Hello again my dears, and Happy Christmas, or other midwinter festivity of your choice to you all!
I am very aware that this year's Advent Adventure blog has been singularly lacking, and I can only apologise for that. I'm afraid I've just really struggled to keep on top of the essential things in life this December, so keeping a proper record of my little bits of Advent joy has largely had to be abandoned in favour of more important chores. Fortunately, Stephen has recovered the majority of his vision, and I have recovered from the side effects of having an iron infusion last Friday, so Christmas day itself should theoretically go according to plan.
I have continued to take photos of everything, so I can show you what was behind the doors that I opened over the last 10 days. However, in the interests of me getting to bed at a not completely unreasonable time, I'm just going to show you the photos for each day, and give a link for the charity from the Advent of Change calendar. Finn's advent calendar will be summarised by a selection of photos of him losing all patience with my desire to take pictures later on.
So here we go...
December 14th
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| Today you have helped a person who is homeless stay healthy by ensuring they have access to the medical care they need. |
Groundswell - a UK charity offering help to people who are homeless. |
| Mini-skein of yarn in tonal greys, square of chocolate, super star anise teabag, yellow wax melt. |
December 15th
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| Today you have helped a person know what to say or do when someone they know has lost a loved one. |
Hospice - a UK charity that helps people facing the death of a loved one.
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| Sparkly mini-skein in light pinks, 2 mini chocolate truffles, Chai Charge teabag, blue wax melt. |
December 16th
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| Today you have helped train a teacher how to spot, support, & empower dyslexic children in their class. |
Made by Dyslexia - a global charity that works to help the world understand dyslexia. |
| Sparkly mini-skein in purples, pink, and white, a mini chocolate truffle, Ghostly Green teabag, and pale pink wax melt. |
December 17th
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| Today you have helped fund a coaching session for 15 young people, giving them the tools they need to overcome unemployment. |
Resurgo - a charity that aims to create social change through education and training. |
| Tropical Lemongrass teabag, small chocolate teddybear, and a pale pink wax melt. |
I am going to comment on this one, as you'll notice the lack of yarn. Remember a few days ago I had 2 mini-skeins behind one door, and I didn't think that was intentional? Well the door for the 17th was directly above that days door. So that little mystery has been resolved!
December 18th
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| Today you have helped offer a family escaping domestic abuse somewhere safe to stay this Christmas. |
Pathway Project - a small charity based in the UK midlands who offer help to people who have suffered sexual, or domestic abuse. |
| Sparkly mini-skein in sky blue and white, 2 mini chocolate truffles, Peachy Keen teabag, orange wax melt. |
December 19th
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| Today you have helped an elderly veteran live independently by contributing towards a specialist stair lift. |
ABF The Soldier's Charity - are a charity who help soldiers, former soldiers, and their families. |
| Mini-skein in white and teal, with splashes of yellow, and burgundy speckles, White Wonderland teabag, 2 mini chocolate truffles, and a red wax melt. |
December 20th
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| Today you have helped create an education system where anyone can thrive, by bringing young people, parents, educators, and employers together. |
Big Change - a charity aiming to change education so that it prepares children for real life, rather than just teaching them how to pass an exam. |
| Mini-skein in pale pink and blue, mini chocolate truffle, Happy Holiday teabag, and a blue wax melt. |
December 21st
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| Today you have helped fund a call to a dedicated support line from someone who is struggling to cope with the effects of spinal cord injury. |
Spinal Injuries Association - a charity that offers help to people who have suffered spinal injuries. |
| Sparkly mini-skein in deep, dark blues, Holiday Boost teabag, small chocolate teddybear, and a purple wax melt. |
I actually opened all of these on the 22nd, as I was too sick on the 21st to do much other than lie about feeling sorry for myself.
December 22nd
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| Today you have planted a hawthorn tree in a UK farm, helping to absorb carbon and tackle climate change. |
Possible - a UK charity committed to finding ways to combat climate change. |
| Mini-skein in shades of teal, small chocolate teddybear, Festive Spice teabag, and a green wax melt. |
December 23rd
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| Today you have helped a healthcare worker in Colombia reach 4 times more patients by contributing towards a specially designed bicycle. |
World Bicycle Relief - a charity devoted to making distances easier to cross in developing countries.  |
| Sparkly mini-skein in pale pink and grey, Post-Party Refresh teabag, chocolate square, and red wax melt. |
December 24th
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| Today you have helped to make sure that an isolated older person has a friendly phone call on Christmas day. |
Reengage - a UK charity that aims to prevent loneliness among older people.  |
| 2 sparkly mini-skeins, one in shades of red, the other in shades of pink, a larger chocolate teddybear, Winter Balance Teabag, and a green wax melt. |
Finn
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| Stephen trying to make Finn think he was going to steal the advent treato. |
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| Good Boy. |
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| Sooo hungry, I just nibble your finger a bit. |
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| It's been 2 whole days! Need treatos now! |
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| Maybe I can get away with just stealing this one on the edge? |
He really is the most adorable creature in the world! I've been very bad this advent, as I've not been insisting that he sit like a good boy. It makes for funnier photos, but I'm sure that I'm going to suffer for this later when I have to re-train him!
FO's
Yes, I have finished something, and it's even something that I can show you!
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| Bad selfie. |
Unfortunately, I can't find a decent angle to show this shrug properly when I'm wearing it. Despite the very short sleeves, it's actually really cosy!
This is the shrug that I knit from my own hand spun yarn, and I'm really pleased with it. I may not have completed it in time for the actual Fluff to Stuff challenge, but I have made a wearable item from stash that was still fluff at the start of 2021.
WIPs
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| Skein Austen t-shirt with in-progress lace additions. |
Last year I wore my Skeinhead Treble Maker t-shirt for Christmas day. I had made alterations to that by changing the neckline, and adding crocheted details. I had hoped to have this Skeinhead t-shirt ready to wear for Christmas day this year. Sadly, a combination of losing 3 days this week to side effects of medical treatment, plus forgetting that lace grows a lot when you block it until I'd knit half of the neckline and realised that I was going to end up with an exceptionally voluminous frill unless I ripped it all out and started again with fewer stitches. So I'll have to find something else to wear, and I can sit and knit this after we've had our Christmas dinner.
Entirely Unrelated to Knitting in Any Way
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| Zebra Strong - EDS Warrior hoodie. |
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll be aware that I suffer from a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, plus a number of other conditions that are common co-morbidities of EDS. I'm not the only person who is regularly mentioned in this blog who has this condition either. My sister, which is to be expected, as the 13 different Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes are all caused by genetic mutations, therefore most likely also my 2 nieces, although they are too young to have a diagnosis yet. Krissy, my friend since high school, and her daughter (my eldest godchild), and Lisa-Lou, who you'll know better as Made by Penguins. Not to mention several of my other friends, including Becky, who have no diagnosis of EDS, but definitely demonstrate symptoms of some manner of Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder.
Most types of EDS are quite rare, but the type that I have is not nearly as rare as most medical professionals believe it to be. Still, we call ourselves Zebras, because in the medical profession there is a saying: "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." which loosely translates as "Whatever the most common explanation of these symptoms is, is the most likely explanation for these symptoms, so don't consider the less likely causes." It's not a helpful mind set to encounter when you are a zebra. Honestly, there are times when you'd think that doctors think that we're actually unicorns - that is, mythical beings.
Anyway, due to my EDS, my shoulders are more-or-less permanently damaged, weakened, and very painful, which has made putting on my penguin hoodie to keep me warm an absolute nightmare so far this winter, because my penguin hoodie is a pull-over type. Turns out, most hoodies are the pull-over type now. I've been searching for a suitable zip-up hoodie for months. Until someone on one of the EDS forums I follow shared these! It's so cosy! I never want to take it off!!!
Penguins!
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| Christmas cards on the mantelpiece. |
I don't send Christmas cards as a general rule. I'd rather the trees remain growing and making the oxygen that we breathe, than have them turned into bits of paper that we display for a month and then throw away. We still receive the odd few though, often just because they have penguins on them!
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| Many penguins on a duvet. |
Finally, the thing that I wouldn't show you earlier in the month, our new bedding!
I have to thank Demi for this. She and Gemma got the same set a few weeks back, and Demi sent me a photo. I immediately went to see if it was available in king-size, and how much it would cost. Within minutes of knowing of its existence, I had ordered ours. Tonight will be our first night sleeping in this bedding, because I wanted to save it for Christmas.
Now it's 03:20 on Christmas morning, so I'm going to go and climb into that lovely, clean, cosy bed, next to my lovely partner, and with our beautiful pup snuggled up on my feet.
Sweet dreams everyone, I hope to be back before New Year's day.
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