Unlikely hero

This is what happens when I leave my camera behind at my sister's.

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You should thank me, Christina, I did not decide to save and upload the picture of the very intimate aspect of your sinuses. Lucky you!

So, hey, it was Christmas! Who doesn't love Christmas? Shut it, Scrooge! I love Christmas. Well, except when Mom is in Holland and the rest of us are here in Utah, coughing up snow balls and desperately trying to find whether we're driving on government mandated roads or just someone else's roof.



Okay, perhaps I'm overreacting. Just a touch. Or you would THINK until we lost the dog.


(Goodbye, Daisy. Goodbye forever.)

Well, even without Mom, I did my best to make Christmas warm and welcoming. I made Almond Chocolate Toffee Crunch, chocolate chip cookies, and for breakfast, there was coffee cake that was just divine.


And look, no mess! Well, okay, nothing I have to actually scrub with soap and water.

Everything looked so nice, so pretty, it was almost like Mom was there with us anyways.

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Christmas morning, my brother, dad and I went to Christina's to watch the kids open presents while we Skyped with mom. She is out in Holland being with my Oma so that she doesn't have to be alone for Christmas. My Opa is in a nursing home on comfort measures and he is having good and bad days. I don't know how long to expect him to live but he has been on the mend since mom has been there. Anyways, the kids really tore into their presents. I don't think that Kade was really thrilled with the crocheted hat I made him (he ripped it off when it was put on his head and threw it on the floor) but I gave everyone plush puppies with their hats to sweeten the deal a bit. Some kids aren't going to adore handmade lovelies when there is Star Wars action figures to play with instead. Weirdos!

After that, the boys and I headed back home where we had our coffee cake breakfast with lavender rooibos tea and then opened presents.


BOOKS! Lots of books. And an Ott light so I don't go blind while knitting, and some awesome movies (Don got me Prince of Smexia after some heavy prompting and Dad got me Excalibur). My Oma gave me some tea-pot shaped dirty spoon-holders (well, I think that's what they are) and they're so lovely, very Dutch.



In the news of knitting, I'm nearly done with sock 1 of Cookie A's Vilai.

I also joined Ravelry's Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet group. I was not intending to actually join it but then I realized that there was so much more to it than just being a fan of Harry Potter. It has groups and projects, challenges and homework. And the interaction just seems so intense, I will be looking forward to what the group brings and what I can bring to the group.

Pictures to come, the ones I took did not come out very well.

By the way, Daisy made it back, annoyed that I expected her to make her way successfully in chest high snow. Hmmph, how could I think she'd want to go anywhere without her comfy bed, her lovely mattress and her twice daily glucophage and aspirin? The nerve.

Stage Tour

I love Utah. I really do. I have so many more friends here, I love the weather better, and I'm closer to my beloved family here.

On that note, I have to say that I resent that there seem to be fewer nearby yarn stores. But hey, if you can't get yarn, you make yarn!

Roving

Back during the great Yarn Quest of 2010 where Briana came to visit, I bought some roving in Gothic Punk. I've gotten so sick of knitting and crocheting that I picked up spinning again. And it's really a nice relaxing hobby until my back protests from sitting up so much.


That's about a third of it right there.

It's Merino & Tussah Silk and it really is as soft as it sounds. In fact, it's almost as fun prepping the roving as it is spinning it up.

But I just couldn't stop with that stuff. So Etsy had a few sellers offering Blue-Faced Leicester for cheap and since I had never worked with that before but it seemed so very soft, I bought a couple 4ozers of the stuff.


Plum Dandy by Blue Mountain Handcrafts


Wooly Cupcakes by Stefknits

Gorgeous, huh? I don't think I'll go through it too fast but that's fine, I just like the pretties.

Knitting

I finished my third Edith The Hat (Ravelry Link). And I have to say, they have been so fun to knit and quite popular as well.


It's so easy to spot my Mom in a crowd with that hat.

Of course, the third has gone off to Mrs. Brooke.


Cute colors, no? I love them! :D

And finally, a little secret project for our hosts over at Jaxies:



Roger and Dee have been so kind to us and so gracious to let us come and use their establishment for our knitting group that I thought to make up a few ornaments for their all-year tree. :D I have a mitten and a pair of socks already. And they're so cute and made out of leftover sock yarn and patterns are just off the top of my wee head.

Then Marudesigns needed test knitters for her socks so I volunteered. Her pattern is lovely and I finished the socks on Saturday before work and photographed them yesterday.


She's named them Galaxy Socks and you can search for them on Ravelry soon.







I used leftover KnitPicks Gloss and needle size US#1.

And that's about it. So much for being a selfish knitter, eh? I guess that's why I bought the buttons. ;)