Whole lotta knitting

This was the first Winter holiday season where I gave multiple knitted gifts.  Five people got felted bags; for the ladies, they were purses, and for the two guys they were just felted bags for holding small items.  You can see how to make them here at Crazy Aunt Purl’s blog.  I did the fuzzy yarn and bracelet version for the ladies; for the guys I made the tabs slightly wider, used cord to create the bag closure, and used a combination of two worsted yarns.  If you are looking for a knitted bag for your tarot cards, these also work great. 

I also knitted a couple simple hats for people — again, you can find the pattern at Crazy Aunt Purl’s blog, though I picked up items from a couple of her entries: Here and here .  I enjoy her patterns, because she assumes I am a beginner and explains thoroughly, and they just seem . . . friendly.    

My two bigger items were gifts for my husband.  He asked for a poncho to keep warm around the house, and had input as to the pattern and the yarn.  You can find the pattern here at Lion Brand Yarns (it is free, as are the ones at Crazy Aunt Purl’s blog).  He chose the Homespun yarn in Williamsburg, Montana Sky, and Black.  Although I’m not as fond of acrylic, this knitted up just fine, and was as easy as the pattern suggested.  I remembered to leave long enough tails at the beginning and end of my color changes, and then used them to whipstitch the two halves together.    I had trouble making the exact gauge the pattern called for – size 10 needles were too small, and size 11 made a 4-1/4″ square instead of 4″.  Since my husband is a large individual, I went with size 11 needles, but then I ran out of the last color at seven rows instead of 9 (as the pattern called for).  No problem; just something to be aware of.  He likes it, and I had fun knitting it.

The second gift was a scarf.  I finished the poncho a couple weeks before gift time, so when he casually mentioned he’d like to have a grey scarf, I thought, “No problem, plenty of time.”  I wanted to make it soft, and had in mind something that progressed through shades of grey, so I went to our local yarn store and perused their inventory.  It’s lovely going to a yarn shop, because everyone is used to people fondling the yarns and even smelling them.    I found this lovely Mainland yarn by Plymouth Earth (made in Peru) that is 80% baby alpaca and 20% silk.  It didn’t have the progression of shades I’d hoped for, but is soft and such a pleasure to work with.  The silk gives it a lovely sheen.  The paper wrapper on the yarn called for size 7 needles; in retrospect I could have used 8 (I tend to knit tight), but the size 7 needles made it tight enough to show off the pattern.  It is a simple pattern, again from Crazy Aunt Purl, but this time in her book, Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair (Laurie Perry).  It has a garter stitch edge and ends, and is alternating blocks of knit and purl.  I was hoping to keep this gift a surprise, so I could only knit when he wasn’t around or was sleeping.  On size 7 needles, six feet of scarf takes forever (or at least, it feels like forever).  I finally finished it on the 23rd, so had it done in time.  I wish I could have taken my time knitting it, because the yarn is such a pleasure to work with.

I received knitting goodies as well as gave them.     A friend sent me a knitted shopping bag (open weave) which I have already used.  She also sent the pattern (clever lady!) so I can make more for myself or others.  With the bag she included a knitting novel, so that will be fun.  My husband gave me that copy of Knitting for Good! that I mentioned here , so eventually I will review that.  But my favorite gift is a bag of yarn he bought for me at the local shop, with three skeins each of two colorways of Poems by Wisdom Yarns (made in Turkey).  This wool yarn is a bit stiffer than I would prefer with a scarf, but I love the colors and the way they are changing.  Am using the same pattern I did with my husband’s scarf (with size 9 needles), and enjoying the process.  (No need to hurry this time!) 

The weather here has been cold and rainy, so it has been pleasant to do all this knitting.  And to look forward to doing even more! 

A random act of kindness (and other stuff)

Being unemployed, I’ve cut way back on my visits to Starbucks.  But this afternoon I decided to treat myself (remembering to bring my own cup, so I got a discount).  I entered the drive-thru, placed my order, and waited patiently behind a Windstar with a left tail-light repaired with colored tape.  When I finally drove up to the window, the friendly barista told me my green iced tea was already paid for . . . by the person in the vehicle ahead of me!  The barista said the driver claimed not to know me, and I certainly didn’t recognize the vehicle.  Must admit, it put me in a kindly disposition for the rest of the day.  I thought about why the person might have done it, and the domino effect of a kind act.  How lovely!

Back when I had money, I subscribed to “Ode” magazine, which says it is for “intelligent optimists.”  I like that idea.    There have been good articles, and it is encouraging to learn of a variety of ways to help the planet and its inhabitants.  One of the back-of-the-issue articles in the November issue was about Betsy Greer, and her new book, Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch.  Am hoping to get it for Solstice, so will write a review of it later (maybe).    Meanwhile, I’ve been reading her blog, art + craft = craftivism .  I always find it interesting to learn how people got where they are, so I started from her first blog entry and began reading forward.  She reminds me of the women in my women’s studies classes, who were so into zines and how everything is a political statement.  (Well, it can be!)  As I read her blog entries forward, I was disappointed by the two-year gap from May 2006 to May 2008, but figure that must have been when she was writing her book.  Anyway, if you are interested in how to combine your love of craft (whatever it may be) with making the world a better place, I encourage you to go visit her blog.  And maybe buy her book. 

And finally, we have been watching holiday movies since the weekend after Thanksgiving.  To qualify as a holiday movie, there must be a scene related to Winter Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa etc., which makes for a wide range of movies.  Not only do you get “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Holiday,” but “Die Hard” and “Long Kiss Goodnight” also meet the criteria.    My husband recently bought us “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” so the other night we watched that.  Michael Caine plays Scrooge, Kermit plays Bob Cratchett, Gonzo plays Charles Dickens, and just about all the Muppets get in there somewhere.  There is the scene where the two gentlemen approach Scrooge about making a donation toward the poor and homeless, and he sends them away brusquely.  The two gentlemen are played by Professor Bunsen and his assistant, Beaker (one of my favorites).  As Scrooge is throwing them out of his office, my husband suddenly burst out in laughter!   What?!  So we replayed that bit, and there is Beaker, flipping off Scrooge!  I wonder how that got past the censors!    [To see one of my favorite Beaker videos (it's short), visit Ode to Joy .]

That meditative time of year

I’ve been out with a bad cold, so I’ve spent lots of time sitting around thinking (no energy to do much else).  One of my favorite things to do at this time of year is sit in our darkened living room with the holiday tree lights on.  I inherited some of my mom’s ornaments, so there are decorations on our tree older than I am.  It’s fun, because I can look at every item on the tree and remember the story behind it.  There’s the bear we bought in Berlin, the two ornaments made by my friend, Lisa, the tin star Mom and her first husband stole off someones tree at a party they went to before they got married . . . things like that.

My mom liked to sit in a darkened room and look at the tree lights, too.  I’d get up in the middle of the night and go to the kitchen for a glass of water, and there would be Mom, sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette and staring at the tree.  I stopped and sat with her a couple times, but she seemed to prefer being alone to think.  I think it was her example that has given me permission to do a lot of introspection at this time of year.  It’s almost as if it has created a safe “container” (to use psycho-speak) for me to consider memories and ideas that remain buried through much of the year. 

With various nature-based spiritualities, this is also considered a meditative time of year.  In the natural cycle of the Northern Hemisphere, much of nature is dying back, shutting down, conserving its strength.   There is the idea of the Goddess, pregnant with Sun/Son and about to give birth.  Gardners have put their yards and fields “to bed,” and are busy with seed catalogs and plans for activity in the Spring.  The nights are longer, and with the cold it is pleasant to sit near a fire (or a heater) and knit or read or watch a holiday movie.  In the dark there is more time to think, and to dream.  It is a time to go within . . .

Wishing each of you strength, and healing, and warmth.