We brought in from outside and decorated our little live Redwood for its last indoor Christmas, we’ll plant for sure in the new year. Such a little tree, with friends’ knitted Christmasy things sent to me and a few collected old mercury glass ones made the little tree so festive. And Juno’s snuck into the new chair by the fire, and the day was very quiet just the three of us. Happy Christmas!
A tiny living Christmas tree for a tiny house!
And on it I have hung two ornaments…
A really tiny house, and well, that needs no explanation does it … and an acorn, a symbol of strength & potential.  This brave & fearless little tree has a big future to uphold!
 Merry Christmas everyone!
Hey! Its a chullo!!!
A totally improvised piece, the way I’ve been making them for decades.
One and a half days before Christmas,
and I am now finished with all of my gift-making!
Now where’s the Irish Cream? I want to party!
I’m feeling the magic of the holiday tickle softly, like a snowflake flurrying down and landing on my nose. The contemplative spirit of Winter Solstice coming soon is always a cheerful time for me.
After sending off the last of the Christmas packages in the tiny post office in the back, I spent a pleasant half hour at my favorite social spot, while the sky darkened and the rain began to fall. In my opinion this place really does have the best brew in the valley . . .
In the warmth of a bustling cafe, watching through the window the door opening and closing and opening again while I knit several rounds of lace. Then without so much as a blink I’ll be heading up the mountain homeward in low gear up the Oakville Grade.
 I am just knitting through a flurry of last minute gifts . . .
what are you up to?
Merry Christmas everyone!
Every  Christmas I make a shirt for Jeff.  I finished this one belatedly on new year’s day, then as soon as I finished sewing on the last button Jeff had to try it on, and then of course… he was so cozy in it … it was too dark to photo…. he wore it to work the next day,  and I never got to photograph it. Now it has been already washed, and being flannel it’s already lost its crisp allure and gotten a little fuzzy ….
What is so funny is that every time I make one of these Christmas shirts I seem to mess something up badly, if not disastrously.  This year the buttonholes were okay, plackets and collar okay … but….  the plaid was so wavy as it was probably the last on the bolt and warp/weft apparently is terminally twisted, and so the plaid did not/could not/ would not stay square. Thus I did a horrible job of matching up in front (like if I make it match at side seams, the front is wonky). Whatever! Who cares! (except that I kind of do care).  A bit dissymmetric, but I will just let it be what it wants to be.
Needless to say, since my sewing machine is already out, I may have to sew some other crazy  new-from-old shirts, so watch this space for some fun upcycling!
Wool Man
On this cool and very quiet Christmas day, after a hike to the peak…
 all the best wintery wishes from The Wool Man…
Emma & Me to you!
There is rumor that it will snow  tonight!  I’m watching the skyline over the ridge and it is indeed darkening, and the temperature is dropping. The mystery of Christmas Eve enchants me still, and every year the magic of the tree decorated with old and new  ornaments makes me giddy as a young girl. Merry Christmas everyone!
Emma has been so very patient, chillin’ out while I’ve been a Making Maniac. We haven’t been doing much walking in recent days because I am seriously preoccupied, and besides, it’s been raining a lot lately too. I just want all the gifts made and then I can enjoy myself,  and the sooner the better! Â
The latest is something I promised somebody closely related (I won’t say who,  or the surprise may be ruined)  I’ve been working on this stocking for 3 days, totally improvising as I go ~ pretty interesting heel turn huh?
Felted it partially this morning, and here it is, still quite damp.  Well, that is us here, filling the days with cheer of making. It just doesn’t get better than that, and  I hope you’re all having a magical December !
Wishing you All a very Merry Christmas!
Hugs & Kisses to All. xoxo
(( This is the flannel check shirt I worked on for nearly four days, for Jeff while he was in Mexico.  Try to overlook the  ever-so-slightly wrinkliness of it. 🙂 ))
Dazzled by the spirit of the holiday, and all that I’ve been busy with.
I can’t believe this pile of gifts I made . . .
((  My heart is about to burst with pride that I sure turned around when I thought I could only manage the kitty  which got sent off over two weeks ago, and the felted bag which went to Mexico with Jeff. ))
Since then I really went into making overdrive.
All of my hand-made Christmas gifts are finished, Â as of yesterday, Â and tucked under the tree, Â waiting for family to gather. Â I hate to seem all smug & self-satisfied, but now that I am finished, I can’t help but just be elated, and enjoy myself !!! Â This folks, is not something that happens every Christmas, as I am usually always making up into Christmas Day itself, and beyond. Â But this year…. I just put my nose to the grindstone and did it.
( Interesting lights photo at top of page was accidentally shot while I was moving in front of our Christmas tree. )
Sending out loads of love and encouragement to all those elves busy still making, hoping all gets finished and that you may too relax ! ~~ xx.
One of my weird kitchen concoctions ~~ hot pepper chocolate.
I have been home alone on the mountain with Emma and The Ravens for four days now. Â Jeff is returning tonight, Â from Mexico where he has been visiting with his daughter in Cancun since the nineteenth, visiting ancient Mayan ruins and enjoying a lovely warm beach. Â Here, I’ve been very busy with holding the fort, and working on this lacey thing . . .
But really what I’ve been working hard on while alone in the house, is my traditional gift of Christmas to Jeff, but I dare not show you a thing until Christmas morning. In the mean time, still serving up my Spiced Chocolate drink if you’d like to stop by ~~I’ll whip one up for you ! Â If you can’t make it over, I understand, but you’ll have to try this at home ! Here’s how :
 Jen’s Spicy Bittersweet ChocolateÂ
(For two servings)
With a mortar & pestle, crunch up a couple of cinnamon sticks, and dried chile flakes or a whole small chile pepper  ~~ to taste, what you consider ‘barely hot’ , or ‘really hot’, it is up to you.
(( Optional:  a few cardamom pods, and a  ‘petal’ from a star anise pod, a dash of grey sea salt ))
Simmer in a pan with  about 3 cups of water for about 20 minutes, take off heat and melt into it a few ounces bittersweet chocolate, whisking while it melts.
More chocolate is nice… as much as you feel to balance against the heat of the peppers. Â I don’t add more sugar, as the idea is to be bittersweet and spicy hot… which is really delicious. However, nobody is stopping you from sweetening it up :).
Whip up a small bowl of cream, again, barely sweetened.
Strain through sieve into cups and pile on the whipped cream , sprinkle with something… like nutmeg or cinnamon… and enjoy !
Wishing You All and Yours lovely days of these fresh first winter days (or summer) and Happy Christmas sentiments.
Taking a break from the yarns,  and before I get into the next big project, I thought I’d make a batch of cranberry jam !  The mountain’s freeze-drying wind is keeping me from walking today, and so here I am, with cheery sing-along Christmas songs , a fire in the woodstove,  and more still to make.
 Just feeling rather cheer’d by the seasonal dazzle of colored lights and sentimental old ornaments.  Some are very old, as this doll’s doll that was my mother’s as a child, which I made into an ‘ornament’ years ago,  and the little sheep given to me by a friend back when I just started learning to spin and got a spinning wheel  . . .
And the little ‘teazle mouse’ given along with a really generous gift certificate to a lovely spinning shop, now two decades ago (does anybody remember the one in Jack London Square in Sonoma??) Â I remember I only got to spend a little of it before the shop sadly went out of business.
I’ll be making some peppery spiced cocoa a little later today so do hang around !
Seven days left to make things.
Leafy green is finished !
As is the sea critter . . .
As is the mint-licorice . . .
and also the sherpa hat ! ! !
A dandy one indeed.  Wool shell & cotton ‘lined’.  I will have to show you sometime how I accomplish this.
 Until then I’ll keep you all guessing.
Okay , but that’s not the whole list. There is one more thing I must make, and I will not post until Christmas morning. In the mean time, I will show you the progress of my first lace project . . .
Yes , my first, oh the glorious fun I am having ! And it’s no surprise to me that lace work is so doable while walking the ridge!  As this  progresses,  is blocked out, you will see the lace pattern so much better. Until then, oh the suspense is a little nice.  Well, I appear to be ahead of the game and can relax and do some gift wrapping now ! I hope all of you Elves out there are blissfully making.
* All project details on Ravelry HERE .
There is something so pure and beautiful and full of quiet wonder when winding off a fresh skein of yarn.
I feel a strong sense of personal obligation to my creativity,
and the yarn, and the potential it has to ‘become’.
And this project is going to take everything I can muster to ‘get it right’… because it will involve (hopefully) my first attempt at simple lace stitches. Â I figure there will be no surprises or mysteries with this project, and that I will post my tentative steps along the way.
Progress of Things Handmade :
Something fuzzy and very leafy green is in the bag . . .
It incorporates alpaca yarn & mohair/silk yarn alternately.
I love, love, love same-color mixed-texures knitting !
Next, something ruffly, also alpaca, and resembling some kind of a sea creature . . .
Lastly, something  mysterious,
hanging from a lamp to dry . . .
There is the progress report for now at eleven  days left to Make before Christmas.
How are your Christmas Creations coming along?