Running Out of Time

Three hats, half a mitten and a quarter of another hat later and I’m feeling a little burned out. My fingers are stiff and sore, not fun since I have a bit of arthritis in them already (thanks Mom, fab genes!)

I still have to finish three more hats, two pairs of fingerless gloves, three pairs of mittens and if I can manage it two more fingerless gloves. It all depends on how quickly I can get through the rest of it.

And to top it all off I have a few things to sew: headbands, an apron for Grandma, a dog coat and a lot of toys for our pets. Thank goodness for the trusty old Bernina 1630, it lets me zip through seams without a lot of extra thought. Unlike the beast of an old Singer I’m trying to wrangle into submission. That thing is… beastly. I don’t know that much about the other machine, my moms Elna, except that I’m not really allowed to touch it. Hmph.

Two Turn a Square Hats

From the pattern Turn a Square. The orange, brown and green one is my fathers, the blue and green one is my brothers.

The pattern was amazing, it`s my go-to beanie hat.

Christmas Knitting

I’ve been frantically knitting since the end of November to try and finish all of my Christmas knitting. I’m starting to wish I’d started back in July.

What I’m Knitting/Have Knit

  • Two hats for my brother and dad, both knit from the pattern Turn a Square. Amazing pattern by the way.
  • Another hat, this time for my sister. The purple, pink and white yarn above is what I’m using. I found it in the discount section of Walmart unlabeled, I think it might be Satin Sport from Bernat, but I’m not sure. The pattern is All Day Beret. It’s not something I’d pick, lace to me is knitting that looks like something, not just lines of holes, but my sister requested it. I’m actually enjoying the results, the pattern is simple and works nicely with the colours in the yarn. Best of all it’s a relatively quick knit!
  • My mom is getting a pair of wool mittens, knit from the yarn on the right. The pattern I’m using is Tweedy Mittens, I’m barely a few rows in, though.

I’ve spent less than $30 on enough yarn to knit 2 more pairs of fingerless gloves, a headband, a scarf (or gloves, I’m undecided.) Not bad for presents for four people, well maybe five because I’m going to make myself a present, of course. But since I’m the knitter mine comes last.

String up the Lights and Light up the Tree

Merry Christmas everyone! I’ll be back to posting after New Years, but until then check out my presents.

My Booty

  • A pair of warm fleece pajamas.
  • A pair of slipper boots for my poor broken foot. (Sniff.)
  • My old watch back. It died two years ago and my grandparents got me a new watch last Christmas, unfortunately my wrist is incredibly tiny and it slips off constantly. My four year old Relic from Zellers is still kicking, though, with a new battery.
  • A Clapper. I’ve wanted one since I was a little girl and saw my first Clapper commercial.
  • $15 iTunes gift card (Age of Zombies here I come! I’ve also purchased Reeder.)
  • Biosilk which I highly recommend because it smells absolutely delicious and I love the way it makes my hair feel. Totally justifies the price in my opinion..
  • A necklace.
  • A box of my favourite chocolates, Ferrero Rocher. (Yum!)
  • The last Nora Roberts book from The Bride Quartet: Trilogies & Series

The Stuff I Bought

Really this should say that it’s the stuff that my brother, sister and I bought because we pooled our money and set a budget. I did a lot of the shopping, though, but I couldn’t have done it without their input.

  • Two Pashmina scarves from Ardene. (One for Mom, one for my sister.)
  • A bluetooth headset. (For Dad, he just got a Blackberry and he needs to be able to talk on it whilst driving, which is illegal here without a headset.)
  • Two pairs of fingerless gloves, also from Ardene. (One long pair of purple argyles and a short pair of black lace for my sister.)
  • A Fender guitar strap. (For my brother.)
  • Two red Fender picks and one grey/black one. (Medium gauge, boo.)
  • Three pairs of comfy slippers. (One for mom, one for my sister and one for my brother.)
  • Socks. (Brother and Dad.)
  • More socks. (See above.)
  • Two much-needed packages of insoles. (See above.)

I spent a bit more than I really should have, but I managed to stay within the $100 budget pretty well, I think.

3 Days to Go

And I have none of my shopping done! It’s crunch time.

Next year I’m shopping in July.