I have just got back from the most glorious dog walk on the farm, I was so warm and cosy, that it’s quite difficult to think of it as December.  Cuppa brewed and Gluten Free Hobnob at the ready, it’s time for a little blog update, with Spotify for musical accompaniment.

At this time of the year I should really be listening to Christmas songs, but it feels more like a Mamas & Papas sort of day, with the December sun shining through my office windows.

The next issue of Olann and is due to be published shortly, so both @deirdremcardle and I are mid panic stations at the moment.  Add to that the extra pressure silly season brings with it and it’s nothing short of crazy round here.

Fortunately, I have all but sorted the items I had to knit or make for this issue.  Well I’m saying that, but I know there’s a last-minute yarn due in that will need swatching and there’s something else I’d like to try if I have the time.  Either way the majority of the creative aspect of the Winter Solstice Issue is pretty much sorted and I’m happy to report that most of the writing and typing is.  There are still quite a lot of photographs that need editing and a few more that have yet to be taken, but then that only leaves the very laborious task of transferring everything over to the website.  Which takes hours and hours and isn’t helped by my super slow broadband connection.

It’s going to be completely worth it though, there are so many lovely things going in to this coming issue and I’m desperate to get it out there.  Not least so I can concentrate on immersing myself in all things Christmas.

When I haven’t been Olann and-ing it, dog walking or doing any number of other daft things (more daft than necessary half the time), I have been gift making.  So many of the items are things I can’t show, just in case the recipient happens to cast their eye over my posts, but I should be safe talking about my current WIP.

It’s a Bandana Cowl designed by Purl Soho, some of you might recall I made this one previously in The Fibre Co’s Arranmore yarn for a giveaway over at the magazine?

No idea why I didn’t post about it here at the time, but it’s a lovely quick make, unisex, cosy and it doesn’t take that much yarn to make, 91 -119 metres in total.  The pattern calls for bulky weight, but when you check the project pages, you’ll notice that lots have been made using aran or worsted weight yarn, hence my current yarn choice.

I’m going with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in the Sweatshirt colourway, which is a gorgeous grey that most people should be able to wear.  Far from being extravagant, I’m actually being super frugal and using up the hank and a bit that I had left from knitting a hat for Du (my eldest son) in.

I’m not exactly sure which of my men folk it’s going to be for, but as I plan on making all of them a hat or a cowl, I don’t suppose it really matters.  Whilst I was setting up my project notes for this version in Ravelry, I noticed Lavanya Patricella’s Fingering Brioche Bandana Cowl, rather nice isn’t it?

In other knitting, I made a Mini Christmas Jumper Decoration as a bit of a test.  I tend to include a little something in several of the Christmas cards I send out to people I don’t get to see as often as I would like.  I assume it makes them smile and lets them know they’re still in my thoughts, or at least I hope it does anyway?  The jumper hasn’t quite worked out the way I’d hoped and it’s bloody fiddly to make, so I think I might just run up several of my Rustic Little Christmas Trees and pop those in instead.

I’m going to sign off here, in order to give myself a little time to have a look through the GAL2017 designs on Ravelry before doing some ‘proper’work.  For those of you that haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about, GAL means Gift-A-Long and it’s a multi-designer promotion that’s geared towards kick starting your holiday gift making.  Lasting for six weeks, the event is in its fifth year, with even more designers taking part.  Here you’ll find all the knitting designers and here are all the crochet ones.  Each offers a 25% discount on between five to twenty off their patterns for the event.

Once you’ve bought your GAL patterns you’re encouraged to take part in one of the KAL/CALs taking place.  You’ll find everything you need to know about this years GAL over on the Indie Gift-A-Long Ravelry Board here, including the lists of patterns, KAL’S, CAL’s and general chatter.  To purchase any of the patterns with the discount, you need to enter the coupon code giftalong2017 before you checkout.

Happy Making

xxx

PS.  Just in case you’re wondering, you’re eyes really aren’t deceiving you – there are four dogs in the photo at the top of this post.  Promise I’ll explain everything soon.

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