Happy New Year!

My grands and their parents joined my father, sister, husband, son and me for Christmas last week. It was bittersweet since it was our first Christmas since losing my mother last January 2nd. But the boys were able to keep us cheerful with their excitement over the surprises that were to follow.

Moose helped me wind a hank of yarn so I could knit a cozy hat for him. His gray and lime green jacket will be nicely complimented by a nice bright turquoise watch cap.

 Christmas morning started with checking out what Santa stashed in our Christmas stockings. The boys were thrilled with the gift cards they can use all by themselves when they need lunch at Dunkin' Donuts.

 Great-grandpa Billy loves his new portrait of the boys. Leo was making sure Poppop knew who was in the picture.

 And the socks I knitted for him were a hit too.

 Moose couldn't wait to dig into the Toblerone candy bar and spent most of the day sneaking another bite here and there.

 My son loved his new crazy hiking socks and they fit him perfectly! Whew! It's always a guessing game for me when I knit something that needs to fit.

 And my daughter loved her new KnitPicks Caspian Interchangeable needles! 

 I got the best hugs!

 And a beautiful new scarf that my daughter designed and named after me! Someday when she has the time (HA! with two little boys! Right!) she will write up the pattern and sell it on Ravelry. I'll keep you posted.

 She designed one for my sister, Jamie, and will post that pattern for sale too.

The boot cuffs I made for her also fit perfectly. Boy! I was on a roll this year!!!

 By the end of the day most of the chocolate candy had been devoured and it was time to wind down. Another Christmas was over and now it's time to get back to my donation knitting.

But before we get to that, I have to show you Barbara's granddaughter wearing the sweater that Barb knitted for her. She is a beautiful little girl and her sweater fits perfectly. Great job Barbara!

 The Chicks met on Tuesday afternoon and we had a few things to put into inventory.

Kathleen knitted a pair of basketweave boot cuffs from her new Knitting Calendar. It's a box of patterns for every day of the year. She's going to have fun with that!

 Just for good measure Kathleen added a hat to the inventory too.

Now she's working on another pair of basketweave boot cuffs.

I'm making progress on a cowl which is a mashup of two different patterns. The yarn is a blend of silk and merino so it will be not only warm but very soft too.

The Up On Top Boot Cuffs were finished this week. I was at the very end of the skein and had to squeak the last few inches of yarn from the ball to finish the bind off.

Just before Christmas I finished The Chickadee Cowl using Berroco Quasar yarn.

I added a pair of reversible boot cuffs last week too. These are great because you get two pairs of cuffs in one!

     

Since it was Christmas break from school, Cinzia brought her girls along too. I love to watch the younger generations take up our traditions.

 Cinzia showed us the slippers she's making for her oldest son. I don't recall the name of the yarn but it is a very soft acrylic which will be nice for something that will probably get a lot of washing and wearing.

 

 Sofia worked on a pair of cabled mittens using a very soft and very pretty purple yarn that has a touch of angora in it.

 And lastly,  last week I showed you a picture of an in-progress shawl I was making for myself to wear to my holiday get-togethers. I had doubts if I would finish it in time but I did it! My Outlaw Shawl was ready to wear on Christmas Eve.

 Now that the New Year has started let me wish you all happiness and prosperity and...

the best of health. Oh! And lots of time to knit!!!

This was the first time since well before Christmas that the Chicks met to knit together. I really missed my friends. Barbara started a denim colored hat with a ribbed pattern using a nice warm Lopi yarn.

And I finished a cowl from a free pattern I found online. It's called the Structured Alpaca Cowl. I used Cascade Eco Alpaca and it is as soft as a cloud.

Carole finished a beautiful shawl called Stellaria. She used Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II Sock Yarn in the colorway Audrey Hepburn. It is magnificent!

She said it took over 250 T-pins to block out the points on the edging. But it was well worth the work to get such beautiful results. This was a gift to herself for any holiday parties she was planning on attending.

Then she put the finishing touches on her Honeycomb Cowl for donation.

The other Chicks were all working on hats this week. Notice the different stages of completion.

Christmas this year was very sad since it was the first year my parents could not be with us. My father is in a hospice in Branford, Connecticut and my mother was in a hospice in Danbury, Connecticut. But I had my boys to cheer me up.

Santa brought them each a toy when we took them to lunch.

Leo thought his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy was a cell phone camera.

Then on January 2 I received a phone call from the nurse where my mother was staying to tell me she had passed away. I already knew because in the early morning hours of January 1 she had visited me in a dream. The last four months of her life were a nightmare of fear and anxiety for her as she drifted deeper and deeper into a state of dementia. But in my dream she came to me looking young and happy and her only words were, "I am peaceful." I was so blessed to have received her message before she began her transition to another life.

My mother, Bruna Grandison, was a creative lady, having studied fashion design in college. She took great delight in making all our clothes when my sister and I were growing up.

Mom's specialty was designing wedding gowns and when she no longer worked outside the home, she designed for friends and family. Here is her own gown which was exquisite.

My sister and I looked forward to Halloween every year because Mom would go all out making our costumes. We never knew one year to the next what we would be but it was always spectacular! I didn't know Cleopatra and Martha Washington were sisters! LOL!

Long before Joan Rivers coined the phrase "Fashion Police" my mother was on duty helping ladies put their wardrobes together and accessorizing them. And she herself was always impeccably dressed, with every hair in place. So now that she is at peace and in heaven I know she is keeping the angels gloriously robed.

I love you Mom! I am so happy you finally found the peace you so desperately sought in life.

Can we finish in time?

I'm heading toward the finish line with this little hoodie. The pattern is from "60 Quick Baby Knits". The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash, a fine washable merino wool.

Kathleen finished another cute cardigan. This yarn has a touch of angora which makes it very soft.

She is almost finished with a baby blanket as well. The pattern repeat is 18 rows long and requires a little bit of concentration but is otherwise fairly easy.

Carole finished a sweet little cap and booties while ....

Beth worked on a Christmas stocking for her new grand-nephew. The marine theme is darling.
Maureen continued to work on the slipper socks. Hope they'll be done by Christmas!
We got into a heated discussion tonight regarding the strange experiences we've shared during this holiday shopping season, both pleasant and "un". We all agreed that there are some people out there who need a chill pill! LOL!
I asked Moose to set up my Nativity set this weekend. Can you tell it was arranged by a creative four year old?
Moose visited Santa this weekend to tell him he's been a good boy. Don't let that innocent smile fool you though. He's an active kid and keeps me on my toes!

Did someone say Santa was coming soon?!
I better knit faster.

Christmas Treats and Visits

We had a houseful of guests for the holidays. After Christmas Eve services Great Grandpa, Poppop Billy was up from Connecticut and Moose was all prepared to take his order for homemade brownies.

Uncle Drew and Moose checked out the recipe and gathered the ingredients.
I loved the expressions on Uncle Drew's and Mommy's faces as Moose cracked the eggs for the brownie recipe.
He did a pretty good job since there were no shells in the batter.
The brownies were so good we didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them before they disappeared. But we made sure to save some for Santa.

The next morning we woke up to all these gifts so I guess Santa liked the brownies.

Moose loved his Viewmaster and gave everyone a chance to see the pictures in it.

Great Grandma, Nanny Boo, and Great Grandpa, Poppop Billy had as much fun opening gifts as did Moose.

Amanda received lots of knitting gifts this year.

And Moose really is a Moose in his new hat!

We stopped long enough to get a quick family photo of Phil and Amanda with Moose but as you can see, Moose was in a hurry to get back to the gifts.

Great Aunt Jamie, Uncle Drew, and Poppop received some yummy presents this year.

Nanny Boo and Aunt Jamie finally got to open their Ishbel shawls I made and they loved them.

Then came Moose's favorite gift.......

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! He carried that toy around for two whole days.
Sunday night Moose's best friend, Henry, came to visit and play. We all sat in the tent to hear stories just like at camp.

But all too soon it was time for Henry to go home. Moose was so happy to see him that he didn't want to let him go home.

It was a great visit with lots of family and friends and we look forward to the new year.

Happy New Year!