Knitting between the years

These are my last finished projects of 2014. Slippers to keep my feet warm this winter.

Christmas 2014

I was sorely lacking in the festive mood department this year. I have been fighting some kind of holiday crud since Thanksgiving and am not running on all cylinders and since I fell my elbows and hands are giving me trouble as well. I did not bake anything and I did not bother with setting a pretty table and worst, I did not finish Del's presents. But since it was only the two of us nobody minded (the cats could not care less as long as they get their treats and cuddles) and all was well. Here are a few photos from our holidays.

Breakfast of Champions

Christmas Candy

Old Faithful

Foggy Christmas Eve

Sunny Christmas Morning

Gifts

Christmas Lasagna (enough to keep me out of the kitchen for a couple of days)

Feline Friday

We'll be back next year!

From Our House to Yours

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

... Scrooge … Charles Dickens

Markt und Straßen stehn verlassen,
Still erleuchtet jedes Haus,
Sinnend geh’ ich durch die Gassen,
Alles sieht so festlich aus.

An den Fenstern haben Frauen
Buntes Spielzeug fromm geschmückt,
Tausend Kindlein stehn und schauen,
Sind so wunderstill beglückt.

Und ich wandre aus den Mauern
Bis hinaus in’s freie Feld,
Hehres Glänzen, heil’ges Schauern!
Wie so weit und still die Welt!

Sterne hoch die Kreise schlingen,
Aus des Schnees Einsamkeit
Steigt’s wie wunderbares Singen –
O du gnadenreiche Zeit!

 Joseph von Eichendorff

 

I'll be back next week, till then, have a wonderful time, eat, drink and be merry.

Weekend

This weekend:

- We celebrated the Winter Solstice with plenty of Wassail and some candles, I combined the evergreens with the candles this year.

- We went on our last grocery shopping trip for this year, yeah! Strangely, the only shops that were really busy were the craft store and the pet store.

- We bought a dehumidifier to battle the mold problem in the kitchen, whereas the bedroom needs a humidifier, go figure. We have different climate zones around the house, as well as different time zones (every clock shows a different time, a few minutes fast or late).

- I found really comfortable shoes to replace my holey ones that gave me wet feet the last time I was out in the rain. The best thing is that I found them in a shoe store in town and did not have to go on a day trip (or order them online as I was prepared to do since I don't like going shopping).

- We purged our video collection, and boy, did we purge. We were able to dismantle and store a bookshelf that is now empty. 

- There also was a little knitting and a lot of eating.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday week.

4. Advent - Happy Winter Solstice!

Feline Friday

Today's Project

Cupcakes for Del's office party, orange with orange frosting and chocolate with peppermint frosting.

Sunrise

Miss Hattie Hedgehog

She is number 5 and cute as a button. I need to finish a few other things but I am itching to start the next animal.

3. Advent

Feline Friday

Here Comes Duncan Dog

Doesn't he look dapper in his plaid sweater vest and cap? His is number four and I am on a roll. I really enjoy stitching them, I love all the little details. The next one is already in the hoop.

Meet Mary Mouse

She is the third adorable animal in the Advent Animal Series by Brooke Nolan.

And here she is with her two friends, Katie Kitty and Peter Polar Bear.

Fixed and Finished

The first thing I did this morning was fix the mistake in yesterday's project, then I finished it into an ornament.

The dove heart stitchery was finished into a mini wall hanging.

I am pleased with how both of them turned out. I am still feeling a bit sore all over but it is not too bad.

Monday

Not exactly the way I want to start a new week. I took a nasty tumble this morning (fell over a bucket, I always knew housework could kill you) and landed face down in a cat box. Luckily I had just cleaned it and changed the litter. As I was laying there I tried to assess my possible injuries, I could move, I did not hit my head and I was not bleeding. So I decided that I will live and got up.
By now I am really sore and stiff all over and some body parts are more upset than others. My hands took the brunt of the fall as I tried to brace myself, the right one hurts more than the left one, I also have some pain in the back, along the ribcage on the right side and both elbows are sore, the left knee is not too happy as well. Geez, the older you get, the harder you fall.

To take my mind off the mess I decided to do a little cross stitch project and as I was sitting here this evening, looking at it, I noticed a mistake. Now do I keep it as my own personal note or do I take it out? I think I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow, provided I can get out of bed.

2. Advent

Advent

Es treibt der Wind im Winterwalde
die Flockenherde wie ein Hirt
und manche Tanne ahnt wie balde
sie fromm und lichterheilig wird.
Und lauscht hinaus: den weißen Wegen
streckt sie die Zweige hin - bereit
und wehrt dem Wind und wächst entgegen
der einen Nacht der Herrlichkeit.

  Rainer Maria Rilke

Nikolaus Day

When we were kids this was always a rather exiting day, waiting to see if we were good and St. Nikolaus would bring us something nice or if we were bad and the Krampus would punish us or take us away. Personally I think it stinks to frighten children like that but, well, it was the 60s. ;-) I remember one night someone rattled chains and made a lot of noise in the hallway and I got really scared, luckily my grandma put an end to the shenanigans.

This is me, sometime BB ('before brother'), my guess is 1965 or 1966 (when brother was still too young to participate). I must have been good that year, there are lots of nice things in that container.

Today we still celebrate, but we keep it simple. This year we will have some gingerbread and mulled cider and I made a goodie basket for us.

Friday Night with Friends

It was a cross stitch kind of day today. I finished stitching a heart motive and started on Mary Mouse.

Feline Friday

Mr. Jack: 'I do not like to pose for pictures (no matter how cute you think I am)'.