Author: Susan

I still pay all of my bills via mail, which seems to strike friends and coworkers as quaint. I like sitting down to write checks and making sure that all of the accounts are balanced. Every few months, I find an error in the billing and call to resolve it. And then when I’m done, there’s a neat stack of stamped envelopes waiting to go out – it’s a nice mark of keeping things in order. It’s such a little thing but it makes me feel successful.

Well over a year ago, Kevin went to the post office, I asked him for stamps, and due to a miscommunication on my part he came home with books of dreadful “celebrate” stamps. I tried to bring them back and trade them for something prettier, but it wasn’t allowed. So I’ve been slowly working through them for the last 14 months. The postage rate went up, so I could at least use the pretty Tiffany 1¢ stamps, too, but I’m so happy that I only have two left.

I bought two books of pretty new stamps (hearts and sunflowers) last week – they will bring such happiness to my bill-paying.

For some reason the last few inches of the hat took days this time around. I finally managed to bind off, sew in the few last ends, and get it blocked. Since this was a Christmas present, I’m feeling relieved that it’s finished before the end of January. Entering a new month with it still on the needles would have been too guilt-inducing.

(Note that the garlic is thriving!)

After months of growing increasingly irritated at the moss, Kevin began the war to eradicate it. First he tried spraying zinc sulphate, and when that wasn’t lethal enough he switched to an ammoniated soaps and fatty acids solution.

I’m pretty ambivalent about this phase of the project (the moss is so green, and I’m not really a spraying chemicals person), but I’m considering it a trial for our roof which desperately needs moss relief. The chemical-free solution (scrubbing with a wire brush) isn’t really an option for the shingles.

Several days later, the moss is distinctly dead in some patches and distinctly flourishing in others.

The colors in this photo are particularly true – the moss is thicker and greener than the lawn at this point.

You have to be impressed at its tenacity.

It took me ages to weave in the last few ends, and then even longer until we had enough daylight for a photo, but the striped Noro scarf is finally done!

And really, just in time. It has been so cold here, and I’m in heavy scarf rotation. I’ve been getting lots of compliments on it (and from randoms like people in the cafeteria at work and the cashier at Ann Taylor, not just friends who suspect I made it myself), so that’s an extra bit of gratification.

I’m still thinking I might use wool wash on it, since that’s supposed to make it that much softer (according to the Yarn Harlot). That will be a new thing for me, though — does anyone have a favourite wool wash? Where do you find it?

I finally measured Kevin’s head and ripped the hat back to the proper number of stitches (I was off by 20 stitches, or just over 2 inches, so it’s a substantial difference). Here’s a status photo 7 rows into the reconstruction.

All of the mini balls of yarn are the remnants of the ripping. I felt clever for labeling them as I went so that it would be easy to keep the order straight. Since this photo, I’ve finished the dark stripe, and am halfway through the next white stripe. The yarn is gorgeous to work with. I’m not managing to knit as fast as I did in December, but Kevin’s been talking about biking to work again so I’m trying to rush.

This is such a proud, happy, hopeful day. Call it youthful idealism, but it seems like we’re at a moment that’s defined by its potential. So much is off-kilter in our country now, from the economy to our wars, the environment and the investment in infrastructure, and our basic ability to view ourselves as a strong, capable nation. For so long, the trend lines on all of those scary long term problems (health care, social security, global warming, energy, education, etc) have been heading in increasingly dire directions. And there is so much uncertainty and fear right now that it seems odd to have confidence that those problems can be addressed. However, I’ve been listening to Obama speak for years now, and I think he not only has the intelligence and ability to tackle these big problems, but the more rare ability to inspire people to make hard decisions and progress past the nadir. The fact that so many millions of people listened to him and then voted him (and all of his complex opinions) into office is an amazing, wonderful first step.

Time will tell but I’m so optimistic.

I didn’t want to post without a picture. This one is completely appropriated (it’s a quilt from the “President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts” show that’s coming up at the Cafritz Art Center in Maryland – wish the show was closer, it looks amazing). There have been some really neat stories, I think, about the grassroots-level outpouring of folk art that the Obama campaign and now presidency are inspiring. Everything from photos and paintings, to street art, murals, mosaics, large scale carvings and sculpture… You certainly see evidence of it on the craft blogs, and there’s a neat general blog about the art here. I completely understand the emotion that drives all of this creativity, and so many of the results are just beautiful.

Yet again, the garlic sat on the counter for too long, lost patience, and sprouted. And yet again, I planted it.

It’s beginning to take off, in that twisty way it grows. We actually had three days of sunshine in a row (!!!) and it looked so cheerful there on the counter. Perhaps the reprieve from the January gloom and the light have gone to my head, but I’m already scheming about starting lavender and veggie seeds there too. Realistically, it’s still way too early but I’m ready for spring!