Taking Stock

The last week of the year is a good time to take stock in the year's knitting. I started the 2 for 1 vow with 19 works in progress. Four of them have been crossed off the list. Five new items have been added to the list, and four of them have been completed and crossed off. The one new uncompleted project is the Elegant Ensemble, which includes several items, two of which are completed. So it isn't like I have been slacking on that one.

There are currently 18 works in progress. One less then before. At this rate, I will reduce the number to a normal level by the time I am 60.

Today, it is all about the normalcy.

Smitten with Mittens

Well The crowd was a but thin last night at Knittervention. Like two people thin, and one of them was me. I expected a crowd of knitters, working frantically on Christmas present, milking the last days before wrapping. 

Wrong! Still, two hours knitting and drinking Magners is still a good two hours. 

After a few months of pondering, planning, and preparation, I started my beother's Smitten. 

Well, technically, his girlfriend, Care's. My brother requested a mitten for two people to wear when holding hands. Sounds simple, but that means two mittens for the other hand. And another two mittens for lone use. That is a lot of mittens!  

And it occurs to me that I have been knitting a lot of mittens lately. Teacher mittens, colorwork mittens for me, hunting mittens, Brother Smittens, and the kids have been asking for mittens. That is a lot of mittens ! I would wonder about my recent obsession, but then I remember the sub-zero temperatures the last two winters, and it doesn't seem quite so unreasonable. 

Today, it is all about the warm hands for everyone. 

Finished and Delivered!

I am proud to announce that two sets of Teacher Mitts were finished and delivered ON TIME. Mitts knit, ends woven, prettily wrapped, and all in time to be delivered the last day of school before the vacation. 

I am pretty proud of myself. Sure, I set the Christmas bar pretty low this year, only attempting the teacher presents, but I also had two new family babies to knit for this fall. Plus I spend my days as a lawyer, my evenings as a mother, and my weekends as a contractor getting the rental house ready for sale. Honestly, the knitting is one of the few things keeping me sane these days. 

Today, it is all about the sanity. 

Christmas knitting: finished!

A full day of education ended up being a full day of knitting. I was paying attention, I swear. I would stop and take notes, turn pages in the materials, but my hands and needles were moving while I listened. At the beginning of the day, I had a inch or two of the fourth and final teacher mitt. By the end of the day, I was casting off. How cool is that? I need the schedule more continuing education at Christmas time!  

Today it is all about Complex Issues in Divorce, and knitting. 

Life Gets in the Way

I knew that it had been a while since I had blogged, but I had no idea it had been a full month. In my surprise, I could wonder how it happened, except I already know: Life gets in the way. I have been so busy with other things, I have had limited time for knitting. And when I had to divide my few minutes between blogging about knitting and actually knitting, I have to choose knitting. Especially with Christmas looming.

My teacher deadline is December 17th.  Because of the way that the calendar works this year, the 18th is the last day of school before Christmas vacation. So I have to have both sets of mitts finished and wrapped for the kids to take to school that morning.   I have three out if four mitts off the needles, and the fourth in progress. That is doable, but still a bit concerning.

I have an ace in the hole. I have Continuing Legal Education today and tomorrow. (Yesterday too, for that matter, but I mostly did the work I brought with me then.)  I can listen and knit at the same time. People don't always believe me, but I am by this time immune to the looks. I stop knitting and take notes when I need to, so I hope that proves that I can listen and knit at the same time.  I don't know why I need to. I have seen other lawyers on tablets, checking emails, playing solitaire, perusing the internet and reading a book, and no one gives them looks.

This is fiber discrimination!  I would complain, but I am supposed to be paying attention to the speakers, so silence is probably the better option.

Today, it is all about the education.

Stolen hour

This evening, I found myself with an unscheduled hour. The kids had Junior Nature Club with my mother, and my Sweetie was hunting after work. (yes, it is that time of year again.)   All day, I pondered my options. I could stay late at the office and attack the pile on my desk. I could get a decent workout. I could give myself a mani/pedi. I could clean the kitchen and vacuum the living room. I could relax, watch an hour of uninterrupted TV and knit.

I ended up watching the Season Finale of Home Fires and worked on the Christmas teacher mitts. I have barely knit at all in the past two weeks. I only have about four weeks to finish three more mitts. I wasn't lollygagging. These mitts have to be done before Christmas vacation. Doodlebug was asking just the other day when I was going to start working on the mitts for HIS teacher. Really, I will get both pairs fine in time. It is nothing against him that I started Bugaboo's teacher's mitt first. 

Today, it is all about the remembered deadlines. 

Oncoming Winter

i had to wear my full length wool coat today to court. It was 43 degrees, and I had been freezing for two days worth of walks to and from the courthouse because of not wearing it. I was not ready for this. I didn't need hat, ear warmer, scarf or gloves, but it is only a matter of time.

It can't be almost winter already. I had such plans for summer. I was going to try dyeing this summer. I have some wonderful silk ribbon that I received at the Christmas gift exchange, that is in an unfortunate shade of puke green. I was going to overdye it in some blue-ish.  I have been losing love for the heathered berry of the Merry Berry Shawl and was going to overdye it in . . . Well, I hadn't actually decided. Black, to make a charcoal gray withbp pink undertones? Red to make a rich burgundy?  Blue to make a soft purple?  I was going to do some test dyes, and decide.

 I was going to try dyeing this summer. Yet, here it is, Halloween tomorrow, freezing temperatures looming, . . Summer is gone, and I never tried dyeing. I am inclined to vow "next summer" but that is what I said last winter.

Today, it is all about the seasons.