Addison Embroidery
at the
Vicarage

Debbie Bliss raglan sweater with a little Fair Isle bands

For my first attempt at Fair Isle I decided to take it gently and opted for a single band of patterning around the bottom of the jumper and sleeves. I used my old favourite  pattern, Debbie Bliss’s 2 colour raglan sweater (from Baby Cashmerino 5) and married it with a  design for the Fair Isle which appears elsewhere in the same book. I’m sure one day I will move on to proper Shetland wool as I’m a bit of a fabric and fibre purist but at the moment I’m happy to continue with Debbie Bliss’s Baby Cashmerino which washes well and isn’t pilling or going out of shape.

Boy’s jumper: detail of Fair Isle pattern (both jumper pattern and Fair Isle are from Debbie Bliss’s Baby Cashmerino book 5)

I enjoyed doing the Fair Isle, especially because – simple as it looks – the yellow wool (more of a pale lime green) forms 2 different motifs over 8 stitches horizontally. Once I got into the right rhythm (muttering lime,lime,lime/grey,grey,lime,grey,grey) for the 8 stitch repeat, it was great fun and  deeply satisfying.

Boy’s jumper: detail of Fair Isle pattern (both jumper pattern and Fair Isle are from Debbie Bliss’s Baby Cashmerino book 5)

I finished this a few weeks ago but have only just delivered it. The recipient had just got out of a car after a long journey from his great granny in North Wales and was a buzz of activity after his confinement. The wonder was that as many as 2 photographs show him still and even contemplative.

Boy’s jumper: detail of Fair Isle pattern (both jumper pattern and Fair Isle are from Debbie Bliss’s Baby Cashmerino book 5)

On a different note. I learned to drive in 1999 on my third attempt*, not much encouraged by the examiner telling me if I had left it a week I would have failed (the pass level was about to change). I never felt happy in charge of a car, but then again our family car had the unfortunate habit of leaping out of first gear and once, being encouraged into fifth gear on the Dorchester bypass, the gear knob actually came off in my hand.

Well, I lived in London then and tended to use public transport most of the time. About 10 years ago, I came to live in the county and knew I had to drive. Lots of lessons later I thought I might be a hopeless case. Then… in summer the clutch went on our car in Devon and I muttered to the vicar that I thought perhaps we might both benefit from an automatic… say in a year’s time.  When chiming the right note, thought is master to the action with the vicar and the next day, with no warning, he appeared saying we should go and try out an automatic car he had just had a look at on the way back from the dentist.

We bought it. At first I made little journeys locally, then to Henley and back until last week  we set off for the western Cotswolds with me driving (thinking the vicar might take over before joining the A40).  Not only did I drive to our village destination but the next day I drove into Cheltenham, circled around looking for parking and then in the afternoon did the return journey. The next day I drove home to Oxfordshire.

I am candescent with joy. I cannot express the delight I feel at finally being at ease in a car … and even enjoying driving. I had begun to think this would never happen.  And the funny thing is the more I sheepishly say to people that I wouldn’t be driving if we didn’t have an automatic, the more people I discover are driving an automatic too.  Do we in England have a theoretical thing about serious people not driving automatics only to find that in fact their latest car is just that. Why oh why did I take so long to work this out? The moral of this tale is not only never give up … but do make sure there’s not an easier solution that’s being overlooked because it seems just too easy. And let’s be quite clear there is no greater merit in taking the more difficult route  (unless you’re Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, or the most nutty of mountaineers) for permanent failure may lie that way. Onward and upward I say but  with judicious glances at sidewards solutions.

*27 November 2015 The Times newspaper: Best drivers pass their test 3rd time.

Toblerone biscuits – from Miranda Gore Browne’s book, Biscuit (Ebury Press, 2012) Emma Bridgewater plate

Delicious. Sophisticated.  A real treat of a biscuit which I shall want to make again and again. (I know I said that last week as well – but I do seem to have hit a small seam  of biscuit recipe gold recently.) The recipe comes from Miranda Gore Browne’s Biscuit (Ebury Press 2012) and though the ingredients are quite expensive, the quantities below makes about 48 good sized biscuits. As well as being enough for both churches, I also put some in a plain Paperchase box which, tied with a ribbon, made a very acceptable little present – well, I’d certainly accept it.

For about 48 decent sized biscuits

200 g unsalted butter, softened

100 g caster sugar

100 g icing sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk lightly beaten

1 teasp vanilla extract

300 g SR flour

1/2 teasp salt (optional)

200 g Toblerone, roughly chopped

150 g almonds roughly chopped

Miranda uses 330 g plain flour and 1/2 teasp baking powder but I tend to use Self Raising flour in general for biscuits as I think the balance just right. Why make life more complicated?

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for a fan oven/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment (you will need to use them both twice. Allow them to cool before returning the newly filled trays to the oven).

It’s a good idea to chop the Toblerone up before you begin as it’s a fiddly job and better to get out for the way before you get into full swing with the rest of the recipe.

Cream the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes, until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well to combine.

Sift the flour (& baking powder if needed), salt (if used – I tend not to), then fold in with a large metal spoon. Now fold in the Toblerone and chopped almonds.

Bring the dough together with your hands and pinch off small walnut sized pieces. If you use your hands it’s easy to feel how much Toblerone is in each piece and you can adjust accordingly. Place these at least 3cm apart on the baking trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until becoming golden. Remove from the oven and leave on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Toblerone biscuits – from Miranda Gore Browne’s book, Biscuit (Ebury Press, 2012)

Toblerones can be difficult to track down, although around Christmas they are easier to find. The vicar was sent out on a mission to hunt them out at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. He couldn’t find any in Waitrose’s confectionary section but was directed to the Christmas shelves where he was delighted to find a big 400 g bar much reduced. Perhaps we should stock up. M&S’s Mountain Bar is a possible substitute.

Ipsden Farm Barn looking north

Sunday saw Ipsden’s Christmas Market in the Barn which welcomed store holders from across Oxfordshire. Run by the Friends of Ipsden Church these markets have become a welcome source of income for church facilities and maintenance. C18th Ipsden Farm Barn is unusually large, being the longest continuous roofed barn in Britain – the main barn forms two sides of a courtyard, while the third roofed side includes closed sheds and an open storage area. All three outer sides are brick with small slit windows. There are 24 bays and 5 entrance porches which sadly are now not tall enough for modern tractors. The photos below show the two main arms of the barn with its spectacular oak roof trusses. Juliet Noel of Ipsden Farm not only generously let us use her barn but also came and lent her voice for the singing (29th of November and carol singing already, dreadful, I know). She also ferried me back home up a muddy lane to the vicarage after the vicar had disappeared back home to finish preparations for Sunday.

Ipsden Farm Barn looking east