Happy 2026! December went much too fast; I would have loved to add 2 more weeks of time with special people and activities! The entire month went in the blink of an eye. My tree was up and the entire house decorated by December 1st. and I was getting ready for our annual Christmas Sale at the Folk Art Center on December 6th. Snowflakes, Victorian glass ornaments and fingerless gloves were the best sellers as usual. But I also sold some of my scarves and larger pieces, as well as some baby items.
After that, all the festivities started in my close-knit neighborhood, Open Houses, a Christmas Birthday party, and my own Pictionary party with our usual card playing friends plus our Florida neighbors. Also, many short and sweet visits to exchange hugs and goodies. We are a friendly and helpful neighborhood all year long, but on Christmas it is really a big deal.
During that busy time, I finished a quick restoration for a local customer to pass on a beautiful bedspread that was made for her many years ago to her now engaged daughter. This is a heavy damask cloth, encircled in a wide filet crochet border. It just needed a little love and attention, and the job was completed within a couple of days. I totally discouraged and avoided shipping any valuable treasures during the busy shipping season – it gave me a break, and I will be back at work in early January.
My nice neighbors across the street came up from Florida just in time to celebrate with everyone. Christmas Eve we arranged for a Movable Feast, starting at my house with appetizers and relaxing treats, then going across the street to the Florida house for a scrumptious main course buffet and finally next door for dessert and more delicious libations. Their daughter-in-law creates never before published drinks and posts them on Instagram. She created a new version of the tequila-based Paloma cocktail, this one with cranberry juice and a lovely frozen sugar-coated rosemary twig. I know we all slept well!
Always ready for a new adventure and some of my musical friends suffering from the flu right at that time, I accepted an invitation to a Fondue party on Christmas Day. Several of my artist friends at the Guild gathered at the house of one of our jewelers, who has Swiss grandparents. I haven’t enjoyed fondue in decades, so I was really looking forward to this “change of pace” holiday dinner and she didn’t disappoint! The main course featured steamed carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and of course, cubed bread. The bubbly pot in the center of the square table contained just the right balance of Emmenthaler and Gruyere cheeses, blended with some white wine, all kept at the perfect temperature by the Cuisinart pot.
When I was a little girl and we went to visit friends in Bern, Switzerland, the big pot containing the cheeses was kept on the wood stove to keep the cheeses at the perfect temperature for dipping. Having it served in a modern appliance was such a treat! We were able to take our time and ate leisurely. Then we took a long break on her front porch to watch the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains and her kitties come in for their dinner. We all enjoyed the warm temperatures (it was around 70 degrees), especially since a polar plunge is predicted with temperatures in the teens for early January.
After some more good conversations we came back to the dining room for the second course: Chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas and mandarin oranges. This time the liquid was so hot when she brought the pot to the center of the table, it spattered in tiny drops onto her antique lace white tablecloth, creating an almost perfect foot-wide circle. Oh no! She said not to worry about it, and we didn’t until all the luscious chocolate was dipped and consumed.
When the hostess mentioned she was now going to put the cotton cloth into some hot bleach water, I had to speak up and suggested a soak in cool water with some dishwashing liquid and then washing it in the gentle cycle and air dry. Often I suggest to my restoration customers to use a clear vinyl cloth during the meal for protection; it still shows the beautiful lace but certainly protects the fibers. The cool water treatment saved the tablecloth!
I was surprised to receive 3 requests for restoration estimates over the Christmas holidays! I guess lots of women take stock of their heirlooms to use or to wear over the holidays, only to find out that they need some attention to get back to their original beauty. One is a beautiful embroidery and crochet lace table runner; the customer responded immediately, so this will be my first job for the new year.
I am also expecting a lovely piece of lingerie (no pictures here) that was accidentally caught in a drawer. Both pieces will require my embroidery skills as well as a tiny hook. That will be a nice change from working on table linens!
Santa brought mostly goodies to enjoy during the winter months and handmade treasures. But I also treated myself to several books to catch up on my favorite characters and authors: Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford and Kathy Reichs. I like to read when it snows!
For 2026 I wish you lots of yarn and ideas for new creations! Remember, if you have time to learn more crochet fun, there is my Udemy Master class:
The Ultimate Course for Beginner and Intermediate Crochet
and after that, you will be ready for some easy Broomstick Lace, Hairpin Lace and Tunisian Lace with my second of 4 Master Classes on Udemy.com:
Heritage Crochet Lace in Contemporary Application
Make time to watch the free previews and spend some time crocheting with me!
Mostly I wish you Peace and Love. John Lennon called it: Activism done with humor and love. We can do this – make your little corner of the world a better place.
Happy New Year!
“ I do what I love and I love what I do”
– Rita de Maintenon
Coming into the studio in January
