Wrapping it up

 Delaney's mommy had to work Christmas Eve morning so we got to share a present opening one day early, and she loved it.

My kids always loved toys from Fischer Price so I felt confident that Delaney would too.  She loved it and played with it for an hour, took a break and then came back to play with it for another hour.

I have been diligent to continue with my morning walks and some are more interesting than others.  This doe visits us at least once a week.

And some days are nicer than others.  This was the duck pond on Christmas morning.

I've been doing a lot of knitting and reading.  I wish I could say the same for weaving.

I just signed up for my first KAL (knit along) to learn more about Aran sweaters.

Meanwhile, I finished this colorwork sweater last week and have already worn it twice.  I love the feel of the yarn, not itchy, and am also pleased with the fit.  

Ian and I had a nice surprise when our Tacoma family decided to take a time out and spend a few days at Camp Sherman.  They've been in strict quarantine for ten months so the kids were more than ready to play in the snow.

They rented this cabin at Lake Creek Lodge and we drove up to have lunch and visit for a couple of hours.  We laughed, loved and then left - good medicine.

Every Christmas Ian gives me two books, one fiction and one nonfiction.  These are my gifts this year.  I'm currently rereading Ready Play One since it's been a while.  The sequel is showing up on recommended reading lists so I want to refresh myself to get the most out of it.

Staying Home, Staying Safe

I lost interest in hand spinning after we moved here.  The first meeting I attended was a spinning meeting but somewhere along the line weaving took up all my time and I put my folding wheel into it's bag and stashed it in a closet.  The guild's spinning study group is doing such interesting things that I've put my wheel back up and given myself a spinning station. 

I used to have close to a dozen bobbins but now can only find four.  I had to clean off a couple so I chose two that I don't remember what the fiber was and I'm back at it.  I know what's all on three of these and in order to keep it that way, I've slipped a piece of paper in each with the name of the fiber.  We're going to be doing some natural dyeing and I'm making yarn in preparation.

The wheel is upstairs and I'd left the area to get something, don't remember what.  When I came back I found my cat snuggled in the plastic bag of roving - scared me to death.  I left the roving attached to the wheel, feeling the area was safe from Delaney but never stopping to think that it's not safe for Maddie.  It's in a Maddie-safe place now.

A couple of years ago someone in the Linocut Friends Facebook group posted a template for a hand printed Christmas ornament.  I'm sure I have the photocopy somewhere and I know it's in a file somewhere here on my laptop, but it's a good thing I carved the block way back when.  I forgot all about it until yesterday and decided it was time to finally make some prints.

What got me started was finding a some scraps of Hosho paper from an earlier project.  I only bought inks in primary colors so it was easy for me to decide on red.

I printed eight yesterday and let them dry overnight.  I ruined two trying to figure out how to assemble them.  Good thing I have PVA glue because it dries really fast and is made for paper.

I hung the ornaments on the Thanksgiving cactus using sewing thread.  That's how light they are.  I think it looks like the plant is still blooming.

I think they're absolutely charming and wish I had printed more.

I mixed up what I hope looks like Delft blue and printed all the leftover paper.  Tomorrow I'll cut and glue them and hang them on our tree.

Maddie brought a ball of yarn downstairs and when she got bored with it I gave it to Delaney.  She has been entertaining herself with it for the past week, even pretends that she's knitting with it.  And so it begins :-)

 

I'm Still Here

 A friend asked me if I could weave a set of placemats for a friend of hers.  No hurry she said, and it's good thing because I started them after the weaving class in October and never found time to focus on them.  She liked the colors I showed her but I hated the uninspired way they were working up.  

Ultimately I cut the warp off and started over.  Her friend's inspiration color was olive green.  I didn't change the yarn colors but I did change how I paired them.  

I asked my friend if she wanted them all in one weft color of each one different.  This is what we ended up with.  I put enough warp on to make a second set.

Mornings have been biting cold and dry.  I can't complain as cold morning walks are much easier to manage than cold icy morning walks.  It was 18 degrees on this morning.

I am fortunate to have this field nearby but I keep a close eye on my footing until it gets lighter.  I have to get my walks in before the baby gets here.

Once she is here the day belongs to her.  I get the biggest kick out of these two - Grandpa reading on his phone and Delaney writing on one of her pads.

I bought myself a treat.  I've been shopping for a small teapot and I realize the problem is that tea is a social event so teapots are for multiple cups.  I've wrestled with my loose leaf tea, boiling water and a strainer - for just me.  No longer.  I now have this little gem.  I'm calling it my pandemic pot, for drinking alone.

Meanwhile we continue to wait for our new stove, the one we ordered last August.  Orders for appliances are backed up and we originally expected it to arrive in October, then November, now December.  Until then we are spared the calories of Christmas baked goodies.