it's been a while!

The days are so short now.  When the sky is clear, the sun sets at the southwest corner of our house.  Afternoon sunbeams shine through the bare limbs of the maples and our kitchen windows, hitting the counter at just the right angle to show all the crumbs we've forgotten to wipe away.  When the clouds lower and cars pass wetly by our house, I want to cuddle under a blanket on the couch and abandon all chores.  The light stays the same all day and we forget whether it's breakfast time or bedtime.  Winter is here.

Our parish's basketball teams all lost their last games before the semi-finals.  That especially stings after an undefeated season for the Varsity Boys.  The gauge of a sweater-in-progress has been acting up, so it's in the naughty seat until I want to knit that troublesome section a third time.  I misremembered the pattern for my granny stripe afghan, realizing my mistake after eleven stripes.  Why is it the things that don't go right stand out more than the things that do?  

But there are so many good things, small and great, to celebrate this month!  

*beautiful paperwhite blooms 

I made an impulse purchase of narcissus "inbal" bulbs, chosen because they are supposed to have a light fragrance, from this online shop.  The heady, permeating smell of paperwhite this time of year is my very favorite, but too much scent gives me a pounding headache (and my family complains).  So far, the scent has been a delightful hint, not at all overpowering.  This trick has kept the stems from getting too tall.  Containers are from our local Goodwill, and the planter pebbles were purchased for a song at the Dollar Store (half the price than from other sources!).

* some cozy finished objects

Celestial Mittens that I started last year

I modified the pattern a little to move the thumb gore higher, changing the thumb's patternwork accordingly.  My gauge was purposefully larger than what the pattern called for.  They're everything I pictured and extra warm.  

Yarn: Jamieson and Smith 2 ply Jumper Weight in FC61 Mix and 202 Stone; I used 1.3 skeins of the FC61 Mix and less than one skein of the 202.

Needles: size 1 (2.5 mm) 32" addi turbo fixed circular

A Musselburgh hat

At some point during construction, this hat becomes a slog of stockinette.  I press on because the warm, windproof results are worth the tedium.  For this version, I changed the decreases, doing only a few rows of dramatic ones.  

Yarn: Viola Polwarth + Alpaca in Cacao (currently sold out), ~ 1 skein

Needles: I can't remember!  My gauge is 8 sts/ 1" and the circumference is 20.5", if that helps.

The Sunshine Day Afghan that I began in 2020

Woohoo!  It's all finished!  Could this be our coziest and most desired living room snuggle blanket?  My family would say so.  All the time that I was crocheting it, I was thinking, "Goodness!  How long will it take to finish this thing?"  Now that I have to await my turn to use it, another in the same pattern (but monochromatic) would be a fantastic idea.

Main Yarn: Lettlopi 005 black heather

Accents: leftovers of mostly O-Wool O-Wash Worsted, but also some Local, Madelinetosh Sport and Worsted, Quince and Co. Chickadee and others.

Finished size: 10 x 10 squares, 45" x 45"

*thoughtful gifts for our homeschool friends

The kids helped me throw together some cookies to box up and give, along with a letterpress prayer card and handwritten note, to their co-op teachers.  My friend and I pray this prayer together before we begin our days at the co-op.  

*success with budget-friendly Christmas cards

The kids requested that we bring back the photo card for Christmas after several years of traditional cards, but the pre-made ones I prefer are pricey (not to mention postage).  Enter the kraft cardstock I already had on hand!  I simply printed out our message, ordered some photos, glued them on, and added some festive washi tape (also on hand).  I'm thrilled they turned out so well.  It helps that the kids cooperated for a good picture.  

*delightful artwork by my children

At our co-op, Little M has been working on "lively" drawing and painting.  The whole class has produced art to be proud of!  G's pencil icons keep materializing throughout the house.  I never see him actually drawing them, which makes their appearance even more delightful.

*The Mundial!

Saving Big M, we're not huge sports fans chez Pleximama.  We occasionally watch the Super Bowl just to say we have, but when it's time for the Mundial, we all watch every game we can.  I've got a penchant for underdogs (in addition to my beloved England, Germany, and Greece). This year it was first Japan, and then Croatia.  Did you catch Croatia's shootout against Brazil?  Thrilling!

*Last, but not least: PIZZA BEANS

In my twenty years of seasonal vegan eating, I thought I'd covered all the bean variations.  Not so!  These were a hit, served with crusty bread and veggie sticks.

I'll stop back with some of my reading and works-in-progress next week.  What are you making? How are your Christmas preparations coming along?