I don't know what came over me...

Something happened. I couldn't handle it anymore. I wasn't feeling festive. Christmas was 5 days away, and I lost my everloving mind. I went on a baking rampage...
I baked 3 types of shortbread-1 plain, 1 with jam, and 1 with chocolate. I made diabetic friendly butter tarts. I made diabetic unfriendly butter tarts. I made mincemeat tarts-the mincemeat was made from scratch. I spent 4 and a half hours making delicious smelling goodies. I baked so much I hurt my back. I ended up with something like 10 dozen goodies. (I'm eating a butter tart right now). I downloaded a whole whack of Christmas songs and listened to them all day. I wrapped christmas presents. I didn't knit all day. I was generally insanely festive.
Now I have a billion cookies and tarts and nothing to do with them but EAT them! I am not going t0o any Christmas parties or family events. I made a vow not to do the general cookie give away this year because people were taking that for granted.
So now I get to spend the few days before Christmas stuffing my face and knitting...actually...now that I type it out...it doesn't sound that bad...

Call Me Ishmael

Tiny's sweater has become my great white whale...
I have been kntiting it since September, and designing it since...time immemorial. I seem to have some kind of subconscious block in connection with it. There are always other projects I need to work on. Last week I decided to sit down and slog away at it until it is finished.
Slogging is an excellent word...I finished knitting it to the point where I can justify starting work on the sleeves. I almost faltered at this point, but yea verily, fate swung her fickle locks and threw me a curve ball...I made myself a secret deal that when I finished one sleeve I could cast on a sweater for myself, and maybe start knitting some thick wooly socks for my husband's coworker...I was just about ready to sneak off and start knitting something else, when upon review of the patterns I realized that everything used the same size needles! Curses!!! Foiled again!! I can be a pretty fickle knitter but even I can't justify pulling needles from a project that I promised myself I would finish sometime this century to start other projects.
So here I am knitting away at Tiny's Sweater-which isn't so Tiny-I am going to have to find some truly triumphant music for the completion of this garment. Maybe even throw a party. I'll invite a whole bunch of people over, cook lots of food to warm up the kitchen, turn the thermostat on as high as it will go, and then make him wear the sweater all damn night...yeah...that will make me feel better...

Matchy Matchy

This was the big weekend of the Craft Fair. I did really well and had a goo dtime. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo until the end of the 1st day, so I don't have a photo of the table before selling a whole bunch of stuff!

I also picked up a few items at the craft Fair, and I had to work some serious willpower not to spend all the money I had made! Mackenzie helped out quite a bit and earned herself enough money to buy her Dad a Christmas present. She was super excited about having earned the moeny herself!
I bought a few pottery items. In the past few years I have developed a love of pottery. I wasn't keen on it for much of my life because I grew up in a place where it was pretty much shoved down my throat-that's not a reflection of my younger homelife but of our geographic location...
But in Kamloops I have discovered a potter who I admire greatly both as an artist and as a person. She is my favourite local artist, and that's saying something considering how many artists I get exposed to as the President of the Kamloops Arts Council. She is a truly talented potter and an incredible painter. I can't afford her paintings, so I buy her pottery-which she seriously underprices! It would cost me more to buy a nice serving bowl at Winners/Homesense than to buy a handthrown serving bowl from her. I have been getting her pieces through various means for just over a year now-commision, silent auction, purchase, trade and gift. I now have quite a nice set of matchy matchy local pottery and I am in love with it!!

I also have purchased a couple pieces by other potters that are not matchy but coordinate. I will continue to get more because I love it, it's functional, and durable!! (and within my price range!)

As previously promised I am throwing in a picture of the rabbit:

see that crooked ear? It's like that all the time and is way too cute. We've been having some adjustment difficulties and some minor health problems, but things seem to be settling in. She is such a nice bunny, very friendly and affectionate. She likes to pick up her brush and throw it at me- a good way to let me know it's brushing time! She got renamed completely by accident. I call her Bunny-wei, they yelled "bunny-wei!" in the Stargate movie a lot and it just kinda stuck.

Tiny decorated the Christmas tree this year. This was a big deal since he always leaves the tree decorating up to me. But last year, right after Christmas, he received some Maple Leaf ornaments as a gift and at some point her decided we had to have a Maple Leaf themed tree. It turned out really well! And next year I get a Coca Cola tree!!

Mackenzie has been kitting and getting quite good. The improvement in herfirst project from beginning to end is very cool to see. She is getting quick and confident and is now a faster knttier than some adult non-novie knitters I have met! She is on Ravelry. It`s nice to spread the disease....

so...

I know I haven't blogged much lately, but here's my inventory for the craft show this weekend...


7 pairs fingerless mitts
7 hats
2 pairs thrummed mittens
2 pairs mittens made with handspun
7 scarves
6 baby hats
6 pairs of booties
1 pair socks
1 sweater
30 skeins handspun
8 dozen custom glass pins.

It's like some kind of demented knitting Christmas song. But this is the final count. Keep in mind that on top of making all this there is labelling it all and doing the display.
I will have photos out after the weekend to show it off all together. None of it is pastel, and none of it is acrylic-which I think makes it pretty unique in the craft show world.

Now I have to finish the rick socks and Tiny's sweater...and maybe a green pair of socks-hopefully all before christmas. I have this insane dream where I actually get to knit something for myself. I have a plan...I am going to knit the February lady sweater. I have been procrastinating on it, because EVERYBODY has knit it. I mean EVERYONE. It wouldn't surprise me if my husband secretly knit it at some point (OK that would actually surprise the hell out of me, but you get my point) but I can't let that prevent me from knitting a pattern I really like. I mean, I am not going to stop wearing jeans simply because EVERYBODY is wearing them, that would just be silly...and I wouldn't have any pants to wear, so it would be impractical as well...and cold...and embarassing.
I am going to knit it in RED. I have this fantastic brilliant ruby red yarn sititng in my stash-there's enough of it to knit the February lady and I am going to do it.
...after...the rick socks...tiny's sweater...and maybe some green socks...

Slograt

when a person makes a comment on this and most other blogspot accounts, there is a word verification box to prevent spam and automated comments. I absolutely LOVE the word verification words. They aren't real words but combinations that are fantastic! I wonder if there is a word generator or if there is a committee of people whose job is to come up with the word verification combination! Wouldn't that be a fantastic job!
I often laugh at these words. The latest one was "slograt" isn't that fantastically science fiction? Something from Star Wars or maybe the Elder Scrolls video games.
I'd like to suggest that anyone making comments also mention their word verification word if they are so inclined and if the word is interesting. Maybe include a possible definition?

Twitter Went Crazy

Hi all
I have no idea what happend with my Twitter updates on the blog. My actual Twitter is fine and nobody seems to have hacked it, I think it might be a glitch with the application. I am having trouble finding another Twitter application that works, I keep getting error messages. In the meantime I will have no Twitter updates on my blgo until it's all worked...so it wasn't me talking about NASA, sore Lats, etc. I'm really not that interesting...

Happy December!

Wow, December already! I am doing a the Christmas at the Courthouse craft fair on Dec. 11 and 12th at the Old Courthouse in Kamloops and looking forward to it...I am trying not to get my hopes up because I haven't had much luck with sales at craft fairs, but I think I have some really fantastic items that people will want, so really it's all a matter of how many people actually go to the craft fair.
Today I came up with a list of what I have I already knit and what, ideally, I would like to knit before the 11th.

I have knit:
7 pairs of fingerless mitts
1 pair thrummed mittens
1 pair regular mittens
7 adult hats
1 scarf
4.5 pairs of baby booties
2 baby hats
1 pair socks
1 sweater

I will also have my handspun yarn available

I would like to knit before the 11th
1 pair thrummed mittens
2.5 pairs baby booties
3 baby hats
1 pair socks
1 pair regular mittens

Everything after that is gravy. I think this would be a very respectable inventory. I estimate it will take me about 8 days to knit what's left if I don't get distracted. This is very difficult because I have a bunch of things I want to finish up...liket he Pretty Thing, the other Rick Sock and Tiny's Sweater. I also got the Enchanted Sole and would like to knit something from there for myself. i am seriously jonesing for some selfknitting. After all the work I have done on kntiting for the craft fair I plan on knitting on one of my WIP's at the Craft show and maybe actually getting something fun finished.

I have managed to work out a system where I can scan photos for work while doing a little bit of knitting, but I can't do it too much or I start feeling seriously ADD...