Blog entries - December 2008

Ready to Go

Shelley — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:58:30 +0100

My thank you notes are already to go. I like the way they look in their little stack. I find it funny that when I was little I was always so loath to write my notes. It's not that I wasn't thankful for the gifts I'd received it's just that I'd rather play with them. Now it feels like something is incomplete if I don't send off all my little cards. I'm frequently ...

Evangeline: One Done, One Started

Shelley — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:42:20 +0100

A tired puppy is a good puppy. We took Abby for a nice long walk after lunch today and she ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. I used it as a chance to work on some knitting. I'm now finished the first of the Evangline Mitts and two repeats into the second one.

I'm making a few modifications to the pattern. I added an extra repeat before the thumb so that my mitts wi...

On Time

Shelley — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:46:29 +0100

Pattern: Traditional Family Stocking Pattern (one of five designs)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in 8895 Christmas Red, 7827 Golden Rod, 8555 Black, 9430 Highland Green, 8505 White
Size: As written (82 stitches across the top)
Yardage: 1 skein of red, a third to half a skein of other colours.
Needles: 3.75 mm bamboo circular (24")

The stocking was finished and delive...

The Pudding

Shelley — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:43:57 +0100

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We were able to spend lots of time with family and a little time at home with our critters (dog and cat). It's been a lovely few days with plenty of good food and good conversation, cold weather and warm fires, and many good wishes.

I was responsible for making the pudding this year. I was a little intimidated at the prospect. I have made...

Random Image #11

Shelley — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:27:32 +0100

An image of the parking lot at work from a few months ago, before the snow arrived.
Autumn's leaves and puddles captured by glassy ice.
An image of calm in contrast to the seething mass of puppy-cat rolling around on the floor.

Santa in his Sleigh

Shelley — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:45:02 +0100

This is the stocking I started a little while ago. It has been my slow project (it's not a surprise so I can share it here). Doing the colour work is too complicated for me to be keeping track of Abby at the same time so I have to wait until Rob is able to watch the dog in order to work on it (puppy watching is a full attention job - we take turns). It seemed to take me forever to get t...

Our Sunday

Shelley — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:07:39 +0100

We had a festive Sunday here. It started off with candy making. I'm not totally sure why but when I got up I really wanted to make some candy. I started with the candied orange peel - which I've made before - and moved on to the peanut brittle and sugared almonds - both recipes I discovered just the day before when we couldn't find any candied nuts at the grocery store.

Unrelated Image

Shelley — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:20:49 +0100

Christmas crafting doesn't make for very good blog material (I don't want to ruin any surprises) so here is a picture of our puppy.

As far as the crafting goes I'm working through my list of homemade gifts and have even finished a few. Every time I finish something it gives me a little burst of confidence and I start right into the next thing with extra vigour. Thi...

Evangeline: Started

Shelley — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:26:10 +0100

This is the beginning of the Evangeline Mitts (Ravelry Link) that I'm doing as part of a knit-a-long with a few friends who have recently moved away. Katy came up with the idea; Liette set up a page for all of us to keep in touch, and Samera told us all about the lovely yarn shops she was finding at her temporary residence. I have been the great procrastinator in the group - I only woun...

A Bigger Picture

Shelley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:25:24 +0100

Rob helped me take a picture of our quilt so you'd be able to see the whole thing. It's bigger than you expect when you're trying to hold it up (though I am a bit short). I'm so very please with how this turned out. It is the largest quilt I've made to date (and probably the largest quilt I could reasonably stuff through my sewing machine) and used more traditional skill...