On the days before and after Christmas...

...my true love gave to me: 1 visitng MIL, 2 kids jacked up on Christmas, 3 nights of wrapping, Fouuurrrr flu "bugged" people(including me).

(edited to add: please make sure you're comfy, grab a coffee and a snack and maybe some champagne you might be here awhile)

Yes, it's all over for another year. Thankfully no one was sick until Christmas night after all the festivities were done. Well except for that incident on the day before Christmas Eve when we were all dressed and ready to go out after the kids went to bed and I narrowly missed being puked on.
Christmas Eve is always my favorite time, and this year was no different. The kids are allowed to open 1 gift each, always the same thing, a new pair of Jammies, and 1 mutual gift (usually a new christmas book, this year the Polar Express DVD). "L" was superhero superman with a velcro cape, and "K" a "pirate" of the carribean with his skull pants. We watched for the first time The Polar Express, and then read the four or five Christmas books we have acquired over the years. They boys put out Grandma "Faraways" almond cookies and some "nog negg" for Santa and carrots for the Reindeer, then off to bed after tracking Santa with Norad. This by the way is very cool for the kids, my kids loved it,

Christmas morning was good, and funny, not always the reaction you expect. When the boys came downstairs and both had bright shiny new red bikes under the tree (unwrapped of course) my oldest was taken right away and my youngest seem not to notice. Even though it was what he talked about most of the summer and right up to christmas about getting a new bike. Instead it was "Mom, what's in this big box?" "I don't know bud, do you see anything else intresting?" "UUMMMM" glances at bike, "Yeah but what's in this big box, is it for me?" "Look "L" I think Santa brought you this." "Yeah, but what's in this big box?" One track mind. He didn't warm up to the bike until yesterday when I convinced him that he could ride it without the upturned training wheels attached. (He wouldn't let us take his training wheels off his old bike when he didn't need them anymore, but allowed us to flip them up out of the way making them useless. The training wheels didn't get installed on then new bike.)

Christmas dinner, which did not include turkey, but stuffed roasted chicken, was fantastic. I made the chicken, and veggies, and a Rum Cake, hell knows we all should have rum for the holidays. My mom made the stuffing and gravy and my MIL made a fantastic and gigantic pecan pie. Dinner included, my mom and dad (divorced but still civil even pleasant to each other) my oldest brother and his gf, and my MIL and my family. Great fun was had by all after dinner when "L" passed around the POP ROCKS he got in his stocking, discussion of said POP ROCKS and its uses not to be mentioned here!

I received a beautiful family ring from my husband and sons, and the best knitting gift of all time was a ball winder from my best knitting friend Shelly. Isn't it great to have someone who knows what's going to turn your crank(pun intended) Thanks Shelly.

Well the insanity is not yet over, we still have not decided if we will attend the New Years party we put of going to every year. It seems like getting prepared for one night out with friends right after Christmas is like organizing a major play, a production of monstrous sets and cast. Usually I'm all for it before Christmas, when we get the RSVP invitation, but come Boxing Day it's "Hon, do you wanna go, or should you just cook up your seafood dinner while I lounge in my flannel jammies and knit a row or two?) It so easy to stay home, but sometimes easy isn't always best, that's what I tell my kids,. Maybe I should take my own advice, and go out and buy a new dress for me and a new shirt and pants for my husband. Who am I kidding, I could buy some pretty nice yarn with all that money. Who's going to be there for me later when I'm down? Those people I got dressed up with and drank champagne or yarn, precious yarn?

Well it looks as though I have spun a yarn, I think I outdid myself. If you are still reading I commend you for your persistance. Lord knows I would have bought yarn and sat on the couch and knit by now.

Happy New Year fellow bloggers and knitters, I thank you for coming and hanging out with me.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your families all the best for the holidays.

Drumroll please

Without further ado (cause god knows it took long enough) let me introduce to you, the completed, the one , the only (that I'll make) MMMMMMMust Have Cardigan.

Yes, finally it is done, and while it took along time, only because I shunned it now and again, I truly enjoyed making this sweater. That doesn't mean I didn't frog it oh no no no! I liked the pattern, the Peruvian highland wool in Ruby delightful, those buttons (which the jury is still out on) are from a friend, hand cut and drilled deer antler buttons. Please feel free to give your opinion on the buttons. I am very happy with how this sweater turned out, I am extremely proud of myself for stepping back now and again so that I didn't rush it. I took my time (lots of time) knitting, taking it back when a mistake was made, being patient with the sewing up. I think my Mom will be thrilled to bits to finally open this up on Christmas day.

And on the heels of the Must Have Cardigan, the quick and easy Mohair mitts knit from Fleece rtist Mohair and Blue Face Leicester. Gotta love a quick knit. I don't know who these will be for but they will make a great oopps I forgot about you last minute gift.

On Tuesday we got to watch "K" (that's him sandwiched between the girls) narrate The Night Before Christmas with interludes of different Christmas songs, sung by his classmates. My son is normally very shy and nervous, but put him on the stage to sing or read and he beams. One of his parts was to read " on dasher, on dancer on comet on cupid..." and he managed to get it all out. Me, my tongue gets tied trying to read it at home to the kids, nevermind putting me on stage in front of the whole school. One more christmas concert tomorrow, a basketball tournement this weekend, frantic last minute shopping for all the things I thought I bought, MIL to arrive and before you know it Santa will be here. Better get a move on.

Stat Checker & Panta Coveter

Today I was checking my stats, I like to know where people are visiting my blog from and I also like to know how they found my site. Today I had a visitor, and am such goof, I was so excited to see my blog referred to on a non-knitting site. All it took was this:

"Where: Blogs are everywhere and can be about anything. Use Google Blog Search to find one on just about anything. Here are just a few:
Unravelled — Knitting...."

on a library blog about blogging. There it was Unravelled - Knitting, doesnt take much to excite me does it.

More finished objects to come soon. The elusive Must Have will hopefully be making an appearance soon. And if I wasn't swamped enough, I came upon a quick knit for christmas while visiting Zib, that I must make for the girls in my life. Well I'm sure it would be a quick knit if I didn't want to make four of them. I may be pushing my luck and pass into "IT". You all know what "IT" is don't you? Crafster is where the pattern can found on the Panta thread the, pattern translation can be found on pages 2 and 4 and there are many great variations on the pattern. I dare you go take a peek.

It's a Wrap

I finally got around to buying a longsleeved v-neck to wear under my pink wrappy cardigan. It is very comforable, and warm but sheds like you wouldn't believe. The pattern called for ribbon as a closure and I opted to use a pin instead However, the pins are a bit fidley so I may just add the ribbon after all. Not till after Christmas of course. I am hoping with wear the sweater will lose most of the hairness, but if it doesn't I may have to invest in shares for the lint roller.

Another finished item, my husbands Peruvian earflap. I am extremely happy with how it turned out and even though he has seen it, he still wants me to wrap it and put it under the tree. He is a difficult person to buy for and this originally was a christmas gift, what a good sport.

Like everyone else life is a bit hectic. So blogging is few and far between.

Doctor's Orders.

I wanna shout it from the rooftops, I have high speed internet service at home. My doctor prescribed it! Well really, no he didn't but he would if he knew my pressure went through the roof every time I tried to us our dial - up! Mind you if I tried to shout now it would be less dramatic, I have laryngitis!

Knitting you ask, well yes I am being a good girl and trying to get my finishing done. Oh joy oh bliss I love the finishing up stage. HA!

Peruvian WIP

The peruvian Ch'ullo Hat is almost completed, only ends to weave in, lining to whip stitch and a little light steaming and it'll be done. I also finished my dad's Tuffy socks this weekend. This weekend was Breakfast with Santa and a short winter parade. "L" had his picture taken with Santa, but "K" wasn't interested, he was very relieved when I didn't insist on humiliating him, just to get a shot for Grandma. So the hat is almost done, the MHC cardigan banished to the bathroom, yet to be steamed and buttoned and a pair of mohair mitts next on the needles. And on Saturday morning we woke up to our first real snow. I let Griffin our 9 month old shitzu/bichon out for a his morning jaunt and in a few minutes called him back in. Because my hair was standing on end and it was cold I stode behind the door when I opened. When I turned around to wipe his paws this is what greeted me. Do you think he had fun?

Santa came early

And he brought me this. All I want for Christmas is a new LYS, a new LYS. Imagine my shock when my mother asked if I'd heard about the new yarn shop that was opening, and I hadn't. She said, "I thought you of all people would know". Imagine me passing out when she told me where it was opening." It supposed to be right downstairs in your office building". So of course I had dial up my best knitting pal (several times, I couldn't get the number right, I was so excited) and tell her the good news. After what seemed like an eternity I finally got it out of my mother that the women was trying to open up for December, and of course I made a hasty departure to go and check it out. Lo and behold, (I think I heard angels, Hallelujah, hallelujah) right before my wondering eyes did appear a new LYS owner and eight shelves of yarn gear. Ok that last part was lame and I don't know how many shelves, annywho. I am torn, I am very excited that there is a yarn store downstairs from my office, but I might have to get the HR department to forward my pay cheques downtstairs. Dangerous. The owner is very pleasant and receptive, she is starting out slow and once she know's what people are intrested in, she will start expanding. I'm sure she thought I was a total crazy person when I found that the store was open, first after babbling like an idiot then phoning my girlfriend immediately to say "GUESS WHERE I AM!!!" and then taking pictures of the place. K, well I am a little crazy but that's beside the point.

I have a FO that never even made it to the work in progress list. Here is a picture of the NON-ITCHY! earflap hat I whipped up for my son. He likes it enough, but still wants a purple hat, his favourite colour it puple. So I've convinced him a few blue stripes might be ok. I explained I really don't have a problem with him wearing purple, but the little boys in his class might. I'm sure he would be crushed. WHAT! purple isn't a "boy" colour. I'll just tell him to say "Purple's the new blue, where have you been?"

This weekend will be our City's winterfest. So breakfast with Santa in the morning with the Parade to follow, then off to son K's badmiton tournement. I think sleep and knitting will be in order for Sunday wouldn't want to over do it! ;)