In Dulci Jubilo - Kindness is a Gift for Life

Many decades ago I was singing in an elementary school choir. All four classes were in the choir at the same time, willy-nilly, the school comprising only four grades and altogether 45 children who were all taught more or less simultaneously by the only teacher, Mr. Alles - meaning Mr. All in German, and indeed, I thought of him as being the kindest person and the one who knew it ALL!

 Picture by dw.de

Indeed, times were chaotic. The church was very cold, the roof leaked, rubble was on the floor, the aisle full of pot holes, most benches had been used for kindle and the early morning December wind blew through shrapnel holes in the wall. We huddled closely around the altar, and Mr. Alles encouraged us to sing with fervour, the birth of Jesus Christ was an event needing to be celebrated with all we could give and besides, we would forget a little bit about the cold.

Not any more now, but then as a child, I had a nice voice and could easily learn and carry a tune and, above all, I could very well disguise the fact that I could not read music. So when the time came to choose a soloist, Mr. Alles, my wonderful teacher, picked me. I was dancing on the rubble with joy, in my elder brother's spacious shoes, my handknit grey stockings slipping down and bunching around my ankles. In front of the class choir my courage sank quickly when Mr. Alles handed me a sheet of music, asking me to sing the first part of the song we were about to learn for Christmas.

Not even looking at that sheet of music, I felt like sinking into a black hole, painfully aware that I could not read music, thinking that everybody else could,  and hoping fervently he would sing the part first I was sure I could repeat it ... What would he think of me, I was probably the only person in the church not being able to sing at sight. Mr. Alles looked a bit surprised at my worried face... But the next surprise was mine: "Oh dear, I am so sorry, I forgot that this is a new song for you, with strange words, and I think I might just have to sing it to you a couple of times and explain the words before we have a go at it." I felt so relieved and later sang that solo part with confidence and joy. And on my way out my beloved teacher looked at me smilingly and said with a twinkle in eye: "What a lovely voice you have". It was my best Christmas gift.

The choral was: In Dulci Jubilo. And it became one of my favorite Christmas chorals. Click here for a rendition of the choral sung by the Vienna Boys' Choir and here a version by the Choir of the King's college, Cambridge.

Merry Christmas, happy Holidays and a peaceful New Year!

Silky Sari Ribbons and Lush Velvet

The season for secrete delights is here - luxurious and fabled fabrics such as soft velvet, shiny and smooth leather, felted materials, sleek long woollen skirts, heavy corduroy jackets... the very feel of those materials makes one get a bit warmer inside and wish for a nice cup of tea, a few lighted candles, some pre-Christmas cookies, a Dresdner Stollen, oh, such delights!  Stollen have a long tradition in Germany and special family recipes are handed down through centuries. The picture below is from this source.

The other day I had the very rare chance to go window shopping. I love looking at beautiful things, dropping into shops where no music is blaring, feasting my eyes on fashionable or antique items, new and old editions of books, the latest practical household items nobody really needs, and then there are those yarn stores... but never fear, I am definitely just looking!

I admit though that I caved in when I saw VELVET outfits, lovely long and narrow-cut trousers, elegant smooth blazers, stylish knit cardigans, cotton tops and blouses - in BURGUNDY and PURPLE, colors I really like and somehow neglected a bit over the years. And before I got too carried away with that vision of a new and elegant me, those velvet trousers and a blouse in my bag cheerfully welcomed the addition of a pair of happy socks, purple with pink polka-dots. No drastic style change for me after all.

stash virtually on the spot of one of my loveliest treasures: Silk Sari Ribbon yarn. A solid crocheted base band (approx. length 28"/70 cm, 1 1/2 " width) of regular single/double crochet stitches, into which I knotted on one side the purple Silk Sari Ribbon (cut to different lengths and tied into various sized bows) and a very fine feathery black thread, while on the other side of the band I crocheted stiff bows with pearl cotton DMC (5) to form a petite stand-up color, a bit into the Downton Abbey direction. Click here for another color of Louisa Harding Silk Sari Ribbon, temptingly still in my stash. - As it turned out, the scarf was a perfect match for my lovely friend Donna and her always exceptional outfits - so it changed hands quickly and looking at the picture of Donna wearing the scarf at Thanksgiving dinner, it is clear that it truly was meant for her!

 

Lovely Donna -
Lovely, Donna!

Festive Days

After a Cold and Frosty Night

Festive days are ahead of us. The beginning of a new year is steering our thoughts away from the past into the future. But it is also a good time to reflect and to make plans for the coming twelve months. If we take the spirit of peace on earth and goodwill toward mankind into the days, weeks and months that lie ahead we can have hope, ultimately, that present woes will subside, wars will come to an end, crime rates will abate, and the fate of children around the world will improve. Kindness goes a long way. Making the difference between despair and hope for just one other person has a tremendous impact. Like every year I will join you in trying.

Winter Days in the Lauragais

My mother loved embroidery. Christmas, Easter, birthdays - these were special occasions for her to select new colors of embroidery floss and buy beautiful patterns, which she either bought preprinted on linen like this "Millieu"

Cross Stitch Embroidery

or counted the stitches in like in this embroidered bell pull decoration brought out during the four weeks of Advent.

Bell Pull Advent Decoration

During the time her three children were small she had no outside help at all but she still found time to sit late at night and knit, crochet, embroider or follow other textile crafts she knew. The baby bib below is white work, and I admire especially the way she made the closure, a small mother-of-pearl button and a loop fashioned with buttonhole stitches.

Whitework Bib, ca. 1939

I would like to thank all readers of this blog for visiting and 

leaving comments.I made many wonderful discoveries myself 
by following my favorite blogs and finding new ones.

All best wishes to you for the Holidays and the coming year 2013!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 The month of December often is a time when we reflect on our childhood memories, on the wonderful festivities or special times we enjoyed when we were very young and blissfully unaware of pressures and demands, and did not yet have to confront the problems of living and making a living in a global world.

We preserve that special place in our memory for reflections and thoughts of times of joy, and our happiness seems to depend on remembering these joyful events, which enables us to view the future with a positive mind as well. Our eyes are said to be the window to our soul, and our memories are our window to our heart and mind, which are the home of our memories. Let us try to regain that feeling of bliss, the happiness and gratitude by giving to those dear to us, to those in need. 

Here are some of the gifts I made this year: The star snowflake designed by Judy Gibson. I crocheted the cast-off row with a picot pattern. holding in the edge a bit. This was followed by two extra rows of picot pattern with golden embroidery thread with an extremely fine crochet hook, the size my mother used to repair runs in her nylons when they still were hard to find and cost a fortune. The small star-shaped containers look lovely as a table decoration.

Small gifts for an advent calendar for my daughter Valerie: the Bunnies and The Heartfelt Rings