Christmas, Kntting, and the New Year

Christmas has come and gone and tomorrow will be a new year.

Christmas was wonderful at our house, but also with some sadness. My sister, Glyness was with us and that was wonderful and our son, Christopher was home; that too being wonderful. We did lots of shopping, wrapping gifts, baking, and running around the week before Christmas. On Christmas Eve we loaded all our gifts along with some foods into the car and drove into the city to have Christmas at our daughter's home. What grandmama could wake up on Christmas morning and not see what Santa had left for their granddaughter. We go on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, staying until after breakfast on Christmas morning.

We had such a good time during our fondue dinner on Christmas Eve. Our family being together laughing, kidding around, and enjoying wonderful food and wine. After a long evening at the table, we went across the hall and into the living room for the Christmas tree and exchanging of gifts. Dari was so precious to watch. She was so excited over each and every gift and said a thank you to each of us as she opened our gifts to her. So precious! She slept between papa and I that night and we heard Santa's reindeer on the roof before she was able to settle down enough to sleep. This was the first time I'd heard Santa on the rooftop in a long, long time.

After Santa, the stockings, and a country ham breakfast on Christmas morning we headed back to the country for a rest and to prepare for dinner. Standing rib roast, buttered new potatoes, green bean bundles and fresh salad greens.

Papa got sick on Christmas morning, then my sister and Dari. Next day was my daughter, by Friday the virus had gotten around to me and by Saturday it had gotten to my son-in-law. My sister and I also have sinus infections and are on Z-paks to clear them up. While at the Dr. I ask that my sister's blood work be done and it came back with her red count very, very low. Because I live eight hours from her and her Oncologist, I felt I needed to get her home in case she needed a blood transfusion. We left early on Sat. morning to come back to SC. I will stay with her until she sees her Oncologist and I know she is going to be alright to be left alone again. I don't like the idea of her being alone but with the distance between us it makes it difficult to be here, or her with me, all the time. During all this, our oldest sister has been in the hospital in Atlanta with a blood clot in the artery to her heart. She is 87 and they can't do surgery because of other health problems. We are expecting every phone call to bring us bad news.

I am working on a few easy projects that I can lay down on a minutes notice without causing a problem if I can't get back to it right away. One is Sharon Dreifuss's Melly bag pattern. I'm knitting the body of the bag in a shade of pink that I adore, using cream for the trims, pockets, and handles. Have you seen the Knitters the Winter issue of Knitter's yet? I love the Chalk Stripe Scarf featured on page 43. I must knit that in 2008 and I want to do a pair of socks in 2008. I am planning to do socks and a few other projects and stitches that I've never done because they aren't my thing. I'm going to knit these items so I can say I have knitted them and to venture off the roads that I usually travel. New routes often takes us to new and interesting views.

All my exchanges are completed except for the Christmas Around the World Exchange. I am still waiting for a package from my upstream partner. I have to do some thinking about participating in exchanges in 2008. I love preparing and sending my partners their packages and learning about new people. I may want to continue or I may decide to take a break. Either way, this past year has been fun and I've met some wonderful people and received some wonderful surprises. There been a couple of disappointments but that is to be expected. Not understood, but expected.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a New Year. While I won't be staying up to see the new year in, I will cook collard greens, hog jowl (bacon) and black eyed peas for my sister and I tomorrow. We need all the good luck we can get. Happy New Year To You and Good Luck!

Bag-a-holics Exchange

I've received a package from Debb in California with the bag she made me for the Bag-a-holics Exchange. Debb's son was in a terrible motorcycle accident a few weeks back and is still in intensive care. I think it says a lot about Debb to get an exchange package in the mail during this horrible time for her and her family. We wish the best for Debb's son and hope he will recover and be healthy once more soon. Thank you Debb for you thoughtfulness and for the package you sent. Here's a couple of pictures of the bag Debb made for me and the other goodies she included

in the package.

I have some good news I'd like to share with everyone. I saw the Oncologist on Tuesday and he pronounced me to be in Full Remission from my Hodgkin's disease. What a wonderful Christmas present that is for me and for my family. I will continue to have a scan every four months for the next year and then if all is good, every six month thereafter for five years. There is still tissue where the largess mass (tumor) was but it appears to be just dead tissue and will probably never completely go away. As long as the Pet-scan doesn't light up indicating it has begun to grow again, I can live happily with the ugly thing being in my body. I feel wonderful, the best I've felt in about fifteen years. Could I ask for more? No, I'm thankful and happy with what I have and thank the Good Lord for giving me good health once more.

Last Saturday, dear little Dariana came out and we baked cookies. She was so helpful and the black walnut cookies are delicious, that is what was left after she ate her way through the dough. Isn't she beautiful? On Wednesday we went to see her perform in her Montessori school program. Unfortunately, she was one of the first to get in line and therefore was on the back row of her group so we wasn't able to see her or get photos of her. She is very petite for her age and many of the other children are a full head taller than she. She spent her time on stage jumping up trying to see over the other children's heads. The older children in her group (there were three groups this age) sang to us in Spanish and in German, what a delightful treat. We are very pleased with her school and the training she is receiving there.

Christmas cards are coming in daily, beautiful cards from family and old friends and from new friends too. Yesterday I received a card from from JoAnne, one of my first exchange partners, and one Marianne, all the way from England. Donna, my very first downstream partner has also sent me Holiday Wishes. Thank each of you for your kind thoughts; I truly treasure these things.

I've finished the vest I've been working on but still have not gotten it sewn under the arms. Time is just to precious right now to get it done. As soon as I do, which will most likely be after Christmas, I'll post pictures of it. I have it pinned together and love the way it looks. I had intended to take it to Knit Night on Tuesday and seam it there but walked out in a rush without it. It didn't make any difference because I never got around to knitting anyway. We exchanged names and had food and beverage, there was just too much fun taking place to get out the knitting. We did have a new member drop by and she brought the sweater she is working on and she actually knit while we played. It was a fun gathering, good friends, good food, good wine, and the exchanging of gifts. My gift is a years subscription to 'Knitting Style'. That's a good thing.

Today is appointments with the groomer, the hairdresser, and buying those last minutes gifts that have to be picked up in areas of the city that aren't on my regular trail. Most of the gifts are bought and some are wrapped. The standing rib roast is aging in the refrigerator for Christmas night and we're anxiously awaiting Christopher to get home and make the holidays merrier. I have to finish the gift wrapping tonight and tomorrow night because Dariana is going to visit us on Saturday and stay overnight. I love it when she stays overnight and I can sleep next to her and hold her precious body in my arms. I love to look at her while she is sleeping and be there when she opens her eyes the first thing in the morning. What a joy and what a pleasure she is. We're so thankful that she is ours.

Should I not find time to post again before the holiday, I wish everyone A Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years Ever.

Knitting On The Go

On the go, on the go, back and forth, to and fro, is creating havoc with me and trying to keep my blogging current and my life in order. Life must slow down.

I had a wonderful package from Julie, my SP-11 partner, well over a week ago and haven't publicly thanked her. Shame on me for she has been a terrific pal with her giving. More importantly, she has been a wonderful pal in communicating with me and sharing her family life with me all through the swap. Thank you Julie for it all, you are the best. The package I received from Julie was so kind and thoughtful, she addressed the things she knows that are dear to me, my granddaughter, my lasha apso, and knitting. She sent me beautiful yarn, locally dyed and spun in Main and in colors she knows I love, browns, creams, and blue, and she sent a gift for Maestro, what a treat for him, and one for Dari. Dari should be out later today and I will give her gift to her. The wool is beautiful and enough to make 'A Bag' . Thank you and please accept my appologies for being tardy. (I did acknowledge and thank Julie personally for her kindness when I received her gift.)

The vest I've been knittig is still 'almost finished'. I got up early on Thursday morning and drove down to get my sister and bring her to spend the Christmas and New Year Holidays with us, so there hasn't been any knitting for a couple of days. We drove back up yesterday. Two days on the road and here I am at 2 AM blogging. I couldn't sleep, still a bit tired, and too much on my mind. I still have shopping for gifts to do and baking to get done (Dari is coming today to bake cookies) and I don't have a tree up or a wreath on the door yet. I do have cards in the mail with a note in the family cards and I have my knitting groups gifts ready for delivery on Monday and Tuesday nights. I picked up several things on our last trip at the yarn shop in Crossville, TN. that I mentioned a few blogs ago. The shop was jam packed full of neat things, lots and lots of stocking stuffers that relate to knitting and lots of small gifts that any knitter would love. I bought a bag full of 'stuff' and I can't wait to give it away.

For all my cat-loving friends; my sister and I brought her big, fat, cat along to spend Christmas with us. It was his first real car trip and he wasn't a happy passenger. Poor baby cried for about an hour, especially if there was a big truck (there are plenty on I-85) or a bumpy, uneven road. We finally took him out of his carrier and let him find his own spot in the car. That seamed to help hom a lots but he refused to get out of the car or use the litter box all day. We were so happy to get him home so he could potty and relax. I went in to kiss him and my sister good-night and he was curled up on his fleece in the middle of the bed just as close beside my sister as he could get. This is a big cat, a beautiful rich yellow and the most clear green eyes you could imagine; I call him Mr. Reggie. Reggie is too blah for him in my opinion, I've always thought he was much to regal looking to be addressed so casually. Mr. Reggie walks on his royal purple leash just as well as his canine friends and he never drinks water from a bowl. Instead, he politely comes and asks to have the bathtub faucet turned on where he proceeds to stick his paw under the drip and drink from his paw. Mr. Reggie expects a treat every night just before bedtime, a tiny dish of buttermilk. Now, tell me he doesn't deserve to be addressed with a Mr.

I'm chilly and will now crawl back in bed and see if I can snooz for a few hours. Lots to do tomorrow and all next week. Christmas is a coming.

Entralac Stole Now Blocked

My entralac stole was finally completed and blocked before we left for the our last trip. I've worn it several times already and love it. Once completed and wet-blocked, it became soft and lost the scratchy texture that I found discouraging while I was knitting it. Although it was time consuming, I would knit another one, or some other project in entralac. In fact, my Tuesday night knit group wants me to teach them the 'how-to' in a knit-along for our group once the Jacobean bag is finished after Christmas. I'll be happy to share what I learned with the group and know they will enjoy knitting this project as much as I did. We have a couple of ladies in the group that loves and wears shawls almost as much as I do.

I have only a couple of rows left to knit before I bind off the Sara Punderson Alpaca Vest pattern project I've been knitting on. I should finish up tonight unless I find out I'm to go to SC again tomorrow and bring my sister back for Christmas with us. The trip is dreaded but having her here makes it worth the drive. I love her so dearly.

I have finished knitting another simple bag and it is ready for giving once it is felted, lined and a handle added. There are still several other projects 'setting'. waiting to be worked up. I can't wait for the holidays to be over so I can once again take to my recliner and knit the days away until spring approaches and the garden begins to call me.

Let Me Tell You About A Yarn Shop Visit

Well, we're back home from visiting my sister and niece in Mississippi and Mr. Ro's brother in Tennessee. We had a really enjoyable visit with everyone. It was nice to visit my niece and her family in their big old home with a 12 foot live Christmas tree in the library and a smaller one in the living room, wreaths tied in red ribbon from all the upstairs and downstairs windows and a huge wreath on the front door and gate of the white picket fence. She still has lots of decorating to do, the stairs, front hall, and dining room, but the feeling of Christmas is already there. Actually she didn't have the trees decorated yet, but she did have the lights on them and the tall step ladder standing beside the tree waiting for the ornaments to be placed on it.

Her mother, my sister, moved there a few years back. She has a historical home too, but much, much smaller than her daughter's. To me, it reminded me of a beautiful little doll house. She had everything perfect and cleaned to shining. She too begin to decorate while we were there. Holy Springs is a small town but we always find interesting things to do when we visit. We went to church on Sat. afternoon to hear a sonata performed by a group from the University of Mississippi. On Sat. night we went to the Christmas parade, only having to walk two blocks to stand and watch it pass by. Mr. Ro went with his favorite boys and their dad Paint Ball Shooting on Sat. morning. Needless to say, it has taken its toll on this 62 year old man, out crawling on his belly with 13 and 16 year old boys - but he had a great time being with them and playing like a boy again. I brought him back home with a stiff back and will not expect anything out of him for several days while he recovers. LOL!

While there I was taken to a terrific old farm where gorgeous candles are made. I bought several, mostly the ones shaped like and with the fragrance of magnolia blossoms. They will make wonderful gifts for a few lucky people. We also went to Oxford to the yarn shop, about a thirty minute drive from Holly Springs, only to get there and find a 'Shop Closed' sign on the door. I was disappointed however on the way back to visit Mr. Ro's brother we searched out and stopped at the LYS in Crossville and I was in heaven for about an hour. I bought lots of stocking stuffers and some tools, a pattern and yarn for little Priss a sweater and yarn to make myself the Plymouth vest. In fact, I have it about half finished having knit on the way home yesterday. This photo is dark but will do until I have more light. The yarn I'm using is Andean Alpaca Regal put out by Reynolds and it feels like pure luxury. My biggest concern is I'm a warm natured person and I'm afraid it may be to warm for me to enjoy wearing. Since chemo I have had a body temperature change and seem to get cold easier than I use to to the point that I've bought several vest this winter that I can get into and out of easily and I seem to be wearing them more often than not. I have lots more to post, just have to find time.

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