Mind you, it's very small and can be set up in a few minutes. White lights make everything cheery. It was good to dig out last year's sheepy decorations from the Knitting Goddess.
I've also added a few new ornaments. These are made out of - yes, you guessed it - WOOL! Even better, Herdwick wool (my favourite sheep). Solidwool is a small and really interesting British company experimenting with alternatives to plastic. They take Herdy wool and mix it with a bio-resin to create a hard substance that is then turned mostly into furniture. This year they produced these decorations and they fit perfectly with my themed tree. It's hard to see in the photo, but there are wisps of wool visible in the compressed material.
Mum's package has been mailed off and in addition to knitting a pair of socks and a pair of Baffies . . .
. . . I also managed to find time to knit her a lovely shawl. The pattern is Haematoxylum by Ysolda Teague, the last pattern from her 2016 yarn club. It was quite quick to knit and is a lovely pattern for a variegated yarn. I used a skein of Life in the Long Grass merino/silk 4ply in the colourway Meadow which has a wonderful drape with a bit of a sheen to it. Very cozy around the neck without being too hot. I can definitely see myself making one of these for me in the future. A great one-skein project; I even had enough to add an extra short row wedge to give it a bit more width.
I have one more sock to finish for the Liverpud which should be doable, although I have to dig it out in secret when he's not around. So having the xmas knitting well under control, and my snowflake sweater progressing nicely (just have half a sleeve and the placket/buttons to finish) last night, I decided to cast on my holiday project for when I have a few days of peace and quiet. This will be Uncia by Lucy Hague from The Book of Haps. I have seen many gorgeous projects on ravelry - some in rich, silky colourways, and others in more rustic, undyed natural yarns - and they all look really beautiful. I've gone for something a bit in the middle. I went stash diving and found several balls of this 100% Texel wool from Orkney. The woman on the farm who dyed the yarn is no longer dyeing so I really wanted to knit something special with this yarn. It's quite crisp but not itchy and has very little halo, so I think it will show off the pattern quite well. There are 400 rows - the first 150 are fairly straightforward and then there are several charts with cables and lace. I am going to tackle this very slow and steady.
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