Wordless Wednesday - Miss Kitty

Throwback Thursday - Knitting

 

My maternal grandmother and my mom were both avid knitters when I was growing up, and my grandmother is the one who taught me the basics.  The first thing I ever made when I was about 10 was a hat and booties for a new baby cousin.  Obviously it was a very easy pattern and it was fun to work on it in a weekend when I stayed with my grandparents. 

When I first married in 1971 my grandmother knitted Christmas stockings for my husband, me, and our dog.  I think she might have gotten them as a kit, but she always transferred instructions to graph paper, using one page to write the basic instructions, one to write the directions line by line, and then another to chart the design.  I never had the original instructions, but she gave me her handwritten pages for the stockings and I've used the pattern many times. 

I also shared the handwritten pages with my friend Margherita when I worked in New York City, and over the years she made over 200 of them!!  She was from a large family, as is her husband, and whenever anyone married into the family, a brand new hand-knitted stocking was one of their gifts.  I loved that idea!!

My mother never made any stockings, but she used to knit a lot of afghans and baby blankets, sweaters, mittens, and slippers and socks.  In the photos you'll see the instructions for the stockings, some of my grandmother's knitting needles which were passed down to me, and an old very basic book to knit socks and winter accessories using just 2 needles.  While the photos on the front cover look very outdated, the actual instructions and patterns make very nice items which are quite easy.  For several years when we still lived in New Jersey I used to knit mittens in assorted sizes to donate to the Catholic Charities at one of the local hospitals.  It was always a lot of fun to work on those in between other projects I worked on, such as sweaters, vests (when they were popular), afghans, and slippers.

I came across these patterns and book earlier today so decided this would be perfect for Throwback Thursday.  I have a lot of yarn in my stash and am thinking that it might be fun to make some mittens again, and I can donate them to one of the downtown charities that takes in cold-weather items for the homeless.  Or, I might just finally knit a new stocking for my husband, Dennis.  I made his back in 1982 and over the years it's been shredding a bit from being overly stuffed with lots of snacks :)  I did a much better job when I made Jacquelyn's in 1985 for her first Christmas.  Or, perhaps I just don't buy things quite as bulky for her stocking stuffers.

 

A Weekend Getaway

Every year our daughter and I take a road trip up to Santa Fe and Taos to enjoy some cold weather and snow. It's only about a 12-hour road trip, so is easy to do for a long weekend. We drove up to Santa Fe last Friday, January 30th, and arrived a little after 11 PM. The first thing I noticed (as always when we go in the winter) is the fresh, crisp, cold air ~ along with the beautiful dark sky full of millions of stars, which seems so much easier to see when you're up in the higher altitudes. The other thing I love is the scent of the pinon wood that people use for their fireplaces and wood-burning stoves. It's such a pleasant and unique aroma and to me it just says "Santa Fe".





Saturday we drove up to Taos for the afternoon, which is about an hour north. I took the highway route which isn't quite as scenic as another route, but you still get to drive past the Rio Grande through the gorge.



The color of the river was beautiful when we stopped to take pictures,















and as you can see, there was still some snow up the hill on the other side.













We visited a few of our favorite shops in Taos,





















did a little shopping,












and ate at our favorite restaurant. They have the most wonderful menu and it's so hard to choose just one thing. I'd love to be able to go there much more than our once a year. In case you're wondering what I ate, it was the Turkey Berry sandwich... lettuce,turkey, cream cheese and fresh-made cranberry sauce on a fresh-baked croissant. Sooooo good!!!














We drove around the area a bit after our shopping and lunch,



















stopped and visited with these pretty horses,












and then headed back to Santa Fe
for the night.



























Sunday we spent the day in Santa Fe, driving around the hills and up Canyon Road (full of art galleries and shops), and then doing some
shopping in our favorite places around the plaza.






We couldn't resist a visit along the walkway where many of the local Indians sell their handmade jewelry and other items. It's all so beautiful and very hard to resist! My daughter saw one pendant in particular that she really loved, so I bought it for her Valentine's Day gift. She has another week before she can have it :)







Monday we woke up, had breakfast, and then headed for home. It's always so sad to see the beautiful snow-covered mountains getting smaller and smaller as I glance in the rearview mirror, but I'm certainly glad it's a relatively short drive so we're able to visit each winter!

Monday Inspiration

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape -
the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.
Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."

- Andrew Wyeth

Beauty in Winter

Nothing speaks so much of goodness as an apple orchard in all its seasons.
There is beauty, even in winter when only the bare twigs and branches are seen.

~ Fiona Macmath "Spiritual Lessons from an Apple Orchard"

A Weekend Getaway

I love snow and winter, and since we don't really get that where I live, I always need to find someplace to enjoy a few of my favorite things ~ cold weather, snow, and either mountains of the west, or scenery, historic areas and the ocean back in the northeast. Last winter we did the northeast, so this time we headed west.

Our daughter and I did an impromptu road trip to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, a favorite area to visit. I was thrilled to be in the cold weather and see plenty of snow still on the ground, and the mountains were absolutely beautiful. I so need this type of weather each year, or I feel a deep emptiness that just doesn't go away.

Of course, we visited our favorite shops in both towns, and it was fun to chat with the store owners and artists in a few of them. Since it's "off season" everyone has time to visit :) We spent Friday in Santa Fe...

... and Saturday in Taos.

Along the way we saw snow, beautiful mountains, and contented (and photogenic) animals...

Our drive back home brought us through Roswell, which is always a fun place to stop for lunch or just coffee or a snack. There's always something interesting to see, and you have to love the street lights :)

We arrived back home late last night. There's a vase full of pretty flowers from my husband sitting on the mantel to welcome us back home. Now that we're back I have my week planned, which includes lots of preparation for our spring semester of classes which begin next Monday. Before I head back to those lesson plans, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from our trip. I hope you enjoyed a virtual vacation with us :)

A Time for Everything ~ January

JANUARY, A TIME FOR...

Becoming frugal and thrifty...

"Nothing should be bought that can be made or done without."
~ Old New England Saying

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
~ Theodore Roosevelt


For finishing all the projects you begin...

"When a task is once begun, never leave it until is is done."
~ Old New England Saying


For using leftover cloth and fabrics...

~ Save elegant fabric scraps and old brocade ribbon and sew into a fancy patchwork pillow. To make it extra special, add some dried lavender to the stuffing.


For beginning a journal...

~ Purchase a pretty cloth-covered journal and a special pen, and spend a little time each day alone with your thoughts. Write down those favorite memories from your childhood, thoughts about a favorite relative, goals you wish to accomplish, prayers for yourself and your family, challenges you've faced and overcome, and all the blessings in your life. If you find it difficult to write, think of it as a letter to a special friend... that just happens to be you.

~ As you become more comfortable in your writing, start a journal for your children, to be passed down to their children... let the future generations of your family see what life was like for you during your time... from the simplest of tasks you do each day, to your deepest thoughts and dreams.


For writing letters...

~ Start a new habit... decide to write to one person each week. Buy some pretty stationery, a box of small notecards, and a notebook. In the notebook make a list of family and friends, and all the special people in your life who have touched you and influenced your life. Then make a special page with each of their names and addresses, where you can enter the date each time you write. Spend 15 minutes each week writing to one of them. It can be a long letter, or just a brief note telling them what they've meant to you. Email notes are fun and a good way of staying in touch, but there are few things more special than receiving a handwritten note from someone, knowing they took the time to think of you, and to write.

A Prairie Schooler Finish

Earlier this week I added the last few stitches to Prairie Schooler Winter Winds. I didn't like the original chart instructions with a dark, almost black, portion at the top, so after seeing how some other online friends finished theirs, I decided to make a few changes and leave the top portion white, outlined in the dark color, and then use the blue for the word "winter". I like the way it turned out and now have to decide just what to do to actually "finish" it. Right now it's resting on a stitching stand with a few other recently finished projects.

From "Stillmeadow Seasons" ~

"Come now the wild dark days of February when the house seems like a lovely warm little island with winter billowing outside. Pipes freeze and get thawed out, and there is a sense of victory. The current goes off, and we move dinner hastily to the coal range or hang it over the fireplace in the old black kettle.

"In February, after a big storm, the sun comes out with more brightness than at any other time in the year. The winter sky is pale and far away and the snow is the essence of all the white there is. The glory of the sun, with the pale sky and the white snow, is breath-taking. The light has a purity, a dazzling serenity. I like to go out then, and walk up to the mailbox. How beautiful is the world! How fortunate we are, in spite of everything, to feel the infinite splendor of a day after storm!

The most beautiful snowstorm is the one that comes when the air is relatively mild and the big wet flakes cling to every twig and branch. The trees change to silver and the fields are a soft white sea.

And the gift of quietness is given, for there is no stillness so pure and deep as the stillness of snow. Sounds sink without a ripple in that silence..."

~ From 'Stillmeadow Seasons' by Gladys Taber

Winter Winds SAL - Part 4

I forgot to take a photo when I finished Part 3 of our SAL, but here's my completed piece through Part 4. It's been fun stitching this design with friends from an online needlework group, and we all love the instructions that our leader Heidi sends. She always includes such fun tidbits of information, along with each assignment. The last assignment just arrived, and I'll be working on that over the weekend. Last week we began a special time to all stitch together ~ a 3:00 hot chocolate "date" ~ and I'm looking forward to doing lots of stitching tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday Afternoon

"Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities."

~ 'Woman's Home Companion', December 1935

Isn't that a wonderful quote? And to think that people felt that way back in 1935. I think it's appropriate for my afternoon. This morning my husband put away the last of the Christmas decorations and is planning to repair a few outside lights that aren't working properly. Our daughter has been working on papers for her college classes, and I've been doing laundry and working on some preliminary things for our income tax (I actually love doing them!!).

But, now it's almost 3:00 in the afternoon, and I'm planning on spending the rest of the day relaxing. As soon as I finish this note, I'm going to make myself a pot of tea. While the water is heating up, I'll load the dishwasher, and by the time I'm finished with that, the water should be ready. I have a new box of tea that I received from my friend Heidi in Holland. She included two bags with her Christmas card and when I told her how much I loved it, she was so sweet to send me my very own box. It's called "Winter gloed" by Pickwick, and is really delicious. I've been having fun trying to read the box... which is in Dutch, I believe. :)

Once my tea is ready I'm going to take the teapot and cozy to my favorite spot in the sunroom, and spend a few hours working on two of my cross stitch projects. This afternoon is sunny and breezy, and it will be a perfect way to spend the next few hours until it's time to make dinner.

I hope you all enjoy your day and weekend, and that you're able to "seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities".

A Favorite Poem

"I had for my winter evening walk ~~
No one at all with whom to talk,
But I had the cottages in a row
Up to their shining eyes in snow.

And I thought I had the folk within:
I had the sound of a violin;
I had a glimpse through curtain laces
Of youthful forms and youthful faces.

I had such company outward bound.
I went till there were no cottages found.
I turned and repented, but coming back
I saw no window but that was black.

Over the snow my creaking feet
Disturbed the slumbering village street
Like profanation, by your leave,
At ten o'clock of a winter eve."

~ Robert Frost, "Good Hours"

Winter Winds SAL, Part 2

I finished stitching Part 2 of our Winter Winds stitch-along the other evening. I was in the mood to continue this piece, so decided to begin stitching the house below the verse. I hope Heidi doesn't mind that I "cheated" a little :) These Prairie Schooler samplers are just so fun to stitch, that it's sometimes difficult to stop.

Winter at My Home

I was hoping for some snow since the weather report said there was a chance, but we only received a lot of freezing rain and sleet. I would have preferred snow since I miss it so much, but was happy to actually see some winter weather in our area. It's usually always warm here, what I call "tourist weather".

I spent most of yesterday sitting in my favorite comfy chair, drinking cocoa or tea, and doing lots of cross stitching. What could be more perfect? I made a pot of lentil soup and some cornbread for dinner, which seemed like a good meal for an icy day.

Today is still grey, with some more chance of winter precipitation, so my plans are much like yesterday. It's definitely a good time for some "nesting" :)

~ Joanne

A Season of Rest

"What is more serene than the earth
under a blanket of freshly fallen snow?
Nature has come to a standstill.
The only sound is ice crunching underfoot.
People speak in muted tones...
This is a season of rest."

~ Wayne Jacobsen, "In My Father's Vineyard"

(Image: "Quiet Morning" by P. Buckley Moss)

PS Winter Winds SAL - Part 1

Last night I finished Part One of Winter Winds by Prairie Schooler. We're working on this project in one of my online needlework groups and everyone posts their photos as they finish each assignment. My friend Heidi is leading us and she always adds the nicest touches to the assignments to make them more interesting. This one included a winter quote and information on feeding birds in the winter. I can't wait to see what the next assignment will include :)

A Time of Quietness and Reflection

"Winter is a time of quietness and reflection, a time of "nesting" while much of the earth sleeps and waits for spring.

Winter is the contemplative season. It invites us to sit by the hearth and dream about God, to shift our focus from creation to the Creator."

~ Harriet Crosby, "A Well-Watered Garden"

(Image: P. Buckley Moss, "Winter Friends")

Winter Gardens

"Our own gardens are living reminders that God is with us, even in winter.
The plants and flowers may have lost their leaves or blooms,
but deep inside they are still nourished and fed until spring arrives again."

~ Harriet Crosby, "A Well-Watered Garden"

(Photo: Gardens at The Cloisters, NYC
Taken on vacation 1/07)