The first of the Christmas cheer

Finally I am starting on the parade of Christmas gifts that have abounded this year. First of all, a look at the things that came my way before I went away for hols:

Very cool vintage knitting bag from Meg. Thanks Meg! Note the little hole for the yarn to pass through so you can knit "discretely"!

More very cool things from Meg! A whole bunch of vintage knitting patterns. One in particular will be very useful - it's for the very yarn I recently bought 2 kilos worth of, Patons Caressa!

And there's been a little self-gifting too!:

It's a pretty good book - it gives you instructions for each of the different techniques. Although some of the descriptions are a bit mind-boggling for the absolute beginner. The good thing though is the book opens your eyes to new ways you can use quilting. For example there are patterns for a pair of slippers, and ideas for things that can use "quilting-related embellishments" like these gorgeous stuffed cats (The pattern is called the "Three Faces of Steve"!):

And yes, there was even more self-gifting...I just couldn't help myself. The latest Vogue Knitting, which of course has some great stuff but nothing I can make right now in the summer heat. Nice for people who are having those white wintery Christmases though! Mind you they had a nice section on cushions by different designers. They're definitely do-able in summer.

And that's it. No more purchasy. I promise.