Next, Please

 With Christmas over and the kids back to the Island, it is time (a little late) to look forward to our new year. The trees are well on their way, setting up catkins for spring. Does this mean we will have a mild winter?

It has just started and tricks us a little with bright crisp days, and then smacks us with the mean bitter drizzle the next day.

 I already knit up one of my Christmas gifts. This Cascade Eco Duo was so soft I have no excuses. Zuzu's Petals is the perfect choice for a shawl/cowl. It took almost as long to dry as it did to knit.

 With Emily home, we did some crafting. These are had models for our table at the fair. I hope to have my charity hats knit early this year and do a good kick off for next year's Christmas hat collection. I know it's early, but this is one way I keep Christmas in my heart. Plus I get to revel in the list making that helps me keep track of everything.

 I asked for a knitted sheep and she designed one for me as she knit it. Love him! He will also sit on the table at the fair. We are going to "yarn bomb" the toy class this year and it was decided to all make sheep. Our own little flock.

 One of my favourite gifts: Gale's Art Graffiti on Asphalt. Love the pops of colour. Wait till you see what I'm planning for this!

 Em's sweater fit well and she likes the colour, too.

 Love the shapely back. That's without darts or short rows.

 On New Year's Day, it is my family's tradition to take down the decorations. Sometimes my mom and sisters ignore this, but I don't care for this chore and it helps me to have it scheduled. When I decorate the tree, I listen to Patrick Stewart reading the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

 When I cleaned up, I was able to listen to Good Omens, a book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet that was dramatized by BBC radio. It's available until the middle of January sometime. Silly and fun. So nice to have everything clean and spacious again.

 Love working on the Matchmaker, it's really growing, but it is quite simple. As is my crochet scarf. My TV time has been spent almost finishing my needlepoint. This means I am bored with my knitting. Simple knitting needs good company or a good movie.

 With at least 3 blanket quantities in my stash, I bit the bullet. I love this fussy cuts blanket (enough to collect the Noro Kureyon in various colours and a bag of ivory, and buy the Craft Activism book. You can't go wrong with Mason Dixon Knitting, but I just didn't take the plunge. Those small balls are all from the same skein. Let the yarn do the work. This way each block is a new "next". I'll decide later how many blocks make a blanket.

 Back to healthier eating. We have almost chewed through all the goodies. Tomorrow I get out my fixins for turkey soup. Already the favoured low fat and vegetarian cook books are out. We get a real jolt of energy from eating all the colours. Soup is a treat in winter, the way salad is a treat in summer.

And here's to my sister foursocks. She helped her friend get married on Christmas Eve, hosted the community New Years party in Knutsford and got a puppy for her birthday, which is today. Sounds like a good lot of celebrating.
We had fun with friends on New Years Eve who make fresh ollebollen (dutch donuts) and share all their grandkids. On New Years day we went to my nephews for a great relaxed gathering. Spending time with friends and family, always a good investment.
This year, I hope to be courageous enough to reach for joy. We'll see what's next.