and then there is December

"Maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty."

~John Finley

I truly love the holidays and I've decided why I enjoy the holidays.  

I love knitting.  

I love yarns and fibers and new patterns.  

I love cables.  

I love it when people stop at my table at lunchtime and "oh" and "ah" because they just "can't do that."  

I love easy knits and I love complicated knits where my kids start whispering "don't bother her, she's counting."  

I love making things that I can felt.  

I also love the idea that if I really don't like what I am knitting or the pattern is too stupid to continue, I can stop and rip the whole thing out.  

But the one thing that I love the most, is that I don't knit gifts for Christmas.  Ignore the previous post.  Really.  This is my new mantra.  For one thing, everything that I had knit previously has already been worn and used.

No one needs to hold their breath wondering what super fabulous thing that they are going to get from me or whether I am going to be knitting them another hideous sweater.  I have been known to knit a wine tote, which I use as a host/hostess gift while giving wine to a friend at Christmas.  But that wine tote was probably made in July or February.  It wasn't knit because we were invited to a party and I have two weeks and what the heck . . . it was because I had it there. Hmm, go figure.  

I have been known to apply myself and make a knitted sweater and booties for a baby shower.  I've also been known to think about making a baby sweater and booties and going to Target and buying onesies and diapers instead.  

I have knitting friends and family that start knitting on December 26th for the following December 25th.  They make themselves CRAZED.  

Really, truly, I have enough things in my life to make me crazed without putting that kind of stress in my life.  

Family things.  

Work things (budget season scheduled to end just before the holidays!!!  Really!!  Why can't they change the fiscal year end to October 31?).  (and here are some pics of my office) . . . note the bottle of Tylenol.  Actually, I am in the middle of doing year-end cleaning so it usually doesn't look this bad . . . sometimes, its worse.

Social things.  As it is, my family (speaking hubby and kids) laugh because I take knitting everywhere.  As my hubby has been known to say "we are only going to be in the car for 15 minutes.  You really need to bring 'that' with you?"  Duh.  He doesn't know about the secret knitting stash in the van that is there for emergencies.  What if the car would break down.

My sister for my birthday spun me some fabulous yarn. I'm planning on knitting up something for me.  I'm thinking about starting on December 26th.  Just for the fun of it.

Oh, and just so you think I've not been knitting, I have.  And this is a perfect pic because it doesn't look like much of anything but it is the only gift that I am making this year.  But it isn't for Christmas either.  By the way, the color on this pic is lousy.  It isn't gray.  Its a another color.  A knitting thing of another color.