Christmas is coming...

... the goose is getting fat.

In my 21st century household for 'goose' read 'turkey' and for 'getting fat' read 'is on order'.Hopefully it will also be fat because it needs to feed a lot of people.  Meanwhile, although I have to brave a large supermarket one day before 25th December and there is the small matter of icing a cake, making stuffing for said bird and peeling mountains of vegetables, from a standing start last Friday (home from work for the holidays and not so much as a card written) things are looking quite festive around here

The door is wreathed

The holly by the front gate has excelled itself

and the tree is dressed in its finest jewels

The nativity scene that I set out each year

Is being rearranged by the next generation

Yet please, don't think I am being too smug.  I didn't quite get around to making some Christmas bunting

And some knitted presents may just be completed early for next year

But that's OK, we have enough and should not forget to...

... please put a penny in the old man's hat

Happy Christmas everyone and may the world have a more peaceful New Year

xx

c

Fenton & The Running of the Deer

I've been tweeting and blogging about this for a couple of weeks, teasing you with little hints and glimpses.  But, at last...

The Fenton sweater is finished in time for Christmas!!

It all started two weeks ago, someone was quietly filming the deer in Richmond park on his phone when his attention was caught by some frantic shouting - FENTON! OH *****!!! FENTON!!!! Swivelling around to the source of the shouts the camera man began filming a small herd of deer in full flight closely followed by an energetic black labrador and less closely followed by a very anxious harassed owner (it was he who was shouting)

Then there was the challenge, delivered by a couple of my friends to knit the scene in the style of one of Sarah Lund's sweaters from the Danish TV series The Killing.

Perhaps the Non Knitting Friend thought I could run up a little something in no time - lickerty split - as NKFs do.  But the other friend does knit and Should Know Better.  Of course so should I but I couldn't resist making a traditional Norwegian style sweater and adding in Fenton and his master's voice. It took ten days (a personal best) but it's done

In case you are not one of the 2.5m people who have seen the film already - here it is

Norwegian sweaters often come in very simple styles - this helps to show off the stitch patterns.   No2 son kindly offered to be my model.  He described it as a good Christmas sweater - a compliment I should add not a sly reference to Rudolf sweaters in the Bridget Jones movie!

The Deer run across the front of the sweater, hotly pursued by Fenton at the back (with Fenton's 'man' shouting from the wings)

The pattern is for sale from my ravelry shop here

xx

c

PS Thanks to another good friend for bringing all the elements of this post together in this...

Behind schedule

I have taken a break from Christmas knitting this week.  You see, aided and abetted (or is that challenged) by two special frineds I have had an idea...

and so I have been charting

and swatching,

knitting up tidy hems

and steeking

but despite knitting in a frenzied, fast and furious manner and including acres of plain stocking stitch

I've not finished yet

so it's back to the needles and hopes that I shall be able to talk about teh finished item by the weekend (and get back to the unfinished Christmas projects)

xx

C