Tutorial: Felt Gingerbread Ornaments

Has the cat eaten your baubles? Got a bare spot where you've taken the crackers and candy canes away on Christmas Day? These gingerbread shapes are so quick and easy to make and can be hung from your tree or strung together to make a garland. All you need is:

• A piece of thin card
• A pen
• Sharp scissors
• Felt in a tan/fawn/biscuit colour
• White/cream & Black embroidery thread
• Embroidery needles
• Soft toy filling

Fold the piece of card in half and draw half a gingerbread man shape. The will make sure your man is nice and symetrical. Cut him out and unfold him. (I'll happily provide a downloadable PDF of shapes should anyone want one)

Draw around your men on the felt, fit them as closely together as possible to make the most of the material. Cut out the shapes. The sensible person will now embroider one half with the design of their choosing. Give the man eyes, a nose and mouth and buttons (if you wish). I gave my man eyes and a nose and a belly button using a french knot.

Place two man shapes on top of one-another and start stitching together using a simple blanket stitch. Start at one shoulder and work all the way around to the other shoulder leaving the head un-worked.

Now for the fun.

Grab a small hunk of filling and tease it apart in your fingers to fluff it up. Start to fill your man. I found that using the end of a crochet hook helped to fill the extremities.

Sew up the head, secure the belly button on the back of your man with another french knot and slip the needle up and out of the top of your man's head.

Make a loop and secure.

Thread the loop with ribbon and hang your man in the tree.

Make other shapes too, hearts, Christmas trees, stockings and stars will all work well. Use them as little samplers for trying out different embroidery stitches. The stitch below is rosette stitch which looks like gorgeous icing dribbled all over a cookie.

So have a go, I guarantee you that making these charming ornaments is about ten times quicker than this post took to construct. Thanks Blogger!

The time, it's going...going....

Hmmpf.

Life always seems to end up a bit like this. It seems not long ago since I was here, writing away, worried that it might still be a bit early to start writing about Christmas, what with it still being 10 and a half weeks away.

So here we are, now only 2 and a half weeks until Christmas and where has the time gone? I have no idea. It has disappeared, like a dropped stitch. You can’t catch it. It laughs in the face of you trying to catch it.

This time disappearance has had something to do with the amount of time I have spent on Christmas gift shopping and minor domestic disasters such as the car breaking down and the mister getting a piece of rusting metal in his eye resulting in a trip to the eye infirmary. Clearly I cannot refuse his request of a lift to the hospital in favour of knitting can I? The non-knitterly reader might argue that there really shouldn’t be a question mark on the end of that sentence.

So where am I with my Christmas knitting list…

Mammy: Raspberry Dreams Stole
This didn’t happen. Raspberry dreams caused me such a headache that I frogged it and started Leaves and Arrows instead, a gorgeous Estonian inspired design. This is finished and there are pictures to come.

Mammy-in-Law: French Press Slippers
Not started. Oops.

Nanna: Basic Cardigan – Finished! I am not bowled over with it as a FO. It’s too plain and the pattern was a royal pain (knitted flat and then seamed), but it will fit and will be warm, achieving everything I wanted from it.

Step-Daddy-in-Law: Sexy Hoes (Toirneach Kilt Hose) - done!

Sis: Heart Scarf and Hat Set
The plan for this has changed. I’m now making Incognito and a hat in a matching colour with detachable moustache. The gorgeous King Cole Merino Blend (aran weight) I’m planning to knit it in arrived today from Modern knitting. I’m more than happy with the squishiness and shall be starting tonight.

Sis-in-Law: Spiral Cowl

Boss: Owlets – this may or may not happen…. Depends on time/materials


Also I have an extremely ambitious list of Christmas crafts to wade through, starting with cute little felt gingerbreads. I’ve almost perfected my method, so expect a tutorial soon.

Barring another trip to eye casualty tonight, I hope to be able to say that I’m halfway through at least one more of the projects above. Maybe I shouldn’t hold my breath.

Christmas Knits

It's that funny time of year when i get a little bit introspective and slow. I find it hard to get up in the mornings, especially because the winter duvet we have switched to is so snuggly and it's dark outside at 6a.m.

It also becomes harder to take pictures for the blog at any time other than weekends, so for the lack of posts i must apologise, but for what i have planned i need pictures. Maybe i just need to plan better!

Christmas is looming like a big scary monster, threatening to eat me alive if i don't get knitting. The list of knitted presents is long and i feel as though i've not made a dent yet. At least there are still 10 and a half weeks left to really get motoring.

Here's my list (Ravelry links to the patterns):

Mammy: Raspberry Dreams Stole - in progress
Mammy-in-Law: French Press Slippers
Nanna: Basic Cardigan - in progress
Step-Daddy-in-Law: Sexy Hoes (Toirneach Kilt Hose) - done!
Sis: Heart Scarf and Hat
Sis-in-Law: Spiral Cowl or Thermis (i haven't decided which yet)
Boss: Owlets

and if i have the time i might try and squeeze in a manly hat and scarf for my dear beloved hubby and a pair of cosy socks/mittens for our friends' little boy, patterns to be decided upon.

When i put it all down like this, it somehow seems less overwhelming, especially when i have some on the go already. Make a list, tick them off, feel better.

What are your plans for Christmas knits?

The Final Ham

Here is the final recipe that i promised to bring to you yesterday, but firstly, an apology.

My favourite crafty blogger EVER (honest to peanuts as she would say), LOLLYCHOPS stopped by earlier today and wanted to leave a comment but couldn't. I had to shamefully admit that i turned comments off because i was depressed about my lack of commenting. It's like having someone stop in for a cup of tea and having no milk in the fridge.

Lolly, i'm really sorry. Really and truly. I hope you'll forgive me.

Honey and Mustard Ham Shank

This recipe was done using a cut known as the ham shank which is a cheap cut of pork. This ham shank cost me £1.99 compared to £4 which the gammon in the last recipe cost me. I guess it's the last cut before the trotter of the pig. It's really tasty but can be a pain to carve. You tend to get chunks rather than slices of ham, but the water you boil this in will give you an amazing stock and if you boil the bone again with the bits of meat left on it, you can make ham shank soup, which is something my grandad always made when i was little. Super tasty, salty and delicious

Ingredients
1 Ham Shank
half an onion
bay leaf
celery stick
1 carrot
3 tablespoons of clear honey
2 tablespoons of grain mustard
brown sugar (optional for really sweet glaze)

method
1. place the ham shank skin side down in a large pot and cover with plain, unsalted water. Bring to the boil and then discard the water. This will remove any initial scum and remove some of the salt. Refill with boiling water from the kettle and place the onion, celery, carrot and bayleaf in the pot with the ham. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 and a half hours - 2 hours.

2. preheat the oven to gas 5. mix together the honey and mustard in a small bowl.

3. Strain off the water from the ham into a large bowl if you intend to use it for later. Discard the onion, celery, carrot and bayleaf. remove the ham from the pot and remove the skin leaving a 5mm layer of fat.

4. Score the fat in a crisscross fashion and place in the oven to remder and go crispy for 20 minutes.

5. remove the ham from the oven and brush the glaze all over the ham until the fat and exposed meat is covered. For a really sweet glaze, pack the ham with brown sugar (in my opinion it's just as tasty and healthier without but my brother swears by it) and replace in the oven for 25 minutes, remove, baste and return for another 25 minutes.

6. serve with warm crusty bread and caramelised onion chutney. Yum.

hams and ribs

Ok, here are the recipes i promised to share.

Sticky Ribs

The thing i like about ribs is that they're always good for parties. there's not many people that don't like them (if there are, stick a few salted ones in the oven for fussy people). Also, a little money goes a long way when buying ribs. I managed to buy enough to feed 6 people for £5. I adjusted this recipe from Nigella lawson's recipe for Sticky Ribs. It was awesome, a little bit of kick to it and wonderfully juicy ribs. I'll be making this again.

Ingredients
200ml Sweet Chilli Dipping sauce (thai or chinese)
100ml Dark Soy Sauce
1 clemantine (substitute a tangerine or satsuma if necessary)
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger
about 25 - 30 ribs


1. Take your ribs out of their packaging and lay out flat in your intended baking tray. I bought disposable ones because the thought of cleaning up rib mess with a potential hangover was more than i could bear.

2. Mix the soy and chilli sauces together in a bowl. Grate in the ginger. Cut the clemantine in half width ways and squeeze the juice into the sauce. Cut the clemantine up into chunks and add. Stir well to mix together.

3. Pour the sauce all over the ribs and stick them back in the fridge. ideally overnight, but you can just leave them in there for a few hours and the sauce should get into them pretty well. Remember to move the ribs around in the sauce a few times to make sure they're well coated and absorbing all the goodness.

4. Take your ribs out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cover the backing tray with foil and bake the ribs for 30 mins. Take out of the oven and turn the ribs over and return to oven for another 30 mins. The foil and low-ish temp in this step allows the ribs to steam and become really juicy and the meat practically falls off the bone.

5. Remove foil and return to the oven for another 25 minutes at Gas 6/200C to allow the sauce to go really sticky and the ribs become dark and juicy.

Marmelade Glazed ham in Coke

This recipe was cobbled together from two different recipes, Jamie Oliver's recipe for Marmelade Glazed Ham and Nigella Lawson's recipe for Ham in Coca Cola

It was gone like a shot when i put it out on the table with some fresh bread. Boiling the ham in Coke sounds wrong, but it gives it an unbelievable sweet taste around the edges and the marmelade glaze tastes delicious. I would have stuck cloves in the fat to give an even more Christmassy taste, but not everyone likes the taste. Give it a whirl if you know everyone will love it!

Ingredients
750g boneless joint of unsmoked gammon
2 Litres of Coca Cola
half an onion
Good marmelade or orange preserve

1. Place the gammon skin side down in a large pot with an onion and cover with Coca Cola. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 and a half hours. The meat with take on a really dark coating.

2. preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. After boiling, remove the ham from heat and pop the joint in a roasting tin. Remove the skin leaving a layer of fat about 5mm deep, score the fat in a crisscross fashion and and pop back into the oven for 20 mins to render and go crispy.

3. Remove from the oven and slather marmelade all over the fat. Add cloves at the intersection of each crisscross if wanted. Return to the oven for 25 minutes, remove, baste and repeat for a further 25 mins.

4. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 25 minutes before serving.

I can't encourage you strongly enough to try the ham in coke thing. It was amazing.

Enjoy your celebrations tonight if you're having them! Tomorrow i'll share my recipe for Honey and Mustard glzed ham on the bone!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas!

It's a challenging but lovely time of year that has been filled (for me) with baking mince pies, gingerbread christmas trees and gingerbread cake, seeing family, making merry and snow! Lots of snow!

Tomorrow i will share a recipe for baked ham that i'm making for a little get together i will be having in the days leading up to new year. Yum!

It's not too late for Christmas Decorations Part 2 - Paper Chains

I do believe i promised a little tutorial on paper chains today. Paper chains are not hard, not hard at all. In fact i'm willing to bet you probably already know how to make them, but this is my little twist. They're so often overlooked as a decoration, but anyone who's seen Elf will know that if you use enough of them, they look great!

You'll need:

A hole punch with a funky design (i used snowflakes in this tutorial, but i had good results using a little heart punch. You could even use a standard punch to punch in various places along your strip of paper)

Plain white paper or any colour combination of your choosing
Double sided tape or an adhesive mouse

A rotary cutter or scissors

1. Cut some strip of paper approximately 1" (2.5cm) thick using your rotary cutter or scissors. If using scissors it will probably be helpful to mark your lines out using pencil. There's no need to cut in any weird way, A4 paper is the perfect width.

2. Next punch some funky holes all along the length of half of your strips.

3. Apply a small piece of double sided tape or use your adhesive mouse to apply gum to the edge of the paper.

4. Bend the paper round and join end to end to form your first link of the chain.

5. Take a plain strip and repeat step 3. Insert the strip through the first loop before joining ends. Your second link is done!

6. repeat until your desired chain length is reached.

If you're keen on upcycling, why not try using cut up newspaper, painted with poster or acrylic paint, or even use old wrapping paper or craft paper. Don't have a stamp and don't want to invest in one? Hand draw some snowflakes in gold or silver gel pen. Remember, any cut outs from your stamp can be used as confetti inside your wrapped up presents.

It's not too late Christmas Decorations part 1: Orange Pomanders

Pomanders are a very traditional Christmas decoration and New Years gift. In Elizabethan times in England, Pomanders were carried around to ward off evil spirits (and probably helped ward off evil scents when those of the upper class had to mingle with those of the lower).

The most traditional pomanders are those made with oranges and apples (the meaning of the word actually thought to derive from Pomme, french for apple).

So, why did i decide to go for orange pomanders? As i think i mentioned in my last post, our artificial tree was looking a little bit worse for wear and our kitten was getting into the branches and bending them, so i heard that orange peel was good for warding kittens away from where you don't want them, and an orange pomander seemed ideal.

Orange pomanders are also great for replacing chemical air fresheners that give off a christmassy scent. These pomanders will only last for the duration of the festive period and should be thrown away afterwards.

So, you will need:
A medium sized, thick skinned orange
A bag of cloves
A bag of cinammon sticks
Ribbon (in your choice of festive colour)
0.5mm wire
Wire snips

1. Snip a length of wire twice the height of your orange and straighten it out. Feed it through from the green bud on the bottom of the orange straight out of the top

2. Bend the wire in a U-Shape at the bottom

3. Poke the raw end of the wire back into the orange to secure it

4. Start at the top of your orange and push cloves into the flesh in whatever design you decide to go for. It you're not confident with freestyle, you can try drawing on your orange first with some chalk or a felt tip. I just freehand and in this example i decided to go for a spiral pattern. You could experiment with lettering, monograms or whatever takes your fancy.

5. Next take a section of cinnamon stick and tie a granny knot around it with your ribbon

6. Tie the cinnamon to the length of wire poking out of the top of your orange with another granny knot

7. Finish with a nice big bow!

8. Hook the pomander into your tree by hooking the wire over a sturdy branch. Alternatively you could arrange a couple of pomanders in a shallow bowl and leave on the coffee table or dresser by the front door for an amazing christmassy aroma of spiced orange. In this case, leave out the steps with the wire and just go straight to sticking in cloves.

Et Viola!

Tomorrow: Snowflake paper chains!

It's not too late!

It's definitely time for the Christmas decorations. I put our artificial Christmas Tree up the last Friday and realised it wasn't in great shape. It's taken on a weird drunken lean and it looks patchy, like there are holes in the foliage, so i think we need a real one this year.

It feels like it's almost getting a bit too close to Christmas to be fussing around with extra last minute decorations doesn't it? Well, i need a little bit of an extra shove to get into the Christmas spirit this year so i'm going to spend the next three or four days making some handmade decorations that might make me feel a bit more festive.

Wanna know what i'm planning? Well it's a big bloody secret so you'd better pop back tomorrow and see what i've made (and hopefully pictures of a nice REAL Christmas tree with lots of lovely twinkly lights).