Merry Knitmas!

It was a rather uneventful and brief trip to visit the PA relatives. I met my other Great Niece for the first time. My niece (Allergic One) and her DH had tried fertility treatments for years to unsuccessfully conceive, then opted to adopt a girl from China. LL came home in October 2005. Two weeks later, my niece discovered she was five weeks pregnant. KU appeared in July 2006. So my niece and her DH have two children under the age of two. I feel for them. ;-) KU accompanied niece to Mother's funeral because she was still on the nipple. LL stayed home with Daddy because she was "a handful". So this was my first occasion to meet LL. Quite a precocious, smart, engaging child. Still not enough to put the long-dead batteries back into my biological clock, though, LOL.

I'm taking a much-deserved and much-needed break from knitting after the Hellidaze/Knitmare Before Christmas I experienced. On top of knitting abuse, I managed to whangle my other hand yesterday. Don't ask me how this happened. All I know is, as I was exiting the car at yet another rest area, my arm spazzed and threw my left hand into the latch part on the car—the thingie the door hooks into. I'm now sportin' yet another bruise and a big bump and pain. *SIGH* The things I do to myself. Are they sure about my birthdate? I mean, I've had enough mishaps to qualify to be a Saggitarius rather than the Cancerian homebody that they tell me I am. Anyway, I expect to resume knitting in a day or so, because of the two remaining gifts I need to get ready for friends.

In gifting news:
Two of the five knit recipients were absent. The other three gifts were well-received. Allergic One didn't seem to notice the presence of 25% wool in her scarf and was quite taken with the design and the fact that it doesn't need to be tied (since it's made that way). Her DH appreciated the half-scarf he got, and Sister's sock fit perfectly. Hopefully I can make another one just like it. She said she hadn't been expecting one with such an intricate design ("Monkey"). I guess she would have been thrilled with a one-day stockinette jobbie. Oh, well. Live and learn!

And last but not least, what I got:
BOOK STASH ENHANCEMENT!!!

Sister is a former knitter. Apparently she understands my needs. In lieu of clothes, I requested that everyone "please visit my Amazon WishList". My library now includes:

• Vogue Stitchionary Volume 1: Knit & Purl
• Vogue Stitchionary Volume 2: Cables
• EZ's Knitter's Almanac
• Designing Knitwear (Deborah Newton)
• Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified (Ann & Eugene Bourgeios of Philosopher's Wool)
• Color in Spinning (Deb Menz)

The kitties got a tub of the Nip. Now that's what I call the highest form of enabling (on all fronts)!

Self-gifting:
Of course, I gifted myself a bit more, since I'll be on the Yarn Diet and all in four days. I've decided I need to go on a Book Diet too, because I am weak when I enter a bookstore. Leaving without at least a magazine is nearly impossible for me. I keep Amazon.com in business. Therefore, I declare an addition to my rules:

1. I can buy a subscription to a magazine I read regularly IF I have read two of the issues of said magazine cover to cover in the past two months.
2. If it's a pattern-oriented magazine, and I can't find it in the library, I can only buy it if three patterns are REAL possibilities (not "yeah, I could knit that one day" fantasies) such as for a gift or upcoming event. If it's just another cabled sweater, I have to weigh how vital it is that I have THAT sweater, or if it's just me succumbing to the appeal of the layout, color, fuzziness of the yarn, how cute the model looks in the photo (wearing the sweater meaning I will look the same meaning I will magically drop 75 pounds, grow two inches taller, and reverse-age 20 years the moment I bind off)
3. I can buy a book only if it:

• can't be found through my local library
• can be found there, but I'm fourth in the queue for the hold
• contains a technique not available online for free that I need right now for a project I'm currently working on (from my stash, of course)
• isn't similar to something I already have on hand (technique, stitch dictionary)

God, I hope that covers it. Because today I ordered:

• Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar
• Yarns to Dye For: Creating Self-Patterning Yarns for Knitting
• The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook

and while at Books A Million after lunching with an old friend, I picked up:

• KnitLit the Third: We Spin More Yarns
• the latest issues of Spin-Off and Handwoven
• Believe: A Horseman's Journey (Buck Brannaman)

No, I haven't bought any more yarn.

Yet.

Labels: Christmas knitting, family time, stash enhancement, Xmas, yarn diet

posted by Jeanne @ 7:53 PM