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My Knitty Teenage Nights

When I was a teenager I volunteered to take part in a service project organized by my local church which involved knitting slippers for some of the less fortunate. I didn’t know how to knit but instructional help was promised for those with no skills like me. That instructional assistance came in the form of Gretha, an elderly Norwegian lady that lived in the neighborhood who had been knitting pretty much her whole life. She was a very patient teacher and when I didn’t finish my slippers in the allotted time at our church she offered to give me some one-on-one assistance later at her house. That one evening spent knitting and chatting in her tiny home was the beginning of a great friendship between us and many more such nights.

It may seem strange that a 14 year old would enjoy the company of a lady 60 years her senior but it’s not so strange when you consider that Gretha was kind, energetic, and nonjudgmental. I always felt welcome in her home and eager for her company. She had lived through the Nazi occupation of Norway and the tales of her life’s adventures were perpetually engrossing plus I had no difficulty relating to her tenacious stubbornness.

I knitted myself a matching scarf and beanie out of alpaca yarn. They aren’t super fancy but they’re cute and comfy all the same.

She taught me to not only knit like a pro but to cook some fantastic Norwegian cuisine. Unfortunately, in my adolescent stupidity, I didn’t write down any of the recipes we made together so I can only vaguely recall how to prepare them now. Why are teenagers such idiots?

Many pairs of slippers, a sweater, oodles of woven Christmas tree decorations, and countless pounds of marzipan later my family moved making it more difficult for me to see Gretha. But we kept in touch and I traveled to her house periodically for knitting sleepovers until she passed away just a year or so later.

I hadn’t knitted since Gretha’s death until a few months ago when I decided I really needed to pick it up again. After nearly two decades of no knitting the whole procedure was pretty hazy in my head but thanks to a couple classes and some muscle memory I am now on my way to being a knitter again. So far my knitting renaissance has only resulted in a couple simple scarves and a beanie but I look forward to further needle fruition.

I have a soft spot for this fellow so I made him a soft scarf.

I will always look back on my youthful nights of knitting with warmth and fondness. Thanks Gretha for changing my perspectives, improving my skills, and proving that there are no generation gaps where kindred spirits are concerned.

So many of life’s great lessons are learned just by being in the presence of great people.

Rachel March 6, 2012 No Comments

Mr. Darcy Likes to Party!

That creepy time of year was just here and another Halloween meant another Sabin Halloween party. We did it again and it was just as much work and amusement as always.

This year it was my turn to decide our costumes. I have long wanted to go as characters from one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, so that’s what I chose.
My hairdresser did my Bennet do. She’s a big Austen fan so I knew my strands were in good hands.
Jason looked yummy dressed as Mr. Darcy. Good thing because his costume was quite the pain to sew. Most of its components were made from actual 1800’s patterns since they were my only option. I basically had to create my own modern instructions for these antique designs.

We had a great turnout of friends and family. They all came clad in their best disguises ready to flaunt their haunt.

Making the same decorations look different each year is always a challenge. I guess we succeeded this time because several of our guests commented on all the “new” items we had bought.
Jason turned our basement ceiling into a billowing tapestry of festive lights.
My recipe for creepy: skulls, crows, spiders, moss, and crispy dead flowers.

Bingo was popular once again with both adults and children. We played enough rounds that those who walked away with a prize or two outnumbered the luckless.

Jeremy took home the prize for best dressed with his energetic portrayal of the Nyan Cat.
The beaten and disemboweled pinata somehow ended up on Matt’s head.
Lauren came as Buddy, my favorite elf. She won 3rd place in the costume contest so obviously others favor that north pole homeboy as well.

The kiddies were as eager to bat the piñata as ever. I don’t think there is a child out there that doesn’t enjoy smacking something with a stick until its insides gush out.

The Ashleys depicted Tobias from Arrested Development with an assortment of peculiar outfits.
This year our skeletons painted the cemetery red with their spooky spirits and party hats.
Our nephew Jadon rocked his DJ Lance Rock outfit.

The costume contest was pretty cutthroat this year. I was very impressed with the fabulous and creative attire concocted by many of our guests. In the end Jeremy Rowley took home the prize for best dressed with his original and disturbing portrayal of the Nyan Cat but there were a lot of other contestants that gave him a run for his rainbow.

Our talking harvester may be a little too scary for the average youngster so we made sure there was plenty of distance between him and our door.
We converted our living room into the halls of Hogwarts. The little kids thought the transformation was charming.
I gave our front room a ghostly wash with a monochromatic palette.

It was a fun night that only took months of prep work to put together and, if all goes well, in a few weeks our house may be nearly back to normal.

Who says beards and heels aren’t a perfect combo? Penny’s costume won 2nd place so I guess they nearly are.
Carley and James came as a comedic duo: a banana and a whoopee cushion.
This sinister scene set the mood as guests entered our spooked-out home.

Many thanks to all of you who rocked our get-together. We love giving our friends, and ourselves, an excuse to dress up and celebrate the scary.

Matt and Tabatha survived the zombie apocalypse only to be defeated in the best group category by one vote.
The Kreepy Klubhouse was meant for the tiny kiddies but it became “the party house” after half a dozen adults sardined themselves into it.

So come on Darcy let’s go party!

Rachel November 10, 2011 4 Comments

Conjuring Hogwarts

I was introduced to Harry Potter over a decade ago by a friend (Thanks Jenn.) and immediately fell in love with the fantastical world portrayed in these books. Since Jason is a longtime fan too we decided that before the final half of the last movie comes out we should prepare for its theatrical majesty by holding a Harry Potter party: a celebration involving watching the first half of The Deathly Hollows, eating Hogwarts style cuisine, and testing everyone’s Potter knowledge with a little house vs. house trivia contest.

We had quite the crowd at our party. All of the 20 chairs in our theater room had a butt in them.

As with all Sabin parties, I wasn’t willing to just let this be a mediocre get-together; I wanted it to be a party of Potter proportions! With that goal in mind Jason and I spent a large chunk of time making decorations and preparing food. We made mandrakes out of celery root and extendable ears and Galleons out of Sculpey. We further spruced up the décor with some homemade potions jars and few random items we dug out of our massive Halloween supply. Most impressive where the half dozen wands we designed using wooden dowels, clay, hot glue, and paint; they looked pretty convincing.

Each of the wands we made looked unique. It's amazing what you can do with some Sculpey and imagination.
We had a healthy mandrake crop made out of celery roots and silk leaves.

Our handmade sticks may have been perfect for a little flicking and swishing practice but man cannot live on wands alone. Yes, food would be needed to fill our bellies with magical fullness. However, Jason and I had a hard time deciding what victuals would be the most Potterish. Finally, after reviewing the books, we determined that students at Hogwarts eat an incredible amount of sugar in the form of pastries and candy so we agreed to make those the staples of the evening. We made chocolate caramel frogs and white mice candy and bought lemon drops, old-fashioned suckers, every flavor jelly beans, tarts, éclairs, and chocolate mousse cups. And, to keep everyone from going into a diabetic coma, we supplied a large tray of sandwiches. I know sandwiches aren’t exactly prolific at Hogwarts but cold meat pies wouldn’t have been very appetizing.

I made chewy chocolate caramel frogs instead of plain chocolate frogs. I love chocolate but blobs of straight chocolate that huge seemed a bit much.
These white mice were made more for looks than taste. They were mostly comprised of sugar and therefore resembled blobs of frosting.

Nothing washes down sugar quite as nicely as more sugar. This is why we provided pumpkin juice, which was really a pumpkin shake, and butterbeer as thirst quenchers. Converting standard soda into butterbeer was tricky. We took root beer and cream soda bottles, removed all their labeling, and replaced it with our own. It took some time but it worked splendidly.

We made three different butterbeer labels for three varieties of soda. You could chose your favorite: The Three Broomsticks, The Hog's Head, or Banshee Blend.

When the scene was set and the gorging underway it was time to focus on the night’s entertainment. We held this party in the theater room at Noah’s so we could comfortably view The Deathly Hollows from plush recliners. Oh yeah! After the show we sorted everyone into houses for a Potter trivia competition. The contest was intense but in the end Slytherin slid their way to victory.

I dressed up as Hermione for the party and Jason went as Sirius. Being Hermione was easy for me. Not only do I have the unruly hair, I've got the know-it-all attitude.
Jeremy Brown won the prize for best costume. He deserved it with his creative representation of Sirius in Azkaban.
We put a cell phone on speaker inside this hat so it could talk to the wearer. Our sorting ceremony was an amusing way to get attendees divided into teams for the trivia contest.

Creating the magic of Hogwarts was time-consuming and somewhat of an inspirational challenge but it was also fun. We hope the spell we cast adequately paid homage to the books we love.

Rachel June 15, 2011 1 Comment
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