Happy Holiday to all!

I can't believe it is that time again..... The holidays sneak up faster each year. I will be running around like a mad woman today. We are leaving for Pennsylvania for the holidays. We stay till January 2nd. We will have a great time with Bruce's family and the kids. I always hope the weather cooperates for the trip. We are due for some freezing rain this evening. Hopefully it will wait till we are on the road. We like to drive over night because the traffic is always lighter. I have all day to pack and get things ready. My neighbor watches Miss Peaches for the duration. We sure are going to miss her. My son in law is allergic to cats or she would be tucked in the suitcase. Bruce and I decided her colon surgery this summer is our gift to each other. She is feeling like a million and looks wonderful. Is everyone finished with their holiday knitting? I had Christmas with my family yesterday. Everyone loved their felted bags and socks and other knitted items. The girls are growing like weeds. My niece Hailey's foot grew another inch in about four months. I grabbed her socks back after she tried them on. I will just rip them back and add another inch. When I make their socks this year, I think I will stop at the toe decrease until December. I posted a few last minute gift pictures. The hat and cable mittens were for Lacey. The felted clogs were for my 12 year old niece Hailey. She already wears a women's size 9. Speaking of the clogs..... I was thrilled with the Plymouth Galway for these. It felted nice and tight and firm. I needed to run them through about seven or eight cycles. But, these are definitely the firmest pair I have made. I am not sure if you remember the Gjestal pair. The did not shrink enough. I do think the Fiber trend pattern runs big. The next pair I make I am going to drop a size. I posted a picture of my Hat and Mitten tree. This picture was taken last week. By the end of the day Wednesday I had received about thirty five more mittens and some hats. I had three large shopping bags full of hats and mittens. I dropped everything off at the local homeless shelter on Wednesday evening. They were extremely grateful and will put it to good use. They told me they already had 2o children living at the shelter. This project is always near and dear to my heart. As a child I used to make mittens for a local Mitten tree. My Mom would knit all year for the Mitten tree and encourage me to make some too. That Mitten tree has stopped in town over the years. It felt good to revive the tradition at the salon. This was our second year and a huge success. Well... I should start my packing. I want to end this with saying how much I have enjoyed blogging this year. I have met many wonderful people through this experience. I look forward to this year and our sharing of knowledge and stories with each other. Happy Holidays to all of you and a safe and Happy New Year.

Lacey's hat & mitts/

Hailey's clogs/

Hat & Mitten tree 

Winter Wonderland

We are in the middle of a Noreaster here in New Hampshire. They are predicting up to 12 inches. We have about four inches on the ground right now. I filled all my birdfeeders last evening. There are many happy birds out there this morning. I love to watch them during a snow storm. There are about ten goldfinches on one of the feeders right now. Miss Peaches is snuggled in her felted bed watching them with great interest. I had a blocking party last week. My poor shawl and Branching Out scarf had been buried in a basket waiting to be blocked for many months. They are Christmas presents, so it was high time they had their bath. I used some Eucalan and was very pleased with the results. I would like to make "The Flower basket Shawl" again. It really is a gorgeous shawl. I am working on a pair of socks from the Lopi Accessories #82227 book. I am really struggling with the Toe decrease on this pattern. I think there is an error in the pattern. I have not been able to find anything on the web. I would just switch to another type of toe decrease...But, the heel is where the black line is in the picture. You undo those stitches and knit the heel in afterwards. You have to use the same instructions as used in the toe. I have played around with it a couple of times. I decided to put it down for now. If anyone has this pattern book, I would love to pick your brain. I am working on a pair of Felted clogs for Hailey. I love making clogs, they are always a much loved present. Hailey requested these because her little sister loves her pair. I am using some Galway wool that I had stashed from the Patternworks summer sale. I usually use Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride for my clogs. I have felted Galway for many bags and mittens. It does not take as long to felt in my washing machine. Can you believe that Christmas is around the corner? I am in good shape this year. This is the year of gift cards and handknit items. I need to finish some more wrapping . We will be heading to Pennsylvania for the week Christmas to New Years. My husband's work has a shut down for that week. We are looking forward to seeing the kids and my Mother-in-law. I have tucked some money away to visit my favorite yarn store in Chambersburg. It is called "The Yarn Basket". I love this store and spend hours perusing the yarn. They always have yarns I have only seen on the web. I like to have some projects picked out ahead. That way I know how much yarn I need. Well.....I think I will head out and shovel off the deck. Looks like a great day to get some knitting down. I am off today so I don't have to leave the house. What is better than being nestled in with snow swirling around outside?

Flower Basket Shawl/

Branching Out Scarf/

Lopi Sock