A catalogue tree, a Korknisse (using Saartje's translation of Manne's pattern) and an Alte-korknisse using my variation:
Apple-cinnamon decorations - mix pureed apple (in this case a tin of baby food) with as much cinnomon as it will absorb, cut out shapes and leave to air-dry:
Tin of mince pies, cheesy biscuits and melting moments:
Oh all right, tin which did have mince pies, cheesy biscuits and melting moments, but now has mainly crumbs.
In the Christmas preparation saga, I have posted out all the things I should have posted. so if you expecting anything from me, you should have it soonish, depending on the postal system between here and there. Unless I don't think you're expecting anything, in which case you won't get it.
After I came back from the post office, the Kiddos started making sweets. "We don't need any help from you", they told me.
Well, there was the mix up over the weight of icing sugar needed - if you don't know how much one bowl weighs, then put a different one on the scales, and weigh into that.
Then there were problems with the powdered egg-white mix. If one sachet makes the equivalent of two eggs worth, how do you get the equivalent of half an eggs worth? (Hint, the sachet needed 60ml of warm water and the recipe says that half an egg-white is about three teaspoons. There are 5ml in a teaspoon. Thus the written sources are in agreement over volume.)
The Kiddos did clean up. But I seem to be sticking to the floor, the fridge door, and anything else I touch. Just as well, cleaning the kitchen is still on my list of stuff-to-do.
I wrote a long and well-linked post in which I described my Christmas preparation status (seriously behind on cards, but with plenty of catalogue trees, and a single Korknisser - English translation). There was also to be the frogging of Loden and of a glove, a trip to Greenwich, Christopher Wren's buildings, and a talk by Simon Singh (of Fermat's Last Theorem fame).
But my computer crashed and poof went my post.
So, all that is left is...
I met Heather on Monday. She was knitting.
"You notice the firsts, but the lasts just happen and you never know until too late." So said the older mother when my children were little. And it was true. And it has happened again.
For years, teatime in December was accompanied by the lighting of the advent candle. Sometimes we forgot to light it one evening and would have to burn it for an extra long time the next night. But it was there.
It was one of those traditions that happens, not one we planned. It began when they were handed out at playgroup by the Danish playgroup leader. It continued that way while the children stayed at that playgroup, then I started to buy them. Some years I was organised and got them in October, other years I only remembered at the end of November and tried shop after shop until I found one.
This year... This year I forgot completely until today. It wasn't that I didn't get round to buying it, more that I didn't even think about it.
And the sad thing? Not one of the children remembered it either, until I asked. And then they didn't care.
I might get one anyway.
This was the knitting I was doing when I needed a break: pick it up, knit three rows, put it down. I never looked at anything other then the last row.
And then I spread it out and arrgh! Unlike the sleeve, unlike the back, its got huge great pools in it.
It's Kid Silk Haze, so I don't really want to do much in the way of frogging, but, I think I'll have to.
