Holidays!

The holidays have passed with a wonderful combination of food, family and friends. There was a bit of drama, as on the 22nd of December my back went into major spasm. Terrifying! Fortunately, I saw the chiropractor on the 23rd, and have been on the road back to wellness ever since. My kind father helped me out by purchasing the last few stocking stuffers I couldn't get out to buy.

We made it to the island where both our families live on Christmas Eve, after an abortive attempt at 7 am involving chains, a snowy alley, a soaking wet Mr. Ripley, and treacherous roads. Our later mid-morning attempt was successful. Just to give you an idea of how much fun it was, here's the ferry terminal:

Ripley took it all in stride:

Over the holidays, we walked in the snow.

We snuggled new babies. Another new baby arrived December 23, but I haven't had a chance to meet her yet.

We ate holiday treats and delicious meals. Here's our New Year's Eve dinner, prepared by my friend K. who is an incredible cook. The menu was German, with rouladin, spaetzle, gravy, red cabbage, and peas. Sooooo delicious!

We had a wonderful and restorative time. I even finished my cousin's hat in the nick of time.

I hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday season, and are looking forward to 2009!

Koolhaas progress

The progress is, admittedly, modest. I am really quite pleased to have finished the first pattern repeat of the Koolhaas, as now I can actually see the pattern emerging. Hooray for no longer knitting on faith!


I'm embarrassed to recount some of the mistakes I've made to date, but let's just say they were simpleminded, to say the least. Here's hoping the next few repeats go a bit more smoothly. At times I've resorted to frantically counting stiches to make sure I'm still at the right place in the pattern. I hope it'll all be worth it in the end when Sweetie has a new hat, particularly because our forecast is for clear but cold weather.


This week we were treated to a day of sunshine, and a beautiful view of the mountains. Now that I'm trying to carry my camera with me more often, I find that I'm stopping to look at the world around me with fresh eyes. I'm looking for the moments of beauty in my daily life, and I'm remembering to stop and breathe occasionally. I think that's a good thing.


Off I go to knit a few rounds. I'm sure the blackberry margaritas have worn off by now! I wouldn't chance it otherwise.