With sympathy

 I was very late sending a sympathy card to my sister-in-law. She's family, so I thought you don't normally send to family, but she's an in-law, so she's not blood family, and I really wanted to, so I thought better late then never. And then I had mislaid the card that I had pulled out to send, it got buried under a pile. So I found a card that wasn't a sympathy card but which I thought was suitable...I expect I shared it last year because I'm sure I liked it then...

By return, she requested a dozen sympathy cards for her own use - so I made six each of three designs and added six to my own stash. I hope these last her a good while - I sent her nine cards last January.

I think it goes without saying that the simplest set took longest, and went through more rejects and false starts. Even fussy-cutting all the flowers plus an extra blossom for each card went faster. 

January Favourites

 I had a very busy first week in January - things calmed down a little after that and, despite the cold and grey, I have enjoyed some creative time. I'm also slowly chipping away at a traditional Aran sweater for C. Just as well he's in no hurry for it. 

Another of my Tyvek creations

Revistiting the Faux Cloisonne technique.  That seahorse is a green iceberg! Apparently about 10% of icebergs are green. It used to be thought that it was high levels of dissolved organic matter, but more recent research suggest that they might have a high iron content.

I also had fun making a never-ending card. It's been years and years since I made one  - although until recently I had a partially completed one on my desk. I think the recipients enjoyed it too, because their aunt forwarded me a video of them turning it from one page to the next. It was fun rummaging through my sentiments to find ones which would work with each of the Snoopy images.

Canal Walk

 Our temperatures fell below freezing last night, and we took a walk along the canal this morning secure in the knowledge that the current mud would be frozen solid and easy to walk along. The canal was glazing over, but it's not cold enough for that to last. 

The last two photos are some of the houseboats at the lock, seen from the bridge, and some large baubles hanging from the windows of one. A lot of them had strings of lights - they must have been very pretty to see at night. 

It was lovely to see, but I'm glad temperatures are due to rise again because frosty roads are not the best for cycling to work!

The cold weather also brought some birds I haven't seen in the garden ever since I switched to the squirrel-proof feeders. There was a little siskin all fluffed out against the cold who has been visiting the niger seed feeder on and off all day. And a female blackcap was either making love to the apples I pegged out on the lawn or viewing them from the feeders to make sure it was safe to hop down and enjoy a feast. Unfortunately our back window isn't very clean at the moment, making photography a little less sharp than it should be.

December Favourites

 I hope to be along  with some Christmas cards from throughout the year before I go back to work and get busy again, but here are my favourite creations from throughout December. 

The theme for this one was based on the Greek legend of Pandora's box, expressing hope for next year. So folded up, it is more box-like...

  

This one is a mixed media canvas, so it's about 8" x 10".

This is the one I made for C to give me, rather than go over to the stores to try to find something. I made it in a bit of a hurry, but I was still happy with it. I love the little dog. 

A recycling theme: an old National Geographic, an even older page from a calendar, and a beer can

My individual Baked Alaska for our Christmas dessert turned out very well - I used plain vanilla icecream and added some black cherries. The only problem is that the next time C asks for it, I will no longer be able to use the excuse that I can only make it when we have guests for dinner.  

I made my second batch of mince pies today. This year's mincemeat seems particularly nice and I'm not sure why. The recipe calls for apple jelly and peach jam (I use an old recipe from The Heritage Collection of Home Tested Recipes, compiled by the Chatelaine Institute. No date inside it, but the other Chatelaine collection I received from Canada the same year was printed in 1978), but I tend to use whatever jars of jam have been sitting in the fridge that need using up. This year a jar of rather runny marmalade went in. I also wasn't sure if I'd added the brown sugar, as there was a bag sitting on the counter the next day. It tasted sweet enough, so I made the assumption that I had actually added it from my sugar jar, which would be possible. 

2 cups suet

3 cups coarsely grated cooking apples

1 cup apple jelly

2 pts grape juice or cider

1 pt peach jam

3 cups brown sugar

2 lb raisins

1 lb currants

1 tsp salt

1 tblsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg & 1/2 tsp cloves

Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges & 2 lemons

This month's header is a January evening sky from last year. 

Christmas Wishes

 No Bûche de Noël this Christmas Eve - my sister decided that it would be more prudent if only one of us spent the evening with my aunt. I missed the chocolate aroma filling the house - especially as, having forgotten to buy raspberries to serve with chocolate fondant puddings on Christmas Day, I did a re-think and we will be having little individual Baked Alaskas. 

Peaceful wishes seems to be what I have mostly put on cards this year - it's going to be a different Christmas for everybody, that's for sure. Ours is normally quiet - but there's a difference between chosen quiet and enforced. May yours be peaceful and safe.

The robin reminds me that I will have to find a new source for bird seed, as up till now I have been getting it delivered from the UK to an address in the North. I've used an Irish company  a couple of times before and will use them again in the short term, but once C returns to work in the office and is no longer at home to take deliveries, it won't be as practical. At least I got one last order in before the UK leaves the European Union, so that should see me and the birds through the worst of the winter.

Warm off the needles

 This sweater has been my pandemic project - it's a design by Joji Locatelli which I got from Ravelry. The construction is very satisfying - it's knit all in one piece. You start from the centre front and knit sideways to one side, then pick up from a provisional cast-on (bind on) and knit to the other side - a partial yoke is included in this section. Then you knit each sleeve down to the cuff, creating the back yoke in the process. The back is knit downwards, picked up from the yoke. Even the side seams aren't stitched - they're a 3-needle bind off. The only reason it took so long was my tiredness and inattention to detail a couple of times. Well, that and the fact that I used to be able to knit in work and that's a thing of the past - and hopefully the future again some time.  I'd actually bought the wool to make a sort of mediaeval panelled swing-type jacket but I couldn't get the tension right for that.

It looks better on - but by the time I arrived at my sister's last Friday after a trek across Cork city, I wasn't looking photogenic enough to ask her to take pictures. The weather forecast had been dire and I'd dressed for heavy rain which was over by the time I got there.

I'm including a few unedited photos (taken with my phone) from Friday. There was a Ferris Wheel set up on Grand Parade - to C's amazement when he saw the photo. He and his friend drove down the street at some stage, and he hadn't seen it. 

The next two are a nice initiative  called "The People's Parklet". This one is near my sister's, so I've seen it through several seasons now, as it was opened in July 2019.  The city is hoping to establish up to ten more. There's a small amount of seating, and they plant insect-friendly plants in the planter parts.  It's empty in this photo - but most times I have seen it, there have been people sitting and making good use of it. 

And a sign of the times - though given the Irish climate in the first place, plus the fact that there's always a cold wind off the river, I saw this little dining domes outside one of the restaurants on Lapps Quay. 

Frosty Borage

 We had a sharp frost overnight and a foggy, misty morning - still at midday there is no sun. I had to bring the bird feeders into the back porch for the ice to melt before I could open them and fill them. I've pulled up most of the flowers in the border at this stage, but the borage was still there and looked beautiful in its frosty attire.