Does anyone, ever?

True to form, it's Christmas eve, and even though I didn't set very many knitting goals for Christmas, I've still managed to fall short. Of course, I knew about 3 weeks ago that one of the things I was working on was not going to get finished. It just wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to, and so I quit while I was behind. Of course, without that gift, it put my shopping in a pinch, and I have yet to find the right substitute for this recipient. You see, I was really excited about this one. The pattern screamed this person's name to me, and I thought it would have been perfect. The yarn I chose for it was the skein I went to the end of the earth--or at least to the Orlando Needleworks Show for, and I had high hopes. Alas, the yarn did not do what I expected it to do, and I guess I can chalk this failure up to inexperience and getting in over my head. Of course, if I'd bothered to swatch first, I'd have known what the yarn was going to do. No big deal, though. I found a replacement pattern that I think will be lovely in this yarn, and so it's not a total loss. It's just not going to be a Christmas present. But I wish the recipient could know the lengths I went to to TRY and make something special. Now they're going to end up with a last minute gift certificate, which makes me feel somewhat ass-like.

I decided that my falling water scarf, which I've actually had done for a while, besides weaving in the ends, would make a nice gift for one of my grandmothers, and so that was an easy thing to accomplish. Yay me! One knitted gift done.

While I was busy hemming and hawing over the above mentioned failed project, I grabbed a ball of stash yarn and cast on for something I hadn't even planned on making. It turned out quite lovely, and it amazed me how I could create something on the fly like that, and have it turn out perfectly, while the planned and thought-out projects always seem to go to crap on me. I can't show you a picture of the finished object because obviously, I haven't gifted it yet, but here's a small peek.


Sorry about the picture being washed out, but it just wouldn't photograph well without the flash. Still, it's lovely in person--heathered gray and a subtle pink for the snowflake design.

Then last weekend, because I'm insane, I went and cast on for another scarf, thinking that if I gave one to one grandmother, I should probably make one for the other. I was going to do the same pattern, but since I was fresh out of laceweight yarn, I ended up choosing the Irish Hiking Scarf. It's a lovely and simple knit that I can do with my eyes closed. Unfortunately, I'm only about 1/3 of the way through it as we speak, and yes, it really is Christmas eve. Ugh! So much for that. But, my dad is leaving to go to TN on the 27th, and if I can' finish it before then, perhaps he can take it with him and deliver it a few days late. So, all hope is not quite lost yet.

So that's the saga of my Christmas knitting. Sorry if your gift isn't finished in time, but as you can see, it certainly wasn't for lack of trying/thought.

I can hardly believe that it's Christmas eve already. Every year time seems to move just a little more quickly, doesn't it? In all, 2007 hasn't been a bad year, but I'm hoping that 2008 will bring some long-overdue changes around here. In the meantime, I wish you and yours a very happy holiday, filled with family, love and laughter.