Mid-December report & a special gift for my grandmother

My last post included photos of the items I knitted and crocheted for my grandmother's Christmas gifts.  I didn't include this because I purchased it from an eBay seller who has been running an online estate sale and the auction had ended too recently for it to be here when I did my first-of-month post:

As you can tell, if you are from Chicago, this is an ornament featuring the famous clock on the Marshall Field's building* downtown.  It came with the original box, in which it is shown at left, with the Marshall Field's logo on the cover.  When I saw this in his postings it brought back memories of when my grandmother and great-grandmother took me to The Walnut Room for luncheon.  My great-grandmother got the pot pie, I don't remember what my grandmother got (maybe also the pot pie? I tried it once or twice), and I got the fruit salad with little date bread sandwiches.  They were such a treat!  I remember having to be very dressed up for these occasions, and when I spoke to my grandmother last weekend after the ornament arrived (with the cookies and rugelach I sent her for Hanukah, so she knew she could open it immediately), we reminisced for quite a while about these "ladies' luncheons".

*Yes, I know it's now owned by Macy's, along with everything else Marshall Field's.  But to longtime Chicagoans, the building itself will never be Macy's.

Channukah 2020

This year was the first one in a long time (maybe since childhood?) that I was home on all eight nights:

   

   

   

   

Because I am allergic to chocolate, I bought a chest (it looks like a miniature treasure chest) of fruit jellies gelt, and had fun coordinating each evening's treat with the candles.  I confirmed for myself that one box of 44 candles is exactly enough candles for the festival - it's been a long time since (a) I had a new box to open (purchased specially this year) and (b) I've been home every night.

My cooking club met on the 7th night, and the theme was "Christmas Cookies" so I made a Channukah treat.  I thought I should do something dessert-ish because of the theme, so regular potato latkes were not an option, and I didn't want to try to make a single sufganiyah.  I found a recipe for apple latkes, but decided to make levivot, which are a sweetish cheese-based pancake with raisins - or in my case, since I have a lot of them, dried blueberries.  I added some sautéed apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and the whole was yummy.  I had enough to make levivot for breakfast the next two mornings.

Mid-Month Mini-Resolutions Report

No progress to speak of in finishing this month's mini-resolutions, in part because some of my cleaning and organizing and looking in the stash turned up a book with a mitten pattern I wanted to try, and knit a pair:

That is actually the second pair I knit.  It's made from leftover odd bits of yarn that may have been part of a baby sweater for my brother and/or me.  I knit the first pair with some vintage Red Heart yarn from a time when it was 100% wool, plus some bits of brown alpaca and black wool lingering in my stash:

  

I had wool left (I just barely had enough alpaca for the mittens; it was very fine so I carried it with black) after finishing the mittens so I made the hat.  This finished off the multicolour.  Both pairs of mittens and the hat (garter stitch except for ribbing at the bottom) will be donated to charity.

The mittens work up fairly quickly, especially as I did the thumb side of both at the same time.  This is so narrow, it makes sense to me to do it this way.  The Red Heart ones are much too big for me, the pink-and-blue ones (I used thinner yarn and smaller needles than the pattern indicates) just about fit me, although I want to fiddle a bit with where the mittens divide.  Third time might be the charm - and those will be for me.

Three shawls in November

 By the official calendar, it is December.

For Thanksgiving last week I got some turkey at a local barbeque place and ate it with sweet potatoes cooked with apples; some greens; and of course a slice of cranberry jelly.  Dessert was a local dairy's pumpkin pie ice cream.

I got to see family for the first time since February or last December, depending upon who it was, as we did a Zoom gathering.  There have been a few photographs, but not live.  I know some families have been doing weekly online gatherings, but somehow we haven't done it.  Next one will be on Christmas Day.

My boss ordered me to take the four-day weekend, and I did very well at (mostly) staying off work.  It helps when most of the persons with whom I am working also have the long weekend!  Weather cooperated so I did some walking outside, and house chores, and attended a friend's (online this year) stupid movies night.  Attendance was much higher than in past years as people from far and wide could attend - and make comments about the films.

Status of my November resolutions

I did fairly well - I finished my grandmother's twinset:

They are Wool-Ease DK in "Meadow".  I used all but about four metres of three full cakes.

It's on the way to her, along with another shawl I'd knit for her:

This is one cake of Parfait Layers in "Peachy Keen", a very simple pattern with eyelets on the rows where the colour changes.  Just a small bit of yarn remained.  This one zipped along because it is a chunky yarn.  I think my grandmother will love how soft it feels.

I also finished my Textured Triangle Shawl of the Periwinkle Sheep's Rhinebeck 2020 colourway:

I rarely knit anything this quickly after buying a commemorative yarn, even when I know what I want to do, but somehow this leapt ahead.  I had to start it three times: First restart was because I didn't like the resulting fabric and drape, so I moved up a needle size to US#8.  Then I realized that one of the skeins was very different from the others, and I thought it would do better at the lower border than the beginning triangle.  So, restart and re-restart, but I am very happy with the finished shawl.  One benefit is that I could tell I didn't like the garter lace, so I changed the return rows from K to P  as the closeup shows.  I like it much better.

My December mini-resolutions

Finish one of my UFOs, and finish a book.  I currently have three partially-read on my headboard, and I have a couple of holiday-themed ones waiting.  I am going to finish one of the three before I open another!  As for the UFOs, I have an abundance of options.

All things changing.

 Given everything going on in the country, and the increase in COVID-19 infections all over the world, and the record-setting hurricane season, I don't have much interesting to report.  The election results are still in contention, although the gulf in the electoral numbers is vastly wider than it was in 2000, and the "Million MAGA March" in DC yesterday with violent counterprotests have some people claiming we have a new civil war in progress.  So the president went to play golf.

Therefore I keep knitting, which seems a sensible thing to do:

On top, the first dyelot; on the bottom, the shawl in progress.

I am on the third iteration of this shawl.  When I posted earlier this month the thought I would switch to US#8 needles, I did a test swatch and decided to do so.  That was iteration #2.  Then when I went to get the next skein, I realized that I had two that were closer in dyelot than the third - and I didn't like the look of the two as following the first.  The pair have a bit more white to them, the single is more saturated in colour.

Now iteration #3 is moving along nicely.  In the top photo, you see it OTN with Iteration #2 below.  Yes, the difference is not huge, but it's enough.  The middle photo is a closeup.

The bottom photo should show the lace band difference, but you cannot see much of the first one.  It's in the bottom left corner.  You can also see it at the bottom of the top photo, it was the last full section I did on Iteration #2.  The pattern has you do garter lace and I just didn't like the look of it, so I switched to stockinette lace for Iteration #3.  I am thinking of doing this pattern again and might do reverse stockinette lace on that one.

I'm down in the second Ridge Pattern Band, lots of long slow rows.  Good for listening to the conference I attended on Friday, and also a couple plays Friday night and last night.  When I was traveling I would spend weekends back in North Texas doing crazy amounts of theatre, and we've missed it, so I scheduled a viewing of a recording from one of the theatre companies we supported.  We had a zoom room that acted as the lobby where we gathered before and after and at intermission.  Not quite the same, but good to see people again.

Last night's was a new play, done online, and they hope to have a real-life version in a year or so.  It included a talkback with the playwright and online puzzles for the audience to put together.  I didn't do the first one but had fun with the second.  Occasionally more than one of us tried to grab the same puzzle piece, but the multiplayer jigsaw puzzles worked well.

Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, and Hallowe'en again

KnitTalk had an online (day after) Hallowe'en party tonight.  I used the same costume I'd done for work:

I asked people to bring something orange to wear or show.  One woman loves orange, and had quite a pile of items.  Others had to scrounge for things.  I'd planned to wear a shawl I finished earlier this year, but having finished my latest item I was ready for something new, and had just received The Periwinkle Sheep's Rhinebeck 2020 colourway from The Spinning Room.  Usually I don't immediately think of what to do with a commemorative colourway, but I've wanted to do this shawl for a while:

The fabric is a bit tight, so I've debated switching to a US#8 needle instead of the called-for US#7, but this will be a dense and warm shawl and that will be very useful.

Today was the Second Annual Knitting With Sheep day at Clatter Ridge Farm.  They were attempting to hang onto their world record, which another farm said they would be breaking but ended up canceling the attempt due to local gathering restrictions.  It was nice to be doing something with others, even though we were socially distant.  Well, except for the sheep, who checked us for snacks when they tired of pumpkin:

In past years there was a festival and people were encouraged to bring their jack-o-lanterns to donate to the sheep for snacking.  Hopefully they will be able to do it next year.

Things I forgot to report earlier

Every year for Banned Books Week I try to read a banned or challenged book.  This year, I wasn't going to the library or bookshops so I thought I'd end up re-reading Huckleberry Finn.  Then when looking up the lists of books, I realized that I had one in my pile of books to be read, so I pulled out Bless Me, Ultima and read it.  I was pleased that with the exception of a couple of words, I remain sufficiently bilingual to read without pausing for the dictionary.  This is definitely adult, although told from the viewpoint of a young boy, but a worthwhile read.

I did the Foodshare Virtual Walk Against Hunger, and managed to collect enough pledges to bump my goal twice.  On my daily walks I participated in the themed shirts, except on Friday when I walked in regular clothing and put on the outfit for work:

Monday's theme was "American Football" so I wore an old and beloved University of Chicago Maroons T-shirt.  Tuesday was "Hartford Yard Goats" day, and I don't have any of their gear, so wore one of the baseball shirts I do have.  For "Civic Pride" on Wednesday, since I don't have any town regalia, I chose a Connecticut shirt from Hartford Prints!  Thursday we were supposed to wear a shirt from a past Walk Against Hunger, and I don't have any, so I wore a shirt that had been a fundraiser for Foodshare earlier this year.  Instead of Casual Friday we ended with Fancy Friday, and I wore the gown that had been a bridesmaid's dress over twenty years before.  Happily, we were not stuck with something that couldn't be worn again - and at fancier occasions.

Status of my Resolutions

I am happy to report that the Boneyard Shawl is finished, completed last night:

It has a bit of a ruffle because I did a crocheted bind-off and was hurrying.  And it's more of a shawlette than a proper shawl, since I used fingering weight yarn instead of DK.

November Mini-Resolutions

I suppose I should do something Election-related - voting, definitely.

I need to finish the shawl of my grandmother's set, and I would like to finish my Rhinebeck 2020 Textured Triangle Shawl.  It should be a fairly easy knit.  And I'd like to finish something out of my UFO pile - the other Magical Miniskeins sock?  The other mitten from a set of Buffalo Wool samples?  The Omega Shawl?  It looks like these will continue into 2021, doesn't it?

The turkey is early. And shy.

 Autumn is definitely here.  I don't go walking in the morning because I am a wimp about going out when it's that cold.  I'll probably get past it in another week or so, but for now, at least on weekends, I walk in the afternoon.  This means I take different routes as two of my usual ones get crowded in the afternoons.

Photos are from one of my walks:

   

   

   

He was coolly walking, then scrambled when I tried to get a photo.

I've been indulging in online tours and events, as a break from work.  Friends are "at" some, so we get to "see" each other.  I miss having opportunities to go out with people, and while there are a few opportunities for picnics or walking tours or socially-distanced arts performances, I haven't partaken.  Part of it is not having the energy after a week of 10-13 hour workdays, part of it is being still uncomfortable being in crowds.  I go out twice a week, once to the CSA pickup and once on the weekend to the post office, farmstand, and other errands.

I do feel annoyed and isolated when I see friends reporting about going out and doing things, including visiting family, and when colleagues talk about traveling.  I've read a couple articles this weekend that discussed how people are feeling "pandemic fatigue" and so are taking risks because they are tired of not being able to do things, and because it's clear that even if you take all safety precautions you can still catch COVID-19, so people figure why bother?  I guess I keep bothering because I have older family members I'd like to see again someday, and I want to be alive to do it.

On an up note, I finally heard about the baby blanket I sent overseas at the beginning of the pandemic.  I had planned to give it to one of my best friends to carry to the new baby and parents, but of course all the trips were cancelled so I had to trust the post.  The mother reported that "Ayala loves it (put it in her mouth first thing which is the ultimate test) and we love the pattern and special thought that went into the colors."  Now I cam post a few photos, taken at each stage of the pattern:

   

I chose the colours because the father is from The Netherlands, the mother is Israeli, and while they lived in the USA for several years, they made aliyah (well, for the mother, just returning home) about six months before Ayala was born.  So the colours seemed natural choices for her.

Mid-month mini-resolutions update

These are the three hats I worked on during Yom Kippur, as I reported in the previous post:

The two with flipped colours are the Color Dipper Hat, without a pompon, and the other is Barley Light from Tin Can Knits, using an oddball I never got around to turning into mittens as originally planned.

Instead of working on my Boneyard Shawl, I started a shawl for my grandmother, and then decided to make a vest to go with it:

The shawl is waiting for the vest to be finished, and then I'll use the remainder of the yarn to finish the shawl.  My grandmother chose it when we were out and about on one of my visits, I hope she likes it as much in the finished items as she did in the store.

Harvest Moon Night

 It feels just fall, a bit cool, but perfect for a movie outside:

Real Art Ways has been holding movie events and concerts in its parking lot, with bubbles painted on the pavement.  Tonight was a special event, a showing of "RBG" in memoriam, and for only women members.  Plus a couple toddlers and at least one small dog.

We sheered, we applauded, we cried.  Even those of us who have seen the film before.  And parts were made so much more poignant by her death the Friday before last, especially her reaction to the 2016 election.

It was my first big event since March.  I went to tashlich but it was small.  I knew that I could leave if I needed to, but I felt safe in my bubble, and people were respectful of others.

Mini-Resolution Update

I did not finish the Boneyard Shawl, but I did finish one of my UFOs.  And quite a few hats, mittens, and at least one other scarf.

October Mini-Resolutions

On the KnitTalk list we call this "Aftober" because a woman started encouraging people to finish things in October.  Anything.  Something old, something new, any color, red or blue.....  You get the point.  Since some of the others on the list made Boneyard Shawls I should finish mine.  They've been encouraging it.  But first, the third hat I started on Yom Kippur; part of my way of distracting myself during all the discussions and services and other services and ......  I finished two crocheted ones on Monday, having started the first on Sunday evening.

A Tzaddik

 A bit later than my usual mid-month.  Work has been busy, and I was going to write a post over the weekend, and then came word that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died on Friday, and everything else seemed unimportant as we Jews faced the double obligation to celebrate Rosh Hashonnah, our new year, while mourning a wise leader.  It is said that those who die just as Rosh Hashonnah begins are a "tzaddik", an especially righteous person, as their death is delayed as long as possible so they can continue to do good in the world.  Certainly with all the illnesses she overcame, it seems that RBG is one of those.

Memorials have been many, from friends and people she influenced and her colleagues.  The son of one spoke eloquently about the friendship his father, the late Antonin Scalia, had with Justice Ginsburg - one of shared interest in opera and the law, that allowed them to be friends outside the chamber even though they usually disagreed within it.  I especially like what Retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said, which could be guideposts for all of us to follow as a way to honor her:

By her learning she taught devotion to the law. By her dignity she taught respect for others and her love for America. By her reverence for the Constitution, she taught us to preserve it to secure our freedom.