Words, Wool, and Downton Abbey

The Christmas knitting is all finished! I've already forgotten the stress of trying to get everything done on time and am instead thinking of how much I enjoyed it all! Ha ha ha!

This modified version of the Christmas pudding tea cozy made me SO HAPPY this Christmas season. I drank pots and pots of tea from it over Christmas Day and Boxing Day and have continued to do so. I don't think I can use it much past the next week or so which means I must find and start a new tea cozy for it very soon.

I had so much fun knitting these Dickensian Mice by Alan Dart. He has two patterns and I bought both so I could mix and match.

I loved the Christmas pudding and the shawl for this mouse! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of Emily's mouse who was done in white with a mauve and gray dress and holding a Christmas wreath.

The ladies all received the Dickensian mice and the children all received on of these sweet mice! I simply changed the colors and sizes of yarn to personalize each one. The kids LOVED them!!!

I wrapped the mice up and put them on the Christmas table at each place. Since I had no time to knit the amazing Dickensian men mice, the men in the family received cheese instead.

I know most of us are so eager for the airing of Downton Abbey beginning this coming weekend!!!! YAY!!! Have you heard that there is a Downton Abbey Mystery Knit A Long?! My sister and I are joining in. Can't wait to see what we are making.......

And while we are on the subject of Downton Abbey, you might want to check out my Downton Abbey Reading List which I have continued to update. You may find something you'd like to read during Season 3.

Don't you think some festive food might be in order for watching Downton Abbey Season 3?!! I do! Make it an excuse to get together with a few friends for an afternoon or evening and put together a little tea party. In honor of season 3 I have made my London Summer Tea Book available as a free PDF download. So, take a look and bake something up to celebrate!

As for other reading, I plan to publish my Reading Year in Review sometime in the next week but must share a few I just finished:


Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher turned out to be the Christmas story I had been searching for all month. It had all the elements I wanted: Scotland, a large, cozy house, snow, good food, interesting characters, and even redemption. While I don't agree with everything Pilcher has her characters do, I felt this was a really good story and I loved it! I also found it funny that the same family drama occurred to one of the characters that occurred in our family this year too. Somehow that was comforting.

A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission around the Table (Re: Lit Books) by Tim Chester may just be the best book I read all year. I had a hint I would love the book when one page into the introduction Chester identifies his favorite food writer as Nigel Slater. A kindred spirit! That aside, the message of the book (how important eating with people was to Jesus and should be to us because, really, creation and redemption all took place so that men may eat with God in the final Messianic banquet) spoke so profoundly to me and connected with so much of what I am passionate about and the deepest longings of my heart that I found myself so often in tears just thinking about this whole idea. I've taken copious notes and someday plan to own this book!

And now I better get on with life and cleaning up Christmas.

You can find more ideas for reading and knitting over at Ginny's Yarn Along.

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