Just Keep Swimming

It's that time of year - the list of things to do feels longer than the time available to do them.

It's well within my power to decide not to bother. But I'm a born "botherer" so on I push,
keep my head down,  work away and in weaker moments,  think of Dory and her little song.

Meanwhile 'South America over Halloween, with our recent mild weather, has my internal calendar saying "October!" while my needles scream "Christmas!".

A gift mitten frenzy has resulted with this free pattern from Purl Soho, "Arched Gusset Mittens". 'Love how the shaping echoes the palm's natural arch.

I've used a variety of yarns/gauges and hybrids of the various sizes available in the pattern. So entertaining to see how each variation turns out while they're super quick to the finish line.

My favourites so far are the ones on top using  "Cocoon" by Rowan at a super tight gauge to cut the wind. This is a yarn I'll be revisiting for sure.

Four pairs done, a fifth underway after a wee break to work another freebie pattern - "Seathwaite" (on the left) by Kate Gagnon Osborn, again for Christmas giving and again a nice, satisfyingly quick experience exploring another yarn that's new to me - West Yorkshire Spinners Bfl. Gorgeous. (There'll be bona fide FO posts about these with all the details eventually but for the moment know that the squished looking hat is quite beautiful when on an actual head than it appears here all collapsed in a heap!)

A cream coloured, cabled cowl has been requested by Number One Son. He's using the charcoal grey one I knit up for him last Christmas a lot and thinks one in a different colour would be a great addition to his cold weather London wardrobe. We have a few hours of highway travel in the schedule this weekend I hope to fill working on that.

I'd also like to make the kid a pullover in Briggs and Little Country Roving in time to put it under the tree. I've a few ideas for it knocking around in my head, have purchased a wheel of the yarn and done some swatching.

My optimism about this one is extremely qualified - especially since he's told me he doesn't need (aka "want") a sweater. 'Thing is I want to make him one and last year he said he didn't need/(want) a cowl.

So with mild recognition of his disinterest I'll knit one My Beloved could adopt if its fully rejected by the first recipeint. Given all this, I'm prepared to ditch the whole idea if any issue of timing happens to arise.

Meanwhile big projects yet to be started, but with yarn at the ready, dot the landscape of the house. Patterns are printed and tucked in among the yarn should swatching time become available but I'll only start/continue them after Christmas.

I'm smitten with the idea of visible mending I've seen around the web/following Tom of Holland and so 'hived off some of the mending pile for that treatment.

(I'm trying to be "good" in the hopes Santa brings me a darning egg for Christmas and maybe some French darning/embroidery thread .)

Over the holidays Number One Son will be home for two weeks! I'm planning/prepping Christmas Eve, Day and Dinner for the four of us.

These adult "children" may not say so, but they like when we carry on traditions/maintain the standards they've been raised with - no less so at holiday times - so that's what I'll be aiming to do. Before that though...

• 50 or so dog lovers (without their pooches!) will be here for an early December pot luck.
• There's a comparatively small crowd of 19 (My Beloved's family) here for a full Christmas style dinner on Boxing Day.
• Darling Daughter's UK pals are in town, some staying in our house from the 27th onwards.

I've been laying the ground work for all of it in recent weeks - purging, cleaning, cooking and baking food for the freezer, light redecorating, painting etc.. There are some loose ends from those projects still on the list but fewer every day.

So I "just keep swimming" (and knitting!). Thanks for dropping by!