Old style Preparations for Christmas 2010!!

Patchwork_Quilt

kirstyreanne wrote: »

Hi Patchwork Quilt,

Could you please post your recipe for Blackberry Jam? I would like to add them to the hampers I'm going to make this year.

Last year, I did the same for Xmas presents & they were very well received. The favourite item, for which I have requests for this year is the Christmas Cake I made using the be-ro recipe - www.be-ro.com which as well as tasting scrummy was really easy to make.

Hi sorry I missed this one

Basically, you use the same amount of sugar as fruit, so today we made

2 lb blackberries
2lb sugar
knob of butter (to prevent foaming)

Use a large, heavy-bottomed pan as jam spits.

Wash the fruit and heat slowly in the pan to allow any bugs to crawl to the top and be rescued. Then, mash the fruit. Before it starts to boil, add the sugar and stir thoroughly. When the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat until the mixture is boiling and add the butter. Keep stirring so that it does not burn. Put a tiny blob of jam on a cold saucer to test for setting - when the jam cools it will wrinkle along the surface when you push at the blob with a finger. At the setting point, remove from the heat and pot into sterilised jars (fill with boiling water, lids too, and leave for a few minutes while you make the jam).

LJM

ive only skimmed through this thread so far but last night i was reading victorian christmas and was thinking of attempting the xmas pud, really got me in the festive mood lol

sistercas

zippychick wrote: »

Okay! it's taken me around an hour - please check out the first post for a mega christmas index! ! ! ! ! Subscribe to this thread or bookmark it so you can find all the handy christmas links in one place!

Ho ho hoooooooooooooooo!:p:beer:

wow thanks Zippy :T :A

TeegansNan

Hi all!!!
Here's an idea I found whilst trawling the net - I guess you could make it up in other yarns too - try charity shops, Ebay,and Wilkos for your wool, maybe B&M??

A comfortable, slouchy cowl is a delightful way to keep warm and add a burst of color to your winter attire. Use this free knitting pattern and super-soft angora yarn to make a cowl.


Materials:

• Yarn: Patons® Angora Bamboo (50 g / 1.75 oz) (Approx 73 m / 80 yds) 90105 (Low Tide) 5 balls
• Knitting Needles: Size 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) knitting needles or size needed to obtain tension.

Size: Approx 16 ins [40.5 cm] wide x 30 ins [76 cm] around.
Tension: 20 sts and 25 rows = 4 ins [10 cm] in stocking st.

Instructions:

Note: Cowl is worked sidewise.
Cast on 80 sts.
1st row: (WS). K2. Purl to last 2 sts. K2.
2nd row: K2. *yfwd. K2. Pass yfwd over K2. Rep from * to last 2 sts. K2.
These 2 rows form pat.
Cont in pat until piece measures 30 ins [76 cm], ending with a WS row.
Cast off.
Sew cast on and cast off edges tog.

:santa2:

zippychick

sistercas wrote: »

wow thanks Zippy :T :A

You are ever so welcome! :A;)

elliewild

noynoy wrote: »

oooh dear im 32 and in the wi but then ive been raised from a farming background ..luckily i think lol

learn to knit and crochet you can make loads then..get yarn from a charity shop i bought 6 large balls of lovely purple yarn for just £2 enough to make sil i squashy cosy jumper

I'd love to be able to knit and crochet, all i can make are pompoms! could you tell me where i could possibly learn from? its not like they do knitting classes anymore. any help/advice?

i'd love a purple jumper

elliewild

its tradition in my family to get your other half a mini sack from santa, and what i put in for my hubbie are foreign beers (if we've been to some diff places in the year it will be that beer) for example if we've been to Greece i'll get him a bottle of Mythos or Keo. he really likes it because he gets his xmas booze but it also reminds him of the holidays we've been on throughout the year and brings back all the groovy memories. its not really thrifty but its a nice idea.

if you want, you could simply do gifts which remind the person of the past year, little memories go a long way. last year i also did some pictures of our pets (on snapfish.com) and got some picture frames from charity shops, painted them up and put their names on with special pens. on the back i attached a little description of their character or cute memories of them doing something. (most our pets have been hamsters, which dont live long and so it was really a nice way to remember them). this was also really effective.

zippychick

I have added more links again today. Let me know if i am missing any - i NEED more veg on there!:p

Check the first post folks ! :j

CupOfChai

I'm full of ideas reading this and getting carried away already, must make sure not to! I love Christmas. Even so, I do wonder why people feel such pressure to spend huge amounts. To me, surely it means more if someone gives a small/inexpensive gift that is very thoughtful, than if they spend tons of money but haven't really thought about the recipient at all. It's loads of fun spending money on people and making them happy, but only when you're spending what you can afford.

I even like going Christmas shopping, maybe I could hire myself out to do other peoples' for them if they can't stand it, for a small fee...

notjustlaura

CupOfChai wrote: »

I even like going Christmas shopping, maybe I could hire myself out to do other peoples' for them if they can't stand it, for a small fee...

I think there are actually people who'd hire you!