>21st of Advent
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Given that we’re at Winter Solstice, it’s probably appropriate that we’ve had some loooong nights around here. A nasty cold bug continues to make the littles miserable, and today C is in bed with it. So far I’ve escaped, which may well mean I’m due for a dose on Christmas Day! Still, despite this, I managed to get the last of my ‘elving’ done last night, with these doll nappies and change mat. They are heading for P’s little friend, who is about to become a big sister for the first time. P had some play nappies for his doll when M was born and I thought it was a lovely idea. I used the pattern from Anna Maria Horner’s Handmade Beginnings for the nappies, using terry towelling for the inside and some left over babycord from M’s dresses for the outside. The change mat is simply a rectangle of cotton print with a rectangle of wool/cotton quilt batting and a rectangle of brushed cotton. I had a bit of fun with the embroidery foot on my sewing machine to doodle on it, having earlier threatened my machine with the sack when it wouldn’t work properly for some reason. I believe my threats included “I’ll get rid of you and get an antique hand sewing machine, then you’ll be sorry.” Maybe this is a sign that I could really do with more sleep, but it seemed to work!!
>20th of Advent
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After a weekend of equal parts yuck- two children and a husband with nasty colds, disastrous attempt at fudge making, snow stopping friends and vital parcel deliveries arriving- and yum- a sister who made it over for Sunday lunch, fence panels mended and some rather good brownies made from salvaged fudge mixture- we are on the final march to the big day. Despite feeling the effects of rather a lot of missed sleep, I have got some ‘elving’ done and all the presents are sewn, blocked, finished off and wrapped with the exception of those still in the post (aargh!) and one more thing that I really, really will finish tonight. Other than that and a whole load of dull domestic chores, all we can really do now is wait and hope that the weather doesn’t scupper our plans.
I have also (somehow! I don’t know how!) managed to finish M’s winter woolly outfit. It’s a sort of dungarees that will hopefully solve the cold toes/ankles problem as it has integral socks. I made it using a free pattern called ‘Pepita’ on Ravelry by Martina Behm. I knitted it on slightly larger needles than the pattern specified, using Araucania Ranco Multy sock yarn (two different shades for a number of reasons, but it doesn’t really show or matter much) as M is at the upper end of the age range. As it turns out, the whole thing was in danger of being so huge she wouldn’t have fitted it until next winter, but a few reductions here and there means it’s roomy but not ridiculous. There’s a little more detail about that on my Ravelry notes. This weather is enough to make me wish they did one in my size!
>16th of Advent
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Over on Soule Mama she calls it ‘elving’- getting all those jobs done to prepare presents for Christmas. It’s what I should be doing, but for some reason I just don’t seem to be motivated at the moment, despite running out of time fast! One distraction is getting hold of some more Auracania Multy so I can keep going with making this winter wooly for M. It’s going to be some dungarees with feet, made using a pattern from Ravelry. Even though I’m having to use magic loop, it’s quite easy knitting and I’m just enjoying the steady rhythm. I’ll elve later, I promise!
>15th of Advent
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Our season display just now.
>12th of Advent
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A trawl through the address book and a sore writing hand means that all our cards are ready to take to the Post Office tomorrow.
>11th of Advent
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Although I only began making it a few days ago, M’s Christmas bear is completed, thanks to a few evenings in front of the TV. It’s a nice, easy pattern from Debbie Bliss’ Simply Baby, all in garter stitch and without too much fiddly shaping or construction. The eyes and nose are darned on in wool rather than using sewn on pieces of felt as suggested, since I thought it would be a little bit safer if she chews on them (she is a very chewy baby!) The yarn is Baby Cashmerino as suggested in the pattern, but instead of the putty colour I used for P’s bear I chose a deep golden yellow that reminded me of those old Steiff bears you see in antique shows worth a small fortune. Can’t see M’s bear ever being worth much in sterling, but hopefully it will be precious to her!
>8th of Advent
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How many hundreds of babies over the years must have received a homemade soft toy for their first Christmas present? P has grown to love the bear I made for him before he was born, to the extent that ‘Edmund’ has had to have rather a lot of running repairs and doesn’t look nearly as neat as he does here anymore, darned as he is in yarn that only sort-of matches his original colour. When I’ve finished this golden yellow version for M, I’m going to save the extra yarn for repairs, in the hope that she loves her one in the same way (although perhaps without the ear-chewing). Maybe if one day she’s a mother she’ll understand the love that is knitted into every row, sewn into every stitch of a toy made by a parent for their little one. Even if she never understands, it’s there all the same.
>7th of Advent
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Well, our part of the world caught up with the rest of the country in getting the Christmas card style weather last night. Actually, pretty though it is (positively Narnian with our ‘unique’ garden ornaments, the lamp posts!) it’s not such great fun with a toddler and a baby. She is too little to enjoy being outside in the cold, even wrapped up, which means that he can’t really get to experience playing the in white stuff until the weekend when his Daddy is home during daylight hours. Let’s hope it lasts that long, even if it means being stuck indoors- it’s not as if I don’t have things to be getting on with…eep! Only a couple more weeks to get a lot of knitting, making and baking done!
>6th of Advent
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Wow! That was a crazy day getting ready, but it was worth it in the end. No photos of the party I’m afraid, as it was all go and no time to pick up the camera. But above you can see the St Nicholas figure I made, along with the three girls from the story. I used these to do a little puppet show about the St Nicholas day story. We also played a couple of party games with the littles- including pass the parcel where the wrapping was socks (keeping up the stocking theme!) We feasted on pizza and mince pies, so all in all it was a curious mish-mash of traditions and inventions that just worked, somehow. We sent our three little girl guests home in handknitted Santa hats and clutching the gingerbread initials we iced yesterday…and with promises that next year we’ll do it all again.
>5th of Advent
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Tomorrow we’re having a St Nicholas day party tomorrow evening and these biscuits will form part of the celebrations. It really will be lovely and I’ll write more about why tomorrow. At the moment, after a slightly challenging weekend away thanks to freezing weather and non-sleeping children, with shopping and preparation to do in the morning I’m having to remind myself that it really is a good idea for establishing our own tradition. Deep breaths and keep knitting…