Winter has returned with a vengeance here in Pittsburgh! Most of the week our temperatures have been in the 50’s and this morning we have a dusting of snow covering that is covering a rather nasty bit of ice and it appears my YakTrax will get their inaugural use today!
If you are heading outside today, I hope you have lots of warm woolens to wear!
And, speaking of woolens – I got the loveliest package from Lerwick yesterday. I was amazed by the heady sheepy aroma of these yarns and this is the first time Sherman has ever been remotely interested in yarn! While that odor might put some off, I love the minimal processing of this yarn. I can feel the lanolin, and this will be a lovely wintery treat to knit with! I am not good at all at putting together colors for colorwork, so I defaulted to the colors that Amy Christoffers used for her Pheasant Pullover. Wow, I am so glad I did! This brown has the most incredible depth! As you can see, swatching has begun and I plan to cast on this weekend!
Do you ever feel “multi-project guilt”? You are not alone and I read the most interesting work around for multi-project rotation this morning – The Gideon Method!
That is all I have for today – I hope you stay warm and have some knitting to fill your lap! Have a good weekend and I will see you back here next week!
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan… — Christina Rossetti
My return to walking this week truly revealed the wintry bleakness with an added dash of with crazy winds and cold temperatures! I am now a solo walker as my neighborhood walkers have departed for warmer climates – so I am missing Ally the Golden Retriever and Lady Clementine the Bull Mastiff. But that lone walking is good for noticing things! One of those things I noted this week was that some of the trees are heavy laden with the promise of spring! So, as I walked with the winds whipping around me, watching the trees sway wildly – I noticed the branches are full of buds! It was a good reminder that the bleakness will not last forever!
My week was also full of intentional thinking that brought many why questions. The major why of this week was why Instagram? It is a huge time suck. My screen time average shows that I spend almost 2 hours a day scrolling through images there. Yikes. That is a lot of time! So, this week I shut off all notifications for posts and I have stopped posting there for the time being. And, honestly – it has been so hard to not “click into” the app to see what is new there.
I started easing into a podcast this week – NPR’s Up First has been a very easy entry into podcast listening. I have some other things queued up but have yet to listen to any of them.
I also spent some time this week doing something I should have done prior to cutting out my flannel Esme Tunic. I really struggled matching plaids as I shared on Wednesday – but I have since found a YouTube video that showed me the error of my ways. Today I am tracing pattern pieces and I will try matching plaids again next week!
I found a bit of inspiration this week that reminded me that I own patterns I have yet to use…I am very good at buying patterns on sale but not very good at actually using them! However, there will be a quilted Tamarack Jacket in 2020!
Over the past two weeks has had a gang of weekends! Seven of the last 13 days have had a decidedly weekendish feel. One would think that all this weekending would be something to celebrate, but another weekend is upon us and I am feeling a bit “weekended out!” My creature of habit is feeling a bit out of sorts and is longing for the return to the “normal routine” of life.
I am sorely missing Tuesday night knitting, which has been on “holiday hiatus” and I am eager for the return of our regular meeting time next Tuesday!
I also have a pile of sewing I want to get started on next week! And speaking of sewing! One thing I recently discovered was the In The Folds “Learn” page – it is full of extremely detailed help for all sorts of sewing issues that might arise as you are making a garment. I discovered In the Folds through their free patterns, but their helpful tips really break down the sewing process! They send out a weekly newsletter (scroll to the bottom to sign up) and it always includes something very useful!
And, these mittens look so cozy! (And, they are still on sale today!)
The other thing I have been thinking about is getting back to healthier eating! (i.e. less happy hours and more balanced meal planning!) I found some soup ideas on Pinterest recently and they will be making their way into dinner rotation beginning next week!
That’s all I have for this week – have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you should have always been. — David Bowie
First… a little music for this post because yes, today is my birthday…
And while this song is a great pick-me-up I must confess that I have been struggling greatly with the idea of this birthday… and this is quite the confession from a person who never cared one iota about how old I was. 30 was not hard and 40 even less so. And I don’t even remember the big 5-0 so how come 59 is giving me fits? Good thing I have an entire year to get comfortable with the idea – that and those words of wisdom from David Bowie which I am counting on to guide me in the process!
59 year-old me… yes, wrapped in my Regan
However, birthdays be damned! It’s the Season of Selfish Knitting and of course I have some ideas with which to tempt you!!
Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection. — Winston Churchill
As I write this post, I am watching the gentle fall of snowflakes out my “office” window. Occasionally, the wind swirls them as if my neighborhood is a huge snow globe and as the wind subsides, the flakes swirl lazily until they return to gently float from the grey sky. I am wearing a warm, woolly sweater and I have hand knit socks on my feet while I sip a steaming hot cup of coffee. Life is indeed so very good – I have way more than I need. We do not have money struggles and our big debate is how we should “cut the cable cord” next year – we are fortunate beyond belief.
I have my Christmas gifts wrapped and under the tree. I have done all the baking I intend on doing this year. And, I am really looking forward to Steve being home a couple of extra days for the next two weeks – thanks to the holidays!
AND!! I have selected my word for next year – or rather, I think it selected me!
I am fortunate to return to my “regular knitting because I finished my holiday making with time to spare! Yes, I have settled back into my Evening Dew Cardigan! Each row brings me closer to needing my second ball of mohair silk, which I carefully wound yesterday. There is something quite reflective about hand winding a skein of yarn – you can’t rush it, there is no pause to go do something else – it requires your presence as you wind the yarn into a ball.
Perhaps one of these patterns will inspire you to to wind up some yarn and do some “selfish” knitting for yourself over the coming days! Added bonus, these things are **free** – at least for the next few days!
Isabell Kraemer’s Leni dropped this week and it is a gift from her to us through December 31! From Isabell: “Let me shout out a big THANK YOU for your love, your ongoing support, your trust, your understanding, your patience…for being by my side on this journey…hope you enjoy this little hat pattern!”
Kelbourne Woolens December Hat – a free pattern knit up with their Germantown yarn which includes some intricate cabling!
That is all I have for this week – I hope that your weekend is full of wonderful reflection! Happy Hanukkah to my friends who will begin celebrating on Sunday!
