A month of being grateful

My aunt, whom has so kindly letting me stay in her home for the past 7 months, sent out a text to me and my two cousins (who are her children) on the first of December. Simply put, she asked what five things we were grateful for.

She read that December is considered gratefulness month, and thought it would be nice if we started the month out strong.

There’s always easy answers to what you can be grateful for in life if you have certain privileges.

Food on the table, roof over the head, warm place to sleep, and so on. Not to say these things should ever be taken for granted, but I realized there was a bigger picture I was neglecting with my list.

I’m grateful for an aunt that I can talk about life with over coffee. A woman who is a compassionate listener, as well as the strong and smart captain of our ship. A person who calls it as she sees it,. Someone who, with all her power and might, looks out for others and cares for the souls that surround her.

I’m grateful for an aunt who would send me that text.

I’m grateful for a cousin who has become a sister. Someone who shows me what it means to be both loving and fierce in all aspects of life. A woman who doesn’t get pushed around, and won’t let those she loves get pushed around either. A person who tells you outright what she thinks and has not interest in settling for second-best.

A cousin who I can tell anything to, and know I’ll be met with love and honesty.

I’m grateful for an uncle who reminds me of what a genuinely good man looks like- in action, words, and spirit. A man who tells me I did a good job when I’m still trying to piece everything together. A person who is the best friend anyone could ever ask for, and is the kind of person to head over to your place when you give him short notice that you need help, only taking a beer and good conversation in exchange. Someone that can make just about anyone laugh, even in the toughest of situations.

I’m grateful for an uncle that goes out of his way to make me feel at home, and makes the best breakfasts and steaks.

I’m grateful for a cousin that brings humor and joy to life every day, even if it’s -50 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind is blowing, and I still don’t really know what I’m doing more than half the time when we’re working cattle. Someone who values working hard and still enjoying the real pleasures of life like good company and taking care of animals. A person who knows a good life isn’t just given, and therefore pursues what he enjoys at every opportunity.

I’m grateful for a cousin that I can joke with, watch good shows with, and enjoy life around.

I’m a selfish knitter. Few things I make ever belong to anyone but me because it breaks my heart to think they would go unloved. Knitting is one of my love languages, and many people, though no fault of their own (other than not being crafters), often don’t realize what a hand-made item takes to make. Making one of my love languages a tongue that not everyone knows how to speak.

That being said, you don’t have to be a crafter to love a good sweater either.

In these past months in this home, I have realized that I have rarely if ever met individuals so full of deep and sincere love, let alone a whole house of them. On top of that, everyone in this house knows me for my knits, and compassionately cheer me on as I finish each project and design each new item.

The day I knew this family should be covered in warm, cozy knits was when I finished the Forest Grove Shawl and my aunt applauded how quickly I accomplished finishing it, and my cousin lamented how long it took. The perfect balance of having my skill appreciated and valuing how much time hand-knit things require. I started buying yarn then. Well, more yarn. Yarn for them. You know what I mean.

In a seemingly counterintuitive act to combat stress, I decided to make each person their own sweater…..

In a month. For Christmas.

Obviously that didn’t work out for me, as you can tell from this post coming out at the end of February. Life’s funny that way.

Only two of the sweaters actually got finished in time for Christmas, and then the other two were patiently awaited for as I went through the fantastic realization that sweaters for strong, grown, adult men are far larger than the ones meant for a 115 pound woman. To be totally honest, I didn’t realize how much bigger men were until I made these sweaters. I think I sort of always pictured that they were only a few more inches around than me. Whoops.

Every stitch was worth it though, and as I chipped away at finishing each one, I got to have the sincere joy of seeing these sweaters worn.

Not just at the house to coddle my feelings, but out to work days, out to weekend-long wedding celebrations, and to family gatherings.

I even got a great laugh, as my cousin wore his sweater to a wedding, where no one believed that it was hand-made. No matter how long he asserted that his cousin had made it, apparently everyone thought that wasn’t the case, and that he must have bought it.

I have decided to take this as a wonderful compliment.

My aunt’s sweater. My own design, and a rich bright green that is better displayed in that second picture.

Yarn is Madelinetosh Twist Light, Oak

My cousin’s sweater, true to colour in the photo. The design is “Peaks” from Purl Soho.

The yarn is Madelinetosh Twist Light, Cardinal

My other cousin’s sweater, much lighter in person (and yes I should have taken a better photo, but I was excited to give it to him). The design is my own.

Yarn is Swans Island Washable Wool Sport, Pewter

My uncle’s sweater, true to colour (see I learned my lesson, and took a better picture!). The design is my own

Yarn is Swans Island Sport, Graphite

Tonight I’ll wrap this last sweater (because I refuse to not have this be festive, even though we’re almost into March) and I’ll be moving on to the other projects I’ve been queueing up during this three-month adventure.

Don’t forget to cherish the ones you love, cherish what they bring to your life, and be courageous in sharing the things you love with them. Life’s too short to not have a good sweater.

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

It’s getting cold out here in North Dakota, and in the tender little moments where it feels like ice crystals are burrowing into every pore of my face I began to realize that I was woefully unprepared for real cold after my cushy, easy winters in the Pacific Northwest.

I went over to the website my dear familiar, Knotty Lamb, and ordered Madelinetosh’s Tiny House on the base Farm Twist since I had been ogling it anyway and this was obviously pure necessity.

Then I dug through my hat pattern collection to find Camas by Cory Ellen Boberg,

Other than completely messing up the first triangle section, and having to rip out 15 rows of progress because I was a bit too caught up in Buzzfeed’s Unsolved: Supernatural, this hat went remarkably smooth.

Who could blame me though? They were talking about Mothman!

Even after my paranormal distraction mishap, this hat was finished in two days.

I have found this pattern so attractive that I can guarantee you will see the design elsewhere in another project I work on. Cory Ellen’s concept is beyond beautiful, and now I must have a matching cowl and maybe even a sweater if I find the right yarn.

As for alterations, I did make the hat one repeat longer than was dictated in the pattern. Personally, I prefer hats that are long enough to put all of my hair into so I can focus all of my attention on my freezing cold face. I can’t stand my hair getting in the way of that.

It may also be a little nice to have my hair in a bun so it’s not tickling my face. Have you ever tried to move hair out of your face with gloves on? It’s like a cat trying to pick up a small piece of paper.

Now I’m one step closer to not freezing to death!

Stay warm, stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

Here we are, at the fourth and final clue of the Lunar Phase Mystery Knitalong.  If you don't want spoilers, you might want to check this out later.  As for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this project reaching its wholeness at long last!

The layout was one of the things I had the most worry about when it came to this.  I'm not particularly into small shawls, and by the second clue I was beginning to worry that this would be a big circle when it was finished.  I'm sure it would have been pretty that way, but I prefer practicality.  Most circle shawls fall off me quicker than I can put them on.  I am rarely ever sitting completely still (thus a big reason why I knit all the time) so having a shawl that can't handle me bounding around madly is essential.

This layout also reminds me of the triple goddess symbol that looks like this )0( if you're not familiar, and is a symbol that holds a special place in my heart for celebrating nature, femininity, and obviously the moon.

With all my celestial swooning aside, this was probably the most fun clue to knit.  The rows felt like they took forever since I was knitting clear across all of the active stitches, but it was exciting to unite the three pieces.  It was also nice that the night sky yarn was the only one used for this clue, because it mellowed out some of my bright colours a bit, making it something I'm far more likely to wear.  

Plus Larissa Brown included some nice short rows to even out the dips and likely save the knitters some sanity ;) . 

The icing on the cake though, was the 3-stitch i-cord bind off.  I considered not doing it because it would take longer than a standard bind off, but I'm so glad I continued to put my trust in Larissa Brown.  The i-cord bind off is springy, lays perfectly even and flat, and simply looks beautiful.  I fully plan to use it on other projects in the future.

After scrunching this in my hands like a cat for an hour I set up my blocking mat and got to blocking.

Then, much to my surprise, it grew to be twice its size!  I mean, I did my gauge swatch, and it grew, so I was kind of expecting it to grow but seeing it in real life was extraordinary! 

It's for the better it grew too, because now it's truly a proper shawl size and gave the shawl some much needed width.

After working on this and soaking up all of the beautiful pictures of others' shawls, my only sadness is that it isn't autumn yet.  I'm already looking forward to the cooler months when I can sport my shawls, sweaters, and other happy knits.

But I suppose these warm summer months will give me some time to prepare more beautiful knits to wear.

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

Tonight marks the first quarter moon in the Lunar Phase Mystery Knitalong.  I haven't gotten the first hint yet for this wondrous mystery pattern, but you best believe I am anxiously waiting with my yarn.  

So let's introduce you to the lovely yarn I'll be using for the project.

This is the Moon.  It's the colour Moonstone from Madelinetosh, and the beauty of this yarn positively glows which seems more than a little apropos.

This is the Transition, which is Rocky Mountain High, Colorado also from Madelinetosh.  This was the yarn that inspired the whole colour scheme.  I was originally planning for deep moody blues and purples with pearl white being the moon and electric blue being the stars, but as soon as I saw this yarn the idea had to change to work with it.  I've been a bit homesick for the last couple of months, and these bold and oh so familiar Rocky Mountain colours couldn't be denied.  They feel like home, and when I paired them with the moon I knew I was making the right choice.

To further honour those majestic mountains, I got Whiskey Bar by Madelinetosh (are you sensing a theme here?).  It reminds me of the deep and earthy darkness that comes from being out in the country.  When the night feels gentle and sincere, and lights are few and far between- so all you have to guide your way are the moon and stars..  It's dark, but you can still feel the strong presence of the earth all around you.    

And finally, the stars that shine through.  These are both Glazed Pecan by (you guessed it) Madelinetosh.  I chose these because they had all the brightness that the stars deserve, but still had that earthy aspect that makes the colours rich while still popping.  

Together they are bold, yet still play off of each other nicely.  None will become muddy, but they will also not become the sore thumb of the group.  Plus this way I will have a symbolic piece of home to wear and cherish.  

It also doesn't hurt the excitement that the magnificent woman who is writing the pattern commented that these colours are going to be, as she put it, "stunning".  So far so good.  I can't wait to show you what comes next!

And until then, stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

I've so enjoyed sharing my knitted creations with those I love in recent times.  For one it's nice to give something I put my time and effort into to someone that I know will enjoy it, not to mention having the joy of seeing my projects do some good for people other than myself.  Also, as selfish as I may like to be in my crafty adventures, it's probably a good thing to not have everything I've ever made slowly filling up my closet space to the point where nothing else fits.  

This time around in the knitted gift endeavor, I decided to make a dear friend of mine a rich foresty green cowl for his birthday.  I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who appreciate a good knit. 

The yarn is Madelinetosh Vintage in the colour Joshua Tree, and was magnificently scrunchy.  The only trouble I found with it was that capturing the colour in photos proved to be a bit tricky, but I had to try so you could "ooo" and "awww" over the colours with me.

One of the things I wasn't crazy about with the last cowl I did was that I made it too short.  I wanted to make this one long enough that it could cover the wearer's nose, mouth, and ears while also still giving protection to the neck.  Which means I tried it on repeatedly throughout the knitting process and took silly photos to share.

It knit up perfectly for me, and I managed to finish it with plenty of time to wash it, block it, and let it dry before wrapping it up and giving it to him.  He seemed quite happy, in case you're curious or have that all too familiar dread of sharing things you create with others.  

While I think that art, ideally, is fun and encouraging to share, I also recommend keeping your tender feelings in mind when gifting what you make.  Your time, investment, and love are worth a significant amount, and you deserve to be appreciated.  Granted, not everyone is going to fully notice your fabulous stitch work (that's why you have sweet crafty friends like Alexis) but it doesn't mean they won't love and enjoy what you make.  Sharing lets people into a world that you care about, and in a strange way allows you to be a bit vulnerable with someone you love.  

Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned