End of the Year

Today  is the last day of 2020, can you believe it? And what a year it has been. Who'd have thought, this time last year, what this year would bring, that this Christmas and New Year we'd be essentially still in lockdown, unable to meet many of our loved ones. Hard and strange times indeed.

But let's not dwell on that. This week, mostly spent at home apart from a few long walks, has been actually really lovely and relaxing. I've enjoyed the lack of pressure to be anywhere or do anything much, except crafting and walking - I completed my North Pole Challenge to walk 200km in December. 

I'm really chuffed to report that I did a 12km walk on Tuesday 29th completing the 200km well within the allotted time window :) This was a virtual challenge meaning I signed up online, completed the challenge in my own time at my own pace, and then later I will receive a medal in the post - sometime in January. I really feel I earned it (I enjoyed all of my walks, but rather a lot were undertaken in pouring rain or, at least, persistent drizzle) and I can't wait for my medal to arrive!

I've decided not to enter a January challenge, instead I have signed up for a "5 weeks to 5k" programme in order to get me running again, I used to run, and loved it, but putting on weight made it a lot more difficult. Now that I've shifted some of that weight I feel ready to get back to running - at least I think I do! Ask me again after the first run!!

I can also report that I have finished my  Attic24 Cottage Ripple Blanket - more on that in  my next post. But here's a sneak peek ...

My Stitchonomy stitch-along continues: part 3 - snowflakes - was released last night. 

It was all going very well until I realised I'd made one snowflake too narrow so of course I had to unpick a load of work and redo it. I'd love to be more relaxed about these kind of things but I just know they would always annoy me.

Oh, do you like my new needle minders ? Aren't they super-cute ?

I found them on ebay, from a little shop called Wood and Cat, I thought they were just adorable ....

I'm also progressing my Christmas cross-stitch - more snowflakes ....

... but now I have a decision to make. Should I keep on with this one, bearing in mind its only just over half-finished and is very obviously Christmassy, or do I store it away with all the other Christmas bits and pick it up again next year ? What do you think ? Also bear in mind I have umpteen other cross-stitch projects requiring my attention, including a new one that I received for Christmas, and one I started 20 years ago for the millenium !!!!

Meanwhile I have picked up another WIP to finish - the Triantan Shawl from issue 52 of Crochet Now ...

I'm using a gorgeous Amano Puna peruvian baby alpaca in a rusty red colour, its super soft, I'm really looking forward to the feel of it on my neck once finished. The pattern is a really simple 3-row repeat, even my tired old brain can keep up with it easily. I started it some months ago but it was cast aside in favour of something else, and then the work and the pattern got separated and the tired old brain forgot the pattern, so I had to wait until I found the pattern again before resuming!

Its working up very quickly though so I'm hoping to share another Ta Da with you shortly.

So how are you spending your New Year's Eve ? We will be on a zoom call with friends, doing a quiz and games night, including Countdown, Wheel of Fortune and Bingo! And lots of bubbly!

I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year, may 2021 bring happier times for us all.

Jillxxxx

Twixmas

 Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely few days.

Here we are in Twixmas - that strange in-limbo week between Christmas Day and New Year, when noone knows what day it is , what to eat when, what to wear or who they even are! Its Monday (though I had to double check that !!) the 28th, so 3 days after the Big Day. How was yours ???? Ours was pretty fabulously relaxing I have to say. I was awake with excitement (I'm such a big kid) at about 5am but held off actually getting up until about 8am, and then I had to waken the Not So Little People at 9. This was the first year that we didn't leave out a mince pie for Santa (sob!) but he came all the same and left a stocking for each of them, each of which was opened with gusto. We then exchanged our other presents and everyone seemed very happy with their little haul. I didn't take many photos at all on Christmas Day - just didn't think - but oh well, I've taken lots since.

Mr EC and the Little Peeps gave me lots of sausage dog gifts - including a hat and scarf - which I wore on Christmas morning on a beautifully crisp and festive dog walk. 

They also gave me an oven-glove, tea towel and apron - the latter of which I wore to cook Christmas lunch - with a glass of bubby of course - cheers!

I also got some new slippers from my mother-in-law, they have barely left my feet since, they are so cosy ...

 ..... and a lovely new vanilla candle, here it is next to the card she gave us - isn't it brilliant :)

One of my other favourite gifts was this little heart from my friend - I had assumed she'd made it, but she 'fessed up that she didn't - she did make me something but apparently it went wrong so she didn't want to give it to me, I'm dying to know what it was though! Anyway the heart has pride of place above the fireplace.

Another dear friend gave me this wonderfully personalised picture frame ....

All the little peg-words are things that are meaningful to us both and have kept us going and connected through lockdown and its various forms.... zoom calls, drinks in the garden, coffees, walking and so on. Such a thoughtful gift. :)

Speaking of walking, I am nearing the end of  my 200km North Pole Virtual Challenge, I've currently got 12 km to go! In my last post I mentioned I was going to walk the 9 mile round trip for a new crochet hook - well I did it - 16km in total, took me nearly 3 and a half hours and I was dead on my feet when I got home, but such a sense of achievement. Here are some pictures I took along the way ....

.... and I've since done a few more massive dog walks as well. Poor little Pixie doesn't know what to think ...

We saw Santa and Mrs Claus walking their dog ....

And sometimes we ended up at Costa for a cheeky takeaway ....

I saw a penny, picked it up and all day long I had good luck ....

So as I say, only 12km to go, and I'm hoping at most two more walks should do it :)

In crafty news I am still working on a Christmas sampler I started earlier in December ....

I'd like to try and finish it this week whilst its technically still Christmas time, but I fear it may be a bit of a tall order. I'm also doing a winter stitch-along with Stitchonomy. Free sign-ups are closed but you can join Alyssa's Pattern Club if you want to take part. She releases a new piece of the pattern every 3 days. Here's what I've done so far ...

As you can see it's stitched on turquoise aida. I've been cross-stitching for about 35 years but this is the first time I've ever used non-white aida. I love how it looks!

I'm also soooooo neeeeeearly finished my Attic24 cottage blanket ...... I've been working away every evening on it ....

... and have finished the main body and sewn in the ends .Oh the ends. There were sooooo many. Why don't I learn and do them as I go along ??

So now I'm working on the border ....

I can't wait to get it done, I think its going to be used to snuggle under on the sofa, its been years in the making as I've fallen in and out of love with it a few times. The man reason I want it done is that I have a new blanket kit all ready to begin - more on that in my next post :) 

And in between crochet and cross -stitch I've been reading "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng, it was a great read, very interesting exploring all the different mother-child relationships. It's also been made into a TV series which I then obviously had to watch too!

And so I've been putting in these days with lots of gentle crocheting, cross-stitching and reading ... and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. It's so lovely to slow down and not have the usual frenzy of the school days and the bazilion emails that I seem to get every day. And we still have another week to go - hurrah!

Hope you are all having a lovely Twixmas week, see you next time, 

Jillxxxxx

Approaching Christmas

Well hello there, long time no see! I've been MIA for the longest time, just life getting in the way but I've really missed my wee blog and chatting to you all so thought I'd start it up again. I did have a scary moment where I thought the whole thing had been deleted (note to self: BACKUP your blog Jill!!!) but luckily it was user error and here I am posting again - phew! I'd love to recap the last 2 years but I can't remember 2019 (I can't remember what I had for breakfast most days ...) and of course 2020 has been a bit of a write-off with children off school, home-learning, and MrEC working from home, and everything being shut. As I write we are in Tier 4 so basically no going out except for a walk, or essential shopping. I'm very sad that the cafes had all closed except for takeaways - which - I'm sorry - just aren't the same as sitting in with a cosy cuppa. However I am on a strict diet at the moment anyway, very boring but I needed to lose a load of weight - have lost 2 and a half stone so far, so feeling rather pleased with myself :) So its probably for the best that I am not allowed anywhere near the cake counter for the time being.

Instead I've been going or lot of lovely long walks. Our weather has been mixed , some bitterly cold days but with bright blue skies and winter sun .....

... and some very murky damp dismal days.... 

... though the ducks and geese don't seem to mind ....

There's still lots of colour to be found though with nature continuing to burst forth ....

We are very lucky where we live - its slap bang in the middle of suburbia but there are so many lovely walkways and paths to explore. I have a few very good walking friends who I take it in turns to walk with, there's nothing like a good 2 hour chat to clear the mind!

Things I've noticed on my walks this week were this rather forlorn looking welly ....

I wonder where its partner is and if it ever found its way home ? And also this shopping bag, which has been hanging on this branch for about 3 weeks now.

I've decided if its still there unclaimed today I'm going to take it back to my house, clean it up and give it a new home.

And check out this house's front garden - it has the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees .....

Speaking of Christmas trees, I crocheted up this little chap last week, isn't he super cute ?

I got the pattern from issue 124 of LGC Knitting and Crochet magazine ...

He was pretty straightforward apart from the frills which were Super Fiddly, but worth it I think as he was a gift for a friend. I also made a little Santa gonk for my gonk-loving friend ....

I bought the pattern online but of course now can't find it to link to it, sorry!

And I've picked up a blanket I started YEARS ago, its the Attic24 Cottage Ripple Blanket, I'm determined to get it done before the end of the year.

I've got about 12 stripes left to do, so am aiming for 2 or so a day. I did manage to lose my favourite 5mm Clover Amour crochet hook yesterday though - where do these things go ???? I have another one by a different brand but it doesn't crochet nearly so smoothly. I've searched high and low (yes, under the sofa) for my clover one but it refuses to be found. So tomorrrow's walk will be a hefty 9 mile round trip walk (see below!) to me local yarn shop Stitchery Do, once the very lovely owner Rebecca confirms if she has one in stock (keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!)

And with that I shall leave you, I am off on another walk - oh I didn't tell you I am aiming for 200km in December, have done about 140, so 60 to go in 9 days, I reckon its still doable.... so I better crack on.

I know for many of us this year Christmas will be a strange one, but I do hope you all manage to make the best of it and have a relaxing day. Wishing you all a very merry Christmas!

Jillxxxx