This week, I’m rounding out our European picture postcard series with the sweetest ending…our pastry-filled journey through Lisbon, Portugal, with Season 10 Star Filipa Carneiro.

After wrapping with Cecilia Losado in Sitges, Spain, I flew (along with cinematographer Brad and his wife, Cindy) to Lisbon, Portugal.

We had been forewarned by Filipa that the Portuguese “have a sweet tooth” and that we needed to come hungry. Sure enough, we were greeted at Filipa’s home with fresh-baked star cookies and lemon poppyseed bread!

As Filipa bustled around preparing the goodies along with special coffee she had purchased at a nearby shop for Brad, I tried on one of her spectacular Season 10 projects featuring her own innovative “purl inlay” technique.

Filipa has a deep love and reverence for Portuguese traditions, which was evident throughout her home…

But she clearly has a modern streak, too, as well as a playful curiosity and sparkling sense of humor.

After filming the interview for her lifestyle (during which I persuaded her to sing an impromptu rendition of a song about Portuguese hospitality), we set up to film her workshop. Filipa had managed to color-coordinate the whole scene with her project! 😍

The next morning we met up to film b-roll around Lisbon, and stumbled into a massive parade of school children wearing the most amazing costumes they had made. Apparently, the whole city turns out to celebrate the last day of school. What a cool tradition!

And because we had gone a couple of hours without sugar…it was time for another pastry break! This time, we popped into Filipa’s favorite spot for a Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tart).

While Brad and I chowed down on this treat, Filipa told us the most amazing story…apparently, this tart originated at the Jerónimos Monastery in the 18th century. Because the nuns used large quantities of egg whites to starch the monks’ robes, they had a surplus of egg yolks, which resulted in a proliferation of yolk-heavy desserts across Lisbon and the whole country!

From there, we headed to Retrosaria (Portuguese for “Haberdashery”), owned by beloved designer and entrepreneur Rosa Pomar.

You’ll want to add this one to your travel bucket list, and you can shop Rosa’s beautiful collection of Portuguese wool yarns, as well as fabrics and other craft supplies, online here.

From there, it was onward to Moms Knitting, where the lovely shop owner, Ana Paula Velez, opened up to greet us, along with Filipa’s friends and students (she teaches at both Retrosaria and Moms on a weekly basis).

And of course…there was food! Lots and lots of amazing food! Also, I loved watching them all knit Portuguese style, as their yarns flowed from a community yarn bowl.

That night, Filipa took us to a fantastic dinner show featuring Fado, a performance of traditional Portuguese music accompanied by guitar. I was so tired at that point, I would’ve fallen asleep in my dinner, if the voices hadn’t been so strong and emotional!

The next day was a “free day”, and Filipa said we had to see Sintra, a historic town near Lisbon known for its palaces, castles, and the famous “initiation well,” rumored to be the location of Knights Templar initiation ceremonies in centuries past.

After one more pastry stop in Sintra, Filipa gifted me with this beautiful necklace handmade by her friend Inês of Inês Costa Design. It says “Purl” because in Portuguese knitting, the purl stitch is considered easier and more enjoyable than the Knit stitch.

Longtime readers may know that I once had a beloved lab named Purl, so this gift was extra special to me. ♥️

So after a sweet farewell, I bid adieu to Portugal…and headed back across the ocean to my sweet Charles Barkley!

Filipa is one of the more prolific designers I’ve ever come across, with a library of more than 160 designs on Ravelry. And she’s generous, too…many of them are free! I encourage you to take some time to check out her Ravelry store here and consider purchasing one (or more) of her paid patterns while you’re at it. It’s a simple and relatively low-cost way to support your favorite designers.

“Sorvete” (shown above) is a basic sleeveless top to keep you both stylish and fresh all summer long. It is knitted in a blend of linen and cotton, the perfect combination for hot temperatures. It’s so easy and fast to knit that you might wind up knitting several in different colors!

“Abraço” means “hug” in Portuguese. This eye-catching sweater has stripes that are enhanced by the neutral background and by half brioche stitch. It’s knitted seamlessly from the top down in garter stitch, with short-rows shaping on the stripes.

“Rosal” brings together the freshness and comfort of organic cotton, the lightness of an open floral crochet stitch, and a delicate color, perfect for your summer wardrobe.

All three of the above patterns are free on Ravelry as of this writing.

Filipa’s “Purl Love” socks are knitted from the toe up and inside out, always purling (Portuguese style). You begin the toe with a magic cast-on and then work with increases (wedge toe). The design also features a French round heel with a slip-stitch heel flap. The heel is worked entirely with increases and decreases (including the short rows).

Find the pattern for sale on Ravelry here.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake
Filipa was kind enough to share her lemon poppyseed cake recipe with us! And when you slice into it, you can call it “opening the cake” like the Portuguese do. 😎

Ingredients

• 1 container of yogurt, 125 grams
• Juice of 1 lemon + 2 tbsp, separated
• lemon zest
• 4 eggs
• sugar
• vegetable oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• flour
• 6 tbsp powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp poppyseeds, separated

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Begin by mixing 1 container of yogurt (125 g) with the zest and the juice of 1 lemon.
3. Mix in 4 eggs and 1 yogurt container of vegetable oil.
4. Add 3 yogurt containers filled with sugar and 3 tablespoons of poppyseeds.
5. Mix in 3 yogurt containers filled with flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
6. Mix together and pour into the prepared cake pan and bake until done (approximately 45 minutes). Test with a toothpick; when it comes out clean, it’s ready.
7. When the cake is cooled, mix 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a teaspoon of poppyseeds and glaze the cake – Enjoy!