I had a ton of fun knitting Christmas presents this year. It was the first year that I've really been skilled enough to knit nice things, and I really wanted to challenge myself to knit something for each of the ladies in my family. I learned a bunch of new skills along the way, and spending time hand-picking colors and patterns that I thought each person would like made the giving of the gifts really satisfying. I knit everything in Stonehedge Fiber Mill's Shepherd's wool, the colorways are listed in the various Ravelry links. 

These mittens were for my sister-in-law (sort of? my brother-in-law's wife?) - raveled here. (Aren't you so proud of me?! I'm finally raveling!)

This headwarmer and mittens were for my sister. The mittens were my first time doing cables - fun! Mittens raveled here, bow head band here. 

This shawlette was for my mother-in-law. This was my first time doing lacework, and it was easier than I expected. This was also the first project I ever bothered to block (you really have to block lace), and now I can't help but block everything! Raveled here. 

This one was for my mother. This is my all-time favorite color on her. (Ignore the fold in the middle!) Raveled here. 

This circle scarf was for my eldest sister. It's done in a basket stitch, which gives the illusion of under and overlapping. Raveled here. 

It's tempting to start planning for next year already!

(A completely unrelated picture of mexican hot chocolate, with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne)

When Alan and I were on our honeymoon, we picked up a leather-bound journal with beautiful, marbled paper edges. We were inspired by the journaling that Davy and Sheldon VanAuken did together in A Severe Mercy (one of my most favorite books) to keep a record of their adventures together. We still have the journal - it's in a drawer in our office - but it probably has under a dozen entires in it. Why? I really, really admire avid, life-long journalers; they have a level of self-discipline which I suppose I just do not possess. This blog has become my replacement for that journal. By making it public, I feel a level of accountability that keeps me dedicated both to write, and to stay creative and productive so that I have things to share. As a result, I have a record of a large portion of our marriage together so far, which is so precious to me. Also, I'm an introvert who happens to love relationships and making connections, but I'm not very good at small talk; it takes a long time for me to finally connect with people, and therefore it isn't a super common occurrence, even though I crave it. I didn't initially view this space as a means to relationship, but it has surprised me in the community it has afforded me; it is a common occurrence for me to have a total stranger or long-lost acquaintance contact me to connect or ask questions because of the blog. What a blessing! Those are the things that keep me motivated to continue to share in this space. Thank you to everyone who continues to visit me here!

Other ways you can connect with me:

Follow me on instagram here (mostly cute pictures of my kids, so sorry!)

Like Tibault and Toad on Facebook to see new posts in your news feed, right here.

Follow me on Ravelry here.

Pinterest here. 

And you can always email me with any comments, questions, or just to say hello at noel@tibaultandtoad.com