The Great Christmas Knit begins

I hope to present Mum with an Emma King 

Daydreamer handbag this Christmas

It's no accident that knitting and craft magazines are currently being given prominence on the racks at newsagents and supermarkets up and down the land. We like nothing better than a homemade knit, homemade decorations (though that's rightly the domain of school craft lessons, in my opinion) and a bit of home comfort. 

I'm not immune, of course. No sooner had the latest issue of Let's Knit dropped through my door and I'd learned that its Let's Get Crafting-based sister title was touting eight whole balls of wool as an incentive gift on its front cover, than I was plotting my visit to the nearest large branch of WHSmith to bag myself a copy. 

Given my recent abortive attempts to create proper garments with too little yarn, eight balls sounded like a surefire winner. As it happens, I've resisted the urge to buy the magazine after all (it's a great deal, but a mix of colours wasn't quite what I was after)

Nonetheless, this weekend has very much been about planning out the knits for the coming weeks and working out who's getting what and what I can fit in to my post-work evening knitting schedule. 

First priority is a knit for mum. My big plans for a cardigan ended up being scrapped due to poor planning and I'm hugely conscious of . Having scoured my books and magazines, I've chosen an Emma King Daydreamer handbag I think she'll like. It's a Rowan Big Wool knit, so it will be speedy to make. Sticking with the recommended wool for this one and already have the necessary bamboo handles. Assuming my smocking skills and the yarn colour come up to scratch, Mum may finally get a Rosie handmade knit this Christmas. 

Naturally, I couldn't resist the lure of online yarn shopping even once I'd ordered some Big Wool, so a 'standby' order of reddish yarn with which to create the Peony bag from Let's Knit and some Sirdar Chunky to create a simple hat are also on their way. Time to invest in some more storage…

Potato and root vegetable gratin

The nights are drawing in and comfort food is just exactly what's called for. Gratin offers an indulgent and tasty supper that is very quick to prepare and can be adapted to include whatever alternatives you happen to have to hand. 

The recipe here is based on the Potato and Leek Gratin recipe on the BBC Good Food website, but without the ham and with carrot, extra garlic and rosemary rather than the bay leaf of the original. 

Sweet potato gratin also works well and adds a dash of colour to what could otherwise be a fairly bland (though very tasty) dish. To reduce the starch content, try substituting some of the marries pipers for parsnip or turnip. 

The gratin can be served with a green salad and tomatoes - amazingly, I'm still harvesting the occasional cherry tomato, even though it's November. On this occasion, we're having gratin and steamed broccoli as accompaniments to a slice of vegetable quiche for the vegetarian and veal for the carnivore. 

Ingredient list

800g maris piper or other large potatoes [larger ones are easier to peel]; peel and thinly slice

2 large leeks or combination of leeks, carrots and other root vegetables; slice thinly

100g cheddar or other grating cheese

300ml double cream

150ml milk

125ml vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic; thinly sliced or crushed

1 bay leaf or sprig of other pungent herb

butter to line baking dish

salt and pepper to season

Method

Combine milk, cream and made up vegetable stock in a pan and set to simmer. add garlic and herbs. 

Butter gratin dish and arrange vegetables evenly. Add seasoning and pour cream and stock mixture over the top. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, cover with aluminium foil and place in the middle of an oven preheated to 180 degree C. 

After half an hour, take out, remove foil and spoon some of the liquid over the top to keep things moist. Return to the oven and cook for a further 40 mins or until the potatoes are thoroughly soft and the top of the gratin nicely crispy. 

Warning: this dish retains its heat, so you should give it 10 minutes to cool down before serving, the wait also allows the ingredients to firm up and hold together. 

Think before engaging needles

A salutory tale of why you need to think before you knit

I love this cardigan in Brownwyn Lowenthal's Love To Knit

I've learned an awful lot over the three years I've been knitting. It's a good job mistakes are there to be learned from, as I've certainly made my fair share. Two projects in particular stick out like a matching pair of sore thumbs this year: the Bronwyn Lowenthal cap-sleeved cardigans I embarked on and which have both stalled to a halt. 

The summery yellow version I was making for myself got pushed to one side when I found the complexities of the lace upper parts too advanced for my still fairly basic knitting skills. This isn't a real disaster as I really like the pattern and the way the pattern is taking shape, so I'll pick it up again when I'm feeling a bit more confident. I already have a better idea of how lace knitting works than I did when I started the cardigan, so this one's merely on hold. 

The second top is an entirely different matter. It's a classic case of having grand plans and rushing into them. The yarn I bought is rather too textured, but the colours are ever so pretty and my Mum will love whatever I end up making for her with it. Unfortunately, she won't be getting the cute cover-up cardigan I'd intended. 

I bought the Auracania yarn in a sale and wasn't careful enough about checking how much I'd need. Add the fact that I was using a one-size pattern that would be rather snug on my mum, so I was knitting on slightly larger needles, and it's probably no surprise to find myself two thirds of the way through knitting the cardigan's back with only one and a half skeins left. 

I may 'upcycle' this into a cute bag

One more skein would probably have been enough to complete the project, but a thorough scout online revealed I'd lost the opportunity to do so - it's just not onsale anywhere, even through eBay or overseas. There's nothing to be done but to lick my wounds and accept that I can't take this knit any further. My saving grace may be to turn the existing work into a small bag and salvage something from the work I've put in so far - upcycling by necessity, if you will.