Wednesday, December 31, 2008

On the 6th Day of Christmas . . .

1. I finished the purple stole for my sister-in-law. Just need to get it packed and shipped.

2. Managed to do on time all the charitable giving I'd planned for 2008.

3. Finished winding the yarn for my Men Who Knit Scarf Exchange Scarf. I've decided on the pattern. Just need to knit a swatch to get the gauge, then it's off to the races (it's due 1/20!).

4. Finished reading "Amarcord" by Marcella Hazan. The Queen of Italian Cooking (she did for Italian cooking what Julia Child did for French cooking) has written a fascinating memoir. Highly recommended if you're into food, into Italian food (or Italians!), or into memoirs.

5. Printed up a first batch of Epiphany cards. Need to get started on addressing and mailing them!

6. Remembered to update this blog!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Friday, December 26, 2008

The 2nd Day of Christmas

Only managed to finish 5 hats (crochet) for the Knit 1 Save 1 project for Save the Children. I have not yet heard how many our group at FPC did.

Am almost done with the purple shawl for my sister-in-law. Just have to do the stripes to finish it off, then weave in ends. I thought I might get to visit her and my brother over Christmas, but now it doesn't look likely. Will have to ship it to her.

One of the churches I work for has an auction every other year to help fund the youth group's pilgrimage. I don't remember where they're going , but I have agreed to donate something. I have a mohair shawl on my needles that is not already spoken for, so that will be it.

My bookkeeping work will keep me very busy over the next five weeks. So, after the shawls are done, I will concentrate on my Scarf Exchange project (due 1/20). I finally found the yarn I want and have settled on a pattern. Just have to wind the hank before I get started.

This year I decided to put together my own card for Epiphany. The lay-out is done. I just have to get some cardstock and print them. I found an 15th-century German painting of the Adoration of the Magi and will use that, along with some verses from the carol "What Child Is This."

I'll need to work some today, but nothing too stressful as far as I can tell. Got up early so I could finish reading one of my Christmas presents ("All I Could Bare" by Craig Seymour). It was fascinating. I also got some interesting DVD's which I will have to watch on my laptop or wait till I get a new TV (mine is dying fast). One of my projects today is to do some more shopping for a new TV.

Spent a nice day yesterday. For the first time in a long time (decades, I think), I didn't have to play anywhere on Christmas morning. So I slept in for a change. Had a nice lunch with friends at 1 p.m. After lunch, I worked on a crocheted prayer shawl while the others played Liverpool Rummy. Then at 4:30, a friend and I went to the Christmas party of the owner of our favorite restaurant. We did a Chinese gift exchange. I took an egg cuber and came home with a large-print calculator.

I have to work a lot tomorrow, but I'm not playing on Sunday, so that will be another day to sleep in!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Project News; What I'm Reading

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my sister-in-law's purple shawl. I have one more skein of purple to crochet, then add the border at the end. I don't think I'll add any fringe as it will detract from the border (gray and purple stripes).

I'm crocheting a prayer shawl in claret (in lengthwise ridges). I like the color and bought all the yarn they had at the time, so I'll be able to make several of these.

I've crocheted 5 hats for the Knit 1 Save 1 project for Save the Children. The group at First Presbyterian, Durham, did over 100 last year. I think I did six, so will try for 12 by the December 21 deadline. Without interruptions, I can do one in about an hour.

I'm reading H.V. Morton's "In the Steps of the Master" about his trip to the Holy Land in 1934. I'm sure some of it is not dated, but it is fascinating to read his descriptions. I will have to read it a second time and take notes. One fascinating passage describes the probable location of Jesus' 40 days in the dessert. It is a bleak and desolate place, which makes the Devil's taunts even more tempting. There ought to be some retreat meditation material there.

I got a copy of "Son of Stitch 'n' Bitch." It was interesting, but not many projects that I would make. In "Stitch 'n' Bitch" I found only one pattern that I liked (a baby blanket in a four-square basketweave). I made one for the church bazaar and have a commission to make a second one by sometime in May.

I'm in the midst of planning a scarf for the Men Who Knit Scarf Exchange 2. I got some Skacel Merino Lace in Teal and want some gray to go with it, but I'm having a hard time finding it. I may have to re-group and think of something else. I'm contemplating some sort of herringbone pattern.