It's always nice to know that there are people out there who read the blogs and newsletters. It's fun to create them but even better to know that they are shared by people who enjoy them.

Just wanted to let you all know that we are now carrying packs of Christmas cards from the Andy Fund of Kingston, which raises funds for local cancer-related projects. They are $10/pack and feature the art work of local child artists. They're delightful.

Yesterday, we had a demonstration of knitting with "thrums" and one lady came to see if she could learn something new about the technique, as she believed that it couldn't possibly be as fiddly and tedious as it appeared to her. Well, what she learned is that it is tedious and fiddly, and the thrums are never perfectly even, and it is a pain to have the fluff flying around, but when it comes right down to it, thrum accessories are worth it for their warmth and beauty.

Yesterday, I also got a chance to go shopping for children's snowsuits, which is an activity that I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing for a good few years. When we go to the Kingston Knitting Circle meetings at Chapter's on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, we each throw a toonie into a can and about this time of the year, someone usually thinks of something nice to do with the accumulated money. This year we decided to knit hats, mitts and scarves and purchase some outer clothing for the Clothes for Kids fund. For $150, I got a snowsuit for a little boy, and one for a little girl and a beautiful ski jacket for an older girl (complete with cool zip out sleeves, turning it into a vest). It was fun.

Speaking of the Kingston Knitting Circle, don't forget the notice in the "coming events" section above, about our 2nd annual Holiday Nibblefest, which will take place at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store on Tues. Dec 11th from 7-9pm. I used to be a member of a women's group about 7 or 8 years ago and due to commitments, I had to bow out after just one year. However, they call me every year to go to their Christmas party and I'm thrilled to take part, despite the fact that I'm not a regular. So to should any of you feel welcome to join us for treats, a few laughs and an evening of knitting, whether you're a regular or not.

A quick little piece of knitting trivia: "In Victorian times, it was fashionable for ladies to hold their needles between thumb, forefinger and second finger, rather like a pencil. It was much slower than the traditional method of holding the needles under the hands, but then, when one was a lady, speed was not as important as one's appearance." from - Not Tonight Darling, I'm Knitting." by Betsy Hosegood.

I frequently have people who tell me shyly that they hold their needles "wrong" because they don't hold them like their mother or grandmother did. Well now we know that the way that we typically hold our needles today, from above, is a much more practical and ergonomically friendly way of doing it. As for the advisability of standing through the knitting of an entire scarf, well that's still open for debate. (Besides, wouldn't he get a little bored and cold waiting for her to finish?)