On the other side of "Whew!"

The holiday season was fast and furious for both the BF and for me. If seems to have flashed by like the Silver Surfer, but to have been so FULL of events that it left me gasping.

We started with a visit to the BF's family in Cape Cod, where everything was so beautifully old New England - in keeping with their ocean-side cottage with its traditional door wreath! I made a Christmas Pie:



And, as I reported earlier, my knitted gift for his sister was (whew!) finished on time:





This is Saroyan, and was very well received. She wore it the entire day as a shawl. She was especially delighted that I had knit for her without her "having to ask for it". It never occurred to me that this would be an issue, but once she mentioned it I could understand that people don't like to feel like they're begging you to make them something. And then there is the embarrassment if you have to turn them down because your knitting list is too long (ahem)... as in 'all projects planned for the next year long'. So I was glad I decided to knit for her this year and so happy she was supremely knit-worthy, as in "loving it!"

The next day, back home, we had our own day and I opened two most wonderful gifts from friends and family:



These most incredibly beautiful cards were designed and drawn and printed by the artist Julia of Thorazos. I love them beyond belief - the little bird, the cosy nest, the escaping yarn ball... it's so me!

and my great friend Nad sent me this French Sajou scissor set which is To Die For!



It's the mother-of-pearl set with thread bobbin and thimble in a velvet box! There are little crosses on the handles, like Templar crosses. Last year she gave me one of Sajou's sewing boxes full of various notions so I am really over the moon about all these treasures!

I made knitted gifts for friends, too. I (whew!) finished this one the morning of Christmas eve and got it into the mail that day, so at least the "done-by-Christmas" thought was there! This is a simple cowl for a hiking, biking guy friend:



It's made from Hand Maiden 4-ply 100% cashmere in a size 7 needle. I plan to write up the pattern and post it for free in Ravelry, since when I went looking for a pattern like this I couldn't find one. This is tall enough to pull up to the nose when cold, but sophisticated enough to fold down and look like a black turtleneck under a formal wool winter coat.

The third knitted gift I made - and this one was finished just 3 days before Christmas but enough time to get it to the recipient by Christmas day! Whew! - was, again, for a guy friend. It is a striped scarf - wide and long - knit in simple K1, P1 on a size 9 needle from Madeline Tosh Vintage (worsted) that I ordered from Happy Knits. The colourways are Graphite, Cloak, and Silver Fox (a gorgeous burnished white bordering on light, light grey):





This knit was also well received and has been in use almost constantly since it was opened!

Shortly after Christmas, the BF and I traveled to DC again for a week. Our family there have a most gracious home, beautifully decorated for the holidays:



We had many teas:



And loved interacting with both Lamp Cat:



and Crib Cat:



and, while there - and this should not surprise you - I enjoyed a leisurely, soul-inspiring, second visit to Fiber Space in Old Town, Va while the BF slept in the car (we had gotten lost about 5 times in DC traffic while he tried to find our way there so I think he was emotionally exhausted!). This time, I met the shop dog, a pretty little miniature greyhound who happily stretched in the sun from the wide front windows or tip-toed clickity-clack back forth between people:



I loved the Fiber Space holiday windows: a fiber-dressed astronaut and alien:



and Rockets!



I was able to wander all around the store, looking at every single thing, the way I love to do and gathering everything into my shop basket. The staff is so respectful of shopper's space but so helpful when needed. After an hour or so, I sat on the couch and sorted (I wasn't able to get everything I wanted LOL), and still ended up with an inspiring collection of new yarns and patterns:



I'm especially excited about 3 skeins of Brooklyn Tweed's Loft that I acquired, along with a perfect, vintage style scarf pattern. I'm dying to knit these up! You can see my choices, set out on the couch beside the basket above: Long Johns, Postcard, and Cast Iron.

So there you have about two weeks out of my life, not counting annoying illnesses and going-back-to-work-nesses. I've started a KAL in my Piecework group in Ravelry and am still finishing up one last big & complicated knitted Christmas gift. But I'm definitely on the other side of "Whew!" and ready for a short and simple winter.

Wrap me in dark vines...

As you can see from the Bobicus medal, below, I've crossed the finish line in the Short Track Shawl race of the 2010 Ravelympics.



I cast on in a hotel room on the ocean while watching the Opening ceremonies last weekend - away for Valentine's with my sweetie. He was very supportive of my Ravelympics obsession and understood my need to cast on at this exact moment! After I got a good number or rows down, we went down to the bar and watched the rest of the Olympic opening there, with good wine and chocolate covered strawberries...

My Ravelympics challenge was the beautiful Saroyan pattern by Liz Abinante, but in shawlette size...



I used Blue Moon Fiber Arts in their gorgeous Luscious Single Silk fiber - the Thraven colourway, and a size 10 (6 mm) circular Addi needle. It worked perfectly - just as I'd hoped. I thought I would need to add repeats on the increase section to make it wide enough for a shawl, but in fact, I knit it exactly as written. The soft bulky-ness of the yarn did the rest...



The season seems to be struggling to turn - winter is trudging towards the bus stop, her tattered skirts trailing in the dirt and remnants of snow... but spring hasn't arrived. We have dark days that smell like rain and I'm often melancholy and dark. You can see that my new shawl suits me perfectly right now. I'll wear it today!

Solitude

After the December holidays, I like to have a day to myself to gather my thoughts and reorganize the occupations that make life meaningful. I love friends and family and the time spent together during these festive weeks is always wonderful. But I find myself craving some solitude at the end... just one day to calm my mind and order my thoughts.

In keeping with this day of solitude, here is one of the projects that I made for a Christmas gift, the Solitude Tippet.



The pattern is Saroyan (Ravelry link) and it's a quick and very pleasant knit. It's written as a scarf, but as you can see, I shortened it to a tippet (a Victorian neck-warmer) to fit the hand-spun skein I had. It can also be lengthened and widened to make a shawl, something I plan to do for the winter Ravelympics. Saroyan is knit end to end, from narrow end to wide center to narrow finish, creating the leaves as you go.



My skein of worsted-weight yarn is from Solitude, a "small batch artisan yarn from the fleece of Tunis sheep blended with red alpaca." It was 120 yards, and nature dyed with Cochineal, a beautiful rose-grey. I used the entire skein, with just a three-inch tail at start and finish.



I think the recipient liked it - it certainly looked great on her - but you know how it is with handmade gifts. Do people really like them? I do. So I guess that's why I keep making and giving them. I live in hope.