O Tannenbaum Stocking

[ raveled. ]

Last night I finished a Christmas stocking for my mom. Well, sort of. I still want to make a fabric liner for it and strengthen the hanging loop by sewing a ribbon to it, but I don't have a sewing machine and am not so keen on hand-sewing. I figure after I knit the stockings for myself and Flavio, maybe I can ask my grandmother to sew the linings for all three.

This stocking, one of the latest designs from Ysolda Teague, was knit with Manos Del Uruguay (in Jungle) and Berroco Peruvia (in Nougat). I used the tree motif for this stocking, and I'm going to try to find a green/red/ivory paisley print for the fabric lining. There were a couple of techniques in this pattern that were new to me--the figure-eight cast on, Japanese short row heel, and I-cord bind off--but Ysolda writes her patterns so clearly, and tutorials for all of these techniques can be easily found online, and in the end this was a very quick & easy project.

I'm taking a little break before knitting the other two stockings because the large needles (US 10) are very awkward to me, after using tiny dpns for so long. I spent today knitting a pretty little set of petit fours, using Jennifer's great (free!) pattern. But more about those tomorrow...

Marshmallow Mitts

[ raveled. ]

After she fell in love with my Madeline Mitts, I decided to make a pair of Endpaper Mitts for my mom as a last-minute Christmas present. There are a couple of things you should know about me: 1) I'm terrible at knitting with a deadline, and 2) I'm terrible at knitting in pairs. I get distracted, burned out, bored, etc. And yet this is the third project in row that I've knitted a pair of something in a timely manner! I think part of it is that I'm just so happy to not be knitting little stuffed animals, and part of it is that two of those three projects were knitted for the two people I love the most in this world.

The colors of these mitts remind me of marshmallows floating in a steamy mug of hot cocoa, one of my favorite winter treats.

Next up, I'll be knitting Ysolda Teague's Last Minute Stockings, using all of that yummy woolly stuff I bought the other day!

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

I'm snowed in! Well, iced in, actually. My car got stuck in the road, so my mom was going to drive me to work in her truck, but the roads were so slick we decided not to attempt it. I could lose my job over this, because we're supposed to have perfect attendance in December, but right now I don't care. All I care about is being safe inside my warm house, drinking cocoa full of marshmallows, and working on my mom's Endpaper Mitts.

Have You Any Wool?

Berroco Peruvia (red, ivory, and blue) and Manos del Uruguay (green), wound into nests.

Last night while watching the first two Harry Potter movies, I wound up these four balls of wool with my nostepinne. Seriously folks, if you buy a lot of yarn in hanks but can't stand knitting from balls that roll around all over the place, consider buying a nostepinne. Personally, I love the handmade ones from Kari Welsh, but she's taking a break from making them right now and only has three left in her shop. Winding with a nostepinne takes longer than using a ballwinder & swift, but they're much cheaper and a heck of a lot easier to store. Plus, it's so tactile to wind yarn by hand...and what knitter doesn't love to touch their yarn?

Anyway, back to the yarn I bought yesterday. The red, ivory, and blue are all Berroco Peruvia, and the green is Manos del Uruguay. These are for Ysolda Teague's Last Minute Stockings. The red is for my stocking and the blue is for Flavio's. I wasn't really planning to knit a stocking for my mom, but I fell in love with that green Manos (one of the few hanks at Twist, which has stopped carrying Manos) and couldn't resist. The ivory is for the contrasting bits on all three stockings. I can't wait to knit these, but as I'm trying to concentrate on one project at a time these days, they'll have to wait until I finish the pair of Endpaper Mitts I'm knitting for my mom.

I've been a busy, busy knitter lately. It's nice to be knitting something other than toys and clothes for babies!

Snugglefeet

[ raveled. ]

I finished Flavio's socks around 6 o'clock this morning. I'm glad, too, because I start my Christmas work schedule today, and knitting is probably going to be kicked to the back burner for a while. (Well, I say this, but I'm getting ready to start another pair of Endpaper Mitts tomorrow and hope to finish them by Christmas.) With Lang Jawoll Superwash sock yarn in black, I cast on 60 sts on size 2 (US) dpns, and worked in 2x2 rib for 8 inches. I held light blue yarn and black reinforcement thread together for the heels and toes. The 2x2 rib continues over the top of the foot. Very simple socks, but I hope they keep his feet cozy all winter long.

Things I Do While I Knit

my new sock blockers from The Loopy Ewe

Today I got a set of sock blockers that I ordered from The Loopy Ewe. Yay!! Now I can block Flavio's socks (well, when I finish them). I love knitting things for him. I'm always thinking about him, of course, but even moreso when I'm knitting for him. I think about these socks keeping his feet warm while he's walking to the metro in the rain. I think about our future life together, knitting blankets for our home and toys for our babies. Yesterday I bought some Christmas-y fabrics to line the stockings I'm going to knit for our first Christmas together (next year).

Last night I watched a really wonderful movie while I was knitting: Ballet Shoes, based on the Noel Streatfeild novel of the same name. It's about three orphans growing up as sisters in the 1930s, each aspiring to do something great. It was a really lovely movie, and now I want to read the book. I've been really into children's literature lately...yesterday I bought The Tale of Despereaux, which I'm very excited to read after I finish Little Women. I think the movie looks so cute!

I've been on a real knitting kick lately. I'm sure it's the cold weather. Nothing warms me more than curling up in my big red chair with a little knitting project in my hands and a sweet little movie on the tube. Got any movie recommendations? Right now, I'm especially interested in film adaptations of children's literature and period dramas set in the late 18th- to early 20th-century (American or British).

Counting Blessings

A lot of unfortunate things have happened in the past couple months. Not just to me, of course, and really I suppose I haven't had the worst of it. Although I've lost two pets, I haven't lost any of the people I love, and I'm in good health and fortunate not to have felt the effects of the financial crisis. I'm always cursing my bad luck, but I rarely stop to think about what good luck I've had. I have a really wonderful family that loves and supports me. I'm in love with the most amazing man I've ever met, who is so perfect for me, it's like I dreamed him up myself. And recently, I was able to travel to one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I had an incredible time while I was there.

The end of the year always makes me feel reflective, and right now I'm reading Little Women, which has made me reflect on my blessings. Last night I read the chapter "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair," in which Meg travels with a couple of rich friends, dressing up and attending parties. Although initially vain and envious of her friends' fine things, in the end she realizes that the more she has, the more she wants, and she'd rather be poor, content, and loved.

Sometimes I feel like I get lost in everything that's going on around me. The world moves so fast, everything has to be done right now, everybody's always wanting more. Lori Ann recently wrote a post about anti-multitasking, and it got me thinking about slowing down. Concentrating on one thing at a time. Putting all of my love and energy into the little details of a project before moving on to another one.

So love and contentment will be my pursuits for the next year, being thankful for my blessings instead of dwelling on my misfortunes. My hope is that this inner peace will be reflected in my outer behavior. I've wasted entirely too much time being moody and sullen this year.