By Helen

blocking crochet...

Over the past few weeks I have crocheted lots of things which need blocking.  I have never blocked anything before.  Blocking, or pressing or making-up, is a brilliant finishing technique where you dampen and press out you crochet, pulling it into shape with pins and leave it to dry, so that the shape and pattern of your crochet is enhanced...

Sometimes this process can involve starch.  I decided to follow Lesley Stanfield's tip, in75 birds, butterflies and beautiful beasties to knit and crochet,and use PVA glue to give my starflakes more strenght and extra shine...

I also decided to add glitter into the PVA, for extra sparkle!  You dilute the PVA with water and mix in your glitter. 

Soak your crochet for about ten minutes.  Squeeze out the excess water and then pin out your crochet on a pin board.  Make sure that the pins you are using are rust-proof and make sure your pin board is covered with cling-film, otherwise you will have a big mess and will never be able to take your crochet off the board...

Wait for twenty-four hours, or until your crochet is completely dry, and then carefully take the pins out and ta-dah - your crochet should look even more brilliant than it did before...

Will show you how mine turned out on my next post: though hopefully some of you might already know...

Christmas crochet find...

I was having a good old rummage in one of my local charity shops, and I happened upon this...

Perfect for making all those Christmas decorations!

There are some great projects in here.  There are also some, which I have to confess, I find a little creepy - perhaps something to do with watching too much Dr Who as a child.  Moving on from the creepy Christmas makes, others are just lovely!

As yet I haven't followed any of the patterns, so I can't comment one how well written there are.  They look simple and straight forward and are written in both English and American.  Even if you don't follow the patterns: some of the photographs of the finished projects are great and will give enough inspiration to create your own Christmas decorations.

Now where is my hook...

Christmas cards part one...

I love Christmas cards!  I love getting them and I love sending them.   I even love the round-robin catch-up letters: so you can hear people's news and gossip.

I love handmade Christmas cards, the fact that someone has put the time and effort into making something special just for you.  For the past few Christmases I have dabbled into the world of making my own Christmas cards.

Last year I decided to crochet some of them.  This was a dabble, so admittedly not everyone received one.  Never-the-less I was more than pleased with the results...

A very simple design of crocheted mistle-toe backed onto silver paper and card, then stamped with my usually yuletide greetings...

This year, I have given myself the challenge of making, crocheting, all of my Christmas cards: I'll let you know how I get on!

inspiration from the knitting show...

Like I mentioned in my last post  I would share some of the most inspirational things that I saw at the Knitting Show.  Here goes...

This amazing Christmas Tree was knitted and crocheted by over 700 people, as a fund raising project  for Livability a charity which supports disabled people, offering them a choice about how they live their lives.

More information about the Christmas Tree can be found HERE and HERE -please take a look and support this great cause.

Katie Jones won first prize for her entry into the Hand Knitting Association...

It is fantastic to see crochet been used in this way: and holding its own along side knitting!

I just had to take a picture of this...

How cute are they?  A knit your own nativity! 

Which reminds me, to remind you, only twenty-four days to go: make sure you have opened your advent calendar or lit your candle!

shop, shop, shopping...

My post is slightly late today, because I have just got home from a truly fabulous day out.  Me and my friends have been to the Knitting Show in Harrogate where we have, quite literally, shopped until we have dropped.  Here is what I have bought...

A lovely selection of sparkly wool, wool to turn into Christmas decorations (I will, will, will find the time to make, for this Christmas), an embroidery kit, a crochet kit to make a bag, a magazine and a scarf. 

What was wonderful was seeing the vast amount of yarn that there is out there and thinking of all the possibilities of what can be made.  It was also fantastic to see so many people there and seeing their inspirational work, some of which I will post here later in the week. 

For now, it is time to settle down with my very tired feet and lots of cups of tea (thank you Si) and look at all the amazing purchases I have made. 

A very happy place...

crochet sneaky peek...

I thought that I would give you a sneaky peek at some of the crochet projects I am working on at the moment.  Don't want to say too much about them, as many are Christmas presents...

Will share the finished projects with you very soon...

baking for Christmas...

Baking for Christmas starts early in our home.  There is a family rumour, one which I follow, that your Christmas cakes must be made before Halloween.  Now I don't think that this is because cakes made after Halloween will have ghosty and witchiness in them: I think it is so that you have sufficient time to feed your cakes before the big day.  Christmas cake makers seem to be split into two distinct camps: those that feed and those that soak.  Me, I am a feeder!

I love how the fruit mixes together: and that the cherries look like glistening red jewels...

Mixing everything together, calls for another family tradition: as the fruit is mixed with the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spice - you make a wish for yourself and for those who will eat the cake.  I also follow by this tradition, no-one can have too many wishes...

Cake ready for the oven, calls for (you guessed it) more family tradition.  The cake needs to be cooked for one hour for every egg you use.  This is genius (though did make my twelve egg wedding cake a bit of an epic) and never fails - so must be followed.  The next tradition is a little more unusual, but never-the-less is followed - oh and has never caused anyone to come down with anything nasty as a result of eating the cake.  The cake tin should not be washed between cake baking: wipe with a cloth, yes, wash with water and soap out no.  The tin I use has been passed down from at least my great-grandmother, as has the cake recipe, and to my knowledge has never washed...

Following all of that you have a beautiful cake, ready for feeding, ready for eating on Christmas day with a good big wedge of cheese...

Yummmmm....