Free Pattern: Tiny Tops!

This is a 3 page PDF that describes two construction methods for making miniature sweaters. They are intended to be Christmas tree or Hannukkah Bush ornaments, but can be easily converted to lapel pins, finger puppets, etc. The purple one didn't photograph well, but it says "2009." It's posted it on Ravelry now. If you aren't on the Rav, drop me an email and I'll mail it to you. But if you want this pattern, you should be. Just sayin.'

Let it snow!

Yay! The holidays! I don't even care that my morning walkies now mean frozen thighs or that Wensleydale *hates* starting when it's chilly. I'm having a lot of fun knitting like crazy and of course I can't show off anything until after it's all opened. So here are some pretty pics of snowflakes to tide you over.

Also - I have been run over by a freight train of creativity and now have FOUR new kilt hose patterns and an intricate lace shawl needing to make it from my head to my computer. I'll be needing some test knitters for sure! I am just far too tragically slow to make these all happen in less than, say, 2 years with my current schedule, and there are so many other things I want to make, too! Why isn't that cloning technology here yet? Haven't they been promising that for decades now?

Amazing news - the drive recovery people say they saved 99% of my stuff! I'm waiting anxiously for it to arrive to see for sure if my about-to-be-submitted pattern survived. *fingers crossed*

Holiday Roundup

For Thanksgiving we went to Maine. Nancy (Matt's sis) & Andre throw legendary celebrations and this one was no exception. I forgot my camera, so here are some terrible phone pics. There's Matt & Nancy, and her three gorgeous kids, Hunter, Juliana, & Ben all wearing holiday cracker crowns.

For Christmas we were hoping to see his kids in Oregon, but the crazy airline prices put the kibosh on *that* fantasy. He's going out this month to get some quality time instead. We didn't even make it to NYC, thanks to Mr. Peach's little excursion to the vet. An acute infection sent him into respiratory failure. He needed two days in oxygen. it was insanely expensive but I guess that's why God invented credit cards. It's so good to have him back home and doing fine now. It would have broken my heart to lose him.

Our prezzies were all hand-made this year. I spun and knit up hats, scarves, and mittens. The one project I failed to finish was Matt's kilt hose. I'm still working on them, but when you see the pics you'll understand (think tiny yarn, complicated cables, and giant legs). The red scarf there is 100% mohair spun from locks. It seriously feels like heaven... in fact I heard that it was instantly subjected to egregious sexual advances by a cat immediately after being opened. In Nae's case, a fellow knitter, I stopped at the spinning phase and made her 2 skeins of lace yarn.

Matt outdid himself with the silverwork, turning out a stunning yarn ring for me, and molecule necklaces for all the women in his life. He crafted dopamines & seratonins, the neurotransmitters of happiness, and a one-off melatonin for sister Mary the sleep doctor. Pics of all these are coming... we're going to set up an online shop soon.

Time for the reveal...

So! Here's a sampling of my Xmas knitting. I didn't get a pic of Maddie's purple mittens, but maybe she'll send me one (hint, hint). Girlie wanted a collection of hemp face scrubbies, which is on display at Ravelry. The blue chenille pointy tassled hat is now Gillie's. The rat scarf is for SIL Mary. She used to work with lab rats and was their rodent lifestyle defender. No pattern, so they're each a little different, and the eyes are knit right in. My Xmas Secret Pal was in Hawaii, so I wanted to bring her some traditional "snow-on-holly" in a form that she could wear in her tropical paradise. It's a short scarf that she can drape around her neck or use to tie her hair back. Nancy, I'm sorry to say, is still waiting for her prezzie. There were some unforeseen troubles with final construction. It's coming, really! There was a bunch of other stuff, too, but these are the bits I think you will find most interesting.

I heart Macs! And Xmas Pics

I took my laptop in the Apple store to deal with the failing USB ports. They sent it out and back in 2 days, and replaced the logic board. $1100 repair... free under warranty. Plus they upgraded my CPU. :) They even replaced my power cord since it had melted. It's true... once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Without further ado, here are the belated holiday pics. Matt, Debbie, Girlie & son. NYC: A fabulous Mac counter salesboy. Windows near Penn Station. Blackberry & Peachy enjoying a nap by the radiator.

A Top Ten List for Cooking Christmas Dinner at the Rose Family Estate

By Girlie, who served as Master Chef Extraordinaire:

10. Unless you are MacGyver, perform an inventory before agreeing to cook a meal in an unfamiliar kitchen. A full soda bottle makes an excellent rolling pin, thanks for asking.

9. When the chicken boullion goes missing blame the most distant traveler. And then demand to search their suitcases.

8. Never assume that your cooking partner has enough common sense not grab something hot with his bare hands. Speak up or be ready with the burn cream.

7. If the above mentioned event comes to pass, don't be too harsh on your cooking partner. He'll be there for you when you end up burning yourself three times to his one.

6. When the non-cooks offer to help clean up, let them. We're commemorating the birth of the messiah, not the death of a martyr.

5. Despite long discussions about its pros and cons, canned or fresh, smooth or textured....you'll forget the cranberry sauce anyway.

4. The easiest way to boggle the minds of non-cook friends is to prove to them that real cinnamon buns do not come from a cylindrical container that pops when opened. Real gravy doesn't come from a jar, either.

3. When choosing a wine to drink while cooking, it's perfectly acceptable to choose one with bunnies on the label that with a coupon only cost you $6.99. Yes, it is. YES. IT. IS.

2. Never assume that your cooking partner won't pick the exact moment the turkey is done to have a bath, leaving you with the frenetic task of pulling the loose ends together. Just deal with it and blame him for the missing cranberry sauce, instead.

1. When mealtime is at last upon you, sit back and watch everyone else enjoy. Smile and nod at the praise, blush if you have to. (Then excuse yourself to hide the boullion in the distant travelers suitcase. No one needs to know you stuffed it in the junk drawer by mistake.)

The Jewess with a fake fir tree in the living room

It occurs to me that my blog is looking a bit odd for someone who considers herself one of the Chosen People. I'm ethnically Jewish, though, not religiously. To me it's a "Roots" thing - memories of Seder dinner at Aunt Joan's, etc. Somewhere along the way I've become thoroughly assimilated into the secular aspects of the holiday season. I sing along to carols on the radio and stick red bows on the cars and generally wander around grinning. Seeing the windows in NYC last night was amazing. Macy's on 34th St still has their old wooden escalators! The big halls had kind of a Harrod's* feel to them... am I the only person in the country who loves the crazy crush of shoppers at Christmas?

Anyway, it's an interesting phenomenon. I got all excited when seeing a mobile Menorah on the highway, but I don't have one in the house. Don't worry, I'm not going to launch into a psychosocial essay on minorities and culture - it's not that kind of blog - but I will make an effort next year to resurrect (sorry, couldn't resist) some Hebrew traditions.

Pics to follow when I resolve some USB issues.

Happy Holidays!

* Matt and I honeymooned in Edinburgh & London in my pre-blogging days. It was the best two weeks of my life. Ask me about it sometime if you have far too much time on your hands.

Christmas is a-coming!

The knitting is done (except for the stuff I gave up on), village and tree are up. My neighbor Carol brought over a red-wrapped tray of yummies. Tonight - Debbie flies in. Tomorrow - NYC! We're going to take in the windows and general urban festivities. It's my first visit (aside from Spin-Out) since I was a kid. I can't wait! Check out the awesome Playmobil Advent calendar Matt got me. It's got toys in it!

Blackberry just decided she can't wait any longer and opened one of my prezzies. I made her promise not to tell me what it is, and Girlie taped it back up.

My "Beautiful?" Landy

I love my little truck, but the words that spring to mind are cute, adorable, tough, unique...

Imagine my surprise when a guy chased me down in a parking lot yesterday to rave over and over about how "beautiful" Shaun is. Hmm. Battered, multicolored, spouting clouds of white smoke, he's more Alfalfa than Sophia Loren. But hey, who am I to argue?

Sorry about not posting recently, but aside from all the Xmas knitting there's not much going on. And you either can't or don't want to hear about that.

Patience, grasshopper!

Woo Hoo! Xmas!

I don't know why I'm so excited this year. Maybe because I expect to actually see some snow this year in PA, or because I'll have the right vehicle to go play in it. Maybe it's the little village Matt & I bought at a January clearance sale and get to use for the first time. Maybe it's the promise of having Debbie and Girlie and son here... I'll be missing Maddie & Gillie and our parents and Matt's sibs, but it's still shaping up to be a heck of a little party. Knitting furiously along on my presents... and I bought Snow Dwarf boots today. Shaun is here next week... bring on the white stuff!