hello, hello...is this thing on?  Sorry for the absense around these parts.  I want to tell you that it was because of some pressing reason that kept me thoroughly occupied, but the truth is I have been on a bit of a go-slow of late.  Having (very gratefully) cut back massively on work, I find that without the constant adrenaline rush of trying to do all the things, I am struggling to find a way to stay motivated.  They say "If you want something done, give it to a busy person" , well, I am pretty sure the opposite is true as well and while I have plenty to keep occupied with, the small details of running a blog and business have fallen a bit by the wayside.

The other thing that has not helped is the rain. You may be aware that we've had flooding and storms for well over a month.  Grand plans for tutorials, pattern releases, and glorious photoshoots have all ground to a halt.  It is bleak and dark and I could easily sleep for the next 4 months and wake up in March thank you very much.

While the rest of me is desperate to sleep, my fingers are just dying to knit. I am giving up on Christmas gift knitting, but that doesn't mean I can't continue to hoard Christmas knitting patterns for next year.  This week, I have been drooling over these three.

1. Yule Log by Kate Heppell

2. Alfrick by Rachel Coopey

3. Hylestad by Evelina Roos

My other new discovery this week has been an Icelandic Bind Off.  Having always hated binding off, this version made casting off a recent 350 stitches completely tolerable! 

If you are looking for crochet Christmas gifts, Joanne pulled together a list of giftable patterns from The Crochet Project here.

Have you seen Kate from A Playful Day's work around #makgoodfeelgood? It has been a wonderful thing to read through so many inspiring stories of how making has improved people's lives. 

While we have been lucky that the storms haven't caused as much damage as they have in other places. Carlisle (about 2 hours south of us) has been hit badly.  There are lots of charities that are helping out and if you were looking to donate toys or clothes, you can look here for appropriate charities helping out.