No snow, no go

On the left, the actual kennel, on the right, the size I was expecting when I began.

Firstly a warm welcome to any new readers who have found this blog over the Christmas break, particularly new readers who are reading this via Kindle.  There was no art group this week, as many of us would have been too busy with family commitments, so instead I finally completed the knitted dog kennel I’ve been making.  Regular readers will remember that this was much bigger than expected and had taken me several weeks to make, often working late into the night and getting up early in the morning to make sure it was done.  There were over 36,000 individual stitches in it, plus the dogs and bowl (with bone).  I used several layers of cardboard to reinforce it, and embroidery wadding to pad it out with.  I think the 3 year old recipient was pleased with it, and I sincerely hope he will enjoy playing with it.

We have had rather milder weather than this time last year, with no snow whatsoever.  Although last year’s weather was more than a little inconvenient, it did at least give me some inspiration for a Christmas card or two.  My better half is interested in the theory that sun spots affect the weather, and at the moment, there is not much activity, but there is due to be some in late January/early February, so it will be interesting to see if any snow falls then.  Watch this space.

I have spent the past few days surrounded by family, and the nearest we have got to any creativity was when one of them created this “Stonehenge” in cheese for a buffet yesterday.  If any of you have seen the spoof film “Spinal Tap”, it reminds me of the miniature Stonehenge that the dwarves danced around to hilarious effect, after a misunderstanding with the set designer as to the size of the monument.

I should have completed my tree of life painting by the next update, and am considering doing a Tenby harbour or island scene for my next painting, as it was very picturesque.

For now, I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and would just like to wish you all a Happy New Year in advance.