A Winter Afternoon

What a beautiful clear afternoon we had today. You could almost imagine that Spring wasn't too far around the corner.  I recently participated in a Winter Swap with Kathy's Fibres group over on Rav (where I hang out entirely too often these days) and my lovely swap partner sent me the most gorgeous frame with an Eddie Vedder quote "No matter how cold the Winter there is a springtime ahead"  She also sent me a mix cd of Winter songs - such fun! I haven't had a mix tape since James and I were first going out and he wrote an intro and an outro for me and played it on his guitar (ah, young and foolish love!)

This little scene makes me so happy.  I love those brave little flowers that bloom despite the Winter.  My red geraniums, and the early jonquils, and the daphne.

I planted my bare rooted roses a few weekends ago. I can't wait to see them bloom this Spring.  There is a certain loveliness about the light in a Winter afternoon.

I'm feeling optimistic about Winter today. It has been the coldest and wettest Winter since Hannah was a newborn but it has been made pleasant by virtue of wood fires, friends, and time spent in nature.

There has been lots of knitting too.  Sitting in my rocking chair by the fire with a cup of Blue Mountain Tea and my latest project just embracing my inner Nanna.  I think it has been the Winter of the Sock.  First there were Maddie's Kyla socks, then plain socks in a lovely merino silk from Moseley Park Farm

Then my Tootsie Roll test, then a Going On Stripes Test, and then these current favourites - The Igneous Socks.

I enjoyed this year's Tour De Fleece (although I didn't see a single bit of the real race) and managed to spin over a kilo of fibre.  Lots of lovely knitting happiness ahead.

The scrapbooking juices haven't really been flowing lately - too cold in the kitchen LOL but I did have a little play with our new Flower Market Cricut cartridge on the weekend:

I also participated in a Wooly Wormhead Scrapalong to make a charity hat.

 There is a local group  knitting for refugees so this will go towards that. The preference is for 100% wool because of the bitter conditions in the camps so it allows me to put precious little bits of handspun to good use.  My little knitted cardigans are currently on display at the local SALA exhibition and after that I have been asked to show them to one of my very favourite local shops (which stocks amazing handmade toys and dolls) so it is good to know that I will be able to keep steadily selling them to support my fibre habit. I like the instant gratification of these little projects and the way I can spin and knit colours that I wouldn't necessarily wear for myself!

My current obsession is with this:

A test cardi in a lovely tweedy brown that I picked up as a bargain on a rav destash.  I can't wait to be finished and snuggling in this cardi - it will be so warm and smooshy!

So that is what is happening around here lately.  Along with plenty of bunny cuddles, Hannah's forays into cooking, Dan's excitement over learning the drums, James getting ready for a work conference over seas, me getting ready for our big kindy fundraiser, and appearing on radio and in the paper within a fortnight of each other promoting our bush kindy program, and minimal cleaning and domestic duties LOL

Life is busy but oh so sweet.

Enjoy your week folks!

xx