I met April, Isabel and Brandi for lunch last week. We exchanged Christmas gifts. I did actually knit this gift… wristwarmers for my 5 yr old friend.

Isabel loves everything I knit for her. Once upon a time, I made her a wrap/half-blanket. I told her I’d knit her a hug. She was not yet 4 years old at the time, but she “got it.” When she does not feel good, she will go curl up snuggling the hug, or wrap up in it.

April, her mommy, tells me that Isabel was trading off the hug and another blanket for nap time at kindergarten. Now she takes only the hug, it’s all she wants. That makes me feel very good.

So around the same time I made the hug for her, I made some wristwarmers. She loved them. I held two colorful yarns together to make them, but they were a bit small even then.

This fall, she found them, insisted that they fit, shoe-horned them on her feet, and proceeded to wear them to sleep in, she would not take them off. It was time for a new pair. A pair that fit.

So here you see my sweet one wearing her new pair. I used two multicolored yarns together, again. Both are primarily turquoise. One has bits of color that stick up from the surface, the other changes slightly with time.

She loves “blue” which encompasses cobalt to turquoise. I had a lot of turquoise yarn around (to say the least). She likes these.

Above is a photo of her in the new gift. Here below is a not-that-good photo of her “hug.”

The new machine is making me happy, so far.

1. She was inexpensive for a laptop.

2. She weighs just over 3 lb but has a good monitor.

3. She’s much faster than any machine I’ve owned.

4. She’s pretty. The Toshiba always looked machine-clunky-ugly to me.

5. Her keyboard has two Ctrl keys. You can not KNOW how happy that makes me.

6. It took several hours to back up 31,000 images from the Toshiba to the external drive, but less than one hour to “restore” them to the new computer.

Her Name; the Story

An odd happenstance: I always name my computers after strong women. I’ve named them Kate (Katherine Hepburn), Helen (Keller), Martha (Graham, the dancer), Lizzy (my mother, who was also named after her very strong Aunt Lizzy), Isis (the Goddess) and more. So this time, I was starting up the new laptop at Rae’s Yarn Boutique, sitting next to beloved young knitter A. A little distracted?

Somehow when it asked me my desired username (Lynndy) it automatically named the computer after me (Lynndy-MSI). I tried to hit the “back” button which was there, and it did not work. There was no way to rename my computer.

So the strong woman my new computer is named after? Me. (My middle name is Doreen, and I have signed my name with my middle initial since middle school. Therefore, my brother has called me Lynn D., pronounced Lindy or Lynndy, for years. I like it a lot. )

I had better live up to this expectation. Those women are hard acts to follow!

Oh, Yeah…

Back to moving documents. I tell you what, I’m happy so far. Whew!

The photo is of a LARGE heart, about a foot across, knit for me by lovely young A, probably a year or two ago. It is knit at a huge gauge with several yarns held together at once. Love it. It’s hanging on my wall right where I can see it when I am copying documents to the new machine.

My brother called me this morning to wish me a happy “Daddy Day.” What a cool guy my brother is. Cool for a million reasons, but the best one is how lovely he is to get along with, how highly we regard one another.

January 3 was my father’s birthday. He died at age 40, in 1973, but he is still very much in my life. I have his spunk, which he got from Gramma Ruthie (who I talked about here, a few posts back).

Daddy taught me to sing harmony. My life changed that day.

He had been a navigator in the Air Force during the Korean conflict. They grounded his type of plane, and while he was retraining in a different type of plane, the conflict ended.

Dad learned about stars/constellations in part during those Air Force years. I remember that sometimes we would take a blanket out on the front yard (in an area where there were no street lights) and we would lie down and look up, and Daddy would teach us what he could. I remember learning about Orion and the “Seven Sisters” but I retained more about the stories than the shapes in the sky.

But really? I retained a memory that my dad spent time with me to teach what he loved. That is a memory of love and affection.

Daddy was really, really smart. He was also very emotional, at a time when it was not at all vogue for a man to be mushy. He loved us and we knew it. This from a man who grew up in a Norwegian community, where you show love mostly by doing loving acts, than saying it or hugging. I have photos of him with his arm around one or the other of us. We knew.

You know, when someone dies unexpectedly, there is always a chance of regret. Wishing you had said or done something, or not said/done something, is a real issue when there are no more days to connect.

When Daddy died, I knew he loved me and I knew he was clear I loved him. At age 14, there were other things to deal with, but the regret thing escaped me and I am grateful.

I Look Just Like: Mom AND Dad

I am finding it fascinating, that when I visit my Daddy’s family, they are sure I look like him. When I see Mom’s side, they say I look like her. Actually, I look a lot like my Mom’s sister, Ruth, and Mom often accidentally will call me Ruth because of it. Still. Always. I don’t mind.

But when I look at the photos above, I see my ears, eyes, eyebrows… look incredibly like my dad. He was young here, I was in 3rd grade, maybe 4th.

Then I found this above photo in our family treasures. It was taken in January 1973, and Dad died in June ‘73. In this photo, I see how my mouth and jaw, and frame, look like my mom.

Here is a photo of me posing as Eudora, my dance alter-ego. Maybe you can see that jawline and chin that Mom and I (and some other women in her family) share?

(For the record, do you notice in the photo above my parents are wearing pale turquoise? Mom likes the lighter shades we might call Robin’s Egg or Aqua, as well as the bright turquoises I adore. )

The Right Legacy

Daddy was nice to everyone. He was a professor, and thus could call himself “Dr. Troldahl.” He only used it very occasionally when making important phone calls. Status was not important to him, kindness was. He knew he was equal to everyone, and acted on that knowledge.

Daddy thanked those who repaired his car, his refrigerator. He thanked the custodian and was a favorite of the secretarial pool (he knew how to type so he only asked them to work for him when he was in a pickle, and appreciated what the job took to get it done).

He talked to everyone he met. He chatted with those in line at the grocery. Me, too.

Mom did things alone, things without dad, both before and after he died. She could change a tire.

I remember she took us on a trip to visit her sister and our cousins, at a time when Dad stayed home for whatever reason (this was reprehenible to some in our community, to go without her husband, but I am very glad she did it). It was Easter weekend. She spun out on the highway, shoveled us out, and drove away without looking disturbed.

Mom was a strong woman. She had a car when none of the other mommies had one (it was a used gold Corvair, which we called the Putt Putt).

Mom taught, before she married Dad. She had her own income. She went back to teaching when I was in 4th grade.

When Daddy died, we kept our house and our friends and our school. A lot of kids are not that lucky. Mom was determined to keep things as much on an even keel.

I’m proud to look like/ be like them both. I’m proud to be tough in ways they taught me (by example) to be tough.

And I’m glad Dad (first) and Mom (later) learned to hug. Things could be unsteady in that house at times, but the love was a given.

Happy Daddy Day!

We did start our New Year’s Eve with a potluck and a Contra Dance downtown. However, I really wanted to be home for midnight, just quiet, the two of us.

We had drinks with which to toast the new year:

Not Exactly Times Square

For some reason, I am fascinated with watching the ball drop at Times Square. I don’t enjoy television, but if we are home on New Year’s Eve I will turn it on long enough to see the ball drop. (Often I don’t turn it on again for another year, but I digress.)

However, this year none of our three TVs can receive any signal at all. Brian decided he would make a ball drop for me:

You get extra points if that photo makes you chuckle because you understand just how geeky that move was. Clue: It did not bounce much at all. More like “clunk.”

We started the year by dancing together without music, in my office; and organic hot chocolate with nutmeg. Now I’m starting the first day with a blog post. I think I’m on a good start.

Other Thoughts

A resolution? Kindness. I wish to remember an intent to be kind always. Boundaries can exist side by side with this intent.

I am a passionate woman with a few too many words. I sometimes blurt out things, and sometimes I inadvertently hurt someone. It happens by accident.

I’m not into “snarky” for entertainment, after growing up in a society where we fought with words rather than fists. I know how much a clever statement can do damage to relationship. And I believe that relationship is the most important thing about being alive.

There are things I said decades ago which I can never take back, and that makes me ache after all those years. I wish to live without creating any more of those regrets.

But this is not a resolution for New Year’s Eve, or for merely one year. It started in my mind and in my heart, before today… and I hope it never ends. I’m imperfect, but a goal is a help.

I appreciate each one of you, everyone who reads this whether you comment or not. Thank you for being a part of my life.

I was digging through old photos on my computer this week. I found two of my “Gramma” Ruthie that I think are classic.

Here she is as a young unmarried woman, small town Minnesota but bobbed hair and as flapper as one could get. She’s the one at far right. I think she looks like she’s got something up her sleeve, in more ways than one.

Notice she’s shorter than the others but can you just see that they are paying attention to her? She had magnetism. She could “hold court.” The woman was fun, I remember her laughing frequently.

Here she was, I think my dad was in his 20s when this was taken. We’re talking probably mid-1950’s here. Doesn’t this look like a staged, cliche’ photo? Well, it was not at all.

You see, Grandma and Grandpa owned the Henderson Independent (Minnesota) newspaper then. Grandpa was a man of few words, and he was a printer who was very detail oriented. He did a very good job of getting that paper typeset and printed. (Later they owned the Janesville Argus, also small-town Minnesota but more like 1200 people)

Grandma? Oh, I’m so much like her  in personality it’s a little spooky. She was spunky, outgoing, personable, and she had been a “Girl Friday” before she married grandpa (whatever that job title meant, that is how they described her in the wedding announcement when they were wed). She knew how to work.

Grandma would get on the phone and call people and ask them what was up. Then she would write. And write. And write some more. She wrote the entire newspaper, once a week. I think the town was under a thousand people (they had come from a town of just over 400 people).

No doubt she did a bit of the advertising sales as well. Grandpa made sure that the words she wrote, got printed and distributed. But Grandma was the talking part of that partnership.

I often say “I have never run out of words.” Certainly, one could have said that about Ruthie, too.

I think I look more like my aunt Ruth (Mom’s sister). Photos of her at 13 and me at 13 are amazingly similar. But how do I act? Gramma Ruth. All the way.

(Here is another of Ruthie as a young woman. I want to say they were on vacation for this one, but I know nothing for sure.)

We are who we are. I’m glad to be at a point where I can just notice and observe who I am, for the most part. I’m so scattered at times that it’s a hassle. However, that ability to notice and be distracted also helps me draw creative connections I might not see otherwise.

One last one. Under this photo in Grandpa’s tidy photo album, he wrote “My Ruthie.” Precious, for a man of few words. I once worked this up, thinking I would use it for a poster or T-shirt for our musical act (the music was popular when Ruthie looked like this). I never did, but you can see the product of my work here.

The photos are good enough without text, but I just had to tell the stories I know. I may have some of the specifics wrong, but the essence is real.

Gramma’s not gone. She’s got a few kids and grandkids around, still being just as passionate and social as she was. Gramma is in me.

May I introduce to you, the “Keys & Coins Andean-Style Hat?” The pattern is final. I’m about ready to have a party!!!

(If you click the above link, you will be sent to the Ravelry.com page with more information about the pattern. You need a free membership to Ravelry to see it.

If you are not a member, it will offer you the opportunity. If you knit, I highly recommend it as a resource.)

Musings…

You know, some patterns seem to happen spontaneously, and quickly. My One-Day Neckwarmer fell into that category. I have had relatively few of those, but they do exist.

On the other hand, some patterns I have much passion for… and they can stump me. I get to a certain place and I just get stuck solving a problem for a while.

My ZigBagZ, the Chippy Socks for Kids, and the Road-Tested Legwarmers all required a time-out for a while. They have become excellent patterns for me, but they sure did occupy space on my “To Do” list for too long!

So, as you can see, I have been dealing with one more of those months-and-months patterns. I think this one took about a year from concept and first cast on, and just now, when I have become clear that it’s ready for a debut.

Big, Huge, Thanks!

I often try to do things alone. It is just impossible in this line of business. And allowing others into my process is often fun for them, as well. I’m learning.

This pattern included eight hats, many ear flaps (see three at right) three knitters, much advice and input from many who love me. Most but probably not all of them are in this list:

Rae
Emily
Jenn F.
Diana
Melinda
Anna-Marie
Elizabeth S.
The Thursday-Night Crowd at Rae’s Yarn Boutique

Thanks to those who have been asking, calling and writing to me, asking for this design. It really does help me to know that I touched something in you, that you see a bit of what I saw when I had that first dream of a project.

So here is a stack of “a few” hats I had in front of me for a photo shoot Sunday. Some have ear flaps already attached but tucked in. Some still needed flaps attached at that point. Honestly, I still have some flaps to sew, but the pattern was more important than the samples. At least, at first.

The Yarns

You will ask. I don’t have color numbers for most of these yarns, but I do have which yarns I did use for all of them. The Main Color/MC is the multicolored background yarn. The Contrast Color/CC is the solid used on the very bottom edge and for the circles, stripes, etc.

So… here they are, the yarns used in the photo just above. The list starts with the top hat and works down.

• MC: Noro Kureyon, dark greens/purples; CC: Nashua Snowbird, light green marl (Snowbird is thicker than the others, at 73 yd/ 50gm).
• MC: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus, rainbow; CC: Berroco Lustra, turquoise.
• MC: Elegant Yarns Kaleidoscope, pink/apricot; CC: Cascade Softspun, soft turquoise.
• MC: Noro Kureyon, turquoise/purple/wine; CC: Cascade Cloud 9, hot green.
• MC: Mondial Bizarre, orange/yellows; CC: Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran, muted teal.
• MC: Noro Cashmere Island, purple/green/blue; CC: Southwest Trading Karaoke, solid turquoise.

The yarns for the top 2 and bottom 2 in the stack, were from Rae’s Yarn Boutique. The green/blue hat third from bottom, is from Yarn Garden in Charlotte, Michigan. The one third from top (also shown at the beginning of this post) was from Threadbear Fiberarts.

The rainbow hat pictured below is in a small adult size without earflaps, modeled by the lovely A. who is I think 16 years old now? Maybe 15. I can’t keep track.

Some folks like flaps on looser hats, and this pattern has sizes from Newborn to Adult XL, which should allow for a bit of adjusting for personal preference.

The Pattern, Near Lansing, Mich.

All of these are Lansing-Area Shops… all shops where I teach. All shops where you will be able to get the patterns very soon. Rae’s should have this on Monday at some point.

The Quick Answer for Non-Lansing Folks

So where can you get this pattern instantly, at 4am? Or, assuming you don’t have access to Lansing, Michigan at this point? Mind you, I recommend supporting local shops as much as possible, but we all know that this blog reaches beyond my own corner of the world.

Right now, you can buy a downloadable PDF document if you Click This Buy-Now Link.

I am using Ravelry and PayPal to make this possible, but you need neither a Ravelry nor a PayPal account to make that purchase. A credit or debit card will work, and PayPal makes sure that it is a secure transaction, and that neither Ravelry nor I know any of your financial information.

I have decided that since I’m missing my father this holiday week, I would tell a bit of a family Christmas story. This probably took place in December of 1963, when my brother Eric was 3-1/2 years old and I was just 5. (I think the photo at right was from this very year.)

In those days we lived in a small village called Okemos. Although that town now has a mall, a Walmart, a Best Buy and all the fast foods, car dealers and other businesses that crop up around such things, in those days it was a quiet place. It was mostly professors and their families.

For those who know this area, there were fields where Meijer and the mall are now. The Grettenberger barn had animals in it. Now it is home to Pilgrim House Furniture.

This town had one large grocery store (Schmidts, the only place in town to buy vinyl LP records). It had one small grocery/butcher. There was a Miller’s ice cream parlor,  Grettenberger’s drug store, a couple of gas stations, Delinds’ Hardware and a few restaurants. Not much at all. However, my parents had grown up in a town of 400 people, and this village was more than 10 times larger. They did not venture out of town often (except Dad, for work).

Once a year we would go into East Lansing, to buy shoes and school clothing. And once a year we would go to the five and dime, just barely inside the E. Lansing city limit, to buy one another what we called “stocking gifts” for Christmas.

At this time, our spending limit was $0.50 per gift. We would split up, one kid and one parent, and buy for the two we had left behind. When those gifts were purchased, we would trade parents and buy the gift for the other parent.

In our family, we would open the gifts under the tree (from parents and family) on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning, we had a stocking full of goodies and a box labeled from Santa, plus the three stocking gifts from family members.

A brief aside, to explain what comes next…

Now, you must understand that my father was a man of passion and humor. He liked to joke a lot, and he particularly would joke about purple. Whenever we waited for a train to cross, he would have us look to see if this time, it might have a purple caboose. That was Dad.

So one time when he was joking around, he said that kids who were bad all year, would not get coal in their stocking… they would get a purple whip. I don’t know how he came up with that, probably it blurted out one time and then he stuck with the story. Mind you, Dad never spanked us, but he had this odd story about Christmas for some reason.

Back to the story…

Well, in 1963, Mom and Eric were together working on a  fifty-cent gift for Dad. And the store worker came over, to ask if she could help find anything. And Eric piped up, in his little toddler voice:

Do you have a purple whip?

Well, my Mom wanted to hide. She didn’t believe in whips, not even water squirt guns. At that point, she was still concerned what others thought of her. So here her child was asking for a weapon. Ack!

To feel better, she had to explain about Dad’s story about a Purple Whip instead of coal. And then they tried valiantly to find something in that store to substitute for a purple whip, since they were fresh out of whip stock that day!

Today we have many dollar stores. These stores are full of items which are the color purple.

However, in 1963 this was truly an unusual color. They worked very hard to find ANYTHING for half a buck, that was purple. (I remember my first clothing that was purple, was in 1970; knickers and a vest… but I digress.)

Finally, Mom and the store employee found a washcloth. It was white, but it had wide lavender stripes and a few thin dark purple stripes. They had to convince my tiny brother that this would be an acceptable substitute for his desired stocking gift.

Mom, of course, had to clue Dad in on the gift. He responded appropriately (he would be good at that part), that somehow Santa thought he had been bad and the like. Too funny.

That washcloth is 46 years old this week. My brother still has it. It’s nearly threadbare at this point, and the colors are faded, but it’s a precious memory.

Dad died in 1973, when he was merely 40, I was 14, and Eric was a week before his 13th birthday. Mom was a widow with two teenagers, at age 38 (ouch). Eric was young enough at that time to not remember Daddy very well, but he treasures this story.

—————–

My friends, relationship is all we really have when it comes down to it. Stuff is stuff. Stuff can be enjoyed but we can not really call that love.

We can be fond of  it, for sure. I love picking out what to wear from my closet, I like some of my gizmos and my CDs, and my musical instruments.

But today I have the memory of my zany father. And the best present for me today, is the realization, once again, that I have people around me who love me. Who appreciate me just as I am. (I have not always been this lucky.)

It’s hard to say “I love you” out loud, but I’ve found I need to do it often. I say it when others might not. I know that tomorrow I may not have the chance to say it again… life changes quickly and none of us know when our last day might be.

Holidays during the dark days, allow us a space to celebrate those who matter in our lives. If you can find a way to tell someone how much you appreciate them, I recommend it highly. It is unlikely you will regret having done it.

I knew, even at age 14… that when Daddy died, he had been clear about my love for him. That is still comforting to me. In some cultures, saying “I love you” is not common… but in that case, there are actions which can instead speak that meaning.

And I appreciate every one of you. Thanks for being part of my life… even on very busy months when I don’t get here to post as often as is my goal. I started blogging in November of 2002, and the friendships I have found here have made my life richer.

Now, go hug someone, or make them a cup of tea, or call them on the phone. Whatever you can do, let them know that they are a gift to you, more than a gizmo could ever be.

Blessed dark days to you, whatever you call this time of year. I think I might call it “relationship season.”

Results

On December 23, around 4pm, I finished the decorative painting at Altu’s restaurant. There were still construction guys all over, so I could not take final photos, but I will. It looks very nice, I’m happy for her and proud I did it as well as I did.

Butterflies

Funny, I love the “dreaming” phase of creative projects. I often do not like the “executing ideas/work” part of the process. When I sewed, I disliked it from cutting until sewing it enough to put it on, for example.

The truth is, the executing part is full of uncertainty. There are no guarantees, just educated guesses. If you do not love the process, there are a lot of “butterflies in the stomach.” That is, until you are at a point where it’s clear things are working out.

In knitting, I do in fact enjoy every stitch in most of my projects. When I have a lot of purls in a row (as with my most recent not-yet-finished sweater), I don’t enjoy it as much. However, I only knit with yarn I like and I usually do the sorts of knitting I enjoy doing (colorwork and plain stockinette, knit in the round, using good yarn… but not so much cables or lace).

So the good news is, I got through the butterflies with Altu’s project. It only took me two full days and two shorter ones. It looks wonderful, Altu likes it. I like it. The construction crew likes it. Score.

More Kudos for Mom

Other progress? Ordered the first printed copy of Mom’s books. We told them to print so we can see how we did putting together the documents which make up the book.

I am having trouble with finding out how to use a non-standard copyright notice on a book printed by lulu.com; if anyone knows any hints I surely would like some. They used to have excellent service, both phone and online chat. Now they offer email only and I’m not hearing back from them.  But in any case, we have a book coming for Mom, and she’s delighted.

A Little Selfish Knitting: My Reward

Rae gave me a wonderful chunky cashmere yarn kit to make one of my One-Day Neckwarmers. I have been doing a few rows every once in a while for the last week. Wednesday I knit a bit on it while waiting for Sushi take-out, and then knit on it more at night.

I need to hide the yarn ends, and then I need to block it (get it wet to even out the stitches and help it un-curl… and in this case, soften the cashmere even further). Maybe I can even wear it on our walk on Christmas day? That would be so sweet!

Christmas Knitting?

Well, it wasn’t intended for Christmas, but I started a project for Brian months ago. I took an old pair of socks that were too worn to be darned… and cut off the feet, and started re-knitting the feet again.

This re-using still-good knitted portions of older items was once common practice. I’m Norwegian… they did this often. Why not do it still?

I found the socks today, they looked finished except for afterthought heels. So I finished an afterthought heel for Brian. It was too short. Redid the heel, still too short. Luckily, since I’m knitting down from the old cuff, I have a toe that is easy to rip out and reknit. Will be doing that.

It would be SO good if I could finish those on Christmas day!  It has been a long time since I’ve finished anything for him, and his old socks are slowly wearing thin. I’ve got yarn designated for him, but haven’t had time to act on that.

The good parts are… Brian has relatively small feet for a guy… and the yarn I’m using is two strands of fingering/sockweight yarn held together as one. On size 3 US /3.25mm needles. This will not take too long, and I’m finding it satisfying to realize it could be done so soon.

Sleep well if you can. I feel for parents of Santa-anticipating children tonight. I’m not that tough.

Painting, First

Today I spent a bit over 8 hours at Altu’s restaurant. The good part? I am painting her newdecorative basket-weave stripe and it looks great. It’s not done, but it’s perhaps 80% done.

After fussing and mulling over options (what colors, size, placement), we nailed a good combination of details. I’m glad.

Knitting, Next

I came home, had dinner after 10pm, put on warm cozy clothing, and went back to work on the Keys & Coins hat pattern.

I got a few new photos taken for illustrations in the pattern (but not downloaded from the camera yet). I finished an ear flap. I now have a whole pile of ear flaps which need blocking and sewing onto their hats.

Wednesday, I hope I have a lighter schedule. I get to sleep in, then Altu and I will enjoy lunch out, away from the restaurant. I will return there to finish at least all the painting in the main restaurant (I am not sure if I am doing the hallway, and if I am, that will wait for later).

THEN I get to come home. I can put 100% on the pattern finalization. I just got an approval from Ravelry.com for my “Featured Pattern” advertisement for that pattern. The ad starts on January 1. Right now I’m thinking the pattern will be ready for sale by the end of this week, about a week before the ad goes live.

Sleep, Last

For now… must sleep. I have not had this much trouble sleeping a full night in years. Too much to do!

I spent all day at Altu’s restaurant with the basketweave painted stripe as my goal. I made six possible color scheme mock-ups on paper, and we taped them to the wall to see what we thought.

We had to turn the lights to the settings intended for after construction is done. And in the end, none of my mock-ups really did the trick. Sigh.

However, I was also scheduled to paint a stripe on the wall at “chair rail” level, and we did figure out what color that should be. Funny, but we had not considered that particular color even a few days ago, but I’m glad the option occurred to us today.

SO: I painted one horizontal stripe, freehand, around the entire restaurant this evening. By the time I was done, Doug Berch was on break from his performance. I sat with him, and Cynthia, and Chris and Deb. Good folks all in the music community here in town. It was great to spend a little time with them.

The good news? We did some brainstorming and I think we are very close to the final design of the stripe. I’ll do another mock-up on Monday morning and we will see how that goes.

I have a good feeling that we can make a decision and start moving forward on Monday. I do have two appointments that day but I should be able to work a good number of hours. Let us hope for the best.

My friend Altu’s restaurant, Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine, has been expanded for a second time. There are new walls, and the old walls got new paint. The old walls had a basketweave design on them that I designed and executed, probably in 2002 or 2003. See photo.

Today I paint the new walls. To be honest, I like dreaming about things but executing them is not my favorite part. This is a LOT of wall to cover and it will probably take several days.

I’m off…

The young knitter, K., who attends my Knitting Rocks! program most regularly, brought me a little gift for our last session in 2009. Check this out:

It’s a gift card to a Biggby Coffee. This company is now franchising all over the USA, but it started in Lansing, Michigan, where I live. It’s a favorite spot for artful folks, I love it there.

K. wrote the inscription inside, by herself. Good kid. (She is in 4th grade, if I remember correctly.)

I did not realize until I got this home, that the Candy Canes are taped to the card in such a way as to make two hearts. HOW SWEET. Awwwww…

Every year this happens to me… I pretend during the first few weeks in December that I’m all set with Christmas, that I have no gifts or whatever to worry about. Yeah, right.

Then I remember that there are people who I’ll see and who will buy or make things for me. Probably little things, no big deal, but that means I need to deal with my end.

Once upon a time, I had a lot of folks to gift. I had a long list, kept notes on what I might present each of them with, and started buying 1 or 2 gifts each paycheck starting in October or so. I actually did enjoy this process, but those also were days of credit cards. I didn’t enjoy my debt payments, at all.

I have not had any credit cards since 1991. Things in my life have shifted several times since then, but I can not tell you how grateful I am to live in the moment.

I plan ahead more than in the past, though I’ll never be a great long-term planner. However, I don’t worry how to take care of payment obligations, either.

I love making gifts. I love thinking of someone while I make that something for them. But making takes time. As in, planning.

The first year I knit socks, I gifted many pairs of handknit socks to loved ones. I can’t do that any more, my knitting time is for my business most often.

However, in the last few years, I’ve enjoyed knitting small socks which can be used as Christmas Tree Ornaments. They can be made with favorite yarns, left over from memorable projects. I’ve also knit small hearts (above), and once a tiny sweater. Fun!

But even mini knitting takes time, right? And Friday I see some people I don’t see nearly enough anymore. And I haven’t started knitting ornaments (which is what I’ve determined to do). Time to “get out the pointy sticks and Cast On!!!”

Photos: Knitted heart ornament I made in 2007. Knitted sock keychains/ornaments on mini sock blockers, from 2006. Wonder what I’ll do this year?

Once upon a time, I worked in a sales-driven field. I worked for someone who fell into the category of “Big Deal Chaser.” There was palpable unhappiness in that workplace much of the time.

Once I got into a very new part of my life, I started reflecting on Big Deals versus Little Things. I came up with this idea, which has become a big part of my ability to enjoy life these days. (Others have thought it, too, but these are my words, the way I put it together today.)

Celebrate small good things in your life, & you can be happy. If you wait for big things, you will wait often. Small pleasantries typically happen daily.

(The snow has increased the light in the air even with cloud cover. I choose to notice that and celebrate it right now.)

What small good things have you experienced today?