Mom's Birthday

I made this neck warmer for mom for her birthday. This was SG#1 in my gift count and I was glad to have it done early before any Christmas presents ... I'm still not done with everything I had hoped to finish by this point. It turned out a lot higher than I thought it would, but I just love the little leaf ties and baby cables. This also can be a hat if you pull the ties tight to close the top, but doubt Mom will ever wear it that way. It doesn't get that cold in Huntington Beach :)

Christmas aftermath

even though we had a four-day weekend, hosting 10 for Christmas dinner didn't leave me much time for knitting and sewing on my remaining three gifts (all clutches, two Cleo and one "Sushi") that need to be finished by New Year's Eve (blue Cleo and Sushi) and the weekend following (purple Cleo). I did get a little work done on the Sushi last night after a hard interval workout (5x1600! we are tough girls!!) and dinner with Wes at work ... I am still not sure how to do lining on these clutches and tonight is dinner in SCV with all the Johnsons again + Grandpa Jim and MaryLyn, so I won't be able to prep for a lunch-time AFY run tomorrow. Wes will be working Saturday night, so I guess I will plan to run over there after Tia and I finish 11 miles and get help with one so I can do the other two and have them ready to gift on New Year's Eve Sunday night. wow ... even with Christmas over things are still too busy!
Christmas was wonderful though - Wes and I had a good celebration on Saturday night and were both real happy with our gifts, I think. I know I am (new video iPod and stereo to play it on + cookbooks, Benefit makeup samples and candy galore!) and the look on Wes' face when he opened his hard-to-find present made it all worth it too! Cash is King - thanks to Wes' family - and will be spent on a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and a new dress (or this one?)! Mom and Dad also got me, among other thoughtful gifts, a great book that I admit took away from my working more on Sushi last night ... my fingers hurt and it is much easier to read about knitting in bed, than to actually knit in bed.

Jet Setter

I spent most of last weekend in Orange County after working two days in our Carson office. I brought along plenty of yarn anticipating that I could only play so many games of Uno with cousin Andrew while I planned to stay with them on Thursday and Friday nights. I didn't need to escape to knitting on Thursday because cousin had to go to bed early and I enjoyed some grown-up conversation with Aunt and Uncle before falling asleep. I was glad for my knitting on Friday though, when I decided spur-of-the-moment to fly to Seattle for Luke and Kristen's Christmas party. I started a new project in the airport while being delayed for an hour (power outages all over the Seattle area caused back-up at SeaTac) and also for the entire two hour flight. I almost completed one Fetching in that time (one glove, not one whole pair). I was also very grateful for my new head-warming Calorimetry ... it was dang cold in Washington!!

Especially when I had to wait for Luke to pick me up after falling asleep in the cell phone waiting lot. Flying home Saturday morning my fingers needed a rest, so I borrowed a book from Kristen then spent the rest of the weekend running around trying to catch up with everyone I wanted to see - so no more knitting! Last night after a quick jog with Tia, I came home to my empty house (boo!) and put Elf on again ... I started on my last present that I should be able to finish knitting tonight, then will add some special embroidery touches. In my head this is going to be the cutest thing ever, so I will be sure to post pictures if it turns out well. I also need to line one other bag I made a long time ago, and have been putting off lining because I don't really know how.
p.s. my baby brother has a very heavy hand when it comes to pouring booze! this is obvious because in this picture I am TOUCHING a DOG. ew. I would never have done that if I had stuck to plain old diet Coke. ha ha.

one for me

I've been in gift mode for over a month now and needed something quick and fun for me. I started Calorimetry from the new Knitty last Friday while relaxing at home with Elf and Rudolph in anticpation of Saturday morning's 10-mile run and Saturday night's venture to the Channel Island Boat Parade. I didn't finish it before I had to get to bed Friday, and when it started raining Saturday afternoon, I didn't worry about finishing it in time for the boat parade, because we decided not to go and this project got put to the side ... tonight with Wes at work and time running out to ship Christmas gifts to Luke and Kristen, I had to finish Kristen's gift fast. But once that was done and wrapped, I still needed to knit so just finished up my warm head-wrap. I love the army-green, teal and bright pink color blend from Noro Kuereyon (originally yarn I had bought for SG#4 before I turned it into WW) and can't wait for another outside event to wear it ... I need to get a button to fasten it though, I'd love to find an abalone shell button to go with the colors of the yarn.

Long-Legged Knitting Country-Music Fan

I knit a little more on SG#4 (WW) on Tuesday night while Wes was at work, but mostly used the opportunity to wrap up some of his gifts and put them under our teeny tree. SG#3 isn't a Christmas gift, it will need to be finished just after New Year's so that isn't as much a priority.
Last night had a reprieve from knitting and also from our regular date night routine as we drove to Universal Citywalk to see Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert rock the Gibson Amphitheater. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and definitely the best Dierks show I've seen (third time!). He played for two hours and covered all my old favorites and made me anxious for his new album, which I haven't bought yet (maybe I'll get it for Christmas?). Miranda Lambert opened for him and also played all my most favorites ("New Strings" and "Kerosene" specifically), but the highlight of her set was when she busted out CCR's "Traveling Band" - my favorite Creedence song! I was ready to jump up on stage and sing along with them!!
Dierks also did a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" to close out his encore and brought out Miranda (and the other opening act Randy Rodgers, who I had never really heard of, but he sounded pretty good too) to sing along, so this morning I was ready for some more Johnny Cash, but my iPod was out of juice! :( on a whim I pulled up JohnnyCash.com and plugged in my headphones to the computer and have been enjoying a great mix of the man in black ever since! What a great discovery!

P.S

officially ready for Santa!!

Last night I finished up Wes' stocking and hung it next to mine under our little tree. Now we are officially ready for Santa to come :) and I feel like my decorating is complete (almost, planning to make a stop at Pier1 on my way home from work today for some delicious Cinnamon-Cranberry candles ... then I'll be done).
Here are some closeups of some of the patterns: these snowmen are on the upper portion of Wes' stocking. The pattern called for buttons all the way around, but I had an idea to create a little scarf that would stick out - I think Aunt Alice did something similar on the stocking she made for Luke when we were kids, so I am not totally original, but it was fun to figure out how to make it. This is the toe of Wes' stocking ... and this is the toe of mine. I just love the holly. After I made the mini-stocking, I knew I wanted to put holly on my big one too.
Now I am officially back to Christmas present knitting - I haven't made any more progress on SG#4 (WW) or SG#3 since last week, so those are on my list to get done while Wes is working tonight and tomorrow.