Hoppin' John

It's New Year's Day and I am making Hoppin' John! Black eyed peas, onions, ham hocks, green peppers--all sorts of good things. And, most importantly, it's supposed to bring you good luck for the year if you eat it on New Year's Day. So I am living on superstitions right now and hoping for the best.

I'm not in a much better mood than I was yesterday so I have spent the afternoon licking my wounds and knitting.

I still have some items left to finish from Christmas. One is my sister's Hey Teach sweater. I finished as much as I could before I needed to try it on her for size. I'm glad I didn't finish it because I need to add at least four more inches to make it fall right on her (she's very tall). I've gone from the eight inches below the bust in the pattern to 14 inches to get it right.



I am also trying to finish Granny's Christmas scarf. I love the wool from Three Irish Girls. Their colorways are so beautiful. I found this pattern for free on their website and it is a fun knit. I'm using a beautiful merino and silk blend that I bought at Rhinebeck. It's so soft it's like knitting a cloud.


Also trying to finish the wrist warmers for book club. I have three pairs done--two to go. I love this pattern. It's so easy, so fast and so cozy. I'll post a photo when the whole pile of them is done.

New Year's Eve

I honestly cannot wait for 2008 to be over. This was probably the worst year of my life. I've been lied to, lied about, cheated on, used, taken for granted, taken advantage of, and generally treated pretty badly. Ironically, this is probably the year that I have tried the hardest to be kind and to create some happiness around myself.

So I have some New Year's resolutions:

1. I am going to succeed in quitting smoking.
2. I am no longer going to expect anything from anyone else. I can't stand the disappointment any more so I am giving that up along with the smoking.
3. I am doing what I want to do. No more compromising, no more doing things to make other people's lives better. I've tried that and it has never done anything but bite me on the ass.
4. I am going to blog more regularly.

I know it sounds angry and bitter but that's how I'm feeling right now and, looking back over the past 12 months, I think that it will serve me better.

Good luck to all for 2009. If it only sucks 1% worse than 2008 did, I'll be better off.

Perspective

Yesterday afternoon, I got home and had a very cryptic message from a friend. As it turns out, a mutual friend of ours had passed away yesterday afternoon. She was only 42 years old and leaves behind a husband and a two year old son.

It kind of puts all my stupid problems in perspective.

Please keep her family in your thoughts.

A Big Night in the Y.O.

So I actually went out last night. It was a small celebratory Democrat cocktail party with some speakers. There were some good questions and some folks who clearly had their own agenda. I met a few nice new people which I think was good for my. I've had a hard time being around other people lately but I'm trying to take some baby steps towards getting my life back to normal.

By the way, I decided to finish the hat and send it off to Boy. After posting about it, I realized that the healthiest thing for me to do was something that would give me some sense of completion. I'll probably never know if he received it but alt least I know that it is one less piece of unfinished business.

Work In Progress

So I've been trying to drag myself out of the funk that I've been in and I'm not having much luck. I've been working on a bunch of projects that have been unfinished for quite a while to try to get some closure in my life. It's interesting having to make decisions about whether or not to let them live.


This is the hat that I started for Boy. I love it. I love the pattern and I love the yarn and I love the way it's knitting up. But I don't know if I have it in me to finish it. I think I need it to remain unfinished right now. It's Brooklyn Tweed's Turn A Square hat. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry in Lamb's Pride Worsted.



These are the mittens that I am making for my sister. They are lovely and intricate and fiddly and I love the pattern. But I've had a hard time getting the gauge that I want. I am going to try them out again on smaller needles. This will be the fourth time casting on for this project but I love it so much that I think it's worth getting it right. They are also from Brooklyn Tweed from the Fall/Winter 2008 Vogue Knitting.


Another gift for my sister. I had to cast this one on twice but now it's working beautifully. It's Hey Teach in 2nd Time Cotton. It's a recycled yarn made from cotton mill ends and has a beautiful drape to it. What you can't see from the photo is the subtle variations in the color. It's not immediately obvious but it lends real depth to it.


And there's nothing like a little Elizabeth Zimmerman to help you make it through the night. This is the beginning of the Garter Stitch Blanket and it is so soothing and comforting to knit. The blue (also not a great representation in the photo) is sooooo pretty and it is squeezy and warm. However, I've been waiting for months for the rest of the yarn to arrive. It's Lamb's Pride Bulky in Blue Magic and my church--I mean yarn shop--has been waiting for their delivery for months.

So what does all of this mean? What guidance can I get from the metaphors of my knitting? I'm hoping that working on finishing them--and having the patience to wait when I need to or start over when I need to--will help me get some focus in the rest of my life.

Mittens Mittens Mittens

I finished a bunch of mittens and mitts. This is a fabulous kids mitten pattern. I'm a huge fan of it.


The left ones are for a little girl. They are what's leftover of my Fiesta Boomerang in Iris. It's a favorite. The ones on the right are for a little boy. Chaco and Galway worsted from Rhinebeck. Great inexpensive yarn for things like mittens and wrist warmers. I mailed them off to Boy's sister because, although I thought I would see her again, it turns out that I won't. It was hard not to write a nasty note about what a jerk her brother is but I took the high road.

Here's the cutie pie sweater that we dropped off for her two weeks ago.


It's the new Mission Falls 136 Merino. It's so soft and silky. This is my first time using it and I loved it (although I had to go up on my normal needle size for this sweater a lot). I'll definitely be knitting with this again. The color is a little more lilac than the photo (Boy picked the color before he and I crashed and burned) and the buttons are from a big jar of buttons that I bought at a flea market a million years ago. I like them--they have a nice shine to them that goes well with the yarn.

So the question of the day is "which knitting project will I bring to stand on line to vote tomorrow." I don't think I've ever been more excited about voting and I hope that you will go out tomorrow and let your voice be heard.

P.S. Think I'm feeling a little bitter today? Does it show?

P.S.

I kid you not. I just got home and A&E was halfway through The Shining. It's on a commercial right now but I'm glued to the tv.