Zeneedle...needleart as life

Looking Back

Following Vicki's lead I'm looking back at 2009 with a review. In words, the first sentence from the first post of each month, and pictures, a favorite blog photo from each month (not necessarily related to the other).

January: So many intentions went out the window the last couple of days.

February: A good book, nearly finished pair of mittens, and a pot of tea on Friday afternoon.

March: Winter is still with us, but February was warmer than normal and quite enjoyable.

April: You can see the music video here (it's funny).

May: One can only make excuses for so long and at some point it is impossible to keep from facing the music.

June: The weekend was busy and full of living. Every minute was pleasant, every minute was wonderful...even the mundane weekend chores.

  July: Friday night we were rained out of our evening at the Utah Arts Festival. 

August: As away of avoiding any knitting that had to do with a sweater, I spent quite a bit of time with Emmylou (my spinning wheel).

 

September: Thank you for the emails, comments and messages. Your good thoughts and prayers for coming week are very much appreciated.

October: Thank you for all your good vibes, healthy wishes and support.

November: As soon as the final clue of the Socktober Mystery Sock was published I finished up the toes of my pair.

December: I've got sunshine - On a cloudy day.

Onward to 2010!! Happy New Year, friends.

Tradition

In the past it has been my tradition was to cast on for a big project New Years Day. This year I'm uncertain about starting anything new. With several projects still on the needles, and the desire to knit a few "small things" (after so many sweaters last year), it just doesn't seem right to start another project.

Beach Glass hasn't been touched in several weeks, and the deep blue Almeara Gloves would be the perfect compliment to Miss BB. I'd love to work on both, plus knit a cowl for the SnB swap coming up on the 12th.  Also, on my "to knit" list is Wurm, a nice warm hat, a pair of socks (with Sarah's beautiful yarn), baby socks and a couple of small shawls. (whew)

I'm a bit sick of knitting sweaters. Even so, the next sweater project has been selected and will wait its place in the queue.  The next shawl is also in waiting. However, too many projects on the needles can create problems. Together they overwhelm me, tax my all ready confused brain, and cause paralysis of project. This quandary leaves more questions than answers, but does highlight the need to finish a thing or two.

Decisions, decisions, what to do! Stick with tradition and start a new, big wonderful project for 2010, or no? Count me befuddled.

Light

This won't be the first blog you'll read that comments today is the shortest day of the year. The coldest days of winter are ahead, but from this day forward, minute by minute, the light will return.

Each holiday celebrated this time of year, whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice or The New Year, the common thread is light. One of the best things this time of year are the lights and candles everywhere.

Peaceful Feeling

Tuesday at 5:30am I took a peek through the blinds and saw the patio covered with white sparkling snow.  More snow fell from above sprinkling like glitter; crystalline, dry and shimmering...Utah's perfect snow. I almost stepped out to feel the new snow on my face, but didn't want to mess up the pristine whiteness. Morning is the best time of the day with its peaceful quietude. 

This yarn reminds me of brown the earth (or bare trees branches) set off by the bright blue sky; a winter landscape devoid of snow. It is from Fiber Optica (local dyer, Sarah) and the colorway is actually named Thailand. I can't decide whether it should be a pair of socks (it is 3 ply after all) or a shoulder shawl.  I'd love either, so help me decide.  Which way should I go?

Winter

The white feathers of a magpie flash across my view and join the magpie convention in a nearby tree. Winter has arrived and the days are short and cold. There has been little snow accumulation in the mountains or valleys. Utah is in dire need of snow. It's not that I love snow, but it is disconcerting there has been so little. No snow, no water in summer.

Tuesday night, as I drove home from SnB, the full moon sat above the mountains. It highlighted the beauty of their peaks, cast long shadows and lifted my spirit. The next morning, as I drove to an early appointment, the moon was still high in the sky. Its light so bright the sky looked like a sunset.

The landscape is my solace as knitting hasn't fully drawn me in and may even be causing a bit of malaise. I also feel a little blasé about blogging, but I know it will pass. The doctors explained early on that the post-surgery roller coaster could be a rough ride. It has certainly been up and down emotionally. Posting may be sporadic until my voice fully returns. I'm taking it easy, learning to go with my body's flow, and working on building strength. Please don't worry.

Happy Monday!

Thanksgiving was wonderful!  The perfect recipe was a long weekend, good food (Smith's lamb was exceptional!), delightful family visits, a movie (weak on plot, but full of great Rock and Roll!), and a ton of time to relax.  It was heavenly.

The yummy food didn't stop because the apple crisp was gone. On Saturday we bought a lemon tart (from Whole Foods) for Sunday dinner (leftovers).  With frozen blueberries (warmed in a pan, crushed as they heated, a good bit of sugar, a touch of lemon juice, dash of salt, and vanilla) a nice tasty sauce was made to pour over the top. Ir made a quick and fabulous treat.

Now, it's your turn to share your favorite T-day memory.

Thankfully It's Wednesday

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and family is coming to stay for a couple of days.  Thankfully they traveled to see us so there was no need for me to fly or drive hours and hours.  Traveling is not in my game plan for the near future.

Thankfully we'll have a bounty of good food on the table and while we're going non-traditional, it's going to be fun.  Smith is Q-ing a leg of lamb, while I make rice stuffed acorn squash.  A green salad will be a nice compliment and apple crisp follows for dessert.

A couple of years ago I posted this recipe and we still make it much the same way, however, instead of flour I use Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix.

Apple Brown Zen

5 cups apples sliced about 1/2" thick (a mixture of sweet and tart creates good all round flavor)  Add a dash of lemon to keep the apples from turning brown
Butter an 8x8 baking dish and fill it with apples

Mix together:

1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 stick butter (softened)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup sliced almonds (optional - for more crunch)
Cover apples with crisp mixture and bake in a 375 oven for 30 minutes. Serve with cream, or ice cream, if desired.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend!!

Thankful Tuesday

Today I can't help but be thankful for the beauty of winter, especially as I'm in my warm car, home or office. The trees iced with snow are breathtakingly beautiful against the hope of blue in the sky.

Without beautiful days like this winter would be unbearable.

Mz Norma sent out an announcement:

Have you been working on a Red Scarf for the OAF?  If you have it's time to finish it up and get it in the post ASAP. If haven't started a scarf, but want to join the chorus, you still have time to knit one.  Get your needles clacking!

Grateful Monday

I am grateful for the people who read this blog and for everyone who commented on Friday's post. You have all given sound advice, and support, which I appreciate. Thank you, each and every one of you, for not over indulging my pity party. It was a short lived party. Thursday night I was Monica's guest at a benefit concert for the Zambia Scholarship Fund and Emmylou Harris was the headliner! (I realize the picture sucks but I refused to use my flash.)

The stories and pictures of the children of Zambia put life in perspective. This organization does so much with so little. Fora donation of $20 a Zambian child can go to high school and for $100 they can go to college! Giving is a good way to show how grateful you are for the bounty of your life and 100% of the money goes to the Zambian Fund.

The concert was amazing, as you might expect. Emmylou's voice has stood the test of time and the members of her band were exceptional musicians, too. My body rebelled but, it was worth every single minute. Thank you, Monica for a wonderful evening.

The knitting intention for the weekend was to spend time with a bit of lace.  The weekend WAS spent with a lace shawl, but all the time was spent tinking or frogging.  Part of the lace was messed up (even though it's simple feather and fan). It seems I still can't knit very long without making mistakes.  It took all day Sunday to get back on track...ALL day.

Thankfully I am a persevering person. There are some who would call me stubborn, I know.  Watching myself work through the error, never giving in or ripping out the whole piece (because I did not  want to cast on 388 st again), brought the realization that this attribute (or character flaw) is why I'm actually doing as well as I am.  I'm just too stubborn to give in.

Thankfully

Thankfully we have a nice place to call home, a place that has been ours for 28 years. By some standards it's a palace and by others humble. There are times the condo feels cozy and other times it feels too spacious. When we first moved in we had the intention of buying a house in the future, but the condo life was so easy and gave us more freedom. Instead of mowing the lawn we'd head out for a day of hiking or sailing.  Because someone else takes care of the grounds we've never had to deal with snow in winter or piles of leaves in the fall.  A few years ago, to make life even easier, we filled in the patio area with black rocks and a Japanese Lantern. (Mostly because nothing grew well anyway.)

Thankfully, a few months after we were married we bought our first dog, a schnauzer. Number 3 & 4 live with us now and we can't imagine life without pets. Moxie is deaf and lazy, Max is a little crazy, but we love them and hope they are with us for a long time to come.

Thankfully my partner in life is Smith. Our 30th anniversary is in January and we're both a little stunned by the number. We have been through so much together and shared many ups and downs. He was a prince during my crisis and convalescence and I can't imagine living without him. Thankfully I'm lucky in love.