New year, New Jumper, New Project

Work took up a lot of energy last year, and amongst other things, knitting fell a bit by the wayside. On New Year's day I finally finished a jumper I started over a year ago and had meant to finish variously by the start of December, my birthday, Christmas, and then finally New Year - which was just in time for the cold snap so I suppose it was done at just the right time in the end.

There was no particular pattern for this one, just bits and pieces from other jumpers that I liked. I had an idea of what I wanted which hadn't quite worked out for an earlier version (I made it both too short and a little bit smaller than I really wanted). the yarn is Jamieson and Smth 5 ply which is lovely to knit with and gives quite a heavy, drappy, fabric. I wanted quite a slouchy jumper with space for layers underneath and not too dense a fabric. I got all of that and also something which wasn't quite as see through as my first attempt - colour choice helped a lot with that.

The sleeves have ended up quite close-fitting which I like, but I wouldn't do as close again - they're exactly the right length, but don't really push up, which is fine in winter, but maybe less so in warmer weather. Equally, I wouldn't get a long-sleeved tee to fit comfortably underneath them, which, alas, not great for winter. 

Otherwise, it's a nice looking jumper - this is it before it went on the board - that is remarkably warm and that I've already worn a lot.

The new project is a proper Fair Isle slipover - a Mati Ventrilon slipover pattern from the 2025 wool week annual. It's got elements I would normally avoid, the first being quite a deep rib knitted on 2mm needles. Ribbing like this bores me - 20 rows at 336 stitches a row felt like a marathon effort. The sleeve holes will be steeked. I've used steeks before, but again - it wasn't a process I loved, especially at the finishing stage. This will also be the garment where I make myself learn how to graft my knitting together rather than relying on a 3 needle bind off. Plenty of challenges then.

Of course, the first challenge was what colours to use. I have a lot of yarn in my stash, and I need to use some of it, buying specifically for this project was not an option. Unfortunatley it turns out that what I've got a lot of is small amounts which are perfect for hats or gloves, but fall short of enough for this particular slipover. I do also have a few cones and colours in sufficient quantities, but not ao many that would work well together or the intended wearer would like (husband). Eventually, I hit on a combination that I thought would work, but it's knitting up a little more subtly than I had hoped. 

Husband likes the effect, so that's fine, and I love the main colour, but it is a bit of an issue when you do most of your yarn shopping on holiday, and it's a lot more expensive to order online from a distance. It's not really feasible to buy big project quantities without a specific big project in mind, but is it sensible to have huge quantities of shades but only in 2 or 3 balls at a time. Also, probably no.

One answer will be to have a big sort out, find all the yarn that's hidden around the flat and arrange it sensibly. Not a job I'm feeling very enthusiastic about given how much of it there is. Wish me luck. 

Vin Chaud, Good Drinks, and not doing Dry January

It's been a long time since December was a boozy month for me. I don't find the pressure of the busiest time of year mixes well with alcohol, so when things slow down a bit in January, I'm ready to responsibly enjoy a small amount of alcohol - anything more than that plays hell with my peri menopausal system. Given there's a long haul of winter still ahead it also seems counterintuitive to get all austere now. I have tins and tins of unfinished Christmas biscuits, most of a cake, and we were given some very nice bottles this year; I'm not turning my back or otherwise wasting any of it.

The responsible and small amounts part of alcohol consumption is covered by instigating a cocktail habit - a single drink to hit the moment between dinner going in the oven and it being ready to eat. Partly inspired by Virginia Miller's Uneasy Elixirs - a really very good cocktail book that had a lot of things we wanted to try in it that got us started, and then dusting down books I haven't used much since leaving the wine trade it's making Winter feel much more lightsome.

I have written about, tested, and quoted from Ambrose Heath's Good Drinks many times over the years, it's one of the few books I have that really covers hot alcoholic drinks, and once again I'm sitting here with the outside temperature hovering around freezing day and night wondering why we don't do more hot punch type drinks, and why we leave mulled wine behind in December. 

Anyone who's known me for a while, or used to read this blog a few years ago will probably know that  have strong feelings about mulled wine, although nowhere sells out of the pre-bottled stuff like they used to. I think this might just be because it's less popular than it was, but there's nothing better for a lazy, freezing, weekend day off. 

The easiest version of a mulled wine I've found is Ambrose Heath's Vin Chaud - Good Drinks was published in 1939, and this version is by far the simplest I can find - which is a big part of its appeal, current recipes feel over-complicated and don't have the differentiation from other versions of mulled wine to make it stand out.

Ambrose Heath only asks that you sweeten a bottle of claret of burgandy (any cheap but not awful red wine will work) to your taste and heat it in a pan with a stick of cinnamon. As soon as it approches boiling remove from the heat, extract the cinnamon, and serve in mugs or glasses "in the bottom of which there is already a slice of lemon." Simple, quick, not too strong. Perfect.

New Year, New Ways to Procrastinate

After a very busy peak period at work I managed to get the first week of January off (worked on the 2nd, but missed the last weekend of the school holidays). Somewhere at the back of my head was a plan to really start writing here - but instead I started a jigsaw puzzle so fiendish that I gave up on it after 3 days and took it to a charity shop. And then, having learnt nothing, started another, more enjoyable one. It still isn't finished either.

I did at least finish the jumper I started in autumn 2024 on New Year's day, in time for the very cold snap, but otherwise it's been some light reading, lighter film watching, cooking, and generally not going out very much. We had thought about going away, but the weather being what it has I'm glad we didn't. The chance for a few really lazy, unproductive days has been delightful, especially as my job role changes the day I go back which is exciting - but lots of new challanges too. 

Meanwhile I've been working through Diana Henry's Around The Table - predictably excellent. 52 essays about her life and food. There are no recipes as such, but a lot of tips and pointers that are promising. Husband has fallen somewhat in love with Diana Henry's cookbooks, particularly Oven to Table and Bird in the Hand. He's more or less taken over daily cooking and appreciates these ones because it's food we both like and more importantly the recipes turn out as promised, his efforts look like the pictures, and it's given him a real boost in confidence when it comes to trying new things.

The only new recipe (and it's barely a recipe) that I've tried is from Skye McAlpine's wonderful Christmas Companion - this is currently half price in various places (Waterstones and Amazon for sure). I bought it for vibes and have no regrets. It's a gorgeous book that mixes completely over the top with really practical. Under the really practical heading is Panettone pudding as a twist on bread and butter pudding. 

We ended up with a serious excess of Panettone this year after I bought one early and forgot about it, bought another, and then yet another (the M&S chocolate and Cherry version being impossible to resist). Chopping up half of one of them and covering it with custard is about as simple as it gets, though I see no reason not to use pre-made custard if it's there, so it could be even simpler. This is absolutely worth buying an extra (or indeed a sale) Panettone for. It was incredibly comforting to eat on a night when the temperature outside hit -5 and we were struggling to keep warm. 

The Odd Flamingo - Nina Bawden

A real change of mood for my second reprint of the year nomination - Nina Bawden's The Odd Flamingo lands us in the sultry heat of August and gives us a much seedier overview of the 1950s. Only two years separate this one from Death In Ambush, but there's little room for nostalgia or the cosy certainties of village life. 

The heat of one particular day has been broken by a thunderstorm, solicitor Will Hunt is regarding his roses when the phone disturbs his tranquility. On the other end is Celia, wife of his best friend - and something is very wrong. Humphrey Stone is the charismatic headmaster of the local boys school, and here in their home, which comes with the job, is a girl claiming that he's got her pregnant and tried to push her into an illegal abortion. The stakes are high, if she's telling the truth the Stones lose reputation, his job, their home,and their place in local society. Humphrey is away, Celia wants Will to interview the girl and judge if she's telling the truth. 

Will thinks she is, and from there his carefully ordered life is pushed into nightmare territory. He tracks Humphrey down to a sordid little Soho club - The Odd Flamingo - they used to go to in their youth when it felt edgy. Will has long outgrown it; Humphrey seems not to have grown up at all. In the wake of Rose's claims, somewhat denied by Humphrey there will be blackmail, murder, brushes with drug pushers, criminal gangs, and more as Will steadily more disillusioned at each turn and watched over by a pitying policeman tries to help his friend and find somene left with some innocence.

The grittiness is an excellent counterpoint to the now more familiar and altogether more sanitised view of the 1950s that we get from Agatha Christie - or indeed Susan Gilruth and others. The British Library Crime Classics series have been brilliant at unearthing lost gems that do this, contemporary readers would have been well enough aware of this side of society, but I think we mostly imagine a safer time when we look back. 

Bawden instead gives us a brilliantly drawn portrait of extremely banal evil and she does it by letting us see Will struggle with each betrayal. It's elegant writing that does not dwell on sordid details but gives us time to think through the implications of each revelation. I could almost feel the humidity and grubbiness drifting up from the hot London streets and strongly identified with Will who really doesn't want to be involved in any of it, but at the same time can't see how to avoid the obligation. 

As a final note, a gay character is described in somewhat homophobic terms. I don't think this particularly reflects Bawden's views, but rather describes a character who is meant to be morally ambiguous on several levels and displays the imperfect side of Will's character. That said, you probably wouldn;t get away with it now

Death In Ambush - Susan Gilruth

My first nomination for Crime Reprint of the year is this year's British Library Crime Classics Christmas special. I loved this. In my opinion, it's one of the best Christmas mysteries I've found. There's a quote from Francis Iles on the back that could feel like faint praise: "Susan Gilruth has a pleasant, light touch." but actually is the perfect descriptor. 

Published in 1952 and set presumably around the same time (the Korean War is mentioned) this is a very satisfying slice of nostalgia. Liane (Lee) Craford is married to a soldier, Bill, who features not at all for the rest of the book. She has been invited to stay with friends for Christmas in a quaint English village and sets off sometime surprisingly early in December (about the 10th, maybe? Tolerant friends, Bill has to stay behind for some sort of training).

Down in Staple Green the local Doctor, who will be hosting Lee, can afford to keep his wife, two children, a cook, and a nanny in some comfort. I wonder what contemporary GP's would make of this? Lee arrives in time for a very awkward drinks party with the local gentry where we meet a full cast of characters from horrible husband and retired judge Sir Henry Metcalfe, to mysterious Russian widow Sonia Phillips. Sir Henry is not long for this world, and we'll soon find more or less everyone feels the world would be better off without him, and quite a few of them have a reasonable motive for doing something about it. 

It is always satisfying when the victim is a thoroughly unpleasant character in a murder mystery. And by a pleasing coincidence, Sir Henry is disposed of on the 13th of December - today. At first it looks like a stroke, but soon, Doctor Howard has some suspicions and Scotland Yard is called in. When Scotland Yard arrives, it's in the form of Detective Inspector Hugh Gordon, and Lee already knows him...

Lee is a light-hearted sort of main character, and Gilruth (a pen name for Susannah Margaret Hornsby-Wright) makes her amusing. This is presumably the light touch that Francis Iles praised because she's never too jolly, and it never jars which feels like a neat trick to pull off in what was only a second novel. It's this tone that goes a long way to making it such a fun Christmas read - nothing too heavy to darken the festive mood. 

The other thing that feels unusual and is handled well is the ambiguous relationship between Lee and Hugh. They're flirtatious and there are hints that Hugh might have made romantic declarations in the past. Lee's friends seem to accept Hugh as a sort of boyfriend - but at the same time it's all very wholesome. The exact nature of their relationship is as big a mystery as whodunnit.

Beyond that, it's a well put together mystery with the right amount of clues (I did not work it out, but with hindsight the breadcrumbs were laid) lots of atmosphere, a sense of peril for characters you like, some good red herrings, snow, decorations, and all the other trimmings of a good old-fashioned Christmas. Susan Gilruth genuinely feels like a lost gem; she's perfect for Christie fans specifically, classic crime fans generally, and anyone who loves a Christmas crime. The British Library team are indicating they might reprint more which I'm excited about. I really want more Lee and Hugh, but even more than that - I see this book as that rare thing, a regular crime re-read that could easily become part of my own Christmas traditions. Vote for it!

The Christmas Clue - Nicola Upson

December is exhausting, work is crazy right now and any writing time has been exclusively reserved for Christmas cards - all the ones to post go tomorrow. This is a job that I mostly love and slightly hate - it's taken 2 nights (around 60 cards, and I realise how seldom I write by hand these days - how it aches!) but I love getting cards and I won't give up on sending them however much stamps cost.

                                                  

Meanwhile, I'm deep in seasonal reading - ghost stories (the mildly weird sort, not all out terrifying) and classic crime are my escape of choice at this time of the year, and as it was a big book for work I gave 'The Christmas Clue a go. It's not normally something I'd have picked up, with the exception of Martin Edwards books, because he really nails the style, cosy crime set in the past normally disappointsor annoys me. I liked the Christmas Clue though for a few reasons.

The first is that it's short - three and a bit hours of reading maybe - which makes it an excellent Christmas book to escape into between bouts of sociability, or just when you have a few lazy hours to fill. Short books are underrated; I find a good novella a real treat. 

The second thing is that using Anthony and Elva Pratt - the real life couple who invented Cluedo as sleuths, and setting the book up as an homage to the game is a really fun approach. I saw another game Anthony and Elva had invented -Toteopoly a racing game in a charity shop recently. Sadly it was £80 and looked like there might be bits missing. Otherwise I'd have had that - we had an old racing game called Mineroo or Little Rosy when I was a kid that was much loved even if half the lead horses had lost a leg. 

I've never actually played Cluedo, but this book really makes me want to, for the purposes of the book it cleverly plays into layers of nostalgia without feeling manipulative about it. War-time setting, white Christmas, murder mystery, board game - check all the boxes. 

And the third thing I liked - some decent twists and a suddenly much darker than expected turn towards the end so it kept me guessing. There's a lot to like here, and this is the ideal stocking filler if you're looking for some last-minute inspiration. 

Winter - Val McDermid

I didn't read Michael Morpurgo's Spring, partly because whilst it might be impossible to dislike spring, it really isn't my favourite season. It drags somewhat in my mind, and weather that veers between unseasonably hot to bloody freezing is just annoying (ditto autumn, and keep your mists and mellow fruitfulness).

Winter on the other hand I love. I like the dark nights, the cold, the wild weather. This time of year city and town centres all lit up for Christmas absolutely look their best, the gold and blue frosty days feel like a gift, and there's a much better chance of actually managing to catch up with friends in the process of actual gift swapping. The food is good, and if the stress of work is real it also comes with the buzz of being constantly busy.

Winter is also the time of year when I really read seasonally. I'm an absolute sucker for a Christmas themed murder mystery, book about Christmas traditions/folklore/ recipe books, wintery short stories - all and any of it. Films, not so much somehow - unless it's a classic black and white something, though they;re harder to find now.

With all this in mind Val McDermid's Winter has been an absolute treat. Short and sweet, with charming illustrations. She sees Winter as a time of rest, retreat, and above all else, creativity (hard agree, these long dark nights are perfect for thinking and making). She talks about all of these things here, and looks back with nostalgia on her own Scottish working class upbringing where Winter started with Halloween. 

My Childhood Winters followed the same path. I hadn't realised that Christmas wasn't really celebrated in Scotland until late in the 1950s - December 25th didn't become a public holiday until 1958 which is a little bit mind-boggling. New year was always a much bigger deal, and even in my 1970s childhood, the feeling was that Christmas was for the bairns, New Years for the real party. 

I don't really know how much more commercial Christmas has become. A childhood in a not particularly wealthy rural area where everyone's expectations were similar, followed by an adulthood working in retail, where expectations often seem to be off the scale, has skewed my perception, but I share the nostalgia here for a simpler celebration, although a younger reader might roll their eyes a bit at the poor but happy inference.

Altogether a charming book with much to offer fellow lovers of Winter.

Hemlock and Silver - T. Kingfisher

Yet again my fond belief that I'm ready for Christmas has hit the wall of it being a bare month away with a very busy work schedule between me and any sort of merrymaking or relaxing. I don't mind working in the run-up to the day itself, but every year I resent how busy it remains after Christmas, and the impossibility of taking time off over New Year a little bit more. 

In an effort to get in the right frame of mind I've come home today, made advocaat, filtered the Christmas Schnaps I started macerating last week, done a batch of mince pies, and drunk a little more wine than might be sensible on a school night. As soon as I've written this I'll be off to bed to Finish Val McDermid's Winter book (a delight so far).

It's a while now since I read Hemlock and Silver, I thoroughly enjoyed it, it ticks all the Kingfisher boxes, and I'll read whatever comes my way by her - but 3 fairy tale retellings in there's a business as usual feel about these books. A heroine verging on middle age, a little plain, but not too plain, she is an educated woman who has her share of self-doubt, and she'll find a hero who is every bit her match, whilst overcoming something really quite horrible.

It's a pretty good formula, the books are well-paced and witty, full of humour and creeping unease. I absolutely recommend any one of them (Nettle and Bone and A Sorceress Comes to Call are the other two I've read) but maybe the issue of changing the focus from whoever would normally be the focal point of the fairy tale to someone who is generally a side character is a feeling that I've already read it. That said, I do love a middle-aged woman overcoming aching joints to sort stuff out, so it isn't much of a complaint.

Hemlock and Silver is a skewed version of Snow White where the Evil Queen exists within a mirror world (lots of excellent and horrible details to be had out of this idea when Anja the healer finds her way between worlds) and is trying hard to find a way into our world. There's a huge amount to like here and Winter is the perfect season to be just a little unsettled whilst waiting for a happy ending so it's well worth picking up a Kingfisher and enjoying it. 

Uneasy Elixirs - Virginia Miller

I didn't mean to disappear again - or at least I did in so much as I'm on holiday and haven't managed to settle to much reading and thought a break from screens would be welcome - but I did bring my laptop and I am so excited about 'Uneasy Elixirs', which came back from Edinburgh with me yesterday, that I can't wait to share it with you.

I'd seen this around on chat groups through work as a possible wild card Christmas title, I love Edward Gorey's work, and so altogether I thought it would be worth a look, although I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the cocktail recipes.

I shouldn't have been. Virginia Miller isn't a name I'm hugely familier with, but a quick google suggests she's a fairly well known travel food and drink writer, possibly more in America than here in the UK. Not knowing this is a reminder that I've been out of the wine trade for 6 years now and not keeping up with the reading (or the drinking but peri menopause and alcohol are not working well together for me, so there's that).

Uneasy Elixirs contains 50 "Curious Cocktails Inspired by the Works of Edward Gorey" and there's lots of Gorey to celebrate in here with illustrations, quotes, biographical teasers, and more about his work. The cocktails themselves are classics (new as well as old) with clever twists along with nicely thought through links back to Gorey and his works. 

Absinthe features quite a bit, I'm not a fan, but it's certainly authentic for the older drinks, and the Gorey vibe. I'm likely to replace with Pernod if I make any of those at all, which shares the same anise flavour but not the ferocious abv. It's interesting to see Cynar used - I've actually seen this for sale locally which surprises me, it must be having a moment, however unlikely that seems for an artichoke-based aperitif (I am not sophisticated enough). Calling the drink The Unknown Vegetable is genius on every level though.

Easier to feel real enthusiasm for is Henry's Demise, which takes a classic Army and Navy gin cocktail and uses Aquavit instead - if you get a bottle of Aquavit, Miller suggests this as something you can do with a lot of cocktails which is the kind of handy tip I love finding. One bottle, a lot of possibilities, and a worthwhile festive investment. 

Overall, an excellent book for cocktail lovers looking to up their game, Gorey fans, or anyone wondering what they might do with some of the odder things you find in bottle shops. 

Tasting History - Max Miller

October is probably my favourite part of Christmas - so far I've made mincemeat, Christmas puddings, quince jelly, pickled quinces, Christmas cake, and mixed a batch of mixed spice. Oh, and bought some rum to make advocaat. I love the preparation, the smells, and the anticipation. I'm also casually browsing for pajamas and failing to resist some (any?) of the really pretty books that appear in the autumn. 

One of these is Tasting History. I've seen some of Max Miller's reels and enjoyed them, I knew there was a book coming but I assumed it would be a mostly American thing. I pounced on it when I saw it. The first recipe I opened it at was for Hard Tack/sea biscuits, and from that point on it was coming home with me. One day, when I have time and access to an AGA or similar, I'll try making them just for fun. The 7 hour 20 minute cooking time does not encourage me to try it in my fan oven. 

Tasting History is the perfect combination of readable and usable. It skips through 4000 years and continents' worth of food history with easily digestible chunks of information and recipes that you can make if you choose. It's good to have a cookbook that's as much about the reading as it is the making, I don't get to cook in quite the way I used to. Between us we have to think more about cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar... allergies are suddenly developing (who knew you could spend 50 years fine with fish and then suddenly be very much not okay with it?), and between vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free colleagues, I have fewer options there too. 

There's more and more that I can read about, but am unlikely to make - and that's fine. Collecting cookbooks is arguably a cheaper hobby than cooking is these days, and even if I never make anything I'm glad to have collected this one. It's a pleasure to spend time with and if you're beginning to think about Christmas presents for foodies in your life - well, you could definitely do worse.