Appreciate yourself and honor your soul.

You would think since I had some extra time off the past two weeks, I would be a bit further along on Craftvent. Life is about finding a balance. While I wish I could knit non-stop for two weeks straight, my hands and arms would not appreciate that. I do have some exercises and stretches to help keep my muscles and joints moving.

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Day 8 provided yarn for the next lace section. This section was a two row repeat making it a bit quicker to complete than other sections. You can’t really see the lace patterns well yet. Blocking will help showcase the different stitches.

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• Day 1: Needles and pattern code, msm hand cream and tender loving care herbal tea “Tea-LC” from Plum Deluxe.
• Day 2: Yarn for the first lace section and DK weight yarn in Barn Door from Apple Fiber Studio. I had some amazing teas while working on this section. Chocolate-orange rooibos from Lizzy Kate, Elderberry Wine from Adagio teas, and Grandmas Caramel Butterscotch Black from Plum Deluxe.
• Day 3: Yarn for first transition section. My crafters self-care advent calendar had Dream Catcher tea from Flying Bird Botanicals. I had to laugh because the last thing I need right now is more tea, but I’m always excited to find new local businesses. Flying Bird Botanicals has drinking chocolates in interesting flavors along with honey, matcha and tea. I see more of this brand in my future. Since this took less time to knit, I only managed to get through two packages of advent calendar tea: Spiced Apple Chai from Adagio and Lizzy’s Breakfast Supreme from Lizzy Kate. The breakfast supreme was a great pick-me-up for sluggish mornings when I need to be alert for the day job.
• Day 4: A project bag and Craftvent 2020 pins that became ornaments. This time I drank two teas from Plum deluxe. (In case you were wondering, I’m not drinking the teas in the order I open them necessarily.) Fog Cutter black and Decaf House Blend both were scrumptious.
• Day 5: Yarn for lace section three and knitting accessories. I’ve had two lovely cups of tea while knitting the day 5 rows. The first was Cherry Marzipan Oolong from Adagio. It had elements of a British baked confectionary in tea form. Yum! The second I made into a hot toddy with Earl Grey Cream from Lizzy Kate.
• Day 6: Contrasting yarn for the next transitional lines and fisherman’s ribbing sections along with a knitting sleuth happiness sticker. I had two fantastic cups of tea while working on day 6. The first was Pu-erh Chorange from Adagio. This tasted like a Terry’s chocolate orange candy in beverage form. The second cup was Porch Sippin’ Pecan Black from Plum Deluxe.
• Day 7: Snowflake stitch markers and candy ribbon beanie pattern. Since this was a surprise day that involved no knitting, just one cup of tea from Plum Deluxe. It was Coconut Macaroon Dessert tea. I love tea with hints of coconut.
• Day 8: Yarn to start lace section 3, a pin turned into a tree ornament and chocolate kisses. I had two amazing cups of tea while working on this section. The first was Almond Oolong from Adagio. I’ve grown to appreciate oolong more over the past year. The second cup was Vanilla Bean from Lizzy Kate.

Last week, I had a chance to experiment with my own keto baked French toast recipe. I love having breakfast casseroles. Now that we’ve found carb free bread, I can pull out old favorites and make minor adjustments. And who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner?

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SkeinHerder’s Songs: Today I’ve been mostly listening to light and jazzy as it rains here in the PNW. I have a Pandora station that plays things like Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Burt’s made a new sleeping buddy with our holiday teddy pillow. It’s soft and cuddly.

How’s the start of your week going?