One Little Word, One FO, and One New Design*

Can you believe today is December 1?! The end of the year seems to be going by at warp speed, which I wouldn't mind so much but for the fact that I still have a lot of holiday knitting to do!

We are changing things up a bit and posting our One Little Word reflections today, even though it's not the last Tuesday of November. Honoré is gracious enough to be our host for these monthly link-ups, and today works best for her, so I'm going with it. So what did I savor in the month of November? This month, I took things quite literally:

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, in no small part because of the food, but also because it means getting together with family and friends for no other reason than to enjoy each other's company. There are no religious rites or rituals, no foods we're required to eat or required to abstain from, and the whole atmosphere is one of relaxation and gratitude. Obviously this year was very different. There were only three of us around the table, though we shared cooking duties with my brother and sister-in-law (they made the mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and green bean casserole). I didn't want to make this year any more depressing than it already was by skimping on the meal, so I made sure we had all the elements we're used to. Friends, I successfully roasted my first turkey! I also made our favorite cranberry sauce and my great-grandmother's challah stuffing, my absolute favorite part of the meal! And as we have every year for the past several years, Rainbow and I baked pumpkin cranberry muffins (though we only made three dozen this year instead of our usual six dozen). While I certainly savored the food itself, I think what I savored the most about this Thanksgiving is that we were able to have it pretty much normally except for the company. We had a Zoom call just before we ate and saw our parents, my sister- and brother-in-law and nephew, my aunt and uncle in Florida, and the Mister's aunt and uncle and cousin in Atlanta. So it still felt like we were with a big crowd, but there were many fewer dishes to wash at the end of the night.

I'd hoped that in taking the whole week off from work I'd find extra time for knitting and spinning, but in actuality a lot of last week (at least through Thursday) was spent in the kitchen. And I really didn't mind it, especially as I had a helper for a lot of it. I didn't anticipate just how much work it would be to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, and while I certainly could have cut a few corners, I wanted to have as authentic an experience as we could. So it was a busy week but an enjoyable one.

I did finally find my time to knit on Friday afternoon, when Rainbow and I sat down to watch the final two GBBO episodes of the current season and I cast on for a gift to myself that I've been meaning to make all year. I finished that project yesterday afternoon.

Pattern: Woodland Loafers by Claire Slade (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Ridgetop DK (80% Romney/20% Falkland) in Wild Bergamot and Floof (75% mohair/25% silk) in Rain Cloud Gray, held together
Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm)
Started/Completed: November 27/November 29
Mods: omitted the loops at the back of the heels and did a round of purl before binding off

I'd purchased this pattern in the Giftalong last year but didn't get around to making them, probably because there's very little bulky weight yarn in my stash, so they were on my 20 in 20 list for this year. In lieu of a single strand of bulky, I opted for these two yarns held together. Though the main yarn is labeled a DK, at 220 yards per 100 g, I'd call it a worsted, and that combined with the halo of the mohair/silk seemed to make a reasonable substitute. I think an actual bulky yarn would probably result in a more robust fabric (mine is a bit limp and floppy when not on a foot), but the fit is just fine. The pattern is fast and a lot of fun to knit. It's actually completely seamless -- you knit the sole flat first, then pick up stitches all around to work the rest of it. Quite clever! And I'd estimate the pair took me only between four and five hours to knit, making it a good option when I need a last-minute gift. I'm sure there will be more pairs from me in the future!

Finally, I wanted to let you know that I published a new pattern this morning, the brioche cowl you saw when it was in progress. This is the Chevroche Cowl (Ravelry link):

It's available on Ravelry and Payhip and is $1 off the full price for the first week (coupon codes are on the pattern pages).

*Bet you thought I was going to say "and a partridge in a pear tree"!