Another new hat, and advents 21 and 22

 

The tale of how I came to be given a rather splendid birthday present of the Travellers Dye-ery Box is one for another day, but this is one of the seven yarns that were in it; Giddy Yarns Portugal. I was terrified most of the time I was knitting this that it was going to turn out too small (and when I looked at the project notes that others had made on Ravelry I was not alone it seems)  but in the event it wasn't, and after I had blocked it, using my hat blocker it had just the right amount of slouchiness as well. There's some of the wool left over and I hope there's enough to make some matching fingerless mitts. 

Advent Day 21 was Aslan's Sacrifice and the stitch marker was a tree. It came complete with a set of small plain rings which are useful for marking off pattern repeats on shawls, or decrease spots on hats. I used them in the Faro hat in fact. It was a day for opening the German advent too and I got a candle, which was one of my favourite scents - cool cotton. Smells like fereshly done laundry. The OH hates it; I often get  cotton reed diffusers for the house but I never use them in a room where he spends time. 

Day 22 - This one is The Statues are Freed and the stitch marker is a sweet little mushroom. 

I can't finish this post without noting that it's the last one of the year. Looking back it hasn't been the best one ever and sadly  if it  reinforced one of my hard won life lessons it was not to be too sanguine about next year, because low expectations are, I have found, the best insurance against disappointment.

However, we are lucky. We've not caught covid and we're vaccinated. We have a roof over our heads, friends, family, food in the fridge and fuel in the store. We don't live in fear of nature's tantrums (the occasional high wind excepted) nor do we live in an overly oppressive state or in the middle of a military conflict Compared to the vast majority of the world's population we're well ahead. And on a personal level the year had some high spots. We had some lovely walks, I completed my personal challenge of knitting my elder son a pair of socks a month, and I had a lovely time away in the  summer which I thoroughly enjoyed and which gave me some very happy memories to look back on, not least of which was seeing a live opera performance for the first time in far too long. And with luck and a following wind 2022 will be an improvement on 2021; we can only wait and see.