Wooly Christmas

I've just finished putting up my Christmas decorations. They're pretty minimal, and long time blog readers will recognise them from previous posts.
The Christmas music is on, and I'll be wrapping presents as soon as I finish writing this. I'm using brown paper this year, tied up with leftover bits of handspun, and the tags printed from here.

There's rather a lot of wool going on in my decorations. This advent calendar is made from wool felt, just stitched up round the edges and then a number embroidered on the flap. Slip in the sweet treat of your choice, and when you open it take out the patterned disc so you know where you're up to. The pattern is here

This is my nod to a Christmas tree, it could do with a little more stuffing as the poor things is a little dumpy, it nestles nicely next to the phones, and hides the dust on the Freesat box nicely! Pattern here

And finally my growing collection of Christmas stockings. Two are hand sewn and embroidered the rest are knitted. Now who can I persuade to fill all of them with goodies on Christmas morning?

Speaking of goodies, dates for Christmas posting

Asia, New Zealand, Far East, Australia- 5th December

Africa, Caribbean, Central and South America, Middle East- 7th December
Eastern Europe, USA, Canada- 10th December
Western Europe- 12th December
UK- 18th December

Though if you wanted to point a relative in the direction of something, then you could always try my handblended club. Signups have just opened and you'll get a parcel of wooly goodness at the start of January, February and March. Or there are gift vouchers available here. 

Out of the fog

The last couple of weeks have been going past in a bit of a blur, Christmas is coming, and with it the (very welcome) up turn in sales of Learn to Spin Kits, and general bustle that we all get at this time of year as social occasions come round as a welcome distraction from the weather.

This weekend I decided a day off was in order so took myself off to my friend Katherine. As the crow flies she lives about 15 miles inland, of course this being mid-Wales the route doesn't go as the crow flies and the drive takes a surprisingly long time.
The weather in our valley was beautiful for a change, and unusually as I headed inland the fog rolled in.  Normally the opposite is true, our valley is the first hills that the weather fronts hit as they come in off the sea and we get the corresponding amount of rain.
As I got near to Katherine's house, driving up the narrow country lanes, I emerged out of the fog.

Of course with in the next half hour the fog had carried on rolling up the hill, and we spent the rest of the day in the gloom, such is the way of living in the UK in the winter, I'm already ready for spring, or at least a bit of snow.