Holiday market and Chocolate Drops

Last weekend I worked a couple hours at a booth, full of beautifully handmade crafts, to raise money for Kelwyn's school.  It was held at the UNCA Holiday Bazaar and full of local crafts, baked goods, food, chocolates, honey, soaps, wood working, jewelry, and much more. 
 
I have been busy knitting like crazy the past few weeks getting ready for the sale.  Many of the older children, at the school, worked very hard making gnomes, ornaments, beeswax lanterns, felted soaps, wooden knitting needles, and candles.  Everything was so precious and  made with lots of love.
 
 
 
There were also parents and grandparents making items to be sold as well.  June (Grammy) graciously donated beautifully made pincushions, felt mice, handmade boxes and ornaments for the sale.  Everyone was very impressed with all the embroidery and work put in to her lovely items.
 
 
I knitted cabled headbands and flower hair clips with yarn left over from previous projects.

The fundraising craft sale was a success and one more to go before the holidays.  I even bought a couple of gnomes that may appear in stockings very soon. 
 

Although I felt a cold coming on, I was not going to miss a night out with my ladies and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  They were amazing and the show was sold out! Big day......

Little treasures

Kelwyn and Adeline discovered little treasures from St. Nicholas in their boots this morning.  The candy canes were eaten faster than I ever imagined and I they filled a bowl with nuts to crack later.  We discovered the carrots, Kelwyn eagerly grated, and the bowls of water, Adeline filled the evening before, were empty. (for the horse)

The little ones also received their new Christmas books for the season.  Looking forward to curling up by the fire with lots of Christmas stories and a cup of hot cocoa. 

Christmas tree

We made our yearly journey to the Sandy Hollar farm to find our tree.
 
Kelwyn and Adeline were running through the rows and rows of trees as soon as their feet hit the ground.  Too excited to speak with lots of squealing and giggles.
 
 
 
Fresh green everywhere!   We took a wagon pulled tractor ride through the hollar to the other side of the farm, where we choose our tree.

 

 Slater cut it down and carried it to be wrapped for the tractor ride back to the farm store and our cars.  The air was starting to get chilly as we bundled together during the ride, with smiles and happy hearts.
 
 We made it just in time for a delicious dinner at a dear friend's home.  O, beautiful tree.....

Giving thanks

We headed down south to Alabama to visit our family and friends for Thanksgiving. The weather was perfect and it was a wonderful whirlwind of gatherings catching up with loved ones.
We are thankful for....
*visiting Slater's 97 year old Grandmother MaMa, who is still cracking jokes and giving lots of love

*white, glistening fields of cotton
 
*running through the Birmingham zoo with Nana, Aunt Stephanie and cousins Madeline and Bobby
 
 

 
 
*music, local beer and laughter with dear friends
 
*lunch and shopping date with my Mom, without the little ones in tow!

*chocolate pecan pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and carrot cake (oh, my!)
 
*delicious southern cooked food at my family's Thanksgiving day and Slater's the day after(so full!)
*lots of knitting during long car rides
*beautiful handmade goodies (more to come) from my mother in law, June, donated for Kelwyn's school craft sale coming up
*amazed at how much my nieces and nephews grow each time I see them and so proud of the individuals they are becoming
*Precious moments

Adeline's Autumn cardigan

I finally finished knitting Adeline's Autumn Eyelet Cardigan, after pulling out and redoing the yoke.  It was not hard to figure out which color she wanted and it fits perfectly. 
 
I must say this is the first sweater I have knit which was done in pieces and put together.  I think it may be my last.  I much prefer knitting from the top-down.  It creates a seamless sweater and knits up more smoothly in my opinion.  I love how this one turned out, but it does take time to knit up the sides and sleeves and put it all together. (having a finished sweater and noticing uneven fronts does not help!)

 Of course seeing Adeline dancing, smiling, and laughing in her new cardigan makes it all worth it!  It will keep her very warm for the colder days to come.

Wasabi cowl

I discovered the Wasabi cowl on Pinterest last week.  I knew it would be great for my first successful thick and thin handspun yarn.
 
 It made for a quick and satisfying knit after having to rip out the yoke in Adeline's autumn sweater.  I discovered after sewing up the sides that the right front of the sweater was about 1/2 inch longer than the other.  I must have made a mistake measuring quickly one night and could not live with an uneven sweater, sigh.   Oh well, the joys of knitting mistakes and quick knits!

Handspun

I am happy with the way a few handspun yarns turned out recently.  It took me a few weeks to wash and set the yarns, but now they look so lovely and ready to knit.  The colorful one above I was thinking would make a nice hat. The white strand is angora rabbit, which is 8 times warmer than wool!  Perfect for the cold, snowy winter predicted ahead of us.

Knitting and spinning, making me so happy these days!