Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Reading list #5 for 2022 it was time well spent.

Looking forward to more books, using yards and yards of fabric from the stash first order of business is to straighten up the stash. And knitting some of the yarn stash as well. I’m so glad there are libraries and kindles so I don’t have an overwhelming stash of books…….the library keeps them so well organized.

Happy new year

1. The Mill Girls of Albion Lane by Jenny Holmes takes place in England in 1930’s woolen mills. I found it interesting because I toured the Faribault woolen mill in Faribault, Minnesota almost 3 years ago. The story finally picked up the last 3rd of the book when a crime happens and the mill girls start asking questions because the police are not.
2. A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden a 49 year old introverted medical researcher looses her research grant. What to do with her life? She makes the commitment to live on an island off the coast of Australia overseeing a campground for a year. Life on a small island agrees with her, she becomes friends with the locals and comes to peace with her past. Very good I will be looking for more books by this author.
3. Hutchins Creek Cache by Deborah Garner a New York journalist goes to Colorado to write an old west story about railroads and trains and gets in the middle of a century old theft of gold coins from the Denver mint. Just for fun.
4. Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone Diana Gabaldon final book of the Outlander series very long I learned more about how battles were fought during the Revolutionary War than a person really needs to know.
5. Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger takes place in the arrowhead of Minnesota up there in the north east point. Murder mystery defeated former sheriff is asked to help find a missing Native American boy in the process he uncovers a county full of corruption. Much like C.J. Box Joe Pickett series except it takes place in Minnesota.
6. The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis takes place in 1919 and 1966 in New York City. About a young woman who posed for sculptures in NYC then becomes a private secretary to Helen Frick heir to the Frick fortune and art library. The 1966 story is about a model being photographed at the Frick museum she has some artistic disagreements with the photographer and ends up being snowbound at the museum with a young intern. Together they unravel some mysteries from 1919.
7. The Bitterroots by C.J. Box book 5 of the Cassie Dewell series.
8. Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea by Liz Eeles contemporary story set on the English coast a young woman dealing with the death of her mother and learning family secrets. Light reading.
9. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny book #5 of series.
10. Treasure State by C.J. Box book 6 of the Cassie Dewell series.
11. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes for book club as good the second time I had forgotten most of the characters and plot. I read it almost 2 years ago no wonder I forgot so much.
12. Murder in the Manor by Fiona Grace just for fun newly divorced New Yorker goes to the seaside town in England where she went on holiday as a child also the last time she saw her father. On impulse she leases a store and opens an antique store then she ends up in the middle of a murder mystery and a burglary.
13. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald for book club a Swedish girl goes to visit a pen pal in a small town in Iowa. The pen pal dies before she arrives, the residents make her feel welcome. Fun to read. I could see it as a fall hallmark movie.
14. Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva fiction some factual how Charles Dickens came up with his Christmas Carol. To get in the spirit of the Christmas season. I started The Chimes a short book written by Charles Dickens. There were so many words and didn’t seem to be making progress with the story but I kept reading for a while. I gave up when I realized I was making mental notes of five letter words for Wordle.
15. Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger second book in the series.
16. Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger another thriller with lots of twists in northern Minnesota.
17. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah stories of Trevor Noah growing up in South Africa.
18. Foster by Claire Keegan a short book less than 100 pages about a little girl being cared for by relatives.
19. Ruby and Roland by Faith Sullivan 1910’s prior to WWI an orphan girl goes to live in Iowa then Minnesota. The characters were interesting, strong independent women, it was a nice short book just over 200 pages. I would have liked to know more about some of the characters and their lives. 
20. A Villa in Sicily  by Fiona Grace short book a woman veterinarian from Boston quits her job and goes to Sicily to restore a fixer-upper. First book of a series, I doubt I’ll read the series.
21. The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum  the transformation from revelry and over indulgence in the streets to our contemporary domestic celebration. Interesting but repetitious. A very thorough look at the socioeconomics and politics of the 1700’s, 1800’s and early 1900’s. It reminded me of something an art history professor said “art did not happen in a vacuum” art was influenced by everything happening around it.  Our Christmas traditions evolved out of the books that were written and stories published in magazines and newspapers, traditions brought by immigrants, abolition, newsy boys, children’s aid society, orphan trains, gift giving and receiving, charities, and reconstruction of the South. I never understood why the Christmas tree was kept as a surprise to the children many years ago……the decorations were the gifts to the children toys, candies, fruit and cookies. Presents were not wrapped and placed under the tree. I really wish I could ask my parents and grandparents how Christmas was celebrated when they were little.
22. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan a very short book set at Christmas time in Ireland in 1985 about the Catholic homes for unwed girls.

Wow I have read a lot of books in 2022 some have been wonderful and others not so much. I will continue reading the William Kent Krueger and Louise Penny books.  It looks like it’s going to be a long snowy cold winter here on the prairie good thing I like to read…quilt….knit and read some more. Ann

Bears in bags

My last little Christmas projects finished!! Little bags to put their little bears and bear clothes in and carry them. I used the machine to stitch their names on the pockets. I used all the flannel scraps to make little bear quilts and had to piece a circle to make a yo-yo flower. We didn’t get to see the little girls for Christmas because it wasn’t our turn, they came to my house for thanksgiving. I hope they have as much fun playing with the bears as I did, making the quilt and knitting the bears and clothes. I might have to make another pair to keep at gramma’s house. Knee deep in snow and icy streets and sidewalks might be wiser and safer to stay inside and knit.  Ann

Visit from St. Nick and the Evolution of Christmas

Some vintage pics of St. Nick. I have all these in my possession somewhere in the house……but I put them in a super safe spot and until I come across them by accident…….I’m glad I took pics the last time I saw them.

This little guy is crepe paper and about 20 inches tall I think it goes back to when my mother was a child.

Two greeting cards and a book. The cards are from my childhood. The book was my grandmother’s and it would be well over one hundred years old. She was married in 1922 and she received the book as a gift from her teacher her first year of school.

I have not seen or heard anything in the media that Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas  aka A Visit from St. Nicholas is 200 years old this year. I have been reading a book The Battle for Christmas a non fiction book by Stephan Nissenbaum.  It’s about how the Christmas celebration was changed from the raucous, overindulgent street carnival for decades in America to an intimate family celebration. In the 1700’s the lower classes would sing and knock on the doors of the upper class for drink, food and money, if they were given generously then their goodwill was to leave peacefully.  Makes me think differently about now give us some figgy pudding and we won’t leave until we get some….. I always thought those verses were silly now I understand. December 25 was just another working day. In an effort to change the celebration to something more respectful in the early 1800’s churches started having services on the 25th and businesses closed.  The church services were intended to get people off the streets. Many of our Christmas carols were written during that time. Sadly church wasn’t enough to change behavior, it was the focus on children and Clement C. Moore’s poem that gradually changed how we celebrate Christmas today. That’s the first 50 pages of the book in a paragraph.

I’m about half way through the book, very repetitious so have been skip reading ( a bit here a bit there…still going on about the revelry in the streets…pick up here blah blah blah commercialization of Christmas with mass manufactured toys….) So far the birth of Jesus and the nativity have not entered the reason for the season in the book but the author did state at the beginning that he is Jewish but then so was Jesus. 

Santa holding the baby Jesus is a good way to wrap up this post. He’s a big guy with room in his heart and the holiday for the baby Jesus.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room

Merry Christmas

—Ann—

Toes feel so delightful

The weather outside if frightful 

Toes are so delightful…..

A little bit of snow came yesterday it just fell so quiet 

Today it is -19 F and the wind is blowing it doesn’t look bad in town but in the country it looks like a ground blizzard and white out conditions.

This storm is named Elliott the last one was Daisy what ridiculous names for a winter storm. Who is going to heed a weatherman’s warning when he is talking about a Daisy?

It’s cold and windy outside and I’m safe and snug inside.

My little duffers are felted. I did it the easy way by throwing them in the washer with my jeans 36 minutes on medium then into the dryer on medium. They were still kinda big so into the washer again. They looked perfect well maybe like raisins so I tugged and pulled then let them air dry. Christmas is coming. Ann

 

200 years ago……..

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse…..

A right jolly old elf…….

200 years ago Clement C. Moore wrote the poem to entertain his wife and children, it was shared with family and friends one of whom sent it to a local newspaper. Fifteen years later he takes credit because as a professor of Greek, Hebrew and theology he thought it would hurt his credentials.

I’m sure ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas has survived long past any of his scholarly work. 

The modern Santa of his poem short, plump, short jacket with fur trim and cap with fur trim.  

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. 

Ann

 Little duffers knit. Knit one more pair for mommy then I will felt them all. Ann

Tree up

Feet up

Coffee gone

Cookies not baked or even mixed up

Maybe another cup

‘It’s the season.

Ann

No more purple dust bunnies

It’s not finished until you love it. I have knit the entire sweater twice. The first time it was too big, I tried it on before I started the second sleeve. I ripped and started over from the beginning same size smaller needles. I knit about 4 inches of the second sleeve then really looked at my stitches I was tense and so were my stitches I could see that they were smaller than the upper shoulder. Rip again, ripping knitting is fun and fast, relax and start the sleeve again, relax, everyone went home, relax, have a glass of wine relax and start the sleeve again. Try it on again. There was a noticeable difference between the two sleeves, they felt different. Take it off and lay one sleeve on top of the other. Sleeve number two is an inch longer and a little wider than sleeve number one. Compare the decreases…..same number, compare ribbing…..same number of repeats. I was really relaxed knitting sleeve two. Which sleeve do I like better?  Rip sleeve number one and try again. See if I can relax the same……sleeve one is now the same as sleeve two. Sweep up the purple dust bunnies from under my chair.   And I love it!  Ann

The yarn is Rowan felted tweed and the pattern is Smoke by Ankestrick I did not do the long cuffs with thumb holes and I knit more rows of neck ribbing for a crew neck instead of a boat neck.

A wonderful Thanksgiving

 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend the kids were all here and one brother. Our snow has completely melted, the warmer sunny days have invited long walks. Someone wanted to be carried so Grandma showed her how to skip, yes I remembered, she thought that was pretty funny and forgot about wanting to be carried. My leftovers should be gone by Wednesday and that was my plan to cook for 3 days then leftovers for five. Turkey dinner and leftovers then wild rice soup with turkey. Fresh pan of lasagna then turkey pot pie made of leftovers. Then everyone went home and the house was quiet. Too quiet. I vacuumed and swept the dog hair now the house to clean and tidy, to tidy. It’s time to get the Christmas decorations out but we are still enjoying sunny warm days I think I’ll go for a walk instead.  Ann

Star points

 

All the points are stitched, starched, and pressed. I need to make some decisions about the setting triangles and squares because yardage might be a problem and if I need to piece it I might as well make it pretty. Now I need to start planning the Thanksgiving menu. 

Ann

Another good day to sew

First star point sewn together. It really is a diamond shape it’s just the photographer is looking at it a bit wonky to get the whole thing in the picture. 

Another fussy step in the process pinning the diamonds to a grid drafted specifically for this quilt. Measure the smaller diamonds seam to seam, take an average from those measurements and draw a grid on fabric with a permanent pen. It has to be fabric not paper because there is a lot of spray starch involved. Pin the Star point to the grid using glass head pins, match up seams and lines. Press seams open let dry completely before removing it from the grid. It is worth the effort so the seams intersect just right when the points are sewn together. This is the book with step by step instructions. 

First Star point completely done. Leftovers on the left pinned up for a larger cheat sheet to help me keep everything in the correct order.

Ann

 

Strip sets

 

All the strip sets are sewn, pressed and starched. The starch helps stabilize all the bias edges. Fussy fussy work but I know the results will be worth it. Now to cut 8 strips from each set and keep them in order. Always some little challenge.     Another snowy windy day on the prairie. A good day to sew. ~~Ann~~

Something new in the works

I have been poking at this project for a couple weeks, yesterday everything fell into place.  I colored one more grid while looking carefully at my stack of fabrics then played with my folding mirror.  I was on a roll, cut out my little diamonds and glued them in place then played with the mirror some more. Planning time is always time well spent. And the best part is all this fabric was in the stash.~~Ann~~

A knitting weekend

 

It was a knitting weekend, hubby was off hunting again. He has worked hard at his cardiac rehab so he could go hunting so I can’t complain and a weekend home alone can be really nice. I had complete control of the remote I watched a bunch of hallmark movies and knit, knit, knit. Sometimes I turned the tv off and read, it was that kind of weekend,  chilly and grey.  Almost done with 4th ball of yarn after starting over on this sweater on Tuesday last week. It does fit better now and I like the tighter feel of the fabric too.  I’m not sorry I ripped. Ripping knitting is kinda fun compared to ripping quilting.  ~~Ann~~

Snowflakes

 

Snowflakes dancing in the air today they will have to do an encore performance to cover the ground. I’m willing to wait a few more weeks for that much snow. But it’s a perfect day to knit! Already well into the second ball of yarn as I reknit my sweater on smaller needles.  Staying warm ~~Ann~~

Birthday girls

 

Look who’s turning 2!! Whipped cream frosting is the best.

Sweaters from grandma. Like wearing a hug. Happy Birthday girls!! ~~Ann~~

Pattern by Petite Knits on Ravelry,  sock yarn held with a mohair silk blend was delicious to knit.

Twice the fun

 

Will I ever get the gauge right!??!! Everything was going along swimmingly until I tried it on! An oversized sweater on a slender young person looks cute. On a middle aged averaged sized American woman it just looks bulky, makes me look bulkier.  I have been stewing over this for days, where did I go wrong with the gauge. It was spot on when I started but I must  knit tighter when shaping the shoulders than when I start knitting in the round, I relax and my stitches gradually relax and get a little bigger. My 22 stitches on 4 inches are now covering 4 1/4 inches making the sweater over 3 inches wider than it should be. I knit a new swatch and blocked it, it shrank 1/4 inch in length but not in width hmmmm still going to look frumpy. The sleeve needs to be tapered more so I need to decrease more frequently. I spent way too much on this yarn for it to hang in my closet unloved and unworn. I do like the feel of this yarn in my hands so ripping and starting over will make it twice the fun. ~~Ann~~

Bear Quilts

When DD was working on her flannel rag quilt I was searching the stash for fabrics for little  bear quilts.......I found the leftover bits from the first rag quilt DD made.  I cut the 6 inch sqaures into 3 inch squares I even had the leftover batting squares cut, cut, cut, then sew the X.  It was such a short line that I used lots of different stitches.  One done next to fray all those edges.  I think the little bears will like these quilts.  --Ann--

Sweater progress

 

Warm days cool nights wonderful for knitting and progress on my sweater.  I just started the sleeves.  It looks really big but the swatch shrank some when I blocked it so I'm banking on it shrinking about an inch and a half maybe two. --Ann--

Listless

 

I have been listless lately no not feeling poorly or lack of energy, listless as in no to do list to keep me on track.  I completed the page long list when hubby was hunting and it was a long list but when it was completed I didn't make a new list with new projects and goals.  I need a list of blog possible items.  I could look back and make a list of all the little things accomplished the last 2 weeks but that seems counter productive just to make a list to be able to cross things off the list but it has been done when I deviate from my list and add something that wasn't on the list. The weather here has been glorious more like September than the end of October and first day of November so more time has been outside enjoying the warmth of the sun and lack of bugs. We went up to see the little girls over the weekend and drove home on Monday another glorious day in South Dakota!! They will be 2 in another week and a half.  They guys went fishing, we played ring around the rosie and kicked a ball, filled pockets with rocks, looked at pretty leaves just enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I may sit outside and read this afternoon I can clear my work table so I can start a new project and list when the next cold front moves in until them I'm going to savor the memories of the weekend and enjoy the day.  --Ann--

A little stash enhancement

 

Once upon a time my yarn stash like my quilt fabric stash all fit in one box,  seperate of course fabric in one box yarn another and then it grew a life of its own. Being a person who likes to be somewhat organized I seperated my yarn into more boxes, one for felting, another for sock yarn, worsted and bulky together  since I don't have much bulky and the leftovers are in another basket. Sock yarn bits in yet another box and also a small basket of just green yarns for knitting more Christmas trees. Balls and skeins for sweaters are each in seperate bags in the boxes so I can find exactly how much I have for a particular sweater because you can't always find the same color or dye lot if you run short.

Some birthday treats for me the last couple weeks.  I heard the yarn at the ag museum calling to me.  They have locally grown and spun alpaca yarn (the long brown skeins on top) and yarn from a company in Nebraska (4 balls to right of alpaca) very nice yarns and so fun to pet the yarn before purchasing. It was 20% off who can pass on a sale!?!  The other yarn I ordered some was discounted and if you order enough they give you a discount what a deal! Yarn for a cotton sweater and more sock yarn.

Knitters and quilters are such tactile people we buy it because we like the way it feels in our hands.  That makes the process of creating so much more enjoyable.  Be a fiber snob.  --Ann--

OTN

 This yarn has been calling to me knit me, knit me, knit me now! The yarn is Rowan Felted tweed 50% wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose it feels delicious.The pattern is Smoke by Ankestrick it has saddle shoulder sleeves which I have never knit before and a little knit purl stitch pattern in the front and back.  I only had to add one stitch to the front to get the pattern to meet correctly after knitting the short rows to shape the neck line.  Its amazing how much simpler life is with well written instructions!        --Ann--