Reading list #5 2021

1. The Harp and the Rose by Jean Grainger 1920 Ireland’s fight for independence 
2. Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve  Binchy always a good story 
3. Lassoing the Sun by Mark Woods about history and future of our National Parks, also environmental impacts and about the authors mother who introduced him to the parks and nature. For book club very good
4. Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah wonderful story about sisters, growing up, forgiving, and healing.
5. Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini a very long book about the horrors happening in Germany in the years before the United States entered WW2 very good but tough to read. I gave it a break and read a couple books in between.
6. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah for book club I read this earlier in the year very good depression era of 1930’s.  These last two books take place in the same time frame it was an eye opener about what was happening in the world.
7. Who is Santa Claus?  The true story behind a living legend.  by Robin Crichton published 1987 the history and evolution of Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus. Did you know Clement Moores Twas the Night Before Christmas was written 199 years ago? Next year is his big bicentennial.
8. Still Me by JoJo Moyes book three of Me Before You series very good 
9. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate post civil war story about Texas and a contemporary story about a young woman teaching in a poverty stricken school. She has her students research the local history.
10. Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher great story about a girl growing up in Cornwall England prior to WW2. She attends a private girls school while her mother and younger sister return to Ceylon where her father is in the shipping business and soon to be transferred to Singapore. The family of a school friend becomes a surrogate family to her. WW2 starts rather than join her family in Singapore she learns shorthand and typing and joins the Wrens.  Over 900 pages but a very good story.
11. The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank a variation of the Christmas Carol a South Carolina elderly (90+) woman realizes how dysfunctional and lacking in Christmas spirit  her family has become. Her cook is called away on a family emergency the replacement cook turns out to be Pearl, the cook from her childhood who taught her everything. Everyone made nice with some spiritual and Gullah magic help. It was all too easy I just about quit reading the book fortunately it was a very short book.
12. In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear more adventures of Maisie Dobbs. Book #13

So many books to look forward to reading in 2022.  Happy New Year!!  --Ann--

Christmas knitting revealed

 

I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas.  I did, my kids and babies were all home. Babies had a cold and now I have it. boo hoo sniffle sniffle curl up with a quilt and take a nap.  

   Stocking cap for daughter, she picked out the yarn in Montana last summer for a cap and mittens.  I ran out of yarn before I was finsished with the crown.  I guess I did one too many rows of ribbing but in the cold South Dakota wind  folding the ribbing double is a necessity.  The pom pom hides a multitude of sins.  I did a couple rows with the bulky mitten yarn then finished with the yarn I used for gloves.  She says I knit too loose and the cold air goes through the mittens so I knit gloves for liners.

Such fun knitting little tiny socks and socks and slippers for the big kids too.

Happy New year

--Ann--

Santa Claus In America

 

.....a little old driver so lively and quick.....

He was dressed all in fur.... He had a broad face and a little round belly...........He was chubby and plump, a tight jolly old elf.

Clement C. Moore penned the poem to amuse his wife and children 199 years ago. It was shared with family and friends, one of them shared it with the local newspaper. Fifteen years later Clement C. Moore finally takes credit for writing the poem. He was a professor of Greek, Hebrew and theology and was afraid his professional credibility would suffer if word got out that he wrote T’was the Night Before Christmas.

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.  --Ann--

Father Christmas

Father Christmas in England held closely to the pagan customs. He was part of the Feast of Fools going back to Roman Saturnalia a topsy turvy time when everyone was equal men dressed as women, masters waited on slaves etc and much feasting. In the Middle Ages traveling entertainers called Mummers added to the chaotic celebration and mix of Roman, Celtic and Christian folklore. Father Christmas wore the holly wreath and presided over the festivities.  --Ann--

Weihnachtsmann

 

Santa was affected by the Reformation, Christmas festivals and traditions were banned in some places depending who was on the thrown. The Lutherans in Germany stripped Saint Nicholas of his church robes and redressed him in furs and a cap. He became known as Weihnachrsmann the Christmas man,

Pelze Nichol, Furry Nick,

Schimmelreiter the rider of the white horse,

Pere Noel, Father Christmas.

Scandinavian

Scandinavian Christmas traditions go back before Christianity when the Norse gods celebrated the winter solstice. Odin would lead the hunt on a great white horse, carrying away the naughty children. Food was left out for Odin and his horse.  Sinter Klaas  of the Netherlands was pictured on a white horse, Norse influence. The earliest inhabitants of Norway and Sweden were a small, dark people who were herders, reindeer, cattle sheep and goats, they were skilled at hiding. These little people were called Nisser in Norway and Tomtar in Sweden. They would cause mischief the night of the winter solstice so again food was left out for them.  As Christianity spread many of the pagan traditions were adapted to fit the new ways.

Scandinavian Santas are usually dwarf sized.

Julenisse in Norway and Denmark,

Jultomte in Sweden, 

Jola Sveinar in Iceland, 

Nisse the old form of Nils or Nicholas 

Some winters Santa came on skis.

I bought this little Tomtar in Sweden the lady in the store said he was a garden Tomtar for good luck in the garden.

Santa coming on a sleigh pulled by reindeer came from the north countries.

--Ann--

Saint Nicholas Russian

As Christinaity spread through the Byzantine Empire and further north into Russia so did the stories of Saint Nicholas and everyone claimed him for their Patron Saint of Children.  Saint Nicholas became known as Nickolai Chudovortis the Wonder Worker.

I found this Santa in Alaska where there is a lot of Russian influence in the architecture.  --Ann--

A breif history of Saint Nicholas

It seems appropriate to begin this short series of posts about the orgins of Saint Nicholas on Saint Nicholas day.  A boy was born to aged parents in the second century in the Roman province of Lycia now a part of Turkey.  The boy was named after his  uncle Nicholas who was Father Superior of a monastery.  It was their hope that he would go into the Church.

An epidemic went through the area killing both his parents. His uncle instructed him to give away all his worldy goods.  Legend tells that a neighbouring family fell on hard times leaving the three daughters without a dowery for marriage.  Nicholas heard of their plight, disguised himself and tossed a bag of coins through their bedroom window.  The bag  of money landed in a shoe or a stocking starting the tradition of leaving socks or shoes out on Christmas eve.  Nicholas threw a bag a coins in the window a second and third night but was caught by the girls father.  Nicholas swore him to secrecy but alas the story has been told for centuries.
I studied my Santa collection and chose a few who I think look most like the original Saint Nicholas.  The one above looks like the man who carved him.

Nicholas did enter the Church and went on a pilgramage to Jeruslalem which had been destroyed by the Romans.  A storm blew up on his return voyage, he prayed and the sailors prayed with him.  They were delivered safely to Myra the capital of Lycia just east of Patera where Nicholas was born.  Nicholas found a church where he planned to give thanks but the current bishop was retiring and the convocation declared that the first person to enter the church would be worthy of the title.  Nicholas is now the Bishop of Myra and became the patron saint of sailors.  He preformed miracles and spread the word of Christ throughout the region.

This little needlepoint was one of my first and I got a bit caried away with the French knots in the beard.  He looks like a cartoon character that had soap on his toothbrush rather than toothpaste.  He has the bishops hat.

Below is the book Who is Santa Claus by Robin Crichton published in 1987 so no longer in print and hard to find except in used books.  --Ann--

Christmas decorating

 In past years my daughter has always helped me decorate the Christmas tree either Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year I helped her sew snap bags on Friday.  The little bags that have the metal tape measure  that pulls open and snaps shut.  She practiced sewing on this fabric because she doesn't use the sewing machine often.  I finished this bag.  The pattern called for a 3/4 inch tape measure but all DD could find was  1/2 inch or 1 inch.  We used the half inch.  The snap is pretty soft so things might fall out of the bag if it is upside down.  I think I will make a bigger bag for knitting and the yarn should pull out easily. The yarn always catches on my knitting bags with zippers. 

Then DD went home on Saturday and hubby and I went to the college football game.  They won!! so on to the next bracket and play in Sacramento, CA.  We won't go.

The weather does not feel like getting ready for Christmas weather, no frost on the rooftops in the morning or on the still green grass.  Temps hit the mid 50's Monday, a great day for a walk.  I started decorating everything except the tree,  I need help getting it up the stairs and hubby went fishing since it was so warm.  Christmas quilts on the walls and beds next since that was a easiest and biggest beginning to look like Christmas task.  Next decorate the shelves in the study -- they need to be dusted.  Good day to do that since hubby went fishing.  Then to get out the Santas and nativity sets..............The tree will be up by the end of the week. --Ann--

poppies

 

These poppies are so slow stitiching even on the machine.  I am using the heavy buttonhole stitch I did try the lighter version of the stitch which was across and back then forward a stitch, 1- 2 -3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3,  like a waltz,  but the bold version looked so much better:  across and back across and back 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 then forward and back and forward and back and forward 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5.  It takes forever and then all those turns in the leaves.  I keep telling myself all those stitches and thread will be worth it.  In between stitching  time I'm cutting parts from my plaids: bow tie parts, square in a sqare parts -- same measurements as bow tie, 1 1/2 inch log cabin strips and 3 1/2 inch strips for tri rec stars to mix with the log cabin blocks,  goal here is to use all the plaids and be done with plaids until I spy the next round of fabulous plaids in the quilt shop.  --Ann--

off the needles

 Sweater finish and blocked.  The yarn is Iron Horse which is 75% Merino and 25% silk fingering.  I bought it at the Polka Dot Sheep in Montana last summer the color is Crystal Park.  It was wonderful to handle so soft and it feels even better on I may never take it off.  The pattern is Anker's Sweater by PetitKnit. I knit it on size 7 needles.  I started this pattern last summer using 2 strands of fingering of leftover yarns on smaller needles like the pattern said and it was going to be uncomfortably snug.  So I ripped and put the yarn and the pattern away. Then I started this yarn with a different pattern and did not like the fit so I revisited this pattern since the gauge was right I also went up a size, it was only 4 more cast on stitches, and love it.  Now to concentrate on the Christmas knitting.  --Ann--

A proper cup

Sometimes I just need to have my morning coffee in a proper cup and saucer.  Why have pretty dishes if I don't use them!?!?  First snow on the ground late Thursday night and Friday.  The wind finally gave up on Saturday.  Hubby was off hunting again.  DD didn't come because of ice packed and slippery roads.  The snow melted and froze on every horizontal surface long before the ground turned white.  So turned out to be a very quiet restful weekend for me, knitting and binge watching Gilmore Girls which made me miss mother / daughter time even more. It's a very good series and not what I was expecting.  Then the sun came out and the snow melted.  --Ann--

There's the same tree from previous post that was so glorious two weeks ago now completely bare.

Leaves

 The difference of a few days, the groundskeeper picked up leaves one day then the next the leaves fell in a puddle at the base of the tree and now the trees are bare.  --Ann--

Happy Birthday Babies

 

Happy Birthday Baby Girls !! Madeline in pink and Olivia in green.

Starting the tradition of new socks for birthdays.  They match their new snow suits.  --Ann--

On the needles

I like the way this fits so much better than my first attempt, yarn is so forgiving, on to the sleeves. —Ann

 

Boo

 Happy Halloween 

One row of poppies

 One row is almost done still have all those leaves to stitch. This may be a very slow project. —Ann

Cat days

 

The days were glorious last week down right chilly in the morning by after lunch time it was another pretend I'm  a cat and do next to nothing on the deck. The sun felt so good it made me want to peal a layer of clothes off then there would be a hint of a breeze that made me glad I didn’t.  I did take a book out to read and some knitting one day.   Mittens for DD and a stocking cap, fingering held double my color repeats match up pretty close on the balls of yarn creating the pools of color.  This is yarn I bought in Montana last summer and that is the best color pom pom I could find in  alpaca.  It is so soft. The synthetics just made me cringe, I'll admit I'm a fiber snob.  I love natural fibers.  Yesterday was grey all day and every gust of wind took more than a few leaves off the trees.  Its time to start wearing sweaters and wool.   The socks were meant to be knit cuff down with a Wool and the Gang yarn that was dyed to make the spots if the gauge was right.  I'm a toe up knitter so those stripes by the toe were to check your gauge and should be in the cuff, I'm right on.  The wide blue section was for the forgotten heel of the cuff down which I have never done but I think it could be done toe up, anyway it hit the gusset and the heel for me it just interupted the gold and spots but they are on my feet under my jeans  does it really matter?!? and the yarn was on sale. --Ann--