Yopping Update #22 - Christmas Knitting done

 

Jumping right in with today's update.  I go a new phone on Friday so I have been playing around with the set up and trying not to get frustrated because it doesn't work the same as my old one.  But hey, learning new things is good for the old brain, right?

Once I finished making the staff and shepherds' crooks for my nativity scene I was projectless!

wrapped leather around pipe cleaners 

whittled Joseph's staff

My Knitpick order hasn't arrived yet so the Havana is still in timeout.  I started the Kangaroo mother with baby, but I kept messing up the stitch count - newbie crocheter here and I always have trouble finding the end of one round and the beginning of the next so it was put into timeout for bad behaviour. Mine.

Then I remembered I had some Christmas Knitting to do for my son.  He wanted a helmet liner, but with a piece that goes down over his shoulder for extra warmth when skiing.

So I cast on a top down sweater with a provisional cast-on, and then when I got to the place to divide for the sleeves I bound it off.  I then picked up the provisional cast-on and made the helmet as the pattern prescribed. 

I ended up with this:

I even modelled it ( a bit big on me)

So last night I inventoried my remaining stash, and today I will get back to the Mother Kangaroo and hope that my wool order is over the border and winging its way to me so the Havana can be resumed.  I do have an Advent knit starting December 1st - another gnome-a-long - which I am very much looking forward to.

I got out this past week for quite a few long (wet) walks.  Friday I had my bronchoscopy and between the sedative wearing off and the after-procedure cough - I have laid pretty low the past two days.  I hope to get out for a short walk today if I can find a place with fewer (or better yet, no) other people.  

I didn't get my Christmas lights up yet, as planned, so after I do the laundry I am going to dig them out and put them around the window.  I am also going to dig around for my raingear which I think is also in the basement, or maybe the camper.  If I am going to keep up with my hour walks in the rain I need better outerwear. 

And so, December is almost here....Christmas is going to be very different this year...simpler, missing family, but Christmas will still come.  It always does. 

I will leave you with this cutie-pie.

who? Me?

Yopping Update #21 - For unto us a child is born

 I have finished the Nativity scene (well except for the shepherds' hooks and Joseph's staff. ) 

I ran out of light green on pattern five of the Havana, and my order hasn't yet arrived from KnitPicks so I spent the week researching free patterns and then knitting the missing pieces of my Nativity scene.  

The wisemen's camel

Mary's donkey

The ox

And Angel Gabriel

As of last night I had nothing on my needles and nothing left to stuff or sew together.  Ok, I could have started whittling the crooks and staff, but it wasn't something I was going to start at 10pm.

I am very please with the results and the top of my piano looks amazing!

Today I will start the mother Kangaroo and her baby with my homespun, and of course there is always spinning to do while I wait for my wool order. 

Other than knitting all the animals for the manger scene it has been a quiet (ish) week.  I did get my pneumonia shot on Monday and at the same time had a whack of blood tests (9 vials!!).  So far all results are good.  I am scheduled to have an in-hospital day-procedure so the doctors can look around my lungs - but I am wondering if it will be postponed due to the rise in CoVid cases.  There has been an outbreak at my local hospital so I am not hopeful that they can fit me in anytime soon.  

I have been walking outside everyday, rain or shine (only one day of shine) and discovering new trails in my neighbourhood which is breaking up the routine a little. 

I have noticed many houses are putting up their Christmas lights and it is very cheery, what with November skies, and CoVid lockdown ,so I think today I will follow suit.  This is a huge departure for me as I usually don't decorate for Christmas until around the 21st  of December.  Sometimes even as late as Christmas Eve as was my family's tradition.  However, this year I think I need all the twinkling lights I can find to brighten the evenings. 

Our province is under travel restrictions - don't leave your own municipality, and also no visitors to your house - only socialize with the ones you live with.  When we went to the beach yesterday for a short walk it seemed that many people weren't following the recommendations.  The basketball court and skatepark were full of people, none with masks, and definitely not social distancing.  It made us nervous so we walked on the sand as the seawalk was also very crowded.  It was a lovely walk though - the sun was setting and shining on the ocean and when we turned around the snow on the local mountains was shining with gold.  

I am progressing on my virtual Camino walk - only 32 miles to go.  I have a friend doing the same walk and she is closer to the finish line, so this week we are going to pick another challenge to do once we reach this finish line.  Stay tuned. 

I am going to rake some more leaves before the rains start again.  The cedar fall looks beautiful, as do the maple leaves, but the lawn is thick with them, as is the driveway, and when wet the leaves are very slippery. 

We have had many lovely video chats with our grand-daughter - many featuring her new kitty whom she calls Black Kitty so I think the name is going to stick.  

I pray you are all well and safe and busy with hobbies, or raking, or walking, or whatever will take your mind off the current situation of our lives.  2020 - a year for the history books indeed. 

Here is picture from last night's video chat - gd was concentrating very hard on the coins she was cooking in her little frying pan.  She is wearing a lovely sweater hand-knit by her auntie, my sister.