Today we're celebrating the first of Advent here in Sweden. Which meant that I spent most of yesterday putting up all of our Advent and Christmas decorations. We put lights in all of our windows, either in the shapes of candelabras or hanging stars.
It's very pretty, and it really helps fight the darkness that arrives here in wintertime. We also had our first snow this week, and it's been really cold the past couple of days. I'd much rather have snow and cold than soggy and grey though, so it's ok.
Today I went to a Christmas market with my sister and her friend, and even though it was very cold it was also very cozy. It took place in Old Linköping, which is a part of town where lots of old buildings have been saved, and it has lots of old-fashioned shops as well. I bought some chocolate and some small Christmas ornaments.
This is a Lucia procession, with a Lucia with a crown of candles, a maid with glitter in her hair, and a starboy (he's the one with the cone on his head). In Sweden we celebrate St Lucia day on the 13th of December by having Lucia processions. The people in the procession sings Lucia songs, and Lucia is also called the lightbringer. It is very pretty, and I'll link you to the one that will be on Swedish television on the 13th so you get to see one. I always took part in the processions when I was in school and in the student choirs, it is so much fun!
I also found the cutest little ear rings!
I know I can't wear these all year round, but I figured they were cute enough to warrant the few days around Christmas when I can show them off. Both these and the Lucia procession are made from clay.
I've also made a lot of knitting progress, and so far I'm sticking to the Crazy KAL! I'm still waiting on the stuffing for the cube, so it's still lying in its bag, but I think that will arrive some time this week. Thomas will be away for Tuesday and Thursday night, so one of those days I'll finish it.
I also finished and blocked the Serina Cardigan!
I haven't worn it yet, as it is a bit too cold here right now for a fingering weight cardi, but I like it a lot! It is one of those patterns that looks good both open and closed, and I chose to not make any buttonholes so I'll wear it with a shawl pin. I'm planning on wearing it on both Christmas and New Year's.
Since I finished that one, I've been focusing on the Omelet shawl. I'm really enjoying the pattern, but I'm growing a bit tired of the yarn. I'm using Färgkraft SoftBlend, which is a Swedish yarn. It's 100 % wool, and it's a little bit too scratchy for my taste. I hope it softens a lot with wash and wear, but right now it's a little bit rough on my hands. I'm about half-way done I think, but as the rows grow longer and longer it feels like it's taking me forever. I've knit almost two repeats of chart B this weekend though, and once they are done I'm moving on to chart C (and then D and E too...). Hopefully I'll finish it by Christmas too.
Today was also the start of the sock KAL that Clare Ellen is hosting on Ravelry, and I couldn't help myself so I signed up. I told her in advance though that I would probably not be able to partake in the actual KAL that closes on December 21st, as I have to finish my other stuff first if I want to finish the Crazy KAL, and she was fine with that. So I don't think I'll start those immediately. I chose the Ill Met By Moonlight socks, and they are very pretty. I'll probably buy the whole e-book once it's out.
Oh, and did I mention my AWESOME Christmas gift I'm getting from my parents? They're giving me a membership in the Cookie A Sock Club 2013! I'm so very happy about this! I've put it off for two years, thinking it's too much money to fork out right before Christmas, but this year I asked them if they would consider giving it to me instead. This might be the best gift I've ever gotten!
Ok, I'd better get back to knitting on the shawl if I ever want it finished. I'll probably be back sometime next week with another podcast episode. I'm looking into getting it on iTunes, but I think I want to make some more episodes to decide whether I like it or not first. Also, I need to get a better camera!
/ Jenny
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