Olive Vest

The vest I started just before Christmas is done...I worked on it a lot in California. It is warm and comfy and fun to wear, but I think it would look better without the cast!

So Cal

We had a great time in Southern California, but as our New York friend Dorene would say, what's not to like? The weather was gorgeous...sunny and in the 60s and low 70s, and we did all our favorite things like going to the beach, taking lots of walks, eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and enjoying being around family. Chris went boogie boarding one day, and Greg was so inspired that he rented a wet suit and went the next day. What's funny about this is that he rarely did such things when he lived in California growing up. He continues to amaze, inspire, and entertain me, and I guess that's what keeps things fun and interesting after almost 25 years of married life!

Chris is wearing Uncle Ronald's old wetsuit from the 70s (?):



Conrad "relaxes" on the beach with Helen/Grandma:



Julie's clowning around:



Happy New Year!

Christmas Plans and Projects

We are on pins and needles here, wondering if we will all be able to fly to Southern California to spend the holidays with Greg's parents. Greg and I leave on the 24th early in the morning, so I think we'll just make it before the coming snow storm. Chris is scheduled to leave on the 25th from Spokane, and Conrad on the same day from Seattle. I think the Seattle airport is having a harder time getting its flights out than we are because they weren't at all prepared for snow, whereas we more or less are. I hope all of us, and all of you, get to our holiday destinations!

To add a little holiday cheer, here's one of my favorite Christmas pictures of "Strohsterne," typical German tree decorations.

And now...a finished project! Here's a picture of Akiko's ballet sweater. I'll post another one later of her modeling it.

What would an entry be like without a picture of yet another WIP? I just started it yesterday, but I've had the yarn for a while. So in a way, it's not really a new project (I mean, I haven't spent money on more yarn!). It's a vest that I am knitting in the round, from the bottom up. The pattern was downloaded from http://www.tahkistacycharles.com/ and is called "Rocky Knit V-Neck Vest with Olympic Trim." The yarns are "Rocky," a thick and thin light bulky weight wool blend with bits of color blended into the main color, and "Olympic," a worsted weight wool blend. The pattern calls for knitting the front and back in two separate sections, but I decided to make it seamless, in the round. When I get to the armhole shaping, I will change to knitting each side separately. I especially like the bottom ribbing which is twisted.

We wish you all "Frohe Weihnachten!"

Record Snow!

Spokane has just set another record for snow--we got somewhere around 20 inches in a 24 hour period. Since the city owns about two plows, and they are busy with the main arterials, it could be days before we get plowed up on our street. We have an all wheel drive car, but even it can't get out when the snow is this deep. Our street is particularly difficult as it goes uphill on the way out.

Chris and Greg were both determined to get to work today, so Chris set out walking and was fortunate that someone picked him up on the way. Greg, on the other hand, decided to ski down to the nearest bus stop about a mile and a half away. Last I heard, he had made it to the bus stop. I'm wondering how they'll both get home now...

A Pair of Socks

Over the weekend my wrist started feeling better, so I picked up my half-finished sock and knitted away. Now I finally have a pair of socks! I plan to admire them for a few days, and then I will probably give them to someone for Christmas. I hope to get back to my other projects soon, but I know I will have to take it slowly still.



Working on the computer and writing things by hand are other activities that are still very difficult for me to do. The writing problem has led Greg and me to decide to send out our first Christmas newsletter ever. Usually we just hand write a note to everyone on their Christmas card. We composed our letter last night in a very self-conscious way...we don't want to brag or sound too self-absorbed, but on the other hand, we want to let people know how we all are. I really admire people who can pull off good-sounding newsletters, and I hope we manage to get ours out!

Pause

Two days ago I finally had the wrist surgery that I was so dreading. All is well, but it means I won't be blogging for a while, much less knitting! I have to keep my arm in a splint for 6 weeks, but I imagine I will be able to type and do a lot of other things with that arm in just a couple of weeks.



Bis bald!

Early December Progress

Akiko's sweater now has sleeves, and most of the body has been knitted. I still have about an inch more to knit on the bottom, and then I will add a ribbed band and a collar. The sweater is meant to be short--it's actually more of a bolero. It's exciting to see it this far along!

Here's a picture of the crochet vest I've started from the Doris Chan book. The straps and neckline will be added after the body has been worked.

I just got back from meeting my good friend Larayne (from our Montana days) in Coeur d'Alene. We haven't seen each other in several years, and we had a lot of news to catch up on. We also happened to find a yarn store, and, well, you know how that goes...I now have some beautiful gold yarn in my stash! Here are the details: it's made by Cascade Yarns, is called "Lana Grande," and is 100 % wool. It's a bulky-weight yarn that knits up at 2 stiches to the inch, so my project will go fast, once I get started.