Burton hopes that the new year brings us all more of the things we love…
like a mile-high pile of whip cream!

Despite the upheaval of moving house, and ongoing renovations, I managed to complete 28 quilts this year.

That’s down from 31 last year, but still very respectable! Nine of them have sold, three of them raised funds for charity, and seven of them were made to gift.

It was a great year of stitching and I can’t wait to do more in 2022.

There’s no doubt about it, 2021 was the year of the sock for me…

In the past year, I completed 26 knitted projects, 15 of which were socks (three aren’t pictured above).

It will be no surprise to any of you but the move and renovations greatly affected the knitting output. Generally, I complete an average 35 knit projects each year, but this year was down significantly. And most of the things I completed were relatively simple. I just wasn’t up to anything complicated with everything else going on.

Still, all things considered, it was a pretty respectable output for the year. And now that things have settled back into a routine, I’m sure 2022 will be more productive, and maybe even a little more varied.

As I noted yesterday, it was a pretty quiet holiday for us. This was by design. First, because COVID. Like many other places, our province is just exploding with new cases due to Omicron. While we are all vaccinated, and Omicron appears to be milder, both Dave and I have vulnerable family members we prefer to protect as much as we can. The second reason is because we now live two or more hours from the people we normally spend Christmas with… it takes a lot more planning on logistics to get together.

Christmas Eve:

This is the day we’d normally spend with Dave’s Grandma and Mom, but we stayed home. Well actually… we ran out and got our COVID booster, and then stayed home. Last week, our government finally got on the booster train (previously, you had to be old or a healthcare worker to get it) and opened it up to every one over 18. Only there weren’t any doses or appointments anywhere around us. The closest I could book was in London (an hour away),and I couldn’t get anything until January 17th. But I signed up for every wait list/pharmacy/clinic I could and hoped something came up sooner. On the afternoon of the 23rd, I got a text for Walmart in Sarnia (40 minutes away). I could get us appointments for Christmas Eve morning. I weighed the benefit of getting the booster right away against braving Walmart on Christmas Eve… and decided the booster was worth the hassle.

It actually wasn’t too bad, and because the shots were by appointment, there wasn’t a lot of waiting at the pharmacy. When we left however (just before noon), the line of cars to get into the parking lot was astounding! Looks like we timed it just right.

The rest of the evening was quiet as we waited for side effects to kick in.

Christmas day:

Christmas morning dawned grey and rainy. No white Christmas for us this year. We opened our gifts. Dave loved his socks, and he gave me one stunner of a ring:

The picture does NOT do it justice. Opals, two different shades of Blue Topaz (London and Swiss blue), and white sapphires. You should see it sparkle!

The rest of the was a nice slow pace, and absolutely full of food!

Even though it was just the two of us, I cooked my very first turkey. This year, my grocery store offered frozen butter-infused turkey “crowns”. Basically a whole turkey, minus the legs and wings. It was perfect for us because a whole turkey is too much for us, and neither of us really like dark meat much anyway. This was still more than we needed, so it will be turkey sandwiches for a few days, and I even have enough bones to make Dave some turkey soup!

Boxing day:

Both of us we’re quite pleased that the booster didn’t give us much more than a sore arm, so while Dave puttered about inside the house, I headed outside. The day was sunny and somewhat warm (approx 8C). I took advantage of it to organize the shed. When finally Dave got the doors on it, it was too chilly out there for me, so I’ve been waiting for a decent day to get out there and clean it all up. It didn’t take too long, and now all my pots and tools are organized nicely and ready for spring!

December 27th:

Finally, Christmas! We were up bright and early to tackle the long drive to Dave’s Grandma’s house. Te weather wasn’t great, so we took our time and got there a little after 10 am. Presents were exchanged… Grandma loved her hat and shawl/scarf.

After a couple hours, we hit the road and headed to Mom and Dad’s (about an hour from Grandma’s). The weather improved slightly, but the traffic was heavier.

Pets were loved (you know I’m not getting in that house without given Jem my full attention first), and presents were exchanged. Dad loved his Labrador quilt, but he said I’m not allowed to put the picture I took of him under it on the internet though, so you’ll just have to your imagination.

Mom and Dad gave us and air fryer/toaster oven combo and I am VERY excited. I’ve wanted an air fryer for a while now, and Dave’s been going on about getting as toaster oven forever. To have it in a combo is just amazing. I can’t wait to try it out.

But there was also a gnome wall hanging kit, sock yarn, and a new ornament for my tree!

It was a long day, but it was a good day. And that’s another Christmas under the belt. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a fresh, shiny new year!

It’s been a very quiet Christmas for us (I’ll detail it all tomorrow), so there has been lots of time for stitching.

Most of my stitching time has been devoted to the hemlock ring. And as a result, I now have a very unexciting giant blue blob…

In fact, it’s so big that it’s getting hard to work with on the 40″ circular needle I have it on. I’ve just ordered a 60″, and hopefully it won’t take too long to get here. Each repeat is only five rounds long, and I’m only about three or four repeats from finishing. Of course, those rounds are REALLY long… but still.. the end is in sight, and I’m itchy to finish!

While I wait on the post, I have a pair of socks on the needles to keep me busy. I cast them on for travel knitting, but they’ve been so much fun, I’ve snuck in a few rounds here and there just for fun.

It’s more Knit Picks Stroll and the colour is Koi Pond. I’ve seen a few of you knit with this particular colour, and I just had to have it. One of my hopes is to one day put a koi pond in the yard. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but for now I can knit on these and dream!

What are you stitching on these days?

This is Norman.

He was recently adopted by an old high school chum. He’s her first cat.

The boys and I decided we needed to send them a little care package. I’ve wrapped up a few favourite treats and toys, but Burton wanted to send him something extra special

So we dug into the flannel bin and whipped him up a little blankie he can call his own.

It’s in the mail now, and we are just waiting for it to arrive to hear if Norman likes it. We’re pretty sure he will

All of us at Chez Wandering Cat wish you and yours the very best of the season.

Have a wonderful day!

He sees you when you’re eating…

He knows when you’ve got meat…

He knows if you’ve got fish or fowl…

So don’t think you can hide those treats!

I’ve said before that, to me, gnomes aren’t just a Christmas thing. They obviously have a big role in the other seasons, being garden denizens!!!

Back before the move, I bought myself this panel…

… and a pile of coordinating fabrics. My intent was to make myself a “garden quilt”. Since we now have a fabulous catio – a space for both people and cats to enjoy – it will be a “catio quilt”. While I only have my table and chairs out there now, I’m hoping to get some sort of lounger/outdoor couch, and that’s where this quilt will live.

I haven’t gotten very far yet. I’ve sketched out a plan which involves the panel surrounded by dizzy daisy and star blocks.

I got everything cut, so I can just go in and sew whenever I have a spare hour or so.

And then I put together one of the stars… just to see.

Oh, I’m going to have soooo much fun with these!!!!

To finish out the year, I’ve started a little something just for me.

The Hemlock Ring Blanket.

It’s been in my queue FOREVE. Not that I need a reason to make it, but now I actually have one.

My office is in the farthest corner of the house, and while it does get heat, it just doesn’t seem to be as warm as the rest of the place (which surprisingly isn’t too bad considering the state of the windows!). I’ve got lots of fingerless mitts to keep my hands warm while type; socks and mocs to keep my toes toasty; and an endless supply of warm cardigans and sweaters. But I don’t have much for my legs, and I find they can get a little chilled as I’m sitting there, working away.

I need something that’s big enough to drape over my lap, but not so big that it gets tangled in the wheels of my office chair. I think this us just the thing.

So far, I’ve been enjoying it immensely.

I’m using Alpaca With a Twist’s Highlander yarn. It’s an Alpaca/Wool/Microfiber/Rayon mix, and is quite nice to knit with. It has a very soft, silky feel, and that alpaca is going to be nice and warm! Mom gave me seven skeins of it a while back, and I think this is going to make good use of every last inch of it.