Belated Happy New Year!

A belated happy holiday to you all! Thank you for the kind comments on my last post. Steven Berg is indeed a wonder -- and his newest store is featured in the new Vogue Knitting! I'm so proud of him and all he has accomplished. I went to wish him a happy holiday and learned that he is on his first vacation (indeed, his first week off!) in over 3 years, someplace warm and tropical. I'm so glad; he deserves a nice break!

 I hope you enjoyed the last days of 2011. We’ve had some restful, quiet holidays at my house, but this one is one of the most serene I can remember. Even my job cooperated! Work was quiet enough to allow me to stay home Thursday and Friday; I was able to cope with the few issues that cropped up quite easily, while still getting some knitting done :D (Time off from work = best Christmas present ever!)

We had a Thai food feast for Christmas, thanks to the culinary talents of my sister-in-law, Mary, and my brother Geoff, who brought over a make-your-own spring roll bar, chicken skewers and peanut sauce, some wonderful beef-lemongrass stew, coconut rice, and pad Thai, all home-made and delicious. I made a frozen key lime pie for dessert which was quite the treat (the recipe is from Nora Ephron, and is on the Martha Stewart website – highly recommended!) It was nice to have a lighter feast than usual (Okay, I admit; 5 courses is hardly light, but at it wasn’t the usual stodgy rich foods you might associate with more standard holiday fare…)

 

My niece Amanda brought her dog, Kenzie, who is a regular at our house on holidays; she is a very dignified and lovely puppy and a welcome guest.


Rowdy was there, our old housemate doggie; I didn’t manage to get a current picture of him, but Aaron was showing us snapshots of Rowdy's puppyhood on his iPhone, so I’ll share one of those (just adorable - love those ears!):


And of course, the dachshunds, Maddie and Libby, were also there, overexcited at all the company and staying right by my feet where they felt safe (we live a pretty solitary life, Nathan and I).

 

 

 

 

I knitted my brother Geoff a simple cowl as a gift this year; just made it up, 2x2 ribbing and a woven tweed stitch. He is allergic to wool, so I made it out of this lovely Cotton Bamboo Worsted hand-dyed yarn from Three Irish Girls in a color called “corkboard”.



I think he looks quite handsome in it!

 

We had another family gathering on New Year’s Day at Geoff’s house. Mary and I made soups and breads this time, and I baked a lemon cheesecake for dessert (yum!) Mary, Geoff and I have decided to really go to town this winter with our massive cookbook collections; we’re hoping to find some really good soup recipes. Soup works out really well for work lunches – you can freeze soup in containers and bring it to work frozen so it doesn’t spill in your workbag, and then let it thaw during the morning, and then microwave it the rest of the way at lunchtime. Plus, there is just something comforting about having food I’ve cooked at home while at the office; it is part of my usual annual pledge to take better care of myself, body and soul.

I really enjoyed making homemade bread on New Year's Days – I love to bake yeast breads, mixing and kneading the dough, watching it rise. After putting it in the oven, I always try to leave the house for a walk just so I can come back and really appreciate the wonderful scent of fresh baking bread in the air – yummm!!!

 

But I hate to admit, I always feel a bit wistful on New Year’s Eve; maybe everybody does, as it signals so clearly that time is passing by.  I was home alone this year, as Nathan was at his dad’s, so I watched  some favorite old movies - It's a Wonderful Life, Enchantment, and The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.  

Sigh.  I hate to sound like Ms. Lonelyhearts, but it would be lovely to have someone with whom I could spend the holidays, someone special for whom I could knit or to whom I could give a special gift. My sister in Germany mentioned that for Christmas, her boyfriend Burkhardt gave her a trip to the Caribbean… sigh again... 

 

So, I’ve been feeling a bit ashamed of myself, at having to try so hard to keep the green-eyed monster at bay. I'm doing my best to focus on all the good and hopeful things in my life. After all, every new year brings with it new possibilities, a new chance to get it right, whatever “it” might be; work, parenting, friendships, relationships, how to make really good spaghetti sauce, exercising more, catching up on my New Yorkers... I will turn 50 this year, but there is still time in life for so much more, so I shouldn't waste the time I have left feeling blue.

 

The gift of a bit of extra days between Christmas and New Years didn’t go to waste, on the knitting side of my life, at least. In addition to plugging away on the Florentine Shrug Shawl embroidery (I tried to take a picture of it with Libby in the foreground, below, but she sneezed!) (Madeline is that lump underneath the blanket to the left):

 

 

...I finally lined the knitted bag I had made for my niece Amanda a year (or more) ago! The pattern is from the Noni Medallion Travel Bag; I turned the graph sideways and just used the middle motif.

 

I think the thing that took me so long with this project was getting over my intimidation with this fancy Elna sewing machine I bought about 6 years ago, and still haven’t figured out. It is a really fancy quilting machine with 99 different stitches; it can evidently embroider, and even can stitch the alphabet. But it also has a different threading system than I’m used to, and I have somehow been afraid to delve into the instruction book.

 

It turns out that it isn’t so difficult to figure out, once you actually look at the instructions and threading diagrams (ahem…). Anyway, now that I have it figured out, I need to get the rose bag and some other projects lined! Anyway, to finish this one, I put plastic canvas in the bottom to square up the shape, and lined it with striped fabric, with pockets in a coordinating floral print. Now I’m just waiting for the handles to come in the mail and we’ll be good to go!

 

 

I finished a Gudrun Hat and Neckwarmer set; I went hunting on Ravelry to find a pattern for a big winter hat that wouldn’t smush my hair too much, now that it is curly. My hair is still damp when I leave in the morning, which isn’t a problem in the summertime, but in winter, as I live in Minnesota, waiting at the bus stop with wet hair could result in fatal exposure to the elements (!) The hat came out too big even for my large head, and I over-steamed the neckwarmer, inadvertently turning it into a sort of muffler. But it still works just fine to tuck into the neck of my purple coat. I think this will get a lot of wear this year.

 

 

I finished a long scarf/shawl knit lengthwise, about 400 stitches on a size 10 needle, alternating 6 rows of stockinette stitch in Kauni, a Shetland wool with long-interval color changes, with 6 rows in Schulana Kid Seta, a yarn similar to Rowan Kidsilk Haze. This is just like the scarf Renay made recently, but I made it a bit shorter (hers had 475 stitches and about 11 stripes, I think) because I wanted mine to come out wider (mine has 15 rows). I am supposed to felt it now, but I think I may just wear it this way this winter, and maybe felt it when it gets washed along with my other handknits in the spring.

 

 

I like that the alternating stripes are sheer and opaque:

 

I’m also making a tiny Audrey Hepburn for a friend from work (kinda late on that Christmas present, I know… but it will be adorable!)

 

I started a couple of commuting projects as well. A “scribble scarf” from the “recipe” in the first Mason Dixon knitting book, in some sparkly silver gray Kidsilk Haze and some beautiful Louisa Harding Sari Ribbon in grays and blues:

 

 

And finally, I also started a feathery lace shawl (from an Irish Shreier pattern in Exquisite Little Knits) out of Schulana Kid Seta in a beautiful blue:

 

I know, I know – too many distractions from the KOTOTW project. Maybe the winter nesting instincts came along with a bit of startitis this year :D

 

 

I'm looking forward to a happy and productive new year -- after all, 2012 is the year when I intend to cross the KOTOTW finish line, so it is time to get cracking!

 

May your New Year bring you many happy surprises, and lots of time to knit!

 

 

 

XOXOXO, Mar

 

 

 

Comments

[RebeccaED]

Very nice projects, as always. Must see the little Audrey when she's done! Love this warm MN weather, but it's too warm to enjoy all our handknitted scarves, mittens and hats!

[Barb]

I am so late getting to read your latest blog (it's a long story!) but it sounds like you had a New Year's weekend filled with fun, food and family - a great way to start the new year!

I cannot believe all the extra knitting you have been doing beside KOTOTW! You are incredible!!

And..as much as we love to see any and all of your knitting, will you please post a picture of your knitted Audrey Hepburn before you give her away? I was not familiar with Knitted Icons, but it looks pretty fun to me.

Best wishes this coming year. Is this really the year you plan to cross the KOTOTW finish line? Won't you be way ahead of schedule? It's kind of too exciting to think about - such an impressive undertaking. WOW!

[Steph]

I love the puppy sneeze picture! So cute :o)