Winter in Portland!

Yes, it's just about wintertime in Portland. It's not official, of course, but everyone considers December part of winter anyway. Here, it's no different. I'll prove it! Check out this photo below. I took this outside of my apartment during the big snow that everyone was running around town all excited about. See the big, fluffy flakes? Yeah, it's the stuff of Christmas cards.

The weather didn't stop Beth (,the kittens) and me from Christmasing it up in our apartment! We bought a tree and carried it home the old fashioned way... about 6 blocks. It was surprisingly manageable. Then we set to decorating it, sounds of the season playing in the background. Our motif is classic meets modern. Multicolor and white lights, popcorn and cranberry garlands, shiny ribbons and candy canes. Here are Beth and Lincoln working on the garlands.

Here's the finished product. It really compliments our oversized living room and we are hoping it will have a long life.

As colder weather demands, I have been knitting away! Here is the scarf that I started while in Michigan. It reminds me of corn in this extreme close-up...

And I finally gave up on finding the perfect pattern for the Noro I had been treasuring in my stash. Here it is - my first original (non-scarf) design!! OMG, I love this yarn SO much! These are officially the Ashleighest accessory on Earth.