Brrrrr...Christmas Tree Weekend!

Finally, after much deliberation, we decided to get our tree. We were (or mostly me, I guess) unsure whether or not we'd actually get a tree this year with us traveling so close to Christmas and I didn't think I wanted to go to all the trouble if we wouldn't be home to enjoy it the whole time.

BUT....

My boys (and, surprisingly, my hubby - who is a notorious "Grinch/Scrooge" around this time of year -not with money, but with decorations, parties, wrapping gifts, socializing, etc......Though....Um....really, he's not THAT bad!....was FOR getting it!) were upset when they thought we might not get our tree....so....I gave in.

We went to our usual place, Noel's Tree Farm in Litchfield, NH...a great place...and had a really fun time. Was hoping to meet Jackie there but, sadly, we missed each other again this year.

We picked out a beautiful 8 foot Balsam - a little slim and pretty tall - and, though we couldn't cut it ourselves (those were TINY!!!), it's pretty fresh. Smells mmmm.....

The tree farm had a huge fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows over - the boys LOVED this part!



And I was able to snap a quick pic of the three of my "boys" without any silly faces (an almost impossible job!)....



And...Ian got a pic of me and the boys, but it's strangely distant....



It was the perfect day - spending time with the boys (and very little arguing...lol), snuggled by the fire and bringing home a gorgeous tree. I love New Hampshire!

BTW- WEIGHT WATCHERS UPDATE: I'm up to having lost 24 pounds (2.4 last week!) and also made my 10% a couple of weeks ago. Pretty cool!

Down to the Wire

FINALLY, an FO that I hoped to show on Friday, but I was so busy and tired, that I just didn't get a chance to. Wow, this weekend just flew by, didn't it??

This is the Noro Felted Bucket Bag with Charms that I knit for a shop sample. It was very easy and fun to make, much like a Booga Bag in construction...with a few changes here and there. Try it...it would make a great holiday gift and you could finish it in plenty of time for the holidays. Really ; )

DETAILS:

Pattern: KFI Noro Felted Bucket Bag with Charms
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" circular, size US 13
Yarn: 4 balls of Noro Kureyon color 213A and 1 skein of Gedifra Techno Hair in teal.

This is how the bag looked BEFORE felting:



Note: I also used some glass charms for the front tassle and, as I ALWAYS seem to run out of this yarn, I used 1/4 of another skein of Kureyon as well.

Now that this is done, I've been able to get back to my holiday knitting for lovely people in my life:

-A black, cashmere scarf for my dad using Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere from the shop and a pattern I created...a very simple one which I'm calling "The 52 Scarf" and will share in the next post. Oooh, is it luscious!!! I don't think I have the proper motivation to finish it because it's so wonderful to knit with and I'm savoring every moment....mmmm.(picture soon)

-A secret knitting item for my Secret Snowflake Pal (also for the shop, so I can't show it here until it's finished....boy, oh, it's coming out beautiful!)

-A Palindrome scarf that may be for my mom, if I can get it done in time...if not, I will make it for her for her birthday in February. We'll see how fast I can finish everything else! I'm using Patons SWS in a black, silver, gray colorway. It's SUCH a nice yarn! I was inspired by my knitting buddy, Donna H...when I saw hers, I knew I had to make one, too.

I've finally come to terms with my sad feelings of leaving my non-holiday knitting projects in the closet...for now. I was almost done with Tim's sweater and with a couple of other things, my new sock pattern among them. But, once January comes, I can finish those most important UFOs and....get ready to start new things.

When January 1st comes around, I am planning on blogging, not my resolutions for the year to come, but my Knitting and Spinning Wishlist 2008. Anyone up for doing the same along with me?

Hmmm...what else is new around here? Well, my little Ben has been sick. Off and on vomiting (oceans of puke..."OOP") during the night with no apparent reason...and feeling completely better in the morning....only to vomit again at night. I seriously have to invest in another set of king size sheets. I feel like I am continually switching and washing the 2 sets we have every other night....at 3 am. I am SO tired. Cyndi, my boss, was nice enough to let me leave early on Saturday so I could go home to the little guy. I hate being away from him when he's crying for me and not feeling well. You know?

Other than knitting my ass off for Christmas, I'm trying to catch up on my shopping. I've gotten maybe half of the things I need to and already feel like our checking account is dangerously low. I feel like I spend more every year, though for the same people. I try to spend less, but there is always something "else" in the air and, I don't know how, but it squirms it's way onto the list of things I need to buy. One year, I will be firm and only spend $25 on people (other than my spoiled kiddies) for their gifts and hope that it will work out. I mean, how can I bump people off the gift list? So, it must be....decrease spending. Right? Right? (please comfort me)



Our Christmas tree looks very nice all decorated and shining. Ben and I like to turn off all the lights and lay down under the tree...listening to holiday music and sighing with happiness. He lays on my shoulder and says, "Oh, this is nice, Mommy." With Tim, our special time is drinking rich, hot chocolate and watching Christmas specials together near the wood stove. We're warm, have yummy drinks and I even get to knit while spending time with my teen. Times like these are what I remember when I am faced with friggin knitting and unruly yarns. Mmmmm....calming and blissful.

I think that's all that's been going on in my "everyday" life. Working, shopping, cleaning (of course) and knitting. Not much spinning right now. I'm saving that for February. I'm determined to get my llama spun before I go to SPA. Will I finish? I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh?

I'll leave you with a great pic of Ben and my hubby that I took before they went geocashing. Ian is holding a hand crafted walking stick made of pine (or is it birch?) that Donna H's husband made. Isn't it gorgeous? He uses it every time he hikes or goes geocashing. I was stunned when, the other day, Donna H brought me yet another stick for me to take home. This time it was for Ben! He was thrilled and has been carrying it around the house with him. He can't wait to take it with him the next time he goes geocashing with his dad. What lucky guys!



Off to do more Christmas knitting!! Good luck with yours! (how far are you with shopping and knitting gifts?? do tell!)

I'm Allergic to my Christmas Tree

So, is it normal to go to the doctor's office this often? I had to go to see my doctor AGAIN....three times in one year is just unheard of for me. Am I falling apart at 34? Please don't say it's true!!

I've been having a really difficult time breathing since Sunday. Some days better than others, but mostly feeling like I had Ben sitting on my chest and not being able to inhale fully. After a few days of this, I became light-headed and a bit anxious...without any real reason. It's not because I'm out of shape (which, of course, I AM...even though I'm at the gym now 3 times a week...yea!)...since I've been waking up this way...wheezing and out of breath and I've got this "tingly, fiery, itchy" feeling in my chest and arms.

My grandma has asthma and so does my cousin, so I was thinking...do I have asthma? And freaking out...

I finally had so much trouble sleeping last night (each breath was so hard to take...even with yogic breaths and imagery, which I DID try) that I made an appointment to go and see my doctor this morning.

The first thing that the nurse did was to give me a weird breathing test by having me take a HUGE breath in and then breathing out as hard and long as I could. I had to do it 4 times because the levels were pretty low. My blood pressure was a bit high and my oxygen level a bit low.

While I was waiting, I was able to knit a bit on my KFI Felted Noro Bucket Bag with Charms (a store sample and fun to knit)...here it is looking all sad and limp:



The doctor came in (she just had twins and, boy, does she have a fantastic figure already!) and, after asking me some questions and doing some routine checks, had me sit in a room with a nebulizer (sp?)...some Frankenstein looking contraption that had liquid drugs in it (woo-hoo...) to help me breathe. The nurse came in and jokingly said it was like "smoking a peace pipe". Not that I'd know what THAT feels like but, hey, I can imagine, right?

I had to breathe into this gadget for a long time and, at first, it was soothing and relaxing. Then, I started coughing like there was no tomorrow and my chest hurt and my nose and eyes were watering. But, at least I could breathe better.

Come to find out, I've been having a severe allergic reaction to something since Sunday and...it quite possibly could be the Christmas Tree.

No kidding.

The sap sometimes causes allergic reactions in people...and, after talking to my mom, learned that she can't even touch the tree because she'll get hives and a rash and all that. And...Ian got our tree on Sunday. And I've been decorating it, pulling off stray branches and all that since then.

Is this the weirdest thing or WHAT???

So, now, I'm on four different medications: some smaller inhaler, 2 allergy meds, Zantac 75 and I have a prescription for Prednesone (my grandmother takes this for her asthma, but it's NOT a good drug to be taking if you don't need to), but I'm keeping that for an emergency.

If it's not an allergy to the tree, it's something I've touched or eaten and it's impossible to easily find out what it is. I have another appointment on Friday to make sure I'm breathing okay. Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay? There is NOTHING worse than feeling like you're drowning in muck with no air and it takes all your effort to suck in some oxygen. Ugh!

Hope you're all feeling well and have a great weekend! (I'll have more knitting updates and such next post!)

Stockings, Apples and Llamas

Jackie guessed it!!!



I am making 4 Christmas/Holiday stockings for my family. I am pretty sure I won't be done with them by the Winter Solstice or Christmas, but I'm starting them now....in hopes that I might. I got the wonderful pattern for these stockings at the Knit and Crochet Show a few months ago.

This pattern, called Judy's Colors Candy Cane Stockings, is only ONE of many beautiful stocking patterns. I'm also thinking about getting the "Mark","St. Nick" and "Mrs. Claus". Scroll down the page to see the adorable "Racecar" stocking! Such clever patterns.

I'm using the 100% wool yarn, Tove for the pattern. (You can buy some of patterns, this yarn and kits at the Yarn and Fiber Co. store I work at!) The yarn is pretty scratchy, but perfect for stocking and what GREAT colors!

Here are my plans:

Ben: light and dark blue for the candy stripes with the lime green for the cuff/ankle/toe
Tim: light and dark red for stripes, pine green for c/a/t
Me: light and dark pink for the stripes, lilac for the c/a/t
Ian: light and dark green for the stripes, bark brown for the c/a/t

(all our favorite colors!)

Jackie has been gifted the 5 skeins of Merino Style in Cornflower and the second prize winner for the most creative guess goes to.....

CAYLI!!!!

Cayli guessed the "Color on Color" scarf from the Scarf Style book which, strangely enough, I thought on the same day I bought the yarn that it would be perfect for that scarf. (I actually tried knitting that scarf once, but the construction was so complicated that I just quit. It's very unique, though) Cayli, make sure ot pick out what yarn you want!! (I'll email you...)

Thanks to everyone who guessed! All of your guesses were so original and fitting for each of the projects you suggested....like the Log Cabin Blanket (which I love) and the adult Tulips sweater or the Composed Mittens from IK. I also liked Glyn's idea of the knitted Babette and Sonya's idea of the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket.

I also wanted to share my current spinning project: spinning laceweight llama down.



I bought 8 oz of llama down at the NH Sheep and Wool festival in May from the interesting Lars of West Mountain Farm and it is Soooooo soft. It's almost as soft as cashmere or merino. I've been spinning it off and on for a week, whenever I get a chance, and it's almost spinning itself. I was hoping to spin enough to make a laceweight shawl...which I think I might come close...but I don't think it's thin enough for a 2 ply laceweight. Either I use it as a single or ply it...in which case it will be more like fingering. Anyone have any other ideas?

Last Sunday, the guys and I went to Mack's Apples in Londonderry to pick apples...my favorite place. It was such a beautiful day...and extremely busy!

Here are the guys posing in the apple orchard...this is the pic I got after 5 tries.... crazy pics of them all making funny faces.



Ben loves eating apples! (although I spent half my time taking pics and the other half of the time eating all the skin off the apples for Ben...he kept saying..."Mommy, eat the skin off FASTER!")



And, finally, everyone running ahead of me (trying to hold apples and the camera) back to the car. It was so much fun. And the apples....delicious!!!!



Tonight is work again...and the Friday Night Knitting Club....remember to come and visit us if you're free! (5-9:30 pm, Windham, NH) Have a great weekend!!! : )