There was some major spoilage at Chez Knittymuggins for Christmas this year. As in, my sweetest of sweet husbands bought me an iPad! I was not expecting this and didn’t think I could possibly need one until I opened it up and started using it. Call me deluded, but I somehow feel like this little hunk of metal is going to organize and simplify my life in about eleventy-billion ways. And I barely even know how to turn it on yet. I’ll keep you posted.
But despite all that material goodness, there was much love all around. I mean, how could there NOT be, with this little face to embrace?
There is nothing like having a child in your home for Christmas. It reminds you of all that is hopeful, joyful, pure and innocent. I hope all your holidays were as wonderful as could be and wish each and every one of you the happiest of New Years!
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Love….
Love, thy name is Hexipuff.
Hexipuffs!
Ever since my lovely friend Jess bought me the The Beekeeper’s Quilt pattern and we agreed to knit it together for “however long”, I have been undeniably enamored with this charming little project. Hexipuffs are smooshy, and squooshy, sweet and cute. And each one is a little mini FO that you can pat and poke and imagine occupying its future spot in your darling little quilt.
At first I thought I wouldn’t dare touch my enormous sock yarn stash. I mean, that’s for socks, right? So being short on sock yarn scraps, I scoured etsy, and found someone selling minis. Then I scoured Ravelry and found another. A few bucks later and I was in business! Then I joined a swap at the Sanguine Gryphon Group on Ravelry. Lucky for me, there was one for newbies that didn’t fill up about 2 seconds after it was posted. I swear those SG people are fanatics (me included, mwah-ha-ha!). It’s hard to get in on a destash or a swap because things disappear before you can say “flapjack”. Sadly, The Sanguine Gryphon is no more in a few short days. But that’s a big boo hoo for another day :( I’d say my bank account would breathe a ginormous sigh of relief if it weren’t for the fact that they are dissolving into two new dye studios and I’m afraid that means twice the amount of temptation!
I also discovered that the very talented Didi (creator of Little Red Bicycle; whom I got to meet at Sock Summit 2011 for the first time after “knowing” her for a few years online) had a mini-skein club going. What better way to support a friend, and a mini-skein habit, than by signing up? I’ve already received October and November, am waiting on December, and have signed up for another 3 months of January – March 2012. Everything I’ve received so far has been gorgeous! I can’t wait to make puffs out of them, and I am just stunned by her beautiful sense of color.
October 2011 Mini-skein Club from Little Red Bicycle
November 2011 Mini-Skein Club from Little Red Bicycle
Finally, after a little contemplation of my stash, I decided there were definitely some fingering weight sock yarns that I could (and should) part with. I had a few smaller skeins that weren’t enough for a full pair of socks anyway and I didn’t have immediate plans for them. Nor was I sure they’d look good on a larger scale. That’s the nice thing about the Hexipuffs. You can use some of your loudest or even – dare I say it – ugliest yarns, and they don’t look so bad on a small scale.
Flush with so many choices, I am working steadily on this project. I know it will take me years to make enough to fill out a quilt, but each time I finish one I get a tiny spark of satisfaction. They are the perfect little fillers for when Knittymunchkin is in his high chair eating a snack, or when he is playing independently (however briefly) and I have a spare moment without him clinging to my leg. They are simple, elegant, and can be put down at a moment’s notice without losing your place. In case you didn’t already guess…. I love Hexipuffs!
Because I’ll be working on this for the rest of my natural life (most likely) I think it would be fun to do a little gallery each month of the puffs that I’ve knit. I’ve been keeping count and I knit anywhere from 10 – 25 of these in any given month. So a little retrospective might be fun. January is just days away (how did that happen?) so I think I’ll start after I’ve knit January’s puffs.
Until then, Happy Holidays! May your days be merry & bright :)
Where To Begin?
Where to begin when you haven’t begun in so many beginnings you may have forgotten how to begin at all?
It’s been a long time. There have been things to share, and then the moment has passed and it seems like such old news that there is no point in writing about it at all. When did I start feeling so overwhelmed that I began to let these opportunities slip away from me? Did it happen on my birthday in September when I cooked my own birthday dinner and ate my celebration cake all alone? Or maybe it was a few weeks later when Knittymunchkin decided naps were for suckas and a three week pitched battle between mama and little one ensued. I’m sure you can guess who the victor was. I’ll give you a hint: not me. When did time become something so elusive? When did I lose the ability to indulge in the things I love and how do I get it back? I don’t have any answers. I wish I did. But I will just have to take one day at a time. Because this is worth it. Writing is worth it. Connecting with all of you is worth it.
The biggest event I may have failed to mention was my five year blogging anniversary on October 14, 2011. Five years! It’s a bittersweet accomplishment because the milestone is not without some significance to me, yet I know I haven’t been maintaining things here well enough to consider it a five years worth acknowledging. I had planned festivities, but perhaps we will save those for the New Year. A kind of new start which, as many of you know, I typically celebrate on my birthday in September. But since that date has come and gone I will shoot this year for January 1, 2012. After all, 12 is my favorite number.
Though it would seem likely I haven’t been knitting much, what with the lack of content here and a toddler boycotting naps, I’ve actually been knitting quite a lot. Knittymunchkin rewards me with moments each day during which he is content to play quietly by himself, and we have recently reverted back to at least 45 minutes of naptime most days. On top of that, R. Darling has a temporary promotion at work that has him working different hours which means that I have a few hours to myself each evening before bed now. Though I dearly miss our couple time, I have been thrilled to have a few more quiet moments to myself each day. They’ve seemed few and far between the past 2 years. And, as if I needed another distraction from my knitting, I’ve started working out again. But it’s good. It’s all good.
I’ll leave you with a picture of Knittymunchkin from a hot August afternoon this summer…..
You’ll be happy to see that I’m starting him off early :)
Hope all your holidays are off to a joyful start!