Angel Jem's City Cottage

You may remember I was complaining that I never record Christmas, I'm too busy living rather than listing. It's a good way to be, but it does rather mean that I have no records to look back on and nod at wisely while I say to myself, "I would never do that again." I have signed up to a Christmas Card swap organised by Amy at Love Made My Home  as part of which I have been twinned with Red Setter at Gone Beading and a new friend, I hope, Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom . Because I'd never visited her before, I was scrolling through her blog to get an idea of what she likes when I came across her post about Blogmas. Sandra has a lovely picture, with a list of 25 topics to write about every day in the lead up to Christmas. Writing the answers to these questions should give me a good record of what makes Christmas in my house. I can't promise to post everyday unless I get completely organised with scheduled posts and pictures uploaded before, but I...

Christmas! And it will be fun. Can you tell what it's going to be yet? By next week (or the week after) I should be ready for a Ta Dah!!

This is my first attempt, and possibly my last, at writing a pattern. Surprisingly (or not) I actually found myself wishing I could do this as a chart. Perhaps I really do think better in chart form sometimes. Do your best.   Terms used are English crochet; Ch= chain Tr= treble crochet (yarn round hook, hook in, wrap yarn round, pull through, yarn round, pull through first two loops, yarn round, pull through next two loops. One loop on needle.) Sl=slip stitch (hook through, yarn round pull through work and loop on needle at the same time) Dc= double crochet (hook through top stitches, yarn round, pull through, yarn round and pull through two loops on needle. One loop left on needle)   Materials required for each tree; DK wool. It doesn’t take 100g, so use your stash up. Appropriate sized needle. Tension doesn’t matter here, so do what suits 30cm length of dowelling . I used 1cm diameter and 2.5 cm diameter Buttons . It’s a great way to use up a button surplus Ricrac ....

How peculiar that trees have become such a predominant symbol of Christmas. What did we do before the humble Christmas tree? Imagine a pre-1841 household, bereft of a great big enormous space filler that means I have to start thinking a couple of weeks before it goes up just what is stuffed behind my favourite corner chair, will it be on view, do I have to take it elsewhere in my stuffed like a turkey house, or can I just plonk the base there and fill in any visible gaps at the base with a ready-wrapped present pile that works as a disguise from December 1st until the 25th, when who gives a flying squirrel what lies behind anyway, because the whole house is heaving after a month spent rampaging to carol concerts, last minute shopping, making sure that the obligatory family visits have been done and panicking that if Aunty Carol turns up with serious presents you won't have anything more than a tin of Walker's Shortbread to pass over. It must have been bliss. But the Christma...

I got bitten by a make it bug. I had nothing better to do (except the house work, but, hey, that will still be there when Christmas is over, won't it?) so I fell to work Christmas Elving. Literally. A few years ago I made Nisse or Tomte (depending on your Scandipreference) and gave them to the lads in the family but I Never Made Any For Me. It was on my to do list, but there is always a shed load of stuff on the to do list. Anyway, I don't know whether it was half term (how I love the creativity of holidays) or the week after when the juices were still flowing, but this year I have made them. Look. Two of the cutest little elves ever. They are made following Alan Dart's pattern for the Jultomtar or Tomte but without the beard. I wanted little elves, not old gnomes. And they coordinate beautifully in cream, red and grey Stylecraft. I used Stylecraft Special DK Parchment for their faces and was a little worried at first about whether it was a flesh-enough shade, bu...

For years when mine were little, we studiously avoided Hallowe'en. We went to the Church's Light Party (if fancy dress was in order, it was superheroes, or princesses not witches or skeletons) and made little or no adjustment to the daily order, so no bobbing for apples, peeling skins for divination or any thing that smacked of magicality at all. It worked for us; we didn't go Trick or treating, and those who visited us were politely told, "We don't celebrate Hallowe'en here" The children grew up sensible and well-adjusted, they don't do gross horror films and I'm proud of them. This year they are all old enough to make up their own mind. The lads are easy; if it involves effort, then they're not bothered. But the Princess is a great joiner, and wants to be part of her group. So when a friend invited her to a Hallowe'en party I gave her the option; of course the answer was yes. "I'm not celebrating Hallowe'en," she said,...