Project 365+1: Days 323 - 328

It's only taken me almost a year to get completely organised, but I've been doing well with the blogging this last week. It's helped along by the fact that I have to write book reviews to earn points for the reading challenge I'm doing, getting points seems to motivate me slightly more than just posting them on my blog.

I've been working a late shift this week which has meant more time for early morning dog walks (which haven't been so much fun recently because the mornings are dark and it's kind of creepy being out at 6am when it feels more like about 4am), but not so much time for taking photos. Also, it has been raining. Quite a lot. I'm planning on making more of an effort to take some more outdoors photos in the run up to Christmas now.

Day 323: This Week's Viewing

We were a little worried that we wouldn't have time to watch all of our Christmas films in December this year, what with various things we have on, places we have to go and the sheer number of holiday films we now own, so we started a little earlier than we would normally do. I have a sneeking suspicion that this will inevitably leave us with rather more days left before Christmas than we have films to fit into, but I suppose that it will be an excuse to revisit some of our favourites.

Day 324: I Shall Wear Midnight

I started reading the last Terry Pratchett Discworld novel on my bookcase this week, I Shall Wear Midnight. I'm almost done with it, but I'm sort of dragging it out to make it last a little bit longer. I'm wanting to buy the other books that are out in paperback, but I should probably wait until after Christmas just in case Santa decides to slip a copy of Snuff or Dodger into my stocking. ;)

Day 325: Movember

Mr Click has been doing Movember this month. He's decided to go for a goatee look, apparently this is technically breaking the rules, but I have to say that I think a goatee is a better look than a moustache. While it was a little bit of a trial at times, it's reached a good sort of growth level now. We had to go through the stage of it looking really scruffy and kind of like he hadn't washed his chin for a few days, then there was the period where it was long enough to be spiky, which meant that when I snuggled up to him and he rested his chin on my head, it made me itch. But now it's kind of like having a soft fuzzy animal on his chin.

He says he's going to shave it off next week, which I can't say I'm that bothered about. It's been nice to have the fuzzy thing visiting, but I think it's close proximity to me in bed is to blame for all the random dreams about rats that I've been having recently!

Day 326: Fully Armed

I really enjoy knitting. It's the sewing up that I struggle with. I like taking a ball of stringy nothingness and clicking my needles and watching something fully formed come out of the end. When it comes to sewing things together I'm a bit lazy (the stripey lap blanket that hangs over the back of my chair, and can be seen in some photos, has been finished for well over a year now and still hasn't had the ends woven in).

Santa was knitted up very quickly, but since then progress has slowed somewhat because once the fun knitting bit is over I want to get on with another project on my needles. It's something that I'm fighting to overcome. Unfortunately with OU work to be done, I've tended to sit and work at that rather than sit and knit while we watch TV.

On evenings when we take a TV series to bed on my laptop, I usually sit and read while it's on, but as we've been watching Christmas films, I've started taking Santa to work on instead. It's not been too much work either. The first night I sewed up and stuffed both arms, and got the first one almost completely sewn on. The second night I finished sewing on that one and did the other one too - all this time I've been putting it off and it took me about an hour and a half. That'll teach me!

Day 327: Almost Time

The two film magazines I get have both released their Hobbit covers now. I've just started reading this edition of Empire which has easily the coolest cover ever. It's sort of holographic and 3D, something which isn't captured very well on camera. I don't get any choice in which of the five covers I could have received since I order my copies from a local newsagent, but I'm glad I got Gandalf.

I can't wait to see this film. I've not got quite the same buzz I had during the Lord of the Rings films, but then again, I wasn't really that fussed about The Fellowship of the Ring and the first time I saw it I was just about into it when it suddenly ended. I think part of it is because I've missed out on a lot of the hype online and on TV. All the same, I'm planning a trip to Glasgow in the very near future. I've made sure I'll have time off work. And I really can't wait!

Day 328: Getting Dressed

And so this is how Santa is looking now. By rights after sewing on his arms I'm supposed to sew on his beard and embroider his face. But the instructions for where his arms were to be positioned seemed a wee bit too low down, so I'm holding off on the face until I've seen where his hat will come to so I can adjust accordingly.

Then he just needs his cuffs and a sack. That brown wool I'm using, by the way, came from a batch of wools that my Nan let me have years ago and I used to use it for making braided bracelets for my friends. Funnily enough, the wool was intended for knitting cuddly toys, so I'm quite pleased that I'm finally using it for the intended purpose.

Also, plan for the Santa sack is to put boiled sweets in brightly coloured wrappers inside (like presents) and then either having Santa on my desk at work, or having him at home where visitors can help themselves. ^_^

Next up, I'm planning on making a Roly Poly family. I have no idea what I'll do with them, but Mr Click likes the pattern and I'm definitely in the mood for knitting more stuffed toys (and I have a massive bag of stuffing still to use up)!