you're living through another year

resolutions of all kinds spark and catch in my mind at this time of year; i suppose it natural to approach blogging with the same sort of goal-setting. but this blog? well, i'm not sure of what to think as i sit here, staring at the blank(ish) dialogue box, knowing that i've only posted 18 times this year. are 18 posts a sign that i'm blog-fail? are 18 posts indicative that life only gets busier and more chaotic each passing year? are the mere 18 posts a testament to my lack of consistency? how do i reconcile my occupation of this space with the obvious lack of voice? do i renew the vow to be more diligent, etching out the time to publish in this little part of the interwebs? rather, do i just cast aside the feelings of disappointment in myself and push onward, not looking back and dwelling on the quiet that was?

in reality, these days have been anything but quiet. the weeks of november, and then especially the first two weeks of december, were filled with the nutcracker commitments. laurel danced again this year, with the regional professional ballet company, so not only was she rehearsing and performing a lot, but as a family, we are required to donate time on tasks that help the production run smoothly. the calendar was peppered with nutcracker responsibilities, and everything else was fit in around them, too.

holidays came and holidays went. many pictures were taken. lots of goodies were baked and cooked. i made lemony snickets and pumpkin cheesecake, spatchcocked a turkey and rocked turkey gravy, decorated sugar cookies, perfected shortbread (finally), and indulged in peanut butter cups. we hosted a traditional scandinavian smörgåsbord for christmas. we will be having a quiet but happy new year's eve celebration.

spatchcocked turkey... it's roasted flat.

and though not as prolific as last winter's knitting session was, i've had the needles going. november saw the finish of the beautiful chevron love mittens, one of my favorite knits to date.



over thanksgiving break, i whipped up a cable comfort throw for annika's teacher (and now need to make another, bigger one!) in bulky yarn. when knitters tell you this is a quick and economical knit, believe it! and, at last, i earned my seaming badge with this project.


an unseasonably cold december made everyone's soft california bones ache, but especially those of our chihuahua-dachshund mix, stitch. i carefully measured her, then knit her a wool sweater, only to find it too tight to be comfortable. i am not going to give up, however; other design options are being explored.

stitch is not so happy.

the only handknit i really wanted complete for a christmas gift was a pair of socks for the dear husband. but what's that about always abusing those we love the most? well, i don't abuse him, but he isn't getting his socks for another few days...

reinforced heel -- the first one i've done...

the pattern is roger sock, the yarn is heritage sock. partly due to a hectic schedule, and partly due to backordered reinforcement thread, i'm only about 75% finished. as always, it took me a few repeats to "get" the pattern; i'm *so* not a one-glance-at-the-chart-and-i-get-it knitter.

as this post and year come to a close, i want to thank those of you who do stop by once your blog readers flash that i've decided to make an appearance. every one of your comments make me feel like there is a reason i eke out the time to write. each of the readers that take the initiative to reply earn a new blog reader themselves. blogging is fun, once i sit down and get to typing. i'll have to remind myself of that more often.

happy holidays, and the best new year's wishes to you and yours.

xoxo,
melana