A very hairy Christmas

I actually ended up knitting very few Christmas gifts this year. Maybe I maxed myself out last year. Or my friends and family have enough knitted items (perish the thought!) 

Anyway, this year I just knitted a couple of cowls, the same yarn and pattern. I posted about one of them earlier this year, because I thought I was gonna be on top of things. Ha! Anyway, 2 cowls. 

Then, because I love my brother beyond reason, and because he thought it would be funny, I made him a beard hat. I hope he likes/wears it. Because the half double crochets were much slower than just about any other stitch I have ever had to work, and the treble crochets in the beard were obnoxious as well. Holy poop.

Finally, I made a little fingerstache. Because all fake mustaches are hilarious. I can't imagine a time when I wouldn't find them funny. And my cousin clearly agrees, because she silk screened my brother a t-shirt that says "I mustache you a question"only with a mustache instead of the word. Freaking funny. Anyway, I bet she'll appreciate the fingerstache I made for her. Fortunately, it didn't take very long. And it's the only one I had to make, unlike the cup cozies I made last year that no one understood cuz Dad forgot to include the explanatory note (no, I'm not bitter, why do you ask?). Genius. I guess this actually counts as Hanukkah knitting, since she's Jewish... but who is counting?

Anyone else have some wonderful Christmas knitting to display?

Revised

I was going to post this really long, whiny rant. But then I decided I didn't really want to put that out into the universe. Instead, the things I want to say, in bullet format:

• This week is kicking my booty. Seriously. Can we be done yet?
• It's my sister's birthday week. Yes, she gets a week. Which means I'm seriously sleep deprived and yet still have to function normally. How is that fair?
• Knitting on the melonstrosity continues apace. If by "apace" you understand that I mean that I'm cramming it in wherever I have space, which is not really a whole lot of time.
• Shield your eyes if you are sensitive. Christmas is less than 3 weeks away. I'm not done buying gifts, making gifts, and deciding what to give people. This is a problem. 
• I'm leaving for Europe in less than a month. I don't have enough clothes for this trip. And I don't have my airline tickets yet (not my job, I'm waiting for the group I'm going with to send them to me). I'm kinda freaking out. I have my knitting planned, though. So at least that's settled.

That is all. Return to your regularly scheduled lives. Sorry there aren't any pictures. Again. Because my life is being consumed by this month. No joke.

I have nothing to knit

That's a lie. I have many things to knit, including the stash and the WIPs. I should say I have nothing that I want to knit. But you know the feeling, right? I've been slaving away at the melonstrosity (4 rows a night equals a little less than 2 hours of work, somewhat less if I'm not procrastinating/distracted/tired). But the melonstrosity knitting is just... duty knitting. I'm doing it because I know I should, and because it will yield a product of which I can be proud and which will be useful. I'm not knitting it because I want to. So it doesn't really count.

I'm also knitting on a cowl, which I started a few days ago because I was bored and because it counts toward Christmas knitting. Which I should really get on. I'm just not inspired about it yet. I probably will be when I get back from Thanksgiving, though, because that will really be crunch time. But now is not the time.

I have, as you know, several shawls on the needles. But the lace shawl I had big plans for last weekend pissed me off to the extent that it's back in time out because I've decided I hate it. Big scary holes, that's all I have to say. The other shawl I'm working on is the leaf lace shawl that I've been eyeing for a while, primarily because the sample I saw is made out of Karabella, which is a yarn company that only manufactures luscious, uber expensive yarns.






Mine is made out of slightly less luscious yarn, because I don't really need to spend a hundred bucks on a shawl. I just don't. Anyway, it's coming along fairly well, although it would be doing better if I could remember my freaking pattern when I leave the house. I'm still on the first ball of yarn, but nearing the end of it (I like to think).









To distract myself from the fact that I have nothing to knit, I have been spinning many things. Firstly, I started some of the fiber that I purchased at last year's Estes Park Wool Market (where Caitlin and I were overcome with wool fumes and nearly hyperventilated because we couldn't purchase everything).

It's Bonkers superwash merino in Indigo. It's very pretty, in person, and I haven't even washed it yet. I'm a little worried that the dye is going to bleed quite a bit when I do wash it, so I'll have to be careful. Anyway, it's pretty and it's plied and now I need to think of something to do with it.

I've also been plying my singles from the Tour de Fleece this summer. I only had a hand spindle for the TdF, so I went a lot more slowly than I thought I would, and didn't get nearly as much done as I had planned. I was proud of what I accomplished, however.

 This is Prim on BFL, from Storied Yarns. It's a representation of a character from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. This BFL isn't as luscious as the BFL singles I gifted to Caitlin last weekend, but might be nicer after I wash it.

 This, I think, is Rose Quartz on Merino, from a mystery fiber company. All I know is that I purchased this fiber from my LYS, because I lurved the color. It's very nice, and fairly smooth.

This is Mint Petals on merino/silk, from Funky Carolina, which has closed since I purchased this fiber in the spring. It's also my first attempt at 3 ply, which came out quite nicely, and is quite gorgeous because of the silk. It's actually kind of pastel, but I like it. Excellent.

You know what I really want to work on? I want to start a new sweater... I've got it picked out and the yarn and everything, I'm just a little concerned that the yarn is the wrong weight. Which would suck. We shall see. Maybe.