i want to thank you all for the wonderful birthday greetings. it was very sweet of you all to wish me a happy birthday. i'm still freaking out but just a little on the inside.
now it's my turn to wish you all a merry christmas.
nothing says christmas more than a disembodied doll head ornament.
a friend just told me that she heard my name mentioned on tv. this is not a surprise to me as i knew it was a possibility, but it is a little bit thrilling nonetheless.
these 15 seconds are courtesy of my friend stitchy mcyarnpants who you all might have seen on the Kitschy Christmas episode of Knitty Gritty that aired for the first time yesterday. sweet huh. (i, unfortunately, did not get to see her as i do not subscribe to the DIY network.)
anyway, you might have also seen my fun fur kitschmas tree.
i first knit this tree about 2 years ago, inspired by anjo's dr. seuss-like trees. i finally wrote up a pattern for it. my version is knitted from the top down, measures 18 inches in height and although free standing, is also soft and pillow-like. so here it is. you can also click directly onto the pattern link in my sidebar over there to the right.
i hope you all like it.
first of all, i want to thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes. you really made it a special day. it was like opening dozens of presents all day.
so....want to know what santa brought me? the norovirus .... clearly i wasn't that good of a little girl this year. next year, i'd rather have a piece of coal in my stocking...thanks. (after reading the cdc report, now i'm worried that i infected everyone else. i was compulsive about the washing of the hands and it's not like i touched any food).
but santa wasn't totally a bad-ass to me though. maybe he felt bad because he got me a new camera ...
i'm still reading the manual. unfortunately, even a brilliant piece of equipment like this can't make up for the fact that it's too dark to take a decent picture.
and i also got this ...
A PEANUTS INFLATABLE SNOW GLOBE!!!!! yes, i wanted one of these and the fact that santa actually listened to me once mention how much i wanted on, makes me all warm inside. since i didn't open it until christmas day, it probably won't make it outside this year, but i love it. i know it's not the classiest thing, but i think it'll look very festive with the backhoe.
YULE!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! AND BEST WISHES FOR 2007.
to those of you who said i should get to the bazaar early ... i thank you. you couldn't have been more right.
early saturday, i met up with adrian and cynthia at coolidge corner for a yummy breakfast at the coolidge corner clubhouse and a little preliminary shopping. we stopped by the brookline booksmith to see what new knitting books they had. HEY BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH --- GET WITH THE PROGRAM GUYS -- WAY TOO LITTLE BOOK SPACE FOR THE KNITTING BOOKS -- just sayin'. one new book, though, did catch my eye. unfortunately, once you got past the gorgeous photography, what you have is another beginner knitting book with patterns like ribbed mohair throws and any of a number other projects that have been done before over and over again. anyway.
we took our time and finally got to the bazaar by 12:20. not 5 minutes later, they let us in. we were shopped out an hour later and passed the line to get in that went down the block. we all agreed that had we encountered such a line, we would have definately punted. my criteria for shopping was this: if i could potentially make it or had plenty at home (yarn, fiber) i didn't buy it. yes, the self-control was amazing on my part because i did fall a little bit in love with a skein of pretty yarn. there's was tons of great stuff though. t-shirts, bags, bowls made out of old 45s, etc. the creativity was inspiring. we even got to meet shannon okey who was there signing her books.
what did i buy? i bought some lovely lavender soaps in support of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.
and some pretty vintage ornaments (see white blob reflected in the blue ball? that's me. the big white blog).
and this cute little porcelain tree that i got from ambrosia porcelain.
this little russian mushroom house (you can't see the cap in this picture) with santa, mrs. claus, frosty and a tree stuffed inside, was not purchased at the biz baz (that's what the cool kids call it) but it was so cute, that it too had to come home with me (santa is about an inch tall -- look how surprised mrs. claus is. she could have sworn he was an inch and a half).
we ended the afternoon with some carbo-loading at bertucci's, where we stopped for rolls and beer (and salad so we could get the free rolls), and some window shopping on boylston and newbury. it was a lot of fun. i hope adrian and cynthia thought so to. yes, i had my camera with me but it never once occurred to me to take a picture. go and figure.
A holiday meme that i first read chez girl reaction and in the pink.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hmmmm. Probably hot chocolate. I do take a taste of ye ole nog, but it's not like i live for it. although i have tasted egg nog ice cream. now that's good shit.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrap unless it's a big ass present like a bike or a car.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Both. My favorite though are colored lights that blink to set rhythms. The crazier the better.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Depends on the year. I started putting them up this weekend. When I was a kid, the tree was put up on my birthday.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Don't really have one. Although my mother used to make a fabulous Buche de Noel with chocolate butter cream frosting.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Being so excited about santa coming that i could not sleep at all. I'd toss and turn all night and then finally would crawl out of bed at 4am, wake up my brother and sit in front of the tree until 6 when we were allowed to wake up my parents. We weren't allowed to open anything until coffee had been made and my father's flash had charged up so it was tortuous.
8 . When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was kind of old i think, maybe 3rd grade. or maybe i knew but was in a state of denial until it became obvious to me when i was 8. i recall that christmas didn't feel the same once i didn't believe in santa any more. anyway, earlier that year, maybe in september, we had gone as a family bicycle shopping. dad made us try on bikes. (dad was an amateur competitive cyclist in his youth so picking out a bicycle was serious business). and then a couple of months later. my mother was getting ready to go to the neighbors (which is where the wrapping happened i later found out) but she made the mistake of leaving a bag of stuff next to the sofa and i could see a blue and white bicycle basket. on christmas a couple of days later, the basket was attached to the beautiful blue 3 speed bike that i had tried out earlier in the year, and it was from SANTA. it probably confirmed what i already had known deep down.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? nope. there were no gifts under the tree until santa brought them. when i spend christmas eve with friends we do open gifts then but if it's just J and I or we're with his family, nope.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? depends on the year. i like to have theme trees. so one year it was all red and white with cranberry and popcorn garland and red and white ornaments. one year it was just dozens of tiny balls all over the place. last year it was balls and little sweaters.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? if i don't have to drive anywhere i love it. when i lived in the city i loved it without reservation.
12. Can you ice skate? Are you kidding? I'm a total clutz and can barely stand on firm ground without falling over. so let's not even think about ice skates.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? well the bikes. and the little sewing machine i got when we lived in texas (so i was probably 5 or 6) and finally the camera my father picked out for me when i was in college. it was a 35mm mamiya. they don't make those anymore. i still have it but unfortunately it needs to be fixed.
14. What's your favorite thing about the holidays? everything except for the stress.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? my mother's home made buche de noel. which she doesn't make anymore.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? i really like spending christmas eve and christmas day with my inlaws. my parents weren't big "traditionalists." especially once we got older. but christmas at my inlaws is spent laughing. playing games. drinking white russians....
17. What tops your tree? Usually a star.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? i'd be lying if i said that i didn't love receiving gifts, but i honestly don't get many anymore. but i have to say there's nothing better than knowing that i've given someone just the right gift. i put a lot of thought in what i give people and can spend the entire year thinking about what i think they want, picking up clues, etc.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? i have tons. "Last Christmas" by Wham. And i'm a little embarrassed to say, I still love that one song from the early 80's ... "Do they know it's christmas?" You know the one ...with all of the british pop artists of the time, singing about how there won't be any snow in Africa this year (is there ever any snow in africa? well other than at the top of Mt. Kilaminjaro)? And i love the Bing Crosby/Dave Bowie version of the Little Drummer Boy. I remember when that song came out. It was a huge deal because it was before rock artists actually did duets with the old guys. And I love the soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas. And the Nat King Cole standard "A Christmas Song." And Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." and... ok i'll stop now.
20. Candy canes yuck or yum? Yuck. I don't like peppermint very much. I just like using candy canes for decoration.
21. What's number one on your Christmas list this year? Peace. On every level.
i wasn't planning on knitting any christmas gifts this year and then the twins' mother mentioned that what the girls would really like was a knit headband/hat type thingy. i'm the aunt. who am i to refuse my nieces.
so i pulled out the panta pattern and made two. (there was an along earlier this year) it's a quick knit and a great way to use up some stash.
both were made from leftover caron's simply soft in embroidery and paisley prints.
ok, this is going to be a totally lame post. i honestly have nothing profound to say and i just want to use this opportunity to 1. close the door on christmas so that i can move on; and 2. show you all what i got. heh heh.
so here we go.
santa was very good to me. first of all he brought me some very pretty ornaments (instead of chocolate -- such a good and understanding santa about the plan and all); and he got me a cute workout outfit (via the mother-in-law) and a box of yarn ordered sometime in november.
(that's just the first layer)
but the piece de resistance (hunh hunh hunh) is this little lovely ...
the apple powerbook 15in G4. so pretty...so perfect. j's been bugging me to plug her in and to rev her up but i've been unable to. i know, pathetic. he's practically worn out his toy (a flight simulator and radio command thingy that he's been playing with non-stop since sunday) but i haven't yet gotten the courage to turn her on. i'm a freak. clearly.
anyway, i hope everyone else had a lovely christmas. here's to a wonderful 2006.
when i was a little girl, we lived in southern california. we lived across the street from the V family. the V family consisted of mr. and mrs. V and their 4 older children (older than my brother and i were anyway): an older daughter who had already left for college (and whose name i can't remember); kathy, a very talented artist, who encouraged me to draw and color and spent more time with a 7 year old than most highschool aged kids probably would; tim, the only son; and tori, the beautiful dancer. every chance i got, i ran over there. there were dogs, happy (the 13 year old basset hound whose only goal in life was to fly out the front door to freedom) and penelope, a cute black mutt, and tortoises in the yard and the closest i ever got to having older sisters. any holiday was special in the V house. mrs. V liked to decorate. my mom, not so much. at christmas, we always had a tree, a real one, fragrant with the scent of pine. and that was ok. but it was nothing like the V's tree. now that tree was magical. it was silver. and faker than the day is long. it was tall with a beautiful angel at the top, and it stood in a stand that rotated and played christmas carols. and it was covered almost to the point of overload with the most beautiful ornaments i had ever seen. AND TINSEL. we didn't have tinsel at my house, because it made a mess. but mrs. V loved tinsel. every christmas, i would spend hours laying on their living room sofa just watching the tree go around and around and around.
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rocky would like to wish you all a merry christmas .....
yes he would....
he really wants to....
see?
and so would i ....
be safe!
so the last time i wrote other than proclaim to anyone who happened by chance to land here that it was my birthday, i was having a meltdown. well i'm not having a meltdown anymore. i haven't accomplished much either, however. i have decided to live and let live. how very zen of me. so with 3 days until x-mas here is what i've accomplished:
1. decorating -- not done. no tree up yet. if at all. everything is out. but the tree must be put together (we never got around to getting our own griswold family x-mas tree). instead of a real tree though, i did make this.
inspired by the craftymodster and lolly, i too jumped the funfur x-mas tree/hat bandwagon.
before stuffing.
my hat/tree is 11.5 inches in diameter and 18 inches tall. i knit mine from the top down in the round with a strand of lionbrand homespun (1 skein) and funfur (2 skeins) until i ran out of funfur, leaving me just enough of the homespun to crochet a base in the round.
now i need to decorate it. hmmm. or not... (not going to worry about it not going to worry about it not going to worry about it).
2. gift knits -- all done. and not very interesting but i think the recipients will like them. i hope anyway.
this is for j's aunt claire. she's 80something and lives in an assisted living home type thing (it's like a college dorm for the elderly -- it's actually kind of cool.) she's one of those people who is always appreciative of a handmade item, so i think she'll like it. and it will keep her warm during her weekly trips shopping.
boa scarves out of bernat boa for three little girls. little girls are all about the boa.
3. other christmas shopping also done. the meat has been ordered. the gift cards purchased. i have a box to a niece and nephew in VA to go but i won't send it until tomorrow. i'll write a little note saying that santa made a mistake and delivered the stuff to our house instead. because that's the truth.
j went out a bought what he wanted and i'm going to wrap it. i know not very fun, but at least he got what he wanted. (although i did get him some "surprises.") as for me, i have a box of knitpicks yarn that i ordered for myself last month, still unopened. joe's going to wrap that for me. x-mas cards still not written though but by having cards with the vague happy holidays greeting, i can conceivably send these out sometime in january and still be well within the window .... it's all about being within the window.
so other than some stocking stuffers, i'm done if i want to be. yay.
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*no animals were harmed*
this is what j likes to do -- torture animals ....
dude, get that fucking cat off of me......
i had big plans for christmas this year. lots of holiday knitting from handknit holidays. "perfect" gift ideas for family and friends. decorating the house weeks in advance. i really was going to do it up this year. with my birthday also 6 days away, december is my month! it's the month i wait for every year in anticipation!
well this year i've got nothing.
house, not decorated. no tree yet. i have a fake tree in the basement, but j wants a real tree this year. however, we still can't coordinate ourselves to get a tree together. he blames the date with my boyfriend saturday when i didn't get home until after midnight. (good times by the way, i have to show you what i got in the yankee swap).
fun knitting, not happening. i told myself i wasn't going to do any christmas knitting for other people this year. and yet, here i am knitting scarves again. not caring about the scarves. just trying to push through. getting home from work and too tired to knit at all. last night i was in bed before 9pm. all of this is even more tragic considering how excited i am about the latest issues of both knitty and crochetme. (one thing not so excited about, the premiere issue of vogue's KnitSimple. it was delivered to my door. wouldn't have it otherwise because it would never have made it into my shopping cart. maybe i signed up for a copy. no idea. can't remember. i can't remember a lot of things these days.)
baking. not done yet. earlier this month i was all excited about baking cookies and making fudge for gifts at work and in the neighborhood. now, don't feel like doing it. i spent 45 minutes at the craft store the other night contemplating the various containers available for packaging. ended up leaving the store empty handed because i couldn't bear to stand in line at the register. this morning, i have to mail a package to my niece (a college finals care package) and i know i'm going to want to poke my eye out when i see the line at the post office. a lot of wanting to poke my eye out going on these days.
finally, i still have tons of christmas shopping to do and i couldn't care less. j told me that he didn't want an ipod. SO NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO GET HIM!!!???? inlaws are getting meat. nieces and nephews -- gift cards. i usually work so hard at trying to put together the perfect gift and this year, i can't handle the pressure. maybe those weirdos who are done with their christmas shopping in july have something there. if you're one of those weirdos, i mean no disrespect, but you are a weirdo. i'm not taking that back. weirdo.
ok, i've got to go to work.
i leave you with the picture that i used for our christmas cards this year (still not sent by the way). the cards came out great. better than i anticipated. i love it when that happens.
isn't that a cool picture? brrrr.
(sorry, i don't have an fancy editing or illustrating software so this is the best i could do)
