Christmas Pre-Reveal

I am tired of seeing bags and bags of Christmas wrapping paper go into the trash on Christmas morning, and so I decided to begin taking action.

Presenting, recyclable and reversible gift bags!

These three presents are headed to the Missouri niece and nephews:


Close-ups of the nephew's bags:
Bag A


Bag B


The view inside of the bags:


And the bags in reverse: perfect for upcoming birthdays!


Close-ups of the bags in reverse:
Bag A


Bag B


I also experimented with reversible wrapping paper, this gift for my niece:




As Christmas drew close and time ran out, I just used the two gingerbread cloths like regular wrapping paper. I did manage a third bag.




Will these few gift bags reduce the paper at this Christmas? Not by much, but I hope that throughout the next few years we will have more recycle bags and less waste.

Now that I have pre-revealed the gift wrap, I must confess that I did not knit a single gift item for Christmas... I think that the scarves below will become late presents for some friends who still need a token of appreciation. I am hoping for a more inspired knitting year this coming 2011.

Until then, enjoy the 12 days of Christmas!

More Neck Warming

I do love this Cabled Keyhole Scarf Pattern! Newly matched with souvenir yarn from last summer's trip to Maryland, this is yet another soft and beautiful combination. The yarn comes from a Huacaya alpaca named Smokey, introduced in this blog in July. He lives on the Bluebell Alpaca Farm in Grantsville, MD. You can find more info here: http://www.bluebellfarmalpacas.com/



Details:
Pattern: Cabled Keyhole Scarf by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Alpaca from Smokey, Bluebell Alpaca Farm, MD
Needles: Size 7
Colorway: Gray
Size: The larger one
Started: December 22, 2010
Finished: December 24, 2010
This is a great knit project for a road trip!



Merry Christmas to All!

Love for the Neck

I ran across this lovely pattern at the Knitspot.com, shortly before Thanksgiving and couldn't wait until she published the pattern. She promised is for after the weekend of December 11th, but the joke was on me when I checked out her blog on Monday the 13th and found that she had already published it on Friday the 10th!! Sometimes restraint on the Internet is not worth it! I hurried to purchase, rooted around in the stash for perfect yarn, and cast on. It was a busy, hectic, ridiculous week, but I managed to finish it up by Friday the 17th.



Here are the details:
Pattern: Cabled Keyhole Scarf by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Schachmeyr Nomota "Alpaka Fashion"
Needles: Size 7
Colorway: Blue with a hint of green
Size: The larger one
Started: December 13, 2010
Finished: December 17, 2010



The yarn was purchased in Biberach, Germany, the day before I went to my first Viola d'amore Congress in Ochsenhausen at the monastery. Very special memory for me, and I am happy that I finally found the perfect project for it. I had two yards to spare when I was finished! I just need to block it still... Maybe after all the celebrating is over!

FOILED!

I was pushing for a strong finish to my shrug, which has been languishing since, well, many months this year...


When I ran out of yarn on Saturday...


And the yarn store had every colorway of this brand and weight, except this one...
So now it's on hold again until my specially ordered yarn comes in...

I guess I'll try knitting something else! Happy Knitting!

Sunday Stroll

Did you know alpacas were animals that liked to take a walk on a leash? Me either, but it is a nice way for them to go out and get some air! We didn't go far, and they did not seem interested in grazing.



If you give a girl an alpaca,
she'll want to take it for a stroll.
If the walk is long,
she will want to feed the alpaca some grain.
The grain will make the fleece grow twice a fast,
and the girl will want to shear it.
After shearing the alpaca,
the girl will need a drum carder.
And when all the fiber is aligned as roving,
she will need a spinning wheel.
When the roving is spun to yarn,
the girl will knit shawls and sweaters.
When many knit goods are completed,
she will demand a store,
In which to sell her goods.
To make more money,
To buy another alpaca...
To take on another stroll...

Oh yes, I'm getting ahead of myself: Happy Knitting!

They're here!

Yesterday, two of our three new alpacas came to live with us on the farm.

Three attentive beasts, from left to right: Tenny, Moonstar, and 'Greta.


Day and Night


Moonstar is as brightly colored as day and is almost fully grown. Softest fleece ever - YUM!


'Greta, dark as night, is built like a tank. She is also very soft, but her fiber is little coarser than Moonstar's.


Is someone coming to feed us??!!


Bella Oak will be joining us in a few months. 

Tenny

We brought our first farm animal home yesterday! I have never been more enthusiastic about an animal, let alone a dog. This young lady is truly magnificent. Her stature is noble, her coat is composed of a wonderful thick white fur that does not get dirty, and her personality is out of this world. I could not think of a more gentle and loving animal. The aura of serenity that floats around her is unbelievable. Nonetheless, she is a guard dog and has an energetic bark. Watch out deer and coyotes! Tenny is still getting adjusted. She is just 14 months old and was in a car for the 2nd time in her life yesterday. It was a rough day for her, but she is already getting acclimated to being with us and going about her duties.



As you can see, the fencing around the barn is also finished! We are ready!

Happy Knitting! (PS - I finished a sleeve on the shrug. Just one more to go and then I'll have a finished object at long last!)