I'm already assembling things to give for giftmas, and thinking about Solstice parties and possible Ski/Snowboarding vacations we can take around the holiday.
I've been domestically busy lately, even though we haven't gotten out of the house much because of the dismal, rainy weather. I hope December is dryer.
I started substitute teaching the day before Thanksgiving, which was not as bad as it could have been, but still a bit stressful. I need to start trying to be up and showered by 7:30 in case I get a call to come in. I am not a morning person, and I need a lot of sleep so I am not really looking forward to this.
Usually they try to give you a few days notice, but that's not possible if someone is sick.
I'm thinking I should look into getting a sun-light, to help me get up on dark days and to brighten my mood throughout the winter. Unfortunately the good ones are fairly expensive, and it's kindof a low priority.
I've been doing a lot of cooking and baking lately, in honor of the changing seasons and Thanksgiving. The weekend before Thanksgiving we had our big feast, and Meghan and Stefan were able to come up from Munich to spend it with us! We also had our friend Chris from Frankfurt here (who I know from DC), so it was really great to be able to share our first holiday away from Baltimore with friends we knew from back home.
I spend Friday baking, so the oven would be free for the Turkey on Saturday. Here's the spread!
Herb Butter Roast Turkey with Brandy Gravy
The sides: Green Bean Casserole, Corn Pudding, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Kabocha squash with cranberries and pecans, Apple and sausage stuffing, and homemade cranberry orange sauce.
YUM!
And last but not least, Dessert!
Apple pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, which were a big hit!
Our Guests!
Here's Meghan playing Rockband
On Thanksgiving itself we went to Joe's squadron's potluck. We had been to one the previous week as well.
I've been doing a lot of knitting as well as spinning lately, this fall I have finished two pairs of socks, a clapotis I started years ago, some fingerless mitts, a Nimbus sweater, and I'm on the home stretch of a second sweater, Amused, from Knitty.com!
Here's the socks (a gift for my Mom's B-day) and the sweater for me. I'll post about the Amused sweater later.
Nimbus, a free pattern from Berroco
The pattern calls for a bulky yarn on size 11 needles. I wanted to use some DK 100% alpaca I had, so I doubled it and used size 10 needles, which gave me a gauge of 16 st and 19 rows in 4". I used the stitch counts for the 48" size to adjust the gauge, and the measurements of the 36 inch size. I wet blocked all pieces to size before seaming.
I also tacked down the collar to keep it from rolling up.
I'm very happy with it, it fits well and it very comfy! Only drawback is the 100% alpaca makes it a VERY HEAVY sweater, both in weight and in warmth. The short sleeves and length though make it more versatile.
Here's the Shadow Rib Two-at-a-time toe-up socks with Afterthought heels I made for my Mom! Using Blue Ridge Yarns Kaleidoscope Superwash Sock Yarn, in Wild Cherry. Loved the yarn, hated the color, but she picked it out.
When I do toe-up socks again, if I’m not making the heels and toes in a different yarn I will use a short row heel, as I had to take a guess when to stop for the leg because I needed to leave enough yarn to do the toes.
Here's what I'm spinning! More Gale's Art Merino. 2-ply, light worsted weight
And here's what's on the wheel, Gale's Art Merino in Orchid
This week I hope to drag Joe out of the house to go to the annual Wiesbaden "Shining Star Market", a Christmas market, and tonight I'm going out to dinner with a friend and to see "The Full Monty" at the English theater in Frankfurt!
1 comment:
There are ways to do toe-up heels without doing the standard short row version. Cat Bordhi has a few great methods in both of her most recent books--the New Pathways books. My personal favorite is the gusset that begins on the bottom of the foot, which you start at a certain measurement (so gauge doesn't matter) and then it flows into a heel that fits my feet PERFECTLY. There's a different formula for each book, so check them out. Once you've done the master version once, you have measurements and notes that work on just about any sock. I tend to knit with my handspun so I don't always have the same amount as the pattern calls for in a commercial yarn. Using the numbers has been almost foolproof. :D
PS: I've been reading your blog for ages. I'm glad you're posting again; it was a long time in there where you didn't and I'm glad to see you back. :D
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