where do i start?

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events, designing, projects

wow, i knew i was minimalizing in blog posts this last week in order to fit in more urgent tasks, but i had no idea until i gathered today’s photos that such an overabundance of material has collected. between the food, the culmination of holiday knitting, and the to-be-continued yarn parade, i have way more than i can fit in today’s post.

i think what we’ll do is look at all the yummy holiday food and gifting today, before it becomes stale news. and tomorrow, we’ll commence with the yarn parade, ok?

i didn’t get to tell you about our little spinning class get-together on wednesday night. no spinning—just knitting, talking, laughing,wining, and noshing. we decided beforehand that savory snacks would be great; we already have a tradition within this group not to do elaborate gifts—”tacky wonderful” is more our speed (though the gifts the other night were just wonderful and not tacky at all).

anne marie made macramé snowflakes for each of us from an instruction kit circa 1978. linda got everyone coffee cups printed with knit fabric patterns. barb handed out bags of her hand made hard candy. and i gave each person a jar of woolen rabbit hand cream.

we drank wine and laughed and relaxed—just what we all needed. i worked on my secret project both during and after the party and by the time late night TV knitting commenced that night, it was done, with all the ends woven in and everything

halfway through the party, i realized i hadn’t given a thought to buttons for it. sigh.
i steam-blocked it on christmas eve and wrapped it up with a note that we could pick out buttons together.

this a really quick and cozy cardigan for david, knit with briar rose sonoma, a lofty, light, bulky weight yarn. i had never knit with it before, but i gotta tell ya, i wish i had . . . the wonderful lightness of the yarn is perfect for oversized sweater projects—and all that air between the fibers will surely provide the coziest kind of warmth without weighing itself down. this sweater was knit top-down, in one piece. with about 24 ounces of yarn (approximately 1200 yards). it weighs nothing.

and still, i hope i have the good sense never to do a one-piece man sweater again . . . every time i finish one, i swear it is my last, but then, next time i realize i have just six days before christmas to knit a sweater, it seems like the best option and i do it again. yet, my shoulders hate me for it and some day, they will not recover.

i wasn’t all that sure about the colors, which are not nearly as red-and-green looking as they appear in the photo (i think they look that way especially because it’s christmas—in january it will be a different story completely)—the colorway is actually a beautiful blend of dark brown, rust, and pine green. i’ve had it for about a year and showed it to david a few times before starting to make sure they are colors he likes. everyone who saw it assured me it would look good on him. and now that it’s all knit up and the finishing done, i like it.

except the sweater just felt like it needed something more, but i’ll tell you about that later.

with the responsibility of that gift off my shoulders, i spent my remaining free time working on an extra gift for beckie that i thought up a couple of days before christmas (she was getting the purple mink beret i knit in november). i noticed last sunday that she was wearing the spiralucious neckwarmer i gave her last christmas and she told me she wears it all the time.

i knew i had some of that yarn left, and decided she needed the matching mitts. i only managed to get one done before christmas eve and had to confess my disorganization when she came over on thursday to cook with me—my gift for her this year was all over the place, heh.

i spent christmas afternoon finishing the second one and now there is a pair. they match last year’s gift, but not this year’s hat . . . maybe we are starting a tradition of carrying over matching accessories from one holiday to the next.

christmas eve was a lot of fun. i stayed in bed longer for that last hour of sleep i always miss and then headed to the kitchen to make coffee and get the sauce started for dinner.

after some email and photo prep for the blog, it was already time for beckie to come over to cook (that’s the thing about sleeping late—you don’t get much of a morning out of it). this year we turned our foods around—normally for christmas eve we cook a feast of seven fishes in the (mostly) traditional manner and then have a pasta/cheese dish for christmas day. but this year we made vegetarian lasagne for christmas eve and i cooked fish for christmas day.

we got out our pasta sheets, which survived beautifully wrapped up in the fridge. we diced fresh mozzarella, grated cheese, and mixed a ricotta filling. we also sauteed some fresh mushrooms and chopped swiss chard (from the garden) for an addition to the filling.

everything got layered in the pan with sauce and into the oven it went.
after that we made our composed antipasto (again, we made the one that my family would normally eat on christmas, minus the meats).

the meal was maybe a little heavy on cheeses, but we do this only once a year, right?

while the salad marinated and the sauced cooked a little more, we knit and had a couple of beers. the house was warm and cozy and we had good company.

after a bit, beckie went to get mark while david set the table

everything was perfect—so much so that i forgot to take any more pictures for the rest of the evening; i never got a photo of our masterpiece. but i can assure you it was delicious.

we finished the meal with beckie’s gingerbread, topped with lemon sauce and whipped cream, yum. i could only eat a small piece.

david and i cleaned up and watched a movie to end the evening.
christmas morning dawned an absolutely miserable gray and rainy affair, but i was feeling good.

i could not get the gift sweater off my mind and decided that what it really needed was a couple of pockets added. i checked the clock and saw i had at least five hours before david would be up and about—could i get two pockets knit and sewn on in that time?

the answer is “yes—but just barely”. i was stitching on the last pocket edge when i heard him emerge from the bedroom. by then i was hiding in my workroom and trying not to make a sound—david usually comes looking for me when he gets up to say good morning. i heard him go downstairs and run the coffee grinder, then the water, . . . good, good; every minute counts.

then i heard him walk from one room to another looking for me, then i heard the stairs creak as he came back to the second floor—my jig was about to be up. i ran out to the hall and said brightly, “i’m winding yarn, i’ll be down in a few minutes!”

i gave everything a quick press and wrapped it back up, then snuck the gift down the stairs while he was looking at email. i don’t think he noticed, but i told him about it later, anyway.

and it fits, phew. this will be a nice cozy warm sweater to wear around the house—i’ve noticed that he’s been wearing his heaviest one almost constantly, so another is a good idea. we’ll get some buttons for it in the next couple of days and then it will be all set. yay.
he also got a pair of ralph lauren braces (suspenders) that he wanted.

(ps: i did not forget about the white sweater with the giant cables that he really wants, he IS getting it, but i’ll need to spin some yarn for that—maybe for his birthday in october 2010).

i got some great gifts this year and one of them was NOT a weather station

i asked for the julia child cook book and all the rest were david’s own ideas. i love the DVDs—those old french chef cooking shows are hilarious. and the cashmere socks? OMG—just what i need, really; that was a great idea. they are thin enough to wear with shoes but still have the density you need in winter. the thumb drive is for taking on the road—i need a place to store some things when i travel and to share documents with other people. it’s the tiniest thing, so cute.

beckie gave me this handmade basket tote from imojean’s baskets (a local producer who doesn’t seem to have a website) that is a great shape for carrying about and a good size for bringing extra bobbins plus fiber for spinning classes.

chris sent me this beautiful piece by jennie the potter, whose leafy motifs are my favorite of her designs. this is a yarn pot with a lid (which i don’t see on her site), but i’m sure her assortment of available items changes constantly.

after all the presents were opened, i fixed our dinner of baccala (dried cod) simmered in the oven with tomatoes, olives, garlic, hot pepper, and oil

which we ate over a bed of homemade pasta with a glass of red wine—nice. it was a quiet, lovely day, just the two of us.

i knit for a while after dinner at a leisurely pace on a cité neckwarmer in cashmere laceweight that i started a couple of weeks ago (can it really be that far back?).

i had thought it would be gift for my mom, but then she talked about wanting the lavender one i worked on last february while visiting her (it had to be hoarfrost). and she did like it; she told me last night she’s been wearing it out to walk from place to place and “it’s really warm—better than a scarf!”
now that i know she likes it so much, i’ll probably make another one or two in that weight.

later that night, we watched a movie and i got back to my regularly-scheduled knitting. i need to finish up this gansey sock in dye dreams classy sox so the pattern can go out with the four seasons club kits in january.

it’s getting there. i love, love, love the color—it’s makes me feel cheerful every time i look at it. in fact, stay tuned—this week we are going to run a little contest concerning the color of this yarn; don’t miss it.

i’m most of the way through the heel now so i can put the finishing touches on the pattern and send it to proofing tomorrow.

i love these ribbed heels, but sometimes they end up a little long without the usual slip-stitch included. so i tried slipping just the single purl st in the rib to see if i like that and i think it’s successful—it gives that little extra density without disturbing the continuity of the rib very much at all.

this sock is designed to be a little longer in the leg to keep away those chills that plague my lower legs in winter. because of the length, i started at the top cuff with some extra stitches to shape the sock around the calves a bit. the decrease, combined with the drastic change in stitch pattern makes the sock look like a golf club cover, i think, heh.

this is part of my goal for the rest of today—get out all the projects that were stalled for christmas knitting, prioritize the ones needing the most urgent attention, and then get busy finishing them up. i also have to organize travel knitting for my january trips. there are quit a few sock projects (some of them secret) and several other disparate items laying around in various stages of doneness.

and i’m not even counting the lace shawl i promised myself i would start—i don’t want to put that off too long.

what is your after-holiday knitting like? what do you want to knit, now that you are free to make anything?

31 thoughts on “where do i start?

  1. I LOVE the color of the gansey sock yarn! Has it been released yet? I can’t seem to find it on their site. It’s would be just the thing to wear on a grey day…

  2. I love David’s sweater!!! It certainly looks wonderful on him 🙂 The food is making me hungry. I love all your projects and of course, your blog!
    Happy New Year!!!

  3. I’m planning to start my ivy vines cowl for one, also making a couple of kids vests for my girls. I’m thinking of a lace cardigan, kinda like the one you were wearing, hint, hint!

  4. So funny – I turned on the TV and an old episode of Julia was on TV – it made me nostalgic for my Great Grandmother who’s favorite past time aside from hooking rugs was making fun of Julia Child on TV. I think I’ve seen every episode twice. Anyway, I got a kick out of seeing all your Julia stuff while watching her on TV. (BTW it’s the episode where she travels to france to watch a guy make a foie gras in a pastry shell – her accent in both English and French is horrible!)

  5. How handsome can David look in his sweater?! It turned out beautifully; I love the color on him. And the pockets…you are a magician!

  6. Your blog posts are always wonderful. You have such an interesting life – it inspires me to do more things (like a craft night with my friends). Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

  7. AH, the Feast of Seven Fishes….KDKA 1020 AM had its 20th anniversary Christmas Eve morning show celebrating this tradition. Being half Swedish, I am fond of the fishes myself, though recipes are different.

    The gansey socks remind me of the crates of Clementines in the groceries this time of year!

  8. Happy Holidays! I may have missed a post, but did you mention publishing the pattern for David’s beautiful sweater!?
    Thanks so much for all you do.

  9. I wish I was done with my holiday knitting! I still have half a sock to finish and one entire sweater for my goddaughter – two weeks, and I’ll be done, THEN I can start something else for myself.

    Sounds like you had a lovely holiday, glad you enjoyed it!

  10. Such a gorgeous sweater you made for David! You really are a talent; he’s very lucky to have you. And yes, is there a pattern? It looks like something my husband would enjoy, too.

    I’m still finishing my last pair of Christmas socks, too, alas. Fortunately, I’m well into the second sock — and since I’m using your Spectator pattern, it’s going very quickly. When I can start knitting what I want to again? Wow, I have no idea where to start. Probably finishing up one of my far-too-many languishing FOs. I feel a bit guilty for dropping so many projects in favor of knitting gifts, so I need to clear out a few before I start anything else!

  11. The sweater you made for Dave is beautiful and the food looks so yummy. I think you had a wonderful holiday. Thanks for sharing.

  12. The colors in David’s sweater are so pretty and you are so right…David looks smashing in it! (of course, David looks smashing, period! [you lucky gal, you! LOL])

    Holiday knitting was done a week before Christmas! So I had time to knit a red scarf (for 2010’s project) and finished it Christmas Day. It’s waiting to be cleaned and blocked, but I’ll wait a few months for that. I have partially completed shawl for me and a Baby Surprise Jacket for a friend waiting in the wings. Don’t know which I will tackle first…really want to learn to cable and to make socks instead. Oh well, a little discipline won’t hurt!

  13. Love the gifts!!! David’s sweater looks great on him!
    I’m glad you accomplished all your secret knitting missions! : )

  14. You did it!! And it looks great on him. The color definitely looks different in the pictures. Can’t wait to see it on him.
    Started socks for Lincoln and a hat for Dorsey who asked for a “blue one.” And then–on to Jackie and a new shawl.

  15. Once again I marvel at your productivity/energy! Holiday knitting? Knitting felted clogs for my daughters – will felt one for each today. Blocking final red scarf to mail. Blocking finished EZ sweater also. AND I’m very excited to say Santa arranged my membership in the Four Seasons Club! That wonderful orange sock will be mine! Thanks once again for all the inspiration. Hope you see some sunshine today!

  16. David’s sweater is beautiful, and it looks great on him! Love the look of your holiday table – food and tableware are gorgeous.

    I’m still gift-knitting: a near-finished Stonewall baby blanket, with another to go for my friend’s twins; and a Hypoteneuse scarf for my BIL’s big birthday in February. Once these are done, I think I’ll cast on Birnam Wood in the gorgeous BMFA alpaca I bought at Rhinebeck, for me me me!

  17. Great projects! I’m still working on Christmas knitting for my second wave of family guests. All of the sudden I decided my brother and sister-in-law need mitts.

    I’m so glad you showed the baccala! It looks way better than I remember my grandpa’s looking. 🙂

  18. One day I swear I’m going to show up on your doorstep at dinner-time with a bottle of wine and a loaf of homemade bread! Gracious, but don’t you two eat well!

    It looks like you had a perfect holiday.

  19. Thanks for the excellent food photos. Very inspiring!
    My family forgot artichokes this past week – we love them, but never had any.
    Although I have some projects in mind for myself, I find myself already thinking about next year’s knitted gifts.
    We need a moratorium on bought gifts in my family, but there will be no limit on handmade!
    Happy New Year!
    Lisa in Toronto

  20. I’ve been doing after Christmas knitting for awhile now (in a rare fit of sanity, I started my Christmas knitting in September and finished before Thanksgiving) and am now prioritizing my projects for what I can get done before tax season gets underway and eats up my weekends. My sweetie got a fiddlehead mitten kit as part of his holiday gift, so I want to finish those up while it’s still cold, and I have a test knit shawl to get off the needles, and I need to finish up my dovecote before I start spending all my time in my chilly cubicle. Then there are the semi-mindless projects to line up for tax season… I recently discovered that my cold hands are a legacy from my mom’s family, so I want to knit my mom, her sister and my grandma mitts. My fellow’s birthday is in April, and I promised him a blanket last year for the occasion, and April will be here before I know it. (Tax season usually flies by).

  21. I am still working on Christmas gifts for this
    Christmas. Still frogging a lot, but still trying. Did manage one of those little sock key
    chains for someone and I have something for everyone that I wanted to gift, but they are not
    all knitted. We will do our Christmas late this
    year as everyone is sick with colds and flu and
    it’s snowy and cold outside. I love David’s
    sweater and I love what he purchased for you.
    You two really are good for each other. Your
    table looked gorgeous and very inviting. I hope
    you have a Happy New Years also. Trying to get
    a pair of socks done for the 5th of January. Hope
    I can. You are positively the best designer and
    knitter I have found on any website. Good luck
    with your future work and your cooking.

  22. Alas, I am not yet freed of the yoke of holiday knitting! I still have to finish my boyfriend’s Christmas socks–the first one is done, but the second needs the heel turned and the leg knit. And dude has enormous feet. Fortunately, he won’t be back in town until the 30th, so I still might finish in time . . . maybe.

  23. I also got Julia Child’s cookbooks and DVDs for Christmas! 🙂 I made Beef Borginion for Christmas Day dinner (which I know is not for you) and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try more.

    And I’m on a fingerless glove knitting binge. I discovered it can use up a lot of the small yardage skeins in my stash and they really are my favorite kind of glove. I’m going to have start giving them away soon, I just can’t stop!

  24. My last minute project was a pair of felted clogs. I’ve picked up a pair of socks from leftovers, a Ravelry SKA project for December. I’m also knitting a version of a Vogue Marci Tilton pattern. I’ve done it in fabric and charted out the knitting, based on my gauge. I’ll be talking about it on my blog in the near future.

    Last year, I knit socks for all the adult feet in the family except for my husband. (19 pairs) 2010 will see fewer socks and more sweaters from my personal to do list.

  25. Hmmm, I’m still working on the Ombre alpaca Blanket that was to be a Christmas gift but will now be a very early march birthday present…..I hope. Thank goodness it isn’t a surprise – I’d never get to work on it. And, I found out a friend at work and her husband are expecting their first baby – so the baby blanket must be started soon! Hopefully, in between all this, I can work on a hat and mitts using some yarn I got from Foxfibre.

  26. Oh my, I am salivating just looking at your anitpasto. Provolone, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olives, artichokes and peppers? Would you mind sharing the marinade? I would love to try to replicate this.

  27. Anne….I so love this post because there is SO much going on in it…….it’s exactly how my brain is always working and I know yours as well…………overdrive..haha!

    David’s sweater is fabulous and your Christmas dinner…wonderful. David picked out some incredible presents for you this year….yay!!

    Merry Christmas my friend!

  28. David’s sweater is wonderful!! And I do love that new sock; I may actually have to get that sock kit — can one buy just the one installment?

  29. Ooh, Julia Child’s cookbook 🙂 Ever since reading Julie & Julia, I’ve been wanting to make aspic (or at least WATCH someone make aspic, heh).

Comments are closed.