Christmas Trees

Mittens for Kittens

Remember the three little kittens who lost their mittens and they began to cry?
It never hurts to have back ups...

Pattern: NHM #5

Source: Selbuvotter - Biography of a Knitting Tradition by Terri Shea

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport

Needles: dpn's - 2.75 mm

Last winter, I did a few pairs of mittens from Charlene Schurch's Mostly Mittens book. Her mitten and sock books are, to me, invaluable additions to any knitter's library. Her basic instructions for garment construction are excellent so by the time I opened Terri Shea's Selbu book (also excellent in all respects), I was able to simply pick up the needles and follow the graphs with ease.

Wrapping Things Up

I always try to hand-decorate the wrapping paper when we are giving gifts. It is a chance to be creative, have fun, and produce something different in this age of mass produced everything.
The basic supplies are plain brown paper, ribbon, tape, stencils and stencil paint, rubber and foam stamps, colored ink pads, and a small foam brush or two.
I have made many tags over the years by using free Christmas graphics found on various internet websites and editing them to include names, messages, etc. I save the tags to disc for future use.

Selbu Knitting

I was besotted with lace knitting all through the spring, summer and fall. But the winter weather is upon us (the wind chill readings today hovered around -10 degrees Celsius!) and I have the urge to return to stranded  knitting. There is something especially comforting about using the same patterns and designs to produce warm clothing that women around the world have been knitting for well over a hundred years.

Pattern: NHM#5
Source: Selbuvotter - Biography of a Knitting Tradition by Terri Shea
Yarn: Brown Sheep Company Nature Spun Sport
Needles: dpn's -  2.75 mm

Chambray Blue

Pattern: Montego Bay Scarf

Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino Light

Color: Chambray

Needles: Circular, 4.0 mm

This is the first time I have used any of the Madelinetosh yarns. They get high ratings among Ravelry members, not only because of the quality of the yarn base, but because her colors are so lovely. This fingering weight Merino Light is a beautiful shade of blue. The yarn was good to work with and incredibly soft.

Steamed Cranberry Pudding

There is, I think, nothing more comforting at the end of a meal than a pudding - especially on cold winter days.

Movita was looking for a variety of recipes the other day and it reminded me that mid autumn is when fresh Canadian cranberries appear on store shelves. And it's the time to make steamed cranberry pudding.
Cranberry pudding is dark, tart, and served with a light, creamy hot caramel sauce that offsets the tartness of the berries.
Until now, I've always used a greased and floured crock bowl, with a top made of greased brown paper tied in place with twine. Last Christmas, we chanced upon a real pudding mould and I am using it for the first time today.

The only downside to the mould is that it is quite high and I can only just get the cover of the stock pot closed in order to do the steaming. One of the best features is the tight fitting lid, with a ring in the centre that allows me to safely lift the mould in and out of the pot of hot water.

And three hours of steaming later:

Here's a wonderful website that covers the history of puddings - from rice, tapioca, and bread puddings to Spotted Dog, Roly Poly, custard, and that most British of desserts - Christmas or Plum Pudding.

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpuddings.html

Send An Ark

In the last five days, it has rained, poured, showered, drizzled, and dripped. And the winds, by times, have howled. We've received 172 mm of rain. By times, part of the garden off the back steps looks like a duck pond. Thankfully, after each deluge, the earth absorbs the water and it returns to being a woodland pathway again.

Could be worse. In Yarmouth County, where my brother has a second home, they have received 223 mm of rain. Bridges and roads have been washed away.

And speaking of doggedly determined old men, I hope he has the sense to stay out of the woods in all this wet weather. We seem to be genetically drawn to the forest - he goes in during hunting season to shoot deer while I simply walk and harbour homicidal ideations because they munch on my gardens - so I understand his yearning to be in the middle of it but, since he is in recovery mode, I hope he will at least wait until it dries out again. But, alas, in this situation, if wishes were horses then beggars would ride...