Just Sit Back & Knit

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve! Here is what my knitting projects are looking like right now...

Socks for my dad (Mission Falls 1824 Wool: almost four skeins, Sockulator II used for the pattern). I was hoping my to make my mom a pair in maroon, but never got there. These need the ends woven in and need a little clean up (get the dog hair, etc, off of them)

Mittens for my neice who turns four on Thursday. She lives in West Hollywood and really has no need for wool mittens but requested them nonetheless. (Mission Falls 1824 Wool in several colors although I probably used less than a skein all told. I made up the pattern as I went along after reading several mitten patterns.) I need to knit the thumbs and weave in all of the ends by Tuesday since she and her family will be going home then.

Slippers for my dad - his birthday is two days after Christmas. (Cascade 220 - two skeins of the brown, one skein and a smidge from the second of the orange. Fiber Trends wonderful felted clog slipper pattern in men's medium.) I need to finish the second sole for the second slipper (each slipper has a double thick sole), weave in all the many ends, felt and dry them by Wednesday.

In addition to knitting I just finished my last batch of candy and stuck it in the freezer so I can distribute it later today. I've got a little bit of wrapping left to do (including finding a present I bought for my husband and hid too well). Jason's Mom is in town with us until very early tomorrow morning so we'll have Christmas with her later today, before going to my family's big, annual Christmas Eve gathering. Oh, and it might be nice if I showered and ate at some point today.

---

I missed my weekly Random Thoughts post on Thursday, so I'll give you a few now.

I'm done with work.

Christmas is tomorrow.

My sister finished her quarter and got an A in both of her classes (she's a grad student, single mom and hard working case manager at a non-profit that does more good for the world than I could ever hope to do). We're all very proud of her - good job Jess! She's frantically knitting a beautiful version of the Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls for our mom for Christmas.

My belly is dancing right now.

My due date is forty-four days away.

I'm going to have the best baby ever.

I'm so very blessed.

Merry Christmas.

---

The day after Christmas a number of years ago, I was driving down a country road in Texas. And it was a bitter cold, cold morning. And walking ahead of me on the gravel road was a little bare-footed boy ...

"Mister, we had the wonderfulest Christmas in the United States down to our place. Lordy, it was the first one we ever had had there....

And, Mister, I wish you could have seen what was in that wagon. It's bags of stripety candy and apples and oranges and sacks of flour and some real coffee, you know, and just all tinselly and pretty and we couldn't say nothing. Just kind of held our breath and looked at it, you know. ...

And all of a sudden, papa, he broke out in a big grin again. He said, "Dad-blame-it, Sam Jackson, it's a sure a good thing you come by here. Lord have mercy, I liked to forgot. Old Santa Claus would have me in court if he heared about this. The last thing he asked me if I lived out here near you. Said he hadn't seen you around and said he wanted me to bring part of this out here to you and your family, your woman and your children."...

And us young'uns started playing Christmastime. And it's a lot of fun, you know. We'd just play Christmas Gift with one another and run around and around the house and just roll in the dirt, you know, and then we started playing Go Up To The Kitchen Door And Smell. And we'd run up and smell inside that kitchen door where mama and Sister Jackson was a-cooking at, and then we'd just die laughing and roll in the dirt, you know, and go chasing around and playing Christmas Gift.

And we played Christmastime till we just wore ourselves out....

Like I say, Mister, I believe that was the wonderfulest Christmas in the United States of America.

--
excerpts from John Henry Faulk's Christmas Story
listen to it, read it, love it at NPR.org

How Many Days Are Left?

This is Christmas Project #2 and it's DONE!!!!
I have so many left to do, I don't even want to know
how many more days I have left.

This thing was knit with  Knit Picks Panache.  It should be called Luscious or  Luxuriant or , well, you get the picture.  I adore this yarn.  It is 40% Baby Alpaca, 20% Cashmere, 20% Silk, and 20% Extrafine Merino.  I many not want to knit with any other yarn, ever again. 
This was my first experience, aside from drooling over the catalog, with ordering from and using Knit Picks.  I will be ordering again - as soon as I possibly can.

Christmas List

This year I was just going to e-mail my Christmas List to my mom. But, I couldn't. I generally try to make up a creative way to relay my Christmas list. I would be embarrassed by it if I weren't too busy having fun with it. A few of the highlights from the past ten or so years are...

• Website (I had just learned the barest bones of html)
• Powerpoint presentation (Lots of dissolving or zooming pictures in that one)
• Collage (Yes--magazines, construction paper, Elmer's glue - my husband did one too.)
• Catalog (This was last year - the clothing section was the best - I carefully photoshoped my head on to outfits I liked)

But this year I was just going to e-mail my list, since you know, I'm thirty, I'm pregnant, I'm busy--I really should do the grown up thing (yes, writing a Christmas list for your parents is a grown up thing to do). After making a joke to my sister that this year I was going to knit a scarf and embroider my list on it, I realized that I should blog my list. After all, this is my first Christmas as a blogger, and, since it is my last childless-Christmas, I still really need to be a little creative and wait till next year to just e-mail the list. So, here goes.

Barbara's Christmas List

Options Knitting Needle Set from Knitpicks

Sheepskin

Brest Friend Pillow

Diaper Pail (or two? check out diapersafari -
their medium size would be great)

Anything from our registries at Target and Amazon
(especially diaper stuff!)

Baby clothes that aren't pajamas
(like jeans/pants, t-shirts, overalls etc.)

Mini-food processor (the kind for chopping nuts or a single onion, etc.)

Apron

Le Creuset 2-Quart Multi 2-in-1 Pan with 8-Inch Omelet Cover, Red
or Le Creuset small saucepan and/or small skillet in red

Maternity/nursing pajamas

Thermos Pump Pot
(Sara recommended this - she and Jim kept one full of warm water for quick warmy-wets)

Books:

Any good ones

The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd

The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd

Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave by Ann Budd

Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Knitting without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Cotton Knits for All Seasons by Debbie Bliss

And Jason hasn't written his list yet but these count for his too:

Ultramotion Cherry Glider Rocker &
Ultramotion Cherry Glider Ottoman

My Journey to Christmas

This picture is installment one.
Since I am not sure exactly who reads this blog
I am going to be taking pictures that show almost nothing
of the gifts I am making!

I sucessfully ordered the rest of the yarn I need for gifts today, thanks Barb for the help.  I know it seems terribly late, but I am a blissfully-ingnorant-of- reality-opptomistic-procrastonator (say that three times fast - even once is hard for me - I can't even spell it).  Also the gifts I am making are mostly quick projects.
Because I could not help myself  I ordered a hank of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Midnight for myself.  Just because.  Because it looks beautiful.  Because even if I never knit myself a shawl with it I will love to touch it.  Because even if I do knit myself a shawl with it and never wear it because I don't wear shawls, I will have made something beautiful and luscious just for myself.

I just watched The Lake House last night, and with the complete opposite opinion of Barb's - I loved it.  Funny thing:  Jim did too.