Aaaak! Actually, the day wasn’t frenzied at all. But I was.I have gotten my Christmas list trimmed down pretty well now. Several years ago, I announced to my many cousins that I didn’t want Christmas presents, and wasn’t giving any. Our family gift giving had gotten seriously out of hand, and for me, Christmas became a nightmare. I wanted it to be more of a Dickensian sort of thing, where the focus was on gatherings with family and friends, festive music, and of course, Midnight Mass. And that is how it has been for the last several years, and it has been really a joyful celebration rather than something to be got through.
Nonetheless, there are a few folk for whom I like to make something nice, and I was firmly resolved to start my Christmas knitting in July. Actually, I did start in July, and I felt that I was off and running. When I got the first gift done, I was filled with sanctimonious pride. However, I seem to have tripped up on the way, because I now I am not running at all, but desperately limping along. Crawling, in fact . I can’t understand it. I had such plans and ideas. I certainly have not made the expected progress, and it is beyond the eleventh hour. Yesterday, I started up a little project that shouldn’t take too long – although maybe longer than the time I have allotted. And I could not get it going. It is stranded color work – usually no problem! I love doing stranded knitting, and I am actually pretty good at it. But…. the pattern had dark squares where I was doing white, and white squares where I was doing dark! Usually when knitting this sort of thing, I glance at the pattern and knit, knit, knit. This time, I had to carefully scrutinize the pattern, and had then think, think, think! The white squares are the dark yarn … the dark squares are light yarn. Not that complex. Somehow though, I just could not take it in. My sacred auntie called while I was starting over for the third time, and I am afraid that I snarled at her. She had some unappreciated advice like, “Maybe you should make something easier!” “This is about as easy as it gets,” I growled back. “Except that I am not finding it easy.” Today, however, I got it started and felt a little better. But the chances of me getting my presents done on time are slim. Sigh! Next year I will start in February. Why didn’t I think of that this year?
This picture is of some of the children in our family. They are all older now, but just as cute.
4 comments:
to "cheer" you up, here is what happened to me last night:
I finished the Christmas sweater for my son, had a look at it, thought: This is too small. Had him try it on and - it is too small!!! Have to frog the entire Raglan section, add length on both sleeves and body and then redo the Raglan... Fortunately, he has only grown in length and not in width. :D
Lovely family picture. wee don't give or receive presents either. In fact we pretty much ignore Xmas altogether!
It's probably too late, but maybe you should redraw the chart on graph paper, with the dark, dark and the light, light.
Cute kids and xmas picture! Whenever your gift is done, I'm sure it will be lovely and appreciated!! I'm falling behind with plans and they are not even complicated. I blame the short days.
Post a Comment