Stasia's Place Of Grace

Tuesday, December 24, 2002

 

What's New?

My latest sock - intarsia in the round, with cables!
Yarn is Patons Kroy.

The Patons Kroy Cranberry Cable Sox are finished - a month late!

Sheet-changing day here at home...
Tori quickly takes advantage of the pillow pile!

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Grateful For...

• Learning a new knitting technique - two-color intarsia knitting in the round. Easy to learn, but tedious to do, as I haven't yet gotten the physical rhythm of it.

• I went to get an old notebook to take notes on "Anna Karenina" for book club next month. When I opened that notebook, inside were ancient notes I'd taken on a reverse Dutch heel (one done going in the toe-up direction) which is exactly what I need for a striped effect for my current socks! How lucky was that?

• The Christmas cards that cover not only our piano, but our chest freezer as well. I had no idea there were this many people in the world that care about us!

• Celebrating a "traditional Jewish Christmas". Kary mentioned she was getting Chinese food tonight, and it inspired me to do the same. Chinese takeout and a movie - my favorite way to spend an evening! (Well, if you add knitting or spinning, of course!)

• I was driving to get the Chinese - a fair distance away - when the radio program version of "It's A Wonderful Life" was on. It starred Jimmy Stewart and the rest of the movie cast, but they spoke at a faster clip and with a live radio audience laughing in the background. My second stroke of luck tonight! It is so different to listen to a great script. I got to see all the bright Christmas lights decorating happy homes as I drove... a third stroke of luck!

• The Christmas Stockings book I'd ordered arrived today and it is awesome! Great designs that can easily be adapted to regular, wearable socks as well. I can't believe it came so fast... fourth stroke of luck today!

  Linda, you'd love this book! There are wonderful, illustrated instructions for lots of knitting techniques, from applied i-cords to short-row wrapping to three-needle bind-off. There are even some "blank" patterns at the end so you can create your own special holiday stocking!

  I think next year I'd like to cut way down on my holiday spending... I'd like, instead, to give handknit Christmas stockings carrying little tidbits tailored to each recipient, based on one of the ideas in the book (an artist's stocking with pockets for paints and brushes). I'd better get knitting now if I want to meet that goal!

• I have two spindles here in a box that I get to open tomorrow! It is only one hour 'til tomorrow! I hope to start off the new year spinning, so that I'll continue through the rest of the months!

• Surprise gifts from friends... I received several lovely and unexpected goodies this week - a beautiful bookmark from Veryl, a gorgeous sunset-painted spindle from Sandy, a wonderful llama-etched flute from Nancie, and yummy teas and an adorable fairy from Kary! (Hope I didn't forget anyone! It's late as I'm writing this!)

  These really made my week! My family was... shall we say, "lax," this Christmas, and I'd gone to an awful lot of trouble on their gifts... I know that 'tis better to give than receive, but one doesn't like to feel taken advantage of, you know? Especially when one is alone for Christmas... ugh, I sound pitiful, enough of that!

  Well, these unexpected goodies, given from the heart, and so perfectly suited to my likes, meant more to me than any gifts I've received in Christmases past... thank you, my dear friends! (That also includes Linda and Tom, for my gorgeous Nina that arrived earlier this month!)

• I just found out my father legally adopted my young stepsister, so this Christmas I also have a brand-new real sister! (The way my father keeps getting married, we'll be as big as the Osmond family in no time...) Her name is Anna and she is studying graphic art at college in Las Vegas. Here you can see some of her artwork, and photos of her. She is originally from Minsk, Belarus.

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To Quote:

"...[Dolly] took up her work, a coverlet she had long been making. She always set to work on it at depressed moments, and now she knitted at it nervously, twitching her fingers and counting the stitches. Though she had sent word the day before to her husband that it was nothing to her whether [Anna] came or not, she had made everything ready for her arrival, and was expecting her sister-in-law with emotion."
"Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, Part One, Chapter XIX, awesome book!

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Have a wonderful Christmas holiday!

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