Advent 2023 - All at once!

Hello again my dears. I m aware that I promised I would still be doing advent this year, and then I posted absolutely nothing. All I can do is apologise. I did keep a record of my advent calendar contents, so I'm just going to show them all right here in this one post!

A selection of advent calendars

This year we had another escape room calendar that Stephen and I completed together.  The Lindt teddy bear calendar was Stephen's.  I bought Finn's calendar from the pet shop at the vets, which I won't do again, as I prefer either biscuits or meaty treats for my pupper, rather than carob.  I had a Northern Waxes wax melt calendar, an English Tea Company tea calendar, and a selection of mystery dice, and randomly chosen Lindor chocolates that Stephen put into a little pouch for me every day.  They were stored in the yarn bag from a previous year's yarn advent, but this year I didn't actually have a yarn advent at all.

December 1st

Advent calendar contents - December 1st

Gingerbread Treat tea

Christmas Tree scented wax melt

Coconut Lindor truffle

Translucent sparkly D8

December 2nd

Calendar contents - December 2nd

Ghostly Green tea

Mint humbug scented wax melt

Blood Orange Lindor truffle

Green wooden D6 with pyrography tally marks instead of spots

December 3rd

Calendar contents - December 3rd

White Wonderland tea

Spiced Apple scented wax melt

White and Milk chocolate Lindor truffle

green, white, and purple D%

December 4th

Calendar contents - December 4th

Festive spice tea

Vanilla and peppermint scented wax melt

Salted Caramel Lindor truffle

Sky blue D20 with purple numbers

December 5th

Calendar contents - December 5th

Winter warmer tea

Eskimo kisses scented wax melt

Strawberry Lindor truffle

Sky blue D10 with purple numbers

December 6th and 7th

Calendar contents - December 6th and 7th

I wasn't well enough on the 6th to bother with advent calendars, so both days were opened on the 7th.

6th)

Super Star anise tea

Frosted Berries scented wax melt

Irish Cream Lindor truffle

Translucent sparkly D10

7th)

Tropical Lemongrass tea

Avo Bath scented wax melt

Lindt chocolate teddybear

Green, purple, and white D8

December 8th

Calendar contents - December 8th

Happy Holiday tea

Iced Gingerbread scented wax melt

Strawberry Lindor truffle

Blue wooden D6 with pyrography tally marks

December 9th

Calendar contents - December 9th

Post-Party refresh tea

Candy Cane scented wax melt

Chocolate heart Lindor truffle

Translucent pink sparkly D%

December 10th

Calendar contents - December 10th

Berry Rooibos tea

Frankincense & Myhrr scented wax melt

Coconut Lindor truffle

Green, White, and Purple D20

December 11th

Calendar contents - December 11th

Spicy Pumpkin tea

Light Blue scented wax melt (Not at all confusing that this is in fact coloured pink!)

Milk chocolate Lindor truffle

Purple wooden D6 with pyrography tally marks

December 12th

Calendar contents - December 12th

Seasonal siesta tea

Savage scented wax melt

Pistachio Lindor truffle

Green, white, and purple D20

December 13th

Advent of Change 12 days calendar

Around the 9th or 10th of December I started doing my Christmas charity donations, and as I was doing so, I realised that I had forgotten to get an Advent of Change calendar this year!  So I immediately went to their website and discovered that they do these 12 days of Christmas calendars.  I decided to order one of those, and open it in the 12 days preceding Christmas day.  Fortunately, it arrived on the 12th.

Rainbow Trust

Rainbow Trust "Today you have provided a special journal for the sibling of an unwell child to express and process their thoughts and feelings."

Calendar contents - December 13th

Ginger Cranberry tea

Raspberry & Vanilla scented wax melt

Champagne Lindor truffle

Sky blue D4 with purple numbers

December 14th

Food Cycle - "Today you have given someone in need the only hot meal they might eat this week."

Gingerbread Treat tea

Cinnamon Buns scented wax melt

Caramel Lindor truffle

Orange wooden D6 with pyrography tally marks

December 15th

Become - "Today you have helped answer the call of a child in care needing access to vital support."

Ghostly Green tea

Snow Fairy scented wax melt

Blood Orange Lindor truffle

Sky blue D% with purple numbers

December 16th

White wonderland tea

Kreed scented wax melt

Milk and White chocolate Lindor truffle

Green, White, and purple D10

Air Ambulances UK - "Today you have bought an oxygen mask to help keep a patient safe on their journey to hospital."

December 17th

WellChild - "Today you have helped a seriously ill child spend quality time outdoors by contributing to a garden makeover at their home."

Festive Spice tea

Avo Bath scented wax melt

Caramel Lindor truffle

Green, White, and purple D6

December 18th and 19th

Surfers Against Sewage - "Today you have helped clear harmful pollution from our coastlines, canal paths, bridleways, and city streets."

Shout - "Today you have helped someone in distress have a conversation with a trained volunteer who could save their life."

18th)

Winter warmer tea

Iced Gingerbread scented wax melt

Coconut Lindor truffle

Red wooden D6 with pyrography tally marks

19th)

Superstar anise tea

Spa Lily scented wax melt

Milk and White chocolate Lindor truffle

Translucent pink sparkly D20

December 20th

Alzheimer's research UK - "Today you have provided resources for a scientist to carry out eight experiments that could lead to the next breakthrough in dementia research."

Tropical Lemongrass tea

Candy Cane scented wax melt

Blood orange Lindor truffle

Translucent pink sparkly D4

December 21st

Tommy's - "Today you have helped a family start to heal after the loss of a baby, by funding an appointment with a specialist midwife there to support them."

Happy Holiday tea

Spiced Orange scented wax melt

Stracciatella Lindor truffle

Translucent pink sparkly D12

December 22nd

Toybox - "Today you have bought a pair of thick socks and a warm woollen hat to help keep a child living on the streets of India warm this winter."

Post-party refresh tea

Black Cherry scented wax melt

Irish cream Lindor truffle

Translucent pink sparkly D6

December 23rd

Reengage - "Today you have helped a lonely older person join a local monthly social group, giving them regular companionship for years to come."

Berry Rooibos tea

Santa's Lil Helper scented wax melt

Matcha Lindor truffle

Sky blue D6 with purple numbers

December 24th

Woodgreen - "Today you have helped provide warmth, food, and care for pets who have been abandoned."

Spicy pumpkin tea

Frankincense & Myhrr scented wax melt

Pistachio Lindor truffle

Sky blue D12 with purple numbers

EXIT Xmas Hero button badge

I chose not to show you any of our progress with the escape room calendar just in case you ever choose to do it yourself.  I wouldn't want to be giving you any clues or spoilers!  However, this was our reward today for having completed all 24 "rooms".

Finn's advent calendar

Because he's so painfully cute, here's a photo of Finn enjoying his calendar too :)

Right, it's now almost 2am on Christmas morning, so I shall settle for having shown you my advent goodies, and when I do my New Year update (hopefully) in January, then I will show you the projects I've finished during December, and what I've cast on for Christmas.

For now, have a wonderful Christmas, or other midwinter festivity of your choice, and I hope 2024 will be a good year for you!

In search of Mojo

Hello my darlings, I'm pleased to say that despite having gone absent without leave for most of 2023, I am still in the land of the living.  Being honest, I wasn't entirely certain that I would be at times.  I have spent a large amount of time this year being tested for cancer.  Fortunately for me, my symptoms turned out to have other causes that are more easily treated, although being me, of course nothing is ever as simple as it should be, so that is still ongoing, and my health is especially fragile.

My health, and extreme levels of fatigue are largely responsible for the fact that I've done very little knitting this year, however there is another contributing factor, and that's the weather!  Remember that I started doing a temperature blanket back in January?

Temperature blanket in progress

I made it to June, and kept recording the temperature into August, but I ended up having to buy more yarn for some of the colours, because this year the temperature remained tediously average for all but about 5 days.  I was getting so bored, the blanket just wasn't looking at all interesting, and I was seriously struggling to find the motivation to even bother recording the temperature any more, let alone keep knitting.

Now, knitting is my hobby.  It's supposed to be enjoyable, and relaxing.  When I realised that this was starting to cause me stress and misery, I knew it was time to give up on the project for this year, and frog what I'd made.  By then though, I was so sick, and miserable, that I couldn't make myself pick up the needles for anything.  

So instead, I have worked on some other crafts this year:

FO's (Not fibrecraft)

Hand raised pottery bowl

My lovely friend Ferret did a pottery workshop for her birthday, and this is what I made.  We didn't use pottery wheels, instead these were created around a form.  I made fancy feet for mine, but it's just about impossible to photograph it in such a way as they're visible.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out though, and I love the glaze!

The arms and crest of House Velstran of the Spires in cross stitch

Our regular table top role playing game has become extraordinarily involved over the years that we've been playing.  Enough that we've now actually designed the family arms and crest of the household we work for, and recreated it in cross stitch.

House Ceethal colours

Because I can't do anything by halves, I also stitched the design and colours of House Ceethal, the Imperial elven family whose war we find ourselves caught up in.  This represents the flame generated by their magical powers, encircled by the crowns of the petty kings, kings, and the imperial circlet.

Colours of the Academy of Medicine and Magic

My character, Linnea, is a healer and magic user in a world where magic is viewed with suspicion by most.  It is her mission in life to change this opinion, and to found a school for teaching how magic can be used for beneficial purposes, and it's likely that she will have the backing of the crown in this endeavour.  This is the sign and motto she envisages for this school.

In this world, our Games Master decreed that the Elven language resembles Swedish in our world, which is why the motto is written as "Gor ingen skada", which translates roughly as "Do no harm".

Cross stitch bookmark

My final bit of cross stitch from this year is this bookmark, with a scandi inspired design.  I use it to mark where I'm up to with transferring my hand written game notes onto our shared drive.

Little bookshelf, with tiny hand-bound books

In my idle browsing of YouTube while too sick to sleep, but too fatigued to do anything useful, I found a channel about book binding called Four Keys Book Arts.  Some of his videos are about how to make real tiny books.  So on days when I was feeling a little better, I gave it a go.

Obviously, I don't own all of the necessary equipment to bind books, but I think I did a reasonable job with what I had!  I also made the little chest, and scrolls, one of which opens out to be a map of Gelria, the country our characters come from in our role playing game.

Book Nook of a cosy library

For my birthday this year, having seen me making the little bookshelf and books, Stephen decided to get me a kit to make this Book Nook.  It's a model roughly the same size as a large hardback book, and it's intended to be placed on a bookshelf, between the books, in order to catch the eye and create a little bit of magic. I love that it comes with wiring so you can have lights inside, making it glow on the shelf.

FO's (Fibrecraft)

Crocheted pot mat

I haven't done much in the way of fibrecraft this year, but I haven't abandoned it completely.  Most of what I have made hasn't been terribly exciting though.  Like this pot mat, made to go under our water filter jug.

There's no particular pattern to it, just a standard single crochet hexagon, with loops at the points.  The yarn is Rico Design Essentials cotton DK, in the colourway "Dark Teal".

Monochrome knitted socks

Since between Stephen's dragon talon toenails, and our kleptomaniac dog, Stephen never seems to have enough socks, I have made him some more this year.

My usual sock pattern, roughly men's size 10-11, and the yarn is Opal Regenwald 4-fach, in the colourway "die dampfnudeldiebe".

WIPs

Crocheted granny squares

When I haven't the motivation or brain power to do anything else, I can sometimes still manage to make a granny square, which is why I've added a few more to the pile for my granny squares blanket this year.

These are all roughly 18cm squares made using yarn left over from other projects.

Knitted sock, and cast on for the second sock

These are what I'm working on now.  Another pair of socks for Stephen.  I am regretting allowing him to choose the colourway, as of course he chose the darkest possible, which is never fun on dark winter nights!  Of course, the toe of the first sock came at a point when the yarn was black plied with navy blue!  Couldn't see what I was doing at all, so that is the least neatly sewn in end I've done since I mastered Kitchener stitch!

My standard sock pattern, roughly men's size 10-11, and the yarn is Crazy Zauberball in the colourway "Zimtschnecke".

Stash Acquisition

Yes, this is an entire year's worth of new yarn.

Light teal yarn

Before I gave up on the Temperature Blanket, I realised that I was going to run out of the light teal colour I was using to represent 1°C - 5°C.  As that was a yarn by Yorkshire Dale Yarns, who are no longer in business, I had to go hunting for something similar enough to work.  

I found this as my Local Yarn Store, Foundry Works.  It's BFL high twist 4-ply, by Botanical Yarn, in the colourway "Agave".

Of course, it's not going to be used for the blanket any more.  I doubt I will attempt that project again any time soon, but I'm certain I'll find a suitable use for it at some point.

Green yarn

At around the same time as I realised I would run out of the teal, I knew I'd also run out of the green yarn that I was using to represent 6°C - 10°C.  At least as that was by Triskelion, I knew I'd be able to find more of the same fairly easily.

So this is Cywyn Sock, by Triskelion, in the colourway "Rum and Lavabread".

Purple yarn and a penguin birthday card

The very lovely Francesca sent me this gorgeously smooshy skein, along with a penguin card, for my birthday.  I absolutely wasn't expecting this, and it made my day!  I'm thinking given how cold it's getting now that this might very soon turn into a pair of mittens.

The yarn is by Somerset Yarns, and I'm not sure if the yarn is named Hush, or if the colourway is named Hush.  Either way, it's full of beautiful tonal variations!

Finn

Time for cute doggo photos!

Finn at his daddy's feet

This was taken during one of our game nights, when Finn decided that he needed attention from his daddy, so he cuddled up at his feet <3

My apologies for anyone who doesn't like feet.

Imma hide ma face!

Could there be anything more adorable than this in the whole world?  Finn hiding his face from the camera!

Penguins!

I am certain that there must be something missing from this section, but I didn't take photos of new penguins as they arrived, so I can't be certain that I've not forgotten any.

Tiny blue plush penguin

According to his tag, his name is Starbright.  I bought him at a motorway services back in January, right after I published my last post, and he's been sitting on my craft table waiting for me to write again so that he can join the rest of the colony in the Yarn Cave ever since.

Penguins on a nightie

My friend Annie brought this nightie around for me months ago.  The photo is terrible, because it was taken upside down, and wet, on the drying rack in Stephen's office!  Of course this was in the laundry the day that I finally decide to catch up on my blog!  But look! One of the penguins is wearing a knitted jumper!

Penguin ice-cube tray

Fellow gamers Ian and Jo found this for me!  Not that it really got hot enough for more than a few days this summer to be worth making ice, but when I fancy a cool G&T, this is perfect!  

Patch and magnet from The Deep

The Deep is an aquarium just along the M62 from where we live, and it's somewhere that I've been wanting to go to ever since I first heard about it.  

I still have not been.

However, my sister and my nieces went there during their summer holidays this year, and they brought back these for me.  So the magnet is now on the fridge, and the patch is in a bag with many other patches, waiting for me to finally weave the fabric to make a bag that I will then sew all of the patches on to.

And that is all.  We're all caught up.

I know, after almost 11 months of nothing, you probably expected more than this, but I'm afraid that sometimes, this is what being chronically ill does.  Sometimes, I don't even have the energy or motivation to do my favourite things.

I'm hoping that things will improve in the coming months.  The fact that I am knitting at least a few rows more days than I'm not again is a good sign, as is the fact that I've painted my fingernails for the first time in over a year, and I've written this blog.  Once I return my hair to it's proper colour, de-yetify my eyebrows, and start adding squares to the mitred squares blanket on a daily basis, then I think we can call me back to "normal", or at least what passes for normal for me anyway!  We're not there yet, but I have confidence that we will be.

For anyone who might need the reassurance, yes, I am doing the Advent Adventure again this year, although with a little bit of a difference, so you should, all being well, hear from be again in a couple of weeks.

Night night my dears, keep safe.