Solstice

 The last few days have been perfectly cold. I say perfectly because I like our usual cold weather with a high in the 30's and lots of sun. It's good dog walking weather and good knitting weather so I finally have some progress to share. It doesn't look like much but I have the first two colorwork pattern rows on the ill fated Eponomuff cowl. This time it all lined up just right. Yay. Me.

 I put one more repeat on the Ghazal Cowl. I have no idea how DH got hers done so fast. I find it a fun knit but a slow one. Maybe it's just this old brain. I dunno.

 Thanks to Kathy B I had to go count my sock stash. Look what I found. Something unusual. I had to see what it looked like so...

....the next thing I knew I had two more socks on the needles. That's six at the moment. I find socks stress relieving and I find the holidays stressful so it's a good thing. Four days and counting. I can't wait to get this Christmas in the books.

Looming

I got jolted out of my holiday doldrums by the arrival of the latest edition of my towel of the month club. It's not really monthly. It's sort of every once in a while which is nice because it takes me forever to finish anything on the loom.

Speaking of the loom, it's still got the last towels on it. I have been putting on a few rows here and there but getting pretty much nowhere.

I've got less than ten inches to go but as usual I am dragging my feet. I hate to finish things when there is nothing to put on the loom. I can't get out the warping board until after the holidays so I am at an impasse.

On a more interesting note, look at what I got in the card from one of my card swap buddies. Nice, right? I do like a pretty stitch marker.

I was just finishing up dinner last night when I heard the UPS truck backing down the long driveway in the dark. Look what showed up from Vera! Mmmm....yummy flavored coffee, a sweet notion pouch and a lovely star. How great is that?
Thanks Vera! You are the bestest!

Odds and Ends

 The sock race is on. I've gotten this far down the legs after a few holiday movie marathons.

 I've got all my point protectors in use so I had to come up with something. I really didn't want to find my socks all unraveled from pulling them in and out of their bags all day. I've had too many issues with these already to let stupid get in the way of a finish.

I made two felt ones using some leftover elastic. I was too lazy to set up the sewing machine since I had just put all that away for the holidays so I had to sew them by hand. It took all of ten minutes.

Puzzled

 Holy smokes. I almost forgot about my Christmas puzzle. I've been putting this together every December since who knows when.

 In the past few years it's been a bit more complicated because of kitties. They like to eat the pieces. Daddio made strips out of his vast supply of Christmas material that we wove into a rug a few years ago and it has become my puzzle cover. It's a nice memory.

 I got the border done last night.

 But there's a lot left in that box. It won't get done before Christmas this year but since I'm not hosting who cares if it lives on the table for like forever.

A Big Thanks!

Yesterday morning I went to the mailbox and found a big surprise. I hadn't gotten the mail on Thursday because it was too darn cold and windy to walk all the way up there. All these trees become weapons of mass destruction when the wind blows.

 In the mailbox I had a box of treats from Momolake who's all the way up in Wisconsin. Look at that needle gauge. Isn't that the greatest? It's from the Green Mountain Spinnery.

 Awwww.....so sweet. I've got a new guardian of the fleece.

Mmmm....I could eat my weight in these. They bring back such happy Christmas memories of when I used to take the kids to the Lindt store for teacher presents.
Thanks so much Momolake. You are the bestest!

 On the morning of my birthday the brave UPS guy made it all the way down our long driveway with a package that contained this little goodie. Mmmm.....chocolates filled with Kahlua need I say more? Thanks Sandflies! You too are the bestest of the best along with everyone who sent me birthday wishes yesterday. They were most appreciated.

It wasn't much of a surprise because I had asked for it but when The Mister came home last night from mom duty he brought home this ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. This used to be an annual tradition for all family birthdays but we don't live near anyone that sells them anymore. His mom does so I got a blast from the past. He got an hour long freezing car ride home in order to keep it frozen. Tee hee.  From here 63 didn't look too bad after all until.......

...I got a call from #1 Son whose birthday happens to be today. He is 39. Now THAT makes me feel old. Good golly!

Sixty Three

 It's my birthday. I am 63 today but I don't want to talk about it. My mortality has been sorely tested this week and I need a diversion. I would rather talk about knitting. I have 85 grams of that naughty Christmas yarn left. That should get me a pair of socks.

 I also have two sets of these Inox needles so the race is on.

It's going to be a two at a time race but I have no intention of getting them done by this Christmas. I'll work on them until January and then tuck them away to finish next year.

As insurance, I still have these bits and bobs in case I run out and if that fails, red toes would work, right?

Respite

 I heard you all loud and clear yesterday. I need to take a break so I did. The Mister was still doing Old Mom duty so I had a quiet day to myself. I dipped into the fancy Christmas coffee and added a splash of brandy. It helped.

 I even broke into the fruitcake a few days early. I didn't knit, sew, weave, or create anything. I just was and it helped. It really, really did especially when I got the call that the car was totaled. Sigh. Pass the brandy.

During my lazy afternoon I discovered the coolest thing ever. It's called Radio Garden and it lets you scan the globe and listen to radio stations from all over-and I mean all over. I think that is way cool and can't wait to use it on Christmas Eve. I used to always listen to shortwave programs on Christmas Eve when I was kid back when the internet wasn't even a thing you could imagine. I still send cards and Christmas packages to friends I made over the airwaves back in the day. It's a small world.