Christmas gifting

For those interested,  t he beaded socks in my previous post were the Winter Frost socks from Ravelry.  They were quite enjoyable to knit, and the design was delightfully straightforward.

For most of last year, I was working on an afghan for my eldest son and his wife.  They live in northern Virginia, and  as new homeowners are discovering the joys of utility bills.  They keep the heat in their home rather low ... well, low by the standards of those of us who heat with firewood and blithely heat OUR living rooms to a toasty temperature of 78 degrees or so.  As we were preparing for our visit to them for our  holiday last year, we were warned to bring plenty of warm clothing.  "Ha!"  I thought to myself.  "Now I know what to make for them for Christmas next year!"

And so I did.  I knit Yggdrasil, from Interweave Knits, out of Patons Shetland Chunky.  22 balls, on a 5.50mm needle.  Started this little puppy in January, and finished in November.  There was a fair bit of other knitting that happened during this time as well, but it was a major project.   The afghan is darn close to six feet square -- according to Jason it is the perfect size for a Christmas afternoon nap. 

While we were down there celebrating Christmas, Coris' birthday and my not-birthday, Jason and Coris treated us to dinner at the Capitol Grille.  We had the most exquisite steak dinner I have ever had in my life.  Aged steak, drizzled with 13-year old balsamic vinegar, and grilled to absolute perfection.  Creamed corn made with fresh corn, au gratin potatoes, lobster and crab cakes for appetizers.  This was truly an evening to be remembered, and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

All in all, a remarkable Christmas holiday with my eldest and his wife.  Thank you, Jason and Coris.  It was fabulous.