SELF-HELP #38

Casting on for Christmas 🎄🎄🎄

Christmas is going to be very different this year. Even before the government’s big announcement we had decided to postpone the festivities until Easter when, hopefully, it will be safer to get together with family. N’s granddaughter will be one, so loads of fun getting into everything😉

I will, of course, be knitting for Christmas. Any gifting will be done via the post. Deliveries will probably be both sides of the big day, depending on how I get my act together.

The makings of a Christmas stocking!

N and I are planning a nice dinner which will be dropped off at his parents’ kitchen door. Hopefully it will be a dry day so that we don’t get soaked chatting in the garden. Our priority is keeping our oldies safe.

Being mindful and filling my head with stitching patterns.

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

A RANDOM BAKE

Or an icing sugar storm 🌬

It is B’s birthday today🎂 Can’t believe my little cherub is now old enough to drive! I thought I would try to be one of those yummy mummy types and make him a cake 🤔

Now in my defence I haven’t done any proper baking since B was small when we used to bake together. In recent years I have made brownies and the like with my good friend Betty Crocker. And I have had a very temperamental oven and baking on my own was never much fun😯

But I have a new oven so thought I would have a go. I measured the ingredients from memory, probably not one of my better ideas😋 I made an 8oz sponge mixture but new baking tins so think I probably should do a 10oz mixture. And new oven so need to experiment with that. My cake looks a bit flat and is a bit crisp around the edge but it did have a nice spring to the touch. I have sandwiched it together with raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream.

Note to self:

Soften the butter before attempting to cream it

Make sure the mixer is on its lowest setting when using icing sugar – everything ended up with a fine dusting of the stuff😉

I don’t think I will be doing the Great British Bake Off any time soon….

I am going to stick to my knitting. Anyone for a cuppa and cake?

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #43

Supporting a good deed…

One of my son’s primary school teachers spends her Christmas day each year putting on a Christmas spread for ex soldiers who would normally spend Christmas alone. She asks for gifts.

A couple of beanies nearly completed. I feel the excitement of pom pom fun on the horizon 😉

They will be packed along with toiletries and chocs.

How is everyone’s Christmas knitting coming along? 🎅🎅🎅 yo ho ho!

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

SELF-HELP #37

Fresh air and a bit (of knitting) on the side….

The blog has been somewhat neglected over the past couple of weeks. Autumn is in full swing – cold and damp with the occasional frosty morning. Work is frantic. Exercise and knitting are struggling for space in my itinerary! !!

Autumn is here

I was walking by the canal a few days ago in Kidderminster. This photo is taken just round the bend from Caldwell Bridge. I love the rust colours of the leaves but not the shorter days. Less likely to walk in the dark 🌜

On the knitting front I have started working through my Christmas gift list – no details available at the moment 🤔

But I have been picking up the knotty cowl from time to time for a bit of stress relief. I have another 15cm to go…

The knots aren’t as evenly spaced as they should be 😄

But look at all the ends to weave in! That is when the stress will start 😉

Getting back on track!

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

OCTOBER ROUND UP 🎃

Stormy more than spooky…

The month has been windswept and interesting. Quite productive on the home made front.

N has been busy preserving and he has presented me with the little mug this morning, claiming that my friends from the coven left it – cheeky so and so!!!

But look what it does when you make a cup of tea in it

I am easily entertained…

I am planning making pumpkin and chilli soup this afternoon. My lovely dad has been keeping busy growing veg so it would be rude not to use them🎃

On the knitting front I have completed all of the parts of the chunky cardi so looks like I will start November putting it together. The knotty cowl is coming along, about another 12 inches to go and then all of those delightful ends to work in 😥 And I have just got 5 squares to complete the KAL well behind everyone else but I am getting there!

Planning my Christmas knitting list, it will be a thrifty homemade festival this year but need to get a crack on as most will need to posted as no big get together this year 😷

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

LKKNITALONG – COMING ALONG!

Not much more to do…

The two crest of the wave squares are complete and one of the Sands of time.

Particularly like the Sands of time piece. Always enjoy a bit of a twist and cable 😉

One more of these to do and then the intarsia which I keep putting off….

Still procrastinating but sending woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

WASTE NOT WANT NOT!!!

The fruits of the garden 🍅

Back in March at the start of Lockdown some tomato seeds were planted as part of B’s Lockdown Science work for school. B looked after them on the windowsill until his teacher moved on to something else. They probably spent too long on the windowsill but finally they were planted out in pots, grow bags and planters. It’s incredible how many plants you get out of a pack of seeds!!!

They have been cared for over the summer, certainly better than I have been cared for, and then we had a glut of tomatoes. We have been eating tomato salad with most things. Recently we have been ripening tomatoes on the windowsill – back to where they started 😉

N has been busy in the kitchen and with a dollop of green tomatoes that we couldn’t possibly find room to leave to ripen he has made some chutney. He has also hoovered up a lot of them and made some ketchup 🍅

We have 2 jars of green tomato chutney left, it is quite tasty with a bit of cheese. We have not scoffed the lot I hasten to add, several jars have been gifted! N got his felt tips out and made pretty labels. Still waiting for labels for the jars of ketchup 🤔

All of our tomatoes have been used and N is trying to nurture some seed for next year; here’s hoping 🙄

Nothing woolly in this past but woolly wishes anyway,

Jane ♡♡♡

ADDING TO THE STASH AGAIN!!!

Ooops. …

I am a bit of a lost cause – look what arrived today

I am trying to convince myself that this doesn’t really count as free gifts but I have my doubts as it still takes up space. I really must stop ticking the free gift box when on line!!!

Just got to think of something to do with it all before N throws me and my stash out 😅

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡

STASH-BUSTING #42

Getting my knots in a twist !

Well there is a bit of progress on the tangle that was the yarn dug out of the stash yesterday. I have started the knotty cowl. There is a bit of faffing about but the results are quite pleasing.

Usual sections as if twisting and cabling but extra work on the bits that are doing the moving so that they can be knotted.

My photo doesn’t really do it justice!!!

Then carry on a bit until ready to do the next knot.

Not looking forward to weaving in all of the ends and being of a certain age I think I might find it rather hot to wear 😝

This is something by Jo Alport that I found in Let’s Knit – every day is a school day 😄

Woolly wishes,

Jane ♡♡♡