Wintery Thoughts

There is downy snow falling outside my window. I am sipping on my third, maybe fourth cup of cinnamon tea from a potbellied mug I received for Christmas. We are on the mend here, having been sick for a few days. Yesterday,  I got dressed for the first time in four days. Our visiting family members left on Sunday, drove back to Virginia. A couple of people from both families fell ill during the visit but most of us are doing much better now. They had been here for ten days and Oh what fun we had! It was so nice for the cousins to play without having anywhere to be but together. The grownups spent a lot of time catching up, staying up late, chatting and cracking jokes. We even got out to the movie theatre, something I only do once every few years.

Today, we spent the morning taking down the Christmas decorations, packing away all the greenery, lights and wooden cranberries. Gone are the ornaments, Advent candles and manger. This day is always bittersweet for me because I love the color and festivity that Christmas adds to our home. When the decorations come down, it always looks a little stark. Thankfully, there are Christmas presents to make us smile, warm food for our bellies and a fire on the hearth. There are new books to read and things to make.

This is my favorite time of year for crafting. The pressure to complete something by Christmas has passed and my creative mind works much more freely in the winter months. I am reading and enjoying a few new books.   One is called Sock Doll Workshop by Cindy Crandall-Frazier. I went to a craft fair before Christmas at our old parish and bought a couple of little sock dolls. They were so sweet and I wanted to learn how to make them. Also, since making Annie's sock monkey last year, I've been intrigued to learn how to make some different animals. Miyako Kanamori has two books Sock and Glove and Happy Gloves which are full of simple, sweet plans to make a variety of little creatures. So those dolls and creatures are my craft plans for this winter, along with picking up some neglected knitting.

Do you know that I still have not completed my Tasha Tudor Shawl?  There is something very rhythmic and mesmerizing about the thousands of tiny garter stitches that puts me to sleep every time I try to work on it. :) I actually taught myself to knit the European way while working on the first two skeins of this shawl because it is a simple pattern which allows me to focus on technique instead of following directions. Meredith finished hers months ago and sometimes I pop over there for inspiration. Maybe I will have it done by the end of winter. (Now you know why I like to knit small things like socks, gloves and baby hats, because they are done in a jiffy. :)

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for visiting and many blessings to you on this wintery evening.