nearing solstice

As our hours of sunlight grow increasingly shorter, we are all wrapped up in the Christmas holiday festivities. This made me wonder if there was any direct connection between these 2 significant events, so I looked it up to try to figure it out. But the explanation didn't really clarify it for me, a lot of references to really ancient times, actual number of days in a year (more that 365) and variations in calendars. I did learn that Leap Day helps correct for that fracture of a day greater than 365. That happens to be the expected date of the appearance of my little grandson, so I'm wondering if we are looking at a lifetime of adjusted birthdays for the little guy!

We have trimmed back on the trimmings this year, guess we are going the minimalist route. A little greenery on the stair rails, ascaled down tree, and of course, stockings hung by the chimney with care. I did get a package shipped off to #1 son since he won't be traveling home for this holiday. I only hope that it gets to him and his housemates before the 25th, so they will have our presents on the appropriate day.

Still working on a few little gift things--Brita had asked for some of these zipper bags to replace the old ones I had made, they are great for travels. The white mesh can be purchased at fabric stores like Joann's. The red mesh can be purchased at your local produce market, along with fresh fruit or vegies! I hadn't sewn on it before, and found it less wonderful to work with, but as long as it holds together I am happy!

A little knitting has been snuck in during a few hours on the couch, continuing with a baby afghan that had been on a break while I searched for some more of the gold yarn. It is Cottonease and that happens to be a color that is either being phased out or just plain unavailable in the stores around here. I tried something new and searched on Ravelry for someone wanting to sell it from their own stash. I lucked out and connected with a nice woman who sent me 2 more skeins, so I can make this blankie big enough to last. Also starting a new scarf from the Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn purchased last summer in Bishop, CA, at Sierra Cottons and Wools.

Baked scones for the first time from this recipe-

Not 100% sold on them, although you would think there is enough butter and sugar and spice in them that I wouldn't be complaining! I guess they just aren't as good as some others that I've had.

This brings me to the subject of Pinterest. Because I have that recipe on my food board there. If you haven't heard about or visited or tried Pinterest, check it out. But I am warning you, it can suck up some time! It is like a bulletin board of my favorites and bookmarks, sorted into categories, and accompanied by a visual cue to remind me what my bookmarks are! There are a ton of interesting ideas that can be gleaned from one another's boards, all with a link back to the origin. Kind of cool.

My family has been asking me what I want for Christmas, and all I can come up with is a new bathrobe since the one I am using is a raggy hand-me-down from my daughter. I think it was a gift to her for a Christmas past and wasleft behind on a hook in her bathroom so I claimed it! Not a very excitingwish list, so I think I will add something else that I want:

a lovely tattoo! Which, by the way, I found on Pinterest!

back to those scarves

Time for another knitting update! Never really thought I would be knitting ruffles, but this is a fact! I am strangely drawn to this scarf even though I'm not a ruffle kind of girl. I saw it displayed at Knitter's Palette and was intrigued by the technique used to make the ruffly edge. So I stepped out on a limb and purchased the pattern and yarn, this is out-of-the-ordinary for me, most of my knitting projects are free from Ravelry or printed in magazines or scavenged in other ways, and I seldom have the exact yarn called for so am constantly making substitution experiments. Not sure what came over me at the time, I think it might have been Debbie's influence since she was with me! And we were embarking on a fun trip together so kind of feeling free and easy. Whatever, I think it's kind of interesting to think about what motivates me to buy something, I find that right now I am motivated to buy very little and I kind of get a kick out of resisting the urge to respond to ads and commercials. Is that normal? Weird? But back to the topic--

pattern is "Molly" and comes from Classic Elite Yarns, maker of the Liberty Wool I am using. The booklet and yarn are available from the above-named yarn shop. I am using the 7898 colorway but there are several options to choose from, both solid and variegated. The yarn is a very nice worsted weight 100% washable wool. The ruffles are created by making some short rows on each side of a ribbed center section. The short rows are not hard to learn, it involves some turning and took me a little practice at first so I had to start over once, but now it's going smoothly. I kept loosing track of where I was in the 4-row repeat, but now I have a little system going and haven't lost my place again!

Now, back to the quilts!

yarn fun

Love love love the feel and look of this scarf I just finished. It's drying after a quick dip, and feels like "buttah"! This is a yarn and pattern I found at Knitter's Palette Yarn Shop. The yarn is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Baby Suri Silk (color 11) and I have not used it before so this is a pleasant result. The pattern was a free handout from the yarn shop when I purchased the yarn, it is called the Chevron Scarf and was displayed in the shop made with Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. This Misti Alpaca is a DK weight yarn, so a little heavier than the sock yarn, but with the right size needles (US 5) it turnedout great. If you area knitter, I highly recommend you give this a try! Now back to my quilts! And the orange brownies I just baked!