loose ends

I hope that everyone had a merry & bright Christmas. Keeping it simple kind of got thrown out the window last week despite my good intentions. Crazy busy was the new theme. That is what comes from having a big & boisterous extended family. But somehow everything came together in the end and it was a fun noisy day filled with lots of laughter, food & love. Not surprisingly, my gift knitting kind of fizzled out. That's why this week is being dedicated to tying up some loose ends. I managed to finish the hubby's Piece Out hat, but haven't started on the little guy's yet. The cowls for my nieces also didn't happen, but hopefully I can manage something handmade for their birthdays. My MIL absolutely loved her knitted ornaments. It was one of the highlights of my Christmas Day to see how happy they made her. So sweet. Here are some close-ups of the hubby's hat.

I found some vintage Ducati motorcycle pins on etsy to use as buttons. I think the hat looks pretty cute on him, but don't tell him I said so ;) Next up is my year-in-review post. I am so ready to ring in the New Year...bring on the cocktail meatballs, hot crab dip, cheese balls & sparkling grape juice! Have a fun & safe New Year's Eve ∇ ∇ ∇ ∇

knitter's armour

state street cowl, zara top, express jeans

When it comes to holiday shopping, I try to buy local as much as possible. So usually there is only one day during the Christmas season where a trip to the mall is necessary. Today was the dreaded day. But I went prepared this year, armouring myself in a warm wool cowl and...

...my knitting! It definitely came in handy when I found myself behind 13 other shoppers waiting in line to buy mall gift cards. I also felt a little smug when I whipped out my knitting in the toy store as other shoppers looked around in desperation for an escape route. We were all witnessing a multi-sibling meltdown which resulted in a serious traffic jam at the register. Note to self: next year, bring ear plugs, too.

Here's a closeup of the current take-along project. It's the Piece Out hat by Stephen West. Easy and fun so far. Also check out my latest obsession: madbird project bags. This one is a perfect size for small projects like hats, socks and mittens. I love the wristlet clutches and pattern wallets the most. They have such a cool range of fabrics. Couldn't resist the hedgehogs and toadstools. Who says armour can't be cute?

happiness is...

a trio of sweater ornaments ready for gift wrapping

duplicate stitch fun

rainbow colors

pockets and surprise candy canes in the mail (thanks Steph!)

The weather has been unpredictable this week. We have had snow, rain, sleet, ice and sunshine, sometimes all in one day! Yesterday was a Snow Day for the little guy. We celebrated by eating our favorite cold weather lunch (tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches) and drinking hot cocoa. Plus lots and lots of sweet treats. Trying really hard not to look at the calendar but I have a feeling that the holiday crazies are just around the corner. All the more reason to enjoy the little things that are making me happy right now.

kissing the holidays

I hope that all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving last week had a wonderful one. It was a work heavy week for me (60 hours!) but I still managed to spend part of Thanksgiving Day with my two favorite guys. We had a quiet and cozy evening. Some of it was spent putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house. Everything feels more festive when there's red and green everywhere. I asked the little guy what his favorite part of the holidays was. His answer made me chuckle: candy canes! What a simple and fun response, so I decided to make that our theme for this year. Keeping it simple, with lots of good food, sweet treats, handmade goodies and best of all, meaningful time spent with loved ones. Oh, and Christmas movies! Gotta have plenty of those.

Here's my holiday gift knitting list this year. Again, keeping it simple:

☃ Handmade ornaments for Grandma L. (my MIL) and hopefully for myself, too. I am currently knitting a few of these. Also planning on casting on for a couple of these adorable (and free!) holiday stockings.
☃ A hat each for my two guys. This has become a winter tradition. As is choosing a hat pattern from Mr. Stephen West. This year's pattern is Piece Out. Love the playful brim on this one.
☃ A couple of quick to knit cowls for my two nieces. I was at Target the other night and saw some simple ribbed ones made out of sparkly chunky yarn. Then I found some similar yarn at Michael's yesterday. Serendipity!

Hope that your holiday knitting is going well. I plan on just enjoying each project as it comes and not getting stressed out if everything is not finished by December 25th. My family know me well and have come to expect a few IOU's under the tree along with their candy canes ❄