Christmas Knitting

 Yes, you read that right. 

Christmas knitting. We'll get to that. 

COVID-19 Recap...

Well, I got my 2 shots (Team Pfizer) and had, aside from a sore arm, NO side effects. I'm not sure what that means, if anything. Everyone who'd had COVID was telling me that if you had it, then your first shot acted like the "second" one -- which is where most got side-effects. 

Me? Bupkus. Well, a sore arm. But other than a couple hours after Shot #1 of feeling "meh," I really didn't have anything go wrong. It could also be that I built myself into that "meh" as well...anticipation of feeling like crap generally makes you feel like crap. 

So it's been time enough: I'm immune-ish. As immune as one gets with a vaccine. I'm still wearing a mask and washing hands. I don't trust other people; maybe that's the casualty of this whole thing. We've lost the ability to trust humans because they're either crazy conspiracy theorists or they just ignore the over 500,000 dead people because it hasn't directly affected them. 

Political Recap...

I was a judge at our municipal elections. Municipal elections are where it starts, people. Get involved nationally, too -- by all means, VOTE. But don't forget the place you live. Elections really count at a local level: your school board, library board, city council...all those offices are where the Tea Party (remember them?) started. That's where they got in and where they began to move up the ranks. 

I wanted to talk about the Chauvin verdict, the censure of Liz Cheney and the continued killing of black and brown people. But I can't. 

It's not that I'm not informed. I just don't want to have the conversation while I have some other things on my mind. 

Christmas & Regular Knitting Recap...

Well, not actually a recap but an organizational post plus an update on a "mostly" finished object. I finally -- FINALLY -- got down to see my friend Kelly at Le Mouton Rouge Knittery. It's a solid 2 hour drive one way. But it's worth it. I've gotten a few things at a closer shop, but for the stuff I was planning, I needed to get down there and poke around. 

I got more yarn than I planned -- but I have 3, no 4 - yes, 4 projects for Xmas. And I need to get skippy and get them done. 

At the top, you see purple (looks blue) and grey hanks. The colors are much more rich; the grey is speckled with purple and lime green, surprisingly. This will be my next Breathe and Hope shawl, for a special person. 

Well, not to brag, but you're special if I knit for you. I'm picky about who's "knitworthy" or not. 

In the middle are the round "cakes" of Mandala yarn; it's something I picked up on clearance. My friend got me a Caron cake, and I did that purple sawtooth shawl. Well, these are going to be for friends; not sure who's getting what. The pastel one will be either a sawtooth shawl or a "bamboo" pattern cowl - a long one that can be wrapped a couple times for maximum warmth. 

The darker one (on the right) is described below...and it needs discussing. 

The bottom is a deep blue with a grey and COPPER SPARKLES!! That is, technically, for me. I'm sending my first Breathe & Hope to a friend (they don't know it yet) -- the bright blue + flamingo pink one. This one is for me, so it's kind of last on my list, but still, I'm anxious for my friend to get the first one, and for me to make this one for myself. 

Breathe & Hope moves along quickly, so I'm not too worried about getting the one at the top done... 

Here's my plan: I'm making some stuff for Christmas. Seriously, my first project is the Baxter Street Cowl. Now, it's a "beginner" pattern, but it uses 590 yards of that Mandala yarn, and it's mind-numbing stockinette stitch (K on right side, P on wrong side). For miles. Miles. 

The thing is, even though it's "basic," in my opinion, this is where your skill as a knitter shows. I'm actually pretty good with tension, and eleventy-billion yards of stockinette stitch is a kicker. It's not only TV knitting but it's also a screaming advertisement for your ability to keep your tension even. 

This is a long cowl as well - it can be worn by a tall person as one big loop or by us shorties as a double (maybe triple?) loop. It's almost 5 feet long. Maybe this is as close as I get to a Time Traveler scarf? 

Anyway, you knit for the length of a trip from the earth to the moon, then you sew the short ends together. I can't make a moebius because there's a "wrong" side. But that's ok. 

I was hoping to find something specific on Ravelry with regard to cowls, but nothing fit the Mandala yarn and I'm not even sure the "bamboo" one will. I may end up doing something similar with the pastel one. Who knows? 

Oh, I finished a sock! So I did the Strong Heel, and I remembered why I liked it. It really fits better than the heel flap. I should tink the one blue sock, which I won't, because the heel flap is too short (this is the OTHER blue sock...not pictured). 

I realized that I have wayyyyyyyyy too much Opal in blue colorways. Nothing in purple. Which is weird. I love purple. Why can't I find purple Opal? 

This is that leg design that's super-simple -- it doesn't show a lot in the picture, but I do think it looks pretty good. I have to cast on the 2nd one. I was going to do it right off, but I made the trip to Bloomington....and there you go: started on Christmas stuff. 

Yoga Training Recap...

So I finished the modules for the 500-hour teacher training. I have to do some ancillary workshops and start on my thesis project, but I'm essentially done. Which means that, aside from the workshops, I'm actually in a period of relative slack. Which relates to the knitting above. I feel like I'm going to have time this year to do this stuff. 

That, coupled with the reduced work schedule, and my own commitment to not think about guilt when I'm sitting on my butt knitting...I've got a crap-ton of projects that I want to do, and I'm going to do them. Or at least make a dent in the pile. 

Random Picture...

I've found a new place to meditate. Or at least to catch my breath. Yes, it's a car wash. For about 3 minutes, I can just sit and detach. 

There's no cell reception. The radio won't pick up. The car is getting clean. Nobody can contact me. I have nothing to do but breathe for the length of the car wash. 

I try to wash my car at least every 2 weeks. More in the winter, if it's not freezing, because we still use salt on our roads. 

I used to wash by hand, but with the SUV, I can't reach the top easily, so it's cheaper and more eco-friendly, honestly, to use a car wash. 

Sometimes, you've got to grab the calm when and where you can. All in all, I could use less of the "strobe" light effects, but I can just close my eyes and turn my head. 

Looking for yoga classes and there's no studio available? Check out our online classes, our subscription service and -- if you're in the area, come in for classes!

Just Breathe Yoga Studio, Crest Hill, IL (815) 546-2770 (call/text)

email: info@just-breatheyoga.com

website: www.just-breatheyoga.com

Things Done and Things Left Undone...

That title up there is actually a line from our post-communion prayer at church, but it seemed to fit nicely today...

So, some stuff got done. Some stuff is still left undone, but I'm working on it. 

Prayer Patches... Yes, an ongoing project. Worked on some at lunch, have a few working at home. As we're collecting these, it's cool to see the different sizes - some are making small squares, some are doing rectangles and it's kind of interesting to see what's being used for yarn. Most of mine are left-overs - they have a story... "this was from Manu's layette; this one is a kid's hat; this one is from a scarf I made for Hubby." I love that these yarns were used for projects for people, even though yes, I have purchased a few balls of yarn for this project. 

Just being able to complete these, rather than having to stare at a whole Prayer Shawl that I know will take me forever? This is a great idea. 

Christmas Knitting... Well, one hat down, one to go. Unless I get a streak going, which - honestly? Isn't likely. One year, maybe I'll start early and do hats for all the nephews. This one is ideally for Kid #1, who loves red. Though like I said, he's got a navy blue coat, so maybe he'd like the other color of the one I'm planning for Kid #2. 

This is the Lion Brand Wool-Ease, and of course the Emergency One Day Hat, which in this case took me ten or eleven days. I didn't knit straight on this - I've got 3 part-time jobs, so while I did have times where I had "solid whacks of knitting," mostly this was row-by-row after a yoga class or when I had a few moments. 

All in all, I still adore this hat; this time, I skipped a K2tog somewhere, and I had a little "pip" at the tip of the hat - which I promptly pulled to the inside! I suppose I could add pom-poms to this if I wanted to do that. And I might - my friend Kelly at Le Mouton Rouge has some fantastic ones available! And yes, she does mail-order if you need it. I'm going out there December 1st with my friend Roberta the Opera Singer, and I'm pretty sure that I won't only be window-shopping... 

Decreases - wow, so magical! As you can see here (I hope), the evenly placed "blades" really add some style to this hat. 

One of these days, I may try this hat in a hand-painted, or marled yarn. Not necessarily a self-patterning one, but one where I have lovely colors working through the entire thing. Hubby could use a new hat, but I'm not sure this one can fit him, since it's literally a kid's hat! 

The Vicar's Banner... So for some idiotic reason, I volunteered to do a banner for the Vicar's installation. Why do I do this? Why? What's going on in my brain? Obviously, a cognizance of time is severely lacking. 


(Hubby is hauling in a stash of yoga chairs - they've been recalled and have to be disposed of - we had to buy new ones, which wasn't fun. But neither is a student in a collapsed chair!)

Sooooooo. Trip to the fabric store after germinating an idea. This is the idea: a tree, where we can dip our palms in paint and add "leaves." At first, I was told to do greens, but the Vicar wants LOTS of color, so I bought paints of all the autumn shades I could find. 

I got duck cloth - heavy stuff, because it's a banner that has to hang straight. Then I called my mom... I was pretty sure that I had to wash it first, because most fabrics have a finish on them. I was concerned that the finish would preclude the paint from sticking properly. 

So I had to stitch up the sides. I bought 2 yards, which is insanely over-buying, but I'd rather have more than have to piece it. 

The point of stitching on the cut ends is, of course, to keep them from raveling. You have to wash this fabric to get that finish off. I did a 1-in. seam (ish) and honestly, it doesn't matter the width of the seam unless you've bought exactly the amount of fabric you need. So if I'd bought the 1 yard, I'd have done the seam closer to 1/2" or maybe a bit less. 

I did the same thing to the brown fabric. In that case, the white thread shows up; obviously for the duck cloth, it doesn't - but again...doesn't matter. I'm not picking the seams out. 

I also bought iron-on interfacing to put the tree trunk on the duck cloth. It's not an item I'm wearing, so the iron-on will stick nicely, and if I have time, I can do a running stitch or mattress stitch (which would be a lot more festive, and easy enough to do) in embroidery floss to double-secure the sides of the trunk. Just in case someone folds it up to store it, right? 

My sewing skills are at best rudimentary. My embroidery skills are, if I may say so, quite good. I have an aunt (sadly, she's in advanced Alzheimer's disease) who showed me how to do needlework in exchange for babysitting. Good on her - she didn't pay me; it was "lessons for sitting." Yeah, I know - but you know what? Learning that was cool and for a long, long time, she was my favorite person and the person who (not only being my godmother) I went to when I had problems or questions. Everyone should have an aunt like that. 

My sewing machine is equally rudimentary, but I love him (yes, I consider it a male) and I have had to really push back at people who've said to me, "This is practically an antique - you need to buy a new one" when I've had to have it repaired. I must also say that I've only had it repaired three times. And I've owned it for... gosh, nearly 40 years! Dang. It's old. 

Dang. So am I... 

Here's a photo of my baby. While St. Clare is the patron saint of sewing, I call him Quentin, who's the patron saint of tailors. I'm no tailor, but what the heck? He has to have a name. 

He does three things: He goes backward, forward and zig-zag. He does make buttonholes, but I can do them faster and neater than he can (sorry, Quentin). 

Quentin has seen me through sewing my own clothes in college, repairing jeans, making household items, Christmas ornaments, and such, and making baby clothes and various baby blankets throughout the years, as well as his crowning glory: Domestic Violence Supply Bags (bags my mom and I did up for packing with toiletries and toothbrushes - they were put in backpacks along with a pair of sweatpants, a sweatshirt, underwear, socks, and a sports bra -- for use by social workers in rape cases). Now, he's semi-retired, even though I have a few projects in my linen closet. He's had problems with his bobbin tension occasionally, and really, that's what the 3 repairs were. 

I don't need fancy-schmantzy machinery. I wouldn't know what to do with it! One guy tried to tell me that I needed "a machine that does embroidery that you work through your computer."

Bulletin dude: I can embroider my own self, by hand. When I'm sewing, I'm not in front of my computer - on purpose! And I'm not a quilter, so all I need is Quentin. 

Anyhow -- see this mess? That's the duck cloth after being washed and dried with wool dryer balls. I can go into quite a dissertation about how bad those dryer sheets are for you... the chemicals in them, the "slime" they actually leave on your skin and your towels... Ahem. 

I didn't want any kind of finish left on this fabric, so the dryer balls were the thing to use. I didn't add any extra oil, but the banner does smell lightly of lavender. That's not all bad, right? Maybe that's an omen for how smoothly this project will go. I hope. St. Quentin, do your thing! 

What I'll do next is iron it. I'll starch it after it's done - heavy-duty starch on the back of the project so that it hangs nicely. I was going to do it with the fabric doubled, but Mom insisted it would be entirely too heavy. She's probably right. But if I starch the back, it should stiffen up nicely and hold its shape. If nothing else, I can put a tassel on the bottom of it. I have time to go grab one. 

Digestive Enzymes... I'm still having problems with that bout of food poisoning several months ago. It's eased up significantly, but my digestive tract is still messed up. I talked to my chiropractor and two things came out of it: I probably need to see a naturopath and get food tested; and I should be taking digestive enzymes. I do take a probiotic, but the enzymes might help settle my stomach and its ability to do its job. I've been on GERD medication for a while, so my system is already "slowed up" somewhat. 

It's getting worse. And I'm uncomfortable. Having extra weight on my bones doesn't help, but I haven't felt this bad since before I was diagnosed with GERD. That's not good. The gastro guy appointment is in a few weeks. 

And I can't remember to take those ^*%& pills!! Which is very weird. Normally, I am very compliant with medications, but for some reason, popping one of these before every meal is a pain in the rear end. 

The bottle is, of course, incredibly large. I'm not keen on carrying that around. So I snagged an empty Rx bottle, put a label on it and stuck it in my purse. Maybe THAT will help me. 

When I remember to take it, it does its job. When I don't remember, I pay for it. I'm actually looking forward to the gastro appointment, just so I can assure myself that all of this "will pass." 

Shabbat Shalom... In response to the Pittsburgh massacre by a home-grown terrorist (Yes. That's what it was and he is.), our local synagogue opened up its Sabbath services last night. 

You want to know what was incredibly sad? The fully kitted out cop standing at the doorway. The Rabbi speaking about the persecution - historical and ongoing - using words only he could use, and that I will not use here (slang, reinforcing the disrespect and cultural ignorance). And the fact that the congregation had, apparently, heard it all. It makes me sad for my community, because on the surface, we all get along. I mean it. By no means is it Utopia, but in the circles I travel, I never noticed what the Rabbi spoke of. 

You want to know what was incredibly uplifting? So many of the Gentile community turned out that they ran out of prayer books. The Rabbi, looking out over all of us sitting there, bemused by the "backward" prayer book, and looking expectantly at him and the young cantor, said, "I'm so happy to see everyone sitting out there!" 

I've actually sung Hebrew before - sparingly, but I've sung it. And I was trained in Sanskrit chant...but this book was a little beyond me (in a good way). The ladies sitting behind us were very helpful. And up in front of us was a literal passel of nuns, who came out to pray and support the congregation. 

We made our way through the service and I hope that the congregation felt our support. When the alleged "commander in chief" spews such hatred and divisiveness, he really doesn't have to give specific instructions. All he has to do is "normalize" the simmering nastiness. Which he's done in spades. And which he totally disavows, like a true dictator does. 

Last night gave me hope. 

What was left undone... Well, at least for a few weeks. I actually ran out of Clary Sage oil. That's just weird. I usually never run out of this stuff, but somehow, I did. This is a favorite spray in our yoga studio, and I had students asking about it. 

I fiddled with this blend a few years ago, and now with the Young Living Essential Oils, it's more consistent. Some other oils don't have the overall consistency that these oils do. I wish I could share the recipe, but honestly, it's pretty much "what I feel like at the time." Sometimes, I do more geranium. Sometimes, more Clary sage. Sometimes, a balance of both. It really all does end up with how I feel on that day. 

Both men and women like this. I think guys think that yoga studios are 99% white women. Which, unfortunately, they are. I have very few minority students, and I'd love to have more. 

Anyhow, my point is that this spray goes over well with everyone. I've never had anyone say they disliked it (and they would!). 

Today, at the studio, we have a ceramics trunk show, courtesy of a local artist. This is something I might spray beforehand, just to freshen up the space and put people in a good space. 

Either that or I'll diffuse "Christmas Spirit" but I won't play Christmas music yet. I'll put a nice instrumental playlist on. Not to soporific, but relaxing. 

Random Picture...

I have to do a cake for the installation of the Vicar (because, you know, I've got nothing else to do...). Seriously, I had always planned to do the cake. The other stuff just got added on, which is something I've got to get better at delegating or refusing. But that's another blog. 


I scrolled through the cakes I've done in years past, and I'm thinking this may be something I may do. The Vicar wants lots of colors, and this might be the best way to incorporate that. Her invitation is a rainbow, and she wanted colors on the leaves on the banner. I have leaf-shaped cookie cutters,which is my way of achieving this effect. 

I'm likely to use the oval pans, and make one large 2-layer oval,and "torte" it - cut each layer in half horizontally again making 4 layers total. There's going to be "heavy munchies" so I don't have to do a 200-person cake, thankfully. This one should serve about 70 people. And we'll have lots of other food there. We feed people well, that's for sure. 

Now all I need is her favorite cake flavor. That shouldn't be too hard... 

Itch. Itch. Itch.

Every once in a while, I try a new product. Sometimes - well, usually, it's on recommendation. And 90% of the time, a recommendation works out well. Not so much this time. I can't help but think that the new spray facial toner I've tried is giving me a nasty case of hives. 

Twice. Honestly, the first time, it didn't bother me. But twice since? Hives. On my neck & chest. Bad. And I can't use cortisone cream - nasty reaction which was, actually, HIVES. 

It was this stuff. And I'm not saying it's bad. It got great reviews, aside from the person who recommended it. I'm just "one of those." One of those people who, if there's a 1 in a thousand chance of something going awry? It's me. 

I'm rather bummed. I like to use natural products, and I like the idea that this is a small company in Colorado, woman-owned, too. That being said... I've got hives and I'm trying to get rid of them without using cortisone cream. Do you know how difficult that is? (sigh)

So Hubby bought me some CeraVe "anti-itch" lotion. The tag on the bottle says, "stops itch in 2 minutes, keeps itch away for 8 hours." Not so much... It was about 2 hours. And I started itching again. 

We've ditched most of the old stuff  we used to use on our skin, but I was thinking, "maybe I've got some Noxema in the basement." I didn't. But I did find some Burt's Bees After Sun lotion. The aloe vera seems to be working. So far. I'll probably slather it on again tonight before I go to bed, and see how that works. I even took off my BellaBeat. It wasn't bothering me, but my sternum area was so irritated that it wasn't worth wearing it. 

It's Fall, Y'all...

I can't decide what color my front tree is this year. It's red. It's gold. It's yellow. It's brown. All at once. And tonight's a gorgeous full moon. Which I'm unable to get a decent photo of because of light pollution. Gotta love living in the 'burbs. 

As the season is changing, I'm watching both of our trees. They're both a little over 25 years old; two maples. The one in the back is a bright orange in the autumn. This year, it's not doing so well in terms of the colors. They're more muted. That happens sometimes, but the tree is in good health overall. I'm chalking that up to Mother Nature - when she's confused, the colors don't turn out so well. 

The one in the front is supposed to be a flaming red - like Lucille Ball's lipstick (Google that if you can't immediately picture it). Again - the tree is confused. It's the weather. This one is also healthy as the proverbial horse, so I'm not too annoyed at the odd colors yet. We'll see how this shakes out when the season really gets rolling. 

As for the milkweed, I've got red bugs on the pods. And the pods are just now starting to burst. I'm sure I'll have more milkweed than I can use. I should gather up the spare and offer it for folks. Note to self: Do that this weekend!! 

I'm not sure what the red bugs are, but it seems like they're enjoying the pods. 

The parsley is still looking great, even after the first frost. We got the tomatoes taken down, and Hubby is going to pull up the carrots this weekend, as well.  

Of course, there's eighty bazillion and five carrots - we'll see how many of them are fit to eat. I didn't thin them out enough - which is what caused the immediate demise of my radishes this year. 

I think that I was able to thin out some of the carrots late in the season, but we'll have to see what actually grew in the plot. Could be that I end up with a bunch of "carrot straws," which are good for not much of anything! 

(Note: now I'm itching again... Looks like the aloe vera isn't doing its stuff either... Maybe a Benadryl night.)

So, let's chat about Orchid Nation...a/k/a the shelf in my living room. I found some river rock, and I also got some lava rock (small pieces). The lava rock is kind of a mess; you have to drain it like crazy. 

I switched up the bark in the keiki (the baby) and then gave the rootless phal a drink, and replaced her bark with the rock + lava rock combo. I'm pretty sure that if I can keep her leaves green, I can encourage her to sprout roots. It's going to take months, if not a full year - and I think having the rock/lava mixture will encourage humidity. I've filled the water to just past that bottom rim there on the left - that's enough to give it a little "terrarium" feel when the rootless phal is in there. The leaves are still pretty turgid, and there's a new one sprouting in the center. Of course, that's a defense mechanism to stay alive, but we'll take it. I think I can make her happy again. About a 20-30 minute soak every other day, not wetting her crown, and tucking her in that humid environment - we'll see. The Orchid Gods can perhaps give me this one, as I'm learning my lesson. 

Knitting...

Along with more Prayer Patches (we think we have over 200 of them, and I've done about a dozen), I decided that I could probably knit the kids some hats for Christmas. 

Using the Emergency One Day Hat pattern on Ravelry, which is now my go-to hat pattern, I'm doing a red hat with gold stripes for Kid #1 (who's loved red since he was a baby) and a gold hat with either brown stripes or maybe red for Kid #2 (who doesn't care what he gets as long as it's something I've knitted). I'm thinking that maybe I can also toss in a scar for Kid #1 - I have no idea if he's got any of the ones I've knitted through the years. I know Kid #2 has - even an incredibly ratty one that's falling apart - he keeps it because he says it's still warm. It's horrible. I told him, "Ok, you can keep it, but don't tell anyone I made it!!" 

I frogged Kid #1's hat once already; I had a moebius strip...it wasn't supposed to twist. And then I started the ribbing. I decided to jazz it up and do a twisted rib. It's K2, P2, so what I did, of course, was knit the Ks through the back loop for a nice little pop. It's easier to tell on thinner yarn (like on a sock's ribbing), but this does make the knit rows in the rib stand out a tad bit more. I'll see if I like it enough to repeat it on Kid #2's hat. There are only 5 rows of ribbing on this hat, so it won't make me want to scream. 

I'm thinking I'll be working on the hats for a bit; we have sufficient Prayer Patches for Pocket Priest's installation, and I can still whip them up during my evenings catching up with Dr. Who...since I'm teaching during the time it's on (Sunday nights), Hubby is taping it for me. I'm not worried about spoilers. I just want to see how the program evolves this year. 

Here's a great way to see if you've actually cast on the proper amount of stitches: do an even ribbing (like what I'm doing here). I ended up with a "spare" stitch. So I put markers every 20 stitches, and found an extra - which I just P2tog (purl two together) and fixed it in the second row of ribbing. Nobody will ever know - except you all... 

Random Picture...

I dug back in the archives for this one. It's back when we weren't crazy and could have a nice back yard. 

We still have that concrete bird bath, and it's still enjoyed by the birds. This was back in 2012, so it was the first year or two that we had the raised beds for the garden. And the cages there were either herbs or potted flowers - we have digger-squirrels, and anything that's not caged is fair game for the little buggers. 

Those are our white plastic chairs that Hubby scrubbed and repainted. I'm not sure they're usable now - it's been a long time. 

I miss having that back yard sanctuary thing. I think I need to get back out there and this coming spring do something positive. Not sure what, yet. Most likely a native plant garden, as we've got the front yard rolling in that direction. If I can convince Hubby to dig up a bit more? Maybe more milkweed and coneflower. Will keep you posted there. 

Looking forward to any comments - let's chat!