2011 was an OK year.  My favorite thing is that, 2 years after becoming gluten-free, I remain free of sinus infections and occasionally get a good night’s sleep.  I’m thankful that a decade of illness and misery is behind me and I still go to acupuncture regularly because I’m scared to death that I’ll have another relapse.

My 2012 will begin without a regular knitting class.  After taking bi-weekly classes for nearly a year and a half, I finally decided that I’m ready to strike out on my own.  I am grateful to my knitting teacher who taught me this new skill, introduced a wide variety of knitting techniques, passed along years of wisdom and tips, and gave me the confidence to tackle any project I want to make.  The group of women who came together to form the initial class last fall — most of whom continued along with additional classes throughout the year — are amazing people.  The social aspect was just as dynamic as the knitting instruction and I will miss meeting with them regularly.  On the bright side, there’s a local knitting group that meets once a week after work so I will still have the opportunity to meet with other knitters (and crocheters).

Resolutions are not my thing, so I don’t have any big plans for the upcoming year other than to save as much money as I can, prepare to downsize to a smaller apartment (as rents are going up and I hate living here), pursue creative activities to keep my mind and hands busy, and do my best to stay out of trouble.

My primary concern was to find suitable gifts for the nice and nephews because I know that kids aren’t fond of receiving IOUs under the tree.  They love technology (as do I) but I can’t compete on the level of giving Nintendo 3DS and iPod Touch and Nikon cameras, so I try to focus on finding unique and/or handmade gifts. I decided to make box bags with fabric I purchased from Spoonflower (for more geeky fabrics, check out Studio Fibonacci‘s offerings) and added a hand-knit item to each bag.  I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the positive response I received from my niece, nephews, and sister-in-law regarding the handmade gifts.  They all loved their box bags – and nephew #1 immediately filled his with all the technology gear he received from Santa.

For the boys, I made storm trooper hats – with a band of color that coordinated with their bags to help identify the owner of each hat.  After a frustrating few weeks of employing the Goldilocks Method of knitting  (i.e. first hat was too tight, second hat was ginormous), I finally hit the right tension for the stranded motif and successfully made two hats that fit.   I have to admit that when they opened their gifts and tried on the hats, I exclaimed “Yes!  They fit!” — an outburst that must have delighted nephew #2 as he kept reciting my quote to me the rest of the day (although I was disappointed that he didn’t re-enact the accompanying fist-pump).  What surprised me most is that my brother offered to take the hat that was too big for the kids – and it fit him perfectly.

For my niece, who asked me back in October to make her something for Christmas, I made a black bag with bright polka dots and included a Just Enough Ruffles scarf in purple with flecks of bright colors and a sweet crocheted lamb that I made from a Planet June pattern.  She wore the scarf for the next few days so I’m assuming she liked it.  My sis-in-law kept commenting on how much she liked that scarf, so I think I’ll make her one for her upcoming birthday.

Finally, I knew that nephew #1 wanted a scarf of his own and my original plan was to wrap one up with the hat.  Alas, the hats took so long (since I had to make 4 of them) that I ended up wrapping everything else and working on the scarf before and during Christmas.  I managed to finish it on the evening of the 25th and gave it to him the next day.  He was delighted to receive a scarf of his very own with plenty of orange – his favorite color – and wore it around the house for the next two days.

Christmas 2011 isn’t quite complete as I have a few finishing touches to put on some projects that need to be mailed out.  I’ve alerted my friends that Epiphany gifts are all the rage this year – and do hope to get them boxed and mailed this week.  I’m looking forward to sending out my first round of hand-knit items and hope that they will be appreciated — I love the process of choosing materials and patterns to suit an individual.

Guess I’m off to gather boxes, labels, and postage.  Perhaps I can get most everything in the mail by Friday morning <fingers crossed>.  Then I can start planning for Christmas 2012!

Mmmmm!

This morning I put Kira’s food and water bowls on the kitchen counter so she could eat her breakfast while I was fixing my lunch. We don’t get to spend a lot of time hanging out in the mornings – if I walk away even for a moment she panics and tries to fly to me – so I’ve learned to keep her close to me as I’m getting ready.

At some point I turned my back for a moment … and find her perched on my bowl of kale and wild rice, munching away and making happy bird noises.

Frankly, I’m just glad she left some for me.

Indulging in breakfast while waiting for the Apple Store to open

My poor 3 year-old BlackBerry Bold 9000 – it was my first smartphone and it served me well.  But all good things must come to an end … especially when its battery no longer holds a charge.

Knowing that I was due for a new device, I took a few months to research Android vs. iOS and finally decided to switch over to an iPhone 4S — but planned to wait until late November to allow the early adopters time to get in and get out of the way.  Unfortunately, my BlackBerry forced me to make other plans – its death rattle became too much to ignore and I really needed a phone that won’t brick itself at 80% battery life.  I checked with my local AT&T store and discovered they weren’t expecting any new iPhone shipments until mid-December.  I had a mild panic attack wondering how on earth I could live without communication for another month.  Then, after talking with my friend, Becca (who was able to walk into her Apple store and purchase a 4S), I decided to try purchasing directly from the Apple store.

With no expectations of anything but disappointment, I figured I’d call an Apple store and find out if it was possible to get a phone before Christmas.   I went to Apple.com to find a phone number and found out that they were taking online reservations for the 4S.  They accept reservations after 9pm for pickup the next day — and much to my amazement they released some stock in the exact model I wanted.  I clicked the “reserve” button and received an e-mail confirmation that assured me I’d have a phone waiting for me on Saturday.  The process seemed far too simple, but OK.

A crowd gathers in front of the Apple store

Got up early on Saturday, took a long drive in beautiful weather with good music, and arrived at my destination early enough to indulge in a decadent breakfast of gluten-free scones and a rooibos chai steamer. Once I was stuffed full of scones and tea, I sat outside in the sunshine for a bit of knitting.  No idea why I was surprised to see people lining up in front of the store waiting for it to open … but I was.  Were they all waiting for phones?  About 40 people rushed in when the doors opened.  Once the crowd was inside, I wandered in and was greeted by a Blue Shirt – I told her I had an iPhone reservation and she ushered me to some ropes where I started a line (I was surprised there weren’t 39 people ahead of me).  Another Blue Shirt came to assist me; he pulled up my reservation and my carrier contract, had my device delivered to our table (by another Blue Shirt), activated and set up my phone, and handed me over to yet another Blue Shirt (with an impressive toolkit of organized cables) who transferred my contacts from my BlackBerry to my new iPhone.

Wow.  I have to say that I’m impressed.  Yes, I’ve heard about the customer service, but I haven’t purchased anything from an Apple store before so I was still pretty amazed by the seamless purchase and set-up process.  Mostly I’m relieved to have a reliable working phone again – along with some fun technology to keep me entertained.

Of course, my plans for the day went out the window as I spent the entire afternoon setting up the phone and trying to figure out what it can do.  I’ll pay for my dalliance tomorrow when I have to squeeze all my weekend chores into a single day — but I reckon I’ll survive.  In the meantime, I’m going to stay up a bit later to rip some new CDs into iTunes and sync my music to my (old) iPod and (new) iPhone.  Perhaps I can use the new music as an incentive to get my work done tomorrow.  Especially if the 4S will work with my speaker docks!

One of my favorite fall rituals involves retrieving grandma’s blanket from storage.  It usually makes its first appearance when overnight temperatures reach down into the 40s – an event which finally happened this week.   During the day it lays folded at the foot of the bed.  At night, its weight keeps me warm and comfortable.

Pieced from scraps of leftover fabric, it consists of individual squares stuffed with laddered nylons, folded with all four corners together at the center, hand-stitched closed and then tied through all layers with a length of embroidery thread.  The individual squares were hand-sewn together into a blanket that is roughly the size of a twin bed.  All told, it must weigh at least five pounds – nylons are substantially heavier than polyester batting – and I am careful about how I handle it so as not to stress its aging fabric and seams.

Grandma was an immigrant from Denmark and she married a full-blooded Bohemian.  They had two children during the Great Depression and raised their family together until grandpa died from (what we now know was) acute myelogenous leukemia when my mom was 15.  I don’t believe grandma ever held a job outside the home; she may have taken in sewing or odd jobs when she was able, but I think she lived on social security with the help of her kids and the support of her siblings and their families.  She lived in a small house in a neighborhood of small houses and her needs were few.

The one thing I know for sure about my grandma is that she liked to keep her hands busy – she embroidered pillow cases and dresser scarves, tatted edges on anything that wasn’t nailed down, and had a particular fondness for crochet.  She seemed to prefer working with cotton thread and tiny steel hooks; I inherited some of her tools and one of these days I will frame what must have been her favorite – a tiny steel hook with a dull patina and an unimaginable curve in the handle.  I can only imagine how long it took to coax the steel to conform to the contours of her hand and match the angle at which she preferred to work.

Grandma died when I was seven, on my mom’s 38^th birthday.  I still remember the floorplan of her house, eating mixed-up (scrambled) eggs in the kitchen, hanging out with my great-uncles on the front porch, and the tulips and grape hyacinths growing in her front yard.  Now that I’m older, I would like to think we would have enjoyed each other’s company as adults.  I can imagine sitting down with her on a Saturday morning with a cup of tea and a crochet (or knitting or embroidery) project in hand.  I’d love to know if her creations were mainly from Workbasket magazine or if she designed her own patterns from years of experience.   Did she choose to work with cotton thread because it was inexpensive, because she loved the intricacy of detail work, or because she preferred it to the scratchy acrylic yarns of the time?  Was she disappointed that her daughter wasn’t interested in creative pursuits, and would she be surprised that the need to create is part of my nature?

During my teen years I wanted to recreate grandma’s blanket with my leftover fabric and used pantyhose – and for years I saved my worn-out hosiery for this project so I wouldn’t be at a loss when her original wore out.   But I finally came to the realization that I don’t want another one – I want my grandma’s blanket.   After months of resting in a closet, putting it back into active use triggers a little wave of memories.  Grandma has been gone a long time, yet my memories of her linger in the physical object that she created.  I can only hope to be so lucky.

Books + yarn = happy knitter

November arrived with a KnitPicks box and the promise of a cool front.  I can only hope that the rest of the month continue to go this well!

I keep planning Christmas projects even though I suspect I’m overly optimistic about the amount of knitting time I have and grossly underestimating the amount of time required for even simple projects.  Completing two whole projects in a row has given me a sense of empowerment, so I’m sticking with the plan to keep knitting and see just how much I can get done by my mail-out deadline.  Then it will be time to give in and start working on the projects for my niece (who sweetly asked if I would make her something for Christmas) and my nephews (my brother told me that one of the boys really wants a scarf). I’m taking this news as confirmation that the kids are OK with (or simply resigned to) the fact that I try to be creative about their gifts rather than buying crazy expensive things for them.

The aforementioned box of yarn is designated for specific projects, and my goal is to finish a set this weekend.  <insert slightly maniacal laughter here>  To further that goal, I have new DVDs and episodes of Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me on standby so I can entertain myself and (hopefully) sit still for an hour or two at a time and further my knitting progress.  I’ll plan to post an update on Sunday … then I can assess just how deep my delusions run.

Happy knitting!

That said, perhaps I can manage National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo).  I’m not dedicated enough to commit myself to posting a blog a day, but perhaps I can manage a blog a week.  Frankly, if I can write 2 blogs before Christmas I think I’ll tie a personal best. In any case, even if I write something boring and awful, each post will be relatively short.

Knitting is the best way to pass the time before a book signing!

I’ll start by admitting that I had a little bit of fun in October.  Perhaps fun is a bit strong – but at least I got out and about and wasn’t miserable.  I began with a brief “I deserve it!” delusion and decided to celebrate my promotion by scheduling a facial.  Two hours of pampering was wonderful – by the end of the day I convinced myself that I should indulge in a spa treatment every few months.  My blissfully relaxed state must have lasted a few days because I also decided to brave the crowds and attend a book signing later that weekend.  I arrived two hours early, met some very nice knitters, saw some friends, and didn’t break out in a cold sweat when the bookstore finally acknowledged the need to hand out wristbands.  The reading itself was delightful and I’m really glad I made the effort to attend.

October was a good month overall, and I’m a bit sad to see it go.  However, since November is usually my favorite month of the year I’m sure I’ll adjust to the idea of Christmas being just around the corner.  With any luck we’ll get a few more cold fronts to convince us it really is fall.

What’s in store for me this November?  Well, I think a little reality might be a good start.  After taking part in the ritual first-of-the-month-bill-paying-extravagana, I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that additional spa days are not in my future and splurging on an Amazon order wasn’t necessarily in my best interest.  It’s just as well – an empty checkbook means sitting at home – and I need to sit home for at least the next three weeks as there is much Christmas knitting to be done.  On that note, I shall set aside the keyboard and pick up the needles….

Since I’m stuck where I am, I may as well knit.  I have some sewing projects to work on, too, and I’d like to make some card sets for Christmas gifts, but I’m not terribly motivated to do much beyond knitting.  After nearly 2 months in a non-knitting funk, I dropped the latest sweater project and started working on smaller pieces that I could complete in a few weeks – and that choice has made all the difference.   My Ravelry page is expanding with photos of finished projects and I look forward to picking up something to work on in the evening because I know I’ll see some progress before I go to bed.  Sweaters are wonderful, but not necessarily the most interesting thing to work on when it’s over 100F.

Looking forward to not traveling this Thanksgiving.  Found a project I want to make for myself; if there’s anything left once I pay November bills, I’ll splurge and have the yarn ordered so I can spend my holiday weekend working on something to keep me warm.  In the meantime, I will still be plugging away on smaller projects in hopes of having a few hand-made gifts to give this year.

I can’t figure out how to get photos to appear correctly in this post, so I’m going to try to upload a gallery of some images from the last few months.  Probably should write a lot more, but I’d rather go find lunch and stand in line at a book signing.

Ishbel no.2

Ishbel no.1

I finished my first Ishbel shawlette and wear it occasionally (yes, it’s summer but I work in a cold office) – I love how it turned out even though I’m sure I made a bunch of little mistakes.  My  red/pink/orange choice was a bit unusual, but the colors grew on me as I worked and I find the end result to be rather cheerful.

Since I enjoyed my first lace project so much, I decided to make a second Ishbel for a friend.  I chose another hank of Malabrigo lace because these purples and greens intrigued me.   I was a bit disappointed to find that the color changes were more dramatic than expected and I wasn’t sure how that would work with the lace pattern.  I think the final result was acceptable, but decided that I prefer a more tonal approach to color as a subtle palette allows the pattern to take center stage.

Toe-up socks

 

Socks on rocks

Along with the two lace projects, I also finished my first pair of toe-up socks.  Fun!  Now I can say I know how to knit socks.  If I ever move to Canada or Scotland, I am confident that can keep myself warm.  However, since I live in Texas,  I will put these away in the cedar chest for about six months because it’s going to be yet another record-breaking summer of hot.   It was a bit warm just wearing them long enough to get a photo.  (Oh, and I apologize in advance for the pasty-white legs – I am Danish and Swedish and my skin has zero ability to tan.)

Central Park Hoodie

Have to ‘fes up and admit that I’m not quite finished with my first sweater (only the hood is left!) … and yet I started a second sweater project.   Unlike the Susie sweater  which is basically knit in one piece, The Central  Park Hoodie is knit in five separate pieces and seamed together at the end.  The cable pattern is much easier so I keep thinking this should knit up quickly if I can ever sit down long enough to knit more than a row or two at a time.  Also, in order to get gauge, I’m knitting this heavy worsted wool with US4 needles.  It freaked me out to cast on and start the ribbing on a US3, but I managed to get it to work.  I’m starting to call  this my “going to Scotland sweater” because I think it would be suitable for a place with actual weather.

CPH cables

Given that it’s been a month since I cast on and I’m still working on the same section, I don’t plan to start any new projects for a while.   Oh, I should clarify – no new knitting projects – as I am actively working to finish the first sweater and already started on a sewing project.  Then there will be new sets of greeting cards, as I am completely out for the year and it’s kind of freaking me out to not have a stack available for gifting.  Already thinking of  Christmas because I don’t need the stress of  the last-minute rush – life is better if have some ideas in place by summer so I have time to work on things.

Fat quarters everywhere

In any case, I should have plenty of crafty projects to keep me busy this summer.  I appreciate having something fun to work on when I get home from work and need to wind down.  I love the the portability of in-progress knitting projects that allow me to be entertained no matter where I am, the process of sewing little pieces of fabric into something usable, and the feeling of accomplishment when  I can wear or use or gift the end result(s).

Hopefully I will stay busy enough to warrant another update before fall.

Following up from the previous post, the lovely neckwarmer did find a new home.  It was a surprise gift for a friend; I hope it will keep her fashionably warm until spring arrives.  The needle felted birdy few off to its new home as well.  I want to do more needle felting projects, but the supplier I found for undyed roving is out of stock until mid-March.  Which is OK, because I have a bunch of other projects to keep me busy.

After felting

I finally felted my French market bag.  It turned out well and I love how roomy it is – holds several of my current WIPs. It was such a fun project and now that I’d like to make a few more and try some needle felted embellishments.  Need to pick out some new colors and start planning another bag – you can never have too many WIPs, right?

Start of lace pattern

Now that I’ve invested in real prescription glasses for my aging eyes, it’s easier to work with lace-weight yarn — because I can actually see the yarn.  (If you’re having trouble seeing the photo, you can click the image to view the details.)  I’m enjoying the pattern so much that I bought more Malabrigo lace to make a second (and possibly a third) shawl.  Stay tuned for the finished project – I’m hoping to have it blocked by the end of March.

Toe-up socks

Also started my first pair of socks this month.  Enjoying how quickly they’re moving – I’m about ready to start the heel.  Love the color, too.   It doesn’t photograph well, but at first glance it looks black or navy . . . until you look closely and see red, purple and blue.  Must admit that I’m fascinated with all that variety in such a dark color.

OttLite for under $40

Oh, and for anyone who works on crafts and needs a good solid light source — I discovered that my local hardware store stocks OttLite bulbs at half the price of the same bulbs in the local crafting store.  When combined with a lovely swing-arm lamp (to allow for precise placement to best view current project), the set-up cost me under $40.  This is significantly less expensive than a genuine OttLite lamp — and I know I can easily purchase the right replacement bulb.

Haven’t finished many projects this month, but I am definitely working  on some “firsts” that are adding to my skills.   Thanks to the lace project I realized that my vision wasn’t what it used to be … so my biggest challenge of February was getting used to seeing through Progressive lenses.  Looking forward to seeing what  I accomplish in the next month.