Happy New Year with knitting, books, crafts and cooking!
January 06, 2025
Hello and Happy New Year! Today is a quiet day and this afternoon after I'm done here I'm going to head to my knitting room for a few hours of knitting bliss before I start dinner. I've got lots to share today--knitting, books, crafts and cooking, so come on in!
KNITTING: Sabella by Isabel Kramer is my most recent FO. I love having a classic basic like this in my library and wardrobe. It is knit seamlessly top down, with the neck shaped with short rows and sleeves made with the contiguous method. The pattern calls for icords for the neck and hems, and don't remember why I decided to make ribbed hems instead. The blue and white stripes are my take on a Breton sweater. The yarn is the wonderful Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I cannot find fault with ever, plus it was on sale. It's a practical sweater that will get a lot of wear, especially in the spring.
COOKING: We went to Costco for an after Christmas restock ($$$, I almost fainted) and I bought a 2 pound bag of fresh haricot vert. They were in perfect shape and I'm pretty sure they said organic. I roasted all of them at one time even though it's just the two of us, and then for a dressing I used the recipe on the back of the package. It was so good! It had fresh garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, cider vinegar and lots of other flavorful ingredients that I luckily happened to have on hand. We ate them all week, hot, cold, in salads, even in sandwiches. If you are a Costco shopper, check them out.
READING: I'm on a Freida McFadden kick right now and loved The Teacher, The Widow's Secret Lie, Never Lie and The Boyfriend. She writes murder mystery/thrillers with twisty ends and I'm just working my way through them. I also loved these autobiographies, Ina Garten's Be Ready When the Luck Happens and most especially Cher, part one. Apparently, Cher's life is so big she has to write TWO books. I totally fell in love with her and was never bored for one minute, unlike Barbra Streisand's autobiography which I could not get through. The audio version of Cher's book has Cher reading a few paragraphs then a Cher impersonator takes over for a few paragraphs! It's a kick and a good read. My friend suggested I read The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. I protested because I know nothing about her and didn't really care, but she really pressed me to read it. I'm so glad she did because I really enjoyed it. What a life and what a story she has to tell.
GARDENING: I'm just starting the search for my spring seed order. I know the green beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers I like to grow, but I aways like to try a few different varieties for fun. I think this year's zinnia color combo is going to be bright pink and orange. I don't know why I have those colors in my head, but I also want to knit an orange and pink cotton summer sweater. The roses need pruning and I plan to start that process tomorrow. I'll do one, two, or three a day depending on the size of the bush. The paperwhites are blooming, and I'm snipping them as fast as I see them because I love the perfume they bring my rooms. The daffodils aren't far behind. The camellias are just starting to bloom but I won't pick any until the bushes are more filled with color, probably in February.
CHRISTMAS HAUL I bought my own gifts from my husband this year, but then I always do. I love opening a book on Christmas morning and Nordic Knits was my perfect Christmas morning read. I was also totally surprised with this yarn haul! Clockwise from top right, Rowan Moordale for a colorwork sweater (60% off), Onling wool in gold (also on sale, maybe 50% off but I can't exactly remember) and Purl Soho Linen Quill in Kettle Black for a V neck and Fuchsia for which I have nothing planned as yet, both for 25% off. I try very hard not to be swayed by sales, but I rationalized buying this haul to save my husband the hardship of shopping for me! He is totally fine with this arrangement.
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS I think I've told you that my grandson and I often make junk crafts, but this time I wanted my family to join in. In a big basket in my sewing room I save junk that's meant for the trash. Nothing is too trashy for this basket, except if it's dirty or foody of course. When the family was here I displayed the junk out on the table, created two fierce, competitive teams, then fired up the glue guns and let them go at it. The Most Beautiful award was given to this innocent and charmingly attractive robot on the left, and The Most Creative award went to this lifelike reindeer pulling a totally functioning rocket ship.
After living in that basket for so long, the little trashies finally made it into the garbage can!
Deep cleaning is what's up next, and I might, if I can get my act together, write a post every Monday to share what deep cleaning task I've accomplished the previous week. I say this because my cleaning, decluttering and organizing posts are always popular so I think it's something you might like. I'll be back soon, and if I can't get to those cleaning posts, at least I know for a fact that I'll have some knitting posts. Hope you are all doing well and finding some calm after all the excitement of the holidays.
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6 Comments
Happy New Year! Love the sweater! That shade of blue! I got Ina’s book too. Next on my list. Thanks for the rest of the recommendations! (Chloe
ReplyDeleteYou and I have similar tastes in books so I'd love some more of your book recommendations. Today I listened for 4 hours (while cleaning) to a book I just started, If Only I Had Told Her. It's got me captivated. But now I'm tired and sat down to knit and watching the first episode of the first season of Downton Abbey. Exquisite to revisit.
DeleteThanks as always for a great post. My house and I would love some deep cleaning posts. Maybe a clean-along, like a knit-along?
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Thank you so much for the encouragement!
DeleteLoved reading about your knitting projects and cooking adventures! The Sabella sweater sounds beautiful, and I can't wait to try the haricot vert recipe.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you love the green beans recipe as much as we did!
DeleteYou make my day when you make a comment!