Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned

I suppose Christmas is all about excess. We spend too much and we eat too much. I've just had the Christmas equivelent in knitting, I bought and spent too much... and I don't even feel bad. It would be truthful to say that I'm "OFF" the yarn diet in a big way.

This would be a tale of caution about what happens when you go Boxing Day shopping at yarn stores!

(I just bought that- as if I didn't have enough already)

Most folks hit the stores hard the day after Christmas, searching out deals and feeling the crushing blow of paying full price not two days before on the same item. MiL and I decided to forego the mall, and instead hit the yarn stores, which we discovered last year was much more fun. We were ready this year. We planned. I researched what I wanted to make. I allowed for two sweaters worth of yarn and said that self striping sock yarn was absolutely an allowable purchase. (I will admit that I spent all day at work on the 24th researching yarn substitutes for the sweaters so that I was really, REALLY prepared.) I suppose I wouldn't lie if I told you I did a little pre-yarn store stretching and practising with the elbows... thankfully I didn't need 'em. {PS- doing this research on Ravelry, again reminds me just how freakin' awesome that website is! SIGN UP NOW!!}

We started out early on the 26th, lining up 15 minutes before the store opened, (with about 20 or so other die-hard yarn fanatics-- FRAN the ENABLER-- where were you!?), sipping our Bailey's and coffee, provided by the lovely folks at Make 1 Yarn Studio. Once the doors open, it was a free for all, as we basically burst through the doors and headed straight for the sale table.

MiL found a Rowan book she wanted for 70% off, and I hit the mother of all self-striping sock sales-- a bag of 6 skeins, (1 pair of socks/skein regularly $16) for $50! FIFTY BUCKS. I swiped that puppy pretty quick. I showed the MiL and she agreed to split it with me-- we were both smiling like bandits. (And feeling like them too- STEAL of a DEAL.) I left with the sock yarn, mother in law scored some other sock yarn also and bought two books.

(Bag 'O Gloriously Cheap Sock Yarn)

Riding high on yarn sale euphoria, we headed over to Knit One Chat Too, to continue the deals. All the way over to Knit One, we kept complimenting each other on our incredible restraint. The sales were good, but we knew we had to sustain through another day of saling, so we had to stick to our pre-prepared lists and plans. Knit One didn't have the same atmosphere of Yarn hoarding that Make 1 did, (and I will admit I'm rather partial to Make 1), but that didn't exactly stop us from grabbing another skein of self striping sock yarn. (I have an addiction. I need help.)

(Jen's stash enhancement Day 1: Sock yarn purchase

(Day 1: Phyllis's newly acquired sock yarn stash)

THE NEXT DAY we were back in business again, as MiL showed up 20 minutes to 10, and we walked over to take advantage of Pudding Yarn's sale. Um- the whole "let's be restrained" thing kind of fell off the rails at this point. MiL started it off with picking out some "birthday sock yarn" for me. Birthday yarn has become somewhat of a tradition on our Boxing Day saling, as my birthday is in January, she usually gives me a little early present. (It's also to prevent the husband from yelling about the excess of yarn I always come home with.) Once we had Birthday yarn in hand, it was like our desperation to really splurge on yarn took hold. MiL picked up some sock yarn for herself, (I've created a monster), as well as some, how do I say this, not so cheap, Debbie Bliss for a beautiful sweater she plans to make for herself.

I fared pretty well too. I managed to pick up some great varigated yarn for Wicked, which I'm hoping to make in January this year- and at the last minute MiL found me the perfect yarn to make the Rebecca Jacket I've been coveting for the last 6 months, and after some tense store searching, I was able to get enough to make it. I ended up spending $100 at Pudding, which is pretty good considering how much yarn I left with. 20% off tends to add up!

(Jen's Stash Day 2- "The Pudding Incident")

(Day 2: Phyllis's "Pudding Incident")

The less said about the service at Pudding today, the better. Needless to say, while the women were nice, they were very clueless and there were a lot of annoyed individuals in the line, waiting and waiting and waiting.... if you're going to have a big sale, you want to be sure to have people who KNOW HOW TO USE THE TILL and KNOW WHERE THE YARN IS, helping you- not individuals who were there today, clueless on both fronts. (I know it's mean, but it's honest- there are other women who I'm sure would agree with me there.)

We had also planned to head over to Gina Brown's big sale, but honestly, after spending so much time waiting-- and spending so much... period, we were, pardon the pun, "spent". Both MiL felt like we got some amazing deals today- and I'm pretty much set yarn wise now for the rest of the year. Which I suppose means it's time to announce the New Years resolution of "Stash Management". I'm hoping to resist buying anything until SEPTEMBER- with the exception of baby blanket yarn, (which is cheap and needed), to work off the stash that has accumulated. I've got enough right now that I don't want to let it get out of control. I don't want to end up like this lady!!

So yes. There's been a little stash acquisition- but I'm hoping that will also bring more completed projects in the new year. I suppose I've rambled on long enough-- and will save the Christmas knitting loot story for another day. I'm not going to allow myself to touch the new and exciting yarn until the Old, and EXTREMELY MONOTONOUS baby blanket is close to finished. *sigh* I need to plug away on that puppy!

Dear Grandma

Dear Grandma P

I really had the best intentions. I made socks for Grandma J in August and I produced socks at break neck speeds for Grandpa J in November, but then I just hit a bump in the road and, let's just say the progress has been less than stellar.

The bump in the road's name is Christmas. This "Christmas" character is demanding a lot more of my time than I have right now, and everytime I think to myself, "lets sit down and knit these puppies", Christmas rears it's ugly little head and diverts my attention elsewhere.

Christmas is the stupid reason I've been in the mall for countless hours trying unsuccessfully to find gifts that are "just right". (Unnecessary pressure I put on myself, I know.) Christmas has also forced me do more baking, and olympic level freezer manipulation to fit in all the baking. (I'm sure you know a thing or two about that.) Also- it seems that this Christmas character also wants me to go to parties and out for lunches and well... it just seems to suck up a lot of my time that I normally commit to knitting.

And so- your socks have suffered. I wish I could post at least one sock, as a bastien of hope that they will get finished, but sadly, it just doesn't look that good on the sock front.


Yup. That's the progress so far. Not even divine intervention can save me at this point. (I'd be terrible at Sock Wars. {read that article- so cool that knitters are making the Wall Street Journal!})

Don't get me wrong. I WILL finish them- just not before Christmas, and well, honestly, probably not until we're well in the New Year. However, I know you're patient lady and you wouldn't want me to have any unecessary stress, so I'm just not going to sweat it. (Or at least TRY to not sweat it, if you only knew what a compulsive obsesser I am ...) Anyways- what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry- I've fallen victim to the knitter's worst enemy at Christmas, TIME. (In fact, what a lovely gift that would make- Dear Santa, I'd like more TIME please.)

I suppose it's very dramatic of me now to swear on a stack of bibles that I will learn from this story, and next year begin the Christmas knitting when time is ample and reasonable. But let's be honest, we all know what this blog will be saying a year from now.... I need more time to knit {blank} for Christmas!!!

I do hope you'll forgive.

Nennie

Socks for Grandpa!

I did it! I did it! I finished the socks on Saturday morning-- just a little over the deadline. Grandpa's getting his socks for christmas!

Pattern: King Charles Brocade, from More Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Kogiu (slobber)
Needles: US size 1
Thoughts: My issues with these socks are well documented- this wasn't exactly an easy time. The pattern itself is not hard to follow, but you do need to pay attention, so it's not bland tv knitting. Had I known I was going to need to more than two skeins of yarn, I would have sucked it up earlier and made the leg longer- which is the reason why I'm not 100% satisfied, so I hope Grandpa won't be disappointed. The yarn looks bluer in the picture, but they're actually a darker grey- and the pattern shows up nicely on them.

I hope they fit grandpa's feet- they are just a touch short on the husband's feet- but I did that intentionally, thinking grandpa's feet might be smaller. (If not, I guess Grandma gets two pairs of socks!)

Viola... the husband's leg....



So next up- the mad dash to knit a pair of socks for my other grandma, aptly named, "Anna's Socks" (her name is also Anna). That Cherry Tree Hill I bought in October is burning a hole in my stash and the yarn reminds me of her. So- back to frantic knitting!