Happy little hausfrau...

The dark days of winter are actually rather wonderful. There is time to sit and enjoy the warmth of my house and also enjoy the extra home time I have to make things.  I am a great starter of projects. Over the past years I have had many wonderful ideas for things to make and do and I am still contemplating how to finish the jacket I started last year.  This December I have actually finished many things.

I have started knitting again and so enjoy watching things grow as my fingers fly along the rows of knitting. I am making a sweater (I think) and working without a pattern, very risky but also very liberating and easy and I will keep people posted on progress.  I made Ralph a wonderful 7 ft long scarf from a Japanese yarn that's a mix of wool, silk, mohair and I think, even a bit of cotton.  I was really happy with it and Ralph loves it.

I also decided to try and knit a snood/collar/hood thing for me for these winter days. It's just thge right thing  since I hate hats. It keeps my neck warm and is full enough to cover my nose and ears if I pull it up.  Again, I was stunned to complete this in two evenings.

Today I baked some bread. I do that every couple of days and it's pretty hard to resist hot, crusty bread straight from the oven.

When I was a kid living in the Bronx we lived in a tiny apartment.  The rent included heating and the heating was supplied by  a large furnace in the basement of the building.  The amount of heat sent through the building was determined by the 'super(intendent) of the building - always the enemy - and there was rarely enough heat on the coldest days of winter.  This would lead to tenants banging on the cast iron radiators to indicate that more heat should be provided.  Sometimes there wouuld be pipe banging and shouting and angry voices shouting down the staircases to the basement,  where the super seemed to spend his days, since we really were cold.  In those times my mum would always rely on the burners on the stove to help heat the room (gas was also included in the rent!) and usually make a big pot of cholent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholent.  Cholent is a wonderful Eastern European Jewish cassoulet with beans and meat and potatoes and dumplings of some sort that cooks on very low heat in the oven for up to 12-14 hours. I loved the feeling of waking up to a warm kitchen and the mouth-watering smell of cooking permeating our little apartment.  Baking bread in the winter feels a little the same to me and I think that London has finally reached cholent temperature, so I might need to make some this week.

I have been baking lots and this is a little fruit and nut ring that I make most years for Christmas. My house has been awash with mince pies, fruit cake, stollen, and home-baked goodies this year.  I have so enjoyed doing this, too.

Winter days seem to be about making things and doing.  I have just altered the look of a few sweaters and I'm shortening trousers now and then I'll carry on knitting.

I am such a happy little soul when I do things like this.  Even though I have less cash coming in because I'm working less, it does give me time to enjoy myself.