Again, a start. Several starts.

It was the Lunar New Year earlier this week, the Year of the Dragon.  I don't do a big celebration or observance anymore because I don't live someplace that does, and my grandmother, who really loved celebrating (she loved any celebration!) died last May.

I ate dumplings, and a moon cake (saved from the fall Moon Festival, and yes I know it's not traditional for the new year, but it's round which is), and wished people Gong Hay Fat Choi!

Tuesday was Mardi Gras, again not much of a celebration here.  I went to a local bakery and bought a filled donut so I could feel like I'd had the pączki which I'd gotten used to eating in Connecticut.  It was filled with strawberry cream so not traditional, but tasty.

The divot in the icing is from the tongs when I 
selected this one from the case - the frosting is soft.

I also got a mochi donut to eat the next day, for Valentine's Day, and forgot to take a picture but it had the same frosting and sprinkles.  I gave my parents the dark chocolate covered almonds, tucking the packets into their card, which I left when I took my morning walk and put their paper into their garage.  Dad found it when he went to check for the paper and put the envelope at my mother's place at the breakfast table.

Since it was also Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent, I had to start either giving up or doing charitably.  In the give-ups are pork, and generally sausage things (yes, I know, I'm Jewish and shouldn't eat pork - and other than bacon, I pretty much don't, but I eat lots of kinds of chicken and beef and other non-pork sausages) except if I am at a baseball game and it's the most likely food option; and one category of sweets; and starting new fiber items.

I thought the last would help me focus on and finish a few things, but realized it could be a problem because I wanted to have some projects specifically for upcoming trips.  So I took an hour or so on Tuesday evening, instead of trying to finish a group project (more on which in a later post), and started things:

The two on the left are scarves (top one in knitting, lower one in crochet) that I plan to work on at North Texas Irish Festival.  Top middle is a project that I am taking to Spring Training next weekend: The Age of Brass and Steam Shawl in Forbidden Fiber's Pride DK (which has a bit of gold sparkle that doesn't show in the photo), colourway "Merchant Dynasty".  Below that is Granny's Not Square Cowl, the Carolina Fiber Fest crochet-along project, which of course I want to finish before then.  Yarn is an oddball of silk-wool blend, Louisa Harding's Amitola Grande in "Tangerine Dream".  

Bottom right is a corner-to-corner crocheted scarf if I need a charity project, of Premier Yarns Candy Shop in "Blow Pop" (there's more yarn waiting), and the top right is an emergency project (if I need something small and have nothing else before Easter), which is a baby sweater crocheted in sock yarn.  It is doubtful that I will finish more than four of these, especially with other items in progress, but I will keep reporting.

Reflecting, and a Status Check

Sometimes people use a new year to reflect and make changes.  Of course, I generally follow the Gregorian calendar for the major ones, but other new years provide a good time to review, possibly to reset, and evaluate.

Given that I just started six more projects, how am I doing on my resolutions?  I haven't completed any UFOs (and still not located the shawl), but I have almost made a thing for me:

I had a skein of handspun from the Knitting Buddha, and needed a simple item to work on while I was at a fiber arts group last weekend, so I decided to wind it up and work on a plain beanie.  I just wasn't happy with it, and frogged before I thought to take a photo of the progress.  Then I took the two ends, and wound a ball with both together, adding a small knot when I finished to mark the middle.  So if I reach the knot before the mitten is done, I need to add yarn to finish.  However, I've managed to finish this one without reaching the knot.  The ball at the top is the second strand, being wound into its own ball, and below is the remainder of the double-wound ball.  I need to take a row out of the thumb because it's just that much too long.  I have debated whether to make the cuff even longer, but it's probably sufficient as it will tuck nicely into a jacket sleeve or coat sleeve.  The second mitten will go quickly.

There are people in the fiber arts group who can help me repair my spinning wheel.  I'll get back to it after Carolina Fiber Fest as people are very focused on things for then.

I've read three books and made more progress on the really big one at my bedside.  Today I picked up the third book I need to read for the library challenge: "Called To Rise: A Life in Faithful Service to the Community That Made Me" by the former Dallas police chief, David O. Brown.  It resonated for several reasons, including my ties to Dallas; it's Black History Month; and the challenge category is "A Book From A Library Display".