Happy Holidays!

I hope you are enjoying your holidays, I certainly am. I adore this time of year and although this one is busier than those of the past, I have kept it right in the middle of my heart, as usual, spending the little free time I have browsing through my collection of Christmas books, drinking tea, working on small projects, cooking, baking - the usual.

Mr. K and I spent a quiet Christmas Eve with a platter of cheeses, spinach dip, and crackers watching Christmas movies and chatting. On Christmas day, I took my pan of lasagna to the home of very dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. R, after picking up another friend to join us. We ate and ate and had a very good time indeed. There is no better way to spend the holiday than with those who you love.

I am excited about some new looms I purchased from Carol Leigh's Hillcreek Fiber Studio. I took a continuous strand weaving class from Carol Leigh a few years ago in Asheville, NC at the Southeast Animal Fiber Festival. I have a triangle loom, the 2 foot travel size, which I purchased from Carol at the festival and now have purchased a few smaller models. These looms are the perfect size for those of us who live in little homes and have no room for a large loom, although I was have a table-top heddle loom which is also great for small spaces. Anywho, one of these new minis is called a "washcloth" square loom. This loom makes a square of woven fabric the approximate size of a washcloth. I'm thinking lots of gifts for the future, as well as a patchwork blanket... and a shawl, of course... amulet bags too! Since Carol was having a sale to celebrate her 32nd year in business, I also purchased two mini looms - a six inch square, as well as another triangle mini-loom with an eight inch hypotenuse. I also bought Carol's WONDERFUL book which explains everything you could want to know about continuous strand weaving and is packed with projects and patterns. Right now I am just finishing a project on the little square as a gift for my friend, Mrs. R.

And this project has been a bit of an adventure. Wanting to match Mrs. R's decor, I chose an overdyed yarn in shades of burnt oranges and softs browns, a bit of a knobby yarn. Well... that knobbiness has been a real challenge as my locker hook, which helps pull the weft thread through the warp threads, just kept getting tangled and caught on those little hairs! It certainly slowed me down, but I am about to put in the last two rows and Mrs. R will have a little wine glass rug! A unique gift, LOL.

The mini looms

The "washcloth" loom - about 12 inches

Of course weaving is not all that is on the fiber agenda, no. I belong to a group on Facebook called "Our Scarlet Letter Years Sampler Group" dedicated to samplers designed by.... The Scarlet Letter, Reproduction Samplers. They chose four samplers for an SAL (stitch-along) but I already have one I am working on, EK 1653, which really needs to be finished, seriously, I have been working on this one for years! I also have another I have just been itching to work on, The Boscobel Oak. Both are 17th century reproductions. I love 17th century samplers because of all the blackwork! So... those are my stitching projects for 2015, but there will be a few smaller project tossed in just because!

http://www.scarlet-letter.com/samplers/boscobel.php

http://www.scarlet-letter.com/samplers/ek.php

There will be weaving projects thrown in too, but my plan is to work these two samplers and get them finished! So... we shall see how that goes... but I am strongly determined, yes I am!!!

I hope you have plenty of projects planned that you love and will make your heart sing!

Tangled in threads,

Mrs. K

 (photographer unknown, photo from Facebook)

Happy December!

So... it's December! Happy December and this month is filled with the joy of holiday celebrations. Mr. K and I will open the first window of our advent calendar. Like last year's, this one is filled with little chocolates and little pictures. I get so much pleasure from this little ritual.

Our Advent calendar from Heidel.

And the back.

Major cleaning and rearranging today followed by decorating which I have down to a science and doesn't take that long anymore. A pleasurable way to spend the first day of December!

Oh, and a few little goodies recently acquired from eBay, one of which is a covered casserole to add to my Currier & Ives collection. I must have place settings for at least 25 or thirty, various platters, serving dishes, pie plates, and even glasses, but I did not have this. Why you may ask? I saw one in a little shop in Georgia, but the woman wanted $110.00 for it. That particular casserole wasn't even in very nice condition. I passed on it as it was out of my budget. However, this one is beautiful, clean, and was WAY lower in price. I am very pleased!

Currier & Ives covered casserole in mint condition.

And for my button collection, sweet little strawberries and flowers, all on their original cards. I like

collecting the buttons on the cards if I can, but won't pass up one that delights me.

So those are the goodies. Now... cleaning, decorating, and deciding which cookies will make the gift list for this year. I'm limiting it to three or four kinds, one of which will be my shortbread, and another will be Ricotta cookies. Decisions, decision. 

Also on the agenda, a nice flank steak for tonight's dinner and a pot of Pasta Fagioli (Pasta Fazool, as I knew it growing up) for tomorrow and the next night, and perhaps the next. No hardship, eating that!

Deliciously yours,

Mrs. K