Christmas knitting and reading

I'm knitting myself a Christmas hat. It's not going to be finished in time for most of the Christmas events I'm going to - I've already had my book club Christmas meal (in November, so a bit early for Christmas hats anyway!) and the WI party is this evening - not much hope of completing it in four hours. It should be ready by Christmas Day though, and possibly for the craft group Christmas meal, if I am brave enough to wear it in a restaurant! The yarn doesn't show up well in the picture, it's very sparkly and Christmassy.I can't find the link to the pattern online anymore, but for fans of the Big Bang Theory, you will have seen Penny wearing something similar. 

I've gathered together all my Christmas themed books and I'm going to read at least some of them during December. I also have a novel called Comfort and Joy by India Knight, which didn't make it into the photograph, and I have to reread the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for book club. 

I'm already making plans for next year's knitting/sewing - a friend and I have decided to work our way through our yarn/project stash. The rule is one project finished for every new one started, and minimum new purchases. I have an array of unfinished projects as well as numerous unstarted ones, I'm sure I have plenty to keep me busy all year.... 

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along 

that was the weekend

I had fine plans for this weekend, for getting the tree and decorations down out of the loft and decking the halls. Just one time it would have been nice to actually do it on the 1st December, the date I usually aim for and I don't think have ever achieved. It usually ends up getting done around the 12th, and one time a few years ago it didn't get done at all! Life always seems to get in the way. 

The Prof had a sore throat on Saturday morning, but felt alright otherwise, so we ran some errands (including some Father Christmas stuff which the Prof went off to do and wouldn't tell me about, ooh exciting). In the evening we drove over to Kent for dinner with friends. By the time we came home his sore throat had developed into a full blown nasty cold, so today consisted of a lie in and then a quiet and lazy day. 

We had boiled eggs and toast soldiers for lunch, there's nothing like nursery food when you're feeling poorly. We ordered in Indian for dinner this evening, with enough leftovers for tomorrow's lunches. I did some laundry, watched some television and worked on a Christmassy hat I am knitting for myself. 

Fingers crossed that I don't catch the cold, and for getting the tree up next weekend! 

weekending with Amanda

grey days

Waiting for my bus outside the Tower of London one day last week, it occurred to me to take a photo of myself to show you my progress with growing out my grey hair. (Apparently 'selfie' is the word of the year, don'tcha know). I coloured my hair for the last time in mid August, so this is just over three month's growth. The first few weeks were the hardest, actually - I had a  very definite white line along my parting, which I have always hated and is my reason for going natural now. In the last couple of years, I've had a really noticeable stripe within 10 days of colouring, and I figure if I'm going to spend several weeks of every month looking like a badger, I'm fooling no one and I might as well be grey and honest. 

At first I wore a wide headband a lot to cover the stripe, but I have been surprised to find that as the grey has grown out more, it is bothering me less. I think because it's not just along my parting, but showing here and there through my hair in different places.  If I put my hair up in a kind of messy piled up do, it doesn't look too bad at all. I do wonder sometimes, though, if people are looking at me and thinking I've let myself go. I have to admit to feeling a bit unkempt, as I would if I had chipped nail polish, or had visitors turn up during the day and find me in my pyjamas.   

I like the colour of the hair that is coming through, I also think it feels softer than my coloured hair, which definitely has a coarser feel. I've been colouring it to cover my grey since my mid twenties, so I really have no idea what colour my hair will actually be when it grows out. I'm rather looking forward to it.