Radio Silence

This month has been really quiet here but I have a good reason.  Mostly it has to do with family and the holidays, but it also because of a series of flings.  Knitted flings of course.  Flings must be kept secret, they take you away from your commitments and they make you feel a little knotty.

It all started with a phone call asking my mother what my step-father would like for Christmas.  She said a nice black hat.  I ran out and got some Lion Brand thick and quick and two days later had this:

Then my Godmother surprised me with a really nice gift

so I made her a Fling Scarf.

 













I knit my mother a necklace from the kit she bought at Rhinebeck. I forgot to photograph the finished product but it looked a great deal like the kit photo. This was such an easy pattern, so soft, so pretty and quick nice looking gift.

Finally, there was a nice calming soft brown wool hat that kept me calm through all the December drama. I knit it not knowing who it was going to be for or even why I was knitting it when I have a deadline baby blanket on the needles.  I needed something simple to knit on, something that kept my hands busy and when I cast off I found a very deserving person who felt honored to claim possession of the hat. All and all it was a good knitting month of flings but now I better get my tail in gear and finish the starfish blanket before Little Miss Mermaid comes.

Hope everyone had a very happy holiday.  I think this was one of the best Christmas' we have had in a long time.

PSA

In the knitting world, there is a phenomenon called "Sleep knitting" where you doze off with needles in hand and wake up to find more knitting done then when you drifted off.  Normally your hands go on automatic and just do a knit stitch or a purl stitch over and over.  Never to your hands work in patern, unless it is Garter or Stockinette and then it is only a 50/50 shot that your hands will get it right on their own. Knitters have reported that this usually requires tinking back to correct it.  However, if you don't recognize till 6 inches later, you must start ripping back or the daredevil move of dropping back. (I always feel I need Mission Impossible music when I drop stitches 6 inches down to get make that purl get in line.) 

With Christmas coming up in 23 days, I am issuing this Public Service Announcement to watch yourself.  Do you feel sleepy after staying up late to finish one more row?  Do you wake up with needles in your hands? Please if you feel drowsy, put down the needles. It is not worth it to try to get a couple more rows when you may have to rip it all out again.  Sleep Knitting can get you in deep trouble when you are working on a deadline.  Which is again, only 23 F-ing days away.

The More You Know...

Done and Done

So this year, my only goal was to make sure the boys had new hand knit hats before Christmas. It makes me feel like a good mom while I am knitting lots of other things for me. 


Bugs is the bomb.

Boo as the Dark Knight

Bugs, 6 years old, is a fan of video games and anything black and gold (Go Steelers!!) so I made up an Angry Birds hat. Boo, 2 years old, likes superheroes so he got a Batman hat with mask. 

It got so cold last week that we unearthed their hats from last year to wear to school. That pushed me to cast on.  I hurried to finish and they were both done the day after Thanksgiving (Yea to Bear for doing all the holiday driving so I could knit.)

Then this weekend, it has been 60 degrees and way to warm to wear their hats. Sigh.

So,  I now solemnly declare in front of all three readers of my blog (Hi Mom!) that there will be no more Christmas knitting.  No last minute projects for the kids teachers, no up all night finishing something for Aunt What's-her-face, No stress, No fuss.  My Christmas shopping isn't done but I have a list. Some of it will be baking because that is quick, cheap and well appreciated but no knitting...I hope.