This Season

I am sitting in my warm home feeling fortunate. The morning is cold but the sun is shining. I have hot tea in my mug, a jumble of knitting projects in two bags at my feet, and books piled up on the coffee and end tables. This past week I put out a few Christmas treasures. At the same time I stepped away from the news feeds to honor this season. As with many things in life, less is more.

I am enjoying this small collection of angels. When I was a girl, one of my grandmothers bought four little red angel/bells because she had four grandchildren. I am her oldest grandchild and can recall how she lined them up on top of her boxed television set and added one with each new baby in her family. Over the years she added angels for five more grandchildren and the first few great grandchildren. After she died, my sister and I shared the collection. Later I inherited two angels that belonged to my mother-in-law. None of these pieces were expensive and a couple of them have texture that resists dusting. The first four and the ones from my mother-in-law date from the 1950's. They all bring back memories. I remember helping my Grandfather wind garland around a gas lamp post in their front yard. I remember helping Gram wrap gifts in white tissue paper, adding what she called "seals," the early version of stickers. When I bake, I recall the cookies and candies she set out on a table on her unheated screened back porch. To be allowed to walk around the table and choose homemade goodies from tins was a treat and she treated us often.

Early last week, I knit two small ornaments because I wanted to try them. I used left over self striping sock yarn and knit one in an evening. I found the knitting a little tedious, especially the sleeves. Two are enough for now. I put the red/green/blue one on our small tree and tied the pink one onto my youngest niece's gift and sent it to her in Montana. My mother stitched the placemats and they are a treasure.

I finished the three color cowl. It needs to be washed and blocked. The Contrail shawl grows by a row or two every few days. I cast on Micah's hat out of multicolored yarn. I am improvising a pattern. The ribbing is K2, P2 and the body is a 6/2 broken rib. I'll work out the swirl type decreases when I get to the top. Christmas fudging might be required. These projects do not have deadlines. The hat and shawl are my knitting for the Knitting for Peace Project. Last year I knit the peace project cowl and enjoyed it. This year I purchased the shawl pattern and am following Christina's blog posts. She offers the pattern for a minimal price with some proceeds going to charity. I don't often buy patterns until I am ready to cast on but I wanted to support her efforts. I may or may not knit the shawl but I will be knitting somewhere on December 21. 

May you find peace in this holiday season.

 

If you give a knitter a skein of yarn . . .

Sun streams in the south windows on this early December day. My Christmas cactus is in full bloom. I am ignoring the empty grocery list although I do have several cookie magazines stacked on the kitchen table. My holiday plan is to choose some simple pleasures to enjoy. Baking cookies to share and getting out a few treasures appeals to me. After mailing packages this week, I'll write a few personal notes to distant family and friends.

The Contrail Shawl is resting in a knitting bag as I knit on a three color cowl. The green yarn was a prize in a Ravelry Knit Along. Although the green isn't a shade I wear, the hand of the yarn is lovely. It has been sitting in a basket next to the leftover pumpkin colored yarn. As I looked at them, I thought about the Three Color Cashmere Cowl. I got out the leftover blue yarn but it is heavier than the other two. Can you see where this is going? Off I went to a local yarn shop looking for a third color in the same brand as the green. I came home with a skein of yellow. This reminds me of the  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series by Laura Numeroff. If you give a knitter a skein of yarn, she'll want to buy another. I have no idea what I will do with this cowl but it is fun to knit. Since I don't like great big cowls, I shortened up the pattern sections. I had a dickens of a time creating jogless stripes. I tried two different techniques that work well with wider stripes but the joins in these two row stripes are wonky. Someone will have to wear the cowl with the joins at the back of their neck.

In other news, Micah, our four year old grandson, decided he wants to wear a different hat each day. This is a little guy who doesn't like tags in shirts, zippers in sweatshirts, or pockets on pants. He would prefer to wear shorts under his snow pants. In his defense, he has very sensitive skin, so his preferences are understandable if a little challenging. His request for hats is something to honor. His mother said, the wilder the colors, the better. So I ordered this skein. I thought a lighter weight hat might be more comfortable for him. I hope his Dad is ok with a little pink. There is some bright orange and green to balance the pinks. I can knit two little boy hats from one skein so there will be one for his younger brother. Micah also has an older brother. I can't send two hats for three boys. If this grandmother knits two hats, she'll likely knit another and chances are she'll need more yarn.

Enjoy the weekend.

 

Toward a Kind and Gentle Holiday Season

Once again the temperature has dropped, the days are shorter, and the birch outside my window has dropped all leaves. A downy woodpecker has come and gone from the suet feeder this morning. After our Thanksgiving company headed for home, I visited with a few friends, dropped off a library book, and took a walk on a balmy November Day. As the wind blew out the last day of November, I made a cup of tea and sat down without my knitting. Recently, I knit myself into an aching shoulder and upper arm. Long hours of sitting in one position to knit gift hats, mittens, slippers, washcloths, and socks made for a sore right arm. This injury is very silly on my part. After a five day hiatus from knitting and reading about good body mechanics, I am determined to heal. This ache is my cue to turn toward a gentler holiday season.

On Thanksgiving Friday, my family gathered at the table for soup and bread. I also made a lousy pie. Now I think the search and fuss for the perfect pie crust recipe is a reminder to serve fresh fruit or simple cookies for dessert. I enjoy making cookies so I will be baking a few carefully selected recipes. One of our traditions is to join hands and sing the Johnny Appleseed Grace.  Mom loved to sing and so we teach three grandsons how to sing grace. My four year old grandson, now knows the words and sings along with the rest of us. That moment, with joined hands, enthusiastic voices, and warm soup was the best of Thanksgiving.

Decor, like dessert does not have to be fussy. Yesterday I spent an hour arranging the nativity set and a Christmas wallhanging my sister made for me. I bought an evergreen wreath for the front door. I don't enjoy fancy decorating so I decided not to do it. I got out a few nonbreakable, non precious ornaments for the Christmas tree. Two of my grandsons are coming later this afternoon to trim the tree.  

My gentle holiday season calls for some solitude. I intend to make a cup of hot tea mid-afternoon and actually taste the herbs and tea while it is warm. I plan to sit in the sun in the old maple rocker and watch the finches and chickadees flick seed from the feeder. I may also read some beautifully written poetry and prose. Poets Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Ted Kooser, Linda Hasselstrom, and Twyla Hansen, the current Nebraska Poet, are among my favorites. Terry Tempest Williams is another writer whose work is worth rereading.

Best wishes for a kind and gentle Holiday.