipe some more and when I'm happy with it, I'll share it on this blog. Fun times. =)
Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Kootoyoo's blog for a look!
Labels:
My Creative Space
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