Blur

On reflection at year end, 2018 seems to have gone by in a blur. While it may not have attained 2016 dumpster fire levels of awful, the cumulative impact of winter snowstorms and autumn hurricanes, familial responsibilities, and especially the seemingly endless weary rounds of endless dreary travel really ground me down. There was sufficient miserable badness that the goodness was almost lost in the fog.

Almost. There were small consolations. Over the summer I discovered Marisa McClellan's much-celebrated tomato jams, and turned out red, orange, and yellow varieties because I grew red and orange tomatoes and got some yellow ones at the farmer's market. Now that summer is gone, a dollop of tomato jam on eggs or in a chowder is so very nice.



As hard as it is now to recall or even imagine there once were winter Ravellenics or Sock Madness 12, they occurred, and I participated to the limited extent that I could. Sometimes frogging and qualifying are all that one can manage.

 

Perennial optimist that I am, I also entered make-alongs with every good intention of finishing odd socks and weaving spa cloths. Alas, that didn't go as planned. Ah well, next year.

 

It should be no surprise that one sock – the SM12 qualifier! – went onto the Clothesline of Shame and none came down for a total of ten Singleton Socks of Shame. Not the most ever, but still backwards progress.

Singleton Socks of Shame 2018, left to right, oldest to newest: Meadowlands, Fawkes, Julesokker, Love Me Knot, Chain Link, Hanauma Bay, handspun Queen of Diamonds, Twisted Madness, Dropping Madness, Fée Dragée with a counting thread.

One last fibery consolation for the year is my last foot, just-finished holly jolly Cranberry Biscotti by Elizabeth Sullivan. I'm beyond pleased with the way they turned out. I added a beaded cuff, which while not super-visible, nonetheless makes me absurdly happy.



With the year closing amid increasing economic turmoil and willful political failures, more so than ever knitting has become both solace and expression of resistance. I have no sage advice to offer this New Year's Eve beyond the usual, perhaps all the more important in unusual times: take good care of yerselves...



... and see you on the other side.

Cheerful Playfellow of Half-Blood Princes

It may be necessary to sit down for this one. I finished a pair of socks in time to meet the deadline for the SKA October/November Architecture Challenge. Go me.



This FO is Hidden Stairways by Erica Lueder, worked in Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts Socknado, colorway Lichen In My Crevices. The pattern is playful, easily memorized, and delightfully absorbing. The yarn reminds me of Shakespeare's "rude ragged nurse, sullen playfellow of princes" (the Tower of London) and stands in well for Hogwarts Castle, home of the half-blood Prince. Not to be overly gloomy or lit'ry – this is a happy pairing.



Despite all that knitting happiness or perhaps because of the giddy fumes, by some perversity I kept misreading the instructions for Sockdown and posting non-qualifying photos. Ahem. I have no wish to become the scofflaw of SKA. I hope I've got it all right now.



The pattern is modified by substituting 2x2 ribbing on the cuff, a shortie leg (minimum of 3 inches (7.62 cm)), continuing the pattern down the heel, and tabi toes. Because the staircases at Hogwarts like to change, the second sock was knit with the pattern varied by a half drop. As the Headmaster knows, a good pair of socks is a good thing – these are a much-needed replacement for my poor Clowns). Happiness in sock form.

Souvenirs

Of course now I can't wash my hand.



I had a good time at Rhinebeck. It was strangely warm this year – not as warm as last year, yet warm enough that heavy coats were not needed and I took off my Blue Wave hat. In the afternoon it briefly rained buckets, more a summer downpour than an autumn rain. The trees were barely turned, too, in the Hudson Valley in the third week of October. Perhaps it's true climate change is coming for our yarn. Hm.



However that may be, it was good to be at the fair, good to be with congenial company, good to see so many handknits and so many clusters of knitters doing their things, as the Stitch Marker Swappers, above.



There even were sheepie cookies. Which is enough, and more than enough.

Edited to add:



Although I didn't have time to knit a new Rhinebeck sweater, I re-purposed an in-the-round Angry Sheep gauge swatch into a cozy for my Zojirushi. I love my Zojirushi, which is a thermal bottle that keeps hot beverages hot and cold beverages cold. The cozy is to protect its finish as it clanks around in my tote bag, not because it needs extra insulation. The swatch is from the yoke of the cardi, which tapers, and the taper in the swatch rather nicely matches the taper in the Zojirushi. Happiness.

Hope to See You At Rhinebeck

This year I couldn't manage a new sweater for Rhinebeck. Guess I'll have to content myself with a new hat, nothing fancy, just Blue Wave 2018 by Donna Druchunas. I made it a bit smaller than written, with the wave pattern continuous around the hat.



And here's the inside view. The hat needed light blocking, accomplished by placing it on an inverted gallon (3.78 l) jug of vinegar and misting with water. Whodathunk my head is roughly the same diameter as a gallon jug.



I'm thrilled to bits to be going to Rhinebeck. It's been years since I've gone, a drought I hope to remedy in the future. And I hope to see you at the fair!

Swallowtail and Tomato Jam

Some folk are marvelous caterpillar wranglers – patient, dedicated, knowledgeable. Me, sadly, not so much. I know just how devastating those tiny tiny jaws can be in the garden, so about the closest I'll get to intentionally having caterpillars near my vegetable patch is this new Swallowtail...



... and these quarter-pint jars of tomato jam, now safely beyond the reach of those tiny tiny jaws. Sorry about the weird lighting, it's been thundershowers all day roundabout Exit 151.



Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark is a favorite pattern. It's such a favorite I've knit five with somewhat spotty documentation – the first is pre-Ravelry, the second was not blogged because it was a gift, and so on. Each had its pleasures.



Swallowtail the fifth is knit in lovely SweetGeorgia Yarns CashSilk Lace, colorway English Ivy. It's a gift, too. I never tire of this pattern.



And I never tire of the magic of jamming. One starts with fresh fruit, its goodness lush yet fleeting, adds a bit of cauldron work, and ends with shelf-stable summer in a jar. Tomato jam is new to me, but why not? Surely worth a try. (Gentle readers, let's sidestep the highly partisan question of whether tomato is a fruit or vegetable, else we'll be here all day.)



I used Marissa's highly recommended Tomato Jam recipe. I made a two-fifths recipe, maths was involved. The warm spices – ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and red pepper flakes – give the jam gentle but definite heat. The fragrance at first seemed overwhelmingly sweet and Christmas-y, but as the flavors melded, the red pepper became more dominant, maybe too dominant (we'll see). Yield was spot on, three quarter-pints and a small cook's share. One jar failed to seal, a first for me. Not a problem, the open jar offers the opportunity to sample the developing flavors. I've been finding the jam is persistently too sweet for my taste; next time, I'd reduce the sugar by one-fourth. So far I've tried the jam spread on crackers, with cheese, and on an omelet – I bet it would make outstanding avocado toast.

Swallowtail and tomato jam... could be a cool BnB, LOL. Onward.