Winter is not a season. It’s a celebration. ~ Anamika Mishra

 Saturday is the first full day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This year there is also a full moon. That makes it the brightest longest night. More on that here. This has only happened 10 times. The next one will be in 2094. Here’s some fun facts you may not have known about the winter solstice. I didn’t know it was the oldest winter celebration. Winter solstice celebrations are the basis for Western Christmas traditions and has its roots in numerous cultures. Learn more here.

Craftvent 2018 sort of reminds me of winter with the different shades of teals, grays, sparkles and speckles. I like how this is turning out so far, but I sort of wish it wasn’t so wide.

Any guesses what was in drawer # 11? I’m sure you’re as stumped as I am. If you suspected more yarn, you would be correct. Drawer # 11 was a repeat of drawer # 4 or the second yarn, Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock in Pewter.

Here’s a list of the yarns so far: 

• Tosh Merino Light + Glitter: Color Dirty Panther. I love the glitter.
• Lorna’s Laces Shepard Sock: Color Pewter 
• Tosh Merino Light: Color Danger Will Robinson 
• Manos Del Uruguay Alegria: Color Black 
• Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles: Color Juniper. I love the pop of color in this yarn. 
• Anzula Nebula: Color Teal. The sparkles are back. 
• Tosh Merino Light: Color Ripple 
• Anzula Nebula: Color Au Natural. More sparkles.

Day 11 also has about 12 more rows than the lace sections. Fortunately, I’m done working at the day job for 2018 so maybe I’ll have a bit more knitting time. It also means I won’t get back to my tea calendar until 2019. I was worried the teas were all going to be very similar, but the next few have been very different and very scrummy.

• Day 1: Organic green tea with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, pepper & pomegranate
• Day 2: Organic green tea with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg and black pepper
• Day 3: Organic green tea with cinnamon, peppermint and licorice
• Day 4: Organic black tea with ginger, cloves and star anise
• Day 5: Organic black tea with licorice, cinnamon and cloves

Do you have any winter solstice traditions or celebrations?