Busy, Busy, Busy. . . .

Have been very busy this week, especially with Christmas coming.

Had an SOS from a friend who is worried about her rabbits and guinea pigs getting cold during the winter months.  She has moved them into her shed, and has asked me for shredded paper to help with the bedding.  

Different companies, who I have never heard off, have sent me catalogues and leaflets which is very kind of them. So after discussion we have decided that a layer of newspaper at the bottom of the cage, a layer of shredded paper, straw and then hay may make the difference. We are also going to give them the inside cardboard tubes from kitchen rolls to give them something to shred and make bedding for themselves. There will also be blankets to go on top of the cages, to keep them warm. 

As she has quite a lot of animals, the "Big Shred" begins, especially as we have a few harsh months ahead of us.  Afterwards, the used bedding will be put into a designated composter, for used bedding only, and allowed to rot down.

Off course, I will still continue making the fire logs and putting plain paper into my composter.

The reaction and breakdown of everything that is put into the composter will be a lot slower during the winter months.  Basically, the temperature has been lowered (due to the colder weather) and it will take longer to "cook" the contents and make sure that it breaks down evenly.  It's similar to a cooker, the lower the heat, the longer it takes to cook.

  

Now that the pink baby blanket has been completed, I've now started a scarf using chunky wool and 4mm knitting needles.  I cast on 25 stitches and using basic knit stitch.  This is not an overnight, quickie knit, but several days work. So using basic knit stitch the long knit has started.

Also started making knitted Christmas stockings for the Christmas tree, using double knit wool and 3mm knitting needles. They may be little darlings, but they are time consuming to make.

It's been a busy and fruitful week.  

Big thank you to the people who kept the postman employed and sent me leaflets, brochures and general junk mail.  It has been shredded and put into the composters.  

Also, I have made quite a few fire logs.  I've also added dry leaves that have fallen from the apple tree to the fire logs.  This will help them to burn.  

The milk chocolate sponges have come together nicely and has been a joy to knit.  Slightly different texture to the other knitted cakes and cookies,but the contrast is so worthwhile.

Also finished crocheting the pink baby blanket and made sure that all the ends were sewn in to give a neat finish.  

Continued making fondant fancies (mint flavour this time) and had a great time doing so.

Chocolate Sponge Cake

The weather is changing and the last of the tomato crops, chilli's  and apples have been brought in.  The tomato's have been blanched, skinned and placed in a container and placed in the freezer.  The chilli's frozen flat on an open tray, in the chest freezer and they will be left for a couple of days before being placed into small freezer bags.  And the last of the apples stewed and will be used for a sweet.

Knitting

To continue with the Christmas present making, the Fondant Fancies and the Swiss Roll slices have been made and I thought some Chocolate Sponge Cakes would be nice to do.

Taking milk chocolate coloured double knit wool, 10 stitches were cast on to 4mm knitting needles.  41 rows were garter stitched and then cast off.

The cast on and cast off edges were over sewn together and fastened off. Stitches were picked up, using a wool needle and milk chocolate double knit wool, at one of the row ends, pulled up tightly and fasten off. The chocolate sponge was turned the right side out.  A 4.5cm diameter circle of cardboard was pushed inside the knitted piece, so that the centre of the circle is at the centre of the gathered row ends.  The second set of row ends were gathered using the wool needle and double knit milk chocolate wool.  The chocolate sponge is stuffed lightly, the ends pulled up and gathered tightly, then fastened off.

To make the cream 10 stitches were cast on and garter stitched for 4 rows. The wool was cut, leaving a tail and pulled through all ten stitches.  It was pulled tightly and fastened off.  This made a dome-shaped piece and then flattened in the palm.  Glue was spread inside and around the lower edge of the cream and then pressed in the position at the centre top of the sponge.

Have spent a little while making the paper patches to hold the material in shape for my retirement quilt.  The quality of some of the envelopes are not as thick as they used to be and I chose to shred them for the composter.

Tomato's and Knitted Swiss Roll Slices

Another morning of composting and crop collection.

The second composter had a couple of worms in this morning.  At the moment it is acceptable and in good condition.  Hopefully continuous adding on a daily basis will encourage more worms to come and do their job.


Have collected more crops off the tomato plant.

Also, the chilli plants have come into their own and the green chilli's are gradually turning red.

I suspect that within the next couple of days I will have enough chilli's to open freeze and place in small pots.

More fire logs made, and these are worth their weight in gold.  Have tried them in the chiminea and they were brilliant for helping with starting the fire and burnt for quite a few minutes until the charcoal took hold.

Have started on making swiss roll slices.  Four stitches were cast onto 4mm knitting needles using double knit chocolate wool.  Seventy-three rows were knitted and then cast off.

The cream centre was made by casting on four stitches of double knit cream wool onto 4mm knitting needles.  Sixty-seven rows were knitted and then cast off.  

The ends were sewn in and the swiss roll was rolled, with the cream inside. The swiss roll was sewn at the edge and through the the actual slice itself to make sure it held its shape.

The swiss roll slice were fun to make and also very relaxing to do.  

Think they are looking pretty good.

Knitted Lemon Iced Biscuits

Knitted iced biscuits, although made in three parts and are time consuming to make, do look very good.

The biscuit base are made by casting on 9 stitches of double knit wool and stocking stitch 41 rows.

The iced part of the biscuit is made by casting on 8 stitches of double knit lemon coloured wool and stocking stitch 27 rows.

The cast on and off seams were sewn together for the biscuit.  This make it into a cylinder.  Stitches were picked up from the top edge of the cylinder using a needle and wool.  It was pulled tightly and tied off.  It was turned inside out, so that the seams are on the inside and the edges folded in and flattened to make a biscuit.

The iced lemon part was put together exactly the same as above and also flattened.

The lemon part was stuck to the biscuit area using multi-purpose glue and allowed to dry.

Using 4mm needles 14 stitches were cast on using orange double knit wool. One row was knitted and then the wool was thread through the stitches, pulled tightly and cast off.  The cast on/off edges were sewn together to make an orange circle.  Six of these were made to stick on top of the lemon icing using multi-purpose glue.

The biscuits were left to dry thoroughly.

It was lovely knitting these and seeing the biscuits coming together.  Time consuming, but so worthwhile and I think they turned out quite well.

Good Day Crafting

A good start to the morning, post has been, envelopes made into internal patches for my retirement patchwork quilt and excess shredded for the composter.

Six firelogs made and ready for the chiminea.

The crochet pink baby blanket is increasing and am enjoying watching it grow. The double knit wool crochets very smoothly. Still got a little way to go, but looking good.

Another mistletoe sampler using a red background.  This only took 2 hours to make using 14 count Aida.  

I rather like this, it only a personal opinion, but it does look 

Christmasey to me.

The retirement patches are coming along well too.  Managed to hit my goal of another 3 patches this week and it is feeling good.  Have collected nearly 100 now and although I have a long way to go, each one contributes to my future.

  

Mistletoe Sampler with Blue Frame

Composter number two was fed after the mail drop this morning. We had the apple peel and cores from yesterday plus the left over paper to put in it. Feeding little and often, and with the help from worms I hope to have a good compost in approximately 3 years from that one.  It took me nearly a year to fill composter number one, and with two years to mulch down, it should take approximately 3 years.



As the weather is inclement I thought it better to stay indoors and continue with another Mistletoe sampler for my Christmas Cards.  I sat down and calculated how much each card cost and was surprised that it was only 22 pence in material costs.  That is inclusive of Aida, thread, card and insert. Perhaps I am wrong but it seems cheaper than the cost of a card at the local supermarket.

This time I chose to make the sampler with a lovely blue frame.

The Mistletoe Sampler with Blue Frame

I have continue crocheting the pink baby blanket.  It is gradually getting bigger.  Am loving it, very relaxing.

Harvesting

Today has been a fantastic day!

The post arrived and was dealt with.  Thank you to the companies who sent me your advertising material, the worms in the composter will love them.

Being September it is Harvest time.  It is no different in this household. This year, we haven't had a lot of food plants in the garden, as it is in its infant stage and what we have I am very proud of. Next year, hopefully things will be different.

Rhubarb crowns are still in their tubs, but are producing a small crop, enough for a crumble.

Rhubarb Plant

I found an old saucepan than needed some help (brown cooking stain) and stewed the rhubarb down.  The acid from the rhubarb cleaned the stain away.


Red chilli plants are producing quite a few chilli's.  The first pick will be frozen down.  They will be washed off, individually laid on a lined flat tray and open frozen in the chest freezer.  Once frozen, then placed into small freezer bags/containers and placed back in the freezer.

Chilli Pepper Plant with Red Chilli

The apple tree, was cut back last year and this year seems to have excelled itself.  I set myself a task of taking approximately 5lb of apples off the tree.

The Apples on the Tree

The apples were skinned, cored, diced down and stewed.  The stewed apples were allowed to cool before being placed in the freezer.  I've already designated them for apple sauce for Christmas day.

While I was at it, I made a crumble for dinner with left over rhubarb and apple.  The crumble was made from:

6oz     Flour

3oz     Margarine

4oz     Sugar

Rub flour and margarine together until it resembles crumbs.  Mix in sugar.

Place rhubarb and apple in a pyrex dish.  Put the crumble mix on top and bake in over Gas Mark 6 or 200 degrees Celsius for 20 - 25 minutes.  Cost - 17 pence at today's prices, to serve 4 people, just over 4 pence each.

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble

The tomato's have given us a fantastic crop.  We chose miniature plum and cherry tomato this year and it was a good decision.  Preserving them, whether it be freezing or pickling is not being considered.  The lovely truth about home grown tomato's is that they taste a lot better, more intense flavouring, than shop bought ones.  They don't last long and we have a tendency to eat them straight off the vine.

Cherry Tomato's on the Vine

For my evening entertainment I thought another Mistletoe Sampler for my Christmas cards.  Will try to make it a different background to individualise it for somebody special.

Cross-stitch Christmas Cards

We're into September now and although a bit late starting, it is time for making Christmas cards.  I love making cross-stitch Christmas cards and try something new each year.

There are a lot of freebie patterns on the internet that can be downloaded and adapted for use.  The Aida and Dmc/Anchor thread can work out to be expensive if you allow it to be.  Alternatively, I have found that going on e-bay and always put in for "free delivery" helps. (On principle, I never pay delivery charges).  

Recently I have found that I can purchase 14 count Aida, with free delivery, from America for an average 64 pence.  The same size piece of Aida from local hobby shops costs between £2.99 to £3.99, so immediately we have a saving.

Dmc/Anchor averages, depending where you shop, 79 pence per skein to over a pound.  To me, that's not good :(.  Once again, e-bay, or even Fabricland who have a nice choice of embroidery threads available.  They may not have a brand name on the label, they are just as good.  

Making a card doesn't have to be financially expensive.  The enjoyment of making the card and giving it to somebody you love is priceless.

I've chosen a mistletoe this year as my theme.  It takes 4 colours to make and looks really good.

I started with the dark green and cross-stitched part of the mistletoe leaves. This is followed by the lighter green, white and orange.  The cross-stitch was finished off with back stitching around the mistletoe berry.

This will be enjoyable and I think I will be making a few of these for my friends and family.  Just to change the back ground from orange to different colours will make them individual for different people.

Composting and Creative Crafts

Every day is a recycle and compost day in this house.  We have a bigger exception to the rule today. 

Number 1 composter is full and it must be good as we have some very happy worms in there and it is time for them to do their work.

In between, Number 2 composter needs to be started.  It’s in a good location, next to number 1 and dug in ready to go.

Composting is no different to cooking.  If you put it in the right ingredients, cook it carefully, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a good result.

The composter will start off with a layer of soil followed by newspaper (the freebie that comes through the door on a weekly basis) and then some of the shredded/cut up paper that has accumulated in our tin.

After that we can throw in any compostable items on a daily basis from the kitchen caddy.  With the peel from the fresh vegetables and fruit, egg shells, tea bags, etc. it isn’t hard to give the composter its daily feed.

If you do have a lawned garden and it may require a haircut, make sure that not too much grass goes in the composter.  Too much grass does not give the nutrients required to make good compost.

The post has been dealt with and the envelopes have had their stamps removed, cellophane windows removed and 7cm square patches removed. Excess paper has been cut up and put in the Composter.  

And whilst watching television I sat quite happily crocheting the pink blanket. It is very relaxing and in some respects therapeutic.

The blanket is growing and taking shape nicely.

Have had time to make a further 14 patches for my Retirement Quilt and are looking good.

Patchwork, Recycle and Rice Pudding

Another positive day.  I have already made 12 inserts for the Retirement Patchwork Quilt from the post, kept two stamps for charity and cut up what was left over from the envelopes to either make fire logs or go in the compost bin. 

Made four 1 pint rice pudding, which may seem excessive, however there is room in the freezer which really needs to be used to keep the freezer to maximum efficiency.

RICE PUDDING

2oz                         Pudding Rice

2oz                         Sugar

1 pint                      Milk

1 knob                     Butter

                              Nutmeg

Place pudding rice, sugar, milk and butter in a freezer and cooking friendly dish.  I use my “old faithful”, my pyrex dishes and stir.  Grate nutmeg on top and pop in the oven on gas mark 2 or electric 150 degrees for 2 hours.

As I said, I made 4, 2 on each shelf and used the bottom of the oven to dry out excess bread.  The bread is the ends of bread that have gone slightly stale but can still be used for other means.  If it is not too bad, it can be used for making puddings and tarts, such as adding extra bite to a crumble or treacle tart.  If it is slightly stale my husband appreciates me keeping it to be used as bait for his fishing.  And off course, during the winter months it can be used to help feed the birds.  As our winters are getting harsher for the local wildlife a little help doesn’t go amiss.  I will emphasise though, that with all summers natural goodies going begging, that I do not put food out for them during this time. 

I’ve done the daily visit to the composter to feed the worms to keep them happy.  As eccentric as it may sound, if I’ve got happy worms I know that in approximately 2 years time I will have some excellent compost to put on the garden.  Saves money buying from the DIY Stores or Garden Centres. 

And after the normal family household chores are done, I still have time to settle down and to crochet a bit more of the baby blanket for my friend. 

Continuation of Pink Baby Blanket

Fantastic start to the day.  The morning post has been and have been dealt with. Managed to get quite a few paper inner patches for my retirement patchwork quilt and a small amount of paper left over for the composter.



The baby blanket is coming along nicely and by taking my time, getting the tension even it shows, even with crocheting.  Only 2 balls of wool used so far and it is increasing nicely.  

This is such a relaxing item to crochet, it is such a pleasure.

Everyday and Long Term Projects

So far, it has been established that everyday activities help towards recycling and composting - collecting aluminium, cutting up junk mail and envelopes to make patches for quilting, stamps for charity and any excess cut for composting and fire logs.  

LONG TERM PROJECT - PATCHWORK QUILT

My long term project (one of many) is to make a double-sided padded patchwork quilt for my retirement, with matching pillow cases.  Okay, I've still got plenty of time to do this (about 20 years).  By doing a little of something every day helps towards the future.


The colour theme of the quilt will be purple and it is possible to pick up lots of lovely fabrics in remnant boxes at fabric shops. 

Paper patches, using a 7cm wooden square, were cut out and 8cm purple fabric squares were cut out.
  
The paper square is placed centrally on the purple fabric square and the 1cm fabric hem folded over and pinned in place. The hem is then tacked in place and the pins removed.  

The paper inserts will keep the patchwork rigid and it should be exactly 7cm square. By keeping to the exact size the eventual quilt will stay neat and tidy when sewn together.

Recycling Aluminium Cans

Good day today, after weeks of saving aluminium tins, thought it was time to recycle. 

Tesco Extra, Chichester has a recycling centre and if the Tesco Clubcard is used, it is possible to collect 1 point for every 2 cans deposited. The points can go towards something that not necessarily needed but wanted.  Personally, I use the points towards Christmas.

By reading the information on the cans it is possible to recycle more than you think.  I was able to recycle soft drinks cans, antiperspirant spray cans and air freshner spray cans.

There is nothing more satisfying than throwing into the "recycle munchers" mouth and hearing the metal being shredded and knowing the few minutes of time being used is not only therapeutic but also has a monetary value.

Today I gained an extra 50 Clubcard points. 

 

Fire Logs

RECYCLING

FIRE LOGS

How many of us have a bbq, chiminea, wood burners, open fires etc and need something to get the fires started?  Outside, we can use  commercial bought bbq fuel lighters or fluid, which can be expensive.  So why not make the starters yourself out of items that are already in the house?

Fire logs are made out of cardboard tubes, paper and address labels.

The cardboard tubes are the inserts from toilet rolls and kitchen rolls.  The pieces of paper used to stuff the tubes comes from the cut up pieces from leaflets, envelopes, etc, which are cut up on a daily basis and kept in the sweet tin.

Tape an address label over one end of the tube (managed to find a pack of 1000 address labels in a sale for 10 pence).

Stuff the tube with the pieces of paper as solid as possible.  Once full, another address label is placed on the end to seal everything in.

It only takes a few minutes of time, cost less than a penny to make and a lot cheaper than using the starter fuels.

Recycling envelopes and leaflets

  

Dealing with the daily post can be a chore, especially when it normally comes with advertising pamphlets and leaflets.  

However, there is a positive to this.  What may be somebody’s rubbish can be turned into somebody’s useful item.

What do you see in a used envelope?  Just an exterior wrapper for your private correspondence???  

IT IS SOOOO MUCH MORE :)

NO REALLY IT IS :)

If there is a stamp in the corner carefully remove it.  The stamp can be collected and passed onto a charity. 

As a general rule envelopes thickness is good for becoming the paper patches inside patchwork quilting.  I make sure that the envelope is folded and cut out as many 7cm x 7cm squares to act as inserts.

If there is a cellophane window, that can be found on business envelopes, save it as it can be used later.

Any left-over envelope does not go to waste.  Cut the excess up into small pieces directly into an old biscuit tin/sweet tin and save it, to be used for later.  (Only takes a couple of minutes and it will be a money saver later).

As for the leaflets, just cut them up into small pieces.  Try and keep on top of the little darlings, as they do have a tendency to take over and can get to run wild on the work surfaces.

 

cut up pamphlets, leaflets and envelopes

The Beginning

Over the years, like so many, I have learnt to scrimp and save.  I’m not here to lecture or to tell others what to do, just to share and have fun.

A lot of what I do includes recycling and composting.  Personally, I cannot see any point in paying out good money when it is possible to make the same practical item for a lot less.

KNITTING

Recently, I attended a knitting workshop held by a lovely lady by the name of Tanya Marie.  I did learn the basics of knitting when I was young, but getting a  little older, I have premature senior moments  and was grateful to attend the beginners workshop.  We were taught how to casting on/off, different knitting stitches and how to make items from the basic knitting as presents.  This can all be done by using remnants of wool.  (Worth a visit to the local charity shops).

Although Christmas is over 6 months away, it is a good idea to start early and to think ahead. I also think that a present from the heart is more valuable than a present from the pocket.

I thought it would be a good idea to make some pretend food for a children tea party as one of the presents and thought I would start with Fondant Fancies.

FONDANT FANCIES

Using a pair of 4mm knitting needles and Double Knit wool I cast on 12 stitches and garter stitched 37 rows, then cast off.  It took only 20 minutes to knit.

The cast on/cast off edges were sewn together.  The stitches from outer edge of the tube were picked up using a needle and wool, holding the tail end to make sure it doesn’t run through.  It looks like a basic running stitch.  When the two ends meet they were pulled together to gather the knitting and were tied off.

The tube was then turned inside out so that the seams are inside the fondant fancy.

Two cardboard circles measuring 3.5mm were cut out from a cereal packet.  One of the cardboard circle was placed at the bottom of the fancy (where the knitting has been gathered together).  It formed the structure.

Wadding was gently and evenly stuffed in the tube.  The second cardboard disc was placed on top of the wadding..

As previously, using a wool needle and wool, stitches were picked up from the edge of the tube. The wool was pulled gently to gather the knitting up and then tied off.

The cream on top was made up by casting on 8 stitches of White Double Knit wool and 4mm knitting needles,   The wool was cut leaving a long end and threaded through the stitches.  It was pulled up and gathered tightly and fastened off.  The wool end was cut off.

Using multi purpose glue a small amount was put on cream topping and placed on the fondant fancy and allowed to dry.

All in all, it only took me 30 minutes to make a fondant and I was watching television at the   same time.