A Very Special Man

During the Christmas season I try to find time to reflect on where I am at in my life and think about those people who are special to me, and have made a difference in my life.  Although both my in-laws fit this bill, today I want to focus on my father-in-law.  Almost 80 years old, he lives every day with passion and energy.  A long retired architect, my father-in-law is a family man and supportive member of our family.  He takes an avid interest in each of his seven grandchildren and texts with them, and shows up to their soccer games. He reads his newspaper on an iPad and has his computer figured out.  He even plays a mean game of golf.  He is a passionate traveller and has visited many areas of the world.  

I could keep going on but today I wanted to focus on his artistic skill.  Over the years he has gifted many of his stained glass creations to not only his family members and friends, but also has completed stained glass windows for his church (and those windows were completed in the last few years).  He just doesn't stop.  I thought I would share some of the pictures I have taken over the years of his work.  Sometimes we give him a picture of a stained glass we have seen on the internet as inspiration and sometimes he uses his own ideas. These are just a few stained glass pieces he has done over the years.

He tried to teach me how to do stained glass years ago but I did not have the patience for it.  It is a very labour intensive craft and I am always amazed with what he accomplishes.

My father-in-law Jim and my son

This year I knit him a scarf, the No-Purl Ribbed Scarf, a free pattern by Purl Soho for Christmas using Madelinetosh Pashmina Worsted in the colourway Fog. This yarn is a merino, cashmere and silk blend, making it very soft on the skin. I always forget how long it takes to knit a scarf it but it was totally worth it for my father-in-law. I could not believe how much this scarf grew with blocking.  I had knit it to a length of 68 inches and after blocking it grew in length to 81 inches, a length that was way too long for my father-in-law.  I ripped some of it out and I will have to see if it needs a further adjustment.  It is my tiny way of saying thank you to an incredible man.

Knitting Comfort

After hearing about the terrorist acts in Paris on Friday, I feel very shaken up by all the reports of what happened that day.  I find it very challenging as a teacher of a grade seven class to make sense of it all, and to deal with my students' fears.  I pray for all the victims and their families.

The Thinker/Le Penseur at the Rodin Museum in Paris

It seems silly to talk about knitting at times like these, but I know many knitters who would agree that knitting can be a very relaxing way to take your mind off your troubles. So knitting it is!  Lately I have been devoting all my free time to finishing up my son's sweater Slade by Michele Wang.  I am putting pressure on myself to get it done soon, because this year I would like to try to get a few knitted gifts finished in time for Christmas.  All I have left of the cardigan is one more inch of ribbing along the front and then it's onto the seaming.  My cabled needles are a bit short so the ribbing may look a bit oddly shaped in the photo below.

Slade by Michele Wang in Harrisville Watershed awaiting seaming

One of the first Christmas items I will start once the cardigan is done, is a scarf knitted in Madelinetosh Pashmina Worsted in the colourway 'Fog' (75% merino, 15% silk, 10% cashmere).   I made sure I picked a worsted weight pattern so hopefully it will go fast.  I chose the pattern called the No Purl Ribbed Scarf, a free pattern by Purl Soho.  This is a simple pattern that I hope will showcase this luxurious yarn. 

Madelinetosh Worsted Pashmina

I always seem to plan to knit more Christmas presents then in reality I have the time for.  The scarf is the most important project to me to get done so I will see how long it takes and then plan from there.  I am looking forward to getting some smaller projects on the needles.  Do you have any Christmas gift giving plans?