Christmas Craftalong #4 ~ Festive Faux Fudge

It's Craftalong time again, and I figured it must be about time for another recipe! Sweets are always a welcome gift, and this Faux Fudge is no exception.

Ordinarily fudge is made by boiling milk and sugar, and while this is of course a fabulous treat, it can be a little daunting to make. Not so this recipe! No boiling is required, just some gentle microwaving and a lot of stirring!

You will need:

200g Plain Chocolate
100g Butter
400g Icing Sugar
1 tbsp. Vanilla
2 tbsp. Golden Syrup
Festive Sprinkles

Begin by lining a tin (approx. 17cm / 7" square) with greaseproof paper.
Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a microwavable bowl with the butter. Heat gently (I never go above 50% power when melting chocolate) in bursts of about 30 seconds, stirring in between, until the chocolate is all melted and mixed with the butter. Stir in the vanilla and syrup, then add the icing sugar about a third at a time, mixing thoroughly. The mixture gets real thick real quick, and you may need to zap it in the microwave for another 10 or 15 seconds to show it who's boss.
When the icing sugar is completely incorporated, turn the mixture into the tin and press out into the corners. Put another piece of greaseproof paper or a sheet of kitchen paper on top, then using a potato masher or similar press down firmly on the mixture to bind it all together and flatten the top. Peel back the paper, sprinkle on your sprinkles, replace the paper and gently press the sprinkles into the fudge.
Allow to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours then lift out and cut into squares.

 For a simple effective gift place several chunks of fudge in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon. Or to make it a little more special, try filling a beautiful glass tumbler, or a vintage bonbon dish.

This fudge will allegedly keep for a couple of weeks. . .

 . . . if you have the willpower . . .

 

 

Christmas Craftalong #3 ~ Tinsel Wreath

Tinsel wreaths are all the rage at the moment, and they are incredibly easy to make using decorations you already have.

Cardboard
Compass and pencil (or plates to use as a template)
approx. 4 metres of tinsel
approx. 25cm / 10" ribbon
little baubles or other festive bits
staple gun
sticky tape

Start by drawing your wreath shape onto a sturdy piece of cardboard. I used a compass to make a 4.5" circle inside a 9" circle, but you can use a large plate and a saucer or similar to create your template if you don't have a compass. Once you have cut out your shape, staple or stick your piece of ribbon to form a hanging loop.

 

Next, tape the end of your tinsel to the back of the wreath and start winding it around your cardboard hoop. 

 

When you get to the end, tuck the tail well under the wrapped tinsel, at the back of the wreath if possible, but tinsel is very forgiving so if it ends at the front don't worry too much!

To hang the baubles you can use the little hooks that you use to put them on christmas trees, but I found that made mine too dangly. So I took some unused staples, threaded them through the holes on the baubles, and bent them into tiny hooks which snagged into the tinsel.

 
They were a little fiddly to hang, but did the job just fine!

 

These wreaths are so simple and versatile, you can make any colour combination you like.

 

And because they are so light you don't have to worry about banging a nail in, as a piece of Blu Tack is man enough for the job.

 

If you don't have 4 metres of the same colour tinsel, try winding a couple of different colours around to create a stripy effect.

 

I hope you have fun making some of your own wreaths. What will you use to decorate yours?

Use your rolling pin - discreetly

I am a sucker for old cookery books. In theory I buy them for my friend's husband, an excellent chef at a rather nice restaurant in deepest Worcestershire, who collects old cookery books. However I have to admit I do find it hard to part with them, and one or two have accidentally stayed on my shelves rather longer than anticipated. In one recent purchase I discovered this little gem tucked jokingly beside the index and decided I just had to share:

Sounds like a very complicated recipe to me, think I'd rather get a take away ;)

Christmas Snowfall

Now November is here I don't feel too premature in listing festive stock in my Etsy shop. I've been busy crocheting lots of sparkly snowflakes

 

I love snowflakes, and these look so sparkly I can't wait to cover my tree in them!

 

 

If you would like some for your tree, or to hang in your window, or in front of a mirror (or anywhere else you fancy!) you can find them in my Etsy shop

Christmas Craftalong #2 ~ Pompom Bookmarks

I feel very strongly about encouraging children to give gifts at Christmas. It's all too easy for the meaning and spirit of Christmas to be lost, especially with young children. Everything gets completely overpowered by the fact that they are going to get huge piles of presents and sweets and all kinds of fun stuff!!!

I encouraged my son to make and give gifts from a young age, to help him realise how good it feels to think of others and give them a gift that will make them smile, just like they do for him.
This a lovely simple craft that you can make with your kids in just a few minutes, and it costs pennies. All you need is:

yarn (approx. 5g per bookmark)
scissors

There are several ways to make a pompom, I used my fingers but if you are making these with little ones I would suggest either a pompom maker or a piece of cardboard, so as to avoid cutting off the circulation to the tips of their fingers! (you can see the colour of my fingertips in the first photo!)

Begin winding your wool, making sure to leave approx. 12" length of yarn. When you have a thick enough wodge, cut your yarn, leaving a tail to match the one left at the beginning.

Now cut a piece of yarn four times as long as the tail and double it over. Use this to tie nice and tightly around your bundle in a double knot ~ be careful as you tighten it not to be too rough and snap the yarn! I found it easier to use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through between my fingers, the tied a loose knot and carefully slipped the whole lot off my fingers before tying a good tight knot.

Now you need to cut all those loops. I found it easier to hold all 6 long lengths of yarn so you don't accidentally snip through them.

When all the loops have been cut you will be left with a pompom that looks like it's been drunk in a hedge for a week!

 So you need to tidy it up. Snip and trim the stray ends until you're happy with what's left. You will probably trim quite a bit off, but do it a bit at a time, fluffing the pompom out between trims in order to spot any stray long bits you may have missed.

When you are satisfied that you have a lovely neat pompom all that remains is to tidy the lengths up. I chose to plait mine, but if macramé is your thing then go for it! This is where it's handy to have six lengths instead of just three. On two of my bookmarks I accidentally trimmed away a couple of the long tails but as I still had three left I could still make a nice neat plait. Finish by knotting the end of the plait and separate out the strands of yarn to give a nice fluffy end piece. Et Voila!

 

I used chunky wool, because I happened to have some nearby, so my pompoms came out quite fat. I could have trimmed them down more but I quite like them that way. You can of course use whatever kind of wool you like. 

Rainy, Mossy, Marvellous!

I suppose some might consider it strange but I adore the rain, and I love to go walking in the woods in a good downpour. The rich sweet fragrance of wet woodland, all the colours vibrant and fresh, squelching and kicking through mud and leaves, rain soaking through the front of your trousers and down the back of your neck, all the while happy in the knowledge that a big pot of beef stew and a pair of warm pyjamas are waiting for you when you get home.

Heaven.

Last weekend we went to the Devil's Punchbowl, a stunning mix of woods and heathland a short drive away from us in Surrey.

I started the walk looking forward to an hour or two of fresh air and exercise in a beautiful location, and some lovely quality time with my son. I certainly achieved that, but was overwhelmed by how much inspiration I found too.

The patterns formed by trees . . .

 

 

the textures of mossy roots and logs . . .



 

and the colours and patterns in the undergrowth . . .

 

I found myself overflowing with ideas for incorporating these elements into my knitting and as soon as I got home (well, after I got dried off, and into my pyjamas, and ate my stew) I started makes notes and sketches. It'll be a while before I can get to work on any of my designs, what with Christmas gifts, tutorials, and festive stock for the shop (watch this space!), but I can't wait to get started!



 

Christmas Craftalong #1 ~ Maple Pecan Granola

Granola is always on the menu for me at Christmas. It's one of those sneaky ought-to-be-healthy-but-really-isn't type of foods that I just love to indulge in. Although it can be eaten as is, just poured in a bowl and covered with creamy milk, I usually like to sprinkle mine over fruit and yoghurt. Or over ice-cream. Or poached pears and cream. Or baked banana. Or . . . well . . . you get the idea.

The recipe is super simple, and you will probably have a lot of the ingredients to hand. This will make approx. 600g, or just over a litre.

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / Gas 4

Mix together the oats, coconut, almonds, pecans and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and syrup in a separate bowl until combined then pour over the dry mixture and stir well until thoroughly combined. Lightly grease a large sheet pan (12" x 14" ish) and pour the mixture in, spreading evenly. Bake for approx. 25 - 30 mins, stirring every five minutes or so, until it's a nice even golden brown. Stir the cranberries through for the last five minutes of cooking.

Remove the granola from the oven and leave to cool in the pan. Don't try to stir until it's completely cold, that way you should get a lovely clumpy texture. Store in an airtight container.

If you're not keen on Maple Syrup (or live in the UK where it's mad expensive) then honey makes a delicious alternative. You can also swap in any dried fruit you like. Try chopped dried apricots in place of cranberries, they go perfectly with honey and almonds.

Now to turn this from an indulgent treat into a luxurious gift all you need to do is tart up a large jar. You can buy a Kilner or Mason jar if you like, but I used a pretty jar I had around the house. You can decorate it however you like. I cut a circle of festive poinsettia fabric and tied it with a gold cord (this is easier if you secure the fabric with an elastic band first) but a rustic piece of burlap tied with a thick red or gold ribbon makes a lovely contrast. If you don't have any fabric, try some Christmas wrapping paper.

For the label I found a lovely vintage holly frame from a fabulous site called The Graphics Fairy which shares vintage images for crafters to use. A nice fancy font (or write it yourself if your handwriting is better than mine!) and a pretty hole punch and my label was done.

All food gifts are better made as near to Christmas as possible, but this should keep for about a month in an airtight container. If it lasts that long!