knitnana: December 2012
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Monday, December 31, 2012

2013: Planning & One Word

As usual, I'm thinking about those things I'll try to do next year, and hoping that this year, unlike past years, I'll really manage to keep to the plan. In that spirit, I decided I have often bitten off more than I can chew, by making large numbers of plans. This time, I'm thinking of only three (and believe me, that was rough!):

1. Knit from stash. I know, we all say this, but finances being what they are and what with the changes in the national economy, I've decided that I have a gorgeous stash that could be reduced and made up into the things I'd planned to make with stash yarns, and still have a wonderful year. That being said, with My Sweetheart having been coerced to the Dark Side of handknit socks, I am exempting sock yarn. This doesn't mean I want to go hogwild, but rather, I want to knit socks for him, and there's precious little in the way of "guy colors" in my stash. I still reserve the right to buy a single skein of *gal* sock yarn if we travel to new towns with interesting LYS's and I can buy a "local dyer's yarn."

2. Finishitis. I rarely have this affliction, and I'm committing myself to a serious case of it this year. If you discount the three projects I keep open as WIPs on Ravelry (dishcloths, scrubbies, and the sock yarn blanket which is added to sporadically and is probably never going to be finished, at least not for years as I add new sock yarn leftovers into the mix) I have 15 WIPs. GAH! Must become dedicated to Finishitis!

3. Finally, I'm committing to adding stash photos and library details to my Ravelry page. I know I have more than I'm showing. I'd like to get organized enough to at least know everything is at my fingertips over there.

I'm also going to do the One Word idea again. (In a way, tho' I'll be doing two words, as I want to keep "Ahimsa" in the mix - it's not something that's one-and-done, doncha know?) Last year it took me most of the month of January to come up with my word, but this year, it's popped into my head almost before I considered doing the project again: JOY. How to add it in to my daily round, how to make sure I add it to others' - Joy isn't about buying something, but wow would it work in with using up stash and getting some things finished - and much else, too, of course.

So what else will I be doing? Aiming for more healthful eating, and more opportunities to add activity in my life (and My Sweetheart's!). I was tickled to hear him say during the holidays that he really was reassessing his thoughts on vegetarian eating - this after having my vegetarian chili one night! I'll never convert him completely, but we both know it's important to truly restrict the animal content in our diets. It's best for our hearts' sakes. And I'm also going to try very hard to get back to some commitment to yoga. Sweetheart likes it, too, so we're hoping to take a class every now and again. I can easily practice at home, but am inclined to skip it - which isn't a good thing. If I remember the JOY I feel whenever I do Sun Salutations, perhaps I can motivate myself a bit more???

That's it for me. Not too many, in hopes of treating myself well (practicing Ahimsa, still). So what plans (or resolutions, if you're so inclined) do you have for 2013?

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Quick Post

Because I'm not feeling the best and should be working rather than posting here. But I wanted to share the two items I made for Christmas gifts this year, now that they've been received:

This is Kaia's Hello Kitty Kaia. Yes, the namesake for the bag has her own bag now. I'm not sure she was overly impressed, but eventually she will be. Two and a half years old is a hard time to appreciate something handmade.

Then there's the gift I made for My Sweetheart's son's girlfriend:

She had mentioned that her fingers freeze in her office (something I can relate to!). So I had to do these to try to remedy that! The pattern is Seeded Mitts and I used Knitpicks Gloss fingering in that mix of merino and silk.

And everything was done in time!!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Exquisite Gift; Fabulous Crafter!

My Sweetheart was very good to me for Christmas, and while I'm not going to detail things received all that much, I did want to share a crafter we discovered and the work she creates.

You can find her shop here, but just to tell you a bit about it, it's the teensiest macrame and seed beadwork I think I've ever seen. Once upon a time, I did macrame, and had to give it up because of the pain it caused in my hands...it isn't an easy craft, and her work is just simply stunning.

Needless to say, I was delighted with this gift. My Sweetheart received a Simple Touch Nook and custom case from none other than Nana Sadie Rose, doncha know? I know he was as pleased as I was.

I'm working on an upcoming post for the New Year, and trying hard to ignore the fact that I finished precious few knitted items this year...But then again, I had a really good reason, doncha think? *wink*

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas to All!

My goodness. I do believe this is the first year I haven't done an elaborate post for Christmas.

Believe me, that doesn't mean I don't still love blogging and my readers, because I do.

And I wish you all a wonderful holiday, if you celebrate it. I'll be back. Promise. (((hugs)))

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Grand Prize Kaia Bag and Another Drawing

This was delivered last night to Kimberly, the winner in my 1000th bag contest:

She was as delighted to get it, as I was to make it! I loved how this one turned out.

And now I have the sad news to report that the person who won the "You guessed wrong" part of the contest never got back with me and I had no way to contact her. So I used a random number generator to draw a new winner. Elaine P. (you know who you are...): Congratulations!!!

I'll be contacting you on Facebook to determine the fabric for your 3 baglet prize - it will be delivered after the holidays tho... sorry about that!

I'm so happy everyone was having a good time with this contest. It makes Nana Sadie Rose's day. :)

By the way? There is still time to give the gift of a Nana Sadie Rose gift certificate. Stop by the etsy shop and convo me if you don't see a value you're happy with - I'll post one for you.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Ten on Tuesday

This week's topic for Ten on Tuesday is Ten Favorite Things to Photograph on Christmas:

It's a simple list: 1. Christmas Decorations (the tree, outdoor lighting displays, that sort of thing). I'm particularly interested this year, because I'm back to having a full-sized tree, and it's decorated with unbreakable ornaments - because along with the holiday decor? I photograph my cats - the terrors. Last year, I spent a bit of time and effort photo-ing upside-down Christmas trees, upended by The Tonk, who thought this was great fun!

This year's tree, still standing at present:

2. Snow. Well, that doesn't happen in these parts all that often, so when it DOES happen that we have a White Christmas, I take LOTS of photos!

3. Christmas Knitting - the stuff of gifts. I rarely post them until AFTER Christmas gifting, of course, but I LOVE to photo the things I make for gifting.

4. Food. Usually what other people make, as I rarely cook for the winter holidays. Thanksgiving wears me out.

5. DGS#1. My first-born grandson.

6. DGS#2. The NEXT grandson.

7. DGS#3. The LAST grandson.

8. DGD#1. The sweetest little girl in my life.

9. Family. (The rest of the bunch! Daughter and her hubby, nieces, nephews, Big Sis, Bro-in-law, Sis-in-law) Usually when engaged in opening gifts.

10. I can't honestly say that I've done this one yet, but this year, I will: My Sweetheart and his family.

This year will be quite different, and lovely, and I'm looking forward to it so much!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Hushed Thoughts...and RAGE

I expect I'm not alone. After Friday, I've ranged the gammut between stark depression, deep sadness, and terrifying rage.

I'm mostly still beyond words. To have such violence visited upon such innocence? I can't fathom it. Comprehension fails me. But...

I do know where my energies will be focused now: Sane gun laws, autism activism, mental health advocacy, and anti-violence in film, tv, and video games. VA Tech brought this home, back in 2008 (my alma mater). This latest strikes at the heart of every single grandparent alive. Or it should. These are our children. We HAVE to make changes. We have to ACT.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Ten on Tuesday!

This week's installment of Ten on Tuesday is a listing of my ten favorite Christmas cookies. Well, I don't make cookies much, but I do remember a lot that I grew up with, so I'm calling on memory. The very most important is one that I don't think we ever made, but that I tend to buy whenever I find them, locally:

1. Coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate - YUM!

2. My mom's Scottish Shortbread cookies

3. Pfeffernusse: my mother's best friend made these every year and delivered a jar of them to each of her friend's households. I didn't like them until I was older, and by then, the supply kinda went "poof!"

4. Peanut Butter Blossoms. My sister was the first to make these in our household and they're still a tradition.

5. Molasses cookies. My grandmother's recipe came with the story of what happened to my late elder brother when he devoured a few too many of these...I expect you can imagine?

6. Triple Chocolate Snowcaps. This is a recipe I discovered and made for several years at Christmastime to gift to friends. I believe I originally got the recipe from either Woman's Day or Family Circle magazines, I lost it for a bit, then found it via our library's magazine collection (way back before the internet. Haven't made them in years.

7. Iced Oatmeal Raisin

8. Seven Layer Bars

9. Pecan Sandies (one of my mother's favorites)

10. Lemon Chess Bars - these are right up there with numbers 1 and 6 as extra special cookies for this time of year. I can buy them from one of my favorite restaurants, Wildflour. Hmm...must pick up a few to enjoy this season. Baking is no longer the big deal it once was in my household, in part because I don't want to tip the scales at the level I used to do. But I do enjoy sampling a few items now and again...

Sunday, December 09, 2012

We Have Three Winners!

The grand prize winner, for guessing the 1000th bag that Nana Sadie Rose made is Kimberly! I've emailed her so we can get the ball rolling to make her prize which I'll share with you all when it's complete!!

The second contest was the "You guessed wrong, but you tried" contest and the winner there is Dawn in NL. Now unfortunately, Dawn is one of those folks who, for whatever reason, I can't email. Blogger won't give me your email address :( so PLEASE leave a comment on the blog with your contact information, OR email ME in the sidebar. If I haven't heard from you by Wednesday morning EST, I'll have Tonk draw another name from those who guessed wrong. Dawn you might also include the sort of theme you'd like your 3 baglet set to be made from, for example: books? cats? knitting? sheep? florals? geometrics? etc...

Finally in the Share the Contest group, Dianne N., from my local knitting community was the lucky winner. Tonk picked her name out of the Tupperware container I use for these things, fair and square, I had nothing whatever to do with this. I'll be working with her to find the fabric she would like in her set.

For those of you who participated and "liked" Nana Sadie Rose over on Facebook and Ravelry, please do stay tuned. Later this week, I'll have Kaias up in the etsy shop, as well as more small items you might like to pick out for stocking stuffers this holiday. And then, there's the cat show in January to look forward too, as well...

But that's another blog post...Congrats to all the winners!!!

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

1000 BAGS?! The Contest is HERE

Nana Sadie Rose is making her 1000th bag! Even I’m amazed. Since 2004, I’ve been counting the labels I purchased and used…(and this doesn’t count the baglets, drawstring bags and accessories, as I use different labels for those).

But finally, it’s here! The happy 1000!

Hmm…puts me in mind for a celebration, and what’s a celebration without a contest?

From left to right:

1. Christmas Mitten Kittens

2. Snowmen

3. Aubrey Rose

4. Poinsettia

5. Stars

One of the bags you see above is #1000. YOU must tell me which one you think is #1000. IF you guess the right one, your name will go into a drawing for your very own custom-made Kaia bag (your choice of fabric from my stash).

If you don’t guess the right one, your name will still be entered into a drawing for a set of three baglets (the 7”, 5”, and new pencil size) and a coupon wallet. Your choice of THEME, my choice of fabric (again from my stash), but you KNOW I’ll work with you, right?

And a final chance to win: Share this contest on your blog or share Nana Sadie Rose with your friends on Facebook (see link below) and TELL me you've done so (here, or on Facebook, or by email - see the addy in the sidebar over there --->) and I'll put your name in a separate drawing for a set of 7 inch and 5 inch baglets with matching keyfob (this will be my choice of theme and fabric). In fact - if you post it on your blog AND on Facebook? That's two entries. Wow.

Deadline for guessing will be Friday December 14, 2012 at midnight EST, and I’ll draw names and post winners by December 17. With a bit of creativity on my part, if you win, you’ll have your prize before Christmas(*)!

How’s that for fun and celebration?

And just a bit of housekeeping, here, but if you'd like to stay up-to-date on ALL the doings at Nana Sadie Rose? You need to be HERE:

Nana Sadie Rose Ravelry Group and HERE:

Nana Sadie Rose Facebook page (make sure you click "Like" then hover over that tab and you'll see a drop-down that says "Get Notifications." Click that, too, so you'll see all the posts I make to the group!

A very quick warning to everyone - IF you have your blogger id shielded or protected so that I can't reply to you? I have no way to contact you if you win. Please contact me via email!

(*) a bit of a hitch in the planning...at present Dear Bernie (my Bernina sewing machine) has developed a winter *bug* and will be heading into the shop for convalecense in the morning...I might end up being a bit past Christmas with your prize, but I surely hope that won't be the case!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Ten on Tuesday

Our topic today is 10 favorite Christmas albums...and you know mine might be a teensy bit different, right?

1. Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Celebration

2 & 3. Manheim Steamroller: Christmas (they're both called the same thing?)

4 & 5. Windham Hill's A Winter's Solstice V & VI (bring back the whole set, please, I want to fill in the gaps!

6. George Winston's December (another Windham Hill release)

7. Michael Buble's Christmas

8. Solitude's Christmas Classics

9. Windham Hill's Celtic Christmas

10. Bing Crosby's White Christmas

I've recently been learning about jazz in a big way, courtesy of My Sweetheart. Hmm...it's time to begin listening to JAZZ Christmas recordings, don't you think?

Monday, December 03, 2012

Nana's Got A Brand New Bag!

Kaia.

Like my granddaughter, she's just a little bit. Small enough to handle your id, your cell phone, you car keys. Note the size of the thread spool? Two pockets - front and back. A cute and sassy little cord "strap" that you can adjust to the length you'd like by tying a knot. This is the perfect bag for shopping, heading to a party, or just if you've finally gotten the contents in your purse down to the bare essentials and don't need anymore! 7" tall, 6.5" wide at the top, 4.5" wide at the bottom and 4.5" deep. (all sizes are approximate, since they're handmade. I'll be posting a few in the shop in a few days...and a custom order is possible, tho' at present I'm going to encourage using my stash, rather than from any fabric website, as this little mite doesn't take much! I'd love to whittle down what I've got so I can justify adding more, dontcha know?

Oh! $25. The lowest price Nana Sadie Rose has ever made a pocketed bag...Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 02, 2012

Prepping for A Holiday Craft Fair

It's been a long time since I've done one of these, but this coming Saturday, in the afternoon, there'll be a small show in a part of my community that I have been in serious love with for decades: The Grandin Village Holiday Market. I'm also working on orders in between stock enhancement, and the first photo is an order that went out last week:

Musical motifs in sets of three: a coupon wallet, zippered pencil case, and small 5" zippered bag for loyalty cards, stitch markers, or change.

So I decided to make a few other accessories, as I think this show will probably be more about folks finding stocking stuffers:

And then a few more:
As always, if you see anything here that you love, contact me. Either with the gmail addy in the sidebar, or via my etsy shop.

*wink*

Namaste

I honor the place in you,

which is of love, truth, light, and peace.

When you are centered in that place in you,

and I am centered in that place in me,

we are one.

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