2011 - FO's 44 and 45

 Hello, hello!!  I am back after having a 3 week break from no internet or emails.  It has been a nice break and a great way to end the year by catching up on what everyone has been doing over the xmas break.  We moved house.  Lachlan and Paul hired a truck and did all the heavy lifting themselves, such strong men in my family!  Isabelle and I packed boxes, moved boxes and then tried to find places for all the stuff.  We filled a skip with things we didnt need anymore like rubbish from the garage and the back shed.  It felt so good to go through 12 years of stuff and declutter.  Anyway we are now living in a quiet little court in Brookfield which is nice.  All the animals have moved in and are feeling quite at home, constantly napping in the garage and going for walks across the road at the creek.  We watch the sunsets every night from our driveway and see the hawks catching mice in the afternoon sun.  It really is quite nice and very de-stressing.  So since I have returned and 2011 is nearly over I thought I better pop my last few FO's up for you to see.  Sorry there were more little hats for my nephews but I didnt have time to take a pic.  Firstly up above are the Oak Grove Mitts by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting.  I have to say these were very fun to knit up and didnt take too long at all.  I used Zarina yarn that I had in the stash and I think these mitts only took 1 ball.  These were a pressie for my sister so I couldnt show them off until after xmas.

Up next is the Sugar and Cream Cowl from the same designer.  I think I used 2.5 balls of Zarina.  This cowl is so soft and smooshy that I am thinking of knitting one up for myself as it would be perfect for those cooler nights while walking the dogs.  My sister loved the presents very much.  Her birthday is on the 8th of January so I am trying to finish up a top that I started a few weeks ago.  It doesnt take to long to knit up and I am hoping that the Jo Sharp cotton doesnt stretch out too much.    I am sure these two items will get lots of wear when the weather warms up.

Just to fill you in - we had a wonderful xmas at Paul's brother's house in Darley.  The kids all swam in the pool including my 1 yr old nephews.  Those little tykes are just so adorable swimming around.  They have been in the water since they were 3 mths old and absolutely love it.  I got lots of baby snuggles with Felix too who is just beginning to smile at everyone.  The only thing was the electrical storm on the way home.  Cars were pulled off the road with the giant sized hailstones.  We took 30 minutes to drive home, which would otherwise be a 10 min drive but we made it safely.  The poor dogs were drowned rats when we got back home, so we cleaned them up, fed them and let them sleep in the garage whilst we went to my sister's for dinner.  A lovely roast and some nice time spent together which we havent done in such a long time.  Now that we live closer by my sister rides her bicycle around and takes Isabelle for a bike ride.  Isabelle and I have been discovering all the wonderful walking tracks and parks around us.  Having 4 walks a week is actually making me feel less tired so it is great.

Tomorrow night we are staying in with my sister popping over for NYE and perhaps my parents and my auntie and our new neighbours.  It should be quite relaxing and hopefully 2012 will be a fantastic year for you all!  Happy New Year for 2012 everyone!!!!