Happy New Year!

My grands and their parents joined my father, sister, husband, son and me for Christmas last week. It was bittersweet since it was our first Christmas since losing my mother last January 2nd. But the boys were able to keep us cheerful with their excitement over the surprises that were to follow.

Moose helped me wind a hank of yarn so I could knit a cozy hat for him. His gray and lime green jacket will be nicely complimented by a nice bright turquoise watch cap.

 Christmas morning started with checking out what Santa stashed in our Christmas stockings. The boys were thrilled with the gift cards they can use all by themselves when they need lunch at Dunkin' Donuts.

 Great-grandpa Billy loves his new portrait of the boys. Leo was making sure Poppop knew who was in the picture.

 And the socks I knitted for him were a hit too.

 Moose couldn't wait to dig into the Toblerone candy bar and spent most of the day sneaking another bite here and there.

 My son loved his new crazy hiking socks and they fit him perfectly! Whew! It's always a guessing game for me when I knit something that needs to fit.

 And my daughter loved her new KnitPicks Caspian Interchangeable needles! 

 I got the best hugs!

 And a beautiful new scarf that my daughter designed and named after me! Someday when she has the time (HA! with two little boys! Right!) she will write up the pattern and sell it on Ravelry. I'll keep you posted.

 She designed one for my sister, Jamie, and will post that pattern for sale too.

The boot cuffs I made for her also fit perfectly. Boy! I was on a roll this year!!!

 By the end of the day most of the chocolate candy had been devoured and it was time to wind down. Another Christmas was over and now it's time to get back to my donation knitting.

But before we get to that, I have to show you Barbara's granddaughter wearing the sweater that Barb knitted for her. She is a beautiful little girl and her sweater fits perfectly. Great job Barbara!

 The Chicks met on Tuesday afternoon and we had a few things to put into inventory.

Kathleen knitted a pair of basketweave boot cuffs from her new Knitting Calendar. It's a box of patterns for every day of the year. She's going to have fun with that!

 Just for good measure Kathleen added a hat to the inventory too.

Now she's working on another pair of basketweave boot cuffs.

I'm making progress on a cowl which is a mashup of two different patterns. The yarn is a blend of silk and merino so it will be not only warm but very soft too.

The Up On Top Boot Cuffs were finished this week. I was at the very end of the skein and had to squeak the last few inches of yarn from the ball to finish the bind off.

Just before Christmas I finished The Chickadee Cowl using Berroco Quasar yarn.

I added a pair of reversible boot cuffs last week too. These are great because you get two pairs of cuffs in one!

     

Since it was Christmas break from school, Cinzia brought her girls along too. I love to watch the younger generations take up our traditions.

 Cinzia showed us the slippers she's making for her oldest son. I don't recall the name of the yarn but it is a very soft acrylic which will be nice for something that will probably get a lot of washing and wearing.

 

 Sofia worked on a pair of cabled mittens using a very soft and very pretty purple yarn that has a touch of angora in it.

 And lastly,  last week I showed you a picture of an in-progress shawl I was making for myself to wear to my holiday get-togethers. I had doubts if I would finish it in time but I did it! My Outlaw Shawl was ready to wear on Christmas Eve.

 Now that the New Year has started let me wish you all happiness and prosperity and...

the best of health. Oh! And lots of time to knit!!!