Seriously, folks. I had one day. One. Actually, half of one. Forget Christmas - it was too filled with getting Christmas cards done, and baking cookies and a Gingerbread house - I still have half a pound of Gingerbread dough in the fridge that never got transformed into cookies. I used to make 10 - 12 different varieties of cookies before I had kids. Finishing decorations, also ate up time, and planning menus and making meals, and serving guests and wrapping gifts and last minute shopping. UG. My visions of sitting on my couch with my feet up sipping cocoa or tea and watching the snow fall while I happily knit during the holidays - was a farce! New Years Day folks. That's the day I got to knit. New Years Day, after racing around like a chicken with my head cut off to prepare an Egg Strata for a Brunch, and then finding I had no eggs - I had to race to the store in my pajama's (under my coat), buy eggs, throw together the Strata, which was supposed to soak overnight and bake for 55 minutes, and I just barely got it together and threw it in the Convection oven at a higher temp while I took a 3 minute shower. Luckily for me my husband was feeling generous with his time, and actually got the kids ready while I was doing all that. As soon as I was out of the bathroom I grabbed my undercooked contribution and we hit the road. Needlessly to say, we were 45 minutes late. We stayed as long as we could without seeming like we were leaving too quickly, and took off as soon as the first guest left. I wanted to get home and make some progress on Mom's Icelandic Cardigan, and needed to leave before I had one too many mimosa's and would lose the whole rest of the day to a drunken stupor! I had what I would consider a great knitting day. I feel caught up. I finished the second sleeve and attached them to the main body, and after a little time this afternoon have a nice start on the yoke! I'm fairly happy now actually that I've gotten a good bit of it done. Maybe I'm just lucky it's an Icelandic, and once you are done with the sleeves all you have left is the yoke, so you feel like you are really working at the speed of light.
I spent part of one morning the other day reading Stephanie Pearl McPhee Casts Off , and particularly focusing on a section about start-itus, and I was beginning to panic. Somehow reading her stuff and then actually making progress on finishing something, gives me more joy than it would normally. Well ...maybe that's because normally if I set a project down and pause for too long- I can't seem to pick it back up at all, and usually start something new to motivate my knitting spirit. Oh...I guess this sweater actually falls under that category. Oops. And I was so proud myself too. I convinced my Mom to let me make her this sweater after I finished my Dad's and knew I was still too exasperated to return to that lace scarf.
Ooh some shopping news. I bought a couple of KnitPicks needles the other day. It turns out my Denises' don't shine with their previous glittery shine anymore. I'm not liking the plastic needles. Particularly with the icelandic sweaters. You've got to have either the turbo Addi's or ... in my case, the Nickel Plated Knit Picks Options. Ok, though I already have a complaint. I was whizzing along and suddenly realized my stitches were falling in my lap. My needle had come unscrewed! I was silently praising Knit Picks for being 110% better than the Denises, and look where it got me. Boom. I had to quickly lace them back through praying I didn't drop any stitches and then try to re-tighten the needle on the circular band, when it was full of sweater. Not fun. I still like them better than Denises, but YEESH. Can't someone come up with a better locking system that actually works? Granted I didn't use my locking key, but ...ok this is going to sound strange, but I'm not actually sure how to do it? Is there some trick to it, or are you meant to gain more leverage by holding it to twist tighter? It just doesn't seem like it actually gets any tighter than it was by hand, because you are still holding the needle with your other hand. Maybe if I locked the needle in a vice grip first it would tighten it more. Between my teeth? I don't know. If anyone has any advice on this I would appreciate it. I love the actual needles and I love the cords...I just need them to STAY together!!! I bought some size 4s too, in both the Options and Harmony, so I could use them both at the same time while making some mittens using the double loop method. WHEEEEEE. If they fall apart though, I will have to scream.
Notice Rudy in the picture above. Always having to be in the middle of my knitting. It's like he knows. But look who was right next to me.
That's all for now. So WHEN When I ask you is the calm snowy Knitter's holiday with nothing to do but knit???
