Christmas – Page 3

One-And-A-Half Days

Published on December 23, 2013June 15, 2018 by Jen8 Comments

Dazzled by the spirit of the holiday, and all that I’ve been busy with.

I can’t believe this pile of gifts I made . . .

(( My heart is about to burst with pride that I sure turned around when I thought I could only manage the kitty which got sent off over two weeks ago, and the felted bag which went to Mexico with Jeff. ))

Since then I really went into making overdrive.

All of my hand-made Christmas gifts are finished, as of yesterday, and tucked under the tree, waiting for family to gather. I hate to seem all smug & self-satisfied, but now that I am finished, I can’t help but just be elated, and enjoy myself !!! This folks, is not something that happens every Christmas, as I am usually always making up into Christmas Day itself, and beyond. But this year…. I just put my nose to the grindstone and did it.

( Interesting lights photo at top of page was accidentally shot while I was moving in front of our Christmas tree. )

Sending out loads of love and encouragement to all those elves busy still making, hoping all gets finished and that you may too relax ! ~~ xx.

Three Days

Published on December 22, 2013March 27, 2019 by Jen11 Comments

One of my weird kitchen concoctions ~~ hot pepper chocolate.

I have been home alone on the mountain with Emma and The Ravens for four days now. Jeff is returning tonight, from Mexico where he has been visiting with his daughter in Cancun since the nineteenth, visiting ancient Mayan ruins and enjoying a lovely warm beach. Here, I’ve been very busy with holding the fort, and working on this lacey thing . . .

But really what I’ve been working hard on while alone in the house, is my traditional gift of Christmas to Jeff, but I dare not show you a thing until Christmas morning. In the mean time, still serving up my Spiced Chocolate drink if you’d like to stop by ~~I’ll whip one up for you ! If you can’t make it over, I understand, but you’ll have to try this at home ! Here’s how :

Jen’s Spicy Bittersweet Chocolate

(For two servings)

With a mortar & pestle, crunch up a couple of cinnamon sticks, and dried chile flakes or a whole small chile pepper ~~ to taste, what you consider ‘barely hot’ , or ‘really hot’, it is up to you.

(( Optional: a few cardamom pods, and a ‘petal’ from a star anise pod, a dash of grey sea salt ))

Simmer in a pan with about 3 cups of water for about 20 minutes, take off heat and melt into it a few ounces bittersweet chocolate, whisking while it melts.

More chocolate is nice… as much as you feel to balance against the heat of the peppers. I don’t add more sugar, as the idea is to be bittersweet and spicy hot… which is really delicious. However, nobody is stopping you from sweetening it up :).

Whip up a small bowl of cream, again, barely sweetened.

Strain through sieve into cups and pile on the whipped cream , sprinkle with something… like nutmeg or cinnamon… and enjoy !

Wishing You All and Yours lovely days of these fresh first winter days (or summer) and Happy Christmas sentiments.

Six Days

Published on December 19, 2013March 11, 2019 by Jen16 Comments

Taking a break from the yarns, and before I get into the next big project, I thought I’d make a batch of cranberry jam ! The mountain’s freeze-drying wind is keeping me from walking today, and so here I am, with cheery sing-along Christmas songs , a fire in the woodstove, and more still to make.

Just feeling rather cheer’d by the seasonal dazzle of colored lights and sentimental old ornaments. Some are very old, as this doll’s doll that was my mother’s as a child, which I made into an ‘ornament’ years ago, and the little sheep given to me by a friend back when I just started learning to spin and got a spinning wheel . . .

And the little ‘teazle mouse’ given along with a really generous gift certificate to a lovely spinning shop, now two decades ago (does anybody remember the one in Jack London Square in Sonoma??) I remember I only got to spend a little of it before the shop sadly went out of business.

I’ll be making some peppery spiced cocoa a little later today so do hang around !

Seven Days

Published on December 18, 2013March 11, 2019 by Jen7 Comments

Seven days left to make things.

Leafy green is finished !

As is the sea critter . . .

As is the mint-licorice . . .

and also the sherpa hat ! ! !

A dandy one indeed. Wool shell & cotton ‘lined’. I will have to show you sometime how I accomplish this.

Until then I’ll keep you all guessing.

Okay , but that’s not the whole list. There is one more thing I must make, and I will not post until Christmas morning. In the mean time, I will show you the progress of my first lace project . . .

Yes , my first, oh the glorious fun I am having ! And it’s no surprise to me that lace work is so doable while walking the ridge! As this progresses, is blocked out, you will see the lace pattern so much better. Until then, oh the suspense is a little nice. Well, I appear to be ahead of the game and can relax and do some gift wrapping now ! I hope all of you Elves out there are blissfully making.

* All project details on Ravelry HERE .

Eleven Days

Published on December 14, 2013March 11, 2019 by Jen6 Comments

There is something so pure and beautiful and full of quiet wonder when winding off a fresh skein of yarn.

I feel a strong sense of personal obligation to my creativity,

and the yarn, and the potential it has to ‘become’.

And this project is going to take everything I can muster to ‘get it right’… because it will involve (hopefully) my first attempt at simple lace stitches. I figure there will be no surprises or mysteries with this project, and that I will post my tentative steps along the way.