Frisian Frillies

Well, a lot, if I have to believe the invoices I've been sending out. I've been working flat-out during November, and then sort of took December 'off'. Well, as 'off' as I can ever be... ;) It basically meant I still did my business translations, but there was no book for a month. And that was quite nice! It gave me some time to prepare for the SinterRAK, make decorations for the Xmas tree and to hand out to neighbours, family and friends in lieu of Xmas cards, decorate the house, clean the house for our Xmas dinner and just enjoy being home and with the kids. Which also explains the lack of blog updates ;) We've been around each other a lot, and it was great. Although we can look like a chaotic bunch, we are a lovely chaotic bunch, and we love doing things together, which, with two parents trying to work fulltime and two kids going to school, isn't always easy. There was some progress on the crafting front, apart from all those lovely decorations, tho...

Yes, I know it's been 2 weeks. Enough has happened in the meantime to blog about, like lots of baby hats, a nearly finished pair of socks for hubby, the difficulties of trying to design an Estonian scarf after drinking a glass of Chianti, the start of a mini Annis for my Mermaid... but right now, I have VAT returns to do. End of year and all that. Pictures of yarn, ice, snowless streets and a lovely Xmas are to come soon! We had a blast, still have a tummy ache from all the yummy goodies, and can't wait until Friday, when we are going to Rotterdam for New Year's weekend. We love spending that weekend away, high up in a hotel room with great views over a great city :) Laterrrrrrr

I totally forgot to show you what I got for Sinterklaas from my Ravelry Dutch RAK group, bad girl! We had a ball teasing each other, asking silly questions on the forum and then preparing a package which consisted of something bought, something made and a poem. I made some Merletto mitts for my 'victim', but first, here is what I got! The chocolate letter was devoured within minutes after opening... the little yarnies are in my sock blanket basket and the sock yarn will be turned into socks for hubby soon! He was a bit dubious about the colour, but as you can see, they are called 'Men Stretch', so, even though it's a long 'stretch', they are for 'men'. ;) The scrap letters are great! They will be used up during the holiday period, when I will (hopefully) have some time to update my photo scrapbook. And then the self-made bag, it's brilliant! It's got loads of pockets and is handy for a larger project to bring along when I'm out and abo...

So, any ideas what to put in your Xmas tree this year? Had enough of those shiny new glass baubles which cost you a fortune (and always break)? Then go DIY! We are having great fun this year making our own Xmas decorations; not only am I crocheting and stapling, but we've also made salt dough figures and are in the midst of turning these into great Xmas decorations (most of which will be handed out as gifts - actually our 'Xmas cards' - as we only have a 5 ft tree). It is great fun - and you can get the kids to help too! ;) First, you have to make your dough. Remember, the drying out takes a while, so be sure to make this in advance! We made a double batch, which gives you over 3 trays full of decorations, but for a 'normal' batch, you need the following: 250g of salt 500g of flour (white, 'patentbloem', not wholegrain, use that for your bread, please...) 300ml water 2tbsp oil Mix this all up into firm dough and start rolling. Make them around half a...