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Wow, that was kind of a long break. Where does the time go? We are still sick, but hopefully on the mend...or at least in a holding pattern and not getting any worse. We felt crummy enough this morning to skip church and just putter around the house in pajamas (or "cha-meese" as Daughter calls them).
Anyway. I think I speak for many of us when I say: uuuuuuuuuugh. No more food. No more cookies. No more dressing up. No more viewings of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. No more gifts, even. It just gets to the point where you can't even remember who gave you what gift, and that's just ridiculous.
I feel really weird, like Christmas didn't even happen. Part of that is our total lack of snow this winter. Since that horrible storm in October I don't think we've had any accumulation to speak of. So it doesn't even feel like it was time for Christmas yet. And we're in this limbo where our old holiday traditions are fading away but new ones haven't been fully created yet, so, I don't know...the holiday season doesn't feel complete to me. I got as excited about it as I could for Daughter's sake, and she seemed to enjoy it once she got the idea.
I have lots I could say about how we present Christmas to our kids - really they know nothing of it and we kind of force it upon them from such a young age - but I don't feel like diving into that tonight. Suffice it to say Daughter had fun opening her gifts and she scored some great stuff. The best thing, though, was my youngest sister's gift to my child. She's a stinking brilliant artist and I asked her to paint a little wooden table for playing, tea parties, etc. I figured she'd slap a few flowers on it and call it good. This is what she made:
I know. Just LOOK at that. It's my favorite of all the gifts given and received this year. I think she should make these and sell them. She'd make a fortune. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen! She does it all free-hand, and she started it on Saturday night (the 23rd) after driving around 10 hours to our parents' house. A-MA-ZING.
So Santa was good to all of us. Yes, I got my cedar chest. Hubby went and bought it anyway, and inside he stuck 2 gift cards to stores I like so I can do something about my pathetic wardrobe. 2 pregnancies and breastfeeding have left me a bit of a different size and shape than I was before, so I have little that fits and/or is in style. So he basically turned his Christmas bonus into gift cards to force me to shop for myself during the after-Christmas sales. Sa-weet!
The giving of gifts was super fun at my parents' house this year. Daughter stole the show, running back and forth from the tree to hand out the gifts to everyone.
So it was good.
PHOTO REMOVED...SORRY!After Christmas we were slowed down a bit by a serious mucous attack. That's one of the only photos I have of Daughter without stuff running down from her poor little nose. (Side note: I am usually in favor of all businesses being closed on major holidays, but this year I was quite excited to find a Walgreens open on Christmas Day so we could get some Triaminic. We've been so fortunate with her health that we didn't even own any baby medicines besides Tylenol.)
So some of our plans were cancelled for the middle of the week, but we did family Christmas part 2 on Thursday, and then on Friday we drove 300 miles to have lunch at the Olive Garden. Seriously! My college roommate and best friend was home for the week on the opposite side of NY state, so we agreed to meet in the middle for lunch. My sister and my mom came along, and her mom came too. We haven't seen each other since my baby shower in March 2005, and I don't think I'd seen her mom since graduation in '98, so it was awesome to have this opportunity. The best part? We picked up right where we'd left off. She's that kind of friend, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. Who else would I drive 300 miles for? Not many people, I can tell you that. And she was psyched to meet Daughter, who was a squirmy bump in my belly last time she saw us.
PHOTO REMOVED...SORRY!Then on Saturday night we had SABRES tickets - awesome! I was totally sick and hopped up on DayQuil but it turns out you can get hot tea at HSBC Arena, so it was a-ok. We had seats in the very top row of the arena. Holy moly. I almost puked the first time I looked down...it took me awhile to acclimate. But the Sabres won! And it was almost worth screaming woo-hoo for each of the 4 goals. I could sort of talk today. Sort of.
That's about it for the holidays this year. Today has been a putter-around-and-do-laundry type of day, and I'm just trying to get my family healthy again. We're having a quiet evening at home watching Ryan Seacrest and...Dick Clark? Is he there? Or is the show just named for him out of respect? I don't think we've seen him yet. Huh.
The sewing machine was stashed until the new year, so no sewing was done over the past couple of weeks. It will be fired up again soon, though, to start Daughter's summer wardrobe. I did do some knitting, but I don't have photos. Maybe tomorrow.
As for the new year...well, I have to say I mostly hated 2006. I'm sure you can understand that. But despite the difficulties my family and I faced, we still are so grateful for our many blessings. My one resolution for 2007 is simply to live better. Things fall apart, and things go back together. It's time to pull them back together. It may take kicking and clawing my way up, but I'll get back on top, from eating and sleeping better to being kinder to my friends and family to being financially more responsible to painting the beat-up walls of my house to restoring my physical and emotional health...so many things each and every day, but all one day at a time.
Happy New Year to you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you for seeing me through 2006, and I hope you will stay with me for 2007. God bless you. Be safe tonight. See you next year!
We had a merry little Triaminic Christmas around here, and now the bug has moved on to me. But we still have several obligations to go, so I must press on.
Help me. Send Nyquil.
Holiday rundown to come soon...
I am touched by all your kind responses to my little ornament. You know when you just get that need to make a thing, and all your energy goes into it until it's done? Once I remembered that I owned the pattern for those little ornaments, I immediately burned through 2 naptimes to make it. And I feel much better about Christmas having done so. My baby needs to be remembered, and I'm so comforted that you all remember her too.
I'm signing off for Christmas now. I have toilets to clean, floors to mop, and cookies to bake, so I must put away the computer for a few days. Then we're booked solid for almost the next week with family and friends, so hopefully I'll have some good stories to bring you.
Merry, merry Christmas to you all, and God bless. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Wow, I'm psyched to have gotten so many responses to the question I posed. It sounds like everyone has their own "thing" when it comes to gifting one's spouse, but most people end up putting something under the tree. I think we never really outgrow that thrill of unwrapping a box, especially when the contents are a surprise.
As for us (since some of you asked), we generally do a rather specific list for each other, though in the past we've put the money toward furniture instead. In recent years (since buying a house and having a kid and lots of medical expenses), we've made short, inexpensive lists. This year we were lucky to get a refund from one of my medical bill payments that allowed us to purchase more and better gifts for our families than we otherwise could have afforded. For ourselves, well, I only wanted one thing but it turns out I can't have it*, so I don't know what Hubs is going to come up with. He actually neglected to give me a list this year, so Daughter and I went to Old Navy and just bought up a storm. Have you all shopped there this holiday season? The bargains are astounding! He's also getting a giant bag of Starbucks coffee and a big bag of chocolates (mint Hershey kisses because WHERE ARE THE MINT M&Ms THIS YEAR???) in his stocking, because we never splurge on that during the rest of the year.
So that's that. Nothing too special. I was just wondering how everyone else does it. As an interesting follow-up, what are you actually getting your spouse for Christmas/Hannukah/whatever this year?
***
So I am driving a rental car this week. Hubs finally got around to making an appointment with the body shop to fix the damage caused by the woman who merged into his passenger side last month, but I ended up making the phone calls and actually going to drop off the broken car and pick up the rental. Grrrrr.
The weird thing is, I haven't driven a car, or a new vehicle at all, in YEARS. I drive a 2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport. Basic model. Cheap-o because 2001 was the last model year and the dealership was trying to unload the 4 or 5 they had left. It has power windows and locks, and 4WD, but that's it. No cruise control, no CD player, no power seats, etc., etc. And I adore it! I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off, a la The Blues Brothers.
However...
This afternoon I slid into the driver's seat of a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. This car has everything. It's all fancy and digital and it smells new and it's just...fancy. I mean, a Grand Prix isn't the creme de la creme of cars, even, but it makes my Jeep seem like a crummy, tired, dirty old toy. Because Hubs got the last new car, I get the next one, but that won't be for quite a long while. And I'm ok with that because we can't afford a new car right away anyhow, but wow. I could really get used to driving around in a swanky new car.
The only problem is, I could barely reach to get money out at the ATM, and when I hit the drive-thru for a coffee, I couldn't see over the counter. I'll be happy to get back in my Jeep when Hubs gets his car back (I am driving the rental because I hardly go anywhere, so less risk of damaging it. Plus, it's fancy and swanky and new and I want to drive it, so there).
***
My 20 month old daughter answered the telephone today.
Thank goodness it was her grandmother on the other end.
***
Speaking of Daughter, she has been going on the potty every day for almost a week. Today she went before nap, stayed dry through her nap, went again after nap, and then went again after dinner which blows my mind. People, she turns 2 in April. Could we be in big-girl pants by her birthday or am I just a sucker for being excited? Stay tuned!
***
Sorry, this post isn't very interesting, and there aren't even any pictures. Wait, hold on, I'll show you a preview of Christmas Dress '06:
Don't mind my leggies there in the background. This was during Christmas Photo Shoot attempt #1 (a total failure) when I was trying to herd my child toward the Christmas tree. This was the first time I had the dress on her, and I am in love with it. I am wild for long dresses on little girls (none of that Shirley-Temple-ruffled-behind-sticking-out stuff for me, thanks), and this fits the bill perfectly. The pattern was a pain in the rear, but I am so happy with the result. I can't wait to get her dressed up for the actual holiday. Wait, what am I going to wear?
*The thing I want is a cedar trunk that I have only seen at Joann etc. stores in my town. I love it because it's the simplest thing you ever saw, and I want it to protect all the wee sweaters my mom and I have knitted for Daughter. When she becomes a mother I want to be able to just pass on the whole chest of knits to her for her babies. Anyway, we went to get it yesterday with a coupon and the dumb thing is already on sale for Christmas. Joann used to let you use the coupon anyway, but you'd get the discount off the regular price. Well they don't do that anymore. Poop! The sale price doesn't fit our budget. Maybe I can have it for my birthday when it goes to regular price and Hubs can go back with another coupon. Stupid Joann etc.! Stinkers!
Well, I guess it's not so much a poll as it is a regular old question. What I want to know from you, internets, is this: how do you and your spouse/partner handle Christmas gifts for each other (or the holiday you celebrate if it's not Christmas)?
Do you just go shopping for each other and it's a surprise?
Do you give each other a list?
Do you get one large-ish gift together (like a new TV, or a new piece of furniture, or that air hockey table you've both always wanted, or something like that)?
Do you skip the gifts altogether and just buy for the kids?
Help me on this, internet friends. How do you do Christmas?
So, after all that complaining yesterday...my little girl went pee-pee on the potty! She woke up dry from her nap, so we toddled straight to the bathroom and she did it! Hey, it's a start.
Anyway, on to the crafts. I find that when in the midst of a crazy time, like perhaps the holidays, it sometimes helps to just stop and do something enjoyable. For the past 2 nights I've spent my TV vegging time knitting up a little scarf for Daughter. Oh man, I can't believe my baby is big enough to require a scarf.
Basically, this is to tie around the hood of her coat so it doesn't flop down. Or, when it's really cold and she needs her big poofy parka I can wrap it around her neck inside the coat for warmth.
The pinks are not quite so bright in real life. It's just so crazy sunny today I couldn't capture the colors properly.
Yarn: Patons Soy Wool Stripes in "natural geranium"
Needles: US size 9
Measurements: about 4" X 33.5" (unblocked)
This yarn is neat. I've never seen or heard of it but I was in a Michael's store the other day for something else altogether and it caught my eye. I really need to stay out of the yarn sections of those stores. Sheesh. Anyway, it's 70% wool and 30% soy, and 110 yards. The gauge info says you should get 4" with 17 stitches on a size 9 needle...that sounded good to me so that's what I did. I just knit seed stitch back and forth till the yarn ran out. Apparently this yarn felts (they had a little felted swatch hanging next to the yarn in the store) so I will have to be careful laundering the scarf. I may have to pick up more of this yarn in the other colorways at some point. It's really pretty, and feels very silky.
Well, the laundry isn't going to fold itself. And it's over 50 degrees (F) today - in December, in Buffalo, and oh my gosh someone call Al Gore! The globe, it is WARMING! - so Daughter and I should really get out for some fresh air. Or at the very least we should get to the supermarket so we don't starve. Have a great day, everyone.
What day is it? This is one of those weeks for me...I'm so confused. On Monday night we were frosting cut-outs for Hubs to take to work and when I looked at the clock it was 9:01 and I freaked out because we! were! missing! HOUSE!
Not.
I have spent half of my time over the past few days preparing for Christmas, and the other half sitting on the floor next to the potty. I'm not sure which one I like less right now. That bathroom floor is cold, yo! But the wee one wants to sit on the potty and try to go, so there I sit, talking to her and reading books and running the water with my butt going numb. So far, nothing has happened, but I am happy that she is interested. (Please, no comments re: how to potty train my kid. We're really only just starting and I'm not in a hurry. You know me, when I want help, I will ask.)
On the Christmas front, I have baked at least 20 dozen cookies, most of which have already been consumed (don't worry, a ton went to the office with my husband), bought eleventy-billion more gifts because there's always just one more person I've forgotten, wrapped like about 3/4 of the gifts, crammed a tiny bit of knitting time in, and oh yeah, I've sat by the potty.
The yo-yo garland may not make it onto the tree this year. I just haven't been able to work on it, because I can't have sewing needles and small scissors around when Daughter is exploring the universe. At least knitting can be shoved in a bag or crammed on a shelf with minimal damage. So the sewing has been languishing.
I have gotten some knitting done:
The back of Daughter's latest sweater, dunked and blocked on Friday night. (By the way, this is Patons Classic Merino in denim, and it bled like the dickens. Just an FYI for anyone knitting up Christmas gifts with this yarn!)
Sneak preview of another project for Daughter. I'll tell all about it when I finish.
And finally, I missed the "share your favorite ornament" party hosted by Morning Glory last Friday because we didn't have our ornaments out yet, but I want to share that this is my favorite ornament this year. This is Tiny Ella. The real Ella is now at my in-laws' house and from what we hear is adjusting nicely. In her place Daughter seems to have adopted this tiny schnauzer ornament, which neither Hubs nor I can recall acquiring. She has a tiny chip in her tail, which Daughter will show anyone she can find, and as you can see there was a terrible accident involving one of her rear legs. That happened last night when I had to tackle Daughter as she stuck her finger in the one uncovered outlet in the entire house (yes, I have since covered it). Tiny Ella was in her other hand and went flying. I do have the bottom half of the leg to superglue on later. Whoops. Anyway, Tiny Ella goes everywhere with Daughter, including to the supermarket, the library, Christmas shopping, Grandma's house...you name it. It is adorable. There are other ornaments that I technically like better, but this year Tiny Ella is my fave.
Gotta go. SO MUCH TO DO! And yet again it is after lunchtime and I have not even showered. Crikey. Ho ho ho!
Teresa, that hat pattern is coming, I promise!
Goodness, I have a to-do list today that would make you weep (starting with 'take shower'), but here I am instead, writing about yo-yos. Why is blogging so much more fun than all the other junk I have to do?
A few people have asked about my yo-yos, and in real life I've had many people say, "yo-yo? What is this yo-yo of which you speak?" I thought everyone knew about these, but then again, I suppose I didn't know much about a lot of sewing stuff until I worked in a quilt shop.So here is some yo-yo info.
You want to start with a circle of fabric - something lightweight like a calico is perfect. They look especially sweet in vintage fabrics, like 30s and 40s feedsacks and other small prints. You don't want anything large-scale because you'll lose the design. The circle you start with needs to be approximately two times (2X) the size you want your finished yo-yo to be.
I must have wanted about a 2 or 2.25 inch yo-yo, because I made my initial circles 4.5 inches across. You don't have to be really precise about this unless you have special circle templates to work with. I used a round food storage container, and just traced each circle with a marker. It takes a long time, and so does cutting them all out, but it's a good tv-watching activity. If you can get your hands on a die-cutting machine, so much the better. Punch out a bunch at a time and you're ready to go.
Making yo-yos is not a precision activity. Mine vary from about 2 and 1/8 inches to 2.25 inches finished. That's ok with me.
Once your circles are all cut, you can start stitching. You can't beat these for simplicity of preparation. Just thread a fine needle with a double strand of thread, about 15 inches long or so, tie a double knot at the end (important because you will be pulling it quite taut), and begin folding the edge of the circle to the wrong side, about 1/4 inch. As I said, no real precision necessary. I am right-handed, so I fold the edge with my left hand and load the stitches with my right.
Use a running stitch, making sure to keep the knot on the folded side so you won't see it when you're done. Make your stitches about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. You don't have to be real neat here, just try to keep both your stitches and the amount you fold over fairly consistent.
Sorry for the lousy quality of some of these photos. It's hard to take pictures of such small stuff. Here I am just trying to show that I load a lot of stitches on my needle before pulling it through.
When you get all the way around, simply pull the stitches up as tightly as possible. If you've done it correctly it will resemble a tiny shower cap. Take a couple of tiny stitches in one of the folds and knot off the thread. Clip the threads close to the fabric. Then you just have to fuss with the finished product a little to make it lay nice and flat.
From what I have read I believe that, technically speaking, this is the "right" or "public" side of a finished yo-yo. But, as with all things crafty, I suppose that's up to the person making them.
If you like this side better, go for it! You definitely see more of the print this way.
Yo-yos are NOT meant to be made into a quilt that will get a lot of hard use. They are nice for decoration only. This is because when you sew them together, you just whipstitch the edges.
Hold two yo-yos with either the right or wrong sides together, depending on the look you're going for. Also, use a thread that will blend in well - I used this light cream so it would show up on the blog, but I will do the rest in a darker tan. Whipstitch the edge for about 1/4 inch, catching just a few threads at a time so they lay nice and flat.
Here are two joined together. Aren't they sweet?
You can lay them out in any arrangement that pleases you, of course. I am hoping to make a garland out of mine, so they will just go end-to-end, but you just do the same whipstitch between them to make rows.
Another neat way to use them is shown on Amanda's blog, where I originally got the garland idea. She glued them to ric-rac and I think also used buttons as accents.
Fun, huh? I am sort of yo-yo'd out after making all of these, but I will most likely be stitching some up again in the future.
Hat pattern to come over the weekend, hopefully. Now, about that to-do list.....
Chris wrote a funny post about getting out the Christmas decorations that ended with a decapitated baby Jesus...go read it, it'll make more sense (it's the one titled "if only the king's men had glue guns things might have worked out differently").
It reminds me of the time this statue
actually blew off its pedestal in a terrible windstorm - ND people, do you remember that? It was NUTS. The next day people were climbing up there and posing, taking photos. That's probably total sacrilege or something. I didn't do it, nor did I photograph anyone doing it, but I admit I probably laughed at the people who did.
Sorry, this post makes no sense to anyone who didn't go to college with me.
Coming soon - a post that will make sense to all (maybe).
As promised, here is the hat I made for Daughter. It fits perfectly and looks adorable on her head, but of course she hates it. She'll wear a roll-brim hat until the cows come home - in fact she sometimes goes and gets one and wears it around the house - but this earflap stuff is not her taste. Oh well, too bad, when it's in the 20s outside, she'll be wearing it.
Side view, so you can see the flaps. The edge has a row of single crochet to keep it from rolling and to give it a more finished look. The yarn is Patons Classic Merino in cream or natural or off-white...some variation of that color. I would tell you exactly what it is but Daughter made off with the ball band. She likes to wear them as bracelets.
I pretty much designed this myself, using whatever elements I could remember from patterns I've seen or used. If anyone is dying to make one of these for their toddler, I can try to post a pattern. Let me know. Also, I am thinking maybe this needs a simple little embroidered flower on the front. What do you think?
In other news, dudes, the dog bit me this morning.
She is a 7 year-old miniature schnauzer, usually pretty good-tempered. She tore up the bathroom garbage, I yelled at her and told her to go outside, but when you yell at her she turns into a statue and will not move. I went to grab her collar to pull her to the door, and she growled and bit my hand, hard enough to draw blood. Actually, I'm almost bleeding through the bandaid I put on. NOT COOL. I was super mad when it happened and I called Hub at work to tell him she needs a new home. I'm afraid that if she will bite me, she could bite Daughter. I just cannot abide that kind of danger in my home. He called his parents and they said they will take her. I hope it works out, because I won't take her back into my house.
Sigh.
Oh well, I guess I'll go make some more yo-yos, if I can work around this gross bandaid.
Hoo boy! I am really excited about this Christmas project, shamelessly stolen from Amanda (if you don't read her blog, by golly you should start).
I have all these yo-yos I started making way back in...uh...2003, I think. Was it? I think it was. Yes, yes, it was '03. My plan at the time was to use them for some sort of little quilt - possibly a mantel cover for Christmastime or something. But at the time we were living in an apartment and didn't even have a mantel, so I didn't rush on the project, and you know what happens...of course it got shoved into a box and put in the craft cabinet.
The fabric is Nancy Halvorsen's Christmas collection from way back when - I don't remember what she called it. It was distributed by Benartex, I do remember that. She is by far my favorite fabric designer, and I bought lots of this collection. During the holidays I have to physically stay away from quilt shops because I WILL buy Halvorsen fabrics, and a) I need more fabric like I need a hole in the head, and b) I can't afford to buy any more fabric, especially at this time of year.
Anyway, these circles have been cut and sitting in a box forever. I had 1/8 yard strips (about 4.5" wide) of each fabric, and traced a Rubbermaid container closest to that size to get consistent circles. Then I just tie off a length of thread, and make a not-very-fancy running stitch along the edge, folding the fabric over to the wrong side as I go. At the end I pull it up and knot it off. Voila, yo-yo!
I'm now planning to get these done in the next few days and make a garland out of them. Awesome! Hubs hates regular garland (I happen to love it, but I will sacrifice sparkly silver garland for the sake of our marital happiness), so I'm hoping this will be an acceptable substitute. Our (artificial) tree is on its way to us from Home Depot, and with clear lights and lots of our old childhood ornaments, I think this will look quite sweet. Stay tuned for finished project photos and a tree-modeling shot!
Also stay tuned for photos of Daughter's new winter hat that I whipped up last night and this morning. I wanted her to have an earflap hat with ties, so I sort of designed one. It's done but currently being bossed into shape on my blocking board (I hope) because the edges were curling. I'd also like to embellish it with some embroidery, maybe, to match her coat. We'll see what happens!
*with apologies to Chris Raschka.
I was all psyched to say "Kate's Christmas Sweatshop is now closed for the holidays" but alas, I forgot I have one more gift to stitch up. The fabric is being washed right now. But, I am happy to report, I finished three gifts this afternoon:
Flannel pants for Mom and sisters.
Pattern: McCall's Easy Stitch & Save # M4136
Size: one each of small, medium, and large
Fabric: Flannel, with elastic and a twill tape drawstring
This pattern stinks. The measurements are from outer space or something. I grabbed it off the rack on a day when Daughter was starting a hissy fit in the shopping cart so I couldn't examine it too closely, but the finished product came out like clown pants, for pete's sake. They are humongous. I am almost embarrassed to give them to my sisters and my mom - I don't want them to think it's a comment on their size or anything! I mean, I understand lounge pants should be comfy and loose, but these are just silly. If you have this pattern or you happen to buy it, be aware you might want to make a smaller size than you would normally. That was my experience, anyway.
Oh well, they are now wrapped and ready to go. Along with all this stuff:
I'm rockin' and rollin' and it's only December 3rd! I've been wrapping things as the orders arrive on my doorstep so I don't have a mountain of stuff sitting around all month. If the gifts are wrapped and tagged, they won't get misplaced and/or forgotten. Unfortunately, all the gifts are going to have to live on the dining room table until Christmas, because if I put them under the tree I'm sure Daughter will take care of unwrapping them in short order.
Speaking of the tree, we did not get one today. We left the house too close to lunchtime and Daughter got very tired very quickly, so we only got one errand taken care of before returning home. I'm off to order one online. That is how much I dislike shopping at Christmas time...we are taking our chances online ordering a tree from Home Depot so we don't have to actually go anywhere. Sad, eh?
Got to run...I can smell the lasagne so it must be just about done. A warm, yummy meal on a cold, yucky night!
Wow, I must be totally out of my mind. I actually went out shopping today. Saturday. Saturday, 3 weeks before Christmas. At like, 2 pm.
I went to WalMart, Target, Joann Fabrics, and AC Moore. There are no greater hotbeds of Christmas activity than those 4 places, I'm pretty sure. It took me 3 hours to get through 4 stores, and I knew exactly what I wanted before going in. SO! MANY! PEOPLE! I could never do all my Christmas shopping in real stores. It's bad enough that I have to supplement my online shopping with a few trips to brick & mortar places. At least I was able to go when Hubs was home to stay with Daughter. She would never have held up if I'd had to drag her through all the craziness.
Anyway. So much for my weekend knitting time. I sewed all night, trying to finish up some more gifts (almost done!), and tomorrow is tree day! Yay! Tomorrow is also fix-the-leaky-ceiling-in-the-bathroom day. We'll be cutting a hole in the bathroom ceiling to try and find where the leak is coming from, fixing...something...and then patching the hole. Maybe. Hopefully the result will be a nice, smooth, pretty ceiling and not divorce. (Kidding!) (Sort of.) (No, really kidding.)
I have been knitting lately, I swear. What, you want proof?
Cable sweater for Daughter. Because she surely doesn't have enough sweaters! This is definitely going to need a good dunk before I sew up the pieces, to open up the cables. It looks frighteningly narrow, but it pulls out to the proper measurements for the size (2) so I'm forging ahead. The pattern calls for US size 4 and 6 needles and worsted weight wool so I went up to sizes 5 and 7 because I'm wound up like an 8 day clock and I knit just a wee bit tightly.I don't know what this pattern is off the top of my head and I'm too lazy to go get the book right now...I do know it's from Knitting the New Classics (which, if you also have it or have ever seen it...those are classics?!? Dude, those are Bill Cosby sweaters through and through. Not so much classic in my book). I'll give full stats when I'm finished. I can tell you the yarn is Patons Classic Merino.
What's this? Another sweater for Daughter? I'm afraid so. I have a sickness, my friends. Can't...stop....knitting...wee....sweaters...
There is a fine line between cute and horrific, and I'm not sure where this yarn falls. It looks better in this picture than it does in real life. I thought it was pretty in the skeins because all I could see was grey shot through with blue and pink. Then I started knitting and the neon-ish orange and yellow showed up. Yikes. But whatever, I was committed at that point, so I finished up the body and knit the collar. It's not horrible, I suppose, just kind of...bright. It will be a good sweater for Daughter to knock around in, and since it's acrylic, I don't have to worry about laundering it. It's about a size 3, so I'm not in a huge rush to finish. I just work on it when I want something mindless.
Early Christmas prezzies! For me! This is Knitpicks Essential sock yarn in Pumpkin and Grass. I ordered a gift from Knitpicks and had to get my order to $40 so I could get free shipping, so I told Hubby I would take care of some of his shopping. I'll stick these under the tree and pretend to be surprised on the 25th.
The weather is supposed to get a little crazy around here starting tonight, so I may get some quality knitting time in this weekend (or sewing time...still have Christmas gifts to finish up). That is, when I'm not chasing Daughter around, trying to keep her from destroying the house.
