Sunday, January 2, 2011

Greetings from slugville.  Yes, I am a slug, or at least I have been all day today.  And I'll tell you, it was glorious.  This was a wonderfully restful vacation and today was the perfect way to end it.

Pk and I got up and showered, (we're slugs but we're clean slugs).  He watched Harry Potter videos all day and I played on the computer and watched The Princess Bride.  I made breakfast and dinner and he cleaned up.  And now, the day is winding down and we're facing the reality of going back to work.  My work bag is ready and my gym bag is packed.  The alarm is set.  And my brain is slowly accepting the reality of work.

I showed you one of the handmade gifts I got for Christmas but I actually got two others.  Elanor made me some new stitch markers.  I tried for years to help her find a creative outlet because I believe it's good for the soul.  When I was coloring mandalas, she found that she enjoyed that and now does some beautiful pieces of her own.

And then she discovered beads.  She made Emily a necklace and bracelet and earrings set for Christmas.  I helped her pick out the ornaments but she did the work and it was pretty. 

I love beaded stitch markers.  These will get lots of use.

This is my other handmade gift.  These are darning eggs.  I asked for them and Pk made two different sizes for me.  The light one is pear and the dark one is black walnut.  They are so incredibly smooth and silky to the touch.  Unlike the yarn harlot, I will darn a pair of socks that have a hole.  I want to get as much wear out of a pair of socks as possible.

The roving they're on top of is a merino/tencel blend that Em gave me.  I started spinning some of it this past week and it spins like a dream.  It's silky and smooth and shiny.

I did a good bit of knitting on the alpaca sweater this week and I'm almost ready to bind off the shoulders.  I measured it on Peter Kevin and I need to make it a few inches longer.  After all this, I want it to fit comfortably.  Now that it looks like a sweater, he's showing increased interest in it.  His birthday is in February and I'd like to finish it by then. 

Have a good week.  I hope this first week in January finds you content, healthy and ready to face a new year.

8 comments:

amy said...

What absolutely beautiful handmade gifts. I hope your transition back to work isn't too difficult. I liked our laid-back schedule too. Back to making lunches and herding kids every morning...

Amy Lane said...

How lovely. Your home--and even your slug days-- are so very warm. (We've had a few of those... I cherish them!) (I'm going to dream of that roving... it's just delicious!)

Anonymous said...

ugh. work here tomorrow too. how did that happen?! i love beaded stitch markers too, and pks handmade darning eggs are gorgeous. so many clever thoughtful people.

Bells said...

i'm a clean slug too! I must always shower in order to feel truly slothful!

Oh such lovely handmade goodies. The darning eggs - PK is such a fabulously talented guy. Please pass that on. I love them! And the beads! Such a clever family.

Kaye said...

While I haven't been on vacation, it's been 3 weeks since I worked a full week. Ugh.
I love your eggs. I can't believe yh doesn't darn though. Why not? It doesn't take that long!

roxie said...

Beading is addictive! I have been adding beads to the edges of my bamboo scarves, and somehow the bead stash just grows. The stitch markers are lovely, and the darning eggs are eggsquisite!

The sluglife is a great break. You can't keep it up long before the fidgets set in, but for a break, ahhhh it's heavenly!

Saren Johnson said...

It's nice to rest up before work. Because we're back to full time on Monday.

Rose Red said...

Hope your first day back went ok.

The handmade gifts are just lovely - so special because they are made just for you, not to mention that they are so pretty and useful.

Happy Sunday!  I am sitting here working on my sweater made with the cashmere yarn my husband gave me for my birthday last year. I’m further...