Knitting In The North

See You Next Year!

The Christmas holidays have come and gone, and were everything we hoped for.  Everyone got along, the kids were appreciative, Stuart made a wonderful dinner, we even got a decent picture of all four children - together!

 

The highlight of the festivities for me, as always, was Christmas Eve.  There is something so magical to me about that evening - it starts off with an evening meal of various appetizers, and then we all get ready and head off to church.  That really is the highlight of the whole year for me - sitting in a beautiful darkened sanctuary, listening to music and words celebrating the most important thing to ever happen, while my wonderful family sits around me, dressed nicely, behaving themselves.  It's like payment for the whole year of all that parenting a brood like mine involves - at that moment, I am reminded why it is all worth it.

After the service, we drive around looking at lights, and then head home to open one present each.  (It's always pajamas, which they then put on and get ready for bed.)  We watch the Polar Express together, and then kiddies head off to bed so Stuart & I can fill stockings and unearth top secret presents.  Ahhhh... even writing about it fills me with peace and happiness!

As we head into a new year, filled with all kinds of uncertainty, this holiday reminds me once again that it's all under control, that provision has been made, and my job is to trust and rest.  It has been a privilege to spend time with you this year, and I look forward to many wonderful opportunities to share with you.... next year!

Liam...

and all the rest of us here, wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Full of love and joy and peace and all good things!

"Tomorrow is Christmas!  It's practically here!"

All About the Love

I really can not believe that Friday is here already!  This is my absolute most favourite time of year, because it's all love, all the time.  What's not to like about that?  Here's what I'm loving this week:

• 6 MORE DAYS!!  We've been counting down, and I'm as impatient as the kids - not much longer now!

• Before-Christmas presents - Stuart always gives me a gift (after my constant asking, of course) around a week before Christmas.  We call it my "before Christmas present", and it's always just some little something he knows I would like.  This year, a Meatloaf CD.  Meatloaf is one of my secret pleasures, I think the song Paradise by the Dashboard Lights is one of the funniest things out there.

 

 

• Men in uniform - Brian became a scout this year, and he finally received his new Beaver uniform - and ooooh, he looks so much like his daddy!

   

 

• The way Katie can babysit Liam, and still manage to read her book - a chip of the ol' block, I'd say.  Look at that one handed, play with the baby's toy action!

 

 

• The sunshine that's pouring through my front window, making our nativity shine.

 

• Starting new projects.  This is a Stolen Moments wrap, knit from one strand of Elann's Super Kydd and one strand of a mystery yarn my mum sent for me.  She's asked me to knit her a shawl, and I think this will be perfect (although she's perfectly capable of knitting something like this herself - there is more to knitting than dishcloths, even though dishcloths are a perfectly respectable thing to enjoy knitting).

   

• My dog, Judah, who thinks any blanket, item of clothing or piece of knitting was left there for the express purpose of making him a bed.

 

• The way Gwenyth has to run and pose whenever she sees my camera.  Really.  Every single time.

 

• Knitting Dashing for Stuart's Christmas stocking.  And the way I can knit right in front of him and he has no idea that it's for him (until I have to try them on him, because I think they're going to be too small, and then they're not - I don't love that.  But I love the mitts).

Cold Winter Days

The temperatures have dropped through the floor, reminding us all that balmy, barely-freezing December days are not ones that stick around.  We've settled into the usual winter routine of bundling up before we leave the house, warming up our vehicles, bringing in (lots) of firewood, planning out the day to try not to leave the house.  What can we do on a cold, dark, winter day?

 

We can decorate the Christmas tree...

 

Read a good book...

 

Make peppermint marshmallows, (with these to try next!)... 

 

 

There is new yarn to look at, pet, and dream about...

 

   

Wool socks to wear and fires to sit by...

 

And snuggling, laughing boys to watch and listen to.  It can stay cold as long as it wants!  (But you might need to remind me of that, come March.)

Defeated

 

Over the years, I've heard about the big knitting smackdowns; I've read about them, even watched them (virtually) happen to other knitters.  Until now, I've been basically unscathed.  I've had bad knitting days, as we all do, I've had messes and mishaps, but until now, never felt the full force of all that is dark and powerful in knitting come to bear on me.  Until now, I said. 

It's my own fault, really.  You all heard me, some of you even commented on it.  And the lesson has been learned.  Never, never, NEVER talk about how your Christmas knitting is all done weeks before Christmas arrives.  Don't do it.  Feeling fully pleased with myself, I forgot that I was just asking for a comeuppance, and did I ever get it!

It all began quite simply, really.  I attend a weekly Bible study, and there are a couple of wonderful older ladies that volunteer to watch all the little kiddies in the nursery, so us moms can enjoy a couple of hours of grownup time.  We decided to put together a basket for each lady, full of little thank-you gifts; since I was all done with the Christmas knitting, naturally I decided I would whip them each up something sweet.  I decided on the Reverse-Bloom Flower Washcloth, from Weekend Knitting.  I just happened to have two skeins of the cotton chenille yarn in my stash, so I happily sat down with my needles and yarn and quickly knit up the five petals for the first cloth.  All was going nicely, until I went to join the petals on a circular needle.  As I was knitting across, the yarn broke.  Broke!  I couldn't believe it, but I had a think and decided to just knit up one more petal, replace and carry on.  No big deal, right?  Then, to be extra clever, I joined the other petals together, just to make sure I wasn't going to run into this problem again.  The next day, The Day of Disaster, I knit the final petal.  Made a mistake, ripped and started over.  Finished the petal, began to join it, and on the Very Last Stitch?  Yep - broke again!  I was so frustrated, I ripped the stupid petals off my needle, walked to the garbage can and tossed them in.  Forget it.  I'll buy the nice ladies a Tim Hortons gift card!

But The Day of Disaster was not over yet!  I figured I'd comfort myself by watching a nice, sappy movie (Serendipity was on TV), and work on the pair of Dashing I'm making for Stuart.  There I sat, baby sleeping, movie on, breathing deeply - then I looked down.  I had somehow managed to completely and totally screw up the cable row - a couple if inches ago.  Sigh. Frog, frog, frog.  I pulled out a swatch.  And The Wrong Size Needles.  When the realization sunk in that I had experienced my third strike, I put the needles down and admitted defeat.  It's the first time in three years I've watched a movie without knitting in my hands.  Please God, let it be the last. 

Bits & Pieces

Like you, lots of fun stuff going on here - good stuff, happy stuff, but busy, busy, busy!  Here are some of the week's highlights:

 

All kinds of cookie goodness - I made a choice before we even began to throw my perfectionism out the window, and just let the kids have fun.  What a difference it made, things were so much more relaxed and enjoyable, for the kids, but for me, too!  Icing was eaten off the spoon, sprinkles went everywhere, and the finished product might horrify some, but they were made with love and fun, while watching the snow fall outside our window and listening to Christmas music. 

 

Thorpe was finished up, and tucked away for gift-giving.  I used one ball of Paton's Shetland Chunky Tweed, and needed every last scrap of yarn!  I overestimated a bit how much was left after binding off, thus the braids are a tad long and skinny.  I cut the yarn at 40" as directed in the pattern, in hindsight, 30" would have given me more strands, for a thicker braid.  I'm still quite happy with the result, and even managed the crochet without a hitch - Thank God for Youtube!

   

Young Master Liam is 6 months old!  He has developed an obsession with the remote of late (obviously a chip off the old block!).  It feels like he's suddenly gotten, well, big.  Really, really big.

Countdown

 

Today was a big day in the holiday season, as you well know.  The first of December means the beginning of the countdown - and the start of advent calendars.  Along with the essential chocolate calendar from the store, we always use a homemade felt tree, with special handmade ornaments. 

I made this one, with my mom, while we were waiting (impatiently) for Katie's arrival in November 1997.  It is inspired by the one we used when I was a child.  My sister & I would take turns putting the ornaments on the tree, and she would always do the odd numbers, because her birthday is on the 23rd.  I was infuriated, every year, by the unfairness of it all - obviously, whoever did the odds got one extra day!  Silly to remember, and to watch my children go through the same tradition.

Now, the poor kids really have to share the numbers around - Gwenyth did the honours tonight, and Brian has dibs on tomorrow.  Katie will have to take her turn on the third, and they're all glad Liam's too young to take his share of the numbers. 

It's a lot of fun to watch the tree fill up with ornaments as the days go by, and feel the anticipation mount as we go along - it's almost Christmas!  (Oh, my goodness, I have so much to do!!)