Mbutterfudge

Christmas Crocheting

My little Christmas collection is growing...with a little help from Michelle

 

Braving the weather

The temptation to stay home on a cold, dark, wet Saturday was great.  The children really wanted to make popcorn and curl up on the sofa and watch Dr Who repeats.  The weather here has been just terrible.  It has rained so heavily, but thankfully nothing like eleswhere in the country.  And although it was really dark, it wasnt' cold.

Greg and I were determined to escape the house so we packed the car with wellies and raincoats, chocolate and watercolour paints, and off to Kew we went.  The drive into London was horrible.  We were tempted to turn home because of the heavy traffic.  The sofa seemed like a good idea.  And then my little car over heated on a really busy roundabout.  After topping up my car with our water-bottles, and pushing on, we arrived at an empty Kew. 

I can honestly say it was one of the best days we've had there.  The glasshouses all had their lights on.  It felt like night time.  It's weird to visit somewhere you know really well when its dark. It was so beautiful.  We met "Peter" the bird keeper, which made Harris' day.  He now wants to work at Kew when he's older - I love that.

We settled down and did some painting.  Just enjoying the peace, and beauty of the incredibly old buildings and gardens.

We all felt really lucky to have visited, it felt odd without the crowds.  We were all glad we'd left the sofaX 

 

Do you think she knows her name is Libby?

Download IMG_0336.MOV

Reds & Stripes

Fitting more and more colour into my day

Crochet works up so quickly.  Which makes it addictive.  ADDICTIVE.

I find myself picking it up constantly. I've been scanning eBay looking for Rowan & Debbie Bliss goodies.  My Christmas Gifts stack is growing (thankfully).

Below is my first jar cover (Bonne Maman size), I love that it can be a vase or just a handy jar.  I have some larger glass jars waiting for their jackets too.  I think they really are pretty gifts.

I am also trying out making an iphone cover, which I'll interface and fabric line.  I thought about the rectangle/oval shape at about 1am this morning...crochet is keeping me awake! 

I've also been thinking about starting a granny squared blanket...a huge, daunting project...expensive...but rewarding.  I've made 2 squares, only about 166 to go!

The above were fun to plant up.  Fun to also use some of my favourite jugs.

Back to crochet...

The above picture is lit terribly but, it was really late, and I was so happy with my little wrist bracelet, and everyone else was asleep.  Ahh, I need to get out more!

Making more jar jackets.  (Do you like our thrifted Rocking Ram?  I bought him about 6 months ago, he has real horns, and came from the Fiji Islands.  The children love him.  I must try to take a better photo.)

I've found myself stealing Antonia's wrist warmers...on top of everything else I "need" to make myself a pair.  Need, must have, can't live without...  They are nice aren't theyXX

Playing with crochet...yep I bought new wool

I bought 8 balls of Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino. I LOVE it. I became "that" lady who sits on the floor surounded by lines of different wool; Rowan alpaca was almost chosen, maybe next time.  But I just kept coming back to these bright, happy colours. Lucy at Attic24 has a lot to answer for :0)

This is so new to me. I still love naturals, yellows,browns and greens still call to me, but this new attraction to bright wool...well it's powerful, Im running with it.

I've started some bright wrist warmers, a gift (maybe for me). They just make me happy everytime I look at them. X

Crochet's cool, call me crazy

Antonia mentioned how much she would like a pair of wrist warmers, in blue. 

Now, when a 13 year old girl agrees that something you've made is "really nice", there is no higher compliment in the world. 

And its worth staying up till 2am to finish.  Call me crazyX

 

 

 

Colours

Oh my goodness my 1st Mosaic worked!

Hope you like itXX

Discovering the new, remember the old.

Stumbling upon the most wonderful blog yesterday, by the sweetest lady in North Yorkshire called Lucy, was a real joy.  Her crochet, photographs and writing are so inspiring.  I got swept up in reading her archives, and once the children were in bed I had to start the below wrist warmers. 

As Lucy explains (oh so well) these are really simple to make, just a rectangle with the thumb hole being created when you stitch up the side seam.

Her writing really makes you feel that you can do her designs.  Her colour works are just fabulously cheerful.  I would love to dash out today to my local wool shop and buy lots of Debbie Bliss, but Santa needs me to be careful.  These really would make the most wonderful gifts though, so maybe a little shopping trip can be justified.  But I am not sure I can trust myself not to start Lucy's fabulous crocheted bag instead.  Its just beautiful.

Over the weekend I finished Genevieve's leg warmers.  Wearing them first thing Sunday morning with her pyjamas, and then later as wrist/arm warmers, so I think they were a hit.

During last week I did manage to make the promised lunch bags, but didn't get around blogging, I just don't know where the time goes.  The children are happy with their new bags (Antonia's didn't make the photo).  I am not completely happy with them, so will, when I get a minute, make some more.  I really love Harris' green bag the best.   

Today the lunches have some of the below yummy Gingerbread included.  This sticky, wonderfully aromatic cake is so comforting and warming.  It always surprises me how "liquidy" the batter seems when you put it in the oven, it doesn't look like it could possibly be right, but it does.

Finally, I had to write about how much I love Ebay.  I won these perfect 1984 Beano comic's for Harris' christmas.  A whole years worth for no money at all, in wonderful condition.  They just don't make comics like this anymore.  The soft paper here, is so tactile.  The smell, all papery and booky.  A really pleasure.  Harris' gets a bit overwhelmed reading books, he really lacks confidence in himself, but a comic seems (to him) more fun.  He will treasure these, I just know it.  He'll read these and then draw from them.  Hours of fun.

A few weeks ago I had taken him to Boarders to buy a comic especially for us to read together, and the choice was so terrible, and so expensive.  Everything was just full of adverts, and nonsense, they seem to have lost their magic.  Children make their choices based on what free toy is attached, which seems so sad to me. 

Bring back the paper comic.  We miss you. 

When I was 17 I worked in Victoria, London, and used to buy a certain newspaper for the train just because it had a Garfield cartoon inside.  Cartoons, were always what I doodled growing up, easy to draw, rewarding to create.  I remember looking forward to reading that small cartoon, setting me up for the day.  Silly really.  But I still adore Garfield books.

I am so excited to have these comics tucked away and hope to find some more for the girls as well.  Thats if I have any money left after my wool shopping.X

 

Cake, Christmas & Chocolate, both goodX

Honestly, there is something about preparing a Christmas Cake that just feels so homely.  I make no apologies for making a christmas cake, I know they can be bought, but I enjoy the whole process so much.  And I am not the only one, Harris and Genevieve even get excited about mixing up the dried fruit, candied peel and (delicious) brandy the night before the cake can be baked.  Antonia just loves the whole theatre of preparing our cake, and she really loves the cake itself, where Harris and Genevieve will only eat the icing.  But thats okay, its not just about the eating, its the preparing, the ritual, the tradition.

Tonight the bowl sits in the corner of our kitchen, covered in a red gingham tea towel (clean, of course), and was peeped at with giggled excitement before bed, even by Greg.  Christmas is coming. Eeek!

They'll look forward to seeing the cake, and especially will rush to be involved in the "feeding" over the next few weeks.  And the smell of brandy is not for the faint hearted, I have friends who can't take it, but my 3 seem to not mind.

I always make Delia's Classic Christmas Cake, it really is the best.   

 
Another cake I seem to return to again and again is a simple sponge with 4 tablespoons of Green & Blacks Hot Chocolate Drink added.  The chocolate is small, tiny chunks of really good chocolate, which hold their shape. 

I take the cake out earlier than I normally bake a sponge for, so that its really moist. I don't ice it.  It's much loved here.  I like to bake it at night, so that I get to lick the bowl :o) X