a "grate" week

I finally finished my Yumiko Higuchi embroidery panel!  I took her center design of the red snake and contiguous designs and then augmented with random patterns taken from her books.

photo is askew...sides are straight in the original project!

It was originally meant to be a sampler for me to learn different stitches, but I tended to stick to my favorites...stem, chain, and french knot.

Since I did the transferring of design with charcoal, I now need to CAREFULLY wash it and dry it without distorting the stitches.  Another issue is wrinkling in tight spaces.  I'm hoping that I can get it washed, ironed, and stretched over a wooden frame within a week or two.  

Another stitch project completed just in time for Christmas - Todd's "NASA nerd" t-shirt.  

It's cross stitched...not one of my favorite things to do, but I worked on it a little every day and got done in plenty of time.   

This was my first time cross-stitching on a knitted (store bought) t-shirt.  One of the problems with cross stitch is working on the stiff woven fabric that forms the guiding Xs for your needle.  It's great if you want a bookmark or maybe a wall hanging, but not for much else.  But now you can buy a water soluble sheet to stitch through.  Attach it to anything, stitch, wash, and the sheet just melts away.

It's a little bit awkward, but I love that it opens up a whole world of possibilities!

Another Christmas project:  a long knitted cowl for a friend.  It's designed to puddle under your coat collar and also be pulled up over your nose if it's extra cold outside!

My favorite feature is the little leather tabs for the drawstring ends.  I picked them up on Etsy and I think they are fantastic!

I'm already almost halfway through another knitting project.  I started a cowl for myself, a beautiful stranded knitting design inspired by Portuguese tiles.

photo courtesy of Kate Davies

I'm knitting one long tube...fifty inches!...and when completed, I'll block it and then stitch together the ends to create an enclosed circle.  One side of the pattern is light-prominent...

...and the other side is dark-prominent.

You can see the contrast if you turn the work on its side:

It's really pleasant work and nice to stitch on for maybe an hour every night.  Now that my hands aren't getting sore from knitting, it's a delight.  I already have my next project picked out!

So, the Christmas pie has been put away...

(SOMEONE couldn't wait for Christmas lunch!)

...and our mischievous elf has packed up his bags...and threats...for another year.

Now life will take on a slower pace for a while.  I'm ready for it.

Have a "grate" week!  

fire and ice

Although we've yet to have any real winter weather, we've got our ice.

Low overnight temperatures create beautiful spiky sculptures that melt in the midday sun.  But while they last...

   

 

The fire comes earlier, in our vivid sunrises...

...that gentle into a cheerful glow by breakfast.  It illuminates our front door wreath...

...and throws our bare trees into sharp relief.  

Our muskrats are warm and cozy inside their house.

Even though our apples are long gone, deer are still visiting.

Inside, we're in full Christmas swing.  Besides our daily advent gifts, we're also listening to a Christmas podcast (fun historical facts about the origins of common Christmas traditions) after supper, with our usual cookie.  The same as last year:  one dough, split into 10 portions and flavored.  Each night, I thaw and bake two cookies from the pile.

And, because inside I'm still twelve years old, I'm doing Elf on the Shelf this year.  I LOVE IT!  Our elf is particularly mischievous, melting snowmen with hair dryers...

...leaving threatening notes...

...and many other tricks!  It's so fun!!

We're two weeks in with our new cat, who finally has a name...Calliope!

Bah humbug!

In Greek mythology, Calliope is the goddess with the golden voice. The Greek pronunciation is Cal-lee-OH-pee, but I prefer the English way:  Cal-EYE-oh-pee.  It's so much fun to say!  The Greek origin is nice, but truthfully, it's a name from my childhood, from a beloved children's series.  

I've never forgotten it, so I'm happy to use it now!  Calliope has finally stopped hiding from Borga...

Who let the dogs out?

...but things with Tabitha are a bit less smooth.  We've been told to expect a long, slow road to tolerance. It's slow indeed.  Some afternoons, they can be in the same room together, quietly. But mostly, Tabitha stalks and hisses.  Calliope hesitates, sometimes hissing back.  Cats are separated.  Humans are exhausted.

You've never heard of Facebook?  Okay, how about MYSPACE??!?  Emphasis on the MY?!?

I can read Tabitha's mind:

photo courtesy of The Simpsons/Fox

...so I'm trying to be patient.  Celebrating small victories and giving extra cuddles to both cats.  We're hoping for some improvements soon.

Have a great week! 

i believe in miracles, since you came along...you kitten thing

 More freaky weather, with wildly fluctuating temperatures.  Gorgeous, dramatic sunrises...

...and strange December fogs.

Just like last week, our muskrats frisked whenever the temperature crept into the upper fifties.

I have binoculars in the living room so that I can easily watch their antics.  

We've been a bit slow to get our Christmas decorations up, but things are finally moving along.  Although the real Christmas celebration doesn't start until December 15th, the tree is up and mostly decorated.  It's smaller than our usual tree, but fits the space well.

I love seeing my favorite ornaments.  Some high notes:

This year, I decided to finally put up the candles that I purchased in Germany close to 20 years ago.  They are real candles...

...in little tin basins.  The clips are tiny pinecones!

Todd says that we absolutely, positively, unequivocally must not light these candles.  Some crazy talk about FIRE (eye roll)...but I'm enjoying them in their current state, too!  

Speaking of pinecones, I saw these cookies on Sprinklebakes...

photo courtesy of Sprinklebakes

...and had to buy the mold.  

You push a nice stout dough (like gingerbread) into the mold and peel out the shaped cookie.  It holds the shape nicely when it bakes.  This is great for fall AND winter!

In other news, here we grow again.

Yes, we are trying again with a THIRD cat.  After we lost our dear Bosewichte in February, I've felt his absence terribly.  It's funny...I didn't own a cat growing up, although I 've found several photos of myself with them in childhood.

That must have planted a seed, because when I finally got my first cat in my late 20s, it was instant love.  It didn't take me long to go from having one cat to two.  With a concession to Todd's allergies, we remained a two-cat household.  Returning to just one cat after Bosewichte's death felt...wrong.  

It didn't work out with the first two cats that we tried post-Bosewichte.  Both were young males and highly aggressive toward Tabitha, their relationships finally degenerating into constant biting and scratching after weeks of trying to keep the peace.  After Tabitha started stress-licking huge bald spots on her body, we had to return them both (and both were happily adopted within a week!).  I said, NO MORE CATS.  Tabitha is too small, and creeping into her later years.  She's also grumpy and territorial, and just doesn't like other animals.  Bosewichte was special, but now she's destined to be an only cat. 

But...cats.

So I decided to try again, with a twist.  Instead of a young male, we adopted an older female.  She's around Tabitha's age, and so incredibly sweet.  She cuddles in the bed all night and trots along beside us during the day, never missing an opportunity to rub against our ankles.  She was declawed by a previous owner, and tiny - maybe only six pounds.  She is the epitome of harmless and inoffensive.

Tabitha doesn't like her.  

So far it's been outraged looks, lots of hissing, and one cat fight (likely instigated by Tabitha).  I'm holding out hope that they will settle into an uneasy truce, but I've also held off on naming her.  I want both cats to have a happy home, so we will have to wait and see if neutral coexistence is possible.

But just look at that face!

I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle here.

Have a great week!  

Pumpkin "Ail"

Whiplash weather...last night close to 64, tonight down to 18 degrees!  Our muskrats are taking advantage of warmer days to haul extra cattails to their winter home.

My perennials are confused.  Is it time to bloom again, already?!?!

At least I'm still able to bring in more mini bouquets!

It will be an interesting contrast with the Christmas tree and decor that will be going up today (better late than never!).  I've already got Todd's advent calendar installed in the front secretary.  I love the color pop from the bags!

All Christmas knitting is done...woo hoo!  I also managed to finish a sweater (Pumpkin Ale) for my sister's 11/30 birthday.  It's a clever but complicated design from Scottish textile designer Ysolda Teague.

Three-quarter length sleeves, cabled arms, and the sides of the sweater grow out of a long cabled back pattern.

I like the cabled back and the wide garter stitch front panels, but oh, those shoulders!  The sleeves are set-in, meaning that you pick up stitches at the top of the armhole and knit back and forth, wrapping each end stitch so as not to leave a hole.  Gradually the cap of the sleeve is formed and the arm grows out, but I made mistake after mistake and even though THE ENTIRE SWEATER (with the exception of the arms) was completed, I had to pep-talk myself into not frogging the whole thing.  I had wanted to knit one for myself, but I need a long, long break from Pumpkin Ale! :)  

In dire need of a mini-excursion this week, Todd and I visited the rare manuscript rooms at Indiana University's Lily Library.  

The original draft of Ben Hur!

Peter Pan!

Gorgeous illustrations of diseases that you definitely don't want...

...pamphlets (1830s) that you only view IF YOU DARE (the parish Reverend does!)...

...impossibly tiny books...

...and heartbreakingly beautiful designs.  This was my favorite, from 11th century England.

I've been to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where I saw many other examples of these illustrated manuscripts.  I can't get enough of them.  

A Latin sacrament page from from 12th c. France

Seeing their work really inspires me to get back to my embroidery...

An embroidered book cover, about 3" x 2", depicting Mary, Queen of Scots

...once the holidays are over and I have time to breathe again. Embroidered book covers are still being done today and are just as inspiring!  Courtesy of textile artist Jillian Tamaki...

...and Chloe Giardano...to name a few!

I would love to embroider a cover for one of my favorite children's books - The Secret Garden - but I haven't found the right illustration yet.  

Have a great week!