Handwork and such

The days are getting colder and colder and Tetsu has to bring our potted plants indoors at night.  I am wearing layers and layers of clothing every morning when I go to the crosswalk.  How quickly winter comes!

John doesn't like the cold and he doesn't like walking but I made him go out for a short jaunt early this morning...  He is going to get a trim later this week but we'll keep his fur a bit longer than usual during the winter.

I have done a bit of knitting and am happy to report that the rheumatism medications are allowing me hand movement with no pain.  Yeah!   I was so anti medication my whole life but now I am very grateful for what all these pills can do for me.  Still my doctor is hoping to wean me off of quite this many over time...  This year Tetsu says he doesn't need anything knitted from me as he only wears sweatshirts and t-shirts in the garden while he works so I have pulled out some old yarn and I will see if I can make something for myself.

I also have been sewing Christmas stockings!  I got one made for Luka and sent it back with Erin and then I decided to make two more, for some friends' grandson and a new baby brother.  

It took me forever to figure out how to put the white trim on and each of these stockings were made a different way.  Well, they will only be hauled out at Christmas so maybe they won't get so much wear and tear.

Yesterday M-san came over with her latest quilt.  Back in May I had bought M-san a jelly roll of batiks as a gift from America and so we've spent the last few months deciding on a pattern and then she has been working on the piecing at my house.  

When she got to the quilting, M-san decided that she wanted to do it all by hand and she has spent a month or so diligently quilting away on her free-hand drawn feathers.  She did an absolutley fantastic job and her handwork is exquisite.  M-san likes the meditative process of hand quilting and so she says she found the whole project very calming.  On to her next project!