santa's workshop

The following serves as further proof that I am maybe kinda not right. At one point I declared that I would not be knitting anything for Christmas this year. Obviously, I was full of it. This first thing I did over Thanksgiving break was whip up a pair of fingerless gloves using the Fetching pattern from Knitty. I had purchased a couple balls of Cashmerino Aran on sale a while ago, with this pattern in mind. I finally got around to knitting them this weekend and they went SO quickly. The thumb is not beautiful, but it's passable. I prefer mitten and glove patterns with a thumb gusset, but using waste yarn to make the thumb opening was pretty easy, and it didn't seem to affect the fit. These fingerless gloves will soon be deployed to Iraq to serve our country by warming the hands of CPT Jackie, JAG, and lifting her spirits while she does her thing over there.

I had to have something to keep my hands busy after Thanksgiving dinner, so I thought it appropriate to start a new project to take to my grandmother's house. I ripped out the toe-up socks I started in August, since something about the short row heel was not working for me. I began on the Jaywalker pattern instead, since so many people have seemed to be so successful with it. Why am I knitting these socks? I dunno. Really, I just wanted to have something to work on, post-turkey, and I couldn't take my dad's sweater, of course.

(Sigh)...my dad's sweater. I have harassed him no less than 4 times about his measurements, so any remaining hope of surprising him with a handknit sweater on Christmas morning is definitely out the window at this point. However, for my dad, the surprise will be if the sweater actually fits! (Unfortunately, I have established a Christmas tradition of presenting my dad with dad handknit items that are way too small. Hats that squish his head, specifically.) I am actually pretty close to the measurements he gave me, but the thing looks HUGE. I tried it on and it was a mini-dress on me. Seriously, just gimme a white belt and some leggings and call it 1986. I realize that my dad is a bigger person than I am, but I don't think he's THAT much bigger. I have a feeling that the raglan measurement he gave me was off, which would account for everything else being too large. We'll see. Maybe he can grow into it.

And because I am really, very, not quite right, I also started knitting Christmas ornaments, using the pattern from Handknit Holidays. It's one of those patterns you look at and think, "They're cute, but knitting your own Christmas ornaments?! Pfft. Yeah right. I really have better things to do with my time." Well, either I do NOT actually have better things to do with my time, or perhaps I was mesmerized by the little white lights I hung all over the apartment this weekend, because I suddenly decided that it would be a SUPER idea to knit about 20 of these! (Maybe 25.) I'm having a Christmas party in a few weeks, and I thought it would be just terribly charming to have each guest take one of these home with them. I actually got 8 of them done. And they are pretty cute. But knitting your own Christmas ornaments?? I mean, really.