I've just discovered Drink, Shop & Do - a fabulous shop and cafe bar that's a complete breath of fresh air in the otherwise pretty uninspiring Kings Cross area.

Located in a light and airy Victorian former bath house, it serves up a small but perfectly formed menu featuring dainty triangle sandwiches, delicious cakes, quirky cocktails, wine and of course, tea in pretty teapots. The decor is a charming mishmash of kitsch vintage furniture and patchwork quilts, and everything is for sale, from the cake stands and china ornaments right through to tables, chairs and sofas. As a bonus, there are board games to play, the music is great and it's open until 11.30pm. What's more, there are lots of different events on offer, including knitting night, scrabble afternoon, and the evening we were there, truffle rolling!

We had a lovely time on our visit: in fact, I have to admit that cake + wine + tea + board games + crafts = pretty much the perfect evening for me and my friends.  I think it's safe to say that we'll definitely be back!

Look what I made! My very own hand-knitted ruby slippers - perfect for keeping toes toasty warm on these chilly winter afternoons.

As an early Christmas gift to readers of a crafty bent, I thought I'd share the pattern I used to make these. It's so easy and quick, and ideal if you're a beginner when it comes to knitting. You can make it with any DK weight wool you have to hand, although I have to admit that I quite like the idea of making some with sparkly red yarn for the full-on Wizard of Oz look.

The basic pattern for the slippers is based on paperandglue's ridiculously easy mary jane slippers, which you can also find on ravelry here. Here goes:

Follow the Yellow Brick Road Ruby Slippers

You will need:

Any red DK yarn.
4.5mm needles.

To make the slippers:

Cast on 30 stitches.
Knit for 18cm in garter stitch. Bear in mind that you may need to increase or decrease the length here depending on the size of your foot - I wear UK size 4/5 shoes.
K2tog for two rows, keeping in pattern.
Cut off the yarn, leaving a long tail which you can then thread through the remaining stitches like a drawstring.
Using the tail of yarn, sew the two edges together for about 7cm to make the toe of your slipper.
Sew up the vertical seam at the back to make the heel of the slipper.

To make the bows:

For the main bow:
Cast on 7 stitches.
Knit for 8cm in garter stitch.
BO in pattern.

For the loop:
Cast on 3 stitches.
Knit 4cm in garter stitch.
BO in pattern.
(alternatively if you prefer, you could make a 4cm piece of icord instead)

To complete the bow, wrap the loop piece around the centre of the main bow, and stitch it together on the back side. You can then stitch the finished bow to the toe of your slipper.

To finish:

Tap heels together three times...