Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration. – Anamika Mishra
That is most certainly true…at least at my house in December! I do so love December – even the greyest of days are soothed by the lights on our tree. And that theory was put to the test this week as we had several days of grey, wet skies. The December’s of my childhood were full of grey, snowy days courtesy of the Lake Effect Snow Machine that is Lake Michigan! It’s a true fact that grey, snowy days are brighter than grey, rainy days – also snowy days often brought snow days with a day off from school! I remember celebrating snow days and sledding and making angels in the snow. Simple pleasures that are no longer part of my life, but perhaps they should be! This week the best I could do would be to make “mud angels” in our very soggy back yard thanks to all the rain we have had. Somehow mud angels do not carry the same joyful celebration that snow angels do, and I am so hoping for a white Christmas (which is a rare thing in Pittsburgh!)
Yet, even with this lack of wintry weather, there are things to celebrate. My almost daily walks in the neighborhood are marked by the warmth of the neighbors I meet on those walks! There are lots of dog walkers in my neighborhood, but two are stand outs! Allie – a very friendly Golden Retriever, always runs to greet me with such great joy! Then there is Lady Clementine, a Bull Mastiff, named for Winston Churchill’s wife…I am not kidding you (and honestly, I really wish I was their next-door neighbor!) Anyways, Lady Clementine reminds me of an incredibly oversized Pug and her greetings include some wonderfully wet, sloppy kisses! These neighbors and their dogs make walking – even in the coldest weather – a thing to celebrate!
Is it just me, or does the dry skin arrive earlier and earlier every year? A couple of weeks ago, I treated myself to a little nail repair kit from OPI, which included a bottle of OPI nail and cuticle oil. I have one question… why has no one told me about this product before now?!? I am pretty sure this might be a wonder product! In addition to moisturizing cuticles it also *prolongs* the life of a simple manicure! I am on day 8 of a regular polish (regular as in I do my nails at home) with nary a chip or any peeling! This makes my nails extra celebratory! Ha!
Reading is a constant thing of joy in my life. I do not know what life would be without books (and I never, ever want to know!) But, December is the month of Book Celebration with all the book lists that are everywhere you look! Maureen Corrigan shares her 2019 Favorites that she deems are ‘unputdownable reads!’ There are quite a few new-to-me titles that made it to my read soon list!
Now, how about some celebratory knitting?
Did you all see Jennifer Steingass’s latest design: Brightfeather? Anything with mohair silk is a celebration to knit as well as to wear! The pattern currently has an automatic 30% discount….so what are you waiting for! (FYI, I have one completed mohair silk sweater and it is simply divine to wear!)
If color work does not make you celebrate, this little sweater with lacework is really lovely!
Amy Christoffers piqued my interest earlier this week with this announcement and I have spent a good bit of time checking Ravelry to see if the pattern was available yet! And it finally dropped late yesterday afternoon. The Pheasant Pullover is gorgeous! I love the deep color work! **AND** it is on sale through Monday!
I have been consuming lots of tea in the past two months, enough that I am contemplating a tea pot. A pot of tea is a quiet celebration – one that wafts its steamy aroma about you – one that reminds you to sit down and savor – one that encourages you to linger in that savoring just a bit longer! But, how to keep that pot of tea warm? Why a Tea Cozy, of course! This was trending on Ravelry yesterday. And this also caught my eye! There will absolutely be some tea cozy in my future knitting plans!
Finally, celebration eats!
Carole, this is for you! I found some “slicing brie” at TJ’s and knew I had seen a recipe on Pinterest that included slicing brie and puff pastry, which I almost always have in my freezer! The original recipe included cranberries and pancetta, but bacon and raspberries were great substitutions! I used frozen raspberries from my garden – and less sugar (I used half what the recipe called for) since raspberries are sweeter than cranberries. I also added the juice from a half a lemon. Raspberries need a little help in the pectin department and that little bit of lemon juice helped thicken the “jam” nicely. This was so yummy as were the leftovers which I reheated for about 20 seconds in the microwave.
That is all I have for this week! I hope your weekend has some celebratory moments!
So many good things in this post. I was eyeing that Amy Christoffers sweater yesterday and may have just put it in my cart ????
Alho and Pheasant are both gorgeous! Thanks for the recipe link too – that sounds so yummy!! So nice that you meet up with neighbors on your walks!
So much Gemütlichkeit here! I will be getting some of that cuticle oil (today if the line at the post office isn’t too long!) My dry skin and cuticles snag yarn while I’m knitting, so this will be a treat. And I’m also making that brie tart very soon. Your mods of bacon and raspberries sound even better than the original recipe, so that’s what I’ll be using. I can hardly wait; thanks, Kat!
Sigh. When I was growing up (about 40 minutes from Pittsburgh) we had so many white Christmases – not necessarily deep snow all the time, but something …
I will admit I laughed when you said you were considering getting a teapot – both growing up and as an adult, we have had so many teapots, always! I seriously can’t imagine only having one. 😉
You covered a lot of great stuff in this post! Thanks for the link to the recipe for the tart, that really looks great and seems like it would be very customizable. Happy FriYay!
I have an intense desire to shop on ulta online and get that oil to save my fingers 🙂 We had two days of sunshine and now we are back to doom and gloom clouds. Seriously what’s going on?? I want snow but my kids will be traveling so I guess I want a sprinkle of snowflakes in the air only.
I’ve never knit a mohair silk sweater but you are certainly temping me! Happy Friday
So funny. That frankie Brown tea pot cover has been in my favorites for years and years. I hope you do knit it up!
Thank you for all the information. I have a small tea pot that I use several times a week. I pour one mug of tea and then wrap the pot in a dish towel. I have been thinking of making a tea cozy after Christmas. I think that little broken rib version might be the one. Enjoy your weekend.
What a beautiful post! I loved all of the knitting patterns… I saw on Instagram that La Bien Aimee unveiled a new line of yarn for the Brightfeather design. Sigh – it looks so dreamy (the design AND the yarn). I lust for La Bien Aimee yarn because I love all things French, but know that I’m not likely to score any soon.
I say YES to the teapot! I love mine and actually use it nearly every day. And I also have a tea cozy for it: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/fasciknitting/retro-tea-cosy. I think a teapot would be a perfect addition to your Gemulichkeit celebration!
You packed so much into one post! Brie and raspberries sounds really yummy, and combining them with puff pastry? Heaven!
So much good stuff … and what a treat on a gray Monday morning! Thank you for sharing the memories of Decembers past; I too, recall the rare snow day (living in Wyoming, we got very few) and building forts in the yard. I really want to knit a Jennifer Steingass design in 2020. and I have the perfect party to make that brie cranberry tart! Merry Merry!!
Now I have several tea cozy patterns in my Rav faves. Why did it never occur to me to make one? Thanks for the idea!