~Yarnalong:
Somehow December snuck up on me this year (I think I say that every year, but for some reason, it seemed to just show up out of nowhere!). I love the way that we have worked slowing down into our yearly plan, and it’s been perfect for all the “busy” and change we’ve been facing the last few weeks. I’m ready to pull out the Christmas books, though, and I’m looking forward to enjoying some time reading my Advent books, and the Christmas stories that I’ve gathered through the year (I have a Mitford Christmas book that I just can’t wait to savor!). I’m reminding myself of something that I heard Pam Barnhill say during one of her talks the other week- that Christmas is for the ENTIRE season, it isn’t just one day, and so savor it, and enjoy it. It has really helped me to have a more relaxed approach to the whole thing, and if we end up celebrating and savoring all the way to Epiphany and beyond, well, who wouldn’t want a little more Christmas in their life?
So, with that philosophy in mind, I gave in to my children’s request to continue with our Mary Poppins books instead of loading up on Christmas stories (we did save part of our morning to read through Miracle on 34th Street, the chapters are just short enough, and the illustrations are captivating and I personally can’t wait to share one of my favorites, The Best/Worst Christmas Pageant Ever, it always reminds me of my second grade teacher, Mrs. Butler, who read it to our class and gifted me a copy for Christmas). All three of mine enjoyed listening to Mary Poppins (the four year old was the biggest fan and would even request it during dinner, and on the weekends!) and so they were very sad when we finished the book. They were excited to learn that there were several more Mary Poppins books we could share, though, and so I grabbed a copy of Mary Poppins Returns for us to share. We are all enjoying it so far!
I hadn't originally planned on any more Christmas knitting after I finished my Sugar Plum Fairy inspired shawl, In the Land of Sweets was finished, but I just couldn’t stay away from buying all the gorgeous Christmas colors my favorite indie dyers kept creating! Once they arrived, I couldn’t keep from casting them on and knitting up some special things! This Watts Up Merry and Bright was no exception! As soon as I unwrapped it, I knew it would make the perfect little Snowflake Cardigan for my little Elsa fan. I’d forgotten how quickly children-sized sweaters worked up, but I think this yarn had an extra dose of magical powers, because everything just clicked, and all the math worked perfectly, and I’m already cruising along the first sleeve! I’ve got some more Christmas knitting ideas up my sleeve as well, so stay tuned for those if you are interested (and make sure you are on my email list because I’m working up a sweet treat just for you!)
Until next time,
Happy Knitting,
~Jessica