Free Time on My Hands: Promenade Shawl; Piper's Journey Shawl

Yesterday, I said I would be knitting.  And yes, I did just that.  

Almost finished with the Promenade Shawl.

And the (3rd, count it) Piper's Journey Shawl is well on its way to completion.  That pretty pink yarn is from Ginny, who dyed it with pokeberries!  I am joining in with her YarnAlong.

All this knitting is happening because Julie is still in Denver in the hospital.

The news last night, set to the background of Julie crying over the cell, was that the manor is reluctant to take her back as her "home" because she is on an IV.  But the IV is only temporary, we hope, and she should be on oral medications shortly.  Does this mean Julie will need to find another nursing home placement?  Will another nursing home here in the home town take her on, or will there be further reluctance because of her complications?  (She does require lots of assistance in turning in bed, electronic lifting into her motorized wheelchair, bathing, help with her two ostomy care bags, daily wound care, etc.)  Need I go into further detail?

So instead of biting my nails, I have turned to reading (again, PomPom, I am into the Tuesday readings with help from the Paraclete) and knitting, and even getting a haircut yesterday and planning on coffee with friends this morning.

And Julie stews in Denver at hospital.  Pray hard, friends, for answers to her placement here in Grand Junction.

Back at the Homestead

On Saturday, it was such a privilege to meet PomPom, whom I have followed on her blog for at least five years.  We have participated in Christmas swaps, and exchanged comments  on our blogs over many past posts.  She is a delightful, warm, sweet, loving person who has prayed me through many a trial (as has Sandra and many another, thank you very much).

Here is a picture of the two of us taken by PomPom on Saturday:

"That is God's call to us--simply to be people who are content to live close to Him and to renew the kind of life in which the closeness is felt and experienced." ~ Thomas Merton ~         (as read on Sandra's blog)

It was so kind of her to give me a fixed hour prayer book, The Paraclete Psalter.  I am reading today Psalm 24.  Thank you again, PomPom...prayers for your husband as he is in Taiwan this week.

Yesterday, I returned back from University Hospital in Aurora, leaving Julie for more medical care.  Over the weekend, she was bombarded with lasix (diuretics) and today is to have a follow-up echo-cardiogram to determine what levels of medications would be in her best interests to hold pulmonary hypertension (PAH) at bay. She might return this afternoon to Grand Junction by ambulance, or she might not.  The roads were to become icy by last evening, and Glenwood Canyon will be closed tomorrow during the daylight hours for repair from a previous rock slide. It is unlikely that Julie will have to be air ambulanced back to Mesa Manor here in Grand Junction.  But she might have to be in hospital until Wednesday when the roads are open and passable.  It appears we are back living in the wild west when wagon trains could not make it over the pass, which is almost the way it is over the Continental Divide in present day.

That reminds me of the book A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, a good read about a single woman in the mid 1800's, Elizabeth Bird.  Amazon says:

"A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" is one of the many accounts of Isabella L. Bird's amazing travels and adventures. At the age of twenty-two in 1854 Isabella left a comfortable life in England for a life of adventurous travel. "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" is the account of six months of those travels in 1873 through the rugged terrain of the Colorado Rockies. Based upon her letters to her sister this account relates the many hardships of the great western frontier in the pioneer days as well as the awesome beauty of nature she found in the western territories.

But I digress.  Now the day lies ahead.  It is rainy and dark, a good day to finish up that Promenade shawl.  And wait to hear more news from University Hospital on its 254 acre campus, a city within a city.

Pulmonary Hypertension and No Surgery

Julie was flown over to Denver Monday night with a flight nurse, arriving at the Aurora Anschultz Campus, where the University of Colorado Hospital is located, along with Children's Hospital. She flew with Full Armor.  Thank you, friends and family, for holding her up in prayer.

A shunt revision, for Julie, with many complications due to spina bifida, is no longer a viable possibility at her age and stage.  Over the past 48 hours, she has been and is still being evaluated by seven medical specialty teams.  She is on contact precautions this morning, meaning gloves and gowns are required by anyone entering her room, and remains in the ICU.  I will get breakfast in one of the dining areas prior to going into her room.  Then back to gown and gloves and reading to her before leaving her room again for lunch.

But the good news is that her involved problems have led the neurological and cardiac teams to a likely reason for her shunt related pressure problems: atrial pulmonary hypertension.

Mayo Clinic has a video explaining this medical complication, but I cannot seem to find the link on this iPad to make it work on the Blogger platform.  If googled, it is easily found.

Treatment to get this pulmonary hypertension under control will require medications to draw off fluid from around the lungs, decrease of salt intake, weight loss and fluid restrictions, along with a usual cardiac diet.

Julie will remain here at University of Colorado Hospital for a few more days, and more tests.

Word Chum friends, playing words will be one of my activities on schedule today.  It would be for Julie also, but we are having issues with charging her device.  Must charge up her Kindle Fire so she can get back to work with Word Chum power!  In the meantime, we will be reading aloud.

PS:  I drove over Vail Pass yesterday to get here.  The Pass had high winds and blowing snow, and I was driving the seventh car in line behind four snow plows, so I felt led over in a special way on dangerous highways

Surgery Update

And now it is Monday, the last day of February. 

Turtle with its broken shell is a get well card from Kathy to Julie, who remains in the hospital with a headache from an accumulation of CSF.  

Early Saturday morning, it was the desire of the neuro team at the hospital to have her taken over to Denver for surgery, but I pitched that it was not in Julie' best interests to have her transported there, for more than a few good reasons.  Julie concurred.  So she remained in hospital here over the weekend until a different surgeon was back on duty today who might be willing to take on her challenging case.

Twice over the weekend her shunt was tapped and excess CSF fluid removed, lessening the headache.   But nausea and headaches continued.

Now it is time to put on the Full Armour of God and go see what the day brings.  Hopefully, some relief for Julie and a surgery to "fix the problem."  

Her name is in the prayer book at Immaculate Heart of Mary.  If you are a praying person, please remember her in your talks with the Almighty for grace in her time of need.  God bless.

Shunt Revision

IT is Friday and Julie has spent the last twelve hours both in the hospital ER and in a room with a view.  The view is of the parking lot, but a view nonetheless.

The ventricular arterial shunt has been causing Julie problems and she is facing a revision soon after the neurosurgeon on-call finishes up with a surgery.  The Physician Assistant, a pleasant man in his early middle years, finished with his assessment this last hour.  Julie's headache is manageable with Fentanyl and other pain medications.  It would be a stretch to say she is resting comfortably, but she is tolerating this newest ordeal with her usual perseverance.

Her blanket brought with her by ambulance from the manor is at home in the wash.  Gene will bring it later today.  My red pillow and iPad and phone are close at hand.  Julie rests, or feigns rest, and waits.

Preparing for Lent

Shamelessly reproduced here from one of my favorite bloggers:

British Library - Arundel 108 fol-10v Detail The Empty Tomb - The Resurrection

Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were afraid. And he saith unto them, Be not afraid: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is arisen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. (Mark Chapter 16)

A previously published pen and ink drawing (icon) of the Beggar Christ and Vincent de Paul by Meltem Aktas caught my attention. A copy of her work is displayed in the meditation room at St. Mary’s Hospital Pavilion (oncology clinic) in Grand Junction, CO. It certainly gave me pause after studying this icon and reading the poem associated with the drawing.

On the back of this framed illustration is a poem written by Jennifer Gordon for the 10th anniversary of Colorado Vincentian Volunteers that explains Aktas' rationale for creating this piece of art:

In unfamiliar streets I wander laden 

With a loaf so full

That surely there will be enough for all. 

In the same streets we meet. 

I see your clothes, Your eyes, and think, “Aha!  

Here is one who needs me.” 

With a smile I hope is warm 

I offer you bread 

Only to know that the piece you give me 

Is exactly what I did not know I needed.

(my rendition in watercolor: 5" x 7")

Yesteday: A Rainbow and Brush & Palette Meeting

A rainbow seen from the patio:

 And Brush and Palette met:

Gary Hauschulz, talented and determined artist, provided B&P its February meeting demonstration.  Interspersed with some of his favorite cartoons, Hauschulz emphasized a quirky sense of himself as a maker of art.

Speaking of quirkiness and nonconformity, Hauschulz took home the Colorado Wine Fest 2012 poster prize, one he painted with Colorado wine.

He urged everyone to pursue passion with passion.  There’s a time to scribble, a time for perspective, a time to get real, and a time to become yourself.  He says there is then a “time to move on.” Gary used the hours of a clock to lead participants through the natural stages of artistic development, including the tough times when most people quit, but artists continue on.



Participants were led through the face of the clock, crayons in hand, symbolizing personal growth at each stage from babyhood (one o'clock on the face of the clock) into adulthood (eleven o'clock), with guided imagery at each hour.  Participants were challenged to go beyond their perceived limits in art:slides of Pollack and others' abstract art were displayed.  They pushed through their limits.  So can YOU!

Linda won the Mini Show and pocketed ten dollars for her score.

Ollie Again and Scrabble Update

For a month Ollie has been away.  Then this morning an owl appeared in the house, spotted around 8:15 am.  I had checked at dawn, but the owl house was vacated.  So some owl appeared later after sunrise.  Gene thinks it may be a different owl.

Owl seen on Janurary 10, 2016:

Owl seen on February 16, 2016:

We think it may not be Ollie, but Ollie II.  This owl is lighter in color and the area to the left of his closed eye is a bit more heart shaped. What do you think?

Scrabble and Julie Update:

The 32nd annual Scrabble tournament was held at the Hilton Doubletree in Tempe.  Warm weather and a fun time was had by most all.  We used the updated dictionary, including over 5,000 new words.  I challenged "ZEDA", one of the newly included words in the TWL, losing the challenge, of course.  

Although I had a bit of a time worrying about Julie while in Arizona, it was nice to be away from Colorado in warmer weather, playing my favorite game. 

Juliet had and has an upper respiratory infection (aka as a "cold"), but Gene held down the fort.  He finished reading aloud to Julie the third book in the liturgical mysteries series by Mark Schweizer and started on the fourth.  She had a chest x-ray over the weekend that showed no pneumonia. The manor has been giving her breathing treatments as her nebulizer has not been of help with this particular bug.  They also have her wear an oxygen mask at night as her H2O sats are low.  

The wound vac suctioning sound and the loud alarms on the machine are pretty much constant during the night, disturbing her sleep, but the nurses are taking good care of her.  She hopes the wound vac will have done its job healing up her belly incision, and that she can have it removed on Thursday of this week.

Scrabbling in Arizona

((Written yesterday)

Here in Tempe, it is noon and the 32nd annual Scrabble Tournament is four hours into play and I am two up and two down, sitting in the 85 degree shade writing about my first game.  Zachary was my opponent, eleven years of age, from LA, and smart as a pistol.  He beat me.

Before every game, it is mandated that the scrabble board be set up displaying squares of 25 tiles in each corner to show no tiles are missing prior to play.  Here is his board he set up in about five minutes, to display his 100 tiles, proving he had all required tiles, including two blanks.  

He beat me.

Alpha Male and Grace

photo by Jack Heniford (1947-2015)

Grace

It comes when you’re not looking. Has been there

Before you noticed. Blazes forth between

The hickory’s new leaves, their tender green

Massy above you flopped into a chair,

Hot from the garden, with an aching back.

Two phoebes flit from tree to eave to tree

Feeding the tyrant nestlings you can’t see;

You watch them labor, mind and body slack

Then among bobbing boughs a flick of red!

Binoculars have leapt into your hand,

Swept the green shapes and fixed an active blur

That moves—moves—lights in focus as the wind

Pushes, and full sun strikes him breast and head.

It flares, it flames out. Scarlet tanager.

"Grace" by Judith Moffett from Tarzan in Kentucky. © David Robert Books, 2015

photo by Jack Heniford (1947-2015)

Post Script:

Julie is back at the manor and doing very, very well.  Thank you for all your prayers.

Ollie is Away

Either the owl is inside, or has left the rental property

And Julie will go back to Mesa Manor today!

Recipes from Deliciously Ella and Karen Ehman

For ease of reference, so I can easily locate them and cook from iPad instead of printing them out:

From Deliciously Ella

Chickpea, Quinoa and Turmeric Curry: 

• 500g new potatoes, halved
 
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
 
• 3 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
 
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or powder
 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 400g can of coconut milk
 
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
 
• 180g quinoa
• 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
 
• 150g spinach
 
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil, then let them cook for about 25 minutes, until you can easily stick a knife through them. Drain them well.

Place the potatoes in a large pan and add the garlic, turmeric, coriander, chilli, ginger, coconut milk, tomato purée and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, then add the quinoa with a mug of just-boiled water (300ml).

Reduce the heat to a simmer, place the lid on and allow to cook. Over the next 30 minutes, stir every 5 minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. (This is quite a long cooking time, but this is how long quinoa takes to cook in all these ingredients, rather than just in water.) Halfway through cooking, add the chickpeas. When there are just 5 minutes left, add the spinach and stir it in until it wilts. Once the quinoa has cooked and is fluffy, not crunchy, it’s ready.

Thank you, Betty the Woodfairy, for posting that you made this, because I shamelessly copied it and will make it this week!  Or Maybe Gene will, except he cannot have greens because it messes with his rat poison, and he does not care for chickpeas.  Never mind, I will make it.

5 MINUTE TOMATO SOUP by Karen Ehman

1 (15 oz) can Crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can Diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can Tomato sauce

1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup Plain low fat Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1/2-1 tsp Salt (to taste)

1/4-1/2 tsp Pepper (to taste)

Optional: pinch of sweetener of choice or honey (to taste)

Put all of the ingredients for the soup into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into individual bowls and microwave until it reaches the temperature you desire (or put soup in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it is warmed through).   Yields: 4 Servings

Julie Update:

Still in hospital, grumpy about it, discouraged because daily wound care takes a long time for nurses to attend wounds.  The 3 x/week "team"(wound care team consists of two specialized nurses and often the doctor observes progress) will see her this morning for assessment. 

Infection is decreasing according to the numbers in the blood, but she is still on IV antibiotics but needs to be on oral medication before being released back to the manor.  She was placed in a recliner twice over the weekend.  That could be called progress.

Huge snow day today, and schools are closed; town is on accident alert as it continues to come down.  Using Jack's camera while it is still dark in the early hours of Feb. 1:

This Week Mostly at Hospital

Our weekly RCIA Meeting on Tuesday night with Fr. Isaac and others, learning about the dignity of life in its many forms. Official Vatican Network published the gist of our discussion here; timely for the discussion.

It was my birthday Tuesday, with my husband providing some carrot cake refreshments that evening.  Thank you for birthday cards sent by Kathy M and Kathy W, Madge, Mary Kay, Pam, Sharon, Lynn and several others I cannot recall as this is being typed!

Knitting continues on two projects while sitting beside that hospital bed.  

Piper's Journey Shawl

I finished two books read aloud to Julie this week.  It makes time go by more quickly, although my voice sometimes gets froggy.

We have completed Karen Vorbeck Williams The House on Seventh Street and are rapidly getting through her other book, My Enemy's Tears.

link

Gene reads Mark Sweizer's Liturgical Mystery books to her (his second read aloud book now underway).  Gene has read them all and highly recommends them as light fun.

And Julie began her third week at St. Mary's Hospital...

She had a reaction to her antibiotics, enough to have it discontinued. It was changed to another one by IV last night. Her wound looked in order yesterday when they changed out the wound vac and put on another one. The wound care nurse at the manor came over to observe how the nurses changed it out so that the manor nurses could learn how to do it there. Julie will have it changed again tomorrow, and maybe she can go back to the manor late Monday on oral antibiotics. Maybe.

Jac Kephart Workshop Jan. 23, 24

Jac Kephart provided a two day workshop over January 23 and 24 to a packed gallery of 18 eager participants (sponsored by the Grand Junction Brush & Palette Group).  As Bob Martin said, "He is one of the most benevolent artists I have encountered," and never were words more true.  Jac taught, shared information and knowledge and was an all around wonderful presence over the two days.  Lucky were we who enjoyed and benefited from his tutelage.

Jac's work, three dimensional interpretive art, goes for about $250 per square inch.  Some of his works are gigantic, so you do the math (several pieces are upwards of $150,000 per canvas).

Below is Jac and you can find his artwork here in Santa Fe, here in Breckenridge, and a famous work "Vegas Mars" here at the Wubben Sciences Center in Grand Junction.  Jac brought that piece as a display.

Below are a few pictures from the workshop.

Above: Jack showing embellishment with foils and copper wiring

Above is Claudia Crowell hamming it up with her pastels.

Jac demonstrating using foil adhered to his canvas.

Above picture is that of Mark Chioni who shared his techniques of macro photography.  Mark uses Jac's works, among other beauty seen if one is open to looking for wonder, and photographs macro images, choosing most pleasing compositions of shadow and light for his work.

Lee Golter also shared his expertise of macro photography and picture manipulation.  I failed to have my camera when Lee presented, but hope to share some of his work in a future post.

Poured Watercolor

Brush & Palette welcomed Cheri Isgreen with a record attendance at our January meeting at the Art Center.  The picture below is watercolor artist Cheri prior to her presentation when she explained how she used watercolor in tubes, thinned with water (to consistency of cream).  She applies frisket in three or more layers, then pours watercolor in similar intensities over the frisket, removing the layers as each is dried, often reapplying  the frisket.

A few pointers Isgreen presented were:

• Draw the idea first; where will lines be emphasized?
• How will I use negative spaces?
• Develop a value study of light using three values: light, medium, dark
• Edges matter in watercolor, so use masking, also spelled "masquing," aka frisket, for sharp, clean edges
• Use lost and found edges
• Counter change space: when light hits and makes a dark or a light image
• Avoid details until the end of the pouring process
• After frisket is removed, soften some of the edges
• Do not shake or vigorously stir frisket at air bubbles may appear
• Do not expose frisket to heat or sun, do not use hair dryers on frisket; allow the product to dry naturally
• Always pour masque (frisket) onto dry paper and outline with a fine brush, filling in the frisket with more from a larger brush
• Always use good, sharp, frisket brushes (do not use fingers for this process)
• Clean frisket brushes with liquid soap first, then dip brush into the frisket while wet
• Always immerse used brushed immediately into water
• Isgreen uses 140# Arches cold press paper, but any good watercolor paper will work

 Be sure to visit her website to view her striking art.

Several new members joined B&P at the meeting, and one new member, Michael Davis, won the mini show.

Welcome to Mike and all new and returning members to Brush & Palette.  Be sure to catch up on news here.

Julie Update:

Julie returned back to the hospital in the early hours yesterday morning and spent several hours in the ER before being re-admitted for infection in her abdomen.  She is resting comfortably and is on IV antibiotics.  It was disappointing that she was able to spend only a few hours back at the manor before an alert nurse caught the infection in its early stages.  But we are pleased she has received and is continuing to receive good medical care. Thank you for all your prayers.  I know friends Sharon, Kathy, Jody, gretchenjoanna, Theresa, Stefanie, Elizabeth, Karen, Carol and others are following her progress; thank you.

Juliet Update

Daughter Julie had a major surgery, planned, three days ago.  It was a GI thing, a procedure removing some bowel and a urostomy revision, among other cuttings.  For those of you who might have encountered this sort of thing, you know pain, quite a bit of pain, is involved.

For the first 48 hours after surgery, she was in pain.  She reported most every time that on a scale of one to ten, it was a 10.  Finally the on-call doc came in late yesterday afternoon and increased her medicine by 400 percent (gradually, of course).  The analgesic is Fentanyl, which the nurse said is one hundred times as strong as morphine.  When I left last evening, they were administering it and assured me she would be closely monitored.  She is on a cardiac unit now where she gets more intensive monitoring and nursing care.

Three angels from the manor staff came to see Julie the day after the procedure.  She laughed, talked, joked and thoroughly enjoyed their visit before crashing with low BP.  So she could not have been a 10 on the pain scale when those staff Angels came with a card signed by many people at the manor.  Julie was extremely touched by their caring (I was also). The pink stuffed creature they brought her is on her pillow most of the time.

Thank you for all your good thoughts, prayers, and warm spaces in your hearts for Julie.  This pain will get taken care of by today so the healing can begin.  I am sure of that.

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Times.  I am looking out for the extraordinary, seeking blessings as they occur, keeping eyes open for God's goodness, praying you are doing the same.

"For this very reason, make every effort 

to supplement your faith with goodness,

goodness with knowledge,

knowledge with self-control,

self-control with endurance,

endurance with godliness."

~ 2 Peter 1:5-6 ~

Ephipany House Blessing

Our house was blessed last night! We were privileged to have Father Don Malin from Immaculate Heart of Mary blessing a box a salt, a gallon of water and some chalk, then marking our doors with chalk.....reading scripture, and sprinkling all the rooms in our house with the Holy water and blessed salt.

Above the front doors, the markings are this: "20 + C + M + B +16". This symbolizes the three wise men who worshiped Jesus: C for Caspar, M for Melchior, and B for Balthasar who followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and sixteen years ago, and + meaning "May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year." 

This is Fr. Don writing above the lintel of our doors:

We then shared a meal together in our newly blessed house.

Gene concocted a luscious lamb stew and made crusty bread.  My contribution to our shared meal was a King's Cake because it was an Epiphany blessing.  The King's cake signifies and celebrates the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem and the day Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Most of the King's Cakes I found on Pinterest and the internet called for a dozen jams to make pretty window paned, stained glass effect atop the sweet dough.  But with just two of us living in this house, we would never get through twelve jars of jelly or jam in our remaining life times.  Not even if we each ate a tablespoon of jelly a day!  

Further looking showed up another, simpler cake used in France sans all those jams.  That is what I made with puff pastry.

(using David Lebovitz' recipe here for Epiphany Cake with an almond filling).

Post Script: the Church calendar is sung here.  I had never heard of this solemnity, but it is beautiful (part of the January 3 homily by Father Isaac Karuiki follows).

We feel truly blessed.

Into 2016

Onward and upwards.  Yesterday was quiet on the home front and our activities included an 8 AM Mass to start off the new year, followed by a Mexican food lunch at a quick food place that uses fresh ingredients.  My all time favorite salad is Cafe Rio's sweet pork salad with a cilantro and lime dressing.  HERE is a link for this recipe, a copy-cat one, but it looks like the original.

Julie was quarantined to her room yesterday with the noro virus. She had her first symptoms while visiting us on Thursday, and had to be immediately taken back to the Manor (her nursing facility). A quick phone call a moment ago says the entire Manor is now under quarantine, so I will not be visiting again today. All the halls are closed and patients must stay in their rooms. She said she felt pretty lousy yesterday, so hope by today she is improving.  We are so thankful the Manor is on top of this crazy bug and that she is well cared for.

"Look for the presence of God in your life," Pope Francis says on New Year's (LINK HERE)  It is a good message, and I will be on the lookout for His presence.  Take a look at the homily if you have a chance.  Gene and I are enjoying our new church home at IHM. This is my new app for my phone: The Pope

January 3-17 are the dates our parish will host homeless men overnight, providing food and shelter.  This is the link for the sponsoring shelter.  I am looking at all recipes to make inexpensive but nutritious trail mix, stored in give-away zip lock bags.  Please email or comment on this post if you have a recipe your would recommend that would make 25 or so cups of mix.  Here are a few I found: link

OK, today's update must include a new knit I made from left-over yarns.  It is the Interrupted Striped Cowl by Gretchen Tracy.

It is my first 2016 knit project, made to go with my new Eddie Bauer flannel shirt:

Although colors are not accurate on my monitor screen, the colors really DO coordinate!