'tis the season

There's just 3 more sleeps until Christmas!...and that should be just enough time for me to work out (and shop for) the perfect recipe for this year's Christmas lunch/dinner all-day feast thanks to this duo packed with all sorts of deliciousness.

The William-Sonoma book is the only cookbook where every dish I've tried comes out exactly as photographed and tastes better than I hoped, while Delia's was given to me as a present last Christmas. I'm sad to say that this will be its first outing. 

After much faffing I am somewhat satisfied with our tree. I found this, my first real Christmas tree, a pain to decorate.

She arrived like this:

                                                   

and try as I might I couldn't get her to behave as I wanted. With branches uneven and twisting in all directions, dressing the tree wasn't as easy or pleasurable as I recall. We've now called a truce and are determined to enjoy the season. However, if by next Christmas she isn't much better behaved, she will get grounded in favour of a nordmann fir!

Here's to you this holiday season: be happy, be well.

hand made ornaments

I've been buried under paperwork and admin for about a week and desperately needed a break. At the same time, I'm trying to stay on top of things before the next round of snow brings Royal Mail to a standstill! Again. 

Yesterday I realised that unless I visit the Christmas market this week, I'd miss it. So I wrapped up warm, mailed the last of our Christmas presents and hopped on the bus to Leeds. At the Christmas market there, I bought some handmade ornaments I'd been dreaming of

There was lots else to see at the Leeds Christmas Market:

{i like the idea of hand blown glass baubles}

Last weekend we got our other ornaments out of the garage but as yet have nothing to hang them on; we still don't have a tree! S and I can't decide whether to go for a real or an artificial tree but are leaning towards a real potted fir. I really hope we can keep it alive and healthy throughout the coming year. This will be a challenge because other than a few cacti and my poinsettia - which is still doing very well, thank you for asking - I don't have a good track record with plants :(

Now that everyone else's presents are out of the way, I turn my mind to S'. He is tricky to buy for at the best of times and this year he stated he doesn't want hand knits! I'm going to have to get creative. And quick!, but I'm running out of steam.

I look forward to buying gorgeous ornaments in the sales. I've seen a number of beauties I'd like to add to our collection but they're not worth the full asking price to me. 

I'm also toying with the idea of crocheting snowflakes out of white yarn I got off SammyB.

needle rolls

I've been at it again. Stitchtalk, the sewing community (have you checked it out yet?), has me digging out projects sewn ages ago. While at it, I figured my needle rolls could be of interest to knitters too.

My straight knitting needle roll is from the original Stitch 'n bitch book. I had barely finished my first scarf before deciding I needed a needle roll to house what at the time was my meager collection of needles. 

When I first started knitting (not counting childhood attempts), I didn't know which material (metal,  various woods, plastic, bakelite...) would make my needles of choice. So I dabbled with them all before settling on wooden needles - which seemed the best combination of: weight, looks, 'grab', cost and feel - my favourites being birch and rosewood. And so started my needle collection. No, plastic knitting needles never really got a look-in.

Shortly afterwards, I was turned on to circular knitting (owing entirely to fetching). From the get go, I was excited by the prospect of knitting with glorified toothpicks. I wasn't afraid of poking eyes out with my teeny-pointy sticks, I wasn't even afraid of cables (Iwona told me I could do it and that was good enough for me), I was just excited to knit tubes! 

Then whilst visiting my brother in NYC, I happened upon a gorgeous little fabric shop. Now, New York won't ever make my top 5-cities-to-live-in list; it's just not a city I get - even after many trips. I am not at all a city girl so this is understandable. But I digress. 

There I was, wandering the streets of Soho when I caught sight of a crayon roll in the window of said shop. I stepped in to Purl Soho, and thus began my love affair with sewing & Amy Butler & bright bold fabrics. In the shop I enquired after a pattern for the crayon roll and was told I'd find it in a book that was yet to be released. But being an impatient person, I bought enough 1/4 yards of fabric to make the inner and a plain linen for the outer and returned home to attempt my own version of their needle roll. 

me likey!

Next came the circular needle roll and hanger previously mentioned here. My knitting needle collection was still growing and I needed something pretty to store my circular needles in. I designed the needle roll below and it's served me well for many years.

Then earlier this year I got into knitting cardigans and I found that the cables on my circular needles had the tendency to curl up on themselves: annoying! In the early days (of my knitting) the thing to do was 'straighten out' the cables in hot water. I can't be bothered with all that faffing so I've reverted to something I made (and promptly forgot about) years ago. Storing circular needles on a hanger means they are ready for action when you are.

Though this is not a convenient/realistic/sane way to transport knitting needles, the needle hanger does have the benefit of being visually pleasing and can even be termed art...according to Nicola. 

And there you have it; anecdotes about my needle rolls. What I'd love to know is: How do you store and transport your knitting needles and crochet hooks?

simply christmas

I'm almost done with this year's Christmas cards, I just need to find a couple of boxes to send one or two people extra little somethings. One of these lucky people knows something is headed her way but the others haven't a clue. I just love to send (and receive) unexpected surprises, sort of a random act of kindness. 

As I round off the last of the cards I get to the first of the presents. One advantage of my family not knowing about my blog is that I can bang on about their presents without ruining the surprise. For instance, my lovely mother-in-law (and I'm not just saying that, she really is as good as gold) is getting

Mom does a whole lotta gardening but feels she is losing her grip so secateurs with a ratchet system could be just the ticket for her. At Simply Christmas, I spent a few minutes at the stand (where these secateurs were being sold) "chopping" rather thick (3cm diameter) twigs into cylinders and did so with ease. Being a fan of well made implements, I am satisfied with the performance. The keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed there are in fact two secateurs. Ages ago I learned that when I buy something useful for someone, I should also get myself one lest I "borrow" it back from them never to return again! and that just isn't good gift giving practice, is it?

The only other stall that got my custom was The Miniature Bakery (oh, my). 

They sold delectable, scrumptiously nummy, itty-bitty pieces of joy and they were very generous with their samplers too! Theirs are proper melt-on-you-tongue (with a good crunch) butter biscuits. They sold a number of other things but I was most enraptured by their butter biscuits. 

Tonight is S' turn to do the dishes, I have two parcels to wrap. I get no joy from wrapping parcels. S is very good at wrapping parcels. So I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. 

We are both happy bunnies. Well, my dishes (and pans) await, see ya soon.

a shrug and a bag

Popping in to share photos of the shrug, taken about an hour ago. I had planned to "pose" outdoors but baby, it's cold outside!

{my posh wedding shrug}

Ages ago I made this bag but disliked the picture I took at the time. I've been wanting a better picture since. Again this should have been taken outdoors but...

{based on all day tote from Simple Sewing}

Do all you sewing enthusiasts know about Stitchtalk? It looks like it could be on par with Ravelry. The interface is very user friendly, it seems to me to be a cross between ravelry and facebook. I only joined today (no waiting list) so I'm still finding my way around. If you read this blog and are on there do say hi.

Hope your weekend was good. 

the first batch

I have got a jumpstart on Christmas, mailed the first batch of cards today and I am so pleased.

And I've got a house plant, one that S brought home a fortnight ago. I'm not what anyone would describe as green thumbed but as you can see, I've got a beautiful, vibrant poinsettia plant that I'm managing to keep alive! what was that? of course you can have a closer look!

I don't know whether I can be bothered with Christmas baking this year. Two years ago, I made Christmas cards and baked treats:

Six different treats and approximately 40 cards: took me many, many days and i won't be repeating that trick in a hurry! Last year peeps got fudge - quick and simple. In my opinion, baked treats are a perfect and (somewhat) economical present when you have lots of cousins, their kids, aunts and uncles. This year's early snow means we can't make it to mid Wales for the December walk ergo no need for baked treats. I considered mailing the treats over but with the delays to packages, it hardly seems worthwhile.

S and I will spend one day this weekend at Simply Christmas. Where we'll keep our eyes peeled for more unusual presents for members of our immediate family. I doubt I'll see much (if anything) to knock my socks off but we've free tickets and so have nothing to lose.

I haven't forgotten about the shrug, at present I'm struggling to photograph myself in it. But the weekend is here and S will be at my beck and call (if only) so getting a picture should be no problem. In theory.

How are you shaping up for Christmas? Are your presents 'in the bag'? Have you 'decked the halls' yet?  Cards bought and mailed? 

Enjoy the weekend.