Poncetastic thread

[WaitingForEgg]

Is there a poncetastic thread this year? I am itching to ponce!

Late-night night feed lurking! Does anyone have a tutorial or you-tube video for making an ivy wreath? It would be nice to do something since the bloody stuff is taking over the garden.

My favourite thread and fellow poncers are back
Though I'm slightly late, damn you work! This year is undecided whether we will be hosting or go to my parents so unsure how poncey I need to be. But I have decided that the dining room needs to be decorated thisweek because we will be hosting a Christmas Eve meal for the in laws, and possibly a Boxing Day/post Christmas buffet party.
I too covet the crochet wreath, but did not master the hook last year. Slight understatement, it was thrown at a wall a few times! Might try again this year.
Will definitely be making a pudding on Stir up Sunday. Thinking about making little cakes, one to keep for DH, and gift the rest.
Also want to find a nice chutney recipe. Nigella's chilli jelly is a massive hit every year, but I'm yet to find a chutney that doesn'ttastelikepoo I like.
I also have a lot of blackberries in the freezer for vodka purposes, but I'm now 6 weeks pregnant and don't feel generous enough to give it all away
Going to find my Christmas planner tomorrow and start planning "properly"

Raising a nonalcoholic drink to absent friends

Hmmm...still shit at line throughs then! sorry

There is an official Mumsnet video tutorial for ivy wreaths here:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ8WG8j1EEo

My phone capitalises "Ivy". Also "Apple". I hate it.

I put together the mince meat yesterday. I am trialling the Hairy Bikers recipe this year, so that will be interesting (most of the fruit is blitzed in food processor before mixing with sugar, spice and alcohol).

Baby steps this week....

I have made this a few times as a lighter alternative to Christmas pudding but looks the part. Recipe says it serves 12 but in reality its nearer 16-18!

The link would have helped!

I have made this a few times as a lighter alternative to Christmas pudding but looks the part. Recipe says it serves 12 but in reality its nearer 16-18!

Morning! I have been sent home from work with suspected bronchitis under strict orders to go back to bed... where I am... with the poncetastic thread!

Thank you again for such lovely comments about my wreath. Binglet and Owlbethere (Helloowl !!) I promise you it was very very easy - the first thing I ever made and way before I actually worked out I'd been doing it all wrong for months. I kind of want to make another one now I know what I'm doing, but I made an Easter one, and it isn't half as nice, so beginner's luck maybe? Anyway, what I mean to say, by rambling on, is give it a go!

I'm currently making lots of these crochet christmas trees to string up as a garland. The link is a great tutorial and not too tricky to master for a beginner.

trumpton I remember you and your Narcissi! Last year you inspired me to spend a fortune on ebay having bulbs delivered to me overseas and I failed miserably. So along with cooking/baking, gardening is clearly not my poncing strength. Thank god for the crochet! And the vodka infusions....!

Thanks Jasper. Currently on Mat leave, so I've got the time (if baby behaves) but not so much the money, so keen to do some home made decorations this year. Doing gold and red theme again. Lacking table decorations, so hanging around for inspiration.

Very tempted by the hairy bikers mincemeat, sound straight forward enough, if I can get hold of a small amount of sherry and brandy, they are not things we would drink so don't really want to buy big bottles. I've never been interested in making my own before, what has this thread done to me!

Hairspray I cheated, as I didn't want to use the last of my nice sherry on it, and didn't have any more ordinary sherry. So I used all my brandy (about 125ml), the same of Grand Marnier (lovely orangey flavor for Christmas - have used it before for mince meat) and a dash of Chinese rice wine (which I have for cooking) for a sense of the sherry flavor. I know it was more booze than recipe stated, but then I had increased all fruit as well so it was reasonably in proportion.

zorion I knew that an overseas poster had tried narcissi and failed but didn't remember that it was you !
Weird as I have done them for 30 years and never had a failure... And I am certainly not a gardener ..!

Mind you I can't crochet at all only knit . I am planning to knit THESE MINI JUMPERS for decorations to hang on tree for my 3 grown up children to put in their Christmas boxes. They each have a new decoration every year.

Oh that link is out of date but just google mini Christmas jumper and there are lots out there !

zorion I made a Christmas tree garland last year. Here is my poor ponce attempt last year. I will have my wreath!!!!!!

Apologies for the crappy instagrammy blurriness. Adds to the ponciness no?!

Zorion you have inspired me with your wreath. I've done the snowflakes and trees and even the crocheted gingerbread house in the past, but have had no inspiration for this year until now. I will start tonight!

Can I get an opinion on whether or not putting blackberries and sugar in gin will yield me a Pimms with blackberry and elderflower like drink or am I deluding myself?

trumpton it is testament to the utter ungreenishness of my fingers that I can kill off even so hardy a plant as a narcissus. It grew, very quickly, very tall, then died almost within a few days of flowering. I even did the gin thing! The tiny jumpers are gorgeous, truly poncetastic. I wish I could knit, I much prefer the look of knitted goods to crocheted.

binglet it is stunning, that is exactly what I'm going for, except I'm alternating cream and green ones! I love the tiny stockings too, are they crocheted?

zaphod I look forward to seeing it!

Please can I join in? Really fancy a poncetastic Christmas. Generally I do OK with the food/drink but I really want to get a handle on the decorations this year, too. To add to the excitement, I will be really busy with work from mid-Nov until Christmas eve, so need to get most of my ponceing done now. What a shame! I lurked on this thread last year, and it was great.

For those that have made the Chilli Jam before, how long does it keep, please?

I'm getting so tempted to attempt a crochet wreath even though I know mine would look rubbish!

This thread has made me Very Happy Indeed. I shall settle in with a cup of tea and a fig roll, peruse the thread and steal all your ideas add my own poncery.

I tend to litter my house with an odd combination of poncetastic and plastic fairy light hell. I am from Blackpool originally and that's a hard thing to shake off

I am a lurking poncing wannabe, I always enjoy these threads. We always go to others for Christmas but I still try to have a bit of a ponce at home too. Last year I made a ribbon wreath that I was very proud of, and this year I'm doing a fused glass course so I am hoping for homemade glass poncery

Ribbon wreath

(apologies for crap photo)

zorion they are crocheted! My first attempt at crochet Christmas decorations.

Christmas Stockings here's the pattern i used. Used DK for the smaller ones and Chunky with a bigger hook for the big one.