It's Almost Christmas!!!

Are you all ready for the festivities? I am getting there.....slowly...but surely.
I thought that I would share with you some of the things that I have been working on.
First is a hat for my good friend Karen's daughter Jessica. She's 10 and loves handknitted work. She earned some money a few weekends ago and bought herself some handknitted gloves with the earnings. So, I figure that she will really enjoy this little hat...she is heavily into pink....I couldn't help plopping one of my buttons on top.
I made it from baby alpaca..on the bottom...and some hand spinning by my friend Trish Andersen, of Tanglewood Fiber Creations. It all went so well together that I was in awe.

Next is the Christmas stocking that I made for Tim (Kate's beau). I made it with some material that was left over from one of the skirts that I made Kate last year...and some raspberry velvet. His birthday is on Monday and I think that he will like his new sock....probably not as much as the espresso maker and espresso beans that Michael and I got for him......we'll see ;) SHHH! Don't tell...

Here's a scarf that I made for my Good friend Nancy. I made it from Lisa Souza's yarn...."Petroglyph"...silk and baby alpaca. It will keep Nancy's neck warm during the cool Oregon weather.

I made an awesome trade....this lovely Primero yarn for one of our Orifice Hooks....met a lovely woman in the process!! We are both thrilled with our part of the trade!!! ;)
It's a delight to work with and I know that my friend Cynthia will love it. She's quite a snappy dresser.....a working girl, out in the world...you know...she needs to have something warm and fancy around her beautiful neck. Still in the doing stage..but by the time we meet up.....next Wednesday for our Women's Christmas celebration, it will be done.

I got the news from Janel of Spindlicity fame, the new Spindlicity is up and we are featured artists in it. We had such a nice time with Janel when she came to visit. It truly is an honor to be in her online magazine.

AND then....there's the latest gift guide from Lime & Violet...it's got alot of good gift information & contact information.
And lucky us. We were included in it as well.

Yep, the orders keep on coming in and we keep on filling them...but I am taking time to make Christmas cookies this weekend....come Hell or High Water (which is likely, it's pouring here).
I do hope that you are enjoying your Holidays as well.

Here's the lovely Autumn....getting bigger by the day....next to the consumately beautiful Pointsettia that Kate gifted me with last week.

Happy Channakuh..to all those who celebrate!!

Solstice is fastly approaching....the sun will shine again!!

And....YIPPEE...it's almost Christmas!!!!

From Our House to Yours

May the sun shine on your beautiful face. May the world be a place that offers you refuge. May you be loved. May you appreciate all the wonderful things that you have been given. May we have PEACE!


Well, it's here....the holiday season...I love December. It's brightness...I try to avoid the obvious hurry and bustle of the outside world. I tend to enjoy it for what it is...a time when we CAN contemplate how much we love being alive and the people that we are lucky enough to spend our time and energy with.

For us it also includes a very busy life!! The fact that we get to play Santa's elves...I use this term loosely as it includes all Channukah.....Kwanza....and Solstice elves as well, is in itself a wonderous thing. And our house has been a bustle of activity...getting things made and sent out into the world of love and wonder. I delight in the thought of each person opening the present that has been given/sent to them....it is joyous.


Last Friday I had the opportunity to go into town and spend the day with our youngest daughter...Kate. It was an amazing, fun day. We went to Costco and got lots of goodies....food, ofcourse, then new socks to keep Kate's feet warm and some lovely black slippers to do the same. We went out to lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant in Eugene....one that we have been frequenting since our move to this area 17 years ago.
Then Kate bought a lovely little Christmas tree, a pointsetta for me & I got to buy the lights and stand & got to help put it up.
It was such fun!! Kate is a Christmas lover too!
Now that's what I'm talking about!!!
Here she is with Tim....her "SO", he's a glassblower too (funny what).


I received a package today containing two very special skeins of Lisa Souza sock yarn. Our Miss Violet, of Lime & Violet fame, discovered a lump in her breast & needs to have it looked after. The deductible on her insurance policy (OYY) is $1,000....so that needed to be raised before Violet could go to the doctor. Lisa, being the wonderful woman that she is, decided to make a new colorway to help....she is donating a portion of the sales to Miss Violet. She calls it "Violet's Pink Ribbon" & it is beautiful. I can feel the warmth of love that she has placed into it.
Please take a moment to send love and light to Miss Violet! She will appreciate it....Please go and buy some of the yarn from Lisa too!! What better time or way to help! Thank you ;)
And....we will be helping too from the sales of the Lime & Violet items that we have on our site.



Yesterday we received a lovely snowman drawing/letter from our Granddaughter Siobhan...with this picture. She's growing up. We can tell the difference since last summer when we got to visit with she and her Mom. She's growing up!! I can remember when her Mom was her age and they look very similar....that lucious long blond hair and big blue eyes and creamy peach skin.
What a blessing she is!!
I did get her some fun Christmas presents....wish I could watch her open them. Wish that she was closer in proximity so that we could share Christmas with her.

WOW!! Do I rate or what?

56th Birthday....It was Awesome to say the least!!
It all started a few days ago with the arrival of this box of Vosges http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/ "exotic truffles from Jennyrose...She knows how much I love chocolate truffles...well, chocolate of any kind ;). These are beyond decadent!!

Having NO expectations...really...I greeted the day with a phone call from my great friend Lisa Souza. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Have you gotten the box yet?"....No, but the PO is on the to do list, I will let you know if it arrives....today. "It's a giant box".....now this peaks my interest...but knowing that a surprize is coming was enough, at that moment for me.

Michael gives me a big kiss and tells me HAPPY BIRTHDAY and hands me a container of our favorite ice cream....ie. Ben & Jerry's "Phish Food"....now I ask you, what's NOT to love here? He had made a fire, turned on the computer and fed the cats!!
WOW, what a man!

At 9:30 my incredible friend Nancy M called....sings Happy Birthday and gifts me with my yearly Tarot reading. It was great.....staying balanced is my assignment....and ENJOYING Life....yah, I can work on that!!

So, the day goes on...orders come in...orders go out!!....Yippee!!
I get HAPPY BIRTHDAY greetings through both emails and friends on Fiber Traditions....
I am thinking to myself, it just keeps getting better and better.....
I'm knitting and drinking coffee, eating Phish Food and chocolates....
I AM HAPPY ;)

I get a call from my Friend/Sister Karen....She sings Happy Birthday to me! She's a professional singer amongst many other talents......
"Has your birthday package arrived yet?" We will check at the PO on the way into Eugene to have dinner!!

ALL THINGS COME TO SHE WHO WAITS ;)

Kate calls and invites us over for a visit after we have dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Eugene.....Beppe & Gianni's.....YES! We would love to.....


Time to leave for dinner and to run by the PO.....we get there, Michael says he'll go in.....I swear he looked like Santa coming out.....he was loaded with packages...mostly for ME ;)

I tear open the small packages....waiting until we get home to see what's in the mystery package from Lisa........

Inside the present from Karen was this beautiful bracelet that she made. It fits me perfectly and is a Pleasure to wear!! I, ofcourse, put it on immediately!

We had a marvelous dinner!!
Michael and I talked and ate and enjoyed our time together...not doing anything but being He and I!!

The visit with Kate and her beau Tim was short and sweet!! Birthday HUGS!! AHH!!

The drive home......and THEN......the Big Box came into the house.....What could it be?
Well, my friends......HERE IT IS!! Can you believe it? I can't......
WOW...WOW....WOW!!

As I said to Lisa this morning....... I bow to you OH consumate gift giver!!
The ultimate gift!! An Ashford electric spinning wheel ;)

What a day......Like I said, HOW DO I RATE!!!

Thanks to all of you that made my 56th such an amazing birthday....and thanks to all of you who make my life such a joy to be participating in......WOW! I am blessed ;)
PS Thanks for reading this blog.