Back East

Despite being ill, my holidays were really nice. My handmade (and store bought) gifts were almost all well received, and it looks like all the gifts will fit! To recap (and for my own cataloguing memories) there was:

A hat and socks for Mrs. Jones

A scarf for Mr. Jones

A pair of socks for my sister
A sweater and skirt for Poppy

A sweater for Summer
A sweater for Willow

A pair of fingerless gloves for Chloe, and another pair for Judy

A hat for each member of my favorite family

A onesy for Enna, who I haven't yet met

I also got some January birthday gifts made, between the baking and shivering. I've had a great year of knitting, and thank you so much for checking in with me here in my corner of the world. Happy New Year, Everyone!

All Cut Out

The baking for Christmas Eve is done. I made 3 kinds of cutouts. I used a vanilla recipe very similar to this one, a ginger recipe I've written about before, and a chocolate recipe that tastes good but is very hard to make, from this book.

I wanted to do more, but after a freezing cold flight and no sleep for days, I was feeling a lot like this:

Sometimes, you just have to forget overachieving, right? I've seen snow on both sides of the Atlantic this past week, and wish you a white, and very sweet Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Odds and Ends

I've finished my Christmas knitting. Everything is wrapped and tagged, with pink paper to match my tree. I also had a little yarn leftover from this sweater to make these for myself:

They're Alchemy Cable Gauntlets, made of Pear Tree 4ply yarn. I made the elbow length ones as a gift, and have enjoyed wearing these around town. I can get my bus pass out of my wallet, and not have to take off my mittens or gloves! Next up: the Christmas Baking Extravaganza!

Love 4: Christmas Around Town

I've been enjoying Christmastime around London. I thought you might like to see some of the city's seasonal curiousities.

Carnaby Street is doing a tribute to their 1960s past.

A very strange street performer made me smile.

Covent Garden has some lovely topiary.

And a new friend has come down my chimney. Looks like she's here to stay!

Kool Sox

This is a gift for a non-crafter, a busy person who does lots for others, and would probably do more crafts if she had time. I knitted some socks with Plymouth's "Dye for Me" cotton sock yarn. The color of the undyed yarn is actually really beautiful. I'm calling them "Snowdrift Socks" because they remind me of soft piles of the year's first snow. With them, I'll be giving her two packets of...

Kool Aid! So that if the crafting bug strikes, I can send her a link like this one, and she can dye them herself, on a cold winter's day. It looks like a great activity for kids, too!

I'd really like to try the kool aid dying and thought about doing it to the socks or the yarn to begin with. But moreso, I like the idea of leaving the door open to someone who might or might not like to try a new craft in the new year.

To Make, and To Share

I fell in love with this little blank book. It's cover is based on the ladybird books, a popular and much sentimentalized series from years past. They're one of those things that if I had lots of money, I would collect. I bought this blank book, and was writing my favorite recipes, knitting patterns, etc. in it, planning to give it to a friend who liked the same hobbies.

I thought it was a nice gift idea for anyone that wants to share ideas, much nicer than printing recipes and patterns and sticking them in a folder. It might be something nice to pass down to kids, as well.

The last time I made my favorite cake, however, I couldn't find the recipe. So I used this book, got batter on the back cover, and now won't be giving it away. Another excuse to buy another one! Just what I needed...

December Giveaway: Alpaca Mittens!

Congratulations to Mutti who won the November Giveaway! Mr. Furly will be coming over to give you your apron very soon.

This month's giveaway is 2 pairs (yes, 2!) of handmade alpaca mittens, made by me. They're 100% Alpaca, in adult size big enough for men or women, and will surely keep your paws warm all winter.

To win these mittens, simply leave a comment on this post. I'll pick a winner with the random number generator, and send you them early in 2010. Good luck!

The winner for this giveaway has been chosen, and the winner sent her mittens. Thanks for playing!