Where the Universe Does Not Want Me to Enjoy Christmas

Christmas is cursed for me. This will be the third time in 3 years where being a corporate peon has made me have to work through Christmas. And just when I thought I was gonna get off easy this year because of the slow economy, I got smacked down again.

Things are Scary in Corporate Peon Land

As if I thought you all didn't already know, the economy sucks. Things are slow at my corporate peon office. People are nervous and just sitting tight. It certainly puts a damper on holiday cheer.


Courtesy of icanhazcheezburger.com

But, in other news, I have finally finished my Taste the Rainbow scarf. It took FOREVER with all that 1x1 ribbing. It just needs the ends woven in and a good long soak in my wool wash. I am moving on to scarf #2, but I am not sure if that will be done in time for Christmas. Oh well, there will just be an IOU on that one.

Someone in the family has also requested a slouchy hat based on this one. I think I can do it, but would be my first time deconstructing something. I bought some really lovely Gusanito, a test yarn from Malabrigo, for this hat. The color is called Rouge, and it is a vibrant red, but has the unique kettle dye color changes that is oh-so Malabrigo. But, this will have to wait until after the holidays.

Taste the Rainbow Striped Noro Scarf

I bought 4 balls of Noro Silk Garden at my favorite LYS, Imagiknit, this weekend and have been obsessively knitting my striped Noro scarf all weekend long. I am trying to understand all the fuss about this yarn.

Personally, I find Noro color combinations too vibrant/70s for my taste, but somehow knitting two different colorways together gives really lovely results. I choose one colorway which is pretty neutral, mostly blacks, blues, grays, with a shock of neon green, and the other is very virbrant, with pinks, fuschias, reds and greens. Still, I have found A LOT of foreign objects/vegetable matter embedded in the yarn, and some of it is large and sharp! Also, there have been two knots in one ball, and one end of the knot is in no way related colorwise to the other end of the knot, so have had to do some creative cutting and splicing. However, my sister-in-law did request a colorful scarf for Christmas, and this will fit the bill, I think. I am hoping that a good soak will soften up the yarn a bit, too.

Spaghetti Cat (I Weep for You)

My childish sense of humor.

Old Shale Scarf

With the spoils of my yarn crawl, I started the Old Shale Scarf by Tiennieknits. It is a beautiful rust orange color in Koigu Premium Merino. While on vacation on the cold, cold East Coast, I modeled a lot of my knitwear out of sheer necessity. I got several requests for knitted gifts because of this. This scarf will be for my mother as consolation for not stealing my Lace Ribbon Scarf from me.

Ahhh - Vacation

Vacation, all I ever wanted, vacation, had to get away...On vacation this week on the East Coast, in New Jersey/New York to visit family during Thanksgiving week, and it is wonderful. Went on a yarn shop crawl (will post pictures, but they are not that great) in NYC: Purl SoHo, School Products, and the Yarn Company. Bought something at each store, but honestly, San Francisco is really blessed with its own wonderful yarn shops.

I am also stuffing my face with yummy food - lots and lots of Korean food, NYC pizza at a place called Pinch and Smack, and I admit it, White Castle and Dunkin Donuts (each only just once!).

Christmas Knitting?

In my mind, I have a list of potential Christmas gifts that I would like to knit up. But, I am torn because I can't figure out if the persons to whom I want to give the gifts would appreciate the time and effort, or would just think "Ooookay, you were too cheap to buy me a gift?" and not understand the thought, and even expense, (let's face it, some yarns are pretty pricey!) put into the gift.

I would love to knit the Juliet Scarf by Louisa Harding for a friend at work. Whee! Look at me, I finished one measly lace project and now feel like I am good enough to give gifts of lace - will I be sorry? I am also thinking of doing a trade with one of my other friends, who turns out to be a crafty jewelry maker in her spare time. A scarf for a necklace. I already have a mental picture of the necklace I want in my mind - it involves gemstones and briolettes... I also toyed with the idea of making a pair of socks for someone. But, all that skinny ass yarn, and TWO finished objects to make ONE gift is daunting for me.

Am I being overly ambitious? Thinking too much about it? Maybe I should just give the gifts and if the people don't like them, to hell with them! It is the thought that counts, right?