Ten things for which I give thanks this week…
1 – There is a cake shop in Keighley, my local town, whose window always displays the most amazingly decorated cakes and this is their Christmas window display. I always stop to admire their work but this time I went in for a couple of homemade Mincepies and a chat with the utterly delightful owner…
2 – I completed the last demonstration piece of weaving on my loom – Satin Stitch. Now it may be hard to imagine that this is the stitch that produces all those shiny Satin finishes, but that’s because I was using very thick cotton yarn. So perhaps this example might be better called Weft-faced Weave. Then below, is the reverse Warp-faced Weave which is exactly what you see on the reverse of Weft-faced Weave… It is a form of exaggerated twill where the Warp skips over 5 warps before being tied in by a single stitch. If this was done with tiny, shiny silk threads, it would indeed have a shiny, satin finish.
3 – I made a Persimmon Cake yesterday and I have another in the oven as I type. Barbara’s brother went on a cruise many years ago an took up with an American lady, Cindy, and had a long-distance relationship for a couple of years. If she came over at this time of year, she would bring Persimmon Cake made to a secret family recipe which she would not reveal and which I have been trying to emulate ever since – there being plent of recipes on the internet to choose from. Als I can never achieve the moist, rich fruit cake style of Cindy’s family recipe – but the results of my experiments go down well each year nevertheless…
4 – Barbara managed to make her coffee date with her best friend Jan on Friday!
5 – Jan uses the tote bag I helped Barbara make for her, every day! She says it goes with everything! FYI – furnishing fabric…
6 – A nice repeat shot of our Kunafa Cheese Bomb at the factory – don’t worry, the only thing this bomb can damage is your waistline! For those who don’t know, kunafa is having a moment – it started with Dubai Chocolate which a chocolate bar filled with Kunafa (like a very fine shredded wheat) toasted and mixed with Pistachio Sauce. Our Kunafa bomb is a pot lined with Kunafa, filled with sweetened cream cheese and sealed on top with more Kunafa – in the words of Weigh-watchers and the Pet Shop Boys – “It’s a Sin!”
7 – Found a Christmas present fo Barbara which I know she will like – I always want to choose something for her to wear but she never likes the things I choose so I am playing safe with this one 0 remind me to tell you what it was, after Christmas…
8 – Just checked the cake and lowered the temperature and put it back in for another 15 minutes – smells good! (You will note I am reprting gratitudes in real time here)…
9 – Barbara’s daughter is sending a stream of lovely videos of her trip to Bali which it seems is centred on a yoga retreat – so a happy bunny…
10 – Managed to think of 10 gratitudes for this week…
Have a lovely coming week everyone!