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Monday, January 5, 2015

Post Holiday Putterings, and a Wee Tiny Little Bit of News

Hello dear reader, and apologies (as usual) for the lengthy absence.  I had a very busy summer and fall in 2014, and then the 4th quarter dropped off rather dramatically in terms of work, but I had many projects and plans to putter about with, and I seem to have been non-stop busy.  I'm trying to be a bit more organized with my time in the new year, and perhaps that will allow me to blog more often.  I do miss it, and I have some former readers who say they miss reading the blog, so I'll try to keep things more up to date.

The holiday season presented some opportunity for crafty bits and pieces to spring forth from my hands, especially since I didn't have a great deal of work in the last quarter for my writing business.  As a result, I made a variety of gifts for friends and family.  Here are some highlights:

The "Flock of Geese" cowl that I made for my father is a free pattern on Ravelry found here, and I really enjoyed working on it.  I've improved my knitting of cables over the past year and really like the way that they spring forth from the needles.  I did this cowl in an Elann brand highland wool and Donegal tweed blend.  My Dad says it keeps his neck warm, and that was the goal!

I made quite a few ornaments for my Mum to hang on the tree.  Included in that group were an English Robin (crochet), a mushroom (crochet), a "partridge" (crochet), a pear (knit), and a snowflake (crochet).  I was relatively pleased with all of them and so was she, which was the intent!






I finally finished the Calm Waters Cowl and gave it to my mother, since she wears a lot of blue-green colours and I thought this would be ideal for her while walking the dog.  I finished it off with some pewter buttons in a Celtic scrollwork design.

I also made Marc a hat, which is great for him to use while snowblowing the driveway or participating in other outdoor activities.

For myself, I've been working on the "Sea Dragon Shawl" which is not yet finished, but progressing slowly.  I really like the pattern and I'm hoping to have it finished before winter is over!

So, these are the things that kept me busy in the months preceding Christmas.

Work is slowly starting to pick up again, and I'm hopeful that 2015 will be another busy year for my small business.  In part, because I hope to finish the renovations on the Nova Scotia farm this year so that it can be put on the market.  But also, in part, because I need to pay for my upcoming....

WEDDING!!!!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Yes, Marc proposed on Boxing Day and we are hoping to be married in September of 2015.  So there you have it, my tiny little bit of news.  It will be a very tiny little wedding, but rest assured, the love is anything BUT tiny!

9 comments:

Michelle said...

How wonderful; CONGRATULATIONS!

Jean said...

Congratulations! All the best to you and Marc. Glad to see you posting again!

Spinners End Farm said...

I am SO happy for you both Claire! The ornaments and knit goods are just beautiful. I had no doubts that life would turn around for you...you special lady. :)

Alison said...

Big congratulations, Claire! And your projects are beautiful. I think we share a similar fondness for blue. Happy 2015 to you and your family.

porkpal said...

I'm glad you're back blogging - and with such exciting news! I love the crochet animals too.

Yellow Jacket Ridge Angoras said...

I think I'm going to cry.......I could still use a tree of happiness.....I'm blogging again ..... It's been a long journey. I am so grateful I found your blog and YOU!

Blessings Always!

IsobelleGoLightly said...

Helloooo! I'm a naughty goat and have to get caught up on reading my blogs!!!

I'm so happy for you and Marc. He seems like he'd be nice to goats! My lady thinks those presents that you created for people are just lovely and she wears the beautiful cowl that you made for her. She says it's very warm when she is out doing chores. Thank you!!!!

|--*~*--| said...

Where did you get the pattern for the robin ornament?? Super cute stuff!

Claire MW said...

The pattern for the robin ornament is available on Ravelry.com via this link:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/robin-3
The assembly instructions are a bit tricky, but if you are on Ravelry, you can go to my project page here:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/ScotiaSpinner/robin
I provided a lot of pictures and some (I hope) helpful tips about the assembly in my project notes. Hope that helps!