Hmm…I think we need a holiday themed song to get us all in the spirit!
On the first day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, a website I visit daily
On the second day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, two brooding vicars
On the third day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, three easel sweaters
On the fourth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, four knitting playlists
On the fifth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, five field guides
On the sixth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, six acts of sewing
On the seventh day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, seven things to slow cook
On the eighth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, eight book posts from Franklin
On the ninth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, nine patch blankets
On the tenth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, ten cartoon patterns
On the eleventh day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, eleven kinds of self care
On the twelfth day of Giftalong, Kay and Ann gave to me, twelve new techniques
With apologies to everyone I couldn’t figure out a count or a rhyme for. There may be more holiday songs in the future just to keep the lights twinkling and the egg nogging.
I may have to admit defeat - something that happens rarely in knitting. I started the Wonder Woman Wrap as a gift for my daughter in law for Christmas. In more time than I care to admit, I have only finished the bottom border as the first short row section is driving me crazy! Not a big fan of W&T so figured I would use German short rows, The problem with that was there is so much going on with the pattern, I can’t always have enough space to do the mods for the German short rows. I am about to give up and knit some mitts. On top of that, I have to knit an intarsia Christmas stocking for my three week old grand daughter. Not sure that it would be appropriate to substitute something for that. Oh well, knitting is relaxing, therapeutic and meditative, right? Onward!
And I’ll either be knitting or quilting things up until the last minute…Dad’s scarf is a few rows from being finished, one of my son’s scarves needs the fringe…
But daughter’s Wolf River pullover doesn’t have sleeves yet, and my oldest grandson found some chunky yarn he really wants to be knitted into a blanket for his bed, which means a twin-sized blanket.
And that isn’t even counting the doll I need to sew or the quilt I need to finish quilting, or the hats that I haven’t even started to knit. WHAT HAPPENED!?
I’m in Iceland this week (that sounds bonkers. I’m in Iceland for the first time ever.) and yarn shopping later today. I have that “I could knit all the things and probably before Christmas!” feeling brewing like a crazy sneeze.
But I could probably knit a few colorwork hats and mitts before Christmas, right?
The felted mittens are ready to be mailed to France on Monday.
The box for Alberta that’s supposed to be mailed on the 11th has two hats but still needs another hat (it’s half-done) and a child’s vest (it’s still balls of yarn).
The box for Ontario that’s also supposed to be mailed on the 11th is empty. It needs three pairs of mittens. One pair is almost half-done and the other two are balls of yarn.
The “don’t have to be mailed” gifts include felted mittens (done), a hat (ball of yarn), yoga socks (ball of yarn), and a housecoat for my mother (pile of fabric that hasn’t even been washed yet –
because she thinks sewing a housecoat will be faster for me than if I knit her something).
And I work full-time until 4:30 on the 15th. I hope you all have popcorn. This may be fun to watch as the month continues,
I’m definitely a “1”, but I could end up being a “3” (depends on my neighbor which I will explain). I had a comfortable lead on my holiday knitting gift list when my neighbor showed up with eggs in hand ( she has chickens which is a whole other story) asking me to knit fingerless gloves for her mother. I made the neighbor a pair last Christmas and she said her mother wanted them but she wouldn’t give them to her so could I please knit another pair for her mother. In black please. So add one more thing to the list and hope she doesn’t need stuff knit for her 2 sisters thereby making me a “3”. To add to the stress I am trying to recane our dining room chairs . The goal being to finish those before Christmas.
I am so totally in Group 2 that I am unfolding a chaise and opening a bottle of ginger beer. Spectator sport! Carry on knitters - I’m rooting for all of you!
So far I have done five scarves (two are little short ones for my 4 year old niece and nephew so they were quick), and three asymmetrical scarves. I have also done some Christmas ornaments with bad words on them (the “I hate Christmas” collection because my friends are scrooges) and I think that’s it. I have lots of plans but I am quickly running out of time.
Ok, so I ordered a kit a month ago from–well, I won’t name names, but after a 25-day delay, it finally shipped. Not here yet, hoping sometime next week. It’ll be a Christmas gift for my stepdaughter. Really going to have to power through to get it done in time!
And thank you for this group!
Group 3. Totally group three. The first hat I knit came out too small, which happens to me so much I rarely make hats. But then I decided friends need hats and I needed a zauerball so another friend needes some knits even though I’m only supposed to knit from my stash this year, purchases were made. My last great hope for completion? The subway.
6Thank you all for sharing the madness. Last year I decided never to do this again but that was on the basis that my husband would be employed again by now but 2 years on from the day he was made redundant I have found the ultimate justification for the wool stash. My knitting mayhem began with Woolly Wormhead,s mystery hat-a-long which I thought would be great for my lovely neighbour who lives next door but I hadn’ t any sport weight yarn. It’s not a popular weight yet here. So I bought the recommended yarn online. I
Hat is blocking at the moment and I’m thinking of cheating by putting on a fur pom-poms rather than making one out of left over yarn. Then son number 1asked for a grey hat to match his long coat he wears at University, so I had to by some NA Dannsairean Aran from Helen at Ripples Craft, my favourite indie dyer, because I didn’t have any left . I have used it before and it makes great beanie hats, so that is two evening’s work to do. I am currently making a snood for my mother-in-law from Whistlebare’s mohair/Wensleydale yarn on big needles, hoping it will be done this weekend and to cap it all I have 5 dear friends whom I met when we were doing our creative embroidery course 10 years ago, the course took 5 years and we have spent most Thursdays togetkher ever since. I usually make them, and the woman who runs the shop in which we meet, a little something for Christmas. I found the Churchmouse jolly wee elves. One done and quite a few more to go because there are about 5 folk at church that I like to thank with a handmade something at Christmas. This would all be fine but I am the parish minister here and Christmas is busy,busy, busy with happy and sad stuff mixed together. My work is more than full time and I have elderly parents who need help with stuff too. As I write this I realise that something will have to give so I will now go and prioritise this list before it prioritises my doom! Later, when I work out how, I will post the elf to cheer everybody up and to add a helpful thought to all of you trying to finish things for husbands. I just knit out loud in front of him and he never assumes it is for him I’d he even notices what I’m doing! Many a Christmas jersey has made it to completion in front of a Game of Thrones box set. Mmmm, post Christmas dragon wing shawl idea is dawning.
I have almost all of them finished except a single hat. I have been carrying it around for two weeks now. Have worked on every other project, and even started a new one, rather than work on this hat.
I may have shifted into group 3 – I got up today at 6:45 to get knitting…I have a pom pom (yes just a pom pom) to mail to my granddaughter since I got the loome tool and could make a good one to go with the hat I sent previously with the sad stringy excuse of a pom pom I tried to make with cardboard…dog sweater still going round and round…
All the gals in my family are receiving fingerless mitts with coordinating nail polishes. Yup, even my 91 year old mother! 4 down, 3 to go. I feel confident and that’s scary. Is there a category for that?
Ok, I’m finally making some progress on this mohair shawl. Here’s a link to my project page with a photo - https://www.ravelry.com/projects/JodyH/heather-moors-lace-shawl. If it looks like there are giant holes in it, they’re supposed to be there. Every 4th row has yarn overs that are dropped on the next row - I say dropped, but really they are gently pried off the needle each time. I’ve finished 20 rows out of 96, so I feel better about it when I look at it that way.
