Phew

The cards and packages were sent, the baking was all finished, the wrapping was done and the tree is up!

We had a quiet dinner at my parent's house, which was great since I ended up with a bad cold and a fever. Charlie and I spent most of the afternoon curled up sleeping on Mom's couch. (Yes, Charlie was invited for Christmas dinner too, although Mom still bristles when I call him her grandson!! Which makes me do it all the more.)

And, just in time, the Christmas knitting all got finished. Click each photo for more details.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too!

Five Days . . .

Are you panicking yet?

I've knit two little stocking ornaments - one Pea claimed as his own, and the other went on the bag of cookies we gave our ballroom teacher last night. I'm also finishing up the toe on the second slipper for my brother. It should have been in the mail by now, but that's what he gets for having size 11 feet!!


Cookies are baked, a few decorations are out, and the cards are all addressed (but waiting for a trip to the post office for stamps and mailing). All the presents are bought, a few small ones still need to be knit, and most need to be wrapped. And no, there is still no tree. We're getting it tonight, I swear.

Charlie isn't much help with Christmas prep, but he's always good for a laugh!

What is your game plan for the next few days? Are you all ready??

Because Sonya said I had to . . .

I read this meme on Sonya's blog, and she said after I read it I had to do it. So here goes.

If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here’s how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every section, type the song that’s playing
5. next section — press the next button
6. don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

opening credits: Nessun Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti

waking up: Take Five - Dave Brubeck (not much of a wake-up song!!)

first day at school: Knitting Song - Rainbow Chasers

falling in love: I Believe In You - Don Williams (this was the song I danced to with my dad at my wedding. I'm not much of a country music fan, but he is - and I've always loved this song)

breaking up: Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelbert

prom: Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith (uumm, I don't like what's implied there!!)

life’s okay: Sway - Michale Bublé (oh yeah!!)

mental breakdown: Deja Voodoo - Kenny Wayne Shepherd

driving: Valotte - Julian Lennon (okay, I won't get any speeding tickets with this one!)

flashback: Sign Your Name - Terence Trent D'Arby (CHILD OF THE 80s!!)

getting back together: Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners (tee hee)

wedding: Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac (huh?)

birth of child: White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane (OMG, am I giving birth to a druggie??)

final battle: Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills & Nash

death scene: Caruso - Luciano Pavarotti

end credits: I'd Really Love to See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley

Okay, have you ever seen such a disjointed set of song? My taste in music is so varied it's kind of scary!!

Want to play too? Let me know, so I can come read your list!

Bah Humbug

Two weeks until Christmas, and here's where things are at:

* Christmas cards written -> 0
* trees put up -> 0
* cookies baked -> 0
* cards addressed -> 0
* presents wrapped -> 0
* halls decked -> 0

It's very unChristmas-like around here.


It really isn't like me to be so Scrooge-y. I'm not sure what my problem is this year. (Okay, I have an idea - but it's best not to get into it.) With two weeks to go, I'd better get myself in gear and start spreading cheer instead of doom and gloom.

At least the Christmas knitting is coming along. I started a hat, but thought it was coming out too small.


Since I liked it, I decided to finish it up anyway, knowing there would always be a little head around to gift it to. But, wonder of wonders, it turned out to be the right size. It's blocking now, and I'll share all the details next time.

Hello December

My goal last month was to reduce my outstanding WIPs by one third. I had 10 projects going, so if I had only 6 there in December I'd consider it a success! Although I only finished two, I bit the bullet last week and frogged three. So I consider it a great success, as I am down to five things to finish up.

Sunrise Circle DONE!!
Ampersand Socks DONE!!
Blanket for Charlie - FROGGED!!
Pillars of Atlantis socks - FROGGED!!
Snowflake Shawl - FROGGED!!

Of course, December is not your normal month. It's CHRISTMAS KNITTING MONTH!! Although I've knit a pile of gifts as part of Holiday Headstart, I'd like to squeak out a few more small ones.

I also joined the Top 10 Stash Projects KAL. The idea is to choose 10 projects you will knit with stash yarn from December 1 to March 31. During this time, no yarn shopping will be done (with an exception for charity knitting or yarn to give as a gift).

Click button for details

Goodness knows I could knit endless projects with all my stash yarn, so it was easy to choose 10. It's a mix of Christmas knitting, those last five WIPs, and a few new things for myself at the end as a reward.

1. Beaded Gloves from Handknit Holidays
2. Swiffer Cover - pdf link
3. Hats (does anyone have good suggestions for a chemo cap for a man?)
4. Finish my Perfect Pie Shawl

5. Finish Tahoe

6. Finish the Casino Shawl

7. Finish my Mystery Stole

8. Finish up my Ribbed Socks

9. More socks (I've got enough sock yarn to knit for years!!)
10. Felted Bag (maybe Sophie?)

Whew!! December is always a busy month, so we'll see how far I get by January. I'm not going to put unrealistic expectations on myself . . . we'll just see how it goes.