Do random thoughts pop into your head while you are doing mindless things? It happens to me all the time and this morning it occurred to me that it might be fun to hold a New Year’s blog contest.
I’ve never held a blog contest before so here goes…
Leave a comment on this post answering one or both of the following questions:
What do I really want to knit in 2012?
What is a special holiday memory for me?
You have until the end of January to leave your comment and I will select a winner by using a random number generator. The winner will receive pdf downloads of all my 2011 patterns.
Here’s a run down:
I started the year with Knit Night Gloves
Knit Night Hat is a free pattern to match the gloves.
and lastly Little Sparrow Cowl
Please enter my contest and leave your comments!
In the meantime, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite memories from the holidays. It was watching my son read “Twas The Night before Christmas” to his daughter. Here’s the little story behind the moment.
I was busy in the kitchen on Christmas eve morning, cooking for our family dinner that night when a random thought (there it is again) started pestering me. I had given my son an illustrated copy of Clement Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and I had given it to him as a small child on Christmas Eve. And I also remembered tucking it away in my bookshelf when he outgrew stories of Santa Claus.
I knew I still had it, even though I had moved (counting on fingers) eight times since that Christmas. I remembered unpacking it five years ago when we moved to our current home.
The thought pestered me so much that I stopped what I was doing and ran upstairs. I put my hands on it right away. I opened the front cover and there in my own much younger hand writing was inscribed – To Ryan Love Mommy Christmas 1979. I sat down and sighed. Thirty two years ago today. My son would have been 25 months old (give or take a day or two), on that long ago Christmas Eve. And in a few hours time, he would be arriving at my door with his wife and daughter, my granddaughter, who just happened to be 25 months old, give or take a day or two.
I dusted it off, wrapped it in brown paper and wrote on the front, in my much older handwriting – To Ryan from Christmas 1979.
He read it to her after dinner, while I sat beside them, quietly listening.
This story really touched my heart. This is what Christmas, and family is really all about isn’t it. It brought back memories of my dear Mom, now in Heaven, who always gave me the same two Christmas cards. They are very special to me, and each year she would write the new date on the inside, and hide them on the Christmas tree. I knew they would be there…along with a tiny package of something special. I miss those days. I hope your son knows how precious these moments are.
By: Melissa Williams on January 5, 2012
at 1:57 pm
I loved your story, too. Books were always a big part of our Christmas traditions. It was not at all unusual to walk into our living room on Christmas Day to see everyone with their noses buried in their new books. Yes, our Christmas’s were quiet! At least for part of the day.
As for what I would like to knit this year. I have a couple of shawls on my to-do list. I think Amberwell and Skein of Geese would be high on the list.
By: serasmom on January 5, 2012
at 4:49 pm
I love your Christmas story.
By: Pam G. on January 5, 2012
at 6:15 pm
I love your patterns. I want to learn socks this year.
By: Bev on January 7, 2012
at 7:50 pm
Loved your story and this is exactly the memory I am hoping for Christmas 2012 with my brand new grandchild! Except that it will be Grandma reading the stories to them
So of course my knitting plans are for lots of baby items! Lucky he will be a winter baby!!
By: Maria on January 7, 2012
at 9:30 pm
Loved the story and the patterns. Hoping for lots of knitting time this year and if I could only knit one thing it would be a giant lace shawl.
By: Stacey on January 8, 2012
at 6:07 pm
Thank you for sharing your wonderful story.
Most of all, I’d like to finish all my UFOs this year, but I would really like to complete a shawl for myself. I finished one last year (my first!) but gifted it to my MIL.
As for a favourite Christmas memory, here’s one for you: It was two years ago in 2009 that my older son started questioning the existence of Santa. He was 7 years old at the time. Of course, my 7-year old’s questions were going to influence my 5-year old’s belief too. So, my husband and I quickly reassured our two boys that the jolly old man in the red suit did indeed exist and would only pay a visit to those who believed. As usual on Christmas Eve, we left our plate of cookies and glass of milk for Santa. The following morning, our boys woke us up thrilled to tell us that Santa really did come, because they had found evidence of white hair on the inside of the cup beside the half eaten cookies. Unbeknownst to my boys, it was really the cat who had finished up the milk, leaving her fur stuck to the inside of the cup. Thanks to our cat, G’nam, our boys belief in Santa had been restored!
By: Faye on January 8, 2012
at 7:56 pm
Thanks Faye, for your story, I love how the cat helps out Santa
By: spinnyknitter on January 9, 2012
at 8:55 am
I would like to make a knitted felted vest for myself…making something for myself is a thing I rarely do. I think it will be black or maybe a grey…and soft if that is not something too much to ask from the felting gods.
By: Valeria on January 29, 2012
at 11:32 pm