Sunday, December 24, 2006

Sister Number One (and Brother-in-law Number, um, Five, I think.  Okay that sounds like she's had five husbands, but she's only had one.  I have had five brothers-in-law (I think), and he's the most recent one.  That still doesn't sound right, but I'm giving up so we can get on with the story) was scheduled to stop by here Friday night on her way to my parents' place in Pittsburgh from her home in Colorado.  Driving.  They left Colorado Wednesday morning, and didn't even make it out of the state before they had to turn back.  While they've been digging out of two feet of snow, we've had rain and temperatures in the forties (and today it was gorgeous and sunshine-y and hit 50 degrees for a few minutes). 

Sister Number One (and her husband (ha! that's better!)) was supposed to pick up and deliver our gifts for my family in Pittsburgh.  But couldn't.  So I had to mail them on Thursday.  Which I did.  And I mailed her gifts (and her husband's) to Colorado.  In a hurry.  Without taking any pictures.  Of the knitted gifts.  So you can't see them.

I'm hoping the recipients will send photos to me, but we'll have to wait and see if I can get them to cooperate.  Can I be any worse of a blogger?  Barely any posts while Christmas knitting was going on, and now no photos to make up for it.  Geez!

I did, however, take photos of a couple of the gift scarves I made for some local folk:

For the mail carrier who always brings Keiko a treat:

For the young woman who keeps my feet looking beautiful (Well.  As beautiful as feet can look, anyway):

And I finished and mailed off uberimma's sons' quilts, just in time for Chanuka, but she won't be getting the package until next Wednesday, due to some logistical issues and conflicting religious holidays (like, she celebrates Hannukah but has to take off work for Christmas).  I know I'm spelling Hanukah a bunch of different ways, but that's because I have no idea how it's actually spelled.

I did remember to take pictures of the finished quilts I sent:

I imagined that big brother would get the big squares, and little brother would get the little squares, but I think big brother should probably get to choose who gets which one, since little brother won't really care.  Sound good, uberimma?

It's midnight on Christmas Eve, I'm going to kick back with a glass of wine for a bit before I go to bed, but I want to leave you with this:

(photo taken en route to elementary school Holiday Party)

May all your beef sausages be rolled in flaky golden crescent rolls.

Happy Holidays!

Sarah

Monday, December 18, 2006

I'm such a big girl.  Sad, but making big-girl decisions.

I can't go to lunch with friends on Friday because I was "volunteered" to make and deliver 30 pigs in blankets to Son Number Two's holiday party, and to set up and clean up.  In what universe are pigs in blankets a traditional holiday food?  For those of you who aren't in the know, I'm referring to cocktail wieners wrapped in Pillsbury Crescent rolls, although I use little beef sausages instead of cocktail wieners.  Hmm.  So, I guess I'm technically making cows in blankets, then.

I can't go to the Guild's holiday potluck on Tuesday because Son Number One's holiday concert is scheduled at the same time.  Can't miss the holiday concert.

I'm abandoning my block-of-the-month project at one of the local quilt stores because I didn't like two out of the first three blocks.  Maybe I'll keep using the pattern for the first block, with different fabrics.

Sigh.

Sarah

Friday, December 15, 2006

Hi!

How've you been?

That's great!  I've been doing just fine.  Thanks for asking!  Still knitting (and quilting) away on Christmas presents.  Only one more little item to (start and) finish up knitting-wise, and I'm pretty much done. 

Still no pictures, since all of the recipients look at my blog from time to time, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

Instead, I present more student projects, this time from my Intro to Intarsia class, in which we make a wee little vest.  See?

That's the front of Karen's, Claudia's, and Mary's vests, and here's the back:

Bad flash in this one, sorry.  Aren't they great, though?  Mary was at my house last night for Knitter's Choice and brought hers (the green and pink one), which was completely finished except for the zipper.  And I forgot to take a photo!  Loser!  (I'm the loser, not Mary -- she rocks!).

I'm off to Charlotte to teach my last class of the year, and then I'm on vacation until mid-January.  Woo hoo!  Maybe I'll have time to blog more often than once a week . . . or maybe I'll be too busy eating bon bons and watching holiday DVDs.  We'll see . . .

Sarah

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

First the good news:

Finished bags from two of my Introduction to Entrelac students!

Here's Connie's (she made the larger size):

See the two-toned handles?  Cool!

And here's Cheryl's (she made the smaller size):

She inserted her handles so that the knots hang decoratively.  Also cool!

It's very fun to see the creative changes that my students make to their class projects.  It's usually some little detail that I never would have thought of (like two-toned handles or inserting the handles differently).

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And now the bad news:

Mica has been eating my knitting again.  Well, technically, I've gotten lazy and started leaving my knitting lying around in the open again, despite my painfully-acquired knowledge that Mica likes to eat knitted fabric (she leaves the balls of yarn alone).  So I suppose it's my fault, really.  Darn me!

These photos show two of the four pieces she's munched lately.  All are/were class samples.  I've already re-knit the purple collar, the green yarn is on order, and the other two pieces are scarves that were completely ruined.  I didn't like one of the scarves, anyway, so it went into the circular file, and I cannibalized the remains of the other scarf to make a mitten to match the single mitten I had knit out of the same yarn before running out (are you still with me?).  So now I have a pair of mittens (and a hat) but no matching scarf.  No biggie.

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The Christmas knitting is winding down (yay!).  The Christmas shopping is nearing completion (yay!).  The house is decorated except for the tree, which we'll probably get this weekend (yay!).  We had an early Christmas with my father-in-law and his wife before they left for Florida for the winter, so that provided the motivation to get things done early, which I NEVER do.  It feels GREAT!  I hope to finish up the shopping tomorrow, and then I'll just have a few things to finish knitting/quilting (shh!) while my classes wind down for the holidays.  And I'll have a week before Christmas all to myself while the kids finish up school and the husband works (yay!).  None of them have any days off until after Christmas.  There will be peace on earth, at least in the Peasley household!

SOMEDAY I'll be able to show you what I've been knitting, but not yet!

Sarah

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