brown and blue, yet again

I really like brown and blue together. (I'm actually wearing a brown sweater with blue jeans today.) Knit Picks had a beautiful (in the skein) blue and brown mixed yarn called Robin's Nest. I loved it, I bought it, I knitted it, I ripped it. The Tailored Scallops Pattern (renamed by me as the Bad Romulan Shoulder Coat) was not the right pattern for this yarn. So it stopped being a sweater, and returned to being yarn. While I was learning entrelac, I thought maybe this is what this yarn was meant to be:

Yeah... no. Not really. The colour changes don't flow, and the look is just... wrong. So this is probably getting ripped as well. I might try a lengthwise scarf, maybe mixed with some solid brown to tone it down a bit, or it might just go into the depths of stash to suffer the indignity of a "twice-ripped, nothing works" yarn.

But...

there is hope for my blue/brown obsession. Meet the newest incarnation:

two yarns, held together. A brown tweedy yarn - ball bands gone. I had knit this into something (I've forgotten what), and ripped it out, and found the re-wound balls in the depths when I was looking for something else. Some of the tweedy flecks were blue, and right beside it (serendipity??) was a number of balls of Peru - an Austermann yarn - 85% alpaca, 15% merino, in just the right shade of blue to match the flecks. The pattern calls for worsted,and each of these were fingering, so held together, they seem to work. I love the colours together, the yarns are well matched - the alpaca softens up the tweed, and I love the pattern.

What pattern, you ask? Ah, you'll have to wait for the finished piece later this week. (getting two blog posts out of a single pattern is a bonus!) I've fallen in love with this pattern, and couldn't be happier that I bought it.

the finished entrelac

Well, Linda? How did I do?

I love this process. I didn't even mind flipping it over and over to go from knit to purl every 4 stitches. I'm not sure I would want an entrelac project much bigger than a scarf, however - then the flipping would get annoying.

But this worked out great. It used up some yarn, and it's an addition to the gift box. It was moving along swimmingly towards a perfect men's gift, but then I hit the patches of bright fuchsia pink. I know most men wouldn't mind the touch of pink, and I'm sure most of your menfolk would be fine with it, but please don't suggest I give it to any of the males I know. They wouldn't wear it. None of them. At all. Ever. I know this, and I accept it.

A girl friend of mine will love it.

And Nancy? Nice to have you back reading!

cleaning up

One thing my son and I did over Christmas was go through his clothes. I did this willingly, him? not so much. Trying on clothes over and over surprisingly does not rate high on his list of "Fun Things To do With Mom".

We cleared a ton of space (that boy does go through growth spurts!), and I have a huge bag to give to a co-worker - her son is 7, and the few times the two boys have met, the young one seems to idolize my son. (I think it's because my kid took the smaller one in hand on some rides at a company get together, meaning the younger one didn't need a parent with him. Things like that make an impression on a kid.) So he's a willing recipient of the outgrown stuff.

However, some stuff is hard to give away. I tend to keep the hand knits. I'm not sure why - it's not like he will ever wear them again, and it would be good for someone else to wear and appreciate them, but still. Not Yet.

The denim sweater. I love this. (I wish the colours had shown up better - it's a lovely faded denim with the darker denim stripe and red highlights. I think it's either Rowan Denim or Elann (actually, I think it's a combination of both). I have a ton of denim cotton still, but I plan on waiting for him to get through the growth period before I knit it up. I'm thinking the teen years...

His spider sweater. This is a cable pattern I found in a Barbara Walker (I think) book, and put it on the front of a basic raglan sweater. It's a tweedy cotton/wool blend in a richer blue than shows here. The boy loves it, and was trying to stretch the sleeves longer to hang on to it. I promised him I'd use this spider chart again on a bigger sweater for him.

I know I should give these away to someone who will wear them and enjoy them. But it's hard. I love them, and I love the fact that my boy loves them.

Donate

If you haven't yet done so, and have the means to do so, please think about donating some cash to Doctors Without Borders. The Haitian people have been subject to political turmoil, abject poverty, and once again, a devasting natural disaster. No one should have to deal with this alone. We can help.

Stephanie is organizing donations to Doctors Without Borders through her group Knitters Without Borders. She has all the information and links on her site. Go. Donate what you can. Spread the word. and email Steph at kwb AT yarnharlot DOT ca.

I've donated cash, and if she does a prize draw, I'll donate prizes. It's the least I can do.

The loss of 2 hours a week...

Two hours a week of straight, no-guilt knitting time - gone. Why you ask? Because I got conned into coaching my son's basketball team this year. I used to spend practice and game time, happily knitting away on something simple - it was the perfect sock knitting time. I could knit and still watch what was going on. But this time around, we have lost a few coaches, and the convener cornered me, and basically guilted me into it. "You're at all the games and practices". True - I really like watching the kids play. "You know the game." True. I played in high school and university, and refereed through school as well. Well, crap. I had no argument against it. I couldn't really use the "But I'd rather knit, and let the kids suffer." defence. So myself and another Dad are taking over team A1 (first order of business - a new team name!). So instead of needles and wool in my hands, there will be a clipboard and basketball.

I may sound like I'm complaining, but in reality? I'm kind of looking forward to it. Just remind me of those words in about a month...

Olympics

Stephanie was thinking about what she should do regarding the Knitting Olympics. Her brainchild has gravitated over to Ravelry, and mutated into the Ravelympics. (I gather some Ravelympic athletes also competed during the Beijing games, however, I agree with Steph, knitting is really a winter sport...)

I competed during the Torino games, and earned my gold medal for a shawl I made (I think it was Icarus). I was thinking about making another mohair jacket this year, with some Green Dye-Version mohair, but now that it's over on Ravelry, I don't think I will. Not because I don't like Ravelry (I do! I really do!) Or I have some misplaced loyalty to only compete when Stephanie organizes it (really, that's just silly). It's because of one of the groups I belong to on Ravelry. I'm a proud member of the Ravelry Underachievers. (Seriously, have you looked at my Ravelry page? Nothing. I upload nothing there. I use Ravelry as a resource, not a reflection of myself). So as an Underachiever, can I really put the effort into joining a team and actually following along?

I thought not.

I will intently follow the actual Olympics - I'm a huge fan, and have turned my son into one as well. I will intently knit during said Olympics. But probably not as part of a Ravelympic team - I guess I've retired from competitive knitting.

And Stephanie? If you want to organize the Knitting Olympics, go for it. It's not like you have anything else to do! But I (and I am sure others) will completely understand if you don't, and just let the Ravelympics go on as their own entity. It's not like we don't know who started all the craziness. But if you decide there's something else that "might be fun", let me know. I'm in.

Oh, and as for finding the "missing" yarn. I didn't tell my son that I had misplaced it and found it in such an obvious place. He is forever misplacing things in plain sight, and our words to him are always "start at your nose... look down...". I'd have no credibility left if he knew this little story...

good thing I looked harder...

Okay. By some standards, I have a lot of wool. By other standards, I have a mere drop in the ocean. But my stash is comfortable for me. From it I can make shawls, sweaters, socks, pretty much what I want. Yesterday, however, it wasn't big enough for me to make a scarf, it seems. I could not find a second ball of the Mille Colori. A second ball that I was convinced existed, but was no where to be found. I was going to cast off the swatch-scarf of Entrelac I had going, but instead, I just cast on another Entrelac scarf (in the bulky brown and blue - we'll get back to that later).
For some reason, I was drawn to the stash room (or "office" as my husband insists on calling it...) and thought I'd take one more dig for the Milli Colori. The missing ball that matched my Entrelac scarf/swatch. The missing ball that was SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I WALKED IN THE WOOL ROOM.
Seriously, does over exposure to wool fumes cause temporary insanity? It wasn't there yesterday...

But at least I can continue on the scarf. I'm not sure 2 balls will even be enough, but I'm not stupid enough to believe I can make another one magically appear...

good thing I looked...

At our Guild meeting this month, Linda gave us a workshop on Entrelac Knitting. Surprisingly, I had never knitted Entrelac, and was curious about it. After a couple of false starts (because keener that I am, I worked ahead of what she was showing, instead of PATIENTLY waiting for the explanation), I got it, and found myself enjoying it. I was working my swatch in a nice variegated yarn (Mille Colori? something like that) that I grabbed out of stash. As I went on, I thought it would make a nice scarf - a bit skinny, but it would block a bit wider and would be fine. I realized that one ball would make a pretty skimpy scarf, especially if it was going to be on the skinny side, so I went up to the stash and rooted around in the same area that I grabbed the ball from, thinking there was another ball of it. In fact, I was convinced there was another ball of it. I just couldn't find it. Maybe there was only one ball. Well, crap. so much for that idea. At least I found out before I got to the end of the ball. This way, it's still considered a swatch and practice piece, I guess, rather than a half assed scarf.

I did find some other options for an Entrelac scarf, however. I'm leaning to the reclaimed brown and blue stuff. It made a crappy sweater, but maybe there's hope for it as a scarf.

The rusty grey one is another option. Hmmm, fingering weight versus bulky. Since I consider scarves to be instant gratification type knitting, I'm thinking bulky.

The rusty grey one may become another 198 yds. of Heaven shawl - only made slightly bigger to use up the wool.

The merino-silk-linen blend FibraNatura is another option, but since I have about a sweater's worth of it - I'd rather make a sweater.

What really ticks me off is that I was sure I had another ball of the Milli Colori! I rarely buy individual balls of anything, so having just the one of this makes no sense. And I know I bought it a while ago, so matching the dyelot is a pipe dream...

what was, what is...

What it was: (Storm Cloud Shawlette. This pattern did nothing for this yarn - a beautiful merino-silk-sequin concoction I bought in Kitchener, and promptly lost the ball band for. Susan - you were with me - any idea where I got this?)

What it became:

(Actually, much richer shades of grey and charcoal, and the sequins really pop against it)

What the new plan was: 198 yds. of Heaven. great little lacy shawlette - super easy lace pattern, perfect for this yarn.

What it became:

How it looks:

(I used my star filter to really show how the sequins sparkle).

I love it more that I thought I would. The problem is, I'm not a sparkly sequin kind of girl. Even my husband, while admiring it, asked what I was planning on doing with it. "it's not really your style" was the gist of what he said. But he agreed that either of our mothers would be thrilled with it, or any number of my friends. I may let this percolate for awhile. I'm not really ready to give it away. I like looking at it.

the Gnomes keep coming...

I can't seem to get away from the Gnomes. I had promised my son one once I finished the Christmas knitting, as he wanted a "room guardian, and someone to blame when things go missing... We were at the yarn store (Purgatory for him, the opposite for me), and in order to keep the sighing and foot dragging to a minimum, I told him he could pick out the colours for his Gnome, as well as the beard yarn. It's not like I have an extensive stash of fun fur type yarns at home, or any acrylic for that matter!

He chose the bright red and yellow combination, and wanted the sparkly black beard.

okkaaayyyy... I wasn't sure the black would make a good beard (it was something called "Chill" and had little pom poms as well a s sparkles and furry bits.) But it surprised me, and made a nice beard. The boy liked it, and that's what matters. Since these use up so little yarn, I have said I will make him another, alternating the red and yellow colours. Luckily, I didn't give a timeline on this - there are other things I want to make first!

quickie projects

Time off over the holidays is funny. While it is technically time away from the office, it's not always down time, at least not at the beginning. The week BEFORE Christmas, I spent getting everything ready FOR Christmas, then for a couple of days AFTER Christmas, I spent doing nothing and enjoying it. On Boxing Day, my son and I never even got out of out jammies. Husband did the Boxing Day sales, so he had to be presentable. That's okay, I got a new flat screen TV for the bedroom, the kid got a new portable DVD player, and husband got a new vehicle. (The DVD player was to replace the onboard one we lost when we got rid of the Pathfinder. This portable one is the way to go.)

But after a day or so, I got my mojo back and cranked out a few things. First on the list was a new neckwarmer or "neckie" for the boy. Scarves are a pain for kids, and he loves the ease of just pulling these over his head. Coming into Christmas, he lost both of the neckies that were currently in rotation, so these needed replacement. He chose the acid green Cascade 220 (his ski jacket has some green in it), and then while I was in the mood, I made the black one for back up, and to try a different look.

The green starts with a 3x3 rib for a couple of inches, then I reduced to a 2x2 rib, all using a 4.5mm needle. TO finish the top, I knit a few rows of 2x2 using a 6.0mm needle. This flares it out a bit at the top, making it more comfortable under the chin. I started with the larger rib to have it fit across the chest a bit, for when the zipper doesn't get zipped all the way up.

After he wore the green one a few times (which he loves, by the way), I realized that the 3x3 rib wasn't really necessary, and kind of got in the way a bit. So I just used the 6.0mm needle at the beginning for a few rows, went down to a 4.0mm needle (I wanted it a touch tighter than the 4.5mm) and finished with the 6.0mm again. I like it, he likes it (but seems to prefer the green one right now), so all in all, a good couple of days knitting. I have more of the green and black, and will probably make a few extra of these to have around - they get lost rather easily, and you can't exactly put a tag in them.

And the husband was eyeing them with that "Can I get one of those as well?" look in his eyes, so I think this will be a good stash buster project. Totally mindless knitting.

In case anyone wants to know - I cast on 100 stitches for the 2x2 rib, 150 for the 3x3. This makes for a loose fitting neckie for a 10 year old, but the child hates anything tight around the neck. I would say you could go down a few stitches if you wanted it snugger, or certainly reduce the needle size.

um... hi!

I guess I went away for awhile... Actually, I never really physically left, but it seems my blogging mojo just took right off on me. Let me correct that - it wasn't just the writing of the blog, I didn't really read any either. Basically, I kind of ignored my computer for a few days... which became a week or more... and well, I'm back. Lots of reading to catch up on, it seems...
Sorely lacking in pictures, however. I never even took the camera out of the case on Christmas - how bad is that?

I'll start with the quick overview:

Christmas - fabulous. Everything we hoped for. We spent a fantastic Christmas Eve with friends, as we do every year, then got home and had a wonderful family Christmas morning, just the three of us. Relaxing, as we knew we were not due anywhere - they were all coming to us! And come they did - by around 3pm, we had a houseful, and it was great. More presents were exchanged, a very long table was set (I should have taken a picture of that - we sewers know what a treasure trove Fabricland can be - red organza printed with bronze snowflakes makes an amazing tablecloth for an antique wood table - and it cost almost nothing (I think it was around $4/metre, and I had 6 metres). 16 people sat down to dinner (including a Metro Cop in full uniform - my SIL made it in time for dinner, then had to scoot out again, as she is an inspector, and had some spokesman duties to perform. So cool to see her on the news that night!), and as much as I hate to brag (but isn't that what blogs are for?) dinner turned out great. two turkeys, all the fixings, pies, cakes, profiteroles and fruit salad. Yup, we stuffed ourselves. But the best part was spending the time with family and friends.
The rest of the time was spent doing stuff around the house, and with the kid - some great unplanned downtime was sorely needed by all. Sometimes my house was full of kids, laughing a shouting, sometimes, it was bizarrely quiet, (as some other mother got to enjoy the laughing and shouting) which meant I could work or as I did on one day - de-Christmas the place. It's mostly back to normal now.
I could talk about New Years Resolutions, but honestly? I don't make them. I hate to put the pressure on a certain time of year to make changes or hopes. I do what I can, when I can. I don't change my way of living my life just because midnight comes on a certain day. Plus, as a cottager and mom of a school age child, September always seems more like a New Year to me. We don't go north as much, and we're back into the routine of school.

There have been changes made around here - my car is no longer the newest in the driveway - the husband finished his lease with Nissan, and the buy-back kind of sucked, so instead, he now has a 2010 Honda Pilot, and we're all thrilled. It's a really nice ride, and I prefer driving it to his Pathfinder - the Pilot just seems like it drives smaller, if that makes any sense. The only problem is I have to get over my issues with Honda - they screwed around with me over my Civic, (which is why I now drive a Toyota), but hopefully, they're better with this one.

There has been a ton on knitting, sewing and other stuff too - but I'll save that for another post or two).

bring it on!

I'm ready for this. The food is bought, and will be prepared today and tomorrow. Gifts are done and wrapped. People are invited, plans are made, things are going to happen.

And here's the main thing. Whatever happens, happens. There is nothing more to do except enjoy. I do try to plan ahead, but I don't sweat it if things go a little differently that planned. I'm at work for a breakfast get together, then over to the husband's work for more food, home to bake a pie, then off to friends for the evening. Tomorrow is all about family and friends at out place, and I love it. All the mayhem, family drama, everything.

Bring it on!

The Merriest of Christmases, or Happiest of Holidays, or just a Wonderful Friday to everyone who reads this stuff. Your reading and commenting make it worthwhile to me, and I can't tell you how much it means to me. I keep this blog separate from my 3-D life, so it's nice to know there are people out there.

Cheers!

just under the wire...

One more set of completed thrummed mitts. (I'd say my last pair, but a request came in last night for a pair "whenever I have a chance - not for Christmas or anything..."
I used black worsted weight wool (Smart? Not really sure - they were in the "missing ball bands pile", but it's a nice soft wool) and gold pencil roving from Briggs and Little. My son's school colours are black and gold, so it seemed appropriate. His teacher can wear them on those winter recess playground duties. They're in his backpack, ready for gifting today.

So, checking my list...

Shopping? Pretty much good there. A couple of gift cards to pick up, and the traditional card stuffer lottery tickets are all that's left.

Knitting? Mostly done. two pairs of socks that will be given as "in-progress" gifts. One for the husband, one for the FIL. Both are used to it, and won't think less of me.

Sewing? Check. 18 pairs of pajama pants, completed and ready to go.

Food? Check. Well sort of - turkey order is in at the butcher (two Heritage birds - one for the oven, and one for the husband to do on the spit on the BBQ). Perishables not purchased yet, but time is alloted for this next week.

Baking? Check - last night was round one of the dog biscuit baking. Depending on how many we give away, there may be a round 2 next week, plus an apple pie, some cupcakes and some caramel and chocolate popcorns (not technically baking, but it does entail use of the oven).

Wrapping? Ahh, there's the issue. I'm a touch behind on this. I usually have more wrapped by this time, but I'm blaming the Walt Disney Company, and their poor timing in needing year long forecasts from their licensees. Of which we are one. And in the licensing world, what Disney wants, Disney gets. So that ate up a great deal of my time this past week. But it's done, and Disney is happy, which means my boss is happy, and using the trickle down effect, this means that I am happy. But I must get wrapping. Immediate family gets just paper (my boys don't appreciate ribbons and the like). Extended family and friends - the whole nine yards - good quality wrapping paper, ribbons and interesting bits and bobs to really glam up the package. I may never be considered glitzy in person, but my wrapping will stand up against Martha Stewart's anytime.

Sleep catch up? Check. As of 4pm today. I'm supposed to be on holidays until the 4th. Although there is some work to be done, I can do it from home, so at least I'm not getting up at 5am every day...

another gnome, finished and given away...

I finished the blue and yellow gnome, and am really happy at how he turned out. For the beard, we chose a combination of the really long white furry yarn mixed with a champagne coloured shorter haired one. I think it looks great, and my friend S adored it. It matches her kitchen, and she has it sitting on the edge of her cupboards, watching over the place. She's waiting for the perfect name for it - she says he hasn't yet told her what his name should be.
Next up - finishing the mittens for my son's teacher. I had pretty much resigned myself to having them done for January, and told my husband that last night. Of course, by the time I went to bed, I had completed about 4 inches of the second mitt, and with the two hour finale of So You Think You Can Dance last night, I just have to finish the thumb, and they will be ready for gifting on Friday. Last night was the boy's last swim lesson for this session, and his instructor has been phenomenal, so I dug into the stash of completed items and found a pair of wrist warmers for her. She was thrilled, which made it that much better. She really deserved it.

And after things calm down a touch, I've got another gnome to knit. My son wants one for his room. Then, I may actually get back to some projects for me that have been neglected for a while. Or maybe, once Christmas is done, I'll just sleep. I could use some of that...

busy, busy...

I have 4 days left in the office, and I'm super busy with work stuff. (They expect results in exchange for my paycheque. Strange, that.) So posts will be light. Really light. I mean, do you really want to see the minuscule progress on the Fame Trend Socks? Or see the state of the gift wrapping area? Maybe hear about the fluid family totals that are coming Christmas Day - she's coming, she's not coming, she not sure...
I could tell you about taking my Mom to IKEA for the first time. She's a convert. She kept looking around and saying "look at that! Wow, that's nice! What do you mean, it's only $10?" Well, I've got to come back here..." It was fun to watch. She finished up her Christmas shopping, I got the new bookcase I needed for the kitchen, so it was good all around.
Today I start a major push to get some work I do with Disney complete before the end of the year. Technically, my year ends on Friday, as I'm on vacation until January 4th, but I will be working from home during the next couple of weeks, just to keep on top of things.
I should be back posting before Christmas - Especially if something interesting happens...

the girl has talent!

Susan has come through for me yet again. Just when I was post-less (Really, do you need to see another in-progress picture of a knitted gnome? They're much better when complete), she sends me pictures of a necklace she just completed for her Mom.

Now, I've never met her Mom. but I've heard lots. She loves the bling. Loves the glitz, but, it has to be quality glitz. Meet quality glitz. Crystals, silk ribbons, sterling findings - this is the good stuff. (You've really got to click through to these and see the close-up work).But the best part of her Mom is that she understands and appreciates the hand made aspect of gifts. I gather Susan's Mom had input to this necklace, and there was an inspiration picture, but trust me, this piece is one of a kind. I've seen the inspiration picture, and Susan has taken this to a whole other level. In Susan's own words:

"I love it, and hope my mom does too. It was hell."

Hell it might have been, but if her Mom doesn't love it, my Mom will gladly adopt her for it.

things I need to finish...

I'm in pretty good shape for Christmas. (Go ahead, hate me, it's nothing I haven't heard from my own family). I get the "I can't believe you've started already!" I return with "I can't believe you haven't. Were you surprised by the date? Did you think they moved it?" (This attitude only counts within my own family - none of them are renovating, or putting giant holes in their houses. I truly feel for you if you have crap going on beyond your control. I'm really talking about my SIL who bitched at me - she works fewer hours than I do, her kids don't have evening activities, they don't entertain, and her husband gets home about 3 hours before mine does, therefore availing himself to help out. Yet she freaks out at me.)

But... there's still a few things to go...

From the top:

Another gnome, this one in blue and yellow, to match a friend's kitchen. And this friend is coming for dinner this Saturday, so this is now the main knitting project. He's going to be cute! I have finished stuffing his butt with beans, and have started one of the legs. I may wait to do the beard until S gets to our place, and let her choose if she wants a white beard or a grey one...

Next are the blue cotton socks for my husband. I'm pretty much resigned to finishing these after Christmas, and he's good with that. It's not like they are a surprise - he picked the yarn and I sized them on him, and he chose the grey that will accent to top to add some much needed length. He's good with getting them whenever.

The third pair of thrummed mittens, this pair for my son's teacher. I've made them in the school colours, and will enclose a note saying they're for those cold playground duties the teachers have to do. I think she'll like them. The deadline for these is December 18 - last day of school.

Last but not least - the Fame Trend socks for my Father in Law. As much as he's okay with getting them after Christmas, I'd kind of like to get a little further along on them, but we'll see. I'm not 100% convinced that these socks are right for him. Colourwise, they're spot on, but the Fame Trend is a little more rustic than I like for him. He has problems with his feet, so I should have gone softer. I''ll keep debating this point, every time I pick these up, so maybe I should just bite the bullet and find a better yarn for him...

Plus, there's the last 4 pairs of pajamas to finish up, possibly a few more knitted items, and some baking. And knowing me, the baking is of course, the non-traditional kind. Everyone else makes wonderful Christmas cookies this time of year, I make dog biscuits. Yup- we have 4 dogs that are parts of close friends' families, so we can't forget them. They all get home made dog biscuits. They love it, and it's fun to do. And dogs don't care if they haven't browned evenly. I actually forgot to do this last year, and paid the price. Not so much from the dogs (I mean, come on, they're dogs, they don't remember from one year to the next that we gave them bickies...) but the owners were a touch put out that we forgot. So we're rectifying this with double batches this year. And yes, I have bone shaped cookie cutters, as well as other shapes.

A few more gift items to pick up, and then the wrapping marathon begins. I literally take over the basement, set up a table in front of the TV, and go wild with papers, bags, ribbons and the like. I admit, I tend to go over the top with wrapping. I love it. My husband just shakes his head.

It's obvious, isn't it? I love this time of year...

defender of my house...

Remember this guy? I made this gnome a few years back - he's an Alan Dart pattern that came in a supplement to Simply Knitting Magazine. I absolutely fell for him, and had grandiose plans to knit multitudes of them for myself, friends and family. Those plans fell through for whatever reason, but this little guy still sits on the bookcase in my living room, tucked into the corner. The story is that these Swedish gnomes protect the house they live in. There is also a story that they steal from the house they live in, so I guess my guy is a combination of both of these stories - he protects us, but it's his fault things go missing...

Although he does have a somewhat "Christmassy" sort of look, he's really a year-round type of guy. I picked him up the other day, and thought that with a few modifications, I could make him a little more seasonal - brighter colours, some furry trim, a modified hat shape... A quick dive into the stash for some Classic Merino (even toys deserve to be made of good wool), a side trip to Michael's for the velvet trim, and I had this. I know, he looks a little off here. I had to wait until I could get to Needles and Knits for beard yarn. Fun fur (actually, almost any acrylic) is not something I keep in the stash, and Michael's had no white left on shelf. I was at the store on Tuesday, and cleaned Tove out of any and all white furry stuff.

Really makes a difference, doesn't it? This particular one is a gift for a friend. He will be clutching a small box with the other half of the gift. And he took so little time (a couple of nights, maybe?) that I really want to make more of them. There's a couple of people I know that would love him, and I'd really like one for myself. Plus, I'd like to make more of the traditional gnomes as well. Of course, with the time crunch upon us, the ones for me will be a New Years endeavour, but if I get butt in gear and crank out the last pair of thrummed mitts, I may be able to squeeze in at least one more of these guys.

I forgot to mention...

The CFO of our company won the footwear pool! He did a little happy dance this morning when he saw me in boots. The Director of Sales (my old boss) was the only other participant left - he had January 4th. (He was hoping for a snowless December, I guess). I hear there were 17 participants, and the plans are underway for next year.
Personally, I think that's a lot of pressure on me. I'm going to have to come up with a way to screw things up - maybe wear boots the day after Labour day and nip this whole thing in the bud early...
I wonder what will happen if I revert back tomorrow...

I caved.

I caved, and finally updated my footwear.

Two reasons.

One:

yeah, that was what greeted me this morning. I know it will be gone soon, but there was enough on the ground that it reached my toes.

Two: My winter wardrobe is severely limited if I don't change the footwear. Whereas I can wear jeans everyday (and flip flops look fine with jeans), I have clothes that really need a boot or shoe, and I'd like to wear them. So even though I have jeans on today, the boots have finally come out of the closet.

And... I'm okay with this. I think. It feels really strange... And yes, the boots will be ditched upon arrival at home tonight. Of course, I still need shoes, as it's basketball night, and I have to play against the kids for a while before I take off for my Guild meeting. So, it's going to be a rough day for the feet.

sigh. still so many to educate...

sigh. Some people just don't get the difference...

I love the Added Touch - I ordered some stuff from there last week, which is how I happened upon this.

one down...

The thrummed mittens for my nephew are finished. I hope he likes them, but I'm prepared if he doesn't. I know he asked for warm mitts, and that's what these are,and they are of the yarn he chose, and all the rest, but he's 15. This may be the first incarnation of mittens. If they aren't exactly to his liking, I'm thinking bulky alpaca, with no thrums, but with the texting thumbs, a la Brenda. Way cool idea, Brenda. Too bad it won't work with thrums.

I love the look of thrummed mitts inside out - somewhat alien-ish...

But I think D will like these. And if he show the proper amount of enthusiasm in receiving them (i.e. "thanks, Aunt Sandra"), then he may get the alpaca ones anyway - I love that text thumb option...

Yes, all that fibre fits inside, around my hand. I'm not trying them on much - I want them to form to his hands, not mine...

Next up - the same thing in a slightly smaller size for my son's teacher. I'm using the school colours of black and gold, so she has something to keep her hands warm during those cold playground duties.

Yesterday, I was lax in wishing my American friends a Happy Thanksgiving. I wish I was there - I usually am, spending this week with my Mom in Florida. But life conspired to keep me here this year, so I missed out on turkey, and of course the shopping. Dang, I miss the shopping...

footwear update

For those still wondering, I am still wearing flip flops daily to work. I believe the pool is still going on - I'm guessing there are two people still vying for the cash. On Monday, one person lost - she had me down for my birthday as the day I would wear real shoes, but no, I had my favourite black ones on. Tuesday they were brown. Today, green. I'm hoping to drag this out until Christmas, but I'll be happy if I can see in December in my beloved flip flops.

I broke down and endured high heels and pantyhose for MIL's party, but they were peeled off within moments of arriving home. She's one of the few people I would do that for.

Call me crazy, (many do), but really and truly, my feet don't get cold, and I hate shoes. Also, as much as I enjoy knitting socks, wearing them? not so much.

Keep the mild weather coming!

much happier now...

Sorry, my last post was a huge downer. Things were happening that weren't all that great, but I had a nice weekend, so all is better now. The party was great. Everyone enjoyed themselves, the food was okay, and the people were marvelous. My MIL had a great time, and really, that's what it's all about. My SIL, the "K" was an annoying idiot, but that was what we expected, so by ignoring her and most of her demands, we ended up having a good day.

I have to say, the cupcakes were a huge hit with everyone, but especially my MIL, so that was cool.

The theme for us was really, "go with the flow", so we did. It also helped that once it was over, we went out for dinner with some friends that were there, and avoided the whole family debrief. (My husband and his brother had no interest in sitting around with their sisters, going over the party in excruciating detail. I was happy to comply.)

So that's done. The next big focus for the family is Christmas, and I always look forward to it. Regardless of what I wrote last time, I do adore Christmas. Weird gifts aside, spending the day with family is always good. And since it's at our house this year, it will be even better.

Now, I just have to make sure I get all the Christmas knitting done.

The Fame Trend socks are slowly (very slowly!) getting there, and the blue cotton ones are doing the same. I really want to get the Christmas knitting done, because I have plans for more "ME" knitting in the New Year, and I want to get at it!

countdown to P-day, and some introspection...

We're in good shape for the party - at this point my husband and I are just doing what is asked of us. What kills me is how complicated and convoluted things get when you have more than one person organizing. Yesterday's round of emails was epic, and I showed great restraint and said nothing. It's really a case of everyone wanting to do things their way, and everyone having an opinion about everything.

I told him that if I ever married again, it would have to be to an orphan with no siblings.

I'm sure my family is no peach at times, but really, there's so few of us, it's easier to take at family gatherings. His is huge, and so diverse, it's amazing to me that these 5 kids were all brought up in the same environment, with the same parents. And there's not that much of an age difference - all 5 kids were born within 8 years.
And this party is just step one - we still have Christmas coming in a few weeks, when this horde will be descending on my house. But that's okay - that's what we prefer. I don't have a problem with cooking or a feeding a large group - its how I was brought up. My parents enjoyed entertaining and cooking and did it often, so my brother and I, growing up in that kind of atmosphere, embrace the same thing. It's just was we always thought was normal. The husband's family was not. Cooking was a chore instead of a joy, entertaining was cause for alarm and panic, and guests were treated preferentially, rather than as just friends. So I can understand where the panic is coming from this week, even if it makes no sense to me. (surprisingly, my husband is more similar to my family - he loves entertaining, hence we do it often).

So, I guess I have to be more understanding. Not everyone had the same upbringing, not everyone looks at things like this the same way I do. And maybe I'm being as much of a pain in the ass to them as they are being to me. It's all a matter of perspective.

Knit Tech made a comment that made me think:

"Since you do everything amazingly, they* have a lot of ground to try and make up."

Do I really come across that way? I kind of hope not. I'd hate for people to think poorly of me because I seem to be an overachiever. (Trust me, if you saw the state of my house, you wouldn't think that). (Knit Tech - I'm pretty sure you aren't thinking poorly of me, you're just putting yourself in their shoes, right? Please?)

I don't give hand made gifts because I want people to think I'm trying to look better than them. I've just always been the type to want to do things myself. I'm fascinated by crafts and creating, and really, I like personalizing things that way. The pajama pants? Yeah, there's a lot of them, but I production line it, and they don't take long to make. The knitting? There's a lot less of it being given away this year, because there's a lot less of it to give. A lot of my knitting time this year was taken up by knitting things for ME. And I liked it. The beads? It takes a heckuva lot less time to bead a bracelet than it does to knit something.

I also spend a lot of time thinking about the people on my list, and their likes, dislikes, and way of life. It's an ongoing, all year thing for me. I like trying to match op things to people. Again, it's something my parents always did, so I don't think anything of it. Others find it incredibly difficult. It seems I am "difficult to buy for". I have trouble with that - I like everything that people give me, although I have been the recipient of some fairly weird gifts. Like the briefcase sized day timer to replace my purse sized one. (the thing weighed 5 pounds!) Or the pink flowery polar fleece jacket from last year. Ask Susan - I don't do pink flowery. Ever. And this from someone in my family that has known me for 20+ years. I say I like wool, they tell me I have so much, I don't need any more. (I've given up trying to explain how wrong that is). I say I like kitchen things and cookbooks, I get told do I really need any more? (Well, yes, yes I do.) I say I like books and music, they say that's too ambiguous. (Okay, so the list of favourite authors wasn't SPECIFIC enough?) Knitting books. Books on sewing, beading, needle felting. I get told they don't know enough about the arts to tell a good book from a bad one. (Isn't that what store clerks are for? Or Google? ask around.) Clothes? I spend a fair bit of time with these people - it's not hard to determine my tastes. Jeans, yoga pants, nice casual tops and hoodies. Nothing pink, ruffly or flowery. Not my style.

Sigh. I feel like I'm complaining, and really, I'm not. To me, Christmas is all about the giving. I don't care if all I get is a bottle of Scotch (single malt, please) and some chocolate. (Actually, I just described what my Mom gives me most years - I love that woman - she knows me so well...) I'm happiest when someone opens a gift that I've thought was perfect for them, and it is. (It isn't always - I've missed the mark a few times). That, and seeing the kids running roughshod, having fun, being kids. It seems the Santa is making a return visit to our hose this year, and I'm thrilled.
The party is going to be fabulous - I know it will. My MIL is getting excited about it, and that's all that matters. Christmas is going to be a blast, and I can't wait. There's nothing better than family at the holidays.

Even if I can't stand the sight of them for the next few weeks afterwards...

must. keep. going...

My track record with mittens is not the best. I can't explain it - I happily knit socks - endless rounds of stockinette, around, and around, and around... but the mittens confound me. It's the same as sock knitting, only faster and on bigger needles (usually). All signs that I should be cranking out mittens like there's no tomorrow. So why am I stalled here, with just a few more rows before shaping the top, and doing the thumb, on the FIRST of a pair? I should be able to clear this baby in one evening, do the mate in two days, and still make the two more pairs I have planned. (son's teacher, and his sitter - they would both love these...)

But I always seem to find something else to do in the evenings - making some cards (necessary, since they are also Christmas gifts), or just puttering around the house (again, necessary, as we are on a major purge of all extraneous crap in this house). The socks for my husband and FIL - I'm thinking they will get them partially done, with a promise for the New Year. (It's okay, they're both used to it). Husband is getting the blue and grey cotton stretch socks he has specifically requested, and FIL is getting the black and grey Fame Trend ones. I think. I'm not completely convinced of this.

To be honest, I've been a little distracted - my MIL's 80th birthday celebration is this Sunday, and things are ramping up. The Kommandant has been sharply spoken to, it seems, because she is all sweetness and light these days, praising ad nauseum. I think I prefer the bitchy attitude to all this saccharine syrup. Whatever, I'm on top of what I need to do, except the cupcakes which I will bake and decorate on Saturday. My husband and I find it rather funny that we, the one couple in the family that enjoys entertaining and cooking, and does it the most, has been completely shut out of the food situation. Oh well, it's a team effort, that's what I keep repeating to myself.

I think I'll start drinking on Saturday night, just to be ready for this...