On the 16th Day

 Yea!  One stocking finished.  Not my best work, but not bad for a second foray into two colored, two handed knitting.    My reindeer on the left is missing his back hoof and the one on the right seems to be a little pregnant!  Ha!  I did not even see the pregnant one until the wee hours last night.  The hoof I saw the other day, but I WAS not ripping it back.  In the next year, I'm going to go back and do a lining for the stocking, I think I will like it even better then.

I'm going to do more two stranded knitting in the new year, because I really want to perfect it.  It probably would be a good idea to haul out my copy of Meg and Amy's book and study it so I can better don't you think?!

I've recast on Mona Lisa's closet today, so I am off on a new project.  It feels so good to have the stocking done.  Now, I just need to get it ready to pop in the Fed Ex tomorrow.  What a weight has been lifted.

On the 15th Day

This is the little gem I am doing all the Christmas knitting for.  She is so worth it!!

Today, I finally got my little tree up with knitting related ornaments and my Christmas Snoopy collection out (except I am missing a couple of pieces), my living room and dining room cleaned and picked up.

Now it is time to seriously get back to little Mona Lisa's stocking.  I want it done and blocking come tomorrow this time.

What Was I Thinkin

It was a great thought that I could blog every day of December, documenting my Christmas knitting.  Until I got so busy knitting that there was not time enough to take pictures and blog about it.  So all of a sudden, it is the end of the week and I have all these pictures of still unfinished knitting.

On the 10th Day of Getting Ready for Christmas -

 I had the day off and my knitting chair reflects just how much I was settled in for a day of knitting.

The yarn room is pretty unkempt too.  Things are just being stacked in there for now until I can get them separated for wrapping.

I did get a fair amount of knitting done on Mona Lisa's stocking.  But, I am sweating the amount of red yarn that I have.

On the 11th day of getting ready for Christmas --

A little more was accomplished on the stocking.

On the 12th of getting ready Christmas--

The heel is taking shape.

On the 13th day of getting ready for Christmas--

 Good friend and knitting buddy, Linda  came through and had skeins of red yarn that matches mine.  We tossed around several options for the end of the stocking and I went home and tossed them all.

On the 14th of getting ready for Christmas--

I have ripped back the stocking yet once again.  I just did not like that little band of green at the top of the heel in the last picture of the stocking.

That is all I managed to complete today.  This stocking has got to be done, blocked and ready to fedex come Monday morning.  I'll be glad when it is done.  It's way past time to be knitting on something else!

12-12-12

We will never see this again will we?  I heard something so cool this morning on the Today Show.  There is a boy in New York who at 12:12 today will have turned 12.  How cool is that?!  Talk about a golden birthday!

12-12-12 - reminds me of that line in a song.  We may never pass this way again.  Don't know what song, but the line is very appropriate for today isn't it.

Seize the Day!

I'll be back in a couple of days to the regular getting ready for Christmas posts...by the way, I'm not ready, but then I don't have to be.  Enough said.

On the 9th Day of Getting Ready For Christmas

This was a day!  We left this morning at 6:30 a.m. to get over to Iowa.  I pooped tonight, but thank goodness I took tomorrow off.  This seems to be the norm for me when we have been in Iowa.  If we go for a day or a weekend, I like having a day to myself and I am going to need one tomorrow.

 Today, was Mona Lisa's Baptism.  She was so good, despite having the cough left from the croup.  Both Mom and Dad were not feeling the greatest either, but it was a great day.

 It has just been a couple of weeks, but she changes constantly.  It was a hoot to watch her today.  Her little hat was made by her Great Grandma out of a hankie that she can use when she gets married.

I knitted on Mona Lisa's first piece for Mona Lisa's closet, the spring frock.  After seeing her, I think I am going to have to rip this out and start again in a 12-18 months.  I don't think the 9-12 is going to give her much of a wearing life on it.

But wait, before we can proceed with Mona Lisa's Closet, I am going to have to do her stocking.  The poor girl does not have one in Iowa for Santa to fill and time is running out.

While we were in Iowa, we discussed our Christmas and when we could all get to celebrate it with.  It looks like not until January 5th over in Iowa.  Which means  I am not going to need a stocking here for Mona Lisa, so I have a whole year for that one.  And it became very clear that both kids over there need a decent stocking so I am going to embark on two for them for next year at their house.

I will want to coordinate theirs with Mona Lisa's so I am going to spend some time tonight looking at possibilities for stockings this year and next.  Continue with Eli's stocking for Mona Lisa this year or something else?

On the 8th Day of Getting Ready for Christmas

It became very clear today while typing this post, that I really meant all along to have titled these posts as getting ready for Christmas, not ...Christmas.  So from here on out, I will try to remember it.

Today, was a very good day.  I feel like I am accomplishing stuff.  Well, at least my friends and the internet are helping we accomplish stuff.  It's no secret, the only kind of real shopping I like to do is one of two ways, on the internet or at a yarn shop.    I accomplished both of those today.

 My good friend Sue and fellow knitter shopped for me last week while she was in Chicago, so I have these little cuties thanks to her!

The non e-book version of Mabel's closet came today in the mail, in this cute little muslin bag.  Inside was the autographed version of the book and a knitbot pin.

While at the yarn shop today, I had the help of knitters Sue, Kendra and Debbie on the colors for Mona Lisa's closet.

 I had an idea what I wanted from the Boden kids clothes website as to where I wanted to go with the ensemble.   And I think we came up with some pretty good matches.

All of her stuff is going to go in this adorable Thirty-One Bag which has her name in black on it, IF I get them done by the end of the year.  I'll have a little time I think, because I don't think we are getting together until between Christmas and New Years.

I really wanted to come home and immediately swatch for them, but I told myself I could not until I have my other orders placed, my bank account balanced and all the catching up on some must do stuff.
Then, and only then can I swatch.

So, as soon as I post this I'm heading over to balance my account, have dinner and then I can sit down and do a little swatting!!

On The 6th and 7th Days of Christmas

Yep, it was two days in one and that is exactly what it seemed like.  Fast forwarding and two days went by without hardly any Christmas knitting.  This is a sad state of affairs.

Yesterday was the Girls Holiday Bash that I coordinate with two of my young co-workers.  Last year if you remember, I and my friend Norma, knitted everyone scarves.  This year, we had a few left over so we gave them as prizes too.

Every year, the other two gals shop for themed center pieces that we do a raffle for.  Normally, I don't participate, but this year, there were a several centerpiece that I really wanted.  And  I won two of them.  One is some gorgeous jewelry in my fave color Caribe Blue and this basket of spa related items.  It is so darn cool and I was totally excited.

There is a lot of prep that goes into the Girls Holiday Bash, and I am the emcee for it.  By the time I got home last night, I was dead on my feet, and the only thing I wanted to do is get into my comfy chair and veg for awhile before heading to be.  Hence, the two days in one post.

 I am still not rested up, so it is an early night tonight, but I did manage to do a little knitting.  I have casted on this sweater for Mona Lisa.  It is really not meant to be a Christmas present, especially as tomorrow is yarn shop day and I am really looking forward to picking out some yarns for my rendition of Mona Lisa's Closet.

This may be my go to knitting for lys Saturdays.  I can knit on something fun AND it is from the shop that I will be knitting at - Knit 4 Together in Dunlap.  Past readers know how I feel about sitting at a shop and making sure I am knitting on there yarns while taking up their space.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's new yarn acquirement.

On the 5th Day of Christmas

I spent way too much time thinking about what yarns I might be able to use for my Mona Lisa Closet knitting.  Unfortunately, there is not enough cohesive color/types of yarn in the Yarn Room to do what I want so I'll have to do a little yarn shopping this weekend.

Dilemma?  Order Quince yarns or do Sublime from lys.  It's a tough one.

On the 4th Day of Christmas

I finally finished the scarf!

I bought a new pattern book that I have been waiting for it to come out.  

Can't wait until tomorrow night to come home and figure out what is first to knit for Mona Lisa.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

I thought I would be finished with the scarf for my great-niece.  But, not.  I am really hoping for tomorrow.

Today, it was 70 degrees in Central IL.  It would not be unusual for us to have snow and for it to be cold, really cold by now.  But, I am not complaining.  We got to walk at lunch today.

This is day two, of me trying to not eat wheat.  So far it has not been too bad.  If it takes care of some"issues" that I have, I would be real pleased.  Stay tuned.

On The 2nd Day of Christmas

I managed to stay on program for the whole day.  I made a really super delicious Banana Mango Smoothie that I hope to duplicate tomorrow for breakfast.  I made my own scrambled egg this morning and those who know me when see that for the major feat that it is...I don't cook.

I didn't finish the scarf for my niece, but it is half way done.  A couple of other things have been on my mind today, like what I want to knit after all the Christmas knitting is done.  But, I am happy to report that I have not acted upon my thoughts of future knitting projects.  Another major feat for me.

Which came first the book or the yarn?  In my case, it was the yarn.  I found some Pacific at the shop yesterday, knew I wanted to knit an afghan for my niece's new baby to be and in what colors, but did not know what amounts to buy.  In looking at patterns, I pulled this book off of the shelf.  I have the first issue which uses worsted (which reminds me at this blogging, I should maybe look at it) and thought maybe I would find some yardages in the book and then go home and find a pattern.

 It became real evident that this was a book that I needed.  There are so many cute things in the book.   It is geared towards sport weight, but I think I can make it work with Pacific.

This is the blanket pattern I am going to use for the new baby.  I love it in the colors in the book even though they are not the mom-to-be's colors.  I can't wait to start this and see it come to life, but I am going to wait.

The original plan was to do a blanket out of the pink and cream before I knew her colors for the nursery.  I was going to hold a strand of each and do the big bad baby blanket by Debbie Stoller.  But, once I saw the shop had a nice purple and with the help of Nancy and Sue we came up with a combo of the three.

Which led me to this sweater.  Actually, the front is solid with a big stripe and some lollipop flowers, but Sue and I both thought a whole sweater front and back would be a nifty spring sweater for Mona Lisa.

I must have a pink and purple thing going on these days, because I'm using them again for Mona Lisa's sweater.  We added a little rosy as the third color.

I am pretty proud that on the second day I'm staying pretty true to my holiday knitting, even though I really want to be casting on one of these new cuties.

The 24 Days of Christmas

As the real song goes, we all know there are 12 days to Christmas.  But for knitters, there are really 24 +days to Christmas.  The realization set in this morning as I was looking at the ads, that I have some work ahead of me!  And that I should blog about it this year, then maybe look back next year this same time and see how it all worked for me.  One of the things I am sure that I will have learned is that Christmas knitting really needs to start in about September....note to self.

Yesterday was nail day and we are starting a month of festive red nails, I just had to share this one.  It is two coats of red (OPI color, don't know the name) with a coat of sparkly stuff over it (also OPI).  The sparkly has a little gold to it.  Tis the season to be red and it goes with World Aids Day today.

Mona Lisa needs a stocking or maybe two.  I think I have decided to cast on this one.  I, also have cast on Eli's stocking from Schoolhouse Press, but am thinking it may be a little ambitious of a knit for me.  You know, like maybe that is one that should have been started in September OR for someone who has nothing else to knit???

I have the yarn for it.  I just love these Lamb's Pride colors, such true Christmas colors.

My real hope for today is to finish this scarf for my great niece...this is the other yarn that was in the bag she gave me to knit for her.  Surprisingly, in the rib pattern the Red Heart yarn is softening up a bit.  If there is any left, I have a new pattern from Susan B. Anderson for mittens that I wouldn't mind trying out for her.

Wow, that seems like a lot for the first day of Christmas.  Why oh why didn't I start in September??