I don't think you're ready for this jelly!

I made Elderberry Jelly from the Elder tree in our garden.
These are the ingredients (recipe from Waitrose website):
1.8 kg Elder berries.
about 500 g sugar
2 lemons
140 mls water

Instructions:
Pick the Elderberries:

Wash the berries and de-stalk them: (Use a fork, it is easier, although they tend to ping off around the kitchen.)
Put the berries in a pan and crush to release some juice:
Boil the berries:
Strain in a muslin cloth (or a handy pillowcase) overnight:

Measure your juice, add the juice of 2 lemons:

Weigh an appropriate amount of sugar:
Add sugar to juice and boil:

When it reaches setting point, put into hot jam jars: (Only 3 and a half full!)

When cooled, eat! (I look worried but actually it tastes quite nice.)

Snoooooood

This is Stacey 'working it' wearing the snood I made for her birthday. It was And's pattern,
basically (Thanks And!). This may be the gift that everyone gets for Christmas this year.....

Flower Power!

Here are the flowers I have been slaving over for the last couple of weeks! If any wedding guests leave them on the table, there will be trouble!!! xxx

Le Corn

Howdy from Le Corn. My annual charity shop has begun and has been successful so far (a suit which my mum told me not to buy, a swimsuit - yes I am dirty, jewellery, shoes, a dress and a shirt). Lots more to come I imagine. Today I bought some vintage hankies which have all been hand embroidered and some brooches (they are for a clever money making 'get me to NZ' scheme I have come up with, which I will hopefully do and not just keep them all for myself)...


My mum's been busy making, she's made all these lavender bags for a charity stall, aren't they brilliant...?!

Humpty Toys

Here are the twin's toys all finished. Rasmus and Mattius were given their Humpty toys but they are only at the holding stage, haven't figured out you can do things with your hands yet!

Bags of Fun

This was made from 2 balls of homespun Herdwick wool, which I bought in the Lake District with Ro last year. It is the itchyest wool in the world, and also smelt like a proper sheep.

Herdwick sheep are my mum's favourite sheep ( I know- who has a favourite sheep!) and they are cool because they have white faces and black/brown fleeces. And also Beatrix Potter who lived up there used to breed them on her farm. The darker wool is the lamb's fleece and the lighter wool is the adult sheep's fleece. It is undyed. The sheep don't produce lanolin in their wool until they are 2 years old so that is part of the reason it is so itchy I think.

This was supposed to be knitted for my mum's birthday which was in April. I have just finished it so only a little bit late....

I knitted it on fat needles (12mm) and then felted it by putting it in a pillowcase, and through the hottest wash cycle with a pair of jeans. The pics are pre and post felting, and the dvd is there for scale......
CRAZY. And fun, but I don't know how you would felt things that needed to be a certain size.
It came out a little twisted but I have pinned the handles together and it is now drying so hopefully that will sort it out a bit.

Lambeth Country Fair Knitted Items

We went to the Lambeth Country Fair last weekend. We had planned to enter at least something into the vegetable or craft sections, but our zucchini was too weedy.... But look at this beautiful knitted stuff - the dress was amazing, it is a shame I couldn't take the picture from a higher angle.