Year of the fearless knitter
If you aren't a knitter, the term "fearless knitter" may sound a bit (okay, a lot) wacky. Why in the world would someone be fearful of knitting? Well, in my case I used knitting as a meditative and relaxing activity for many years, meaning I didn't want to knit anything too difficult that could potentially cause me stress or anxiety. Trust me folks, deciphering certain knitting patterns can really make you sweat at times. So I mainly stuck to basic patterns and rarely ventured into the realm of knitwear or knit design.
Anyway, I think I will remember 2008 most for being the year I became a fearless knitter. Living alone in Germany I had a lot of time on my hands. Since I didn't need to practice (that was my everday routine at the theater) or study (no more school--yaay!) I found myself craving some kind of challenging activity for my free time, and knitting fit the bill. Here is a year-in-review look at most of my knitting projects from the last twelve months:
My first lace cardigan
"Forecast," learned my first bobbles
"Esther," one of my first attempts at modifying patterns
My own handspun and my own hat pattern
My first baby clothing
A t-shirt rug, my own design
A half a pair of socks, still unfinished...
My first sweater with expensive yarn
My favorite lace shawl with cheap yarn
A random mitten
My first attempt at two-color socks
A sampling of my baby hat obsession
An almost-finished purse
A "frogged" manicure sock design (first beading project)
My own baby hat pattern
My first lace shawl project
My most popular sweater modification
My first cotton washcloth
Fingerless gloves
And way more fingerless gloves
And more fingerless gloves, with a squishy reversible scarf
My first pair of socks
My second pair of socks
Whew! And that doesn't even count my Christmas gift knitting! I didn't get pictures of everything I made this year, but it's safe to say that my fearful knitting days are over!
Labels: Knitting
The trough
The Olympia family Christmas was different this year. Mom and Dad bought all new ornaments, decorations, and even a new kind of fresh tree for the house. Here it is in all its glory, complete with a snooping dog.
You see, along with all new decorations, my parents have a tree stand/trough, which is much more convenient to keep filled with water. No more hunkering down under the tree every day and no more pine needles poking you in the face!
However, both dogs realized that the trough water was approximately three feet closer to the living area than their water bowls and, naturally, started drinking from the trough instead.
Aside from the slightly moistened Christmas presents, it was really quite funny.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
Labels: This and That
Translation
I am in the middle of a huge organization weekend here at home. I was so eager to get "settled" in my apartment back in the fall that some organizing was left by the wayside in favor of just getting boxes unpacked and things put away.
I just came across a poem that I originally saw hanging on the wall of a fabric store just outside of Coburg. It struck such a chord with me that I borrowed a pen and paper from the shopkeeper and wrote it out. So, for my German-speaking readers, enjoy.
"Ich will dich lieben ohne Dich festzuhalten,will mir ein Urteil bilden ohne Dich zu verurteilen,will Dir nahe sein ohne Dich einzuengen,will Dich ermutigen ohne Dich zu ueberfordern,will von Dir gehen ohne Schuldgefuehle,will an Dir Kritik ueben ohne Dich zu verletzen,und will Dir helfen ohne Dich abhaengig zu machen."Sigh. That sounds lovely, doesn't it?
Labels: This and That
The little wedding that could
I was invited to a wedding this past weekend that faced trial by snow. After having their venue cancel less than 24 hours before the ceremony, my friend's wedding was moved to a beautiful little home in north Tacoma.
Everyone pitched in to decorate the living and dining rooms with greenery and shimmery red and silver decorations, and the result was lovely.
Because of the change of venue, the only people who actually saw the ceremony were immediate family, but the reception was fun and festive and very intimate.
The wedding cake had royal icing snowflakes all around.
And the families wrangled up tasty snacks and drinks the morning of the ceremony.
The bride was sporting some lovely shoes at the reception.
Her ceremony shoes got to take a rest next to the wedding favors and marriage license. Those cookies were baked mainly by my friend Heather, and frosted by the mother of the bride.
For all of the things that went wrong for this little wedding, it was really fun to see how the family and friends made the best of it all. Although it wasn't what they originally intended, the little wedding that could turned out to be one of the nicest ceremonies any of the guests had ever attended.
Maybe that's why they call it winter wonderland.
Labels: This and That
The fluffy white stuff
Although it appears this post will be about snow, I actually do have a gingerbread story that weaves into it.
Yesterday when I woke up to get ready for work, this is what greeted my eyes:
After checking in at work and being told to stay home, I figured it would be a great idea to walk to the grocery store and buy more ingredients to make gingerbread. I'm ready to construct and decorate a house but didn't have all the things I needed at home.
So I ventured out into the snow, which was falling very heavily. I haven't seen snow like this in years!
A few drivers had ventured out, but for the most part it was early enough in the day that I had the street to myself.
I got to the grocery store without major event and bought everything I needed, and turned back and headed for home.
But the walk was a lot harder with all of the groceries I bought and by the time I got home I wasn't in the mood to make gingerbread. So I just sat back and watched the snow. Then I had a visitor come over and we went out to play in the snow.
And I made a snow angel.
It was an awesome snow day!
Labels: This and That
Snow day!
I was very skeptical of the snow forecasted in my area over the last few days, especially yesterday, when not one single flake fell anywhere around me! However, the magic began sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. when I was checking the weather conditions. There are several lovely inches of white, fluffy snow outside! The car I'm driving is garaged until the snow melts and the roads and buses aren't doing that great, which means I have a snow day! It seems only appropriate to start the day with pictures of gingerbread, right?
These are the phenomenal gingerbread displays that are showing the the downtown Seattle Sheraton. For a suggested donation of $5.00 (which is TOTALLY worth it and goes to juvenile diabetes research) you can see these masterful creations:
This year there is a superhero theme, and check out Wonder Woman fighting crime atop a castle made of Pez! (click on any picture to make it bigger and see all the details)
This was the biggest, baddest display on site, in my opinion. Check out the Seattle skyline AND a firefighter rescuing Santa from the chimney!
Here is the whole front of the display. Doesn't it just make your heart sing to see such a beautiful, edible creation?
And yes, I also find it a little ironic that this sugar-bomb of a holiday display is put on to support research for a disease that is only aggravated by sugar.
This is such a cool idea! It is a child's desk at night with the superheroes emerging from their comic books. The clutter and mess reminds me of my own desk as a kid!
Here is a stellar-looking batcave. And look at that hard candy waterfall and batmobile!
I wonder if Nintendo sponsored this one. I love how they used jelly beans to make it look like a pixelated screen.
And not to leave any angle uncaptured, here are the backs of the displays. In my opinion this is where the real magic is, because you can see the large, unexposed pieces of gingerbread and also peek how the structures are held together.
This is such a cool idea for the kid's desk, like they shaved and carved the gingerbread to achieve the marbled effect.
This display wasn't a great one to look at from the front, but I really love the back. Not all gingerbread accessories have to be sweet, either. Look at the way they used pretzels to achieve the look of a log cabin!
Here is my favorite display again. Look at those big beautiful slabs of gingerbread! I think I might need to spend my snow day baking gingerbread...if the stores are able to open, that is!
Labels: This and That
Gingerbread respite
I think I could fill the rest of the month with posts about gingerbread. I think I have an illness. But, if you're getting tired of the tireless gingerbread theme, then thank Blogger that the photo upload system isn't working for me right now, meaning I just might have to find something else to write about other than baked ginger goodness. Whew, let's see how I do.
Next week at this time I will be done with my "temp" assignment at the radiology clinic. I never expected to be there for three full months, but I am glad I was able to stay that long and I learned a lot about the working world, and the medical field, by working there. But by far the most valuable thing I learned from my stint in the radiology world is how precious my good health is. After three months of seeing dozens and dozens of patients every day who are who are stuggling with one ailment or another, I can't even begin to describe how lucky I feel to be so healthy. Once, when I was dancing in a show choir in college, I hurt my knee and had to have an MRI to test for ligament tears. And that is the entirety of my imaging history, thank goodness.
After my assignment is complete I will look for full-time employment and continue to take other temp work offered to me by my staffing agencies. As a person who has always been so driven and specific goal-oriented, I am taking advantage of this period in my life to concentrate on just being. I know a great job will come along when the time is right, and I am not overly-concerned about finding work in the area as a singer. It is a difficult sensation to just let go and be, but maybe that could be my New Year's resolution for 2009.
Anyway, in the meantime I will enjoy my last days at the radiology clinic, and then surround myself with mountains of gingerbread before the Christmas season slips away from me. More on the gingerbread front soon!
Labels: This and That
Change-up
Ha! Thought I was going to show you a bunch of gingerbread, huh? Okay, those pictures are at the end of the post. But I thought I'd change things up a bit and show you how I've decorated for Christmas at home!
This is an evening "mood light" picture of my Christmas tree. I love having it on at night so the twinkling lights add a warm glow to the living room.
And here is the outside of my apartment! As you can see, the tree looks really pretty from the street as well, and I've added a lot of lights to the balcony.
The funny thing about this area is that I hardly see my neighbors. I know for a fact that my apartment complex has no vacancy, but my roommate and I sometimes wonder if we are the only ones living there. This picture, taken in the evening last week, might just be proof that we are alone. :)
Here's a full-size picture of my Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I call it that because I bought it from the Goodwill and it came pre-lit and some of the lights are a little erratic. But my ornaments from my childhood all fit on the tree and I love it just the same.
Okay, now back to your regularly scheduled gingerbread explosion! This past week at work there was a company-wide gingerbread decorating contest. I happen to love gingerbread, and a co-worker of mine is a VERY talented cake decorator. So we paired up to make this adorable little house.
Each office was given two gingerbread kits to decorate, which then had to be delivered to our corporate office on Friday for judging. I thought we had the prize in the bag. I mean, look at that perfect little roof!
We even left the back of one house open and decorated the interior walls and floor.
And see that fluffy green tree right there? That is an upside-down ice cream cone that has been decorated with royal icing. How creative!
And not to toot my own horn, but the pretzel fence and cinnamon gum brick pathway was my landscaping contribution.
Unfortunately, the judges did not vote our house as the winner. I was disappointed, although there was some very stiff competition by the other offices. Even though we didn't win, I think the house is really cute, and it makes me excited to bake more gingerbread and construct a house of my own to decorate for Christmas!
In my next post I'll show you some professional gingerbread creations that will knock your socks off!!
Labels: This and That
Gingerbread explosion
Wow, what a busy week! My life is like one big gingerbread explosion right now and it's going to take three posts to show you all of the tasty, gingerbread goodness that has infiltrated my life.
In the first part, I want to show you some adorable gingerbread boys and girls that I and my very special helper decorated last weekend. I don't have a lot to say about each one, except that they taste delicious and I highly recommend the recipe found at
this website. Enjoy!
Labels: This and That
Holiday inspiration, gingerbread edition
Well, last night I had quite an adventure at the South Seattle Goodwill. I came away with a fetching fake tree, which is proudly standing in my living room. I plan on decorating it a little later this evening. But first, I'm going to whip up a batch of gingerbread dough for my first round of gingerbread baking tomorrow night.
I saw a really cute gingerbread display in Olympia over Thanksgiving weekend. Habitat for Humanity sponsored the contest and the entries were very creative. I saw a lot of really great decorating techniques, and I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.
This display is so creative! If you can't read the sign, it is the Three Little Pigs' village! I love the materials the artist used to signify straw, wood, and brick. It brings back fond memories of my very first stage appearance, when I sang the third little pig in my second grade Christmas play. Ah, sweet memories.
I voted for this house in the people's choice contest. I love the rainbow-colored Necco wafers as the roofing tiles, and the artist did a great job piping the icing on to the perfectly-baked gingerbread to replicate a sweet shop. Another great bit of inspiration was the use of coconut flakes dyed with food coloring as grass and trees!
This gingerbread chalet had really huge pieces of gingerbread. I love the architecture of this piece, as well as the different materials used. I've never seen broken cookies used as stone pieces, grouted in with frosting. What a fun idea!
This display was my Mom's favorite. It is a gingerbread hotel, and looks just as tasty as can be. The flat roof is tiled with cookes and the trees also appear to be a stack of cookies.
This gingerbread house was sponsored by a corporation and built by design students. I normally don't like molasses in gingerbread because it overpowers the other spices in the dough. But the color of gingerbread baked with molasses is so deep and rich, and it really looks lovely in contrast with the white icing.
Now that you've seen some of my holiday inspiration, I'm off to create! I'll post pictures of my tree and gingerbread creations soon. What inspires you for the holidays?
PS If you love gingerbread as much as I do and you live in the Seattle area, you should check out the annual gingerbread village at the downtown Sheraton. It is one of the most amazing edible displays I have ever seen and they get better each year!
Labels: This and That
Holiday inspiration, tree edition
I have never been a fan of "Black Friday." I have a vague recollection of being in Fred Meyer on one particular Friday morning at about 5:30 a.m., wondering how I found myself awake and dressed and why everyone seemed to be shopping for socks. In my opinion, the morning after Thanksgiving should be spent sleeping off a food coma and, upon waking fairly late on Friday, spent snacking on leftovers and dreaming of Christmas.
This year some of my family spent the day after Thanksgiving gathering inspiration for our Christmas trees. There is a fabulous display of trees at a hotel on the west side of Olympia. (Mom, what is that hotel called, anyway??) We saw dozens of gorgeous trees and even an Irish dancing group! Here are my four favorite displays:
This animal-themed tree simply shimmered. Each animal was a beaded ornament, with each bead gently sparkling among the tree lights. And how can one NOT be inspired by that fantastic peacock on top of the tree??
I thought this upside-down (and rotating!) tree was a great idea. For people who have a smaller floorplan with high ceilings, this is the perfect solution to a holiday decorating dilemma! Barring any major earthquakes or rowdy children (or party guests), this is a stunning way to add a touch of elegance and a splash of whimsy to Christmas.
I loved the idea of turning a Christmas tree into a giant advent calendar. The 24 boxes are tucked in all over the tree, turning a traditionally-decorative holiday display into something practical. And it gives people an excuse to closely examine the tree every day in search of the right number.
This last decoration is probably the cutest wreath I have ever seen. I nearly entered the drawing to win this one, because it is absolutely adorable! The wreath is at least four feet in diameter and has more barnyard animals attached to it than I would think appropriate for a holiday wreath. But the great thing about many of the displays at the hotel was that the trees and wreaths didn't strictly adhere to a Christmas theme.
This year is my 28th Christmas and I have never had my own Christmas tree. Well, not unless you count the fact that I tend to decorate my larger houseplants with ornaments... But this year I have decided to have a tree. I am actually on my way out to go get one now. I have the lights, ornaments, and even tinsel (tinsel!!!) has been found for my tree. So, it may not be quite as inspired as some of these trees, but I am still very excited to decorate the tree just how I want it. Wanna see pictures when it's done?
Labels: This and That
Something
I made a hat last week. Well, to be more specific, I took some fiber, spun it into yarn, thought of a pattern, and then knit myself a hat. Okay, so the spinning part didn't all happen in a week, but all things considered the hat came together pretty quickly.
The alpaca fiber was a present from the woman who taught me to spin and is very soft and delightful. The hat is so warm and cozy that it is sure to keep my ears toasty for many years to come.
I kept notes on the pattern and plan on test-knitting a couple more to make sure I have the details correctly noted, but I'll post the pattern for those of you who want it as soon as the kinks are worked out.
So now that I have a yummy hat for myself, it's time to turn to some gift knits. But since the people who are receiving knit gifts from me this year also read this blog, you probably won't see many knitting projects for awhile. But don't despair, I have lots of fun holiday-themed posts to share with you in the coming days. :)
Labels: Knitting
