T-38 hours until Christmas!

Are you ready?

I’m not quite there but moving along. Secret Project #4 (no that isn’t the sweater) is about 75% complete and needs to be finished by tomorrow afternoon. I’m pretty sure I can finish it in time but we’ll see.

I spent last night baking cookies for folks at work. I did short-bread (which I moved to soon and broke, oops!), Peanut Butter cookies, Ginger Bread Men and Chocolate Chip Cookies rolled in red and green sugar. I also went up stairs to MIL and got 2 kinds of Italian cookies that she had made, I don’t know there names. And I had a garter stitch Dune scarf that needed to be finished for today and was fretting about finishing it. She offered to work on it for me while I was baking, and wouldn’t you know it, she finished it a little over an hour later! It would have taken me until at least midnight to finish everything if she hadn’t been helping!!! Sometimes having a MIL upstairs is a very good thing! Having a second knitter in the house is certainly an advantage, esp. when they knit as fast as she does.

I’ve added some things in the sidebars of the blog. On the left is the Holiday Knitting list count down. As you can see I have finished a number of projects but there are still plenty to go . . . . and on the right you will find my growing list of Knitting New Years Resolutions.

Being that this tends to be a reflective time of year, I’ve been thinking about what things about my knitting habits I would like to change in the coming year. I’ve considered Grand ideas like not adding to my yarn stash (who am I kidding, I wouldn’t last a week) or spinning all the fiber I have before buying any more (again, I must be dellusional! I already have several fleeces reserved for the spring shearing so that won’t work). Then I decided that in 2004 I’d like to have some reasonable, more obtainable goals with maybe one tough one tossed in for a challenge. So far, and since it’s not New Year’s yet I am still working on the list, I have the following:

1. I will knit 1 pair of mittens and 1 hat, in any size and pattern and for no particular recipient each month of the year. They will be placed in the plastic tub where I store finished gift objects and be available for holiday/birthday and charity gifts.

2. I will knit a minimum of 2 adult sweaters during 2004. The one I started for DH does not count. The two sweaters will be 1 aran and 1 fair isle. One will be for myself and one will be for DH, he gets to choose which style he would prefer and then I’ll give him a selection of 4-6 sweaters to choose from in that style. (If he chooses the Fair Isle I will likely do a Fern for myself, its at the bottom of the page)

3. To learn to knit and purl continental style. I don’t expect to knit the sweaters this way yet, but by the end of the year I’d like to be able to complete a project or two without “throwing” the yarn.

I may come up with one or two more before the end of the year . . . . What

are your resolutions?