Holiday Knitting Revealed

Well, here it is, the last day of December. I told you I'd blog every day this month, and I've made it! By the way, would you kindly remind me next year that this is too ambitious a goal for me in the month of December? If I'm gonna blog every day in any month, I really should choose February (the shortest month), or perhaps one of the months that is NOT in the middle of all the fall/winter holiday seasons! In any case, the Secret Knitting Review has become my end-of-December tradition, so here is the knitting I could not blog until after Christmas Gifting was complete! Links are included below each photo...enjoy!

First up are socks for Snake and Dollface! They both love hand knit socks, so I try to manage at least a pair apiece for the holidays! Matching yarn and different patterns made these super fun to knit!

Traveling Socks for Snake and
Toe-Riffic for Dollface.
(There may or may not be more secret socks on the
needles for a January birthday, as well...wink!)

I think this next one may have been my favorite holiday knit...fingerless gloves for Mindy, and I was not sold on the project until it was actually done, but I love how they came out! The purples cycled through with very long repeats, and a very subtle color change that I could barely see until I was photographing the finished mitts, but they are stunning! The alpaca halo to the white yarn adds a touch of elegant fuzzy to them...what more could I ask for?

A pair of Endpaper Mitts for Mindy.

There were also toys for Peanut (of course!). This photo represents one doll, of the "topsy-turvy" variety, with some fancy, Photoshop fun going on! See the pink and green at the very bottom of the dresses? Well, if you turn the green doll over-and-inside-out, the pink doll emerges, and vice versa! Pretty neat, huh?!?

Sisters doll for Peanut.

Then, because Mindy's mitts wouldn't match anything I had knit her in the past, I hurried to crank out a scarf with purple in it. I picked a pattern, but heavily modified it almost as soon as I started. It's blocking in the photo, so you can really see the lace pattern, and the color progression...I think it turned out pretty well!

Leafy Columns Scarf for Mindy.

Next up were the Jelly Bums. I think I have about 10 of these animal patterns, and it was difficult to decide which one to make for this Christmas, but I settled on the giraffe! Ain't (s)he a cutie? (I am sure you will see more of these in 2013!)

Jelly Bums Giraffe for Peanut.

Knowing that Dollface has a green scarf and mittens, and that she has lost the hat that matches them, I thought I'd try to make her another. It's a different yarn, and probably a different green (the others were done in a DK tweed-y yarn), but she said she likes her hats REALLY BIG, so I went with this...

A Big, Green Hat for Dollface.

After I had finished that hat, she informed me that she'd like "one of those hats that doesn't close at the top." "You mean a headband?," I asked. So that's what I did...twice, because I could not decide on a single pattern. lol!

Hats Without Tops for Dollface.

Last, but certainly not least, a hat for Mork! Knit to the specs for his dad's hats, this is a little small on him, so I'll have to make the next one bigger.

A Hat for Mork, that he may or may not wear.
But after all that knitting for everyone else,
I had to knit something for Mork!

Soooo, that's a lotta knitting! But, in all fairness, we had a lotta Christmas here, and the gifties were all well-received. Yay for everyone! I hope that your gift-giving went as well as mine did, and that you are looking forward to another good year of knitting in 2013! I think I'll cast on something fun today, as part of my new year's eve celebration, and I hope that you will get to do the same!

As for tomorrow, I won't be blogging...I'll be sleeping in. After that, there will probably be some pantry- and house-cleaning, as I prepare to get back to the healthier eating-and-exercise lifestyle I have strayed from these past 4-5 months, and hopefully you'll start seeing less Pretty in the next few weeks! I'll see you around the Internets, and on the blog on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as usual.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

This time, it's not ME...

Dear DROPS Sweater,

You've heard the saying, "It's not you, it's me," right? Yes, we have all heard it at one time or another. Well, I'd like to say that to you today...actually, I've wanted to say that to you for about the last month. But there's a problem. It's not true. 

That's right, lacy DROPS Sweater. This time, it's not me, it's totally YOU! I've read and re-read your pattern, and I've knitted on you, off and on, for over two months. I've knitted and counted, counted and knitted, and I've watched the lacy diamonds emerge from my needles, and I have loved you. I wasn't crazy about your bottom border, but I figured that I would grow to love it as well. After all, I've grown to love less beautiful pieces...but it just never happened with you.

I'm not sure why or how it happened...I'd say that maybe it was a touch of PMS, or maybe it was the busyness of the whole Christmas season, but I'd hate to mislead you. I think we've simply grown apart. But there's more...you see, I still love your yarn. I'm frogging you.

Rest in peace, lacy DROPS Sweater. We had a pretty good run, you and I, but it's over.

Pretty

Headed to the Frog Pond...

A Little Traveling Music...

For the past two weeks, this has been my life:

It's been crazy busy at Pretty's house!

...and I have loved just about every minute of it! (There was a moment that a cat tossed her cookies on my bed...I didn't love that so much.) So glad that Mork, Mindy and Peanut were able to visit for the holidays! Now that they are on their way home, I'll hold these memories close until Pop Pop and I can go down for a quick visit, maybe next month.

Where's the kitty? Should we go find the kitties?

It's gonna be a long month! I miss them already...but I'm glad I took lots of photos...

So many presents and people; and oh, the Christmas fun!

...and I can't wait to fully set up my new digital picture frame (thanks Mork and Mindy!) and just sit in front of it with a homemade soda (thanks Snake and Dollface!). =D As a matter of fact, I think that will be a fabulous way to ring in the new year! Yes, that and some knitting...

She will knit...eventually!

Then again, maybe I'll just go to bed early, as usual...I am one tired Gramma! (Tired in a good way...like this!)

I love it when they come for a visit...
and I sleep hard the night they leave!

Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?

What's going on?

Black Cat: Hey. What's that? What's going on?

White Cat: Calm down. It's just Peanut.

Black Cat: What's she doing up here? This is our "safe place."

White Cat: Awww, c'mon. She's not so bad. She's even kinda cute...

Black Cat: Hel-looo-ooooo! She has DOGS!!!

White Cat: Settle down, they're not up here in Pretty's room...

Black Cat: Hmmm...I guess you're right.

White Cat: I always am...

Black Cat: Not always...remember that time you had Glamour Shots done with a giant teddy bear?

White Cat: Oh, shut up and go back to sleep.

*Peanut is really talking these days! She loves the kitties, and it seems like they are starting to love her, too (when she doesn't have tag-a-long dogs, that is!). When she sees a cat, she goes over and gives a little pat-pat-pat...unless the cat runs away. In that case, the chase is on, and she can be heard all through the house, saying, "Come back, Kitty!" So cute! (But they generally do NOT come back. =/)

Too Much Holiday Cheer?

What happens when there is so much fun and holiday excitement that the baby doesn't get a nap? And then maybe she stays up a little past bedtime? 

Well...this:

You can't see the fall, and she was totally ok...but she was sooooo very sleepy! She was so very tired, she could barely hold herself up, so she just kept moving, trying to keep herself awake... 

Christmas is barely over, but it's time to get ready for New Year's Eve! How long until we are all recovered from these holidays? lol!