Stasia's Place Of Grace

Saturday, December 14, 2002

 

Really Quick...

Too tired to post, but here are some photos of things that made me happy this week! I'll tell you about them soon... promise!

(Later...) OK, as promised:

Jeff As Head Ref - His First Time

Grandpa's Finished Christmas Vest!

Fiona In Her Snowsuit

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Grateful That...

• Jeff reffed his first game as Head Ref (that is why he gets orange stripes on his sleeves!) For someone who only took up ice skating as an adult, and reffing within the last year, I think this is a great accomplishment! I'm really proud of him. It was exciting to go to the game and see how much his skating has improved - he goes forwards, backwards, all over the place and never falls! I'm amazed!

• I finished the vest I was knitting for Jeff's grandfather, and it came off without a hitch, and it fits! I didn't enjoy knitting it flat - or rather, assembling and finishing it - but still, no problems. The pattern is a free one from Lion Brand Yarn Company and can be found here (plus sizes, too). It took two balls of the lighter-weight Wool-Ease yarn. I'm so glad I was able to give it to him this (Sunday) morning, the last time we'll see him before Christmas.

  On Friday, I realized I'd need a very long circular needle to knit the front and neck bands. I asked Jeff to pick it up from a yarn shop near his office. When he came home with it, out of the bag popped four balls of sock yarn he'd picked out, all by himself! He then told me to order some more of the one brand, as he liked the colors so much, and I did so from KnitPicks.com (the yarn is Plymouth's imported Cervinia Forever Jacquard). What a generous guy! (What's he got up his sleeve? Has he purchsed cigars or wine? Time will tell... )

• Fiona wearing her winter snowsuit always gives me a good chuckle! Hope it does the same for you!

• Organic eggnog, organic chai in a box (just add milk and heat!), and single-serve Christmas plum pudding with brandy butter exist. Yum!

• I finished the book "KnitLit". I enjoyed it very much. It was hard to put it down and I'd find myself always wanting to read "just one more story," much the way I always want to knit "just one more row..."

• I finished the book "Evelina" - all 406 pages of teeny, tiny type and Jane Austen-esque prose. It got better and better as it went along, but my eyes are grateful it's over now. "Anna Karenina" is as wonderful as the last time I read it, and though it's over 700 pages, the type is of normal size! Tolstoy has such a gift for using simple words - nothing hard to read or understand - yet conveying complex psychological thoughts. He made it look effortless. What an understanding of human character... what a gorgeous book!

• I noticed Val's nose and lips twitching when he was dreaming. Doggies are so relaxed when they sleep. I find it so peaceful and centering to capture those moments and just watch them, utterly at peace. When I feel fretful or can't sleep, sometimes I'll lay my hand against the rhythmic rising and falling of Val's ribs as he breathes... it helps me slow and deepen my own breathing, and the warmth of his soft fur is so soothing. There is nothing like a dog for making a person feel better!

• I saw that the snow had not melted on the grass in the shadow of our split-rail fence, but had melted everyplace else. Then the sun lifted higher in the sky. This created a real shadow, and a parallel "snow shadow" on the grass. It was a beautiful pattern to see, and so... fleeting!

• I decided to split up my reading of "Anna Karenina" by the number of days which I have to finish it before the next book club meeting. It came out to only 21 pages a day - something easy to exceed, as the story is so captivating. I find it so comforting to break up a daunting task into smaller, accomplishable pieces, so that I don't feel something is looming over me. I think it would be a good technique to use when planning handmade holiday gifts, should I make them next year.

• We still have bees! We had some warm weather last week - almost 50 degrees! - and the bees were flying in and out of the hives, doing housekeeping (removing their deceased comrades and taking out the trash.) I'm glad to see they appear to be tolerating the cold temperatures all right so far! A teacher at a local school had her class watch our bee site all year, and now we're sending them a bottle of honey to try. I hope they'll like it and gain an understanding of these important pollinators!

• With the aid of a small ladder and a big hockey stick, I was able to hang a wreath on our house and shine a white spotlight on it. I'm afraid that is the extent of my outdoor decorating, but it looks simple and elegant, with its three red bows. I'm very grateful I didn't fall and hurt myself! And that I could do it myself - sometimes I really dislike asking for help!

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Fiberarts

Working on my Cranberry Cable Sox in Patons Kroy.

Thinking about finishing warping the four-shaft (soon to be eight) table loom with the Treenway Silks silk scarf kit - had to stop after threading the reed when Jeff asked me to make the vest for his grandfather. I will have to break that task down into manageable and undaunting segments! (Weaving just intimidates me to no end!)

Something inspired me to order some more Kroy in burgundy, dark green, and grayish "sheep color" (sorry Brianna! I know you hate that combo! ) to make some color-patterned socks. I have no idea what they're going to be, but some kind of inspiration is floating around in my head. Moose and fir trees dominate my thoughts... I don't even like doing multicolored knitting - I prefer pattern stitches - so this should be interesting!

The cravats from the recent IK, in Louet Gems Merino, are calling to me, too... the yarn is unbelievably soft! Can't wait to cast on. I got some Clover Bamboo knitting needles for them and Grandpa's vest, and they are so light and wonderful! Normally I use circulars, but the cravats are skinny and therefore won't weigh much on my wrists, so I will enjoy the luxury of wooden needles as I'm knitting them!

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I hope you will be able to take this week before holiday celebrations in a slow and leisurely manner, enjoying all the season has to offer! What can you do today to experience the season with all of your five senses?

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