MILLAMIA CHRISTMAS LUNCH AND PRESENTS!

It hardly seems possible that I'm writing about our Christmas lunch, as I can so clearly remember going to Maze last year with a heavily pregnant Katarina and new team members Maja and Yumiko. Of course 2013 has seen some changes to the team, as our beloved Yumiko went home to Japan and we have gained a new model in baby Johan as well as a brand new intern, Tanya. I guess it's a sign of getting old when the years race by so quickly, or maybe it's just that my year at MillaMia has been so packed full I haven't had time to notice the months speeding by!

We have decided that our annual Christmas lunch should be held at a different restaurant each year, and why not? With the entirety of London's many restaurants and eateries at our fingertips, we think that sampling a good variety is definitely the best way to go. This year we lunched at The Admiral Codrington in Chelsea, or the 'Ad Cod' as I'm told it is affectionately called. Though tucked away down a side road, the pub has an excellent reputation for great food, has recently been refurbished to sit happily in it's suave Chelsea setting and is renowned for it's gourmet burgers.

Tanya and Helena pre-lunch and Katarina and Helena modelling their MillaMia knitwear - a Vanessa Cardigan and a Monica Jacket

We all enjoyed delicious lunches including onglet, triple cooked chips, rare-breed beef burger in a cream bun and pork belly with the most delectable looking crackling! Of course, great food is important at any Christmas lunch, but spending time with colleagues who are genuinely good friends and exchanging presents also make these times extra special.

I had knitted up some Christmas gifts for the girls - the 'Take Heart' hat by Fiona Alice from the latest Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. Knitted in BC Garn Semilla Grosso and topped with an exquisitely soft alpaca pompom from Toft Alpaca (all purchased at Loop), these hats are right on the 'bobble hat' trend but with the added luxury of a 'fur' bobble rather than a woolly one. Each hat took 2 balls of the aran weight yarn, and were incredibly quick to knit up, making them a very reasonably priced gift. The girls all looked so warm and cosseted in their hats that I HAD to knit up one for myself over the weekend! You might just have time to speed knit one of these gorgeous hats for yourself or a loved one too.

Katarina and Helena gifted us all some pampering treats - Korres shower gel and Ren body cream - so nice to receive early Christmas presents! It was lovely too, to meet Tanya, the new MillaMia intern - a knitwear designer, hand knitter and newbie to Ravelry - I think we'll all have plenty in common to chat about in 2014!

 Maja, Tanya and I on our way home with serously full bellies!

(posted by Max)