Getting ready for the holidays; a peek back at fall

The holiday season is upon us, and I’m feathering my nest in preparation for the yearly visits from St. Nick and Old Man Winter. My favorite beef and barley soup simmers on the stove; pumpkin bread is in the oven. Candles are strategically placed, and handmade woolens are back in rotation.

Five weeks have flown by since I’ve last checked in. At the moment, I’m doing two jobs at once, as I prepare to teach in my university’s English department next semester, while closing out my old job at the foreign language institute. Not putting too fine a point on it, I’m crazy busy.

I can’t be too busy to create things or to enjoy the outdoors, though. They’re two activities that help me stay sane in this time of personal and political transitions. Sometimes it’s necessary for me to distill and simplify, focus on the small and achievable, and find the good and the beautiful that are always within reach.

Recently I visited my friend Elvie’s art studio in downtown Daegu (The Eclecknit Witch), where I took in an embroidery workshop with half a dozen wonderful ladies. I started with an adorable kit tucked into a handmade Cricut box. I came home with an embroidered, beaded Christmas tree situated inside a small hoop, finished off with felt backing, ribbon trim, and a tiny bell.

Making and giving handmade Christmas decor is such fun. Soon I’ll be getting mom’s Christmas box, which will contain dad’s handmade ornament for 2024. My tree is 98% handmade, and it’s crammed to the gills with ornaments. Out front are my crocheted gnome and dad’s 2023 ornament, the tiny working easel.

I made my own box to send, and shipped it priority to California last week. It only took three days to get there. It mainly included a lot of handmade goods for my nieces, and a few extra surprises. One last-minute thing I tucked in for the youngest was a miniature amigurumi unicorn. Now, both sisters have one.

Crochet-covered hand mirrors (above) make fun stocking stuffers. They are fairly easy to make if you already have basic skills to crochet in the round. Here are some instructions, which can be adjusted along the way: obtain a 3-4 inch circular hand mirror with smooth edges. Find about 10 grams of pretty DK or worsted yarn and a 3.00mm hook (I used glittery DK yarn from Daiso). Adjust the number of stitches to accommodate hook/yarn/mirror sizes: single crochet 12 in a magic ring; 2dc in each sc in the second row; sc, ch4, skip one in the third row; hdc all around in the fourth row and continue until forming a disc the size of the mirror. Break yarn and reattach in the back stitches (wrong-side up); hdc all around in the first row; sc decrease all around the last row and break yarn. Hide tails and fit your mirror inside by stretching the cover around it.

I’m also working on another version of the rhombus shawl I shared a few weeks back. This one also uses Alize Diva yarn, but this time I chose tonal shades of 463 Aqua and 646 Blue Green. I am fairly far along, but still have the rhombus figures to make, so it may be a couple more weeks before I can share. I love this garment, even though it is a little time-consuming. I’ve already set aside two new color combinations for future versions.

Although fall’s peak color is now past here in Korea, I don’t want to miss sharing my yearly color report with you. Fall came and went in a flash this year, and I made a special effort to get out as much as possible with my pal Bodhi. My dog loves the smells of autumn at least as much as I love the autumnal hues and my frequent chats with the resident magpies.

Ginkgo trees are some of my favorites this time of year. After their dramatic color change to deep gold, ginkgo trees drop their leaves all at once, which can be jarring. A leafy tree on Friday may be completely denuded when I pass through again on Monday morning.

That last photo in my autumn group is of my air plant, which suddenly turned bright pink and sprouted purple “flowers” this week. I’ve had that plant for some time, and it’s a first. It’s perched in the air plant stand I made last year.

I’ve been wearing the Noro shawl a lot this week. I whipped this baby up about three years ago with yarn I scored on sale at a craft shop in Tokyo. It’s rustic, has cheerful splashes of color, tassels, and a chunky, cozy feel. Best of all, I remember well the details that went into it. So many of my handmade garments (and toys) hold memories of places visited and seasons past. Do you have any favorite items of clothing that you just can’t part with?