Stash Socks
The longest night has passed. The light is beginning to return. My heart was full last night with thoughts of many others waiting in the darkness. Alone and not alone.
In the evening hours, I gathered up bits of sock yarn that have been lingering in one of the yarn bins. There are enough leftovers to make at least one pair of socks. They will be my solstice socks, begun in the dark, knowing the light would be here soon.
Small Projects
The beautiful thing about little projects is that they can be finished so quickly. I wonder what comes next!
Mittens
It’s my first time making mittens. I might be a little excited.
More and More Knitting
Splotchy socks. First heel turned.
Back to knitting!
Things I Love: Knitting Joy
My needles have been flying these past few months. It is amazing how much knitting can happen when you just sit down to do it. Rows waiting for rehearsals and meetings and bears. Rows at a newly found knitting group. Rows during movies and podcasts and while listening to friends. It adds up. I can’t wait to see what will happen when I start keeping dates with my sewing machine!
Advent: Making
The smallest smallish bear has decided there are not enough ornaments at Talarico House. I am enjoying her efforts at remedying this. So far we have a Christmas Elf and a Gingerbread Angel. Read more…
Advent: Taking the Time to Notice
Have you heard of Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis? It is like a moth. A funny little moth that spends its larval stages in a little bag made of bits and pieces of the plants around it so that it blends in and is a little bit hard to see if you don’t take the time to notice. Can you see it?
The infestations are often missed in their early stages. Careful observation of the plants is required in order to detect the worms before they have already caused damage. We saw hundreds of them at my parents’ house this past summer. There was this little wiggly case hanging from a branch. I quickly grabbed my camera, hoping to catch the emergence of a new butterfly or moth.
We waited. And watched it wiggle. Then we noticed more. And more. And even more on the shrubs in the driveway. We saw the little caterpillar heads peeking out and munching on the bushes. Definitely not butterflies, or at least, not yet. I took a little research break and discovered the bagworm. My papa learned he would soon have the job of removing them, one by one, to prevent spread the following year.
I was reminded of them this past weekend as we spend the holiday with my family. It made me think of other places pests might creep in unnoticed, disguised in bits and pieces of their immediate surroundings. A little bitterness here, all covered up in justification and self-righteousness. A little mean-spirited criticism over there, wrapped in well-meaning I know better. During Advent, in the darkness as we wait for the light, I am taking an inventory. Careful observation of what I’m growing in my own heart. And careful removal of any sneaky pests that have made themselves at home, cloaked in different pieces of me.
Waiting
It is one of my most favorite times of the year, both liturgically and personally. A time that invites simplicity and quiet waiting while all around us chaotic messages echo: buy more, be busy more, fill the empty spaces more.
An intentional time. Be. Wait. Breathe.
Day Twenty Two: Soap is Soap
The Kettle Slayer and I have been in fits of giggles this week. Really, there was nothing else to do. Read more…
Day Seventeen: The Day BEFORE
Tomorrow is the culmination of more than a year’s worth of work. We open our new building. I am nervous, excited, and so very happy that it is all finally happening.
Today is the day I officially begin my new position. It is essentially the same work I’ve been doing all along, only now my title and job description actually reflect what I do. Over the past two years, I’ve been honored to work with a woman who truly knows everything about our laboratory computer systems. She is a gracious and kind teacher. She is retiring soon and I will be slipping into her role as the Laboratory Information Systems Coordinator. It is good work. Data and interfaces and, yes, helping people who have forgotten once again how to add a printer. My favorite part of my job is listening to people worry and complain about something and then being able to adjust the system to make their problem disappear. I am glad I get to continue doing this for a little while.
In unrelated news, my favorite spam comment of the day is:
Another option on an entrance to a building is a gate.
It seems like that is very useful information to have.
Naming Mountains 