Family Style

You may have heard the little-ist Herbert tied the knot last week (welcome to the Funny Farm, Meghan!). Between Christmas and the wedding celebration we sure partied ourselves out. Thankfully I got enough love from my little flock (and kitty love therapy!) to tide me over until next time.

XO Terez

Disappearing 9 Patch

Disappearing 9 Patch Draft

This year I was certain I would make Christmas gifts for most folks on my list. It seemed like a good idea in September, but not such a good idea on December 23 when I was sewing the wrong-side-to-the-right-side of some complicated items. I had to walk away, fly home, and finish the little guys on my parents' Pfaff at the last minute:

Pin Cushion Cut-astrophe

They are darling pin cushion caddies from Anna Maria Horner's Seams To Me book. In the end I was able to save them, and give them, but for now perhaps should stick to straight lines and two dimensions. You'll notice on the lower right of the photo above a half-finished pin cushion that I was making for my sister-in-law, Michele. I loved the red-white-blue combo and started playing around with some fabric I had left at my parents' house combined with pin cushion scraps. I started sewing random 16-1/2 inch 9 patch blocks and came up with this:

9 Patch-Patch

I knew all along while sewing these delights that I was going to put them under the knife, like this:

Split Patch

I also knew I'd be doing this:

Cut Into Corners

Which let me do this:

After walking away from it, and packing it up, and hauling it back to Boston, I still love it. I need to add some more darks and I have a few more patterns and solid to blend, but I'm off to a good start. I'll keep you posted.

XO! TEREZ

Kitty in the Mist

Kitty in the Mist

::Bebe
::Anna Kat
::Kitty Kitty
::Anna Wysocki
::Boo Boo
::Baby Baby
::Mon Bebe

Whatever we call her, we love her, all 19 of us (me + one HH+ one Mamacat + four brothers + three sister-in-laws + six nephews + three nieces). I took this on New Year's Eve Eve, when I noticed she was sheltering herself from the ever-present-Portland mist in a tunnel under the rhodies.

That's Portland, Oregon, by the way.

White Stag {for those of us old enough to remember!}

XO! TEREZ

High Tea Holidays

High Tea with Hailey

Mamacat and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Heathman Hotel for holiday tea:

Terez by the Tree

It might be after December 25th but the decorations were just as lovely, and the real tree we were seated near scented the air delightfully.

Treat Tower

The menu didn't change too much this year--old friends: opera cakes, scones with marscapone cheese, smoked salmon and chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches were back. As were our favorite treats, the mini jam and honey jars:

Mini Marmalade

We had to box up the top layer of desserts and bring it home.

Pink Dishes and Pearls

My niece is just old enough to be enchanted by the idea of a tea party. We decided to have our own this morning, complete with jam sandwiches, shredded wheat biscuits and tangerines:

Tea for Three

Lily Belle isn't quite ready to drink out of her own cup but next year I predict we'll have another one at our table.

Cheers!

XO and happy new year!

Terez

Christmas 2011

Stitched by Mamacat, 1989

Merry Christmas, all!
XOXO Terez

Saturday Stroll

Starling Sitting

Lunch Buddies

Canadian Invasion Formation

Too Shy for the Camera

After finishing some Christmas errands I decided to walk from Park Street to Hynes through the Common and Public Garden. I was treated to a show of starlings gobbling up red berries and Canadian Geese participating in a glamorous synchronized swimming performance. The ice skaters cutting away at the Frog Pond looked a little out of place with the green grass and balmy temps. Will we have another record snowfall this year? {I hope not!}

XO Terez

Old Shale

Old Shale Stitch

For as long as I've been stitching, I've wanted to make a chevron or ripple blanket. I have tried, many, many times to learn to crochet properly because I thought it was the only way to make one of these fascinating yarn-stash-busters:

Great Grandma Ripple Blanket Modeled by Anna Cat Bebe

But behold, the knitting pattern Old Shale:

Hail the Old Shale

This is my first attempt. I read about it on Ravelry. I knew I could do it--I knew it.

The pattern is so easy--it's just a repeat of four simple rows:
Cast on 20 stitches
Row One: K 20
Row Two: K 1, P 18, K1
Row Three: K 1, [K2 Tog] 3 times, [K1, YO] 6 times, [K2 Tog] 3 times, K1
Row Four: K 20

That's it! It's just the right combination of mindless knitting and purling for three rows and one row of increasing and decreasing. It's worked in multiples of 18--I added the single knit stitch at the beginning and ending of each row to help decrease curling. I watched a very helpful YouTube video by iknitwithcatfur (??) that helped me get the groove going.

Corner Curve

I have 840 yards of Malabrigo Worsted Noviembre yarn that I'm thinking of doing a tiny shawl or wrap with in this pattern:

Malabrigo Noviembre Test Shale

I knitted up a test swatch this afternoon and I think it will work nicely.

But first: I must finish Christmas sewing. There are not enough hours in the day.

XO!
TEREZ

Walk to Work Wednesday

John, Andrew, Paul and Matthew

Sneaky Sunlight

The Breakfast Club

Beacon Street Water Works

Mini Mums

How did it get to be November already? Autumn this year has been less than spectacular--the leaves are stubborn and refuse to change or fall from the trees. We've already had a snow storm--and still many people are without power. As for the temperature change, I don't mind...too much. I sometimes wish the summer away--the heat and humidity are worse in my mind than the bone chilling temperatures we're expecting in a few weeks. Fall and winter means Mamcat's-Not-So-Secret-Anymore-Hot-Cider Recipe, pot roast, Jane Austen, knitting, purling, quilting, Baileys & Cocoa, snowy Sunday dinners with friends, the Nutcracker, down comforters, holiday handmade gift making and purchasing (and sometimes keeping!). By February I'll be through but for now I'm settling in with a mug of tea and already enjoying the incumbent holiday season. And finally...finally...my fingers are itching to create some new baubles.
XO Terez 

HH: The Original Hipster

HH and Greta, circa 1975

My dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

Sentence structure sound familiar? My friend Richard introduced me to a hilarious website: Dads: The Original Hipster. {Warning--I haven't dug too far back into the photo archives so there may be some NSFW photos or captions in there} After reviewing a few entries I could see that HH, Renaissance Man, was just as, if not hipper than these yahoos.

I remembered seeing this old holiday card from his bachelor days (pre-Mamacat and five kids) and lo and behold, I found it in my photo archive.

I showed it to a few friends and they all had the same response: "Awesome!" and immediately after: "what kind of material is that shirt?"

After the fourth query today I rang up HH on my lunch break.

ME: "Dad!?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?" <----HH has a funny way of drawing out his yesses that just cannot be replicated via the written word

ME: "I have an important question for you."

DAD: "What is it, kiddo?"

ME: "You know that holiday card? The one of you and your German Shepard, Greta?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess..?"

ME: "You know that shirt that you are wearing? With the long pointy collar--the brown one?"

DAD: "Yeah-ess...?"

ME: "What in the heck is it made out of?"

DAD: "Oh that one? It's pretty bad, I think it is fake leather, like vinyl."

ME: "What? Really?!"

DAD: "Yes. And you know what is even better?"

Wait for it--wait for it:

DAD: "I sewed it myself!"

Bam!

HH wins, hands down. HH, Renaissance Man, was at the sewing machine before it became all trendy and hip.

Like I said, my dad was into bespoke custom clothing before I was and he has the vintage Christmas card to prove it.

XO Terez

Be Mine Valentine

Can you, could you, might you, should you--want to be mine, Valentine?

Peacock Lane 2010

Laser Light Show

Seaon's Greetings

Grinchy

Snoopy

After I was through happy houring with The West Coast Chicken Lady, HH was gracious enough to pick me up in the Pearl District. We were cruising up Burnside toward home when I suggested we flip a 180 and go down the famed Peacock Lane (really 40th Ave between Belmont and Stark). It was rainy, and a few days past Christmas so the crowds were thin, perfect for my passenger seat driving requests (Slow down! Ok speed up! Stop there! Keep going!) so I could take photos of my childhood Peacock Lane friends: Snoopy and the Grinch. Thanks, HH!

High Tea at the Heathman with Mamacat

2010 Holiday High Tea Terez

Our Neighbor

Ready, Set

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright

Mamacat

Under a Glittering Tree

Walk to Work Wednesday

Swirl and Slash

Someone to Watch Over Me

Winter Fire

There is a Light that Never Goes Out

Red Spark

My own galaxy

Rays of Light

It's been cold lately, the mercury has been dipping into the 20s and teens and below zero with the windchill.  I don't care, though (ask me again in February). In Portland, Ore., it may be more temperate in the winter but it is cloudy and clammy and you might not see the sun for weeks. You need to wear a hat and gloves every single day for 5 months in Boston, but at least you need to wear sunglasses, too!

While tripping down my stairs in my "stabilizing," sensible clogs I was arrested by a miniature galaxy in my entryway:

Enchanting Entryway

What in the heck? It took a few seconds to realize it's coming from me! My 100% sequined bag was creating some magic of its own with the sunshine.

My Milky Way

How can you not love a walk to work that includes this:

Harvard Avenue

Beautiful. A perfect start to a perfect day that ended with a perfect viewing of the Nutcracker with K-Lace:

Boston Opera House on Washington Street

The Boston Opera House--foyer ceiling

XOXO Terez