threads....

Threads for the day are accomplished on Pindigo. 

As often happens it turns into more than one thread and if you have time and inclination, it can be a couple of hours of peaceful stitching. Such was my day thus far. 
We put on a pot of my father's famous secret recipe stew and I am trying out a Lingonberry bread mix from Ikea, which is rising on the stove as the pot bubbles. 
Tonight-be still my heart- I will cast on for Brooklyntweed's Juneberry shawl in the color called 'nest'. 
A blissful new years eve!

backing

One Thread a Day

Pre New Years resolution: Ping/Pindigo is revived and a thread is commenced. (Ping is the name of the pattern, from Pinwheels, in the center to which I added indigo setting blocks.Thus: Pindigo.

snow day....

I think I am staying in. Maybe a good day to bake bread and make soup.. makes a nice picture though:) I am happy to have an unexpected day off. ALthough New York state has not declared a state of emergency, I think everyone should stay home.

My Daughter sings

Our tiny tree

haiku for Walter

note to my brother
when you were still in the world
my heart was lighter

The Happy Christmas Song

The Happy Christmas Song

the plan (subject to further modification)

Gratuitous cat picture-Poppet the lap cat

This year in my house the plan is to give everyone something hand made. Even if it is just a small something. Some will get a more involved thing gift than others but each one will get something made by me. I am considering not buying anything at all.
Maybe working in a mall for these last four years has inured me to the charms of consumerism, or maybe I am just lazy and do not want to go shopping. In either case, I am not going.
So far I have made lavender sachets, using left over four patches, and lavender harvested in the east end lavender farms,  and the socks and mittens noted in the last post. I have  a pattern for a doll for the one child who will stop by, which I may attempt to make while she is still young enough to like dolls, and I may makes some ornaments for the adults. I do not have time to knit hats for all or mittens or socks for all. But each item will have my time and consideration and perhaps that is what gifts should be about. After all, all of my children are nearly completely grown up.

look inside the cube -on the floor

Of course I have not been struck yet by the yearly Christmas Eve panic -the one where in I get catapulted into the crowds at the last minute, for the one gift that I was unable to get to, where I walk through the near empty store gazing with glassy eyes at the ravaged displays under the gaze of the exhausted underpaid employees, the ones who drew the short straw and who just want to be outta there and do not care in the least about my tear streaked, crumpled list that I slaved over, while I try to find that one item that clearly and unequivocally  proves for all time how much I really do care.
But at the moment, sitting here on my couch and my hot coffee, this seems an unlikely scenario. Of course I do not know what will happen if I am overcome by the panic.......

holidaze past at the mall

Now if I could just get off this computer and get busy sewing. There are sachets to be assembled.

early bird

morning sky in december

I am up at the crack of early this morning even though I have to work the late shift. Oh well maybe I will actually do a stitch or three, after coffee of course. I have finished another pair of socks , in Blue moon sock weight, I will maybe add a crochet  picot edge in lime green for piquancy.
 "By George, I think I've got it! " I knitted these socks-toe up two at a time- with no pattern!! so I felt kind of good about that.

blue sock

{[(does anyone else think in quotations?) (Last night I started singing to one of my students "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain..." when he finally 'got' the lesson that we had worked on for two days.  Fortunately he got the reference and we had a good chuckle.) {It is very euphoric when your student has a light bulb moment. }}

I have a cowl, Tudora Ruff , from Knitty, on the needles , a last minute cast on, using left over Shelter mitten yarn-more mittens on another set of needles- and another pair of socks that are in progress...and I have quilts on the design wall. I think I have enough to do. 

red cowl

doodles

I have been back on Weight watchers for a few days. I made a huge pot of minestrone soup and a nice loaf of bread to take for work lunches. I absolutely cannot eat mall food anymore..even the so called healthy choices are really not. So I have made this commitment to myself. It is hard because everyone at work has been bringing so much cake and sugary crap- albeit tasty sugary crap- to work and it looks sooooo delicious, but it is rarely ever worth it, (although Sophie's cheesecake came close) and I am trying hard to remember this. Also, I carry a bag loaded with fruit.
Beware! I am armed with clementines!