Wrapping up 2013

New Years is one of my favorite days of the year, and this year I am probably more organized about it than I ever will be in my lifetime again. I love the concept of having a 'new' start, a fresh chance, and a date to either get things finished by, or a good starting point for a change I want to make in my life. New Years reminds me that there are second chances, and that God is allowing us a little more time to grow closer to Him and carry out His work.

In addition to getting my house tidied up, I've been working on clearing out my stack of 'works in progress' with the idea that it would be nice to start the new year with less of the old on my plate, and more room to play with the new. The first thing I finished was this pair of socks that has been languishing in my knitting basked for...cough, cough, at least two years. What with one thing and another these socks 'lost the love,' and oddly enough I gave up halfway through the second sock. While the right one looks a little odd, I still love this new pair of socks, and am happy to have evicted it from my basket!

The next thing that I finished was a cross stitch that I started when I first came to Zambia in 2010. I did all the stitching and a little outlining, then I packed it away. Well, it is all finished now, and just needs a frame to do it justice. I love the idea of cross stitching chetengi, and I love how very African this is!

Finally, I finished a cross stitch that I started this summer while I was home. I think I might put this up in my classroom; hopefully I won't get in trouble!

Today I plan to mop my floors, actually and for real get caught up on the dishes, take a look at one of the other large partially complete cross stitches that I have lurking in my basket, and starting a new pair of socks for someone special. I plan to stay up late, to happily hang new calendars on my walls, and to enjoy these last few hours of 2013. Happy New Year to you all, and may 2014 be a year of great blessing for you all.

How does one celebrate Christmas in the bush?

Well, there is a lot of baking, cooking, and washing of dishes. I tried a new cookie recipe--'Russian Cigarettes', and while I like them, they are a bit more work than I think I'm willing to go to every year. Having a proper non-stick baking mat would also probably make these a bit easier to pull off.

Another thing you do is finish off some Christmas presents. Like a cowl for Jill,

Ent fingerless gloves for Bethany,

And socks for Beth.

There was a progressive breakfast on Christmas morning that involved some lovely fruit in orange bowls at Jills,

and Breakfast Casserole and Southern Boiled Custard at my place among other lovely things.

I've been going on a finishing spree--pictures of that will follow in a later post as well as some of the DREADFUL knitting patterns I found while clearing out my sewing room.

Parting shot: My puppy is ADORABLE!

Traditions

Note: This was written before Christmas, but I thought I'd go ahead and post it, then share some pictures of my Christmas later.

I've been thinking a bit recently about traditions and how much they mean to me. I guess Christmas is sort of the best time of year for traditions, and growing up in my family meant that I learned a whole lot of them! While I mixed up some of my grandmother's delicious fruitcake this weekend, I thought about the many times I've enjoyed her fruitcake, how it always came wrapped in foil, and watching Grandma make it. As I worked I could see her in the kitchen--her movements slower then they were when I was younger, but very deliberate and sure. Making her recipe the way she taught me brought her close even though there is an ocean between us. So the fruitcake is more than just an important part of Christmas for me; it's a connection with home and Christmases in the past. Another tradition that is particularly close to my heart is the lighting of the Advent candles. Knowing that in a few hours my family will be doing the very same thing and memories of candle light from years past make this tradition a vital part of my Christmas celebration. Using the red candles that I grew up with and anticipating the lighting of the Christ candle help connect me with my German heritage and my family. There are so many other things--putting the lights on the tree the way my mom likes them, making certain Christmas goodies, reading the Christmas story and singing the carols. Yes, it is true that sometimes traditions become stressful and crazy and result in people weeping into mugs of tea at odd hours of the day or night, but especially when I am so very, very far from where I most want to be, anything that makes me forget for even an moment that there is an ocean between me and home is a very good thing. So, I will continue to celebrate Christmas with a nod to the past, concessions to present circumstances, and hope for the future.

Secret Christmas knitting continues, but I'll share a few of the ornaments I managed to get finished in the last few days. A naughty kitten,

A caroling faun,

And a wreath.

I've got a list of things that I want to finish before the year turns in addition to getting my house cleaned up properly, so I'll have a busy few days. More later!

Finishities strikes again--how convienient!

I've had a burst of finishitis lately; it must come with the house cleaning that I've been working on this week. I put up the rest of my Christmas decorations!

As I sort and clean, I've been digging in my cross stitch box and found these things languishing and needing just a little finishing. Like this banner I made YEARS ago.

I also dug out a long abandoned project--these "Christmas-myth" ornaments! How about a dragon,

A Wyvern,

A Hippocampus,

And an adorable giant!

I've started cutting out the sewing projects that I would like to finish this break, and I also have a bit of holiday baking that I want to get done. This holiday is WAY too short...

Another road trip survived!

Whew—I am SO glad that this trip is over! It’s so wonderful to be sitting on my porch and listening to Christmas music while I work on my Christmas shopping and blogging. Because I had to do all the driving, the trip was rather exhausting for me, and the police stops were insane. While I was away I managed to accomplish the following things:

* I picked up my new work permit—now I’m done with emigration nonsense for the next two years! Huzzah! It only took an hour, and there were no hiccups in the process. Praise the Lord!

* I got Jill’s truck’s fitness done even though it involved paying and picking up the form at one RTSA location, driving way out to the Mimosa location to get the actual inspection done, accidentally flagrantly jumping the queue, tramping around in the rain, and turning down the ‘tempting’ offer to teach the RTSA guy how to sing.

* Lots of shopping was done! When you can’t get more than the basics in Ikelenge, trips to town are a chance to pick up all those treats like brown sugar, cheese, yogurt, and spices for Christmas baking. I may have found a few Christmas presents for myself as well…

* I got to watch Ender’s Game ! I LOVED it! While the book is still better, I thought they did a really good job of it. More on that later.

One thing I really enjoyed about this trip was seeing the Christmas in Lusaka. The lights in Manda hill were particularly nice.

At Arcades, they had a somewhat tacky/cool tree made up of plastic bottles. Way to recycle Zambia!

I’ll write another post later about the crazy thing that happened in Solwezi and any other wild stories that come to mind. Today has been busy as I try to get everything put away, do a bit of cleaning in my house, and borrowed a sewing machine so I can get busy with all that material I just bought.

Parting shot: My cat had fun with the bags I was unpacking last night!

P.S. Just in case anyone cares, here is pumpkin No. 4--and perhaps my favorite of them all.

GOOD, they're GONE!

To quote my brilliant sister...

The program happened, the kids left, the holiday is now starting! Woot!

This weekend I put my tree up as a reward for finishing my reports-

I also did some blocking this weekend so that I could finish up some gifts. I loved how this one scarf looked while pinned out on my couch!

Here is a peek at a gift for a dear friend who is leaving to go get married-

Parting shot: My cat is too cute! She was not impressed with how I took over HER couch to block a shawl...

The Labors of Heracles

This week has been one of the wildest of my time here at Sakeji, but this has also been the least stressful exam week that I have ever had. I MC’d special music assemblies every day this week, and organized and MC’d our Christmas Music Assembly. I performed with the Sakeji Trio and accompanied several numbers. I gave 7 exams and got them and the assignments marked in record time. I tried a new way of organizing my efforts on report cards, was a total social hermit, and I finished up the last card on Friday night—a new record for me! I still need to re-read over them and make sure that everything is coherent and fair, but I’m so tickled to be free of that burden!

We had a pie social on Tuesday night in early celebration of Thanksgiving--sorry, I forgot to take any pictures, but I made a beautiful pumpkin pie. My little mini Ninja blender is just about the best thing EVER. I got to talk to my family on Thursday which was such a blessing--I was feeling a little blue around the edges by that point. Thanksgiving should never be scheduled in exam week again!

Oddly enough, my crazy week has really cut into my knitting time. Pretty much all I’ve managed to turn out this week has been this pumpkin dishcloth,

and a handful of knit stars.

Today I’m going to have a big ‘blocking party’ in which I take care of a gift or two—pictures will follow. I played with the bead kits I’m going to use with my handcraft girls-

And I put up the first bit of Christmas to cheer me through my marking spree. I think the tree will go up this weekend as a reward for being done with my reports!

Parting shot-

The early morning sunlight caught this spider web and made into a crystal beaded net. So beautiful!

The Great Pumpkin Quest!

This week, for reasons unknown, I was seized by the urge to knit pumpkins. I must be getting preemptively homesick for Thanksgiving... I had a knit pumpkin pattern that I printed out years ago that I decided to test drive, and when I ran into trouble with that one I went on a Ravelry search to find some more ideas. Here then are the results of my great pumpkin quest--just in case you ever wanted to know this much about knit pumpkins!

First of all, I started on that pattern I had printed out several years ago and found out that this person a) couldn't always count, and b) left out a really critical batch of knit two together's on her pumpkin wedges. Eventually (with other pumpkins in between) I got it finished, though I kind of want to make another one that will look a little nicer. Right before the end I thought of a neater way to do something, so the last two wedges look nicer than the first two. *sigh* This was my last favorite of the pumpkins I knit this week.

The second pumpkin that I made was this one. Very simple, easily adaptable, and it produced my favorite of my three pumpkins. If I really wanted to I could add the yarn loops to pull it in more, but I like how this turned out. Truly mindless knitting, nice result!

The third pumpkin pattern I tried out this week is the spice pumpkin pattern. I liked how this one turn out, but I think I want to make another one where the loops aren't quite so tight. Very satisfactory.

Other than knitting pumpkins, is not much to report on this end. I was pretty sick yesterday--I suspect the worm pills. Either that or a kid slipped something into my water! This next week is the week of AOL--report card week, so either I'm going to be tempted to knit a sweater overnight, of I'm not going to get much done! I can't wait for term break...

Finishitis can be a very liberating thing...

I have quite a few finished or almost finished projects right now; we shall see how long this frenzy of finishing lasts! I think it has something to do with the awful weekend and half-term that I had...

First--A to be gifted dish towel that has been languishing in my basket for about a year.

I finished the purple baby sweater and I even sewed on the buttons!

I designed a Warehouse 13 inspired dishcloth: Snag & Bag It!

And I made my first towel topper! I must say that I like the knit look better than the crochet...

Oh-while I'm at it, just in case you were interested in the pattern for 221 b, here 'tis!

I can't wait till the holidays...

You are remembered

Remembrance Day

Remember now the dead, but think

As well of them that come

Back form the terrifying brink,

The men of nameless fame.

Unlike the dead, they do at last grow old,

Those comrades of a half-forgotten fold.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Do not go down dismayed, old men,

Do not go down dismayed,

For you possessed the strength of ten

Against the hordes arrayed

To seize your island fortress and enslave

A nation that no longer ruled the wave.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Though bearded boys, who never knew,

May now presume to mock,

It was yourselves, the ageing few,

Who then withstood the shock

And held it high and cast it back again

As once your fathers cast back France and Spain.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Therefore, do not go down, old men,

Dismayed, for in your day

You dared the Devil in his den

And slew him where he lay;

And nothing that these feckless times may do

Shall smirch the honour which belongs to you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

-J.H.B. Peel

Designing is addictive...

I’ve had so much fun the last week and a half playing with my Erebor hat, that I haven’t knit much on anything else. I managed to ‘creatively interpret’ the instructions for the purple baby surprise jacket; I think it’s all sorted out now… This afternoon I finished off a dishcloth design I had started quite a bit ago—behold, the 221 b B Baker Street Dishcloth!

Maybe I should do one that says, “Elementary!”… I still have plans for some sort of Dwarvish fingerless gloves, but I think those will take quite a bit more time to work out. I noticed when I was watching The Hobbit last weekend that there are quite a few lovely hand-knit things—I approve! I might have to check out some of those other patterns on Ravelry now…

Other than getting my pattern ready to publish and a bit of reading, this past week hasn’t been that exciting. Rehearsals of the “Sakeji Trio” are underway; the arrangement I made of the Sans Day Carol seems to be working pretty well. Huzzah! It’s so good to sing in parts again…

So, to close off, here is a cute kid story.

On Tuesday in music class I was explaining (in very simplified terms) 12 tone music to the grade 2 students. I had some cards with the 12 tones on them, and they were ‘helping’ me put them back in order. As I grabbed the “C” card, I asked them what came next. “C shark!” came the happy response! The whole way through the chromatic scale they enthusiastically ‘sharked’ each sharp. While I tried to keep a straight face, I explained that there couldn’t be any sharks in music class—too much water. The joys of working with children; sometimes they make me laugh so much!

Also, while playing the Fantasia version of Rite of Spring for the older kids, I had some serious flashbacks to my childhood and the phase when we may have watched “Land Before Time.” A lot. In our defense, a) we were young, and b) it was the first one! Now I feel old…

Erebor Hat

Size: This hat is fits a 23.5 inch head (mine) snuggly, but it would be quite easy to scale up or down by changing needle size or adding or subtracting stitches from the reverse stockinet panels.

Materials: A heavier worsted weight; I used some no-band yarn I found kicking around, and then a ball of Patons Décor. Size 7 needs—dpns or circulars depending on your favorite method of working in the round. A cable needle

Gauge: 24 sts over 5 inches in Framed Cross Cable pattern, or 24 sts over 5.25 inches in stockinet.

Abbreviations:

K-Knit
P-Purl
k2tog- Knit two together
p2tog- Purl two together
FCC—Frame Cross Cable
CB4B—(Cable 4 Back) Slip the first two stitches onto a cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 stitches from left-hand needle, then knit stitches from cable needle.
CB4F—(Cable 4 Front) Slip the first two stitches onto a cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 2 stitches from left-hand needle, then knit stitches from cable needle.
T3B—(Twist 3 Back) Slip next stitch onto a cable needles and hold at back of work, knit next 2 stitches from left-hand needle, then purl stitches from cable needle.
T3F—(Twist 3 Front) Slip next two stitches onto a cable needles and hold at front of work, purl next stitch from left-hand needle, then knit stitches from cable needle.

Framed Cross Cable From the Cable and arans Harmony Guide.

*Row 1: K2, p4, CB4B, p4, k2
Row 2 and all even rows—Knit the knits and purl the purls
Row 3: K2, p3, T3B, T3F, p3, k2
Row 5: K2, p2, T3B, p2, T3F, p2, k2
Row 7: K2, p1, T3B, p4, T3F, p1, k2
Row 9: K2, T3B, p6, T3F, k2
*Row 11: CB4F, p8, CB4B
Row 13: K2, T3F, p6, T3B, K2
Row 15: K2, p1, T3F, p4, T3B, p1, k2
Row 17: K2, p2, T3F, p2, T3B, p2, k2
Row 19: K2, p3, T3F, T3B, p3, k2.\
Row 20: Knit the knits and purl the purls

Instructions: Cast on 96 stitches.

Work 6 rows of rib as follows: *K4, P2, K2, P4, K4, P4, K2, P2* four times across the hat.

Now it’s time to begin working the cable rows!

Row 1: *CB4B, p2, work Framed Cross Cable, p2* four times across the hat.

Row 2: K4, p2, FCC, p2, K4.

Row 3: K4, p2, FCC, p2, K4.

See what you’re doing? You have four 4 stitch cables alternating with the four framed cross cables, all separated by 2 purl stitches between the cables.

Work 2 full repeats of the FCC cable; in rows 1 and 11 CB4B on the four stitch cable (as marked by the *’s in the instructions). This way it will match the CB4 crossings of the main cable. Work Rows 1 and 2 one more time before starting the decreases.

Decreases:

The idea here is to preserve the cable by getting rid of all the purl stitches first, then decreasing the knit stitches in traditional manner.

Row 1: *Work the established pattern (knit the knits and purl the purls) for 8 stitches, p2tog, pattern for 8, p2tog, pattern for 2, p2tog* repeat three times across the row.

Row 2 and all even rows: Work in established pattern; knit the knits and purl the purls.

Row 3: Work the established pattern for 4 stitches, *p2tog, pattern for 2, p2tog, pattern for 6, P2tog, pattern for 7* four times; the last repeat will end with 3 pattern stitches instead of 7.

Row 5: Work the established pattern for 3 stitches, k2tog, *pattern for 2, p2tog, pattern for 4, p2tog, pattern for 2°, k2tog, pattern for 2, k2tog* three times. Work pattern for 2, p2tog, pattern for 4, p2tog, pattern for 2, k2tog (you will be using the last stitch of this round and the first stitch in next).

Row 7: Knit 5, *K2tog, k3, k2tog, k7* four times; the last repeat will end with k2 stitches instead of 7. You now have 48 stitches.

Row 9. Now all the purls are gone, and you will begin your knit decreases. K4, k2tog across the hat. You now have 40 stitches.

Row 11: K3, k2tog across the hat. You now have 32 stitches.

Row 13: K2, k2tog across the hat. You now have 24 stitches.

Row 15: K1, k2tog across the hat. You now have 16 stitches.

Row 17: K2tog across the hat. You now have 8 stitches left.

Cut the yarn and draw through the remaining 8 stitches. I like to do this quite loosely the first time, go through the stitches a second time, and then tighten it off. Weave in the ends, then set forth to slay the dragon!

Dwarven cables or how I cope with stress

Various things have 'bumped into my happy' this week, and for some reason that I can't fully understand my brain has responded by going crazy with knitting ideas. It all started with these:

I had stared these before going home, and it occurred to me that they would make someone (not telling who!) a nice Christmas present, so I started cabling. The pattern is called Arwen fingerless gloves, and as I succumed to the magic of knitting stitches out of order, I began to ponder dwarven cables. Pretty soon I was designing this:

An Erebor hat! I have plans for dwarven fingerless gloves, but I'm making myself wait till this weekend (I'm off) to start playing with those. I liked the Arwen cable so much that I decided to add it to the sleeves of the shrug I'm working on.

Finally, as my 'mindless knitting,' I'm making another Baby Surprise Jacket in some of my favorite discontinued yarn.

Other than knitting there isn't much other news around here. Life continues on--I'm pretty busy with my classroom and students, and the end of term is beginning to loom. I've been trying to get all the music stuff finished up, and I guess I need to start writing the program for the Christmas music assembly. A teacher's work never stops!

Oh--I'm reading Frankenstein right now, and it is not at all what I was expecting. No electrodes, and lots of philosophy. Make me want to study the development of the Frankenstein monster now... Rather like Van Helsing, how did something that unexciting become what we think of today? I did my favorite covert dressing up trick--I wore a white rose and my locket to be a Jacobite. Happy Reformation Day!

Lots to report!

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. –G. K. Chesterton

Because I am a terrible person who both remembers and CELEBRATES a wide variety of holidays, I decided to do some Halloween reading. Now, I am not a huge fan of most of what Halloween stands for; I HATED having to set the Halloween isle when I worked at Michael’s, and I am totally against most of the ‘ick’ that the holiday has come to mean. I DO however like a good chilling story now and again, and I’m totally in favor of dressing up. Unless I have to at Sakeji. What can I say, I’m an odd fish. So, as Beth and I recently watched Van Helsing, I decided that I wanted to read Frankenstein as I have never indulged in that particular classic before, and I also re-read Neil Gaiman’s delightful novel, Coraline.

I love this book. This is a book about not really wanting everything you want, about bravery, and about doing what must be done. Plus, there is a good dose of spine tingling creepiness that won't keep you up all night. BTW-the movie has some good points, but the book was MUCH BETTER.

First of all, I finished the baby surprise jacket! It's so cute! I even made some matching booties.

The construction is so clever, and I had a lot of fun making this. I might have cast on another one already...

I also finally finished my "Grumpasauras." He has been lurking in the bottom of my knitting basket for a long time. Like, three years. *embarrassed* Why do I so often lose heart right before the end?

Yesterday was Zambian Independence Day. We had our usual little message around the flag;

Some year I want to hear an American give the message; I think it would be interesting! We spent the whole day down at the pool and were rained on on and off during the afternoon, and then last night was our Independence Day bonfire. If I wasn't so tired by that point I might have enjoyed it more. I think we should have a grown-up bonfire sometime this holiday...

Finally, as a parting shot, my cat matches my floor!