Pa-thrum-thrum-thrum-THRUM!

Ha!Ha! I don't know why it's already time to be thinking Christmas thoughts and cringing at cheesey Christmas songs, but my brain is in full Christmas mode. I finally got around to doing something I've been planning. I knit 2 pairs of thrummed mittens for 4 of my favourite hands on earth.

They are knit from Patons Classic Wool. Instead of wool roving for the thrums, I used some left-over Briggs and Little Country Roving which is 5 strands of un-spun wool. I separated 2 strands at a time to make each thrum. It works extremely well. These mittens will be very warm, and the wool Country Roving will felt down into a soft insulated layer over time. Right now, they just seem kind of bloated. :) They're the kind of mittens that should last a very long time.

In the name of science, I made one pair with a thumb gusset (the black ones on the right) and one pair with an after-thought thumb. Neither was any easier than the other, so I'll be curious to hear back from the recipients which style works best.

Now, on to the rest of my Christmas to-do list.

Festive Cats in Santa Hats

Sometimes the best ideas sneak up on you. At least, they sneak up on ME. Several months ago, I was doodlin' around with my watercolour pencils, and came up with this image:

I thought it would make a good greeting card. And then, because the universe works in strange and magical ways, I learned how to make a truly repeating image for fabric design. I took that image to Spoonflower, and ended up with Festive Cats in Santa Hats fabric. So, what should I do with THAT, I wondered?

It seemed logical that I could make Christmas gift bags with it. Right? And, of course, I needed beads for the ends of the drawstrings. I searched through my stash, and found the perfect beads. These came all the way from Kenya. My niece was there a couple of years ago, volunteering at an orphanage as part of her final college requirement. She brought me several strings of these lovely locally-made beads. Perfect for my bags!

But, what to put inside the gift bags? Festive Cats in Santa Hats cookies, of course!

So, now I have 6 (SIX!) and only 6 gift bags of cookies in my freezer, where they are safe and sound until Christmas. I've decided to offer them up for sale, to fundraise for the Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project. $20. ea.  I think they'd make good Secret Santa gifts.

The gift bag is re-useable. It comes with a matching gift card, and is filled with 6 individually wrapped Festive Cats in Santa Hats cookies.

Oh, and by the time it took to type this, 2 of them are already spoken for. :( Please leave me a comment, if you'd like one. I could mail them, but unfortunately, they'd cost about $15. for postage. :(

Raise a glass

More cookies for the event that the Gananoque & District Humane Society is hosting this Friday. Dressed to the Nines is their annual glitzy event with party clothes and jewelry and licensed bar. The cats on these cookies are raising a glass of champagne in celebration.


Cookie details:
First, I tried a traditional approach, piping and flooding the icing. I got a little nervous that they weren't going where I intended them to go (ie they were going sideways!), so I decided just to paint the rest (don't worry...I paint with food colouring) In the end, I like both cookies, and like any good mother, I couldn't possibly pick a favourite.

Event details:
Dressed to the Nines ..... Friday, November 18, 2016, from 4 to 7 pm at Christ Church Hall, 30 Church St., Gananoque, Ontario. All in support of the Gananoque & District Humane Society.

Feelin' Fine!

Right about now, I think we could all use a little calm and peace and love. As corny as that may sound. Maybe even a few more kitten videos. Or cat cookies.

For those days when you're all dressed up and and you know you're lookin' good, here is that feeling rolled out in a cookie.

These are the first of the cookies I'm making for the Dressed to the Nines Event the Gananoque & District Humane Society is holding on Friday, November 18, 2016.  From 4 to 7 pm at Christ Church Hall, 30 Church St., Gananoque. They're featuring glitzy party wear and jewelry, and there will be a licensed café. This is a fundraiser for this no-kill, all volunteer run shelter.

The big reveal!

Finally, I can share the big, secret project I've been working on.

It's a quilt! It's a calendar! It'll be both! :)

Here are the 12 quilt blocks I made to illustrate the 2017 calendar that the Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project is putting together to fundraise for the cats in our care.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The Year of the Cat!!  Calendars will be $16 and we are taking pre-orders with payment due upon delivery. There's no delivery charge if we can hand deliver them, but if you live too far away, they can be mailed for $2, maybe a little more if there are several calendars.

Edited November 8, 2016:  According to Canada Post's website, the current postage for a single calendar will  be $3.25. That includes the tax they insist on adding to the posted rate. :)

TO ORDER:
Please just leave a comment on this post. Let us know if you'll need it to be mailed or if it's likely that it could be hand delivered (if you work with/are related to/friends with an LFCP committee member or if you live in Lyndhurst). The deadline for ordering is November 18, 2016. 

PAYMENT:
We can accept cash, cheques or e-transfers sent to stephanie.etherington103@gmail.com.

All funds go toward food, surgeries, vet care and shelter for Lyndhurst and area cats. Thank you for your support!