H and I have just returned from visiting his parents and siblings for the weekend for a second Christmas and I am shattered. I can't believe I have to work tomorrow - it just doesn't seem right somehow but at least we get Tuesday off again and then it'sonly 3 days to the weekend.
Time with the inlaws almost qualifies for my dream of constantly knitting with someone else providing all of the meals so there has been a good deal of knitting over the past two days.
I officially qualified myself as ready to be committed when I found myself completing a cable and bead row on the Holly Queen as we zoomed up the very bumpy motorway. Holly Queen is now finished and was test-driven on the way back down - warm, soft and wonderful! I'm also making good progress with the mystery green project which turned out to be a Tangled Yoke - I think I've finished the waist shaping so i can't be too far from the underarms at which point it all stops and I go off to make some sleeves! No pictures at the moment because of a combination of lethargy and it being dark outside but I'll try to post at some point soon.
Oh, and I got a new cake tin!!
Showing posts with label Holly Queen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holly Queen. Show all posts
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Post Christmas
All is quiet and still!
Christmas itself was wonderful, we had a very relaxed day opening stockings, going to church and then playing with presents and lunch interspersed by lots of phone calls from family all around the country. This year our two immediate families were in 4 different places, not to mention calls to Gran - thank goodness for speakerphone - we left lots of loud, carolly messages on people's voicemails!
H's secret Christmas knitting turned out to be two pairs of socks and Father Christmas brought him a hat which looked remarkably like it may have been made by his wife (H's not Mrs Christmas!). Whilst that hat does technically breach the "I only want socks, please don't knit me a jumper and make me wear it" rule (and accordingly was given by Santa not me), I conclude that it is a hit as it went on on Christmas afternoon when it got a bit chilly and has been worn for comfort of the toothache and general warmth ever since.
It looks like this:
I was spoiled rotten by my lovely family - knitters of the UK, if you are struggling to find yarn it is possible that my husband bought it all. Sorry. And also tee hee hee! Ditto if you were trying to acquire anything from Hotel Chocolat in Solihull!
I have beautiful laceweight, sock yarn in all of my favourite colours and enough Mission Falls 1824 wool in Mist Green to make a sweater - I'm just considering which one and in the meantime I just pet all the new yarn and smile!
Post Christmas is rather a ritual hibernation for us - the last couple of days we have spent curled up watching bad movies, eating the snowman and playing all of H's new board games- it's been wonderful - and in all of that there has been a little crafting:
First we have three completed (and different) views of the Little Town of Bethlehem. They were sewn onto perforated card and then cut out; and when it's all stuck together it looks something like this:
On my tree on Boxing Day evening - this year's tree decoration and it's beautiful and twinkly and completely worth the frustration of sewing 24 small snowflakes in very splitty silver thread.
It has however been soothing to return to the knitting - Holly Queen is green and soft and even!
Christmas itself was wonderful, we had a very relaxed day opening stockings, going to church and then playing with presents and lunch interspersed by lots of phone calls from family all around the country. This year our two immediate families were in 4 different places, not to mention calls to Gran - thank goodness for speakerphone - we left lots of loud, carolly messages on people's voicemails!
H's secret Christmas knitting turned out to be two pairs of socks and Father Christmas brought him a hat which looked remarkably like it may have been made by his wife (H's not Mrs Christmas!). Whilst that hat does technically breach the "I only want socks, please don't knit me a jumper and make me wear it" rule (and accordingly was given by Santa not me), I conclude that it is a hit as it went on on Christmas afternoon when it got a bit chilly and has been worn for comfort of the toothache and general warmth ever since.
It looks like this:
I was spoiled rotten by my lovely family - knitters of the UK, if you are struggling to find yarn it is possible that my husband bought it all. Sorry. And also tee hee hee! Ditto if you were trying to acquire anything from Hotel Chocolat in Solihull!
I have beautiful laceweight, sock yarn in all of my favourite colours and enough Mission Falls 1824 wool in Mist Green to make a sweater - I'm just considering which one and in the meantime I just pet all the new yarn and smile!
Post Christmas is rather a ritual hibernation for us - the last couple of days we have spent curled up watching bad movies, eating the snowman and playing all of H's new board games- it's been wonderful - and in all of that there has been a little crafting:
First we have three completed (and different) views of the Little Town of Bethlehem. They were sewn onto perforated card and then cut out; and when it's all stuck together it looks something like this:
On my tree on Boxing Day evening - this year's tree decoration and it's beautiful and twinkly and completely worth the frustration of sewing 24 small snowflakes in very splitty silver thread.
It has however been soothing to return to the knitting - Holly Queen is green and soft and even!
Monday, December 17, 2007
How do you follow up on a reindeer?
I'm still very impressed that I met a real reindeer - can you tell?
Well if you have the reindeer and the outside landing lights ready for Father Christmas you really do need somewhere to put your stocking. We don't have a fireplace or a chimney of any kind so our stockings go under the tree - ergo we need a tree.
Last year was the first year that we were together for Christmas and H's friends recommended a farm shop near Stoneleigh - the tree was wonderful so we trotted back again this year for another blue spruce:
size - anything that fits in the car!!
H is a firm believer in traditional Christmas roles for the modern family. This means that it's my job to hug the rather prickly tree and hold it upright while he (a) screws it into the base and (b) takes a whole load of pictures for the blog (I'm getting him well trained but even I was surprised by how many Carie+tree pictures were on the camera this evening!)
Then we add a few lights:
And the odd ornament or two:
All of our main ornaments are souvenirs of places we have been or special occasions - we have a star from our honeymoon, a bauble from Germany that Zee brought for us, one from Rome, one to mark our first Christmas together, and this year:
The Eiffel Tower from Paris
This year's ornament is still waiting to be made - pictures in due course!
Before you despair of my ever having done anything crafty to tell you about, I am still on H's last Christmas present and knitting furiously whenever the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime I have a diagonal cross rib sock sorely in need of a mate - soon my little Tuscan sock, soon!
And, well you didn't seriously think I was going to hold out against Kid Silk Haze for that long did you:
My other crafty for the weekend is a non-knitting project - a present for my friend E - cookies in a jar. The recipe is from here - basically you layer up the ingredients in a glass jar and add a tag to give the quantities of butter and egg to mix it with - yummy!
Here you can see the different layers
And with the finishing touches:
The fabric is covered with red gingerbread men - part of a bundle of fat quarters I bought in the US when we were in New England a few years ago and just perfect as a jar topper - plus E and her mum make quilts so I expect I will see it again some day!
I have wrapped it in all the bubble wrap we could find in the house and entrusted it to the post office with all my fingers and toes crossed - send it good thoughts for me.
And finally (assuming anyone made it this far) - a little bit of quiet reflection for Advent. Mary and Joseph from our church crib travel round the village in the run up to Christmas and tonight they are with us:
so I'm going to go and sit with them for a bit
Well if you have the reindeer and the outside landing lights ready for Father Christmas you really do need somewhere to put your stocking. We don't have a fireplace or a chimney of any kind so our stockings go under the tree - ergo we need a tree.
Last year was the first year that we were together for Christmas and H's friends recommended a farm shop near Stoneleigh - the tree was wonderful so we trotted back again this year for another blue spruce:
size - anything that fits in the car!!
H is a firm believer in traditional Christmas roles for the modern family. This means that it's my job to hug the rather prickly tree and hold it upright while he (a) screws it into the base and (b) takes a whole load of pictures for the blog (I'm getting him well trained but even I was surprised by how many Carie+tree pictures were on the camera this evening!)
Then we add a few lights:
And the odd ornament or two:
All of our main ornaments are souvenirs of places we have been or special occasions - we have a star from our honeymoon, a bauble from Germany that Zee brought for us, one from Rome, one to mark our first Christmas together, and this year:
The Eiffel Tower from Paris
This year's ornament is still waiting to be made - pictures in due course!
Before you despair of my ever having done anything crafty to tell you about, I am still on H's last Christmas present and knitting furiously whenever the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime I have a diagonal cross rib sock sorely in need of a mate - soon my little Tuscan sock, soon!
And, well you didn't seriously think I was going to hold out against Kid Silk Haze for that long did you:
My other crafty for the weekend is a non-knitting project - a present for my friend E - cookies in a jar. The recipe is from here - basically you layer up the ingredients in a glass jar and add a tag to give the quantities of butter and egg to mix it with - yummy!
Here you can see the different layers
And with the finishing touches:
The fabric is covered with red gingerbread men - part of a bundle of fat quarters I bought in the US when we were in New England a few years ago and just perfect as a jar topper - plus E and her mum make quilts so I expect I will see it again some day!
I have wrapped it in all the bubble wrap we could find in the house and entrusted it to the post office with all my fingers and toes crossed - send it good thoughts for me.
And finally (assuming anyone made it this far) - a little bit of quiet reflection for Advent. Mary and Joseph from our church crib travel round the village in the run up to Christmas and tonight they are with us:
so I'm going to go and sit with them for a bit
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