first post of the new year

i've been ignoring this blog for what feels like a lack of something to write about. after a week in san diego over christmas and a few days back in seattle before heading back to work, it now seems as though my life has settled into a very quiet, uneventful routine. i know i need to find something in which to invest my self and my time, but it often seems like the dolldrums of a seattle winter make finding motivation to do so a bit ellusive. living in a basement apartment doesn't really help either.

the day after christmas, my siblings and i went on a hike with my dad to the torrey pines state reserve. traipsing along the sand-encrusted trails overlooking the beautiful pacific in 65 degree weather, i suddenly realized the appeal of southern california winters. i thought about my home in seattle, knowing it was probably in the 40s and raining and was grateful for the chance to be outside and active.

but then i came back to seattle and what weather we've had! rain yes, but then snow! more snow than i think i've seen in all my many winters here. and then unseasonably cold weather that actually made the snow stick around for more than a few hours. it has been charming indeed, late openings for the office, and even an unexpected but very welcome snow day earlier this week.

i spent the morning taking a long walk outside in the wintery world. snow everywhere, everything dusted and silenced by the beautiful white. the crunch of wet snow beneath my feet made me smile with each step i took. i spent the early afternoon in one of my favorite neighborhood coffee shops crossword puzzling and knitting. it was a perfect day indeed.

my most recent obsession has been knitting. i'm not typically the type of person to get wrapped up in something for extended periods of time nor am i a very crafty or creative person, but for some reason, i've become a frighteningly obsessive knitter! i recently started (and quickly finished) a new project, a felted tote bag, and i couldn't get enough of it. i was so curious to see how it was going to turn out, i worked on it every spare moment i had. i think i spent a good five or six hours a night knitting. i pushed past the hand cramps and stiff neck and shoulders and got into a frenzied rhythm. the clicking of the bamboo needles became the metronome of my evenings. and now i have a very fun bag to share with you all. i still need to figure out what to do for handles so if any of you crafty folks have suggestions, i would be very grateful.

here are pictures of the finished product, the first one is after i finished knitting, the second one is after the felting.

I've now started a new bag and am trying to be a little more deliberate with a pattern, though the haphazzard color changes of the first bag was definitely fun to play around with. are any of you working on any fun things these days?