More Crochet on final day of 2012

So here we are at 00:48 on the last day of the year with a quickie blog before going to sleep as tomorrow - oops I mean to say Today-will be a long day.
Although I have a statistics assignment to be getting on with I was very happily distracted by crochet projects for the past few days. The first sleeve on the jumper was completed , but found to be toolong so I had to undo all the ribbing and 8 rows of sleeve and start again. That was done and I completed the first sleeve totally today and it's just the right length now, PHEW.
In fact just completed the aran plait rows on the second sleeve whilst enjoying Victoria Wood on Sky tv, SKY being JJ's present to himself and all of us.
Yesterday I had fun perusing the new copy of Inside Crochet - it has a superb Click Chunky cabled jumper for men - HOORAH for JJ I THOUGHT BUT NO HE DOESN;T LIKE IT-but I still needed a bit more inspiration and found interweave Winter 2013 at half price so that was today's joyful download. I found some really lovely patterns: TWO more really nice men's jumpers, one  a fisherman's rib lookalike...

And there was especially a scarf which looked sculptural and unusual so I had to have a go: LOOK?

 It's the snood/scarf in beige which buttons neatly with 5 pearl buttons. The stitch fascinated me.
So I stopped the JJ jumper and had a bit of a ''go'': holding two yarns of DK wool together and  5mm hook, two shades of pine green which were to hand as they were destined for the wreath I still haven't made.

 You start with the buttonholes, that's the 5 holes on the left. Then work in columns, which get connected every few loops.

 The button holes are quite neat though, eh?

 The loops are formed like broomstick but made from a multiple of long chained loops. LOVELY!

Now that was really fun, I do so love learning something new in crochet.
Yesterday- 30th- I spent hours and hours looking through all the cardigan and jacket CROCHET patterns on Ravelry, ALL of them, not just the free ones so it was over 400 st one point, then I filtered a bit as to technique or yarn or style. Such fun but a lot of time taken up. Many of the ones I liked were Lionbrand ones and some I had in the magazines: Crochet! , interweave crochet or Crochet Today.
CrochetME , the newsletter sent me some reminders about e-books so I spent a few hours downloading ALL the free e-books and there are many now so I would recommend that, there are many lovely patterns that have appeared in interweave crochet magazine in years past, but many haven;t dated at all.
It's worth subscribing to the CROCHETME newsletter. Access this at www.crochetme.com
Got to get some sleep, busy day later: some shopping, a new journal and socks are needed and am going dancing at a Hogmanay party near Milton Keynes so need to have all the foods for the party and the family ready.
Today was started in the best possible way even though it was raining torrential cats and dogs I attended Holy Communion at St Mary's yesterday morning at 8 am! ( Sunday 30th) . This was after getting up at 7 am- was shocked to find it was still dark- having slept a mere 4 hours 3 am to 7 am.....
Goodnight. Maybe c u later today.

PS Just have to add a last bit of excitement which happened when I bumped into an old friend- knitter - in Waitrose when we were buying party foods, she told me of a wool shop in Aylesbury called THREADBARE and I didn;t know about it until then! Oh my ! I can't wait to go have a browse but it isn't open until the 1st January when there'll be a knit and natter so guess who has plans to be there?!!!
Woopeee can't wait! What an excellent way to start 2013? And do not worry about the 13 bit, a Aunt of mine who was called MAY and called a chap called Day so she was MAY DAY : a really wonderful lady, well: her favourite and lucky number was 13!!!
She lived a long and happy life and was a true and loving inspiration.