Celebrations

My dear friends,

December has stepped outside its cave and emerged as I always remember it: the morning frost on still green grass, slightly pink noses and rosy cheeks, The zealous commercial Christmas charades, and joyful holiday barrage, the 5 PM darkness that seems to tell us that its a season of rest, and the sugar comas that ensure deep sleep.

This week marks the start of Winter break, and I am looking forward to having a bit of space to relax, and experiment. There will still be a lot of work to do, but I'm hoping to break it up and just do a little each day.

I'm looking forward to:
- Picking out a Christmas tree
- Cuddling with our cats
- Making a wreath for our door
- Baking cardamom rolls that remind me of my favorite London bakery
- Making Christmas gifts for loved ones
- Mending and personal sewing projects
- Spending time with friends
- Lazy library days
Collection Progress:
I fitted my dress prototype this week, and I am excited to begin creating the final garment! Below you can see a sneek peek of the design. I also finished making a bandanna for my pattern design class. I plan on including this as an accessory for my collection! Below you can see this design.

In other News:
* I made this December Moodboard for fun. I'm feeling inspired by knits and the costumes from The French Dispatch.

* I deep cleaned and organized my studio! And I am really proud of the way it's coming together. Here's a small detail of that progress.

* I am taking a knitwear independent study next semester and I could not be more excited! Last week I learned how to set up and use the knitting machines at school, and boy oh boy I can't wait! Photo of my first machine knitted swatches below.

* A few months back I mentioned that I had entered a project I did for a scholarship competition. I found out this week that I was one of the winners! Here is a link to the full project, and the mood board I created is down below. I couldn't be more grateful to all of the people who supported me in creating this project. As a winner, I will be headed to NYC in February for a celebration gala!

Something I made this week:

Zach and I recently discovered Aldi and are loving shopping there, the obligatory reusable bag, the quirky pocket quarter, and the cheese aisle! This week I made a recipe complimentary of Aldi.com and we both loved the simplicity of it. The sauce is a red pesto that was really yummy, but I bet just a normal red sauce would work too!

Pesto Rosso Tortellini
Servings: 2 (Double and use Aldi Family pack of Tortellini for 4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:
- 2T Olive oil
- 1Pkg Tortellini
- 1 jar Pesto Rosso
- 1/4 C Heavy cream
- 1 Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1/2 small onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- Parmesan (for garnish)

METHOD:
1. Add olive oil to pan on medium heat. Cook onions for 2-3 min. Then add pepper and cook for 5-6 more min.
2. Meanwhile boil water and cook tortellini for 2 min.
3. Add garlic and spinach to the pan and cook for 2 more min. 
4. Add sauce to the pan and heavy cream. Add in tortellini and garnish with parmesan.

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I'M CURRENTLY:
SITTING: at my desk with a kitty napping on my lap.
THINKING ABOUT: what it means to be a "hard worker" and how to not become just a cog in the system... hahaha
FEELING: low key organized?!
CELEBRATING: the small things, like loading the dishwasher, and going to bed at  10PM. 
LISTENING to: Just Break up. One of my favorite podcasts of all time.
LOOKING FORWARD to: sewing someone else's pattern. I have my eye on making this Antoinette blouse in a vintage cotton seersucker I scored this summer at a yard sale.
DRINKING: hot cocoa

I'll be peeping my nose into your inbox again soon, but until then, much love from me to you.

Your Nosy Neighbor,
Nat