Yay! It’s finally time to start opening the best Advent calendar of all time. This is the second year the Dave has ordered the fantastic Les Laines Biscotte Advent calendar for me. I enjoyed it so much last year that I decided to share it with you all this year. Fingers crossed that I’m just as charmed this time around.
Day 1
It’s yarn! Starting off with a bang on Day 1, we have a lovely light neutral-mauve-ish sock yarn. I’m going to guess it will pair up with another yarn – maybe variegated – to make socks. Stay tuned and find out.
Day 2
Squee! More yarn! This is a richly coloured sock yarn in gorgeous deeps blues and purples. Verrah, verrah much in my colour wheelhouse - photo of current nail colour for proof.
Same quantity and type of yarn as yesterday so Imma guess we’ll see them in a pattern together. Likely socks BUT MAYBE NOT. We shall see.
I mean, I could open the envelope that has information/pattern(s) for Day 1 and 2 and find out for sure, but it has other days marked on the envelope as well and I don’t want to spoil any surprises. I’m going to have to get someone else to open it and just hand me whatever sheets are ready to be seen… What can I say? I really like savouring the anticipation.
Day 3
Three days of yarn in a row! Given that they are all the same weight and are colours that can reasonably live together, I’m expecting they’ll be part of the same pattern. Here’s the thing though: each envelope has multiple numbers – I’m assuming for days? – on the flap. What does it meannnn? When it is safe to open them? Who knew an advent calendar needed instructions? And yes, I’m fully aware I’m way overthinking this. It won’t bother me a bit if you judge me for it.
Day 4
Wow, four days of yarn. This one is my favourite blend ever – 50% yak, 50% silk – though I’ve never gotten it from Biscotte before. Very exciting! I don’t know the weight for sure, but it looks to me like fingering weight same as previous days. A lovely deep taupe. No idea what’s happening here. I don’t think it’ll be used in the same project as the others – and who knows if they’re meant to go together either. Loving the intrigue.
Day 5
And a swerve! Day 5 brings us a yarn-related accessory. It’s a lovely simple wooden shawl pin that, as you can see on the label, is made from “sustainably harvested birch.” I am wearing it now on my still-loved honey cowl. Probably will pick out a scarf or shawl with it in mind tomorrow too. New accessories make me happy.
Day 6
Okay, it’s official. The 2022 Biscotte Yarns Advent Calendar is packed full of yarns. Five lovely 50g cakes of yarn in 6 days. I feel like that might be almost as much yarn in the first week as there was in the entire calendar last year? I could be wrong; regardless, I am enjoying all the yarns this year. Looking forward to opening the associated pattern(s) eventually too. WHAT WILL THEY BE???
Day 7
Oh, hello gorgeous! More yarn for my grabby hands. This cake is bigger than the others, and a different proportion of fibres (85% merino and 15% nylon). The colourway immediately brought to mind Dave’s snowman stocking. So cute, right? It’s holding up really well coming up on its sixth Christmas, by the way.
I am very curious if this is a variegated yarn or self-striping. At a glance it looks self-striping to me, but I didn’t unwind it at all to investigate. And of course I remain in the dark about the intended pattern… but I am going to guess that this one isn’t going to be used in conjunction with any of the previous yarns because of the different blend, the larger amount and, mostly, because of the colours. Very different vibe.
Day 8
Ha! Just realized that without anything for scale, you may think this button is massive. It is not. It is exactly the size such a button should be, which is just over an inch in diameter. I like it.
Day 9
This beautiful skein is very, very much in my colour wheelhouse. Plus, it’s yak-silk, so swoooooooon. I am obviously very much in love.
Day 10
Hey, lil gadget! I’m gonna use the heck out of you. I tryyyy to keep track of my yarns’ weights and fibres once the label is off, but I am not always the most diligent. And sometimes it’s really tough to eyeball if you’re working with aran, say, or worsted, but it matters to the success and sizing of the pattern. This will be a handy tool – assuming I put it somewhere that I can find it when I want it…. (The struggle is real!)
Day 11
Grincheux!! Squee! My favourite Christmas cartoon, and one that always reminds me of my dad, who loved it.
Another yarn! This has GOT to be more yarn than last year, I think. Delightful. Anyway, today’s little drawer was jam-packed with this cone of very fine mohair. Absolutely beautiful. I thought when I opened it that it must be meant to be combined with something else, and I wondered what.
Then I remembered that one of the envelopes was marked with 7 and 11, which meant that I could open it today without fear of spoilers. The pattern is hilarious – Grinch socks! Makes perfect sense for that adorable cake of yellow and greens from the other day (and confirms my thought that they weren’t intended for use with any of the previous yarns).
Mixing in the mohair will certainly add to its Grinchy character as well. I definitely don’t see me making it quite as written though. For one thing, I would FOR SURE trip over those toe pompoms. But I think the rest of the patterns combined with a regular toe will be just fabulous!
Day 12
Banner day! Another cake of Super-Sock in a light mauve that’s darker than the light mauve shade from Day 1. I think. I didn’t actually compare them side by side. And I also opened another pattern. This pattern, Garland of Stitches, uses six of the yarns I’ve already opened: Beige (Day 3, I think); Speckled Pink (is that today’s??); Pale Pink (Day 1?); Aigue Marine (Day 6); Taupe (Day 4) and Purple (Day 9). Which means the pattern using the juicy blue-purple variegated from Day 2 is still to come.
Day 13
I do love me some cute notions!
Day 14
Cheerful little flowers that help keep my stitches on my needles when I put them down? Well, thank you please. I like these too. The big run of gorgeous yarns was impressive, and I am also enjoying these cute wee gifties.
Day 15
This lovely faux fur pom pom reminds me that I also received a lovely faux fur pom pom in last year’s box, if I recall correctly. I shall have to look for where I put it and actually use them for something! Well, use them for a hat, presumably. I’m gonna predict that there will be a hat pattern coming up!
Day 16
Oh, I do like unique Christmas ornaments, especially when they are simple and cute – especially especially when they are simple and cute and unbreakable!
Day 17
Speaking of cute and unbreakable, today’s treasure are the ingredients to make another ornament to hang on the tree. TBD if the pattern is simple, but it looks like it will be. I absolutely love last year’s ornament pattern (this elf sweater, trés adorable!), and I’ve made several as small, one-size-fits-all gifts.
Day 18
The whole fam enjoyed this neat gadget. It’s a magnifying lens on a chain, which – as I tiptoe quietly towards the half-century mark – I very much am beginning to need on occasion.
Day 19
Delicious! Do we think this might be destined for use with the yarn from Day 2? Am I making a mistaken assumption when I expect all yarns to have an accompanying pattern? Will I be disappointed if all yarns do not have an accompanying pattern? To that last question, I have a definitive answer. I will not be disappointed. These yarns are all gorgeous and I get great satisfaction out of match-making between yarn and pattern, so that would be absolutely fine with me. (But I also very much like receiving patterns so don’t get the wrong idea, Biscotte.)
Day 20
Nothing like a cup of soothing herbal tea when curled up cosy with a project on the needles. This lovely natural tisane is a mix of dried apples and cinnamon. Literally, those are the only two ingredients on the label. I look forward to trying it.
Day 21
Another tiny cute thing! This lovely dainty pair of scissors will be perfect for snipping the ends of cross-stitch floss and, of course, yarn.
I’ll have to save the Altoids tin that is currently in my purse because it will be the ideal size for toting around this lil guy without accidentally stabbing myself.
Day 22
Deep in tchotchke territory now, we have a lovely “Fait à la main” (handmade) leather tag and an alpaca pin. I guess I should become a person whose project bags are bespangled with small decorative pins now that I have a few of them. Maybe?
Day 23
Continuing with the recent trend of small gifties is today’s handy-dandy lip balm. I like it. Very seasonally appropriate given how drying and roughening winter weather can be on my lips. Or at least how it used to be when I wasn’t pretty much a house cat most of the time. Question - do cats get chapped lips? Hmmmm….
Tomorrow’s the final reveal and the longest box in the Advent Calendar. What’s it gonna be?? I’m guessing a twisted skein of something delicious. Stay tuned to find out!
Day 24
Fa la la la la, we made it to the end! And as expected, we’re ending with another gorgeous yarn. This time, a 100% merino in worsted weight. And also as expected, there it comes with a pattern. A toque to be made with the faux fur pom pom from Day 15. I think this might actually be the project I start on tomorrow – unless the printout of the cowl pattern I’m partway through turns up. If so, I may have to finish that first…. I dunno, there’s really no wrong answer here. I’m a very lucky woman (with a somewhat chaotic house).
Also, I was delighted to find that I had missed a pattern on Day 19. Turns out there was indeed a pattern to go with the yummy yarns from Day 2 and Day 19. So, at some point I will be making these beautiful socks for meeee.
What a beautiful note to finish on. 12 skeins of yarn in total and 12 trinkets and gadgets of various sorts. All in all, I think this year’s calendar is higher in value than last year’s, and I like all the colours and patterns too. What an absolute treat. Thanks for going on the ride with me.
Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël!
