Resilience

Time has a way of becoming meaningless during a pandemic.  Add a holiday week into the mix and the days simply melt into each other.  My daughter was convinced today was Saturday.  I was pretty sure it wasn't, but I had to think long and hard to figure out our true place on the calendar.

As knitters, we've been coping with this pandemic one stitch at a time.  There's a distant light on the horizon, but we still have a long way to go.  The calendar will be changing, but the pandemic rages on.  Don't give up . . . keep knitting, keep stitching, keep making.  Resilience will carry the day.

This week's color inspiration . . .

Brighter days ahead.

Finding the Rhythm

I hope everyone had a good holiday and has recovered from the festivities.  It's challenging to be productive on the Monday after a super long weekend.  I thought I would ease into the day, so I started with some knitting.  After an hour or so, I discovered my stitch count was off and had to rip out everything I had just knit.

It's all been reknit now, and as long as I keep counting my stitches, I'll be OK.

It can take a while to find the rhythm of a new project, but I think I have the hang of it.  This is the beginning of my Christmas In The City Wrap.

Here's the full color lineup.

I needed a new shawl project.  Early in the pandemic, I made Namibia by the same designer and really enjoyed it.  I think this design will be equally entertaining.  Anything new on your needles post-holiday?

A Time to Make Do

It's crunch time.  This year the scope of our holiday preparations is different, but that doesn't mean there isn't last-minute scurrying.  A week ago I thought I had it all under control.  This week, not so much.

I had a cookie baking marathon over the weekend and crossed that off my list only to get a request for one more kind of cookie.  Now baking cookies is back on the list.  I positioned the vacuum cleaner in such a way to encourage others in the household to take it for a spin.  That strategy hasn't been successful.  I'll either have to give a direct order or do it myself.

This year the holiday menu is long, but the guest list is short.  There will be plenty of food to deliver and share.  

I know many others are facing similar pandemic restrictions.  I'm reminded of the matter-of-fact way my grandmother would talk about shortages during the war.  She would make do with what she had and carry on.  So it is today.  We have to make do with the current restrictions and carry on.

After all the hustle and bustle, there will be plenty of time for knitting.  Every year I look forward to some relaxing downtime.  Maybe even a little peace and quiet.

There are a couple projects that are almost finished and some new ones waiting in the wings.  I've just joined my Blurry Cowl and am ready for the stripes.  I know many knitters cast on something new during the holidays.  What's on your list?

If you're celebrating this week, take a moment to pause and reflect.  In the midst of all this crazy chaos, there's still so much to be grateful for.  Enjoy the holiday!

Since it's a short blogging week, here is this week's color inspiration.

A wall of holiday cheer.

Winter Solstice Giveaway

Happy Winter Solstice!

I've been toying with the idea of a holiday giveaway, and today seemed like a good day to get things rolling.

I'm giving away one of the winter club installments.  The winner can select either the fingering or DK weight option.

To enter, hop over to the Instagram post and leave a comment with your current favorite project.  The comments will be open through December 24.  Looking for pattern ideas?  Be sure to browse the comments.  There are a lot of good suggestions.

Take Two

It's been quite a week.  A topsy-turvy week.  My schedule is in a bit of a free fall, and every day I rearrange priorities and shift deadlines.

The holiday baking isn't finished.  To be honest, it isn't even started unless you count buying all the ingredients.  I've delegated some of the baking to a couple of my kids, and I'm hopeful that piles of cookies will appear.  I want to pop a few cards in the mail, there's decorating that needs attention and I should take the vacuum cleaner for a whirl around the living room.  So it goes.  It seems that holidays in a pandemic are just as chaotic as in normal times.

As for knitting, the other day I decided a do-over was in store for my Blurry Cowl.  I was pondering it while waiting for the furnace to be fixed.  I was so cold my options for productive activity were limited.  I wasn't that far along with the project, so it was easy to justify starting over.

I swapped the placement of the two colors, and I must say I like this better.  It's easier to see the texture in this section.  Weekend plans include plenty of knitting (after baking, cards, decorating and cleaning), and this project will probably see plenty of action.

I'm a big fan of winter.  We had a decent snowstorm the other day, and now the world is covered in white.  This week's color inspiration . . .

Peace and quiet in the Back Bay.

Waiting for Heat

I started out with the best of intentions for a productive day but was quickly derailed when I went downstairs and noticed a chill in the air.  The temperature was just above 50 degrees.  I made a couple phone calls and a cup of coffee.  While I waited, I quickly constructed an alternate plan for the day.

Before long, the furnace guy was here assessing the situation . . . up and down, back and forth between the cellar and the thermostat.  He determined he needed a new part and off he went.  While this was unfolding, I scratched baking off the list for today.  It's too hard to bake cookies with a parade of extra people marching through the kitchen.

I found myself hanging out in the dining room so I could monitor the commotion without being in the way.  Since baking was out of the question, I turned my attention to knitting.

That led me to this sock.  This is one of last year's sock club installments.  The first sock is finished, and I've been meaning to make the second one.  Now that winter is upon us, a new pair of socks would come in handy.  

At the end of the day, I don't have fresh cookies, but I do have a second sock in progress.  And more important, the heat is back on.

Sweater Hiatus

I've been focused on sweater knitting, but I had to take a brief hiatus.  It's not by choice.  One sweater is almost done.  I can see the finish line, but my stitch count is off and I had to give it a little rest.  Ripping out mohair isn't a pretty sight, and I can only take it in small doses.  On the other end of sweater production, I'm ready to start a new one but there's some waiting involved.  I dyed the yarn over the weekend, and it's still drying.

It's a good thing I had started this project, because now it can fill the gap.  This is Blurry Cowl.  It takes two colors, and today I'm thinking of swapping the colors.  That means I'd have to rip this out, but I'm OK with that.  Either way it's an entertaining project.

Hot Water and Socks

My family is in the midst of birthday season.  Our birthdays are clustered together, and the fun starts in December.  This year we won't be celebrating in the usual way, but we're still trying to mark the occasions within pandemic restrictions.  Babies are born, birthdays are celebrated, weddings take place . . . all in the midst of a pandemic.  

My daughter Estrella has the first December birthday, and at the beginning of the week, we had a celebration plan in place.  By this afternoon, we had to revisit those plans.  Making plans and then revising plans is part of life in a pandemic.  We'll repeat the whole process in a week or so with another birthday celebration.

After everything was settled, I made a grocery store run for birthday party essentials.  I came home to discover we don't have hot water.  That doesn't bode well, but I shrugged it off.  It's 2020 after all.  This year has been an exercise in rolling with the punches.

Now for some knitting content.  Signups are open for Yarn Knot Socks, our sock club.

Each installment includes a skein of sock yarn plus a coordinating mini.  The club has three installments, and the first one ships next month.  Sign up for one, two or all three.  Details on the website.

With that, I'm off.  I've avoided the hot water situation long enough, and I'd better investigate.  Cheers to the weekend!

This week's color inspiration . . .

A collection of neutrals.

Hat Season

It's that time of year when I'm always wearing a hat . . . walking the dog, running to the post office.  My office can be cool and drafty so some days I even wear one while I'm working at my desk.

My pandemic coping strategy includes looking for cheer, and I decided a couple new hats would lift my spirits.  Last month I made the Star Top Beanie, and I love it.  A soft, cozy mohair hat cheers me up, so earlier in the week I cast on another one.

This time I'm using Dark Chocolate.  It's the perfect project for meetings or those times when I just need to knit a few simple rounds.  Fuzzy Hat Kits are available on the website and include a coordinated pom pom.  Treat yourself or make one for a gift.  It's hat season.

Toetoe

This sweater has been off the needles for a while . . . patiently waiting for buttons.

Toetoe.

I love everything about this sweater.  It was an engaging knit with just enough action to keep me entertained.  

There are twisted stitches and a simple cable pattern running down the front.  I used a tubular bind off on all the edges.  The sweater would have been ready for action a while ago, but I took my time with the button decision.  I had a lot of fun considering different options.

The yarn is Marybelle DK in Sunflower.  This non-superwash base knits up beautifully and blocks like a dream.  It's a hearty wool that's not too scratchy.  I'm smitten and getting ready to cast on another sweater with this base.

In normal times, this sweater would have been a sample.  Since shows aren't happening any time soon, it's all mine and I'm thrilled that it's a good fit.  I still might use it for a sample some day, but for now I'm going to enjoy wearing it.

A Rescue Operation

Yesterday we rearranged the kitchen and scrubbed almost everything from top to bottom.  It was a long day of cleaning and organizing.  Today I still had that cleaning mojo, so I unleashed it on several languishing knitting projects.

I liberated a few pairs of knitting needles and extricated severals balls of yarn for projects to be determined at a later date.  These were the last projects still held captive by my own indecision, and I've declared the whole rescue operation a complete success.  As a bonus, I now have empty bags ready and waiting for new projects.

This week's color inspiration . . .

Festive.

Measuring Time

The pandemic time warp is back in full force.  Some days I wake up and think long and hard to figure out what day of the week it is.

I'm measuring pandemic time by the repetition of certain household chores.  I went on an uncharacteristic cleaning spree in the spring.  Now the pandemic has gone on so long it's time to repeat some of those keep-yourself-busy tasks.

I see nooks and crannies where dust has settled and cobwebs have formed.  That means I need to make another round with the swiffer.  I've tidied a couple closets for the second time.  I've cleaned under the couch again.  Yesterday I was assessing the dirt and dust situation behind the fridge.

We usually decorate the house just in time for the winter solstice.  This year my household is desperate for cheer, and the kids are plotting the logistics of a tree, lights and general merriment.  The halls will probably be decked by the end of the week.  

Decorating late in December was always my mother's ritual - and mine too.  She's probably shaking her head and watching in amazement while her grandchildren mess with the tradition.  I threw up my hands several months ago.  The year 2020 was not destined for traditions or rituals or family gatherings that we've come to love and cherish.  All we can do is make the best of the situation and carry on.  Look for cheer wherever you can find it.

While all of this has been running in the background, I've been quietly knitting.  It has a certain calming effect.

The body of my Calliope is finished, and I've moved on to the sleeves.  Forward progress always brings me cheer.