Most of the folk in the office are back at work this week, so we were able to distribute the last of our holiday gifts - and publish the photos without fear of being sprung!

The first one was a christmas present for Jack - he's been a wonderful friend to us both, and a fellow classic Mustang restorer to boot during the year. We found this pattern featuring nautical signal flags, just the thing to go with the view to the coast from his apartment window! Also had fun trying to find just the right fringe pattern to suit the design - Andy helped with the alignment and the knot tying, must have been something he learned with the Army cadets in high school .

The second one was a late baby shower gift for Nathan and Jo, expecting their second bub in a couple of weeks. We missed the baby shower due to work, but still managed to beat the baby! They've been keeping quiet about whether it's a boy or a girl, so I had to go for a 'unisex' design - they're not really 'pastel' people anyway . Really enjoyed this one - much smaller than a full size afghan so it works up really quickly, plus I've finally got the hang of this 'intarsia' technique. No more cutting the yarn at each colour change ... and lots less ends to darn in at the end!

Phew! Think I achieved some sort of record this year for finished projects ... at least for me. Might not be quite so ambitious next Christmas - or I need to start much earlier in the year!!