hand eye crafts

 So many people (and news outlets and the bookish and music apps, ad infinitum ) have end-of-year lists.  I've never partaken, but for some reason I kept a record of what books I read and what I knit in 2023.  I don't know that it will become a habit, but it's a new thing and it was kind of fun. I finished 15 knit projects and 37 books this year.  Both paltry, puny efforts, I understand, but my efforts and I stand by them. My favorite FO is probably the Wingspan I just posted about, but the one I'm happiest about is a purple rollneck pullover.  There aren't any specific knitting goals for 2024.  If I make things that I truly enjoy making, it will be a win. Book-wise, my favorite was The Promise and The Dream,  about the lives and many life parallels of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.  It instantly jumped onto my Favorite Books Ever list. The best biography/autobiography-wise was probably Dr. King's autobiography.  Ava Gardner's My Story was the mo

Briton drove home from Hannah's (I had driven down) and I got just about done with this on the ride.  It's made with  hobbii yarn , and the color changes worked nicely on the wedges.  This is a pattern I come back to again and again.  It's easy to memorize and stick to, and the results are dramatic.  My Number One Knitting Rule is pick out a good pattern and let the yarn do the work.

Hannah was a terrific Christmas hostess. She and Briton talked and talked, I sat quietly.  Only Theo would come out of the bedroom to visit, so no photos of Chopper.  It was rainy all day.  Everyone seemed happy with their gifts.  Day done and dusted.

My Favorite Day of the Year. Tradition with good company. Happy, Happy Christmas Eve.

 That Christmas feeling that makes me comfy and happy: rest from slowing down and realizing everything is done. I was thinking yesterday, driving to Hannah's, that the Christmas Spirit hadn't descended upon me yet.  Today, I feel it. Outside, cars have been going up and down the street beside us all day (and are continuing tonight.)  There's a WalMart a little over a mile from here, and a big shopping complex in another mile.  All the movement makes being able to sit still even more lovely. Going to fix myself some hot chocolate.  May your Eve Eve bring you calm.

A trip to Hannah's today, to help her put up her Christmas tree and pick up around her apartment a bit.  That meant seeing Nellie  and Theo and Look-How-Big-She-Is-Now Chopper. This is the best photo I could get of her, and caught her kind of mid-wink.  She's so very pretty, and, according to my Cat Scanner app, a Snowshoe.  Hopefully, I'll get more and better pictures Monday. Twinnie and I have been conversing for a couple of days about this beauty. Again, Hannah plays a role.  She sent this photo a couple of days ago asking, "Do you want a baby for Christmas?"  A co-worker was trying to place her.  I've been mulling it over ever since, sharing the photo with Kim because this girl looks so much like her Scout.  Ultimate Karmic Twinness. It turns out that she's Dogo Argentino, a breed that grows pretty large.  They're good with other dogs if they've been raised with them from puppies.  They should, however, not live with cats.  So, I can't give

 The deal with brownies is there are only four corners.  Corner brownies are the best brownies.  The impulse, therefore, is to eat the corner brownies first. That, however, leaves you with something like this.*  Yeah, there are still pieces that have one crispy edge, but it's not the same.  So you talk to yourself, trying to sway yourself into eating one of those side pieces so there will still be a corner in your future.  But you know yourself.  Those corners are where it's at.   The middle piece is dead to you. *Domino's brownies.

I've spoken here before about all  of the cousins I have on the Spence (Daddy's) side of my family.  Many of them I never see (and my life is no  worse for it, trust me.)  Some have always lived far away, but have always been great favorites.  Two (one the son of Daddy's oldest sister, the other the daughter of his younger) are very like my brother and my sister.  She just sent me this: Lovely, yes?  I especially love the "trackmarks" (?) on all the pieces.  And, look at Baby Jesus' little hands: It's like he's wearing those little mittens newborns wear. . . Thank you, Jorene.

 How close Christmas is!  I hope you're through with all the preparations and can sit back and be happy. In the blog world, today is Tiny Needle Tuesday.  I know you saw this when the kit first arrived, well, here it is underway: Bookish Advent has given me Tiny Christmas stickers!   Fun!

No, not the Christmas kind.  That's been done for a while.  Today's shopping story is about Lowe's. The flourescent light above the kitchen sink went out last night, so I needed a replacement.  I actually sort of like going to Lowe's, though I seldom go unless something has to be fixed.  A couple of years ago, I found some nice Christmas decorations there.  Today, though, just the tube bulb.  And such a sense of satisfaction when I got home and put it in place. Although I haven't been shopping for this, because it's a bit pricey, I have found out about  Tula Pink fabric .  Lots of you have probably known about it, but I'm often late to parties.  The designs are remarkable, and the one that captured my attention: No surprise, huh? Feeling considerably better today.  Last night was the first night of solid sleep I've had since starting to feel bad.  That likely helped as much as anything.

Everything has dropped down into my chest, dragging dragon claws on my throat as it passed.  Coughing is persistent and painful. Meanwhile, a random lying-on-the-couch-bundled-all-up thought: Why only folks and fowl as gifts in "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?  Except for the rings.  Why rings?  What kind of rings? Are we talking rings for fingers?  Bracelets?  Earrings?  Nose rings?  Magician's rings?  Hula hoops? And what to do with 12 pear trees? Don't even get me started on all the pears you're gonna have.

Those charts that line up the symptoms of things so that you can figure out what you have?  Evidently, I'm suffering from sinusflucoldfection.  A bit of everything.  I do know this is the worst I've felt yet.  Perhaps having had to stay busy all week kept things a little at bay, and now that everything's done my body said, "Okay.  I'm done." I was supposed to go to Hannah's tomorrow to help her get ready for hosting Christmas, but, obviously, that's not happening.  Also, my pom-poms-instead-of-ribbons idea has been shelved.  When I do go see her, the plan is to take the gifts so the actual Christmas Day load will be lighter.  Probably not a good idea to have all those pom-poms at the eye level of her three cats. ETA: It's now raining here.  I always feel extra sinus-y miserable with the onset of rain.

Yes, I am sick.  I've got my comfort TV on: true crime.  The murders are just going on in the background while I sneeze and blow my nose and play Word Wars and knit.  There are also commercials that seem to be on an infinite loop.  If I hear the Delectables  ad one more time. . . Oh, and the  moisturizer that's good for people from 2 weeks to 100 years old?  Sorry, folks who are 101, your skin will have to give itself over to decay. Back to the oral surgeon today for what I thought was my last check-in.  Nope.  At least two more with him.  Maybe I have the crown by Easter?  Practically a full year of this madness.

 Yes.  Yes I did.  And he joins the Nativity in the spirit of "Love Actually" having lobsters present at the birth of Jesus.

 Ta-da!  The heart tree! Number One, I really like it. Number Two, I went back and forth many times on the very top.  The green is what the pattern called for, but I thought about red, or even gold up there.  Obviously, I went with the pattern. Number Three, I don't know whether to make it into a pillow or to frame it.  I'm leaning toward the second. Super scratchy throat, and lots of "illness feels" in my head.  Maybe a sinus infection?  Whatever it is, it sure makes me want to just cuddle all up in quilts and blankets.

 Still feeling a little iffy.  Kind of a head cold that is sneaking into my shoulders.  Still, I got a Starbucks caramel spice apple juice today, so that was helpful. My Bookish treat today was washi tape.  I wouldn't have known that without the collage tutelage of my Twinster.   Therapy, then took my car to the dealership today.  One of my tires keeps sending low pressure messages, so I wanted to be sure there's not a leak.  There's a lot of semi-long-distance driving coming up, and I wanted to have it checked out.  They couldn't find a puncture, so I've no idea what's up. Football tonight.  Tennessee Titans, my hometown team.  Over the weekend, my favorite Titan of all --- Frank Wycheck --- died.  I imagine there'll be something honoring him.

Am I getting a little sick?  Will you feel my forehead?  Look at my throat?  Make me some tea?   This week is an unusually busy one for me.  Places to go, things to take care of every day but one.  One of those things is going back to the dentist for a check of the abutment and, hopefully, setting up the appointment for the crown to be placed. I have spent the weekend kind of curled up on the couch.  I finished the Gregory Peck biography, which wasn't all that good.  More biographies of his films than of him.  When he was quoted, though, I could hear his voice.  (You're hearing it now, aren't you?) On to "Q" and Speaking of writing, my Bookish advent reiterates something I posted about a while back: A little book to write important words in.

This would have fit in with yesterday's mood swing post.  From the Bookish advent calendar, this sticker: When I read this, my first response was that this idea is sort of sad.  We just devolve into stories, some of which may be untrue? But then, I realized that becoming a story is a sweet way to be remembered and to stay "alive."  You can entertain, amuse, educate, inspire.  A story is a rather wonderful thing to be.

Thanks for your kindness about my headache.  Yes.  KmKat , I tried hot and cold alternatively.  I even have this VR-looking thing now: Tap hates me wearing it.  It plays what is allegedly relaxing music.  I spent more time than it should have taken to turn the music off, which only added to the headache.  The air pressure it puts on your eyes, plus the heat and the massage, are all nice, though. Carrying on my box conversation from yesterday: on Christmas morning, this box is not going to contain what it looks like it will.  Knowing what Hannah will think when she unwraps it, I got proactive. Frankly, I think she'll like what's going in there even more than a Barbie.* *Blasphemy, I know.  Light a candle for me.

 Y'all, I have so many boxes around this house.  Boxes for the Christmas things to take to Hannah's.  Boxes for shipping things.  Boxes to put gifts for Hannah and Briton in.  Boxes containing stuff I've ordered.  A box with the wrapping paper and ribbons.  You'd think I was moving --- or that I'm a hoarder. It's been a brutal headache day.  The first one in a day or two, actually.  It hasn't been conducive to making much progress on anything, but I've moved a wee bit on my heart tree cross-stitch, and a scarf I cast on a couple of days ago.  I got a few Christmas cards out before having to stop, because writing involves your eyes, which are in your head. . . Oh, and

Twinnie  mentioned the Girl Scouts' "Dabbler" badge a couple of weeks ago.  Well, look what my Bookish Advent Calendar gave me today: If I only had a sash.

. . .and didn't realize how much we have in common.* We both have 3-letter names with an "i" in the middle. We both wear glasses. We each look like our father. I wonder if Liz does cross-stitch? I do. *Irony?  Sarcasm?  Take your pick.

 I would never have thought I'd eat a plant-based egg, but I've become a fan of the Just Egg folded patty. Life is full of all kinds of disappointments, but not being able to get gauge on a yarn that is perfect for a pattern is one of the deepest. As busy and loud as Athens can get on a game day, it can also go very quiet and still.  Which it did Saturday night.

Briton seems hale and hearty today.  I took him to retrieve his car from the library, and we had a pleasant conversation.  The fainting is so confounding. The library is near Michaels, so I girded myself for going there for one ( one ) skein of DMC floss.  The Christmas tree of hearts takes lots of green.  I walked quickly and determinedly to the back of the store, then reversed course for the checkouts.  Three shoppers with full carts were ahead of me, but behind me was a man with a tree topper.  He and I became "friends" over our slim pickings.  He had family shopping at Hobby Lobby;  he said he couldn't take all that. Proud of myself for my speed and efficiency, I walked next door to treat myself to sugar cookies from Fresh Market.  They have lots of Christmas goodies that I'll go back and pore over another day.

You might remember that about four years ago, Briton had a fainting episode out of the clear blue.  He spent one night in the hospital.  Well, today he fainted again --- at work.  Paramedics were called, he checked out straight down the line, but they would take him to the hospital if he wanted.  He decided to forego that, and called me to pick him up.   When I got there, he had changed his mind, so we spent many hours at the hospital.  He was good, lucid, his color was good, he was chatty. . .  EKG excellent, blood sugar fine, blood pressure perfect.  The only thing they could find was that his magnesium level was low.  I treated him to a milkshake and took him home.  He was totally fine, so I didn't feel bad leaving him.  He's off for the next two days, so he can rest.  The whole thing is just so, so weird. First day of my Book Lover's Advent Calendar.  Look how cute it is inside: Today, gift tags. Stay tuned for tomorrow's unwrapping and a health update.