The Season of Getting

In terms of artwork, we have both been gifted and gifted ourselves with art that is just beautiful.

A Thank You and Wedding Gift and an Early Self Christmas Gift

A friend from the Men's Knitting Retreats was grateful and also took our recent wedding as an opportunity to send Thaddeus and I this VERY generous gift.

It's actually two tiles framed together beautifully.  The tiles are made by Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so they're U.S. artisans.  My friend picked to spectacular tiles, reminiscent of the mountains and woods of Easton Mountain.

A local artist friend of ours, in Lambertville, NJ also asked us over to her place to see a few pieces she had completed recently.  While she originally thought we'd be interested in a beautiful winter-scape she had just finished (we were), we totally fell in love with a different piece she had started in May, so we decided it would be our Christmas gift to ourselves.

The piece is "Underbrush" by Jane Gilday (I defy you to find underbrush quite this beautiful), and it's framed in one of Jane's frames, which she hand finishes with Dutch gold leaf.

I couldn't be more pleased with it.

Current Knitting

I've been doing some additional knitting on the kid alpaca blanket which is impossible to photograph in any way that would show progress.  I'm also working on a secret project as part of an exchange done at the Men's Knitting Retreat each year.  I've started the knitting part of this project four times, and I'm hoping the fifth time might be the design I go with.  I really hope so.

By the way, speaking of the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat, registration for the 2014 retreat will open on Friday, January 10th.  If you know of anyone that wants to go, but would need a scholarship to attend, please go here to nominate him.