Here I am, midnight on December 20th, starting to feel like I’m ready for bed. I just updated my temperature scarf. Only 11 more days and it will be finished. I am so pleased I didn’t falter on this project, a whole year of following the official maximum daily temperature and knitting two rows for every single day. Just a little sad that I didn’t get any purple in it.

My focused project right now is the 651 Lacy Stole from Lion Brand. It’s a simple eight row repeat, five repeats across each row. I’m into the second ball now and things are looking good. Unblocked, it’s about 15 inches wide and I’ve worked about 12 inches in length so far.

Of course, once blocked, it will be much bigger.

I have accepted that the garter stitch coat is going to remain in its bag, at least until these two stoles are finished, or even possibly until the end of time!

Apart from that, my only WIP is the blue socks, and I’m not in a hurry to finish those.

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, traditionally (for maybe the last ten years) our day to celebrate the Yule season. It feels a bit different, now that ds1 lives somewhere else. We had to make arrangements for him to be here, make sure he was free, plan a time for him to arrive. He doesn’t have far to drive, but it’s still new to us.

The tree has been up for a while, and it looks even prettier with the gifts piled underneath. I bought a job lot of wrapping paper one year, probably at Costco, and it’s lasting us a long time, but I like that it’s all red, white and silver, which goes perfectly with (most of) the ornaments on the tree.

We don’t go overboard with spending lots of money, keeping to a reasonable limit per family member. And we left everything to the last couple of weeks again, which probably is something I should remember next year as online purchases really should be ordered earlier to ensure delivery in time. There is a parcel on its way from ThinkGeek.com which hasn’t arrived yet, and unless Canada Post lays on an extra delivery day tomorrow we won’t be getting it in time for our gift exchange tomorrow night.

Ah well, the food shopping is done and tomorrow will be a flurry of pastry making and nut grinding and potato roasting and vegetable prepping and pie making and so on. And then I can sit back and relax. Tai Chi Man has 12 days off, as he saved some vacation time, and there is nothing that we have to do.

Wishing you all a bright and warm Solstice, a cool Yule, and enjoyment of lengthening days to come.