the fourth Weasley sweater

Several years ago, when my sister had her first baby, I knitted a surprise for his first Christmas: three ornaments in the shape of Weasley sweaters, each with a monogrammed initial, of course. Even my brother-in-law, who isn’t a Harry Potter fan, was delighted, and they’ve hung on the tree every year since.

Harrison, my second nephew, was born two and a half years later, and every December since then I’ve gotten a text from my sister, reminding me: we need another Weasley sweater. (She’s not a knitter, but she is excellent at reminding people about stuff.)

I finally got my act together this year and made Harrison his own Weasley sweater, to match the other three. I’d forgotten how easy and fun they are to knit. And how cute the final result is.

I’m thinking I need to knit myself one to hang on my own tree – maybe next year. (Also in Gryffindor colors, of course.)

In case you’re wondering, the pattern is from Alison Hansel’s Charmed Knits, though I used another knitter’s mods to make them top-down instead of knitting them in pieces and seaming them. Much easier, and so cute.

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final form: Queensland Beach

Many of my knitting friends will tell you: sometimes a skein of yarn takes a while to figure out what it’s going to be.

Some years ago now, Sonia came to Boston for a conference, and we met up in the South End and walked around, eating pastries from Flour and talking about our lives. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and we became friends via Ravelry, but had never met in person before. She brought me a gorgeous crimson skein of Cassiopeia yarn from Pigeonroof Studios, and I immediately started browsing potential patterns.

The yarn has a bit of cashmere and silk in it – so it stretched waaaay out with the first pattern I used, Regina. I frogged that attempt and made a gorgeous Cocoon Cowl next, but I rarely wore it. (I like my cowls big and cozy in the wintertime, and this one was more on the small and dainty side.)

A few years later, I used some of the skein to make a Gin & Tonic hat for my friend Laura, but I’d had the rest of it kicking around all this time. But it has now found its final form: a cozy, cabled Queensland Beach headband.

I tried it out on our first proper snow day, yesterday, and I’m so thrilled with it. And it reminded me: sometimes you have to try a few paths/possibilities before you find the right one.

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Back on the needles

I used to be quite a prolific knitter.

Especially the first few years I lived in Boston, I was always making something – fingerless gloves for my girlfriends, sweaters for my then-baby nephews and niece, so many hats and cozy cowls for myself. These were also the years of Downton Abbey and Castle, Lark Rise to Candleford and Sherlock and Grantchester. I’ve never been a big TV watcher, but an hour here and there added up to lots of knitting over the years.

And then a couple of years ago, I just…stopped.

We’d moved again, and several of my favorite shows had gone off the air, and I couldn’t really justify knitting myself yet another hat or scarf. I spend more of my evenings running than sitting at home these days, and so the knitting fell by the wayside. But around Thanksgiving, as the hubs and I were watching Modern Family or doing the NYT crossword (possibly both), I realized I had itchy fingers. So I picked up a skein of Madelinetosh sock yarn I’d had sitting around for ages, and I started knitting – just a round or two here and there.

Two months later, I have an Erie hat – cozy and soft. And I decided it was high time I owned something with a pom-pom. (Red, of course.)

It’s been a comfort to have something back on the needles, and to watch the progress, stitch by stitch, round by round. The merino wool feels good in my hands. And when the weather in New England does its schizophrenic thing, I have another way to keep out those biting winds.

I’m not sure I’ll dive back into knitting the way I once did. But I am eyeing the Queensland Beach headband pattern, with some yummy red yarn I have in my stash…

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In 2015 I have…

For the last few years, I’ve recapped my year in list form for the blog. There’s something about watching it all unroll in bullets – not quite “by the numbers,” but definitely in bite-sized snippets – that I find really fun.

This year, I have:

• celebrated seven (!) years of marriage and five years in Boston.
• lost my job and spent several months hunting for a new one.
• read 200+ books.
• reviewed 42 of those books for Shelf Awareness and six of them for Great New Books. (I am so lucky to get to talk and think and write about books with two groups of smart, thoughtful, lovely people.)
• survived a record-breaking New England winter, which I hope I never have to do again.
• returned to San Diego and thoroughly enjoyed it for the second time.
• taken my first solo trip to NYC and savored every single minute.

• gone on a string of lovely Fri-dates with my husband.
• bid a fond (and sad) farewell to the car I’ve been driving since I left for college.
• learned how to kayak and spent many summer evenings paddling on the Charles River.
• spent a long weekend in Nashville with my sweet college roommate and our husbands.
• knitted a baby dress, 2 1/2 cowls (including the purple one above), a set of baby mittens and 35 wee smoothie hats.
• acquired (earned?) my first few grey hairs.
• continued to write and edit as a freelancer for my alma mater.
• flown to Texas three times to visit my family, including my sweet nephews.

• spent a lot of time trying to be gentle with myself. And others.
• bought so many bouquets of flowers for my kitchen table: tulips, peonies, sunflowers, dahlias. (And made friends with my florist.)
• sipped an uncountable number of chai lattes, mostly from Darwin’s. (See above.)
• participated in (and won!) NaNoWriMo for the third time.
• spent a lot of Thursday lunch breaks at the Harvard Art Museums.
• seen three musicals onstage: On the Town (in NYC), Cinderella and My Fair Lady.
• taken a few weekend getaways with the hubs: Newport, the Berkshires, mid-coast Maine.

• fallen completely in love with baby Evie, who belongs to two of my dearest friends.
• said yes to red lipstick once in a while. (See above.)
• spent a lot of time taking care of the daily details at church.
• hosted Shanna for a completely wonderful long weekend.
• cracked up at hours of Modern Family with the hubs.
• filled up seven and a half(ish) journals.
• visited so many wonderful bookstores: Parnassus Books in Nashville, Book Culture and the Strand in NYC, The Bookstore in Lenox, MA, and my neighborhood bookstores in Boston/Cambridge/Brookline.
• fallen in love with the brave women of Home Fires.
• tried to enjoy the silver linings of the job hunt.
• worked hard to build a near-daily yoga habit.

• discovered All the Books and a few other favorite podcasts.
• attended my first few wine tastings.
• not conquered the snooze button. (One of these days…)
• baked innumerable batches of scones.
• taken so many photos (as I do every year) of fall leaves. (And books, and cups of tea, and the sky.)
• tried to lean into this messy, exciting, beautiful life of mine, and pay attention to it.

What has your year looked like?

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Back in the (knitting) saddle

“I haven’t felt like knitting for months,” a friend lamented last week. She has an excuse – after all, she had a baby this spring – but I agreed with her. After an absurdly long, cold winter, I couldn’t wait to exchange my heavy knitted cowls and hats for lighter scarves. I put down the needles in May and never looked back.

Recently, though, I’ve pulled out a few handknits as the chill in the air has grown more pronounced. I’m not ready for heavy-duty winter wear yet, but I’m enjoying the chance to wear fingerless mitts, or snuggle into a scarf or cowl with my favorite green coat. (I knitted the purple wrap above this winter, but had forgotten how soft and cozy it is.)

Also, as ever, the good folks at Innocent Drinks are sponsoring the Big Knit, encouraging people to knit wee hats for their smoothie bottles to raise money for Age UK. I’m easing back into knitting with these tiny hats – a few at a time while J and I watch football or catch up on Modern Family of an evening. (Bonus: they are so quick and satisfying!)

All this talk of knitting also has me browsing Ravelry for new patterns, and dreaming of bigger projects to knit for others or myself. My favorite yarn shop in Boston closed a couple of years ago, sadly, but I’m thinking I may have to order some yarn online soon.

Are you a seasonal crafter, like me? Any patterns you’re dying to knit (or crochet) this fall?

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Spring List Update

Back in early April (which feels like ages ago now), I posted a spring list. I’ve been working on it since then – so here, an update for you.

• Bake my favorite strawberry-rhubarb crisp. I made it for a Sunday night potluck, and we all but licked the baking dish clean.

• Read some poetry. (Spring makes me long for Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.)
• Watch the Masters. It was a great tournament, as always. 21-year-old Jordan Spieth blew everyone away.
• Reread Jane of Lantern Hill, the perfect spring book. Love love love.
• Knit something pink for my friend Abigail’s baby girl, who will arrive in May. I made her a sweet little dress.

• Savor the new season of Call the Midwife. I’ve enjoyed it, though this season is heavy.
• Go on a getaway with the hubs. We had a fabulous trip to San Diego, about which more soon.

• Keep buying flowers from my local florist – tulips and daffodils, delivered with a smile. I’m in there twice a week.

• Participate in Susannah Conway’s April Love photo challenge. I posted about a dozen photos. So fun.

Looks like the only thing I need to do is read some poetry. But that’s never a problem.

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Spring List 2015

We are waiting (watching, hoping, longing) for spring over here, and though the crocuses are (finally!) blooming, the bitter winds and chilly temps remain. Spring in New England is such a tease.

I love a good seasonal list, and there are a few things I’m seriously looking forward to this spring. Here’s what I’m dreaming and planning as we inch toward warmer weather:

• Bake my favorite strawberry-rhubarb crisp. I made it without rhubarb this weekend, but it’s so much better with both fruits.
• Read some poetry. (Spring makes me long for Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.)
• Watch the Masters this weekend. (It’s a sure sign of spring for my golf-loving family.)
• Reread Jane of Lantern Hill, the perfect spring book (in progress).
• Knit something pink for my friend Abigail’s baby girl, who will arrive in May. (In progress.)
• Savor the new season of Call the Midwife. (Already begun.)
• Go on a getaway with the hubs.
• Keep buying flowers from my local florist – tulips and daffodils, delivered with a smile.
• Participate in Susannah Conway’s April Love photo challenge (also in progress).

What’s on your list for this spring?

 

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Winter list update

Last month, I posted a list of fun ideas to get me through the winter. We’ve had plenty of snow (so much snow) and frigid temps, but I’ve been working on the list anyway. Here’s an update:

• Fill up the journal I started in early January.* Working on it (though my handwriting is truly atrocious these days).
• Spend some time at the Harvard Art Museums. I’m going over there once a week, and exploring a new gallery each time.
• Start hunting for a new pair of red ballet flats.
• Invite friends over for dinner. We’ve hosted three sets of friends for spinach enchiladas and spicy chicken soup.
• Spend a long weekend in Nashville with my college roommate and our husbands. We had a fabulous time, though bad weather delayed our flight home.
• Knit myself something cozy. (I finished that cabled wrap.)
• Watch some good stories. J and I finished Veronica Mars and are loving Grantchester, and I’m still watching Downton solo. (Also Castle, but I have to admit I am not loving this season.)
• Read a couple of books for the Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge. I’ve crossed off four categories already: a book I’ve been meaning to read (Beauty: The Invisible Embrace), a book published this year (the newest Flavia de Luce mystery), a book from my childhood (The Long Winter), and a book by a favorite author (Wearing God by Lauren Winner).
• Drink lots and lots of tea. No sweat. I am on a serious Earl Grey kick.

Things that were not on my list but are happening anyway: lots of snow shoveling; many batches of Molly’s scones; several snow days; all the tulips; and fervent prayers for spring.

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In 2014 I have…

For the fourth time, I present my year in list form.

I chronicle a lot of daily life here on the blog, but it’s fun to see it all unroll in one fell swoop.

In 2014 I have…

• marked my one-year anniversary of working at Harvard. (Coming up on two!)
• visited Prince Edward Island for the first time and fallen completely in love.
• celebrated six years of marriage to my favorite man.
• welcomed my second nephew into the world.
• read 249 books. (As of today.)
• reviewed 54 of those books for Shelf Awareness. (I say this every year: best review gig ever.)
• returned to Oxford and spent a blissful week in my favorite city.
• finally joined the smartphone world (and Instagram).
• savored New York in the fall.
• walked Harvard Square in all seasons and loved it (well, except February).
• drunk so much tea.
• knitted 7 hats, 1 pair of slippers, 2 baby sweaters, 1 pair of legwarmers, 2 cowls and 1 1/2 shawls (as of Dec. 16).
• hosted my parents for another visit to Boston and a trip to Rockport.
• chased the light.
• enjoyed watching most of Veronica Mars.
• blazed through all three seasons of Call the Midwife.
• spent a blissful, sun-drenched few days in San Diego.
• written for TRIAD and Art House America.
• attended the U.S. figure skating championships and watched the Sochi Olympics.
• gone to two Boston Celtics games, a Red Sox game and a Harvard football game.
• turned 31 and settled into my thirties.
• participated in the #100happydays project.
• helped celebrate my nephew Ryder’s second birthday.
• gone on at least three book-buying fasts.
• filled up four and a half journals.
• hosted my sister for her first visit to Boston.
• helped pull off a huge and amazing work event.
• marked four years in Boston.
• enjoyed my fifth Turkeypalooza with friends.
• joined the Great New Books team.
• drafted a novel in a month – a murder mystery set in Oxford – during NaNoWriMo.

What have you been up to this year?

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Around here: November 2014

I love the “around here” posts that pop up periodically throughout the blogosphere. It’s always a true pleasure to get a glimpse into others’ everyday lives, and I like looking back at my own (sporadic) posts of this type – they are wonderful snapshots of certain moments in my life.

Life is full and busy and rich (and sometimes stressful) these days, and I want to remember how it feels, in all its particularity. Right now – as of late November 2014 – I am:

• drinking David’s pumpkin chai almost every morning, and breaking out the Yorkshire tea (with milk and sugar) when the temps dip below 30.
• waking up to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack and the hubs curled up next to me.
• wearing dresses, tights and boots to work, jeans and sweaters on the weekends (with my beloved jade green coat).

• breaking out the handknit hats and fingerless gloves.
• eating lunch with the hubs almost every Friday when he comes to Harvard Square.
• listening to the Wailin’ Jennys, Kate Rusby, a set of jazz compilation CDs I bought in London more than a decade ago, and Sarah MacLachlan’s Wintersong album.
• getting ready to break out the Christmas music.
• plugging away at my NaNoWriMo mystery novel (47K words and counting – so close!).

• reading a wickedly funny publishing whodunit (out in Feb.) and rereading The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets (again).
• looking at photos of my 11-day-old nephew, Harrison, and hoping he and my sister (who have both been fighting infections) get to go home from the hospital soon.
• wishing I could be in Texas to sit with my sister and hug my parents. Living far away is hard sometimes.
• burning a Leaves candle in the evenings.
• starting my dozenth (at least) reread of Watch for the Light as Advent begins.
• preparing for Turkeypalooza, our annual Thanksgiving potluck with friends, which means I am
• buying sweet potatoes, pecans, evaporated milk and frozen rolls.
• continuing my Christmas shopping (I like to start early).
• cooking a lot of solo dinners (soup, pasta, fried eggs) and saving leftovers for the hubs when he gets home from work.
• snapping photos of the autumn leaves and light in Harvard Square.

• missing Oxford and so grateful for the time I had there this fall.

• anticipating our annual Christmas trip to Texas even more eagerly than usual.
• knitting baby sweaters for Harrison and others.
• loving the glimpses of others’ lives I see on Instagram.
• delighting in the weekly email exchanges with the ladies of Great New Books.
• sipping a lot of chai lattes from Darwin’s, and the occasional peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks, in a red cup.

• snuggling down under the electric blanket and the quilts from our grandmothers in the evenings.
• slathering on the hand lotion as the air gets colder and drier.
• browsing the Harvard Book Store on my lunch breaks.
• savoring apples from the farmers’ market before it closes for the season.

What are you up to right now?

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