A Very Knitspot Christmas

Today is the last day Baby Knitspot can wear his holiday socks as we’re celebrating Nollaig Bheag, or Little Christmas. Many of you may know today as the Feast of the Epiphany, the traditional end of the Christmas season.

Little Christmas is also known as Women’s Christmas (Irish: Nollaig na mBan) because traditionally the Irish men take on household duties as the women go out and play. I should be out partying with the ladies, but today I am knitting and reminiscing about the holiday season while Matt is busy doing laundry and other household chores. My company today is a sleeping doggie by my side and this happy guy.

I can’t believe how fast these two weeks flew by and Matt returns to work tomorrow. It seems like I just started the Countdown to Christmas KAL on ravelry.  It’s been a great holiday, though…

My parents arrived on Dec 23 ready to celebrate Padraig’s 1st Christmas – at our house. Matt and I wanted to start a new tradition that Christmas morning would be spent under our own tree.

Mom arrived with sugar cookies ready to be frosted.

She loves to bake and I love to decorate! We’re a perfect team. We stayed up super late decorating every last one while laughing and carrying on with a frosting buzz. Oh the silliness!

Christmas Eve we drove to our mall Somerset Collection for  “Santa Send Off.”

This is where all the kids sit on the main floor of the mall to say goodbye to Santa and then he vanishes in a puff of smoke. A few moments later you see Santa’s sleigh on the glass roof, starting his journey to deliver toys. This is an absolute magical event. We’ve decided it’s a new tradition.

Afterwards we headed to a lovely Christmas Eve childrens’ mass in Detroit followed by a huge holiday gathering at Matt’s aunt and uncle’s house. We got home just in time to read The Night Before Christmas

and put out treats for Santa and the reindeer.

Christmas morning we woke to find that Santa did come!

Padraig was delighted to open his gifts

and we added a new ornament to the tree.

We also got a really fun surprise Christmas Day – snow! We all bundled up, including Baby Knitspot in his Barrel o’ Monkey hat,

and went outside to build a snowwoman.

I didn’t help build her, I just pulled Padraig around the front yard.

The snowwoman turned out great, but I felt she needed an accessory for the family photo. Thankfully I had the Les Abeilles Anne knit me in a handy location.

Doesn’t she look amazing?

Padraig had a little too much fun and passed out just before the family photo.

My parents left the next morning and we had a little family time to ourselves, playing with new toys and visiting all of our friends that were home for the holidays. On Dec 28 we went to Kalamazoo to celebrate Christmas with the entire family at my parents’ home.

I didn’t get most of my Christmas knitting done, but Padraig got to wear his Christmas oh, Baby socks to the party.

My mom, on the other hand, was a very busy knitter. Everyone in the family got a handknit!

It was fun watching my brother’s fiancee unwrap her gifts. Anything wearable she immediately donned. She was so tickled to get a new hat, she wore it the rest of the day.

If that gesture doesn’t tickle a handknitter’s heart!

Mom, and I, insisted that a photo shoot had to happen before everyone left. We needed pics for ravelry and the blog, and my dad was a very willing photographer.

Aaron and Danelle modeled their Hot Waffles

and I jumped at the chance to wear my matching Sky Cap with Baby Knitspot.

The Sky Cap pattern is part of the Bare Naked Knitspot 2012 ebook which is available here or here on ravelry. I love the set my mom knit in natural yarn for his christening, but now I’m over the moon with the Mountain Meadow Cody in this gorgeous blue.

As soon as our delayed Owens Christmas was over, we headed back to Detroit in time for New Year’s Eve. For Matt and I it was not just the excitement of another party. It was our 2nd wedding anniversary. I got pretty sentimental about the day and with my dress I wore my wedding shoes (blue Fluevogs) and the LOVe wedding shawl Anne knit me.

It was fun to reminisce about the day and wear my special pretties. We had lots to celebrate and we are looking forward to a very exciting 2013 with a little one that changes daily.

My mom, along with all the impressive gifts shared in this ravelry thread, totally inspired me to do a little more knitting in 2013. I’ve joined the National Knit Mittens Month group on ravelry and am making Wussypillows Mitts.

Please join me in the KAL and you could win a knitspot gift certificate! Speaking of ravelry KALs, my Breathless DK from Shalimar Yarns should arrive any day and I can cast on my Slöfock! Won’t you join me? There’s plenty of time to take part in the Slöfock KAL. We’re not too picky about the cast on date.

I’m going to finish out Little Christmas with some more mitt knitting while watching Season 3 of Downton Abbey. Happy New Year of Knitting everyone!