Christmas Catch-up

I didn't get to post pictures of the last few presents before Christmas, but I did take pictures before wrapping them.

Here's the Mallory for my husband's aunt.  I used 2 colors of Vintage, and striped it.  It turned out really well.

These socks were for my FIL.  He really liked them - knowing they'd be warm.  I based them on the Yarn Harlot's Sock recipe.  Little Man picked out the color.

These were the same, just bigger.  Little Man once again picked out the color, but these went to my brother.

I did the same for my husband in black.  I had been promising him socks for a couple of years, and finally just did it.  All of these were out of Classic Wool DK from Paton's.  I made them on size US 6, which in retrospect probably wasn't the best of ideas, but they will work.  I probably should have gone down a needle size or two, but I had the 6's and since that's the recommended needle size, I just went with it.

Now, that was all the gifts given.  Now for the gifts received.  I got a bag full of Cascade Eco +, that I forgot to take a picture of, but it's a fuchsia color.  I love it.  I'll post a picture of that later.  For the other stuff:

My brother gave me a lovely tea pot.  I have a feeling this will be one of a few.  I love it.

This is my favorite.  My husband, in all his wonderfulness, found an antique wheel.  It's a saxony wheel, and I get to learn how to spin on it.  I have to figure out how it works, but I have it, and it's mine.

In my limited knowledge, here's the flyer.  It still has bits of fiber in it from previous use.  I love that.

Here's the wheel itself, and our current make-shift drive band.

I'm still not sure what this piece is, but it looks like a lovely feather.  I think this is the draft hole, where the fiber feeds to spin.  I'll have to do some more research, unless one of you lovely readers can tell me.

And last, but not least, is the treadle.  There are a few issues, like woodworm holes, but I think that adds character.  They're not active, and there's not many of them.  To me, there's just enough to make it endearing.

There was more.  Oh, so much more.  He bought me yarn.  Above, is some Jo Sharp Rare Comfort in Pine.  It's a dark grey-green color, and I have 2 skeins.  Below, is more Jo Sharp, 5 skeins, in Earl Grey.  He unknowingly continued the tea theme.

This is the same, in a lovely ice blue color.  There are 4 skeins of this.  Can't you just see this in a GORGEOUS shawl?

He also bought me 10 skeins of Adrienne Vittadini Veronica, in a medium grey color.  It's an eyelash yarn, and I'm already planning some fun stuff with it.  I can make several of these, maybe a couple of these, and maybe one of these.

This was the pièce de résistance - lovely hand-dyed chenille DK weight yarn from Kindred Spirits.

There is between 450 and 485 yards per skein.  I'm already imagining an Effortless Cardigan in this.  It's lovely and soft, and hand dyed.  It needs a plain pattern to let the yarn shine through.  It's grey and purple and pink, all in muted dark tones.  It's beautiful.  Didn't he do good?

I also won a contest from Luvinthemommyhood.  I got some Birch Organic fabric in Set Sail and the Flag Day pattern from Lunden Designs.  Little Man will LOVE the resulting quilt.  I haven't decided yet if I want to add more fabric to it to make it a twin size quilt, or make it as is (crib quilt) for him, and then still make him a twin quilt as planned in the Sarah Jane fabric of Out to Sea.  Realize this was ultra exciting for me as I never win anything.  Okay, rarely do I win.  I've won 3 things in my life - once in 4th or 5th grade, when Coca-Cola had those pop-up cans with prizes, I won $5, which was stolen.  Then, at an office Christmas party 3 years ago, I won a Flip Video.  And now this.  I just don't win stuff.  But this was awesome, and all of it arrived in time for Christmas.  This is an awfully long post - don't hold it against me.  I've been so busy with Christmas, and I haven't had a chance to blog much, so I guess I'm making up for it. :)