Goodness, it's been a long time since the last update here. Not that there's
anything much of note to report, as life seems to be chugging along reasonably smoothly just now.
The comparative tranquility chez AuntyNin may be attributed to the household's minimalist approach
to the holidays. None of the current knitting projects have imminent deadlines - the closest "due date" for any of them
is March of next year. Decorating? Not done, probably won't get done, as I mostly tend to ignore the alleged "festivities"
of the season. Cooking, baking, shopping, parties, frantic running hither-and-yon? Nope, none of that happens
here.
My recipe for the holidays hasn't varied much over the past several years; it's simple, relaxing, and
suits me perfectly. This most excellent recipe follows:
Sleep.
Eat.
Read.
Knit.
Repeat as needed.
Since my employers have decided to shut down entirely the week between Christmas and New Year's, there
will be twelve days available for following this recipe, and I plan to make the most of them. Yes, there will be brief
excursions for necessities (if I don't go to the grocery store, I don't eat, y'know?), and one for some pampering at the salon,
but otherwise it's going to be a resful knitty vacation.
The case of Startitis that has been trying to take hold did indeed cause me to cast on one
new project, but most of the recent knitting has been plugging away at existing items. The mohair "Ice Queen" cowl is
nearing completion, in spite of the yarn's constant attempts to tangle and confuse and make me crazy. It's going to
be a nice warm addition to my winter survival gear.
Shawls and socks and sweaters are progressing, little bit by little bit. The wrap cardigan is
at the point where it needs pieces sewn together before the ties can be completed, but that chore is being held in abeyance
until I have large swathes of time to devote to it. Still, I would like to be able to wear it this winter, and with
luck I will.
Let's all try to remember that this ought to be a season of good will to all, and be kind to each other,
okay?
Aaah, the joys of having friends who are fabulous cooks. Thanksgiving was
everything I had hoped it would be - relaxed, happy, tasty, filled with good friends and good times. My friends' fur-faced
critters all greeted me with joy (including the one cat who's usually antisocial). We spent a lot of time lounging around
and bringing each other up to date on just about everything. When I got home, I found an enormous selection of leftovers
in my tote, enough for two more meals. Yum!
The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful, except for the completion of the "stealth" project that
has been absorbing much of my knitting time for the past month or so. Now that it's off the needles, I'm free to start
new projects, right? There's just the minor difficulty of deciding which of many to tackle next.
What's that you say? Other projects-in-progress? Well, yes, there are several on needles,
what of it? Finish some of them? Well... I suppose I could...
- finish the edging and ties for the Silky Tweed wrap sweater so I could actually wear it this
winter ...
- resume work on the Faroese that The Demon Enabler convinced me that I "needed" to
knit ...
- continue the prototype of the Granny Weatherwax shawl ...
- finish the Faux Spanish stole ...
- resume fighting with the cone of mohair that's becoming Knitty's "Ice Queen" ...
- continue the test knit of Mmario's "Talia" pattern (which has reached the seriously tedious stage, with
1120 stitches per row) ...
- turn the heel on the Sassy Stripes sock-in-progress ...
- try to figure out where I was on that much-neglected baby blanket in the corner ...
Or ... start something new and exciting from the "I Wanna Knit That!"
list. Decisions, decisions. Not that there's any real doubt about something new hitting the needles,
right?
Fortunately, my employers have just announced that pretty much the entire joint will
be closed from December 24 through January 4, so I'll have more than ample time to make progress on all of those projects
over the holidays. The hard part will be dragging myself out of bed to return to w*rk on January 5th, after having
had twelve consecutive days of being able to sleep late. Still, it's nice to have an income for continued yarn
purchases.
Hope everyone had a great weekend.
