We’re in the gray days of December in between rain and snow, but the Castoffs met at my house and were very sunny. We all have the Christmas spirit, working on gifts and thinking about the design for our Chair project (although it will probably take a back seat until after Christmas).
I served cheese and crackers, chips with a cranberry/chipotle chli dip, and those little frosted animal cookies with sprinkles. I had a bottle of Bogle Red and Linda came in with three partial bottles of various white wine. We always eat and drink well at our knitting meetings.
It’s always fun to knit and eat. Or is that eat and knit?
We have all been busy knitting gifts for Christmas presents. I am 1 for 2. I finished felted slippers for my sister-in-law but I’m not even close to finishing the afghan for my brother-in-law. I texted my Sis and asked if he knew that I was planning an afghan for him. No, she said. Whew! I said. The pressure’s off for another month or two. It is an easy pattern to knit in the evening.
Little ballerina slippers. Aren’t they cute?
Afghan to-be.
Leslie is finishing Mira’s Christmas stocking – adding pom-poms – so I got a better photo than the one from last week when I was Brandy Alexander impaired. She’s also making some felted slippers with a knitted flower on the toe. She hasn’t felted the flower yet. I love the colors that Leslie chooses. She has a much more evolved sense of color than I do.
Interesting color combinations. Nothing boring from Leslie.
Michele is knitting some fingerless mittens for her daughter, Erica. I’ve knit this pattern and it’s quick and very pretty with cables and picots. For a last minute gift, it looks like you put much more time and effort into it.
Mitten, mitten, who’s got the mitten? Oh yeah, Michele!
Michele’s also knitting some felted mittens for herself. I think I heard her say that she gave her other ones away. That happens a lot. We knit something that we’d love for ourselves, then we give it away. Oh, well. There’s always another pattern to knit and the pleasure is in the knitting, isn’t it?
Cool – I mean warm – mittens.
Carol is knitting another toy doggie but has only two legs so far. Our lovely hand model, Leslie, offered to show them off and stepped in, literally. I’m sorry that this is fuzzy, but the legs are teeny-tiny and I zoomed in too much. Darling, though! They really look like little doggie feet!
Ruff, ruff!
Mary was back from visiting her kids in Las Vegas. She had a lot of fun spoiling Aurora and she’ll get a chance next week to spoil both grandkids because they will be here during Christmas! Lucky grandma! She crocheted a little reindeer. It was supposed to be brown, but she thought it would be more appropriate in Christmas colors. We agree, Mary.
Not Rudolph, but adorable.
Mary also knit Aurora some little legwarmers with self-striping yarn. It’s amazing to me that yarn can do this. It seems more like magic than something that the yarn just does on its own. The only problem is that the stripes didn’t make the same pattern on both legs. Mary’s going to knit a third legwarmer and, depending on which one it looks like, she’ll have a pair. Weird, eh? The self-striping went a little awry.
Not quite a pair.
We finally got around to talking about the Chair. Linda has been experimenting with a line of circles that will go on the back of the chair. We discussed which size we preferred, chose a different color from our enormous stash and asked Linda to keep up the good work. Linda showed us which size circle will be best and she also showed us her new manicure – with a Christmas theme. Very pretty, Linda.
Nice knitting – nice nails!
Some of us will be in town next week, so we decided to go ahead and meet at Leslie’s house. Thanks, Leslie, for volunteering to host us. Until then, keep the Christmas spirit and keep those needles blazing, Castoffs!
