Something unusual happened to me the other week. I blame it on the cold meds…

It was Black Friday week… I don’t normally succumb to Black Friday sales…. although it’s gaining in popularity, it doesn’t have quite the hype here as it does south of the border, so it’s usually easy to ignore. But then I got an email from Craftsy of their “doorbusters”…

Charm packs… $3… Layer Cakes… $10… Jelly Rolls… $12… I couldn’t be reading that right… those prices are all around 2/3 off the regular… that’s just crazy! So I took the bait… I logged on. And sure enough… I read it right. Now the prices were a touch higher thanks to the exchange rate, but they were still a steal! I filled my cart!

Some of the prints I already had, in different cuts… but at those prices, they were worth having a second go at.

In charm squares, I got:

Blenders Botanicals (Pretty semi-solids with a subtle floral feel), Dreamfield (flowers, birds – pretty, feminine), and Heartsong (Happy little farm)

In layer cakes, I got:

Blenders Moonshadow, and Petal Noir. Mom made a beautiful quilt from a Petal Noir jelly rolls, and I’ve coveted the collection ever since. And looking at those side by side… the packs would work very well together!

For Jelly Rolls:

Jardin Rustique (More of that beautiful French-inspired fabric), and Sweet Reverie (a beautiful Paris-themed collection).

And I wish I could say my little fabric buying binge stopped there… but then a few days later… for Cyber Monday…. I got another email from Craftsy with a few batik fat quarter packs. You know I have a soft spot for the batiks.. I’ve been collecting fat quarters here and there to make myself a spectacular batik quilt (pattern still undecided)… and I’ve mentioned they can be quite spendy.

Well I did the math, and each FQ worked out to about $1.90 each. When batiks aren’t on sale, FQs are usually between $4 and $5 each. How on earth could you pass that up? Obviously I couldn’t. But don’t worry… Mom and I are going to have a little playdate, and split the packs up between us. She loves batiks as much as me, and it makes me feel a little less guilty if I share the good fortune.

And… I wish I could say it ended there… but it didn’t. Because come Friday, I got my flyer from Lens. They were having a late black Friday sale… and batiks… well they were all $6.49 a yard. The average regular price is $15 to $20 a yard… so…

All those batik FQs are going to need some background fabric right??? I got three yards of each of the above, except then end one…I only got 2.5 yards of that one because that’s all that was left. I wasn’t the only one thinking it was an amazing sale – the bolts were flying off the shelf!

I also managed to snag a yard of each of these. I’ve already cut them in half and will be sharing them with Mom as well.

But now the credit cards are smoking, and I think I need to give them a rest… until spring at least!

While the weather hasn’t been super harsh yet, it’s been too cold for me to sit outside. That means the only cat who gets out is Mr. Relic (and only because he’s soooo darn insistent about it.)

But Sunday was quite mild, so when I went out to take pics of the gingerbread hat, I figured the rest of the crew could use some fresh air too.

Relic was very happy to have us out with him. As you can see, things are still quite green. We’ve had a couple light snows, but nothing that’s stuck around for very long. And whenever we get a warm day like Sunday, it seems like what’s left in the gardens just perks right back up.

We stayed out for about half and hour, and enjoyed the last bit of warmth from the waning sunshine.

It may be a while before we get another day like this.

 

The final Christmas hat is a Kitty Cat hat for Miss Wren. You can read about my history with this pattern here.

The pattern is an old Patons pattern that’s knit flat and seamed. I’ve been trying to work out a way to knit it seamlessly for a few years. I’ve got it down for the face and neck openings, but the way the ears and back come together makes it tricky to do without seams.

I think I’ve finally got it figured out (it’s going to take some grafting and short rows), and I’m just about to put my theory to the test.

For yarn, I’m using Patons Decor, it’s mostly acrylic with just a touch of real wool. The colour is the creatively named “florals”

 

 

I finally had enough energy to get into the sewing room this weekend. And I found out that one of the anticipated babies is going to be a girl, so I decided to switch tracks a little.

I had this pretty little collection in a charm pack. And a charm pack is just perfect for the baby  Moda Love quilt. It just needs a complimentary background colour.

And you know me… I don’t like to be conventional when it comes to babies, so I chose grey. Now it’s not a crazy as it seems…. grey is showing up more and more in baby things (though more so for boys), and this baby’s Mama is quite partial to the shade.

That said, I wasn’t completely sold on it until I started getting my HSTs together.

And once I got the first quadrant together,  I was completely in love.

Conventional – maybe not – but elegantly beautiful? Absolutely! I think this one is going to be just perfect when it’s done!

The third Christmas hat is done!

Just a simple watchman style cap, with cables and garter rib. The pattern is the Gingerbread hat and it’s a freebie (with three sizes). It used just less than one ball of Paton Classic Wool in Navy. It’s cool and classic – just like the recipient.

And now there’s just one Christmas hat left… and plenty of time to finish it!

 

When we were kids, there was no decorating until after our December birthdays were over.

I always though it was because Mom wanted to make sure our birthdays didn’t get lost in the Christmas rush (and that was part of it), but as I got older, I discovered Mom just doesn’t like Christmas that much.

Oh she likes the gift giving, and having the family around… but all the stress, drama and anxiety… when we were kids, Mom would go full out with Christmas baking. She’d start weeks in  advance – our unheated back porch was filled with cooling macaroons, sugar cookies, nanaimo bars and more. Then there were pies… and Christmas dinner.  On top of that… Christmas Eve at the paternal Grandpa’s, a Christmas day visit to the maternal Grandparents, and Boxing day at the paternal Grandma’s. And that was on top of five December birthdays (me, my brother, cousin, Dad and Grandma)… all on a  shoestring budget.

I can understand why Mom was never a huge fan of the silly season. Then I met Dave, who could easily be called a Grinch when it comes to Christmastide… and he brought with him a whole other sort of family Christmas drama.

It took us a few years to find our stride with our mutual Christmas tradition, but now I think we’ve found the perfect compromise. Christmas Eve with Dave’s grandma and Mom (and whoever else in the family drops by that night), and then a dinner with my family (Mom & Dad, and Ron & Jenn and the girls) whenever we can arrange for all of us to get together. No stress, no pressure – we do it when it works.

We don’t go crazy with presents. We stay in budget and keep it small. As you know, a lot of gifts in the family are homemade, making them extra special.

At home, I do a little decorating, and I don’t wait quite as long as Mom did. Because of space, and my army of furry tree assassins, we just have a small, pre-lit two foot tree. It goes up in 10 minutes (including decorations).

Skiing sock monkey helps us count down the days. And I think he’s my favourite of my few decorations.

Out front, my chilly little polar bears greet visitors.

And thanks to neighbour Krista, this little Christmas elf crash landed in my ivy pot. I was planning on getting some winter greenery for these baskets, but because I was sick, I didn’t have a chance. But so far, the ivy is holding up quite well.

And lastly, this pretty little candle is keeping us warm and cheery inside. It was my birthday present from Dave, and he insisted I open it early (still a few days to go until my birthday.). These are my favourite candles and this one yielded a very beautiful surprise….

Just perfect for this December baby!

So welcome December, welcome Christmas! I’m ready!

 

Do you knit for charity? Would you like yarn to knit for charity?

Yarn Canada contacted me and asked me to spread the word about their charity knitting program. They are looking to give away $2000 in yarn in Canada and the U.S. to crafters who put their needles to work in a good cause.

Details can be found on their website here.

 

I told you the next hat would go quicker!

This one for a Legend of Zelda fan. Zelda patterns were slim pickings but I managed to find one I liked. Sadly, it wasn’t until after I bought it that I realized it was for sport weight and the yarn I had was worsted. (I blame the cold meds). It’s ok though, I was able to mod the chart to work and I was off and running in no time.

It’s a fun textured stitch after the colour work band (which is lined and nice and thick. I modded the decreasing to get the nice square beanie style. The yarn was some leftover pea green from my Agatha cardigan, and some bright gold Big Cat I’d dyed up ages ago – perfect for Zelda’s triforces!

Now the third hat is on the needles and moving right along. I hope to have something to show you soon.

“Mr Giroux isn’t the only spoiled kitty with a sock yarn blanket…. I have one too!”

*Dr. said not bronchitis but a lingering bacterial infection… so another week of misery, but at least I have meds for it now.

Here it is!

While it is a bit of a complicated knit (you have to pay attention), it is a fun one. The combination of a gradient yarn and a cool design really keep things moving. You want to keep knitting to see the colour and picture emerge.

The gradient yarn was some handspun Mom gave me. I got just to the start of the green when I finished. It would have been nice to get through all the colours, but oh well. This works.  I may actually have enough left for another hat, but I won’t be knitting one any time soon.

Now, the rest of my Christmas hats should go much quicker. They are all worsted, and far less involved. And hopefully the doctor prescribes me some good meds this morning, so  I kick this sickness right out the door.