Well, not really, but my I come into 120 spam commetns sent over the holiday weekend. Thanks for the gift, but I’d rather pass.

Needless to say, over this week I will be removing those comments and closing comments on all old entries, leaving just the most recent current. This shouldn’t cause any issues as I’ve never had anyone leave me a comment on an old entry.

I had a great Christmas. I’m sorry it’s over. My loved ones loved their gifts and were most generous. Eric got me a great featherbed that I adore and lots of stuff off of my list and my Chistmas money from my grandpa will buy the things I wanted, but didn’t get.

So, I end up being very luck this year in a million ways. I have a warm, safe home, a great family, my Mom is on the mend and, overall, the rest of us our healthy. We had the money to have a good christmas with no stress and put $40 on credit cards. That’s it.

So, I’m pleased.

As with Christmas always, things could have gone better. I got behind making dinner and it was an hour late (no one minded, but I did). And, we had another Christmas tree issue that I won’t explain in detail but resulted in buying a second tree so we could tear the first one down.

Knitting?

What’s that?

Kidding.

I had intended to finish my mom’s fuzzy feet before Christmas day, but it didn’t happen. We had a semi-crisis on the 23rd (when I had planned on knitting slipper 2) and I just couldn’t finish. That’s okay. As soon as I get my chores done today (and take Em shopping ) I’ll sit down, knit it up and get it felted and she’ll have them a couple of days late. I know she’ll love them and life happens, doesn’t it?

THe next two knitted items on my list are as follows
1) Finish Emily’s doll sweater
2) Knit Eric’s fuzzy feet.
3) (didn’t I say two?) finish sassy sock.

If I “feel like” knitting I could have those three things done before New Year’s Day. We’ll see how i feel.

Sewing:
Yes, lots of that to do too. I have material to make three more nighties for Emily as well as some doll clothes AND pajama pants for me. Not to mention those princess dresses.

Argh.

Prefer not to think about that one now.

Scrapbooking:
Lots to do there two. I have four or five albums I want to finish off in the next three months or so.

I don’t want ot think about those either right now.

My Christmas cards are in the mail and i have two people to buy gifts for. I am hoiping to have the “friends gifts” in the mail tomorrow and we’ll be baking cookies this weekend too.

All in plans to be ready for one relaxing week starting Monday. We’ll see if I make it.
Looking Back

Today marks my one year Blogversary and my Knitversary as well. A year ago, I cast on and knitted my first two project, a baby cap and booties for practice. SInce then I have knitted:
1) One awful Teddy Bear sweater
2) Flat knit socks
3) A flat knit cap
4) Flat knit mittens
5) Two cha cha scarves
6) Haiku
7) A giant booga bag A baby sweater, cap and booties for a gift
9)Sueet
10) Eric’s Chrsitmas stocking
11) A pair of fuzzy feet
12) A bucket hat
13) A poncho
14) a shaped sweater (which I am proud of becasue I seamed it awesome and solved a huge fit problem)
15) A pair of socks (knit in the round, my first)
16) a flower petal wash cloth
17) Three baby hats for charity
18) baby alpaca mittens knit in the round

(and seemed them horribley)
I also cast on and ripped out two pairs of misshapen two needle socks that would have been gifts last Christmas. They were horrible. I also frogged a very harlot poncho about sixteen times. I knit my sassy stripes socks already, but ripped a pair due to bad fit.

I finally threw out the awful ball of Red Heart Light and Lofty that’s been haunting me for a year. I bought it last year to make socks. They never happened. I hate the yarn. It sucks to work with. IT’s gone. Happy ANniversary to my needles and me.

The solace I have found in knitting this year as been a God send. I knit through the emotional move from our home in IL to our home here. I Knit through my mother’s surgery to remove cancer and am sure I will knit more before it’s all over. I have looked at projects as milestones. My booga bag will always hold the story of my last days in Lakemoor, even if it IS too big to use as I’d hoped (I may just make another, though). My sassy socks will always be a part of those days in the hospital with my Mom when I worried about whether I’d still have a Mom at their completion. Every FO tells a story, even if it’s not obiouvs to the people who see it. Times of stress, times of peace and times of just being there are housed in the stiches. Every one.

I was talking to a co-worker last year about knitting Em’s teddy a sweater. She asked why I didn’t just buy one. THey made them. Didn’t I know? Of course I could buy one, I answered, but it wouldn’t be the same. There wouldn’t be love in every stitch.

I am a very sentimental person and the process of knitting and the idea of knitting my sentiment into my items seems to just be a perfect fit for me. I’m so glad I found this hobby and a great community of other knitters to inspire me and challenge me.

I know i don’t get much traffic here. I’m nor prolific, I’m not fast, I’m not trendy and I may not be intersting, but as much as having my blog read means, being able to read about the process of others is even more important and I’ve enjoyed my time here.

In celebreation of my Knitiversary, I’m removing from the left side, all of the used yarns. New year, new start.

Thanks for reading. :O)

Do you dectect a theme?

[b] KNitting[/b]

I kntted two puppy puppet and decided there was no way in the world I would knit 9 more before tomorrow morning. We will find other gifts and give the puppies for Valentines day or end of school gifts

[b] Christmas Matters[/b]

Shopping is nearly completed. I am debating on a gift for Eric and have to shop for my sister.

Warpping has started. I need more ribbon. I will probably wrap Santa Gifts tomorrow

Baking has yet to commence.

Christmas cards will be finished today and will be sent out tomorrow.

I have decided that I will be assinging days to my leftover tasks.

Today is Christmas Card day. I’ll be pringing off my labels, cropping my pictures and stuffing enveloples

Tomorrow will be wrapping day

Thursday will be Finishing Our Friends Gifts for Mailing Day

Friday will start baking day which will likely last through Sunday

As of MOnday I should have a whole week to relax and enjoy the season. Hooray!

Hit the wrong button lost the entire entry. BAH!

Knitting

Emily’s baby alpaca mittens are finished and they’re wonderful.

There is one oopsie on them. The second mitten is a half inch shorter than the first. I have no earthly idea what happened as I followed the pattern for both mittens, but the problem with size is there. It will be unnoticable so I’m unworried. Also, my first thumb ended up being reverse stockingette stitch, so I had to knit the second thumb the same way.

No big deal, though.

It was time to get this finished as Winter is really on her way here in MI. Lots of snow and cold weather now.

In other knitting news, I may be pu tting off a few of my knitted CHristmas projects. I’m not sure that I’ll make it and have decided it’s not worth stressing out over it at this point.

I am going to sit down today and see how long it takes to make a puppy puppet. Emily will play with him/her even if I can’t finish 11, but with bulky yarn on size 10.5’s I’m thinking the process won’t be that long. We’ll see.

I am also considering putting off my sister’s gift as well. Her birthday is in Feb. so it’s not long it will be long before she gets a hold of it anyhow. We’ll see.

Christmas Preparations
Our tree is up!

I know, I said that yetserday, but here it is, in all its glory.

Isn’t it loverly? I love, love LOVE it. It’s perfect.

I got pictures back from my second photo shoot attempt. They didn’t turn out as well as last years, sadly, but they’re okay. I probably won’t pass out large sizes unless people actually ask for them. We’ve decided to send one out of Em and Jack. I’ll scan it to share as soon as we find the scanner. It’s gone AWOL??!?

Short list of Christmas things to do today:
1. Drop off print of Emily to have 50 reprints made. 2. Put return address labels on Christmas cards (show Em how to)
3. Stop at Staples to buy large size address labels
4. Finish page for gift album that needs to be mailed today
5. Purchase more paint cans to start filling for Friend’s/Grandparents gifts
6. Decorate available paint cans
7. Print out address labels.

I have more to do, but that’s all on the list for now. Wonder how much I’ll get done….

Holy Smokers (as Emily likes to say).

I need to clean out my digi. camera and get some pictures on of my current WIP, decorations and other things. Since I got my new camera, I’ve been using it a lot more than the digital so I have to remember to pull the digi. out to use it.

We put up our Christmas tree tonight and it is beautiful. It’s HUGE. Eric is convinced it’s the biggest we’ve ever had. I’m in love with it. I love decorating the tree and pulling out all of our tree things and our memories. I love hanging the Angel my grandma bought me before she died at the tippy top. It sounds corny but I like to think she is watching over us better that way. It makes me so happy to hang everything up and see our lives–us before and us now–spread out all over the branches.
My parents came over tonight for dinner too and I made Ultimate Potato Soup[/a] for dinner. It is FANTASTIC, but not for those on low carb/low cal/low fat/low anything diets. However, it’s such a special treat and it’s easy to make and tastes SO GOOD.

Am happy to announce that my Christms cards are finished. I’ll be taking pictures of the baby tomorrow and getting them off for processing ASAP so I can have them printed before sending.

50 handmade cards will soon be on their way to the 50 names on my Christmas card list.

My word did they take forever!!!!!

Finished up two gifts for mailing to my Secret Sister via a web site I frequent. I’m going to put together a mini book tonight for her and pick up a few more goodies so I can mail it on Friday.

In knitting news, I knit some on the second cuff of Em’s mitten. They knit up so quick, but I’m having trouble figuring out how to best spend my time.

It would be helpful if I could drag myself out of bed before 8 a.m.

I also placed an order for some Christmas gifts. Hooray! My plan is to have the large bulk of my Christmas work done by Sunday. Wish me luck!!

I can feel the panic setting in. I have hardly any gifts bought. Nothing is wrapped. Nothing is baked. I came to the realization tonight that we probably wouldn’t hang any outdoor lights this year. We’re running out of time already and that’s just one more thing too many on the list.

I may try to put out just a few because it brings me joy to do it, but it is something that can be removed from the list.

I finished the first of Emily’s baby alpaca mittens. I attempted to cast on for the second today but found that I wasn’t interested in working on it. It is getting cold and snowy here now so I should find the motivation to finish it. Maybe tomorrow.