Today, rather than dwelling on the holiday stress, I’m going to concentrate on things that make me happy on a rainy Thursday in December.

1. Beautiful little balls of crochet cotton all in a row, one of which will make this bookmark as soon as my new hooks come in, the others for projects when inspiration strikes.
2. Curried Cauliflower soup for dinner. (So good! We did not puree it entirely, and I added some cayenne pepper for spiciness.)

3. Thrift shopping! I found a treasure trove of women’s magazines from the 50s and 60s at a southern Indiana Goodwill. I love the glimpse of the time they were made, and they have tons of knit/crochet patterns in them as well!

4. Owls! I love these wooden plaques, also from the thrift store. They are so cute and happy, not scary like the 1970s owls sometimes are.

5. Someone’s abandoned handiwork, which will find a new life living in my kitchen. I always think it’s so sad when someone else’s work ends up at the thrifts, and sometimes I cannot resist rescuing them! These are tiny, and I can certainly find a place for them!
6. The new Knitscene, which is now out at my LYS. I like the Papillon top (or maybe I just like saying it with a French accent,) the headbands, the soy silk wrap, the cute appliquéd tote, and the crocheted top. I don’t know what I’ll make, other than the headbands, but I’m always happy for magazines!
and finally…

6. The body of my Gathered Pullover, finished at last! It blocked out very nicely. The yarn is no longer scratchy, and the stitches evened themselves out. The rolled hem is even playing nicely! I am happy with the length – that is a very long tank underneath, it really isn’t short (I added about 1/2 inch.) I am happy with the placement of the cables (I know there has been some discussion.) Now I have started the sleeves, on a set of Brittany Birch dpns I had forgotten I owned. I prefer these to the bamboo needles, so hopefully I won’t get any sort of sleeve syndrome!
I hope everyone is doing well at this stressful time of year!
the body looks good even without the sleeves. u gave me the idea to knit one just like this.
your gathered pullover is looking excellent! I love the colour.
Perfect fit!! Can’t wait to see it with sleeves!
Merry Christmas! Enjoy the true reason for the season!
I agree with Lois. It does look good even without the sleeves, making a cute tank. And the color is gorgeous too. Have a wonderful holiday!
Yum, curried cauliflower sounds delicious! The Gathered Pullover is on my list, and yours looks lovely….given me new inspiration 🙂
Have a great holiday!
The gathered pull over would make a really cute tank!
You scored lots of goodies at the thrift store! I love thrift stores. 🙂
Thank you for keeping us up to date with your projects. You do wonderful work.
Happy Holidays to you!!!
You are making me want to make a gathered pullover – yours looks lovely.
Like the others, I really like that as a tank. How about one in Cotton Fleece for summer?
The gathered pullover is already so beautiful! I love the color.
My sister taught me to knit a few years ago but I have not progressed much. Your work is gorgeous!
Glad you liked the Cauliflower Soup.