Another crazy week behind me, and a fresh one rearing ready to go. Next week is going to be mad crazy as there is no school for the kids, but I’m not ready to think about that yet.

What I have been thinking about is the holidays. I have been trying to think realistically about the holidays this year and what I can actually accomplish. The actually accomplish part is where I usually hang myself. The luxury of time I have in my head and the luxury of time I actually get aren’t always quite in sync. For some reason in my head I have all the time in the world and can accomplish mad crafting genius for all my loved ones, reality she don’t play nice.

Last year for instance I thought it was a great idea to knit the kids and hubby sweaters minutes before Christmas. Nothing says mom’s a crazy knitter more than a family in coordinating sweaters – and this was my goal. I hunted down the perfect patterns for each of my intended victims, then I did the big splurge for yarn. Well to make a long story short none of the sweater got done. Shoot none of them even got started. I wasn’t kidding about the minutes before Christmas part, well exaggerating slightly, because it was more like a week and a half. A week and a half, approximately nine days, and I honestly thought I would have no problem knocking out 5 sweaters.

Oh, but I did learn much last year. I learned that some in my loving family just do not share the same love of yarn that I do, and my “guys it’s Rowan, they are like the plasma tv’s of yarn” went upon deaf ears. Personally, I would have been totally pleased with a box full of woolly goodness, but my loving family, not so much. Looking back on it all now, I can call it a small success for the two youngest ones because they were all into the boxes (you know how they love the boxes) and just used the yarn as balls to throw into the boxes. Basketball and hoop, now that’s not so bad.

So any ways back to reality and what I can actually accomplish. Honestly I’m not sure. There are still 38 days till Christmas, which can seem like a nice bit of time or nothing depending on how you look at it. What I really want to do this year is to replace the tree skirt and stockings. They were made when Nicole was three, so they are going on 9 years old, and lets just say they look it.

So that makes my list so far:
1 tree skirt
6 (maybe 7) stockings

Then there is my husband’s brother and his family. I’m thinking I might just knit for them this year, because believe it or not it may be more economical. They are a family with 9, yes 9 children, so I’m thinking hats. A dozen hats in a box in assorted sizes and let them pick and choose as they please. Doable?

So that makes my list so far:
1 tree skirt
6 (maybe 7) stockings
12 assorted hats for J’s family

Then there are my own kids. So far this year I have told Zach I would knit him 2 hats and a set of fingerless mitts. Then Missy picked out yarn for mitts, and keeps hankering me about this hat/ear flap going into a scarf thing she’s been wanting. Little man and Roy have both outgrown their hats and are always in the need for mitts, and both have sweaters on the needles already started. Hubby really wants a sweater, but being grounded in reality this year (oh yes that is my goal) I think that will wait till after the holidays. I must do his annual Christmas hat (the one that follows his annual Birthday hat) otherwise he might feel neglected, and he has been hinting about for some socks.

So that makes my list so far:
1 tree skirt
6 (maybe 7) stockings
17 assorted hats for J and family
1 hat/ear flap scarf combo
2 fingerless mitts
2 regular mitts
2 child sized sweaters
1 hubby sweater
1 pair of socks

Then the teachers gifts. These always through me for a loop, one because I work with the people, and two they’re hard! We just have one figured out already, we are getting her a gift card for Joanne’s her favorite crafty store for supplies. The other four still clueless. I did buy some nice soap at Rhinebeck, so I can possibly do the knitted wash cloth and soap deal for a couple of them. A couple of wash clothes are doable – yes?

So that makes my list so far:
1 tree skirt
6 (maybe 7) stockings
17 assorted hats for J and family
1 hat/ear flap scarf combo
2 fingerless mitts
2 regular mitts
2 child sized sweaters
1 hubby sweater
1 pair of socks
2 wash cloths

Oy! It’s happening again. Deep breath in, exhale out. The craziness must stop! Deep breath in, exhale out. Must think happy thoughts. Deep breath in, exhale out. Reality bites! Deep breath in, exhale out.

You want to know why Missy is sleeping on the couch tonight?

We pinned her out this morning (Missy helped) and I really thought it would be dry by now, but it’s still very damp. An almost dry Shetland Triangle, now that’s a happy thought.

Posted in Projects, Knitting, Spew on Nov 19th, 2006