January in Review

I am a little late getting to this post, but I suppose a day late is better than not at all at this point.  Yesterday was a busy morning with outside obligations, and my higher priority, even higher than writing you, was to finish knitting Ausma and get it blocked.  I succeeded in meeting that goal, but not with enough time or mental acuity to write.  

The biggest event of January was the Martin Luther King Day snow.  I got 12 inches in my yard, give or take a fraction, and I think the official tally finally came in at 11 3/4 inches.  The particular combination of a large snowfall, followed by a week where the temperatures did not rise above freezing was a truly rare event for this city,  but I loved being home without interruption.  There is always more than enough that I can do, more than enough than I want to do.  In fact I don't really understand how people who don't read and/or have hobbies that keep them busy with their hands and minds function.  My street was finally plowed on January 22nd, by which time the temperature had risen above freezing, and if I hadn't needed coffee, I might not have gone out on the 23rd.    Of course I did have to go out after that, normal life resumed, but if anything I am reminded that for me it is the outside world that is the distraction and, often, the intrusion.  Something worth thinking about.

When the snow melted I saw that the winter garden had been perfectly comfortable under its winter blanket of snow.  The remains of the bok choy bed looked perfectly happy.  Of the two varieties of broccoli raab,  one looked a little worse for wear, but had survived, and the other appeared unscathed.  Haruki turnips, arugula, cabbage and various kales were fine.

I thought the purple kale and the cilantro looked perfectly lovely together.   I hadn't been certain about the parsley, but it was thriving and after 3 days had new green leaves.  Unfortunately some desperate critter dug it up after that and I salvaged the remnants.  Only the Mexican oregano died, but truthfully I had expected it to die months ago, so it was no real  loss.

I also kept the path to the studio open during the bad weather, and although I did not spend that week sewing, or at least not exclusively, I am happy that I got several things finished in January.  Life is not measured by our accomplishments, and yet, I am happy with those small things I did get done: 

            two baptismal towels

            two pairs of pants

            one evening skirt

You saw the first pair of pants in my blog post of January 23rd.  I made a second pair, with minor alterations, which I like even better than the first although I am wearing both pairs regularly.  I think black will become a usefull basic, but not a dominant player in my wardrobe, even if it is filling that role now as I am rebuilding.  Surprisingly, to me at least, I am currently wearing my black not only with muted plums, but also  with taupes and muted cool browns.  In fact taupe might well have been the color of January for me (and I love taupe).

The evening skirt was a simple thing, really a first iteration of a long out-of-print pattern by Neue Mode, a now defunct (?) German company.   The fabric is a synthetic suede-cloth embossed with silver.  I intend to make another view of the same skirt in silk.  But this version itself is useful and works with a number of things in my closet, including the above cardigan, which I named "New Orleans" and knit in 2022.   The pattern is below. This skirt is view A.

I knitted steadily through January but didn't actually finish my current project, the Ausma shawl, much as I wished to.  As noted above, I have finished it now and you will be seeing that soon. 

As a final note, when I came home on January 31st, I saw that the first of the iris histrioides had bloomed.  It was a welcome reminder that spring is just around the corner.  The irises don't mind the chill and neither should we, they just batten down then lift their blooms up bravely.  More irises are blooming now.   Winter is always hard.  Spring always arrives….