Christmas Countdown 22 ... Candy Canes

A Christmas favourite food of children - candy canes.

Next week ( the second week of December) is allegedly the most popular time for candy cane sales... here are some other "facts" about candy canes

• National Candy Cane Day is celebrated in the United States on Dec. 26.

• Each year about 1.76 billion candy canes are made.

• Ninety percent of candy canes are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

• Candy canes are the number one selling non-chocolate confectionery in the month of December. ( from candycanefacts.com)

There are quite religious connections with candy canes and even simple poems have been written as a reminder of the significance of the colour and shape of candy canes.

I like the story of the choir master in Cologne ( about 1670) who commissioned a confectioner to make some sweets for his restless young singers to eat during the long Christmas church service. It is said that they were white for the purity of Christ and shaped like a shepherd's crook so they were considered to be teaching tools in church rather than simply treats. There is some doubt about the veracity of this story but to read more about this story and other historical links, please see a blog post from last year's Christmas Countdown - here's the link.

I have never made candy canes but believe that getting the exact temperature with a sugar thermometer is essential...

Making candy canes involves boiling sugar, then pulling the warm sugar until it is stiff but pliable and forming it into shapes. Because it is a long, slightly tricky process that involves hot sugar, I recommend you read the recipe thoroughly ahead of time, make sure you have the right ingredients and tools, and give yourself plenty of time to make the candy canes.

INGREDIENTS

· 21 oz (3 cups) granulated sugar

· 11 oz (1 cup) light corn syrup

· 2 oz (1/4 cup) water

· 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

· Red food colouring (gel colouring recommended)

· White food colouring (optional, gel colouring recommended)

· Food-safe plastic gloves

· Candy thermometer

· Prep Time: 75 minutes

· Total Time: 75 minutes

· Yield: 12-18 candy canes

purchased candy canes, fabric decoration by Liz Ferry and embroidery by Fay King

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Christmas Countdown 3 ; Christmas tree # 23 - Mannequins and Motors

Mannequin and Mercedes Benz logo Christmas trees Advent Blog Day 23 - Mannequins and Motors ... or... What does a Mannequin have in common with a Mercedes Benz? I have been in such a dilemma as I have so few days left and so many Christmas trees I want to feature. So, in the spirit of balance today, I've combined a couple of categories into the theme of Mannequins and Motors - winsome wonders and winning wheels .... Mannequin and motor oil Christmas trees Hubcaps and Mannequin Christmas trees Not satisfied with auto parts? Decorate with the whole car.... Mannequin and Mini Cooper cars Christmas trees And tyres seem to be a popular choice and somehow they go beautifully with these 'green' mannequin trees... Tyres and red ribbons Tyres and baubles on mannequin Christmas trees Red bird wire form and sparkly tyres Ch...

Covid Man and Book Print

This is my tag for the current theme at Tag Tuesday - Book Print. I like using text as a background for tags and today, I reduced one of my recent line drawings and printed it on a small book page .... as you can see, the book's chapter is entitled "Of Holy Living and Dying ( from The Book of Books) . I thought this was appropriate as this 'Covid man' drawing depicts Nature happily thriving while man appears to be "unravelling " at the edges of body and mind... Original drawing - Wilma Simmons Silk screen print on fabric : Wilma Simmons Silk screen print on paper : Wilma Simmons And here are some other tags on book print backgrounds - these are free motion stitched "Nature" portraits done earlier in the year.

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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