Frugal

I read a lot of blogs recently about being frugal, and when I go food shopping I am very careful what I purchase. I have even stopped buying from charity shops except for clothes for Caitlin and Liam where I can. I have to admit I have purchased a couple of 'unnecessary' items but I had earned the money by repairing a necklace for a customer at work and selling a couple of pin cushions and a cross-stitch pattern.

I do like to have flowers in a vase.

Do you remember these?

I do like to make my flowers last!

I didn't quite get a bargain as last time!

but I did save 75p

I bought the flowers yesterday,

I put last months flowers in the compost bin

YESTERDAY!

I hope they last as long

The Amaryllis, Tulips and Irises did not last as long as the Chrysanthemums though!

Thing come to those who wait!

I have always loved to craft, mainly with cloth and thread. Whenever I saw a haberdashery shop as a child I had to go in and look. I preferred them to toy and sweet shops and mum didn't mind looking because she liked to do a bit of sewing and embroidery too. I have been crafting (preferring material crafts rather than paper crafts), since I was able to handle scissors, needles and fabrics. At a very young age I discovered libraries and craft books. I had to make do if I wanted to create something and had to use what was available. There was always fabric and thread and a huge tin of buttons and beads at home which I loved just to tip out on to the carpet and sort!

As I got older and received pocket money I would buy yarn for crochet or knitting, mum taught me the basics of how to knit and crochet and I taught myself to read knitting and crochet patterns. I bought fabric and thread and borrowed needlework books from the library. I had a fantastic school-teacher (who as they say changed my life) when I was about 10yrs and she patiently taught the whole class to cross stitch on Binca and to make felt toys, in those days the school provided everything!

I am self taught in embroidery and other craft activities, and someone once said to me that you cannot learn Bobbin Lace from books. Well to me that is a 'red rag to a bull' so I did just that! If there is something new I would like to learn, I try and seek out a book designed for children as these books always seem to always work! I also taught myself Tatting travelling on a train to and from work in the seventies from Southend-on-Sea to London, a 45minute journey.


When I married and started a family, I started crafting more and more. I said I would love a large needlework box where I could separate things into different compartments, well I thought that would never happen but, when we moved to Minehead twenty years ago, we had trip to Taunton our nearest large town and walked into a charity shop and there it was for £5. I brought it home in the boot of the car and left it in the hall, where it stayed for many years being used as a dumping ground. (when one draw got full, because there was no-where else for the crap to go, we started the next draw!) I don't know how many times I sorted it and tried to use it for its intended purpose.

Forward a few years and boys left home one-by-one and there was an empty bedroom. I thought "that's my craft room" Well, it is what is described in housing blurb as "the box room".

Alex painted for me and put shelves up etc. I thought to sort it gradually, that didn't happen. Alex proceeded to dump my stuff in the room not sorting it leaving that to me. In the end I just put the books on the shelves and filled another shelving unit with stuff that needed sorting. By last Christmas I must have been in the room about eighteen months and think all my stuff has congregated there. From the 1st January I set myself a little tasks, just an hour a day when I would go in there and have a sort, emptying the draws of all the stuff that is in them and set about using it for its intended use!

Draw one

SCISSORS

and other cutting equipment

Draw two

NEEDLES

lots of different needle for different uses

Draw three

PINS

Draw four
appertaining to my old and new
SEWING MACHINE

Draw Five
REELS of COTTON

Draw six
General HABERDASHERY

Draw seven

PATCHWORK

Draw seven

PENS and PENCILS

and hole punches

Draw nine

VINTAGE!

Draw ten

RIBBON

Draw eleven

LACE and BRAIDS

Draw twelve

BIAS BINDING and ELASTIC

Draw thirteen

BUTTONS and CHARMS

Draw Fourteen

MIXED BEADS

Draw fifteen

JEWELLERY FINDINGS

Draw Sixteen

SEED BEADS

Draw seventeen

CHIPPED STONES BEADS

Draw eighteen

BEADING THREADS and WIRES

Draw nineteen

SEQUINS

Draw twenty

LARGE SEQUINS

Draw twenty-one

WOODEN, PLASTIC and

OLD PEARLY BEADS

Draw twenty-two

CERAMIC and DECORATED

GLASS BEADS

Draw twenty-three

BELLS and BEAD KITS

Draw twenty-four

ITEMS

that can be found here

### TIP ###

I save these little packets.

Do you recognise them?

They can be found in the box with new shoes

or in the bottom of a new Handbag, well don't throw

them away, they are great for keeping moisture at bay

in things like needles, and pins and scissors.

At last Spring is springing in my garden

Forsythia

Celandine

Crocus

Wild Primrose

Primrose

Caraway Seed Cake

There are many recipes for Caraway Cake or Seedy Cake. Caraway Seeds are very good for the digestive system, but do not put too many the recipes as they will leave a nasty medicinal musty taste. Caraway is a type of seed common to both cake and biscuit recipes of the Medieval and Tudor periods.

Caraway Seed Cake is another Victorian cake, but it is actually older. In the older recipes it is more of a ‘bread’ type recipe which goes back hundreds of years, with a variety of seeds as their main ingredient, and using suet, lard or other fats, they did not use butter. Some seed cake recipes call for ground almonds to be added, and there is no harm in adding them if you wish, but ground Almonds can be a bit over powering. Ground Almonds have also played an important part in British recipes from the Medieval period.

Here are my two recipes plain and simple::
Recipe One::
Follow the Victoria Sandwich recipe and adding one and half teaspoons of Caraway Seeds (or add to your taste, but remember not too much)

Recipe Two::
Follow the above recipe but take out two ounces of flour and add two ounces of ground almonds. (I only work in imperial measurements for cooking)

****************************************************************

Here is a recipe from 1861 From Mrs. Beeton’s ‘Household Management’

A Very Good Seed-Cake: INGREDIENTS – 1 lb. of butter, 6 eggs, 3/4 lb. of sifted sugar, pounded mace and grated nutmeg to taste, 1 lb. of flour, 3/4 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 wineglassful of brandy.
Mode.—Beat the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour; add the sugar, mace, nutmeg, and caraway seeds, and mix these ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the brandy, and beat the cake again for 10 minutes. Put it into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it from 1–1/2 to 2 hours. This cake would be equally nice made with currants, and omitting the caraway seeds.
Time.—1–1/2 to 2 hours.

It's Official..........

................Christmas does come more than once a year!

Jan has sent me this beautiful RED Scarf - I love red and this is just perfect, it is lovely and warm too.

I only sew the the loose ends in and the buttons on!

Do you remember this jumper I made last summer. I have just finished a jumper for Liam it is for 3 - 6 months. I have worked it out to knit all in one. Have a go...........I can assure you once you have knitted like this you will never go back.........well I haven't especially for the baby garments. I still haven't actually knitted socks YET! BUT............here is my pattern for this jumper.


Following these instructions - Cast on 120 stitches - RIB (Knit 1 Purl 1) for 10 rows, then continue knitting straight for forty rows.


Put a marker on the (wrong side of work) on right-hand side and fip the knitting over.
Continue for -
BACK - work back and forth (60 stitches) for 35rows starting with a purl row (85 rows including 10 rows rib)Next row Rib 17 stitches turn work and work on these 17 stitches for 7rows cast off loosely. Put the next 26 stitches onto a stitch holder and work on last 17 stitches - Rib 7 rows and cast off loosely.

BACK NECK - With right side of work facing up pick up and knit 8 stitches down side of neck, knit across the 26 stitches on holder, pick up and knit 8 stitches up side of neck. Rib 7 rows cast of loosely Sew in ends.

Re-join yarn at marker and continue thus::

FRONT - work back and forth (60 stitches) for 20 rows starting with a purl row (70 rows including 10 rows rib) Next row Knit 22 stitches, knit 2together turn workNext row Knit 2together, knit to endContinue this way until 17stiches, knit straight until same amount of rows as back (85 rows including 10 rows rib) Next row Rib 3 rows Next row Starting at shoulder edge Rib 5 stitches, yarn over needle knit 2together rib to neck end. Rib 3 more rows cast off loosely. Put next 12 stitches on stitch holder and work on last 24 stitches thus::Knit 2together knit to end.Next row knit to last 2 stitches, knit 2 together Continue this way until 17 stitches, knit straight until as first side.Next row Rib to last 6 stitches yarn over needle knit 2together rib to end (ending at shoulder edge) Rib 3 rows more then cast off loosely

FRONT NECK With right side of work facing up pick up and knit 18 stitches down side of neck, knit across the 12 stitches on holder, pick up and knit 18 stitches up side of neck. Rib 7 rows cast of loosely Sew in ends.



Make sure right side of jumper is on the outside




SLEEVES (both alike) (Start and finish rounds at shoulder, the decreasing is under the arms)
Overlap the button rib on shoulders and making sure you have both pieces of work together put the knitting needle through both layers (make sure the needle goes in centrally of the seven rows) and pick knit 3 stitches and continue thus:: on first circular needles pick up and knit another 27 stitches (approximately 3 stitches every 4 rows) to underarm. On second circular needle start from under arm pick up and knit 27 stitches and the 3 stitches through the 2 layers of button rib (Join both ends as per instructions for the main body)




Turn jumper inside out so working on wrong side.

Knit 15 rows

Next row knit (on first circular needles) knit 27 stitches (SKPSO slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over) knit 1 (on second circular needle) knit 1 Knit 2together knit 27 stitches (58 stitches all together 29 stitches on each circular needles.

Knit 5 rows

Next row knit (on first circular needles) knit 26 stitches (SKPSO slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over) knit 1 (on second circular needle) knit 1 Knit 2together knit 26 stitches (56 stitches all together 28 stitches on each circular needles.

Knit 5 rows

Next row knit (on first circular needles) knit 25 stitches (SKPSO slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over) knit 1 (on second circular needle) knit 1 Knit 2together knit 25 stitches (54 stitches all together 27 stitches on each circular needles.

Knit 5 rows

Next row knit (on first circular needles) knit 24 stitches (SKPSO slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over) knit 1 (on second circular needle) knit 1 Knit 2together knit 24 stitches (52 stitches all together 26 stitches on each circular needles.

Knit 5 rows

Next row knit (on first circular needles) knit 23 stitches (SKPSO slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over) knit 1 (on second circular needle) knit 1 Knit 2together knit 23 stitches (50 stitches all together 25 stitches on each circular needles.

Knit 5 rows

Next row (on first circular needles) Knit 4 stitches, knit 2together, Knit 4 stitches, knit 2together, Knit 4 stitches, knit 2together, Knit 4 stitches, knit 2together, knit 1 stitch repeat sequence on second circular needle

Knit 10 rows rib cast off loosely. Sew in ends

Sew on four buttons at shoulders

Yarn used for this garment is Stylecraft - Merry-Go-Round, shade 3120 Blue/Yellow

This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not use it for commercial use. If there is a mistake I apologise now, please leave a comment and I will try and rectify it.

Don't think I shall poke anyones eye out!

I had a look round some charity shops yesterday looking for clothes for Caitlin and Liam. I usually find lots pretty dresses some with labels such as Monsoon or Laura Ashley but these are usually party type frocks, but just recently alas nothing and what some charity shops did have were just heaped into a wire tub for you to rumage over like in a jumble sale. I was not impressed. When asked if they had any dresses or dungarees the reply was oh....we are not stocking childrens clothes anymore because they are just too fiddly!


I did see the above knitting pattern which is an Aran style knitting but in double knitting yarn instead of the usual thicker aran yarn which I think is more suitable for little people. The lady on the counter said to me would you like knitting needles? I thought this was a strange question but didn't say anything, she went on to say we have to keep them under lock and key - I must have looked at her a bit strangely by this time because she went on to say we have to because of 'health and safety' and that is why they are sold in sealed packets now. I did correct her by saying not all knitting needles were sold in sealed packets because the ones sold in the shop where I work are sold on card!

Sorry for the moan I just had to get it off my chest!