And How Was Your Holiday?

It's post-Christmas now and our little family seems to have survived pretty well. Here are a few pictures of Dorito's first Christmas :)

This last photo has nothing to do with Chrsitmas- Dorito has a tendency to get stuck in weird places- like the dishwasher...

I hope you all had a lovely holiday and were able to get a bit of knitting in.

Red Cups

Every year the good people of Starbucks bring out their famous red cups. They are simple, pretty little things that hold the delicious and comforting beverage that is my latte. Today however, I'm sipping a Peppermint Mocha and thinking of how lovely this day is going to be.

The family is getting together for Christmas tonight and then after, I'm going out to a jazz club with some girlfriends. Before all of that, time will spent with my youngest brother, Andrew working on Christmas cookies.

There is one mitten left to knit and 1.5 socks. We'll see how that goes. There are four more days until Christmas, and I feel great.

It Just Isn't Going to Happen

This morning, after a rough nigh and a slightly less irksome morning, I fell onto the bed next to Alex and made the announcement that I am going to cancel Christmas. There was little movement or response for a moment until he (very patiently) asked me what was wrong. I filled him in on my morning mishaps and eventually got to the part where the knitting is not done, the baking is not turning out, things are not going the way I think they should and I am overall stressed.

Frazzled, pooped, whatever you want to call, this Christmas I have decided to just kick back, take things as they come and make it as low key and low stress as possible. The baked goods will be modified and the knitted woolies I have been looking forward to gifting will just need to wait until next year. This is a season of love, comfort, joy and blessings. There has been some focus lost on this in my little part of the world and I am reminded of a speech made by one Linus van Pelt from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" where this young boy tells the Christmas story and the wonder of the birth of Christ- "and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Whatever Christmas means to each of us, we should not loose sight of what is important in life. By the end of night of December 25th, I will still have a happy wonderful family that will all be together and that's the most important thing.

A New Day

Yesterday, there was no water at work. All day. On the whole property. it turns out that when the temperatures dip down to Ten-Degrees Fahrenheit water pipes have a tendency to burst open. Tank you to the three maintenance men that worked all day in very cold temperatures to get things fixed up. When I left at ten-pm the Independent building had water, but not the other cottages. I'm really hoping that has been resolved by now because having to tell my residents (and staff) that they can't flush the toilet is quite unpleasant...

Enough about that. The Christmas knits are coming along. I'm about halfway finished. I'm looking at the calendar and wondering if everything will be knitted up, baked, and given out by the 25th. I am still trying to convince myself that if it doesn't all get done by my deadline, the world will still turn, people will still talk to me and there is always the postal service if something needs shipping, say next July.

I'm not really sure what the temperature is supposed to be today, but I think the high is predicted somewhere around 35-Degrees Fahrenheit. Leg warmers have always seemed a little dorky to me, but with the cold lately, I'm strongly considering making myself a pair or three...

Have a lovely Monday. I'll be at work (hopefully with water and less stress than last night) ad at some point there will be tea and knitting. Right now, Dorito is pining for some attention.

Baked Goodies (or, why I love the holidays)

This time of year baking becomes a larger part of my life than it usually is. There is just something magical and special and wonderful about mixing together flour, chocolate, spices and sugars to create something delicious for our loved ones. Yesterday I made these:

 

The recipe for this Chocolate Chai Bread can be found here.

 

Tomorrow will be spent doing the laundry and cooking (because some people believe that even though it is the holiday season chores still need to be done and meals still need to be made)...

 

Even with the chore/cooking catching-up I plan to make a few (dozen) cookies and of course, knitting up some wooly delights to gift upon my loved ones. The knitting is coming along and there is indeed an end in sight.

 

I will keep you all posted on the events of the next few days. Cheers!

It. Is. Finished.

Tonight, I finished the Wedding Blanket. It is lovely and I am very happy with the result. he happy couple will be receiving it tomorrow.

 

In other news, Dorito has adjusted very well to our home and is currently amusing himself with a pair of my bamboo circulars. He has been pretty good about leaving the knitting alone until it starts moving, and then he's all over and it's a challenge to get him to move elsewhere. Packing peanuts are also a source of entertainment for the little critter. At this rate, I won't have to buy him any more toys or knit anything kitty size this Christmas...

The Orange Blur

Alex and I have been discussing adoption for quite a while. After lots of talking, questions, today's visit, it's all official. We are the proud (and very happy) parents of a four month old, five pound orange kitten. His name is Dorito.

 

His name was Bologna (aka "The Red City" in Spain, appropriate since he is a red tabby cat...

 

Coming home!

Exploring with Daddy...

 

Alex calls him "The Orange Blur" because he is so full of energy and all over the place. He's so fast! Dorito is adjusting well so far, but we will keep him in our bedroom for the first few days while we are at working during the day. After that, he has full reign of our apartment. We shall keep you posted.

 

P.S.- He is quite fond of yarn...we gave him a few scraps but it doesn't appear that he has found the rest of the knitting. Yet...

It Turns Out...

I'm looking at this blog and realizing that there has been some time since I have last posted anything. A thought popped into my mind and I was curious if there are any songs about knitting. It turns out that there are several. This one is by the Mason-Dixen gals...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUOgqefnt_I

It made me smile and I hope it has the same effect on you. Happy knitting.

It's Official!

This past weekend my eldest brother, Jonathan, married his sweetheart, Heather. It was a beautiful day and I know they will be very happy together.

 

 

 



 

 

Alex and I were both a part of the wedding party. I wore the Suki Shawl that was knitted just for the occasion and Alex claimed that he looked "like a butler" in his tuxedo. I thought he looked rather handsome...

 

And because I know someone will ask- no, the Wedding Blanket is not finished. It's getting there. Maybe it will be their welcome home gift when they come back from their honeymoon. Or their Christmas gift. Or maybe, it will be bestowed upon them when their first child arrives....I have knitting to do. Have a lovely day!

 

 

So Close

The last few days I have been making very slow progress on the WB. The final two squares have been started and it is a relief to be so close to the end of this project. I have come to the conclusion that it will not be finished by their special day, and you know what? It's okay. It will be finished and given to them and cherished regardless if it is this weekend, or next weekend. 

I will try to post again before the weekend but there are no promises being made here....Happy knitting and have a good week.

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I was going to get up early and knit the whole day. Instead, this is what happened:

6am: Got up early and went out for a lovely morning walk.

7am: showered, breakfast and dressed for public appearances (should I be going out later)

10am: By this time, the house work has had a good sized dent put in it. The laundry was done, the dishwasher was running, and things were getting tidied up. I took a look at the knitting and decided to stitch a bit.

12pm: The knitting has three rows of progress and the dishes need unloading. After the dishes were finished the kitchen was cleaned and the pantry reorganized.

1pm: I glance at the knitting again and decided that I will do some more on it after I run some errands.

3pm: Errands have been completed and the knitting is starting to get a little cranky. I had something to eat and then sat down for a few minutes to catch up on it. First, I empty out the bag of my recent purchases and what do I find? A set of DPN's purchased at a sale earlier this summer. I head straight for Ravelry and the stash to see what I might stitch up with them. Ignoring the glare from the knitting.

5pm: Hungry again and decided to run one more errand before Alex got home.

7pm: Finally plunk myself down on the couch and turn on the TV. There is nothing on so I pop in a movie and pick up the knitting. By this time I realize that soon it will be bedtime so I get to work.

9pm: I'm pooped. It's been a busy day but I can't go to bed without doing a few more rows. I climb into bed and spread out the WB. I knit for about 5 seconds before setting it aside to read a bit.

12am: Alex is home and I'm barely awake enough to kiss him and ask how his day was before falling back asleep. I do faintly recall however hearing a small voice from beside the bed, "you only have 10 days to finish..." but I may have just been imagining that. Knitting can't really talk, right?

Update: I still haven't done any knitting this morning or decided what to put on the needles I found last night. Any ideas?

The Happiest Place On Earth

As promised, I have photos of our trip. They are brief but give an idea of what we did.

First off, there are palm trees everywhere. Snowbank was a little out of his element here, but seemed to cope just fine.

This is the weirdest speed sign I have ever seen. Seriously, who drives at 14 MPH?

There were these very tall knitting needles at the front entrance of the park. I like to think that Mrs. Walt Disney was a dedicated Knitter and the inspiration for this lovely...

This is Alex's favorite ride. We must have gone through at least half a dozen times...

It's a yellow submarine. Need I say more?

We are big fans of Winnie the Pooh so this was a very exciting photo

Alex collects pins and found quite a few on our trip

Alex had a birthday during our magical stay so we celebrated with a  Monte Cristo sandwich

Then, they brought him a complimentary donut shaped like (what else) Mickey Mouse :)

We rode the monorail

Eventually I broke down and spent $5 on a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich...

 

And of course, there was knitting. Lots of knitting...

 

This was a wonderful trip and we are so thankful that we were able to go together. It was my first time going and it was everything I imagined it would be. It's good to be back home. Now, if you will pardon me, the WB needs some attention. Have a lovely Friday and enjoy the weekend.

Home Again

We are home from our trip. It was wonderful and the time spent together was even better than actually being in Disneyland. That may sound a bit strange, but Alex and I have to really plan to spend more than a few hours together due to our work schedules. Days off together are few and far between, so this round of vacation time is great.

While we were down in warm sunny California I managed to finish one sock and start the other. The WB had to take a break the last couple of days we were there as I failed to pack a second skein of the yarn needed. I will post photos later and when Alex has edited the movies of our trip, I will post the links to those also. Right now, I am going to enjoy my tea and have a knit on the WB. There is progress being made, slowly but surely...

Nope. Still Crazy.

Well, we are off tomorrow on a trip to California. The suitcase is packed, the chores are done, and there is a sock in my purse awaiting takeoff. The WB is causing some panic in this knitter. There are nine blocks that make up this lovely and I had a sickening realization just the other day that I still have two blocks (ad the other half of the current block) to knit up.

This may not seem so bad but you see, the last two blocks are worked at the same time and over many stitches and there are 99 (count them, ninety nine) rows in each block. All garter stitch. There are literally only days left until this event and finishing the blanket on time is still a crazy thought.

There is exactly one finished Christmas knit finished. I will post when we return. Happy knitting!

One Month

Last night was lovely. Jonathan's soon-to-be wife had her bridal shower.

There were gifts

 

There were goodies

Grandma is very happy to be "adding to our family"

And Heather is very excited for the Big Day.

 



There is one month to go and the blanket will be done. I hope.

Blanket Check #3

This is the seventh square of the WB. I'm not really sure how many stitches have been knit thus far, and I think that should be saved for when I finally cast this thing off. It's lovely isn't it?

I'm going to have a hot soak in the bath and finish my latest book for the Book Club. Then I'm going to have a nice knit on this lovely and think about how nice it will be to have it finshed...

Somewhere Elves Are Laughing

There are ten people on my list that I give Christmas gifts to each year. Each year, they all receive something knitted and some of them even receive two things (one in the stocking and one under the tree). This year however, I am only gifting one knitted goodie to each and then making some sort of baked item (I'm thinking my traditional gingerbread stars). You're probably thinking "that's great! Ten knits and there are THIS MANY DAYS left to knit them. You can do it!"

Somewhere up north, Santa's elves are laughing hysterically. You see, out of the ten darlings on my list, there are four pairs of socks, three pairs of mittens, and one set of five dishcloths. There is also one hat and one undecided item. Yes. All very simple items to stitch. One at a time. That means, double the knitting, and not really enough time to try and learn how to do things two-at-a-time.

This is how much of the Christmas knitting is actually done/in progress:

 

 

I must learn the ways of the Elves and how they manage to make things so quickly...

The WB has made some progress, but I'm going to wait to talk more about that. Happy knitting. It's very stormy out today so it's a good day to stay in and knit.

Pieces

Awhile back I posted this little number. There is a matching sweater to go along with it but it still looks like this:

That little bit on the needles is the second sleeve so there has been some progress made. Perhaps by the end of the day I will have a matching set of sleeves. If the Knitting Muses are in a good mood, I may even have them attached to body of the sweater. And, (here is where the wishful thinking comes into play. That, or my delusions of actually finishing something...) I may even have the wee wooly finished by the end of the week!

Of course, for that to happen, I would need to neglect all housework, ignore the husband and his need for dinner every night, and (the hardest part) not knit anything else (except the WB and that one sock...) until this project has been sewn together, washed blocked and fully appreciated by all who see it.

I'm sipping tea right now while deciding upon the best course of action to bring all the pieces together by the end of the weekend. What are you doing?

Bragging Rights

My mother-in-law is a very modest and humble person. She is also a knitter. When she first started to learn, I was very excited (she was in the process of converting from crochet, and although she still dabbles in that a bit, I love her dearly). Her skills have come a long way, and because she is not the bragging sort, I'm going to fill in. She made this:

It's the Pedestrian Crossing Cowl by Melissa Sibley.

The wee silver heart buttons are quite charming, don't you think? I have a copy of this pattern and there is still (a lot) of yarn in the stash and the weather is getting colder...

Have a lovely day and happy knitting!

Blanket Check #2

I've been keeping a very close eye on the calendar as of late. There are eight weeks until The Wedding. The dresses and tuxes have been ordered, the flowers are in progress, the groom has moved out of the nest and the blanket- well, the blanket still looks like this:

You may notice that on the right side of the blanket there is a stripe. That stripe is the beginning of Block 6 in the pattern. That is the exact amount of progress I have made since the first check. There are 9 blocks and 8 weeks. The blanket needs to be washed and there is still a simple border and ends to weave in before the Big Day. It's simple garter stitch. Miles of it. Should be a quick knit right?

In between knitting the WB and avoiding the laundry I have managed to start another Christmas gift. I won't mention who the wooly will be going to as it is someone who reads this blog and I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises. I'm off to knit some more. What are you doing today?

In Progress

The last few days have been the start of something that I do every year. I take out my list of loved ones and the knitted goodies that I plan to make for them. I have made exactly this much progress:

 

I think that the stadiums should have better lighting. The better for knitters that don't care much about football can see with. The giant elephant ears made up for the lack of lights.

So far, of all the woolies I have been working on, this dishcloth has been the most difficult.

 

I realize that some of you probably read that last caption a few times and wondered how a simple garter stitch dishcloth could possibly be kicking my arse. The story is thus:

 

The package arrived yesterday with balls of cotton needed to stitch up these traditional cloths. In my excitement the knitting began this morning at approximately 7am. After putting in the laundry I glanced at my pattern and cast on. I have knitted several of these cloths before and have the pattern pretty well memorized have come up with my own creative approach.

 

The increases were going well and soon there was a half triangle on my needles. Then the decreases came along. I knit and knit but the square didn't seem to be closing up. Instead, the shape that lay on my lap was something more like a pentagon. I showed Alex, who only asked, "are you improvising your pattern again?" Feeling a bit insulted and annoyed by his lacking faith in my stitching competence, I made a comment suggesting that he find another place to sit that was not in view of my knitting.

 

I kept going. I went to my mother's house and lamented that my cloth was still growing in the shape of a pentagon. She watched me and then asked about how the decreases were being made. Crap. The decreases; I didn't pay enough attention to the pattern. I explained what I had been doing for the increases, glanced down at the wee cloth and swore. Again.

 

Ripping back the entire morning of work (an swearing silently all the way) My mother pointed out that I really only needed to go back to the halfway point where I would have started my decreases (had I actually paid attention to the pattern), and then go from there. So, the stitches were slipped back onto the needle, the stitches recounted and then the needles turned to start the decreases and- the damn stitches were on the opposite side of the pointy part of the needle.

 

Taking a few more squares of chocolate, swearing a little more, and then reminding myself that I do know how to knit, I finally cast it off. There. A nice square-ish cloth that can be used to scrub dishes. The recipient had better love and appreciate them because after the first one and then the second, I don't know if there will be a complete set of five...

It's Coming

Today we are 109 days away from Christmas*. This seems like plenty of time to finish our knitted wool goodies that will be passed around but don't let the calendar fool you. I have come up with a few tips to ease the stress of your holiday knitting. They are only guidelines, and do not need to be followed exactly.

*I have not included the year here as many a knitter have succumbed to Unfinished Project Syndrome and will be too exhausted/fed up with/weaving in the ends of their many knits to have them completed by this Christmas. If this describes you or someone you know, don't fret, this day comes every year and means that the projects you knitted up for this season, will only give a head start for your list next year.

Step 1) Assemble all necessary materials and equipment for your Christmas knits. If you need to get more yarn, do it now. Make sure that all of your yarn is in the same dye lot. It doesn't hurt to buy and extra skein (or twelve) to be certain you will not run out of yarn.

Step 2) Immediately cast on your projects. My list has around ten people every year that receive two hand knits apiece. Most of them are small, portable projects like socks or mittens. Save these (if they are on your list) for the later knitting. They are quicker to finish before a gather than say, a sweater cast on a week before.

Step 3) Admire the progress you have made on your projects.

Step 4) Allow ample time for mistakes and do-overs. If it's something small, like a purled stitch instead of a knitted stitch, and it's twenty seven rows back, don't fret. Nobody will notice and time is of the essence.

If the error is very noticeable, like a miscrossed cable or straight knitted stitches where your lace work should be, get some chocolate and lock yourself somewhere where the children/cat/husband can't bother you and do what you can to fix it. I don't recommend using the only bathroom in the house as your hidey-hole.

Step 5) Be sure you make time for your loved ones. For many of us, chopping down/decorating a tree, baking cookies, and attending parties is a large part of the season. The best part is that you can take your knitting with you. Remember, if you are on the go, take one of your small projects.

Step 6) The week before Christmas, the majority of the gifts should be finished. I try to wash and block before wrapping, but this is not necessary for all projects, like the cotton dishcloths I plan to knit this year.

Step 7) Be sure to label the gifts according to the recipient. I wrap everything the same, so having the right name and gift is important.

Step 8) By now, there should be a bout three days before Christmas. If you haven't already, explain again to your family that they need to cook for themselves while you (still) work on the sweater for your sister that was started almost 8 months ago.

Step 9) Finish the sweater at 3am Christmas morning and wrap it in something pretty.

Step 10) Enjoy the day! **Everyone will be so impressed that this year, they received something knit with love. Something that took hours of your time and that you are proud of.

**If you weren't able to finish quite everything, don't fret. You have a headstart for next year.

Cause To Celebrate

Andrew, my youngest brother is in town for the Labor Day weekend. It has been quite nice having him around the last few days. Last night was a special evening indeed; my parents and both of my brothers came to our place to have homemade enchiladas and cornbread. The weather was perfect and when we finished eating we played the boardgame LIFE and enjoyed each other's company.  

 

 

This is why I love summer and why there is a bit of sadness in my heart. I'm sad, not because very soon, the sunshine that we crave here in the Pacific Northwest will be replaced with gray skies and constant rain showers, but also because my brother won't be back until Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. I'm sad because he will be going on to Graduate School in the near future and our time together will be even less than it is now.

 

I look at this photo and I see my family together, just the five of us (I'm not in the photo), and it strikes me, this is probably the last time for a long time that we will ever be just the five of us. Alex and I are married and out on our own, busy with life, Jonathan is preparing to get married, and Andrew is living in Seattle until he goes off to graduate school.

 

I love summer because everything is full of life and warm and beautiful and it's hard to say goodbye as we move into the next season. On with our lives. The seasons don't ever change, but our lives, they do. Who we are and the things we do, places we go, the things we experience everyday whether we realize it or not. Last night was a cause to celebrate, however simply, the fact that we were together. I love you all.