And what have you been doing?

I am sorry I have been absent from here for a few weeks.  I have been sick since November 24th and while I have been home I really have not been on the computer much at all.

My brain seems to have gone on a vacation, and the few times I felt up to composing a post for here, I sat and stared at the screen for much too long, and in the end gave up and shut the computer off.

Thankfully these times come and go... and in my case I'm happy to see it go.  This time of the year, who has time to while away the hours being sick doing nothing constructive, but being sick?

So now I find myself back in the land of the living and Christmas only two weeks away.  Geeze Louise, this is not a good situation.  I did manage to struggle with some Christmas decorating - somewhat.  I usually go whole hog, but this year I just did the essentials - tree, wise men, Jon's nutcracker collection, and a big snowman with a couple of warmly dressed dolls in attendance.  Truth be said, it's more than enough in my little house anyway.

I put the tree up in the dining room this year, and it is so pretty sitting in there every evening, eating beside the tree.  Does wonders for a simple dinner of Chicken nuggets and noodles!

Yesterday I finally accomplished some Christmas baking.  I made mincemeat tarts, shortbread cookies, and rolled my Anis cookies which has been a family tradition all of my life.  I will bake them today, and the house will smell like Christmas ( or like Christmas' past) for a short time while the scent of licorice hangs in the air.

Last week in a moment of extreme boredom, I went digging in my studio closet - I think I was looking for Christmas wrap or something.  Instead I found a huge stash of yarn, left over from many many projects, and some given to me by people who actually clean their closets on a regular basis!  I was so excited with my find, and then remembered a little book I had bought quite a few years ago called 200 Knitted Blocks - by Jan Eaton... so I went looking for this too.

I hadn't looked in this book since I bought it so I grabbed the book, some needles and some yarn and started at block #1.

The book is full of basic knitting stitches used in traditional and contemporary designs to mix and match patterns and colors for making afghans and blankets.  What a delight; and what a load of fun I am having   progressing through the 200 blocks and through the huge stash of yarn.

I will be able to make quite a few blankets by the time I am finished.  Some I will donate to the homeless shelters and some I will give away to whomever wants one.  But I think I have found the perfect winter project to keep me occupied and at the same time free up some storage space in my closet for who knows what?

As I write this my husband has announced that it is -30... I'm thinking I have the best project possible - what better to do than knit and cover ones self with warm woollies for the long winter ahead.

Keep warm everyone...