Merry Christmas!

Wishing You All Peace

O Secret Pal, O Secret Pal. How Lovely Are Your Branches.

I picked up a parcel from my O So Lovely Secret Pal yesterday then went directly to a coffee shop for latte and package opening. So pretty! She gifted me some gorgeous sheets of craft paper and one hilarious fridge magnet.

Check out these fun vintage knitting patterns she sent. I'm quite intrigued by the lace pattern in the knitted suit and am wondering how it could be used in a more updated way. The ladder lace of the second sweater is very reminiscent of the Knitting Lingerie Style top I finished last year. Just goes to show that a good idea never goes out of style.

There was also a bag of AMAZING hazelnut coffee grinds. I had two cups for breakfast this morning. I'm in love. The paper bag still sits on my kitchen counter. I know I should put it in the fridge but the wonderful aroma fills the apartment and I want that to continue just a bit longer.

Thanks a million Itsa Secret. Happy Holidays!

The Discovery

The Discovery

do not imagine that the exploration

ends, that she has yielded all her mystery

or that the map you hold

cancels further discovery

I tell you her uncovering takes years,

takes centuries, and when you find her naked

look again.

admit there is something else you cannot name,

a veil, a coating just above the flesh

which you cannot remove by your mere wish

when you see the land naked, look again

(burn your maps, that is not what I mean.)

I mean the moment when it seems most plain

is the moment when you must begin again

Gwendolyn MacEwen

The Shadow-Maker

The Macmillan Company of Canada

In Which I Fall Into the Trap

I appear to have slipped unwittingly into the Christmas knitting trap. It began with the shawl, knitted for the sake of knitting the lace. Upon deciding that it would be gifted to a niece, I then knit wrist warmers for niece #2. The next step was knitting these two washcloths for my two sisters. Economy dictated this decision. I just grabbed some stash cotton and "whipped em up". I'll be wrapping the cloths around some lovely, handmade soaps that I purchased at a craft show. Now, there's one nephew left. It would seem wrong to give knitted gifts to all except him. Thus I am madly knitting a pair of mittens.
The ridiculous part? I see them all TOMORROW. My sister is hosting an early Christmas dinner for the family because she's working over the actual holiday dates. I've still got one mitten to go and I'm working today. I don't even want to think about the late night gift wrapping I'll be doing tonight.
The men in the family are getting booze.

Poetry to Fill Some Space

I'm hating all over my job these days and that threatens to diminish my pleasure in the rest of my life.
My daughter continues to grow into a beautiful person. My apartment is tidy. Christmas is approaching and I look forward to a holiday season of no expectations. The trees on my street are lovely to pass every day on the way to the streetcar.

SURPRISE
'My heart went fluttering with fear
Lest you should go, and leave me here.
To beat my breast and rock my head
And stretch me sleepless on my bed.
Ah, clear they see and true they say
That one shall weep, and one shall stray
For such is Love's unvarying law.
I never thought, I never saw
That I should be the first to go;
How pleasant that it happened so!

Dorothy Parker
Collected Poems: Not So Deep As A Well
MacMillan 1936.

Filigree, Filigraa ha ha ha....

Pattern: Filigree from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves
Designer: Robin Melanson
Yarn: Scheepjes Softfun, 60% Cotton, 40% acrylic
I can't find any references to the yarn anywhere. I believe it may be discontinued which is unfortunate indeed.
Modifications: This yarn is a bit lighter than the one called for so I had to use smaller needles to get a neat lace and knit the largest size to get gauge.

Still loving this book. This is the third pattern I've knit from it. These are super quick yet look so stylish and advanced. Yay for deception! I don't think I knit the lace exactly as intended as it looks quite different from the book's photos. However, I figure as long as I keep making the same mistake, it goes from error to design element.

These are destined as a Christmas gift for the other niece. The great thing is, though they took three days rather than the year spent on her sister's stole, they look just as fabulous. I suspect they'll be worn more as well.