He's making a list and checking it twice...

Only five sleeps to Christmas and I'm feeling pretty much ready. I am awaiting a few deliveries but Royal Mail were struggling to catch up after the heavy snow only for another lot to fall at the end of last week. It wasn't too bad in Leeds but I imagine plenty of what I ordered is not coming from Leeds so I will have to be patient and if things don't arrive it's OK, they'll turn up eventually and Christmas will just go on for longer!

One thing that will definitely be wrapped and under the tree is my mother in law's scarf! I finally finished the knitting on Saturday evening, grafted the top edge onto the rest of the scarf and on Sunday gave it a bath and pinned it out on the spare bed.

I am really happy with the scarf, I just hope my mother in law is as she asked for a red one…oops! The yarn did look red in the photo on the website I ordered it from but that must have been my computer. Still, she does wear pink and I'd argue it suits her better than red so I am hopeful that she will like this anyway. I did knit her a red scarf last year that she never wears so maybe she doesn't like red scarves as much as she claims! No I'm not entirely sure why she asked me to knit her another scarf when she never wears last year's.

Having a bath

Pinned out, I folded it in half so that the points at either end would be blocked evenly though I do need to work on my blocking skills generally, I'm pretty rubbish at it!

A quick close up!

It was just about dry when I touched it this morning so should be ready by tonight. I am hoping to manage to get it out for a daylight photo before I wrap it up ready for opening on Christmas day.

My mother's Ishbel is not done, I've almost finished the first repeat of chart A which translates to I haven't done very much! Oops. Things have been rather hectic of late though and my knitting has lost out to every other thing I have to do. This is not something I am happy with but alas I have to lead an adult life and sometimes things are just more important than knitting. Fortunately I do still have time as we're spending Christmas with the in-laws and I wont see my mum until the 29th or 30th December (as yet undecided on an exact date!) so I can knit on her Ishbel whilst I'm at the in-laws if I don't finish it before Friday. I doubt I'll finish before Friday!
I have a confession also. On Saturday me and my mum battled through the snow (all 2cm of it!) and went to Ilkley for last minute Christmas shopping. I should have taken my camera as the moor all covered in an icing sugar dusting of snow was beautiful but alas my current brain state (and the fact I'd been at the work Christmas party the night before!) meant I forgot. The confession part is that whilst I did buy for others in Ilkley I snuck in something for myself! Very naughty just before Christmas but there we go. I called in at Create, a rather charming yarn and craft shop and café hidden away in a little arcade. I did make sure I bought yarn I can't buy anywhere else (apart from on their website) and treated myself to a skein of hand dyed Ba T'at sock yarn.

The colourway is "Pheasant" and I do think it's rather lovely and unlike anything else in my stash. I just love the autumnal reds and greens thrown in with the shades of brown…just like a real pheasant. The best bit was when I bought it the very nice lady asked if I'd like to have it wound. As I usually have to enlist the help of my mother or use my feet when winding yarn I accepted their generous offer and watched rather transfixed as they put the skein onto the swift and wound with the ball winder. I really want a swift and ball winder!
Look at the lovely little cake it made

I must admit that having it all wound and ready like that makes me want to knit from it straight away ahead of the masses in my stash. I might just do that, there's no harm in taking it along at Christmas incase a lovely sock knitting book with irresistable patterns may happen to find a way into my stocking.