Stuck at (gn)'ome

I always forget how much I like knitting gloves, and the last week or so I've had plenty of opportunity for knitting.     M's cataract operation does not yet seem to have been successful - she maintains that she still can't see out of her right eye at all, despite the surgeon assuring us that it was very successful.  We wait to see whether it improves, but it means that her ability to do things for herself has been even less than usual.  Unfortunately, H did something rather silly which has aggravated his heart problem - temporarily I hope - but means that both of them have to be attended on at regular intervals and I've only managed to get out for the essentials.
The upside to this is that I been forced to re-think Christmas shopping and to do food and present shopping online, I've also had to use the internet to stock the freezer and make sure we have plenty in the cupboards against another lot of snow.   And I've set to and made rather more presents than I thought I'd have time for - most of which have been posted now thanks to a kind neighbour.
It hasn't been entirely plain-sailing as the internet connections have been terribly unreliable so I've been reading and commenting on blogs rather less often - often at speed so forgive me if a comment you received was full of errors or didn't make sense!
In case I hadn't got enough things to keep me occupied, a friend asked me to knit some decorations for the hospice where she works as a volunteer so several of these little chaps have gone off to a new home:

This one has stayed behind and I've promised to knit him a friend when I've done the Christmas cards and done some more to a quilt in progress. It's a  great pattern for using up small amounts of yarn as long as your stash has some yarn suitable for the beard.   The stash has done me proud when it comes to presents, too, and having finished a hoodie for baby E, I was pleased to find enough chenille type wool to make her a snowme:

So we may be getting some more snow, but we're well stocked, and Christmas can be managed even if snow stops the later deliveries (like Julie over at Little Cotton Rabbits, I was mindful of my Christmas not arriving in a van, hence the freezer stocking exercise), and most people will get their present and many of those will be handmade.  So, fingers crossed that H gets better not worse, we could now hibernate till after Christmas and I might even get more than one quilt made!
Welcome to Busybusybeejay  and Minnie,  so glad you've found me, I shall be popping over to your blogs soon.

Stop press:  It's gone very very dark and started to blow a gale.  Lots of wet snow rushing past the window now - hope you're all safe and warm at home .

Gnome and Snowmee are Alan Dart patterns. You can find them on his website here http://www.alandart.co.uk/pages/products

Bear Essentials

Thanks to prompt despatch by the folks at Christie Bears, eyes nose and stuffing for bear came and I was able to complete him whilst still snowed in.  He's adapted from a pattern by Alan Dart that appeared in Simply Knitting magazine issue 40 and was a very simple knit.  I used Paton's Whisper as I'd been given it as a gift, but the pattern is for Sirdar Funky Fur.  He's really quite large - about 20", knitted in this yarn (but I think the original is smaller) and well stuffed will stand up unsupported.

In a good light he's quite sparkly.  I don't usually knit much with fancy yarn, prefering natural fibres, but it was really quite fun and he suits the weather rather, I think.  Even M thinks he's rather splendid.

It's been raining today and snow is starting to thaw but I don't think I'll try to get out until it's less slippery under the slush - at least the car starts.  The end is in sight though, thank goodness.