brave new year

This is the slowest I've ever ambled into a new year. I've been shuffling around, filling my house with hacking coughs and crumpled tissues. I believe this is Day 11 of the stupid cold that won't go away. But I'm ready to shake it (hear that, stupid cold?) and embrace 2014 and all the possibilities the new year holds.

Last July I started a colorwork hat, but I quickly put it aside because the colorwork felt too taxing for me. I just couldn't get my hands and mind to work together (I think having a baby around may have contributed to this). But after my Christmas knitting was finished, I picked this hat back up again, and you know what? I could do it! It's not perfect by any means, but it's a start. It felt amazing to learn a new skill, and more importantly, to stop being intimidated. I'll admit that Kevin's "I'm not afraid anymore" monologue from Home Alone ran through my head. Learning to do stranded knitting is a small victory, but it opens up a whole world of patterns that were off limits to me before.

All of this is to say that I want stop being such a chicken in 2014. I'm never going to learn new skills unless I try, and trying means I'll probably be bad for a while. I am truly a terrible beginner. I want to know how to do things right away. All the fumbling will be worth it, though, to get that Kevin McCallister feeling again.

I usually choose a word for the year, and this year I'm choosing brave.

Crafting-wise, that means I want to continue experimenting with colorwork, learn to use a drop spindle, and finally figure out how to make a dang zip pouch.

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Did you choose a word or resolution this year? 

Are you planning to learn any new skills? I'd love to hear about them!

new year's wishes

This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.

-Howard W. Hunter

A good friend sent my husband and me a Christmas card that included this quotation. We're not normally inspirational-quote people, but this one hit home for us. We've been trying for a long time, and even more so since the birth of our son, to mend a relationship in our family. We tried again this Christmas. 'Tis the season and all. But we failed spectacularly. So we ended last year on a sad note, though we hope that the new year will bring good things, or, at the very least, enough time and space to heal. 

I am wishing for more caring in the new year. I am wishing to move on from this a stronger person and a stronger family. I am wishing for peace and happiness for my family, for your family, and yes, even for the person who refuses to reconcile. 

May you have better luck than us in your relationships, and if there's one you've been hesitating to mend, can I just say that the new year is a great time for a fresh start? Forgive and forget and begin again.

Sending my love out to all of you,

Allison

merry, happy, joyful

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Wishing you lots of time with family and friends, good food, strong drinks, and plenty of naps. ;)

cozy love

Here's the knitted and cross stitched project I mentioned in the last post: a hot water bottle cozy! This pattern has become a go-to gift for me to make; I made a couple cabled ones last year, and I know that I'll return to the pattern again, making modifications to keep things interesting.

This year I wanted a project that I could knit on for long stretches without even glancing at a pattern. Give me those relaxing swaths of stockinette! So I knitted the pattern without the cable and then cross stitched a simple heart at the end. I really love how the plump red wool pops against the cream yarn. The result is a decidedly homemade-looking hot water bottle cozy, but I love that too. You can tell someone took time to create each stitch.

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We are finished with shopping, making, wrapping, decorating, and baking. Thank goodness! Now I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with family and eating all those holiday foods that I wait for all year. Happy holidays to you! 

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See more notes on my cross stitched hot water bottle cozy here.

home and hearth

 

Indeed, things are beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. We've had cold, snowy days and cozy nights by the fire. We were happy to have crisp white snow stick around for a bit last week. Snow usually melts away quickly here, except for the dirty gray piles that hang around parking lots for ages. 

The tree is up, most presents have been bought, and I have been knitting on one last gift at bedtime. I've almost finished the knitting part, and then I'm thinking of cross stitching a design on it. I've never tried that before, so I'm excited to see how it works out.

Can you see what a difference a month makes in my little guy? The top photo was taken last month, and the bottom photo is from this month. He's eight and a half months old already! He loves looking at (and touching) the lights on the Christmas tree and climbing on top of the wrapped presents. 

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I hope you all are staying snug and happy these days. Good luck to all of you still working on handmade gifts. We're down to the wire!

stocking stuffer

Thank you all so much for the comments you left on my last post. I love sharing sweet moments with you because those are the moments I want to savor, and it's much harder to relive or try to put words to the difficult moments. Thank you for being so kind. I'm lucky to have you all around!

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And now, I really think we need to talk about this Christmas thing that's rushing full force at me. We haven't decorated yet, not even a measly paper snowflake, and we certainly haven't bought gifts yet. But all that will get done, this weekend I think, and then we'll still have a week and a half to laze about eating Christmas cookies. Ah, that's a nice thought, right? I'm going to try to keep calm during the Christmas frenzy festivities this year.

I don't have many handmade gifts to give this year because a certain baby doesn't leave much time for crafting. One of the few gifts is this bunny for my little guy. The pattern is called Nana's Bunnies and it's from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies, a book I found at the library that has lots of patterns I like (especially the pixie hat and car coat). Anyway, this sweet bunny was featured on the book cover and was the reason I picked it up in the first place. I knitted mine from scraps of cotton yarn and stitched a jingle bell inside to add to the fun. It's a quick knit if you still need a stocking stuffer for a little person in your life.

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Are you giving handmade/homemade gifts this year? I'd love to hear what you're giving!

something's gained

"Well something's lost, but something's gained in living every day."

from "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell

It's been rough going lately. I usually write about just the sweet moments here and keep the salty, sour, and bitter things to myself, but I'd feel like such a fraud if I didn't acknowledge that there have been some days lately that have knocked me for a loop. Most of it is normal motherhood stuff, feeling overwhelmed and tired, which probably can be chalked up to Jude waking up lots during the night lately. It's hard to think straight with so little sleep. But I've also been worried (so worried!) about a loved one and feeling at a loss as to how I can help. 

I can help myself though, so that's what I'm trying to do. I am working to be gentler, more forgiving, and more patient with myself. I've been drinking tea, taking walks, soaking in hot baths, and most certainly knitting, slowly but steadily knitting. 

I finished a cabled hat with a fold-over brim for K just in time for the first snow of the year. Finally, the man has a hat that keeps his ears warm. And I think he looks pretty handsome in it too. Hehe.  

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I hope you are finding ways to treat yourself kindly.

And thank you for reading. I appreciate it! I will be back with sweet moments soon.

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